Gluten free? This bar's for you

Finding a tasty gluten free - and delicious - energy bar just got easier.

TahiniBar, which is also dairy free and Kosher, is a 'super seed energy bar.' the sesame seed bars come in vanilla, cocoa nibs and pistachio flavors, though the dominant flavor in all is tahini. Or, if you grew going to Jewish delis, halvah.

But a TahiniBar is not dessert [actually, when I was a kid, I said that halvah wasn't a dessert. I've since reassessed]. The 100 calorie bars are high in vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium and zinc. 

Although they taste sweet, the bars are low in sugar. I tried them before a long distance run and found they gave me energy. They can also satisfy if you are feeling peckish during the day, or while traveling. Note, though, that the cars are rather soft and may crumble if you squish them in a bag.

TahiniBar is made by Absolutely Gluten Free.

Note: I received a sample of TahiniBars. Opinions expressed are my own.

Foodie Tour: Driving and Hiking to Eat

Group shot: hiking in Rockland Count, a day trip from NYC

Hiking is fun but let's face it: the calories you burn are best replenished through by seeking out great food along the way. A recent hike in Rockland County led us to a few wonderful foodie destinations.

Rockland Bakery

Rockland Bakery: not for the gluten-free

This carb-heavy stop has incredibly cheap - and delicious - baked goods and you can actually go onto the bakery floor and flow your nose to the freshest baked goods. We trailed after bakery workers with bagels right off the conveyor belt, still piping hot and crying gout for coffee.

The Nissan Rogue hybrid in Piermont

Sadly, as a coffee snob, I couldn't drink the coffee, which was served in styrofoam. Note to self: ALWAYS bring a reusable cup.

The black and white cookies were properly soft and sweet and the muffins, pretzels and bread we tasted were all delicious. I don't regret a single bite.

Outside the Souk, The Outside In

We drove on to our hike, set a few hours communing with nature, then drove to Piermont, where The Outside In, an indoor souk, promised more tantalizing food.

Food, glorious food

Our first stop was The Coffee Bar, which featured coffee from Irving Farm, in Millerton, NY. I've had their coffee in NYC, but didn't know that the company is actually based in Dutchess County, even further than Rockland.

The organic, fair trade coffee was served in paper cups (yay!) with local milk.

Luckily we had a huge cargo area we we could load up on food; the Nissan Rogue hybrid has almost 40 feet of cargo space. There's even a hidden storage area where you can stash valuables and they won't be in few view. This is great if you are using the car in a city and don't want to expose your stuff.

Vegetarian black bean sliders

We bought thick Lebanese yogurt from Sohha Savory Yogurt, three kinds of cheese from The Cheese Guy (the honey goat cheese was outstanding; all the cheese is Kosher) and even more bread from Wave Hill Bread, because, well, bread. We also got infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Arlotta Food Studio. The blood organic infused olive oil makes an excellent dressing base, or dipping oil for that bread.

Sit down meal

Our group of six foraged from the souk and we shared spinach pie, falafel, vegetarian dumplings, black bean sliders and vegan tacos.

Note: Nissan loaned me the Rogue hybrid for this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

Welcome to the Neighborhood: Krupa Grocery

The simple arugula salad

Krupa Grocery is that great little neighborhood spot that should exist in every little area but is so difficult to replicate. It has a well edited menu of a few log standing items, with frequently changing additions and subtractions, friendly service, a great bar (rotating local taps!) and gentle prices.

The restaurant is a place where you can pick up coffee and pastries during the day, but then have a wonderful meal at night -but also charge your phone while you're sitting there. And the small plates are perfect for sitting at the bar, when you don't have the time or appetite for a full meal (there's also a daily happy hour, but before AND after dinner).

Of course, it's all child friendly; with small plates, kids can have just enough to fill their tiny tummies.

Krupa is in Windsor Terrace, which is off most tourist and foodie radars, yet several times when we've been there, we've had Hollywood celebrities seating next to us (I'm looking at you Anna Kendrick). Yet we still had the same superb service, and waiters didn't seem to fawn over the famous faces.

The vegetarian farro salad

The risotto balls have been on the menu since the place opened a couple of years ago and you want to get an order or two (one nitpick: why three to an order? How many people eat out in groups of three?). These are crisp outside, gooey inside and nestled on a bed of tomato sauce scented with fennel.

At a recent meal, we had a simple arugula salad, showered with shaved grana padano and the burrata with fried artichokes and lemon puree. An arugula salad is a good test for a restaurant; with just a few ingredients, the proportions have to be perfect or the result is unbalanced. This one is perfection. A farro salad was another delicious small plate; now it has migrated over to the entree section, topped with tuna poke.

The gnocchi, better hot

We almost always get the roasted delicata squash, with the changing filling, but there were too many other things to try. But this is a great vegetarian entree and it was the first place I had cooked winter squash skin; it gets chewy and almost meaty.

There is often a pasta or two; we had a vegetarian ricotta gnocchi, delicate and loaded with wild mushrooms and broccoli rabe. Unfortunately, it came to the table cool, but the waiter replaced it with a piping hot version and took the item off the bill to boot.

My meat eating friends love the lamb burger, another long-standing menu item. And if you are gluten-free, there are many options.

Fried artichoke with burrata and lemon

There are always several IPAs on tap, but there is also a 'Manhattan madness' with three types of Manhattans - the civil, with cynar, is spectacular. For winter, there are also yummy hot toddies.

And go in warm weather, when the outdoor garden beckons.

Open Sesame: New Gluten Free Snacks

Original flavor Superseed Crunch

When I was a kid, my health fanatic grandfather had one weakness: sesame seed candy. He would sneak us the super sweet plastic wrapped candy and hold his finger over his lips: Shhh. Don’t tell.

Of course, we didn’t like the sticky candy - we wanted chocolate, or cookies.  But my grandfather may have been onto something: the new Superseed Crunch is a tasty and early nutritious snack from the makers of Absolutely Gluten-Free.

In addition to being certified gluten-free, the snacks are vegan, organic, soy free and Kosher. And they are made with flax and chia seeds, as well as sesame.

Superseed Crunch comes in three flavors: original, toasted coconut and cinnamon. I am not really a coconut lover (OK, I hate it) but the coconut in all three flavors is subtle enough that it didn’t overwhelm the other flavors. Plus I tried it sprinkled on plain Greek yogurt, so there is even less coconut flavor.

You can also eat it straight out of the bag, though if you have trouble exercising self-control, you might want to portion some out into a bowl.

The Superseed Crunch is a good source of fiber, protein, antioxidants and minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, copper and calcium. These aren't a health food - they are a snack - but they are certainly better for you than chips or candy and they are nutrient dense.

The Absolutely Gluten-Free line also includes: flatbreads, crackers and a cauliflower crust pizza that should have those with Celiac dancing in the grocery store aisles

Healthy Breakfast on the Go: Reality vs Fantasy

Breakfast commercials often feature smiling families sitting down enjoying a freshly made meal, or at least slurping down a bowl of cereal, the kids with their hair combed and the mom in full make up.

The reality in our house is screaming over lost shoes, misplaced homework and coffee that just won’t drip through fast enough. The dog needs to pee, the litter box has to be scooped, a soccer uniform is dirty and no one picked up the dry cleaning.

Are we having fun yet?

So my kids grab whatever they can and run out the door.  Sometimes I have planned ahead and made relatively healthy muffins that they can pop in the microwave, but that is the kind of advance planning that would have also foreseen the dirty uniform, dry cleaning slips and overdue library books.

And maybe picked up some more coffee beans.

But for those crazy mornings, Garden Lites comes to the rescue. A new line of delicious frozen vegetable muffins, Veggie Muffins hit the trifecta - they are tasty, healthy and portable.

The muffins are also gluten free, low in calories and a good source of fiber.

And they take 35 seconds to heat up in the microwave- faster than you can say," did you find your homework, remember your gym shoes, take your lunch, bring an umbrella and oh no, step over here and avoid the puppy’s accident."

Consider the zucchini chocolate muffins. The first two ingredients? Zucchini, then carrots. One muffin has 50% of the RDA of vitamin A, and 40% of the iron. And they taste great.

My daughter loved these and I had to fight her for one post workout (much more satisfying than a granola bar).

The corn muffins don’t have quite as impressive a nutritional profile - but they are also not loaded with crap.

There are also a veggie berry oat and zucchini banana chocolate chip, both with zucchini as the first ingredient, and a carrot berry with carrots at the helm.

Veggie Muffins are sold frozen, but take about 4 hours to thaw, so they are great snacks for a road trip, or for teens who can’t stomach food first thing in the morning.

Carbo Loading: Runner & Stone

Don't go to Runner & Stone if you are gluten-free.

The restaurant, in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn, might be able to accommodate this dietary restriction, but to dine here without eating the fabulous breads would be criminal.

During the day, the restaurant operates as a bakery, and at night, you get a basket of bread, with fresh butter, after you order. The sourdough baguette is to die for, but any of the breads is deeply satisfying.

The limited menu presented challenges for our party of 2 vegetarians and 2 kosher eaters. Was the lone fish kosher (tilefish - yes!). Could we leave the prosciutto out of the special salad? Of course.

The bar specializes in creative cocktails, with homemade bitters and infusions, and local spirits. A sage bourbon drink with apricot bitters and a lemon sage simple syrup was perfectly balanced. I also loved the spin on a Manhattan, called a South Brooklyn and made with Old Overholt rye, dry vermouth, maraschino, Saint Germain and bitters.

The escarole salad with fried cannellini beans was reat for fall, as was the baby beet salad with yogurt dressing. 

We also had a pasta with roasted eggplant, tomato and smoked fontina and another with lobster and corn. Unfortunately, the thick, long pasta clumped together.

But that was the only mistake in this friendly, ingeniously designed space (flour sacks, hardened with cement, make up the walls, and skylights brighten the subterranean main dining space.

Now, more vegetarian choices so we can return and try something else!

Cambodian Food in Boston

Ethnic cuisine is often a great bet for vegetarians who are traveling, and Elephant Walk, with 3 Boston area restaurants, is no exception.

Elephant Walk separates out Cambodian, French and vegetarian entrees, and even has gluten-free offerings. In its prix-fixe menu, it offers to make some dishes vegan or vegetarian. We were in faux-hog heaven. Spring rolls are an excellent way for kids to eat their veggies. The spring rolls at Elephant Walk had greens, shiitake mushrooms, carrots and bean sprouts, with a peanut dipping sauce. We had 2 different vegetarian curries, one redolent of ginger; both were spicy and filled with vegetables and tofu. The restaurant also made creative cocktails, and had a local IPA from Mayflower Brewing Company on tap.

Veggie Burgers in New York City

A restaurant specializing in burgers, with bison, elk, wild boar and ostrich among the protein choices may not seem like the obvious choice for a vegetarian, but Bareburger, a mini New York City chain, has extensive vegetarian, and gluten-free options.

And since I chose a vegetarian diet as an environmental choice, how can I not support a place that has all organic produce and dairy, made its tables from reclaimed wood, and sevres organic beer and wine?

Bareburger offers 11 burger choices, and vegetarians can have the vegan patty, or portabella, with any of the vegetarian toppings.

The California, with avocado and cheddar, is a classic choice, as is the classic itself, with pickle relish, smoked onions and ketchup.

If you like spicy food, try the Jalapeno Express, with pepperj ack cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, jalapeno relish, horseradish mayo and chipotle ketchup.

My faves are the Pesto Red Pepper, with the portabella option, and the Mediterranean, with either veggie choice. The Pesto burger comes with smoked mozzarella, roasted red peppers, baby spinach and pesto mayo; the Mediterranean has cucumber mint yogurt, lettuce, cucumber, tomato and smoked onions.

You can also customize a burger, or add an or more cheese, for extra protein.

Bun options include a multigrain roll, brioche, or the gluten-free tapioca rice bun. There are also diet-friendly wheat or lettuce wraps.

The only vegetarian sandwich is the portabella with blue cheese; there are also salads.

I do wish you could get a baked potato instead of French fries; the fries, cooked in peanut oil, are delicious, but even our family of 5 can't finish the huge basket.

And $7 for a side of pickles is a bit steep for a place where the entrees run $10 or $11. Granted, the pickles are Rick's Pick's, and you get adorable little jars of 4 kinds, plus mediocre cole slaw (admittedly, I am not a cole slaw fan) but unless you have a pickle fetish or are eating with 7 others, you are unlikely to come close to finishing.

Gastronomie 491 Satisfies a Wide Range of Hungry New Yorkers

The new Gastronomie 491, on the Upper West Side, offers take out and sit down meals, at a counter or small seating area in the rear.

The specialty market/cafe is perfect for families looking for a quick meal, and looking to satisfy a variety of tastes. There are paninis, Mediterranean sanwiches called pan bagnats, and entrees like a spice encrusted wild salmon and shrimp with a chickpea puree. Lighter appetites can have tapas or mezze plates.

The chef, Steven Gutterman, is sensitive to special food needs. Many of the dishes are gluten free, and vegetarians can find satisfying fare like a vegetable trio of braised feel, peperonata and broccoli rabe, or one with an orange date salad, Israeli couscous and brussels sprouts. Salads are fresh and filling.

Produce is local and organic, and the cheese selection focuses on small producers. You can also shop for a well-curated selection of jams, chocolates and coffee and tea.

Equal care has gone into the selection of craft beers, which can be drunk in the café or taken home. There are even 2 beers on tap. And a gluten free beer.

Now that spring is here, you cam take food from Gastronomie 491 to Central Park and dine al fresco.