At the end of my 12 minute, 5 avenue walk to the subway each morning, I am greeted everyday by a bubbly and warm Metro Newspaper delivery man. He says, “Good morning, Miss” and “Have a nice day” when I reach for a paper. It’s something I look forward to everyday, and even when I have my own reading material for the subway, I take a newspaper anyway.

Unfortunately, the contents of Metro are not nearly as uplifting as its distributor. If I had forgotten that there is a Long Island Serial Killer on the loose, Metro reminds me. Despite its mediocre journalism, I read it, mostly to pass the time.  This morning, I was about to give up on it and throw it away — its cover story was a bunch of pop stars photo-shopped together, headline reading: Summer Music Mix 2011: We’re Pretty Sure it Rules — when I came across an article in their food section entitled, “The Gluttony of Gluten-Free Food.”

Folks, when Metro has a story on gluten-free, you know it’s mainstream.  Unfortunately, the article was pretty lame, it’s lead-in was “Is gluten-free the new Adkins or “Skinny Bitch” diet fad?”*  I personally hate it when the media spins the gluten-free diet as a weight loss fad-it seems like a cop-out- and it perpetuates the perception that the gluten-free diet is about weight loss and not a necessary diet for folks with a disease or food sensitivities/allergies.  Of course, the article does go on to say that increased awareness and diagnosis is the cause for the rise in gluten-free products and establishments and interviews Erin McKenna of Babycakes, who is awesome.  However, I’m tired of reading generic articles like this one that don’t really bring anything interesting or new to the table.  Let’s see some more stories like the ones in the New York Times about Gluten-Free Baked Goods and a Gluten-Free Plan B.

*Chadha, Tina. The Gluttony of Gluten-Free Food. Metro Newspaper.  June 23, 2011.

From Groupon:

$7 for $15 worth of treats from Tu-lu’s Gluten-Free Bakery!

From Erin at New York Celiac Disease Meetup Group:

What: Gluten Free Book Signing & Vendor Fair

When: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 4:00 PM-7:00PM

Where: Whole Foods Market – Union Square
4 Union Square South
New York, NY 10003

Stop  by at any time between 4 and 7pm.

It’s gluten free month and Whole Foods Market Union Square has all the products you’re looking for and more! Join local author Nicole Hunn for a signing of her book Gluten Free on A Shoestring with a cooking demonstration & tasting from a recipe in the book by our Culinary Demonstration Specialist.

To learn more about our author visitwww.glutenfreeonashoestring.com or see Nicole Hunn on http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/health&id=8109479

Gluten Free vendors will line the isles throughout the day.

Some of the vendor guests include:

Asherah’s Gourmet

Caveman Cookies

Emmy’s Organics

Kathy’s Foods

Tumeric Alive

Andean Dream

Mary’s Gone Crackers

My Dad’s Cookies

Pamela’s Cookies

Tasty Bite

Dr. Praeger’s

Gilbert’s Goodies

Carrot Cake I made last year for Easter

This year I’ll be getting my Easter treats from Tu-lu’s, who are taking orders for cheesecake and carrot cake, but if you feel so inclined as to bake your own Easter dessert, here is a list of some recipes I’ve found floating around the blogosphere.

Blueberry Tiramisu – Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting- Gluten Free and The City

Carrot Cake with Maple Icing – Gluten Free in the City

Flourless Chocolate Cake – Gluten Free and the City

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies- Elana’s Pantry

Lemon Yogurt Cake – Gluten-Free Goddess

White Chocolate and Orange Cheesecake – A Gluten-Free Day

Happy Easter!

In a culture where fast food dominates and a city where options for a quick bite are endless, gluten-free folks often find themselves left empty handed with empty bellies.

Last weekend after having consumed two $6 pint-sized margaritas at  Soft Spot in Williamsburg, I found myself hankering for something greasy, salty, and filling.  My friend Grant also had the same hankering, so he grabbed a couple slices from Vinnie’s Pizza and I sat with him, watching enviosly, as he devoured each piece.  What did I eat?  Some gummy lifesavers I had stashed in my purse.

It will be a while until gluten-free pizza will be so ubiquitous that I can also get my fix at 2 am.  Until then, us glutards are left with few options for late-night or on the go dining in New York City.

Without further ado, here is the GFATC list of best gluten-free on the go spots in New York City.

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