A Celiac eats on the Islands

We still have lots of this white stuff everywhere.  Even though the snow fall has tapered off, we see snow wherever we look. All this snow is causing me to think about

Maui, sunshine, whale watching……warmth… no snow….

The snow dump, cold temperatures, gray skies, and generally yucky conditions have left this little town filled with grumpy, cabin-fevered people. Spring cannot arrive soon enough. In the meantime, I thought I’d cheer myself by reviewing a few of the food highlights from our Hawaii trip. Over the years, I’ve settled into a practice when we travel — if we find a restaurant that works for my diet, we visit that place several times on a trip. That practice cuts down on the fatigue that can set in when each day is a search for safe food.

In reviewing my photos, I learned, not surprisingly, that I ate lots of fish tacos in Hawaii.
Because I try to follow a veganish-pescatarian diet, Mexican food tends to be a good option when items are ordered without dairy. Also, since I consider tacos an actual food group, I always eat lots of tacos.

One of our first adventures on Maui was a visit to the Humpback Whale Sanctuary in Kihei. Happily, Coconut’s Fish Cafe is close by the sanctuary so we stopped for lunch.  Coconut’s serves yummy fish tacos, the first of many I’d eat on this trip. The kitchen is educated about celiac and safe food prep, perhaps because the manager’s daughter is celiac. My tacos, ordered without cheese, were smothered in fresh mango salsa and delicious.

Coconut’s Fish Cafe Tacos.

We also found plenty of tacos closer to the resort. From the Hyatt resort in Kanapali, our home for a week, it was an easy 2 mile walk to Lahaina, where we discovered Frida’s Mexican Beach House. We ate at Frida’s three times; twice I ordered the fabulous fish tacos with avocado and once I mixed it up and ordered a salad with grilled shrimp and black beans. Frida’s serves great, simple Mexican food and the kitchen understands celiac.

Fish tacos at Frida’s……more yum.

Wanting to vary our menu a bit, R researched gluten-free pizza in Maui and found Maui Brick Oven in Kihei. While the restaurant offers a ton of celiac safe, gluten-free options, we came for the pizza. The restaurant serves an excellent gluten-free crust (probably helps that the chef/owner is celiac). The place is family owned, the staff friendly, and the safe food excellent.

Excellent gluten-free pizza at Maui Brick Oven

When we weren’t eating fish tacos or pizza, we hung out at Japengo’s bar, a hub for evening entertainment at the Hyatt. From the bar, we could watch whales breaching off in the distance while we munched on enormous, pricey California rolls.

Off we flew to Kauai where my quest for fish tacos continued. A couple of times, we ate at Verde in Kapaa, an almost exclusively gluten-free restaurant.
I jumped at their ahi tuna fish tacos, a nice change from mahi mahi. Verde has a dedicated fryer so even the chips were safe eating for me.

 Verde’s delicious little ahi tacos. Why are Hawaiian tacos so good?

We also tried Tortilla Republic Kitchen located not far from Kapaa.
Eating safely in Hawaii and maintaining a mostly veganish-pescatarian diet was fairly easy on this trip and would be for any taco fan.

Now back to the snow……

 

 

Eating on the Road

Most travelers anticipate enjoying food as well as experiences while on the road. But for a celiac, eating while traveling, and for me especially on road trips, can be tricky but navigable with planning. Oddly, destinations like African safari camps with their own chefs who ensure safe food have proven easier places to eat than many a restaurant in our neighboring state California. 

Black bean soup, Think Thin bars and other snacks fill in when safe food is scarce when traveling.

Options for a celiac pescatarian-semi vegan are good in Monterey, CA, where we stayed four nights. After a long day of driving in heavy traffic, we reached Monterey late on a Saturday afternoon. A quick search of gluten-free friendly restaurants yielded Alvarado Street Brewery and Grille, which was open and within walking distance of our hotel. The kitchen staff understands celiac and I ended up with a decent meal of tilapia street tacos with a side of sautéed brussels sprouts, minus bacon and cheese. Not a bad start to the trip.

A highlight of our stay in Monterey was kayaking the Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing where we made fast friends with sea otters, harbor seals, and lots of birds. While kayaking the slough was an exceptional wildlife treat, the food after at Phil’s Fish Market was a delicious food treat. I brought some Schär’s gluten-free bread with me in preparation for Phil’s cioppino. While I ordered the individual size ($25), the portion was large enough for two people — but I ate the whole serving by myself. It was the best cioppino ever and I’ve made a hobby of sampling cioppino whenever I find it on a menu.

Officially, the best cioppino I’ve ever eaten.

Next, we traveled south to Cambria, a delightful little Central California village located on the coast where we spent three nights and celebrated our 38^th wedding anniversary. On our anniversary, we lined up with a colorful collection of wine sipping (gulping?) folks for a table at The Sea Chest (no reservations, cash only).  I ordered their small cioppino which is still huge. While I enjoyed the stew, the cioppino at Phil’s Fish Market is the best.

Of the restaurants we tried in Cambria, Robin’s is the place for consistently excellent, safe, healthier, though pricey food.  One evening I devoured prawn enchiladas in a tomatillo sauce that were gluten-free, delicious, but not quite vegan.  Rather than salads, that evening we ordered crispy brussels sprouts without cheese. Everything was wonderful.

 After hiking one day, I ordered Robin’s veggie tacos for lunch — butternut squash, black bean purée, lettuce, onions, avocado cream, cashews. These gluten free beauties were unbelievably delectable.

I can’t decide which I liked better — the veggie tacos or prawn enchiladas.

Next we headed further south to the desert, making our way through torturous Los Angeles traffic. Our reward was dinner at Guillermos’s Restaurante in Palm Desert. While Guillermos’s does not offer a huge selection of celiac safe, pescatarian options, the restaurant takes care to ensure safe food.

 

Shrimp fajitas which were photographed poorly but quite delicious.

Our other favorite in the desert is Pacifica Seafood Restaurant. Richard loves their Quinoa Kale Salad and I love most everything on the menu.

Until next time, safe eating.

In Bend, Where Does This Celiac-Veganish Pescatarian Eat

 

Gorgeous salmon tacos — hold the cheese but add avocado — at Barrio. I’m always surprised that my X-rays don’t reveal a belly full of tacos.

I’ve written about the challenges of finding safe, mostly healthy gluten free, pescatarian food when traveling.  But I’m home in Bend more than I’m roaming the world which means I eat at local restaurants. Here are a few I favor, though more linger on my to-try list.

R and I love Mexican food. Fortunately, many Mexican dishes are good gluten free, veganish-pescatarian options if the kitchen is trained to cook without adding gluten and avoids cross contamination.

LaRosa in NWX is one of our weekly hangouts. We love the owner, the staff and that the restaurant is a quick 18 minute walk from our house. LaRosa offers gluten free chips prepared in a dedicated fryer and pays careful attention to safe kitchen practices. I like many items but my favorites are the Enchilada Del Mar, Tacos de Pescado, Sopa de Vegetables, and the lunch bowl (pictured below) all ordered dairy free.

The vegetarian lunch bowl is a wonderful mix of sautéed veggies, black & pinto beans, and sauce.

Our other Latin American fave is Barrio in downtown Bend. While the chips are not safe for me to eat — no dedicated fryer —the food is so delicious that I don’t miss them. At Barrio, I’m a creature of happy habit. I often order yummy salmon tacos with avocado but no cheese or mushroom & corn tacos. Frequently at lunch I order their delicious mushroom & corn enchiladas. R is addicted to the paella, which is also gluten free. We are regulars at Barrio, which I think is a good thing.

Barrio’s heavenly mushroom & corn enchiladas. Gluten free and vegan.

R loves Barrio’s mixta paella, also gluten free.

A favorite that is only open for lunch is the friendly Sunny Yoga, which actually holds yoga classes when the kitchen is closed.  Sunny Yoga offers a host of excellent options for gluten free vegans. The Sunny Bowl is one beauty filled with spinach, kale, peppers, quinoa, garbanzo beans and topped with a curry sauce. It looks delicious and some day I will order the bowl when I’m less smitten with the Sunny Burger, a veggie wonder of spinach, walnuts, onions and arugula (I leave off the mayo and cheese but add avocado) available either on gluten free bread or on a bed of arugula with a splash of sriracha hot sauce.

My photo does not do justice to the Sunny Veggie Burger pictured here on arugula.

Another terrific spot for lunch is the upscale Zydeco. Zydeco offers a gluten free menu, though many options are meat and dairy based. But along with some interesting salads is the Zydeco vegetable beet burger. I order this fabulous meatless burger on gluten free bread, without cheese but with a hearty shot of barbecue sauce.

Mystery to me how that lone crispy fry ended up on my veggie burger

Breakfast out is a dicey meal for me for I find it challenging to find an option that is gluten free, safe and worth eating. While I know egg whites are not vegan, I do, on occasion indulge in Chow’s Huevos Rancheros. I order this dish of corn tortillas, black beans, ancho and green chile sauces with egg whites but without dairy. Not really vegan but certainly vegetarian and delicious.

Huevos Rancheros at Chow, a lovely treat

Other great places in town for gluten free, veganish-pescatarian eats include Spork and Broken Top Bottle Shop.  Spork offers a savory gluten free, vegan West African Peanut Curry as well as rice bowls with tofu. Broken Top Bottle Shop, a quick walk from our house, features many traditional meat and dairy items, but also has fresh veggie salads easily topped with tofu or grilled salmon as well as a variety of gluten free appetizers.

Many more restaurants we’ve yet to try so lots of happy eating in Bend.