My Birthday Cake...

Or should I say, what's left of my birthday cake? The folks at Piece of Cake Bakery did a fabulous job. The Chocolate Peanut Butter Wheat/Dairy Free cake was YUMM-ILI-CIOUS. Pretty sure I ate over half the cake (and I picked it up on Friday!). Let's just say I was thoroughly enjoying my birthday weekend.

That's a picture of me and my sister Bethany goofing off at my new apartment. Flowers are courtesy of the boyfriend. Gotta love a birthday!

Gluten-Free Bakery

I've never had a birthday cake. Ever. No candles, singing or a moist, rich, decadent cake to celebrate with. Until now.

Piece of Cake Bakery in Portland is changing all of that.

That's right - this year (Friday to be exact) I will be eating cake.
And not just any cake, a gluten-free, DAIRY-FREE chocolate peanut butter (my absolute favorite in the whole wide world) cake.

My life just got a 1000 times better.
Look for my report next Monday on how fabulous the cake was...

Know of another gluten-free bakery that makes you jump for joy? Leave a comment and tell us about it!

--H

www.HeatherStrang.com

Wheat-Free Pizza

I've started a Wheat-Free Warriors Google Group. Check it out and join. Let us know about products, restaurants and recipes that you love. It's a great way to support one another in the wheat-free lifestyle. And as a dairy-free and no processed sugar girl, I'll be adding product/recipe/restaurant recommendations for those too.

Now...onto the wheat-free pizza.
I prefer Amy's Rice crust, but when I was at Whole Foods, I spied Nature's Hilights Brown Rice crust with 2 crusts, for the price of 1 Amy's rice crust. So, I had to try it.

Here's the deal - it can be a little chewy and its definitely thin. Be sure to bake it directly on the oven rack (my mistake) and don't try adding olive oil, I found it only made the crust more chewy, as opposed to crispy. Try these yummy toppings and you won't even CARE what the crust tastes like:

1/4 c cherry tomatoes, grilled or pan-roasted
1/4 c artichoke hearts, drained and grilled/pan-roasted with tomatoes
season tomatoes and artichokes generously with lemon pepper, garlic and our fave Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute
2 organic chicken breasts, grilled and chopped
1/2 c Trader Joe's (it's 2 blocks from my place!) soy mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 c Trader Giotto's Recipe 99 Traditional Marinara Sauce

Preheat oven to 450
After baking the crust for 5 minutes, spread marinara sauce, coating evenly
Sprinkle almost all of the cheese onto crust
Place chicken on crust
Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top
Turn heat to 425, bake 10 minutes

Voila!
It is delicious.

--Heather
www.HeatherStrang.com

Old Spaghetti Factory Has Gluten-Free Pasta

I was less than thrilled when my dad proposed that we go to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner last night. Great, Italian food. I can't eat it, so I knew I was looking at a salad.

Luckily, my boyfriend 1) can read 2) is always looking for food that fits my eating requirements. He discovered that OSF offers gluten-free pasta. I could not have been more thrilled.

Just tell them no cheese on the pasta. I didn't and had to scrape it off. Yuck.

More on restaurants that serve the gluten-free community.
And no, I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants, but I LOVE restaurants that take care of my dietary needs.

--Heather
www.HeatherStrang.com