Restaurant Fridays - Wild Willy's (Worcester)

Welcome to Restaurant Fridays - My Friday reviews of gluten free dining options in Boston, Worcester and their surrounding areas.


Wild Willy's - Worcester

I have no idea how it's taken me this long to write about Wild Willy's. I think it's because the burgers and sandwiches are so good that I usually scarf mine down before I remember to take pictures. Wild Willy's is a restaurant chain that has a several locations across New England. The owners of the Worcester location, (Bob and Jan Stein), have chosen to take gluten free to the next level.

Product Review - Choice Batter

About a month ago, Mike proudly came home with a new gluten free find, Choice Batter. I generally don't fry things, but we decided to give this product a try at least once out of curiosity. We decided to make buffalo chicken salads for dinner using this mix. One batch of chicken we fried with light olive oil spray and the other we pan fried in peanut oil.

Choice Batter

Upon opening the package, I was immediately hit with the rather zesty smell of the mix. It definitely had some spices mixed in. This worried me a little bit because sometimes the spice mix in gluten free products can leave a lot to be desired. I think some companies must use the heavy spice mixes in an attempt to mask the gluten free taste and texture...

Dry Batter

This mix was fairly easy to use. We just added water, let it sit for a little bit and dunked the chicken pieces in. After that, we tossed it in the frying pan and cooked it until golden brown. The batch that we made with the light olive oil spray came out a lot cakier, whereas the version we fried in the peanut oil came out nice and crispy. If you plan on pan frying your battered items , be careful! The oil spits a lot more than I've ever see another product spit. Make sure you aren't wearing nice clothes and make yourself a frying shield with foil if you need to. Also, you could use a fryer if you have one, which would probably take care of the spitting problem all together.

Fried with light olive oil spray

Pan fried in peanut oil

After we cooked all the chicken, I saved two pieces to try sans hot sauce. My earlier fears of the spice mix being gross or overpowering were thwarted by the tasty fried chicken. It was good without the buffalo sauce and even better with it. If and when we decide to treat ourselves to a buffalo chicken salad with batter fried chicken again, we will be using this mix for sure. We had some left over after the chicken, which sent me cruising for more stuff to fry, but we opted against it since the fried chicken was enough for the evening.

Next time though.... bloomin' onion!

Buffalo Chicken Salad

This Week Only: Donate $2 To Help Send Children To A Gluten-Free Summer Camp!

I was recently contacted by the folks at www.glutenfreesaver.com to help them promote a really great fundraiser that's going on this week.

For one week only, donating $2 will go toward providing scholarships for children to attend a gluten-free summer camp hosted by the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) in Southern California.


The summer camp will be held in San Bernardino from July 30 to August 3, 2012, and is open to all 7-15 year old gluten intolerant and gluten-sensitive children – not just those diagnosed with celiac disease.


Van's Natural Foods has paired with Gluten-Free Saver and has generously agreed to match peoples' $2 donations up to $1000, making your donation actually worth $4!


The fundraiser runs from this past Monday December 19th through Sunday 25th.


The goal is to raise $2,000 and they are already half way there after two days of fundraising! Any excess funds over the goal will be put towards scholarships at other camps across the United States. 100% of all donations will go directly to the Celiac Disease Foundation.


**Donations aren't limited to $2. If you are able to and would like to donate more, please do because this is a great cause.**


Please go to Gluten-Free Saver's website to check out the details and donate today! Thank you and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.


-Becky

Treat Cupcake Bar - Needham, Ma

I was recently invited to try one of the gluten free cupcake options at Treat Cupcake Bar in Needham, Ma. I have a mild sweet tooth and was happy to take a detour on my way home from work last week to stop in and check out Treat's gluten free options. The shop is located on Highland Ave in Needham near the intersection of Great Plain Ave, which is close to A New Leaf Natural Foods Store. So, if you're out picking up some gluten free staples, stop in and try a cupcake. 

Restaurant Fridays - Freshii (Boston)

Welcome to Restaurant Fridays - My weekly review of gluten free dining options in Boston, Worcester and their surrounding areas.

Freshii

I heard about Freshii a few weeks ago from my co-workers and decided to check it out one day. What I found was a fantastic gluten free lunch option in Boston's Financial District.

Lunch!

Gluten Free Pasta - A Basic Nutritional Run Down

The other night, I was cruising the kitchen looking for something healthy to make for dinner. After rooting around for about 20 minutes, I came up with a medley of frozen veggies, chicken sausage and tomatoes. All I needed was a little bit of starch in the form of pasta. We had a bag of corn pasta that my [very kind] friends bought a few weeks ago so I could feel included in what everyone else was eating. I never wound up eating it because I was distracted by other delicious foods so I just took it home and it just sat in our cabinet.

I decided to take a quick peek at the nutritional info prior to cooking it up and was completely floored. A small serving garnered you 200 calories and a staggering 45g of carbohydrates for only 2g of fiber! Yikes. I almost didn't eat it, but I hate to waste stuff so ... into the pot it went. 

I know pasta is calorie laden and absolutely exploding with carbs, but those numbers were so high. Since then, I've decided to do a nutritional comparison of the different types of gluten free pasta so that I can make an informed decision.


Just so we're comparing stuff apples to apples... I'll be listing the nutritional info for standard gluten free spaghetti.

TINKYADA

Made From: Brown Rice
Serving Size: 2 oz
Calories: 210
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 15mg
Carbs: 43g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 4g

Comments: This is a pretty tasty spaghetti. However, it has the highest calories and the most sodium. It' also easy to mess up if you don't cook it properly. I liked the spaghetti by this brand and would gladly try the rest of their products.

BIONATURAE

Made From: Rice, Potato & Soy
Serving Size: 2 oz
Calories: 195
Fat: 0g
Sodium: 5mg
Carbs: 43g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 5g





Comments: This is one of my favorites. I actually like it better than semolina pasta because it's light and tasty. Pasta always sat like a ton of lead in my stomach after a meal. This stuff leaves you feeling full, but not weighed down. 

ANCIENT HARVEST

Made From: Quinoa
Serving Size: 2oz
Calories: 180
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 5mg
Carbs: 35g
Fiber: 2.5g
Protein: 4g






Comments: I really like quinoa pasta because it usually has a decent amount of fiber and protein as well as a lower carbohydrate and calorie level. The only downside to this product is that it doesn't survive very well as a cold pasta dish that you store over night. I made pasta salad in Florida and it was crunchy the next day.

MRS. LEEPERS

Made From: Corn
Serving Size: 2 oz
Calories: 200
Fat: 0.5g
Sodium: 0g
Carbs: 46g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 3g








Comments: This pasta was surprisingly okay considering my luck with corn pasta. It was awkward to cook. I followed the instructions on the pack and wound up with a scary bright yellow pot of bubbling goop. This was remedied by rinsing it thoroughly and then continuing to cook it for a little longer. The texture was pretty good for corn pasta, but still left a bit to be desired. I'm not sure I'd buy it again because it has a high amount of carbs and not enough fiber/ protein to offset.


When you look at the number comparison, the quinoa pasta wins hands down nutritionwise. The lower carbohydrates and the higher fiber/ protein content leaves you with a healthier meal. However, it is still lacking slightly in texture and longevity of left overs. If there were to be a runner up, it would be the Bionaturae because the product has decent nutritional qualities and nice texture.