Gluten Free in Brisbane
Somehow, without even meaning to, my eyes seek out the words ‘gluten free’. And this was no different on a recent quick trip to Brisbane.
So here is a small sample of ‘gluten free’ in Brisbane.
All Real Food is convenience breakfast and lunch options in a refrigerated vending machine. I spotted one in the ‘Wintergarden’ on the Queen Street Mall, just outside a health centre. Fresh juices, wraps, salads, breakfast cereals are all presented in a jar with gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and paleo options. Go to their website to find their other seven locations around Brisbane.
Noosa Chocolate Factory have two stores on Adelaide Street and we are enjoying the Peanut Crunch and Peanut Brittle brought home. There is a range of chocolate coated products which are in the main gluten freee: strawberries, hazelnuts, sultanas, ginger. All products are 100% palm oil free and 100% vegan.
Snag Stand in Queens Plaza not only promotes 100% gluten free sausages but also gluten free buns (extra $). Check their website for additional stores in Queensland, Canberra and New South Wales. With Spicy Cheese Kransky, Spicy Spanish Chorizo, Toulouse and Australian Fare sausages a sample of what is on offer, these are tempting indeed.
Soul Origin is also in Queens Plaza and offers a range of clearly labelled gluten free salads. Stores can be found in New South Wales, Canberra and Queensland. Some choices are Bean Medley, Tuna and Avocado, Chicken and Steamed Vegetables, Lentil.
Schar Pizza Bases are not available in Townsville so we always visit the Greenslopes IGA to grab a few boxes. There are two in a box and they are a good quality pizza base ie they aren’t thin like cardboard nor do they crack and break. The store generally has a great range of gluten free products. The pizzas are also brought back to Townsville whenever we have family visiting from Brisbane.
House of Biskota was a newly seen gluten free biscuit range found at the Rock N Roll Marketplace on Logan Road at Stones Corner. With a little TLC on the flight home, the GF Almond Crescents and GF Melting Moments are being enjoyed by all.
A big thank you to my local co-ordinator for Coeliac Queensland who has supplied the Townsville group with this link : The Ultimate Gluten Free Guide to Brisbane Just one of the many reasons to be a member of your state’s Coeliac Australia Branch.
Quinoa Anzacs
Buttery.Crunchy.Delicious
Thank you Jasmine from The Gluten Free Scallywag for this recipe.
By far, this is the best Anzac Biscuit recipe I have baked.
On a personal note, tomorrow my husband and I will be attending the ANZAC Dawn Service at Villers-Bretonneux in northern France. A time of quiet reflection.
Ingredients
100 g quinoa flakes
120g plain gluten free flour
100 g castor sugar
65 g desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons golden syrup
125 g butter
½ teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 tablespoon boiling water
Method
Preheat oven to 160C fan forced.
Line 3 trays with baking paper.
In a large bowl, combine the quinoa flakes, flour, coconut and sugar and set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt the golden syrup and butter. In a small bowl or cup mix the bi-carb and water and then pour into melted butter. Remove saucepan from stove and pour over the dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
Press and roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on baking trays a few centimetres apart to allow for spreading. Press down lightly with the palm of your hand to flatten.
Bake for 12 minutes (chewy) to 15 minutes (crunchy).
Leave to cool on trays before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for 3 – 5 days.
(The Gluten Free Scallywag Magazine Volume 4)
Coconut Lime Cookies
Zesty.Sweet.Tangy
Mouthfuls of flavour, these Coconut Lime Cookies are easy to make and easy to eat.
Ingredients
1 cup almond meal
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 lime, finely grated zest
1 egg
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing
1/2 cup gf icing sugar
1 lime, finely grated zest and juice
Method
Preheat oven to moderate 180C (160C fan forced). Line 2 oven trays with baking paper.
In a large bowl, combine almond meal, coconut, baking powder and zest.
In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg until very pale and doubled in volume. Beat in oil, honey and vanilla. Carefully fold in dry ingredients. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes. (I needed at least 1 hour or maybe add a little more almond meal to mixture)
Roll teaspoons dough into balls and arrange on trays 5 cm apart. Flatten balls slightly.
Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on trays before transferring to wire rack.
In a small bowl, combine icing sugar and enough lime juice to make a thin icing. Drizzle of cold cookies and sprinkle with zest.
(from a Woman’s Day in my dentist’s waiting room)
A few sweet items
A gluten free shopper is ALWAYS on the lookout for a ‘new’ product and with a few minutes to spare today before an appointment, I had a quick browse of The Reject Shop in Stockland Townsville.
The Menz Honeycomb is available in caramel, milk chocolate and dark chocolate making decisions difficult.
The Mac’s shortbread and biscuits had been discussed on Coeliac Qld facebook page, but this was the first time I had seen the product in the shops.
Also available are Candy Corner Chocolate Coated Peanuts and Chocolate Coated Sultanas.
At $2 to $3, these are priced to please any gluten free shopper.
Spotted Cow Cookies
I have had this milk carton shaped box in the cupboard for a few weeks now and have been reluctant to open them for taste testing as I thought my son wouldn’t enjoy a cookie that combined milk chocolate, walnuts and banana flavouring. But he came home from school yesterday looking for more of “those” lunch box cookies.
So I take that as a thumbs up for Spotted Cow Cookies.
Spotted Cow has a range of gluten free cookies available in gift boxes, twin packs and single serve wrap.
Varieties available are Cranberry and White Choc, Milk Choc, Banana and Walnut, Triple Choc, Apple and Sultana.
Check out their website for a list of distributors in your state.
Postscript (22/11): I was on a Virgin Australia plane flight this morning and was given a Spotted Cow GF Cranberry/White Chocolate and Triple Choc twin pack. Very nice indeed.
More Gluten Free Biscuits
I am always on the look out for portion control or snack size products. While other kids have a pack of Tiny Teddies or BBQ Shapes for morning tea at school, my teenager has the see through zip lock bag full of some very ordinary looking biscuits.
So these twin pack single serve biscuits are ideal to throw into your handbag, the sports bag or the lunch box. Although a little more expensive than a packet of biscuits, they are a great convenience. Though small in size, they are quite filling.
Made by Naturally Good, I have only found this product in IGA’s ( Garbutt in Townsville and Greenslopes in Brisbane) although I am sure other IGA’s and Independents stock this product.
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