Yes. I am a healthy eater. Sometimes to a fault. But I do love my treats.
Last week, for my birthday, I drove out to Pescadero, one of my favorite spots on the coast. Pescadero Beach is amazing—all wild and gorgeous—and I love to stand on the cliffs above the crashing waves and laugh as the wind whips my hair into a crazy mess. The town of Pescadero is also home to Duarte’s Restaurant, known for their artichoke soup and about a gazillion different kinds (okay, truthfully, maybe eight or ten) of homemade pie.
I love pie. LOVE IT. And being a gluten-free pie lover is a real drag. I have yet to find a bakery that offers single slices of gluten-free pie. So, for the love of pie, maybe once or twice a year I break my gluten fast and indulge.
Duarte’s just happens to bake one of my absolute favorite kinds of pie: fresh olallieberry. I got myself a nice big piece of it, brought it to the beach, took one of my little enzyme pills that are supposed to aid gluten digestion—and then I ate that pie slowly, rapturously. I savored every bite. It was fantastic. Then I hung out at the beach for a while, danced on the sand, and had a lovely afternoon.
On the way back home, I stopped in at New Leaf Market in Half Moon Bay. I hadn’t been there before, but thought I’d check out their selection of snacks and treats. (At that point, I was probably coming down off my sugar rush and needed something to sustain me on the drive back to Oakland.) They had a great selection of gluten-free yummies, some of which I’d never seen before, including cookies, cakes, and a wide selection of snack items.
If I’d had more money on me, I could have done a lot more damage, but I decided to limit myself to just a couple of things (in addition to some in-house dry-roasted, organic almonds, which they had for a great price). First, I pounced on some raw goodies called Biscolinos, made by Raw Decadence (based in Redwood City). Each package had three little “biscotti” made from almonds, raisins, coconut and agave. I tried the Lemon & Coconut flavor, which was delicious—a delightful lemony tartness that wasn’t too sweet. (I find that many of the raw coconut treats are overly sweet for me, so it was nice to find one that was just right!) Then I found an old favorite of mine: a Ginger Chewnami, made from sesame seeds, kombu (yes, really!), ginger, and sweetened with brown rice syrup and maple syrup. I haven’t seen these in ages, and it turns out I still love them as much as I used to. They’re made by Rising Tide Sea Vegetables, a company based in Mendocino that sells seaweed products in several local stores (including Whole Foods). If anyone knows a store in the East Bay Area where I can find Chewnamis, let me know! I totally want more.
Since I’m already on the subject of treats, I’ll let you know my current, regular gluten-free favorites. First, Oskri Coconut Bars and nut bars. I really like the plain coconut bars, which are literally just coconut and rice syrup. The nut bars are good, too—not too sweet like so many nut bars. (For the past few weeks, Berkeley Bowl West has been out of most of the nut bars, and I’m going, well, nuts! I need another source…) Oskri (based in Wisconsin) makes a lot of different kinds of bars, including several that are sesame seed-based. Good stuff.
I also love Raweos, made by Blessings Alive and Radiant Foods (from nearby Emeryville). Raweos are like raw Oreos: two raw “cookies” made with soaked nuts, coconut, honey and spices, and a cashew cream center. There are three flavors—one with carob cookies and a vanilla bean center, one with carob cookies and a carob center, and one without carob that’s chai-spiced. (Yum!) The company also makes some pretty insane Kale Chips, which they’ve been sampling lately at some of the local Whole Foods Markets.
Another current favorite is the Spirulina Ginseng Nut Butter Ball from Betty Lou’s (based in Oregon). These balls have an almond butter base and a nice hearty crunchiness. Again, not too sweet. And, yes, they’re green (literally) from the spirulina. Betty Lou’s makes a few different gluten-free snack items, but of the ones I’ve tried so far, these are my favorites. (I usually pick these up at El Cerrito Natural Foods.)
Yes, I love my treats. And I so enjoy discovering new ones! If you’d like to share your own gluten-free favorites, please leave a comment!
And in case the thought of Duarte’s olallieberry pie has you drooling and ready to break your gluten-free diet, you don’t have to drive all the way to Pescadero for it. You can now find whole pies in the refrigerated section of many Northern California Whole Foods Markets.
Cheers!
