Viva Viva Pops!

To improve upon something as perfect as a popsickle, now that's a company after my heart! Viva Pops has been serving up frozen deliciousness on a stick since the summer of 2008. Whether you are enjoying their delicious frozen confections at one of San Diego's local farmers markets or from their shop in Normal Heights these innovative flavors packed full of fresh local seasonal fruits are just the treat for a hot summer day (or chilly day eaten in your car with the heater on)!

Deliciosness on wheels

After years of drooling over the fabulous food truck scene in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland (swoon!) San Diego has at last hopped on the bandwagon. The past few years have brought with them a number of scrumptious new mobile food providers, many with regulars and raving fans that follow the trucks just to get a taste of their daily deliciousness. As part of my job I have had the pleasure of sampling and getting to know many of these gourmet restaurants on wheels (I know, such work! ;-) It's hard to pick and choose but for your dining pleasure I will share two of the gems I have most recently found myself frequenting.

Miho Gastrotruck



Whether serving lunch in a business park, dishing up dinner at the Whistlestop, or popping up to share their mouthwatering creations at events around the town, Miho has taken food truck cuisine to a whole new level of delicious in San Diego. They specialize in hand crafted street food and they master this beautifully by using fresh ingredients sourced from local farms and food purveyors, and making many of their sauces and condiments from scratch.



Their menu changes weekly and varies by season, which in my opinion speaks very highly of their creativity and brilliance in the kitchen. As a longtime fan or Homi as they call it, I have tried many different dishes and never once has one made me feel anything less than completely enamored with their ability to combine ingredients in such a delectable fashion.




Tabe



Tabe has taken two of my favorite cuisines and managed to combine them in a way that leaves my taste buds hollering for more. Using some of the most delicious flavors found in Asian cuisine and melding them with Mexican they have created a delicious new twist on street tacos.

One of my favorites are the spicy pork tacos, pork marinated in a spicy Korean sauce then grilled and served up soft taco style or atop a bed of lettuce for us gluten free folks (on occasion they carry corn tortillas too, just ask!).



They also have an amazing take on the So.Cal classic, carne asada fries. Fresh cut fries topped with cheese, their yummy tomato salsa and sour creme. Made Tabe style by seasoning the fries with their custom blended Asian spice mix and melting the cheese atop with a blow torch (so cool!).



There are so many more to list, like Joe's on the Nose and their amazing horchata latte. Oh and Corner Cupcakes and their creative offering of gourmet cupcakes like buttermilk bacon and chocolate stout! Sadly, I do not yet have any photos to share from these, guess that means someone is going to be going out food truck sampling again soon! Stay tuned!

Cinco De Mayo Fiesta

I have never really done anything festive for Cinco De Mayo and so my dearest friend Kate, whom I have been friends with since we were toddlers, decided that at age 30 it was high time we celebrated this festive holiday properly.

We started off the evening at El Camino Super Cocina in Little Italy where we…

Had our picture taken with a Zonkey! (though I think he was really a pony so that would make him more of a Zoney I suppose). Nonetheless he was super cute and I felt like this definitely qualified as proper Cinco de Mayo festiveness.

Unfortunately, El Camino was way too packed to sit for a proper meal, which was sad because their food is amazing!! Last time I was there their nightly special was baked chile relleno, yes it was baked not fried and not breaded meaning completely gluten free and very much swoon worthy as far as deliciousness goes.

Before heading out we squeezed our way to the bar for a celebratory toast with tequila served in itty bitty boot glasses (so cute!)

Even though we were sad to not be eating at El Camino we were not that sad because instead we got to go to my favorite pizza place in San Diego.

Pizza Fusion

Gluten free crust topped with tri color peppers, mozzarella and the most delicious pepperonis I have ever tasted. I could not have picked a better meal for Cinco de Mayo or any night of the week for that matter.

They also just happened to have a new gluten free cider on the menu.

Fox Barrel Black Currant Cider. Now I am not typically a huge beer or cider gal but this stuff may have just chanced that. The flavor of the currant really comes out in the most perfect subtlety sweet not at all bitter way, I think I have a new favorite beverage to pair with pizza!

We may not have stuck to the typical Cinco de Mayo theme as far as celebrating goes but I must say I think we did it up just right.

Lights, camera, yummy food... ACTION!

Hello friends :-)

I have been a busy busy bee here at Specialty Produce lately! Working on lots of fun new things like visiting fantastic farms and scrumptious restaurants and learning all sorts of facts, tricks, and tasty tidbits from chefs and other fabulous foodies.

One new project that I have been particularly enthused about are the new videos we have been making here at Specialty featuring some of our favorite restaurants as well as some delicious how-to’s and recipe sharing features.

Creating yummy little videos like these has been on my to do list forever now so I am excited that making them is now part of my job description here. It has also inspired me to at last start working on my own gluten free version of this project. I just recently shot a video at this heavenly new gluten free place and hope to have the delicious footage up in the next week. For now here are a few of my yummy videos from the Specialty Produce U-Tube channel.

Vin De Syrah

Saffron

Yummy Caprese Salad with Tondo Balsamic

Saffron special

It’s been down right summery here in San Diego the past few days, nothing but warmth, blue skies and bright sunny days until today that is, when the skies clouded up, the temperature dropped and scattered showers lightly drizzled our normally sunshiny city. This proper winter weather arrived just in time for one of my favorite food days of the week…chicken pumpkin
curry Wednesday!



Every Wednesday the wonderful folks at Saffron cook up this scrumptious seasonal special. Fresh roasted chicken and kabocha squash mingling together in a perfectly spiced pumpkiny curry served alongside their yummy fruit chutney and spicy cucumber salad. Splurge a bit and order it with their delicious organic red rice, trust me you won’t be disappointed!

I <3 Lockwood!

I did not think it was possible to be busier than I have been this past year but low and behold my schedule as of late has made all the months prior to it seem like a walk in the park. Not that I can really complain all that much, in my opinion all of the uber long work days/nights and lack of adequate sleep are a welcome sacrifice to be able to do what I love.

 

For those of you that don’t already know, since late July Mari Made baked goods have been available at a lovely little café in Solana Beach called “The Lockwood Table”. Located in the Cedros Design District, Lockwood Table offers an array of tasty breakfast, lunch, and sweet treats. Almost everything on the menu can be tinkered with to be gluten free if it is not already and they always have a delicious selection of my gluten free baked goods. 

Currently we are offering…

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Strawberry Cupcakes

Lavender infused Chocolate Cupcakes

Black Bottom Cupcakes (with cream cheese + chocolate filling!)

Myer Lemon Tarts

Blueberry Muffins with crumble topping

Lockwich Sandwiches (2 oatmeal cookies with sour cherries + white chocolate and a vanilla filling)

Banana Bread (once a month, email me for dates!)

 

The menu will change seasonally (look for pumpkin scones and caramel apple pie tarts in the fall!) and as always custom orders are available by emailing gfmarimade@gmail.com

 

We are working on a bread to be used for sandwiches and French toast but in the mean time all of the sandwiches can be made as a wrap using French Meadow GF tortillas, which are amazzzing (imagine your old favorite flour tortilla, but that its 100x’s better, really!!)

 

I am there Monday and Thursday nights baking so if you want something really fresh or want to ensure that it is not sold out stop by within a day or two of bake night.

xoxo

Rachel Marie 

http://www.lockwoodtable.com/index.html

 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/lockwood-table-cafe-solana-beach

New! GF Menu at Urban Solace

As if this restaurant was not wonderful enough already, they now offer a gluten free menu that clearly points out all of their delicious dishes that are or can be made gluten free, yay! I dined there recently and wrote this yummy review for Specialty Produce….

http://www.specialtyproduce.com/blog/index.php/2009/08/28/solace-in-the-city/

xoxo

Rachel Marie

p.s. more to come soon! As in tonight when I get home from work :-)

For the Love of Lunch

Since I took up work at Specialty my days of running home for an hour long homemade lunch break have pretty much come to an end. Switching from a 2 mile commute to a 26 mile one has a tendency to do that. Instead of running home for lunch I now snack on cheese and crackers, trail mix, and fresh fruit from the warehouse.  Once a week I also go out for a yummy lunch, one of my favorite lunch spots lately has been Natures Express in Hillcrest.

 

Formerly known as Kung Food, Natures Express serves up a most delicious selection of vegan, raw and gluten free deliciousness. (Thanx to Kate for being my lunch date and being so gracious as to model with the Nature's Express Sign!)

   

Food is laid out cafeteria style with little labels listing the ingredients and whether or not the selection is raw and or gluten free.

 

Their selections change from day to day, personally I like to try a little of whatever new gluten free dishes they have on display. I do have a few favorites though that I always keep an eye out for like the spicy lentils, peanut tofu salad, and their mashed potatoes and gravy.  Now typically I am not much of a mashed potatoes and gravy girl but I l-o-v-e these spuds!  

 

Back when they were Kung Food they charged by weight, now they charge by the plate offering a small and a large plate that you can eat there or take to go. I typically go with the smallest plate because I always like to save room for one of their delicious raw desserts.

 

Cookies, chocolate mouse, and my personal favorite… the coconut cream pie and chocolate cream pie.

To be honest while the coconut pie is delicious and beautiful I must admit the chocolate is my favorite of the two. This rich, chocolaty slice of goodness is not only raw but completely gluten free! They also have a vegan + gluten free frozen yogurt that I am very much looking forward to trying on the next warm sunshiny day I happen to be dining there.

 

In addition to inside and outside sit down dining they also have a drive thru with lots of vegan fast food items like burgers, hot dogs and sweet potato fries. I don’t think there is much in the way of gluten free dining options at the drive thru but I have yet to investigate it. After my next visit I promise to return with a full report on any gluten free discoveries I might find. 

29 Candles

I love birthdays! Some people look at them with doom and gloom but I for one think they are fabulous! A day when you can look back and celebrate all of the fun you have had in life thus far and at the same time look forward to all the adventures and new experiences that still lie ahead. With each passing year comes an increase in knowledge about so many things, practical stuff like how to change a tire or bake a decadently delicious 4 layer cake but also about soulful things like how to better love others or what you are most passionate about in life.

Not only are birthdays a day of recollection and reflection but also a day of fun filed jubilee! In my opinion whatever it may be that you love and enjoy most in life is what you should be doing. So, in celebration of the start of my 29^th year on the planet I decided to plan a festive day full of all of my most favorite things!

 

A leisurely breakfast involving banana

Now it’s no secret that banana oatmeal is my most favorite breakfast food but since it was a special day I thought I should try making something new and since I have been on a vegan baked goods kick I decided to incorporate that too.

 

Banana Birthday Pancakes

Vegan and Gluten Free!

Makes 10-12 small pancakes

 

Ingredients

¾ cup brown rice flour

¼ cup tapioca flour

¼ cup potato starch

1 teaspoon xanath gum

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups light coconut milk (or soy milk if you don’t have coconut, but you should because its delicious!)

1 large really ripe banana, mashed up

 

Optional Topping Ingredients

Toasted walnuts or pecans

Maple syrup

Earth Balance spread or butter

Honey

 

Preparation

In a large mixing bowl sift all of the flours together using a sifter, fine mesh sieve, or whisk. Add to this the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until all the flours and spices are well combined. 

In a separate bowl combine the vanilla, coconut milk, and banana and using a hand stick blender blend until smooth. If you don’t have a stick blender you can also use a regular standing blender, if you have absolutely no blending device you are going to get a work out when you use the whisk to power mix until the liquid ingredients are as smooth as you can get them.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. 

Spray a large skillet lightly with cooking spray or coat with a smear of oil and heat to medium high heat then lower to medium.  Pour the batter into the pan and let cook until little bubbles start to form atop the pancake, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip the pancake (I find its easiest to run the spatula around the perimeter of the cake then after loosened a bit in one quick push of the spatula under the cake lift and flip). Let the cake cook on the other side for another minute or two and its done. If your skillet is large enough you can cook multiple pancakes at once. I like to keep the completed pancakes warm on a plate in the oven set to the lowest heat.

Once the cakes are all done you can top with any number of scrumptious additions. I choose to use toasted walnuts for a bit of protein, earth balance, and some of the delicious maple syrup my dad brought me back from his trip to Montreal.

 

Delicious! They tasted like a cross between banana bread and a pancake. I can’t imagine a tastier way to kick off my 29^th year of life.

 

Pampering and playing with Kate

Birthdays are the perfect time to pamper your body and thank it for getting you through another year. My feet walked heavens knows how many miles this year so my oldest and dearest friend Kate and I decided to treat our toes to a pedicure at the lovely Bergamot spa in Encinitas.  We both got the Island Style treatment which included a relaxing soak in coconut scented water complete with beautiful floating plumaria flowers (my favorite!)

After the soak we were treated to a sugar cane scrub, coconut butter massage, and a bit of pretty polish. We left feeling rejuvenated and ready for the rest of our day, which included more of my favorite things like…

Shopping at Anthropologie and drinking my favorite holiday beverage, winter dream tea lattes from the Coffee Bean and then gluten free panini’s from my favorite lunch spot Water’s Catering in Solana Beach.

 

Bubbly beverages with the woman that gave me life

My mom and I have so much in common which is one of the reasons why I consider her not only my mom but one of my best friends too.  First and foremost though she is my mother and so my birthday is not only a special day for me but for her as well. That’s why I am always sure to wish her a happy birth-giving day and take time to celebrate the day together. This year we shared a few glasses of one of our favorite celebratory beverages, champagne with maraschino cherries.

 

Deliciousness and dancing with loved ones

A few days prior to my birthday this year Josephine and my Dad were sweet enough to come down to Encinitas and treat me to dinner at a restaurant I have been longing to try, Q’ero. As always spending time with my dad was wonderful and the dinner was one of the most spectacular I have had all year. Warm spinach salad with roasted beets and goat cheese, arepas stuffed with cheese, blackened snapper with grilled yucca, chocolate truffles, and the most scrumptious sangria I have ever tasted. Sharing delicious food with my loved ones is possibly one of my most favorite things in life, which is why I decided to do it again on my birthday with 18 of my nearest and dearest friends.

The delicious evening started off at a super cute Mexican restaurant in South Park called El Camino. The owner of the restaurant is also a designer and his creativeness is most definitely reflected in the décor of the eatery. From entrance to exit the restaurant is decked out in colorful kitschy décor. Everything from extravagant murals painted on the walls and religious figurines to collages made of chiclets and old wrestling movies playing at the bar.

             

In addition to being beautifully decorated the food at El Camino is incredibly scrumptious. We ordered a few pitchers of the house sangria for the table and they brought us some chips, jicama, and cucumber sticks along with a wooden block fitted with four bowls of delicious salsas for dipping.

For dinner I ordered my favorite, the sweet potato soft tacos, which came with darling little pots of black beans and rice.  I also ordered a side of esquite or corn with cheese, mayo and hot sauce (yummers!).

At the end of the meal they brought me a piece of cake, which I could not eat but none the less thoroughly enjoyed the happy birthday serenade, blowing out the candle on my gluteny cake, and then eating the cherry off the top of it before passing it around to my friends.

After our dinner we headed across town to one of my favorite bootie shaking establishments, Air Conditioned Lounge.  We twirled, giggled, and danced the night and first few hours of the morning away to the musical styling’s of Dj Schoeny

It was the perfect way to end an absolutely perfect birthday. After so much fun, love, and deliciousness my heart was full and I was exhausted and so I headed home and said goodnight to my first day as a 29 year old Rachel Marie.

October weather at Oktoberfest

I may not be able to drink beer or even eat much bratwurst anymore but that doesn’t mean I don’t have room in my heart for a festival that embraces the two! Happily fall decided to stick around for one more day in San Diego making the cloudy, cool and sporadically drizzly Saturday afternoon an absolutely perfect day for Oktoberfest festivities. Instead of trying to muss with parking we decided to take public transport and made our way to the Fashion Valley MTS Transit center.



Taking the San Diego trolley east we made our way to La Mesa the location of the largest 3 day Oktoberfest celebration this side of the Mississippi. Located in the La Mesa Village this street festival spans 6 blocks and includes a plethora of food, beer, carnival, craft, and crazy gadgets you just can’t live without booths. In addition to offering an endless supply of the official beverage of the day the three beer gardens all have lovely polka music playing. In the main beer tent they had an oom pah pah band playing and a dance floor where they played traditional Oktoberfest tunes for shaking your bootie to such as the chicken dance!



While everyone enjoyed their brats and fried goodies I had some grilled corn topped with Tapatio, lemon, salt and gluten free "I can’t believe its not butter" spray.



After meandering our way though the fair a bit more we popped into a little café for more beer and watermelon and pistachio gelato for me.



So, I may not have indulged in any traditional German food and beverage (Mexican corn and Italian gelato) but nevertheless I still managed to have a delicious time at Oktoberfest.

Later that night we went for sushi at Sushi on the Rocks in La Jolla. I had the Barrio Roll which came with tuna topped with a spicy salsa and avocado slices.



I also had an equally delicious Philly Roll that was filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese and since we decided to go for sushi on a whim I did not have any gf soy sauce with me so I made a dip for my sushi using water, wasabi and sea salt.



Not as yummy as soy sauce but it did the trick and gave my sushi that lovely wasabi kick that I adore.

Back at Chris’s apartment we made some coffee and found two gluten free milk options in his fridge.



I choose to have the Coffee Mate French Vanilla creamer because I use to love this in my tea and coffee and had not realized it was gluten free so had not had it in years!

Another delicious day, and one that actually made it feel like fall here in San Diego at last. According to our local weather man though that was as fallish as we are going to get for the week and that the hot summery weather might not be gone for good just yet.

Wine Time

Once upon a time I fell in love with a glass of red wine and like many young ladies in love I often gabbed (and wrote) about my new found love (like here and again here). For sometime I was only able to find this lovely blend of ruby deliciousness served by the glass for a pretty penny at the Linkery until after weeks of searching I finally found it for sale by the bottle at a delightful place in Hillcrest called Wine Steals.

As if I needed another reason to be smitten with this fine San Diego purveyor of grapy goodness. For those of you that have not yet had the pleasure of visiting this fabulous wine bar/shop allow me to offer you a list of reasons why you should drop everything and head down there right this instant.

• For your tasting pleasure they always have 35+ wines from around the world available by the half glass (little tasting), full glass (big tasting) or bottle (really big tasting). Their extensive list of wine offerings change weekly so if you don’t find a favorite one week come again the next and try again!
  
• Monday through Friday they have happy hour (woohoo!) where they offer $3 glasses of wine between the hours of 4pm and 6pm. They also have tasting specials on Tuesdays in Hillcrest and Wednesdays in Point Loma between 5:30pm and 7pm for only $5.
  
• If your weekdays are jam packed already there’s no need to fret because on Saturdays from 4pm to 6:30pm they have a wine tasting special where for $10 you can sample up to 25 different wines. Even sharing a tasting with a friend we were only able to make it through about 16 on our Saturday visit! If you are shopping for new wines this is an excellent way to taste before you buy, and a much better way to pick a good bottle than by looking for the prettiest label, not that I do that sorta thing ;-).
  
• In addition to their extensive wine offerings they also have a scrumptious menu of small bites and other delicious tummy pleasing plates. My favorite are their boards which can be ordered with any number of delicious snacky things such as fresh fruit, cheeses, olives, nuts, meats, bread and crackers. I always bring my own gluten free crackers along when I know I am going to be sharing a board with friends. For those of you that can eat gluten their panini’s and pizzas are scrumptious and for those of us that can’t they are great inspiration for creating gf versions of their offerings at home (personally I can’t wait to make my own GF brie and raspberry jam panini).
  
• Last but defiantly not least Wine Steals is fabulous because they offer an outstanding selection of wine at very reasonable prices. My bottle of Chucker came to only $17 a bottle, when compared to the $9 a glass I was paying that is quite the sweet deal.
  

Until fairly recently I had only been to the Hillcrest location of Wine Steals, actually I did not even realize that there was more than one location until I was making plans for an evening there with the Fords and Kelly suggested we try out the newish Point Loma location. Located in the former Naval Training Center now collection of shops, offices, parks, restaurants and galleries known as Liberty Station the Point Loma Wine Steals has the same delicious wine and food offerings as the Hillcrest and also boasts a quaint outdoor sitting area as well as an eclectic mix of rustic couches, chairs and wine cask tables on the interior making it a most cozy place to gather with friends for a night of deliciousness.

The Fords had a gift certificate which was good for 4 glasses of wine for 4 people

and an everything board

The Fords also ordered the Chardonnay Pizza which was topped with apples, pulled pork, cheese and a scrumptious chardonnay sauce. Everything was delicious! I even snagged the toppings off one of the slices of pizza!

Our waiter was a little ditzy and forgot to bring us our fourth glass of wine, the cheese on our everything board (the best part!), our chocolate board and our pizza. Luckily the vino made his spacyness more comical than annoying and after much reminding and with the help of a second waiter we ended up getting everything we ordered and then some including the last bottle of my favorite wine…

GF & V Restaurant Roundup

Before I had to eliminate gluten from my diet I was on another diet of sorts, not by necessity but by choice. I was part time vegan full time vegetarian, eating mostly veggie meats, tofu, soy milk products and of course an array of grains, fruits and veggies. Once I realized I had to give up gluten I slowly started to incorporate real cheeses, white meat and even fish into my diet thinking that it would be impossibly challenging to be gluten free and vegetarian. Over the years while I have come to love my new diet (how did I live without real cheese before!?) I have also realized that being vegetarian or even vegan and gluten free is not the impossible task I once imagined it would be. While I am no longer vegetarian and have no immediate plans to go back to being one I am however selective about the meats and other animal products I do cook with and consume and would say about 75% of the meal I prepare and eat end up being vegetarian ones. I am also a big fan of eating vegetarian when dining out. Many restaurants are becoming more and more conscious of food allergies and alternative diets and changing their menus to accommodate the wants and needs of the dining public. Here are a few of my vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free friendly restaurant favorites as well as a few new finds.

Pizza Fusion

This was my second visit to the newish Pizza Fusion in Hillcrest and it was just as delicious as the first! This pizza place really does have something for everyone, gluten free crust, soy cheese, goat cheese, light mozzarella, free range meats, organic veggies and fake meats. My dear friend Natalie just happened to go on a Thursday which is gluten free night and each pie comes with two free toppings. We shared a gluten free crust pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, feta and half pepperonis for Nat and half tri color peppers for me.



I love that they offer a full sized gluten free pizza here! The thin crust is the perfect amount of bread as to not fill you up to fast or distract from the deliciousness of the topping ingredients.

Spread



The owners of this place use to have a shop called Nutters downtown that sold homemade peanut butter and peanut butter sandwiches. They still sell their swoon worthy peanut butters at the new place but they now also serve incredibly creative, fresh and delicious vegetarian dishes, some of which incorporate their peanut butters. They are open for dinner but I highly recommend going for Sunday brunch (if you go be sure to call first though because they travel for catering often and are sometimes closed on random days). Their menu changes daily depending upon what fresh and flavorful ingredients they find at the market and the owners are awesomely knowledgeable about food allergies and always recommend something delicious and gluten free for me. Be sure to pick up one of their decadent peanut butters before you leave, trust me you will not be disappointed.

Soltan Banoo

This is quite possibly my favorite restaurant in San Diego! If it was not so far from where I live I would be there once a week. Healthy and amazingly delicious Persian food served by the friendliest staff. The restaurant itself is incredibly cozy, gorgeously decorated with Persian rugs, paintings and furniture, and exudes the most welcoming ambiance. Their menu boasts an extensive selection of both vegan and vegetarian options and most dishes that include meat can be made with tofu instead. Even though it takes a bit longer to prepare one of my favorites is the Salmon Kebab Plate which comes with fresh grilled salmon, jasmine rice with dill, roasted veggies, and their delicious shiraz salad. Just be sure to order it without the pita if you are gluten free. Also equally yummy is the Zereshk Pollo which is jasmine rice speckled with barberries, orange peel and almonds and can be served with tofu instead of chicken if you are vegetarian.



If you can by chance get there on a Tuesday their daily special the Fesenjoon is the best I have ever tasted!



A scrumptious stew of pomegranate and walnut served with chicken or tofu alongside basmati rice, sooo yummy! They also have an extensive tea menu as well, the orange robious with soy on a cool evening is always a delicious way to end a scrumptious Persian meal.

Veggie Grill



This OC gem is a vegetarian and gluten free paradise! All of the salads and sandwiches on the menu are vegetarian and they also offer a supplemental gluten free menu which instructs you how to order some of their scrumptious offerings gluten free. For dinner I choose the Baja Fresh Salad and a Raspberry Strawberry Cooler.



The salad was packed full of fresh fruits and veggies like papaya, avocado, roasted corn salsa, cucumber and chopped romaine. Served atop a bed of quinoa and drizzled with a ginger papaya vinaigrette this scrumptious salad is not only vegan but completely gluten free.

Many of their sandwiches can be made gluten free as well by substituting tempeh for other fake meats and using kale in lieu of a bun. My only wish is that they could get a second fryer so they can make a gluten free version of their sweet potato fries as they are my favorite!

Hacienda De Vega



At the south end of Escondido there is a lovely placed right off of Center City Parkway called Hacienda de Vega. Almost all of their seating is outside surrounding a beautiful fountain and lush landscaping and their menu consists of flavorful and fresh home style Mexican dishes. On Friday nights they have live music and their Sunday brunch on a sunshiny day is always a treat. The boast a veggie menu called garden selections that have tasty offerings such as potato rolled tacos with black beans instead of refried. For gluten free diners obviously steer clear of any fried dishes and flour tortillas and mention to the server that you have food allergies and they are great about checking with the chef to make sure a dish is safe. Their Mahi Mahi Tacos are spiced to perfection and served with fresh and hot corn tortillas.



Of course I also love their fresh salsas and their muy grande mango margaritas.



Apertivo

This charming Italian tapas restaurant and wine bar in North Park is really great with food allergies and special diets and if you tell them you cannot have gluten or do not eat meat they will recommend a long list of delicious offerings that you can have. I love the chicken diablo, roasted baby carrots, crimini mushrooms, caprese salad, and the butternut squash when in season.

Ki’s

Located in North County coastal along the 101 in Cardiff is a vegetarian friendly place called Ki’s. They offer casual take out and dine in downstairs during the day and dinner upstairs in the evenings. When I worked in Solana Beach I use to frequent this place for their delicious salads on my lunch breaks. Dining upstairs in their indoor/outdoor patio in the evenings is the perfect spot to enjoy a beautiful San Diego sunset and some fresh seafood. I love the Baked Salmon in Parchment cooked with basil tomato and feta served with oven roasted potatoes and fresh veggies. Equally delish is the Mahi Mahi served atop wild rice and asparagus topped with a chunky mango salsa and macadamia nuts.



Inform the server if you cannot have gluten and they will let the chef know and make sure your food is prepared properly. If you are a fan of wine try to go on a Tuesday as they offer half priced bottles.

SpiritLand Bistro

If you happen to find yourself in or nearby the fabulous town of Santa Barbara you must find time to make your way to this delightful eatery which I reviewed last June. Everything on the menu is fresh, organic, made with love, and incredibly delicious. As if that was not enough every item is also labeled clearly as to which diet it is safe for (GF, V, Veg, SF, EF, DF, and Raw).

Blissful, Living Food and Juice

There use to be a chain of raw food restaurants in San Diego called Cilantro Live, sadly they all went out of business but the same owners have recently reopened a new place in Carlsbad called Blissful. I have yet to try this new restaurant but their menu seems to be fairly similar to what was offered at Cilantro. I like to go for raw food whenever I feel like I need something really healthy and nutritious (since everything there is!) and the best part is that every item on the menu is gluten free and vegan so you have plenty of options to choose from. As soon as I have a chance to visit this new place I will be sure to post a full review of my tastings!