Menses Munchies: Jazzed up Daiya cheezecakes

By Giselle Wedemire

Welcome to a new feature just for us girls that I'd like to call Menses Munchies. In this feature, I plan on providing a monthly spotlight on sweet, calorific vegan treats that can help to chase away menstrual camps and make you feel less like an ogre that's set on destroying the nearest village.

For my inaugural Menses Munchies mention, I'd like to give a shoutout to Daiya's new(ish) vegan cheescakes, which, as I found out the other day, are perfect for lady time. You see, as I was just beginning to surf the crimson wave the other day, I found myself daydreaming about Daiya cheesecakes. I'm a bad vegan because up until this point -- almost a year since the company released their famed gluten-free and vegan cheesecakes to the public -- I had never taken the plunge and tried one. I blame the $9 price tag and my near-constant habit of being fiscally responsible. 

But the siren song of cheescake got louder while my increasingly painful cramps sucked my will to live, and I set off on a quest to find this mythical treat. I walked in a pained daze to my local health food store (Amaranth) to no avail. Grumpy, I then stomped to my neighbourhood Safeway, and was met with even more frustration. 

The elusive Daiya New York Cheezecake.

It's a date: a roundup of YYC gluten-free date spots

By Casey Knoll

There are lots of decent dining options for gluten-free eats in Calgary. But when it comes to date night, finding a place where celiacs and their romantic partners can have a tasty -- and not just a “decent” -- gluten-free meal takes some digging. Here are some great date night (or morning) spots I've discovered so far, where I haven't just eaten, but inhaled the food I've ordered (because when I come across great gluten-free eats, my appetite goes into overdrive). 

The Dinner Date

Double Zero Pizza
Various locations
http://www.doublezeropizza.ca/

I've been to both Double Zero locations in Calgary (Chinook Mall and Stephen Avenue), and both are great choices for a date night. The interiors are modern, sleek, and with interesting lighting and art. But don't be fooled by its ambience -- the best part of the Double Zero experience is the pizza. You and your date will enjoy tucking into a variety of gourmet pizzas, which can be made with gluten-free crusts (which doesn't fall apart. That's kind of a big deal for me!)

A look at the interior of Double Zero's Chinook Mall location.
Photo via Double Zero Pizza Chinook Facebook page. 

Top five goodies perfect for a vegan bake sale

By Giselle Wedemire

For the past three months, we at Picky Bitchez have been on hiatus.The reason for that has mostly been because of time constraints, but also because I made an impromptu decision to step away from the blog until I had had enough time to properly test out some products I'd been sent by some great vegan and gluten-free companies. (Hint: reviews are on the way!)

However, time waits for no picky bitch, and it's about time I get back in the blogging game!

With the Sixth Annual Calgary Vegan Bake Sale just a week away, the vegan community here in Calgary is abuzz and I'll be reprising my role from last year as a volunteer baker. But I'm kind of freaking out because with just a week to go, I still haven't decided on what I should make for the event. Ugh, indecisiveness is the worst!

Event poster via Facebook

Day 1: For the foodie with a big heart

By Giselle Wedemire

Our first pick for the Picky Bitchez's 12 Days of Christmas (Shopping) is a destination -- or an event -- rather than an actual store. We know we're breaking our own rules here, but with an all-vegan holiday bake sale in town, we really couldn't resist.

On Dec. 13, Calgary will be hosting its very first vegan holiday bake sale, and it promises to be just as amazing as the annual vegan bake sale held in the city every May. We are so excited about this event, and we think that with all the sweet (and savoury) vegan treats up for grabs, they'd make for a fantastic gift.*

Photo via Calgary Vegan Bake Sale Team/Facebook

The 12 Days of Christmas (Shopping): A Picky Gift Guide

By Giselle Wedemire

Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas (Shopping)! As of today, there are just 12 shopping days separating us from the gift giving bonanza that is Christmas Day. (We're not even thinking of including Dec. 24 in this count because in our minds, Christmas Eve is a day for lounging in your PJs while drinking hot chocolate and watching holiday movies.)

If you haven't completed (or even started) your Christmas shopping, then I'd say that that tight feeling you're currently experiencing in your chest is probably the beginning of an anxiety attack. But fear not!

Photo via ChristmasStockImages.com

Get mistletoe-ready with Bare English & Co. lip balms

By Giselle Wedemire 

A good lip balm is hard to come by and I am very picky about the consistency, durability, and (most importantly) the scents/flavours of the lip balms I wear. It probably stems from my memories of junior high when I was really into The Body Shop's satsuma flavoured Born Lippy lip gloss, which I wore so much of every single day of ninth grade that the scent of it made me feel physically ill within three months of buying it.

Since that day, I have (naturally) stuck exclusively to mint-scented or fragrance-free balms to avoid the bout of nausea I associate with wearing tasty lip balm flavours. All that has changed, however, with my latest discovery: Bare English & Co. lip balms,* which comes in tempting scents like pomegranate berry, vanilla coconut, chai tea latte, mint chocolate, and pink grapefruit.

It's fair to say that I'm a little obsessed with Bare English & Co. They are just too awesome -- they are a small Canadian company based in Toronto that specializes in organic, vegan, GMO-free, and gluten-free lip balms. Each lip balm is infused with organic tea (from green tea to white tea, and rooibos to peppermint tea), which, according to their site, "supports the immune system, fights free radical damage and promotes cell rejuvenation."

They're also packed with amazing natural moisturizers like jojoba oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil, vitamin E, and olive oil, making them a great way to stave off the dreaded chapped lips that come with cold winter winds. Not bad for one little tube of lip balm, right?

The verdict
I absolutely love these lip balms (especially the vanilla coconut flavour!), and happily give it five stars and the Picky Bitchez seal of approval! Not only do these bad boys apply smoothly and moisturize fantastically, they also have great staying power (which is great news if you find yourself under the mistletoe a few times this holiday season).

You can find Bare English & Co.'s rad lip balms in many Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs, and Rexall stores across Canada.

Have you tried any of these lip balms? Let us know what you think of them by commenting on this post or by tweeting us at @PickyBitchez.

*Bare English & Co. products were sent to me to review

An Awesome Gluten-Free Flour Mix

By Casey Knoll

My mom is from Nova Scotia, so baking was a huge part of my childhood. As soon as I could hold a measuring cup, I started to make biscuits, cookies, muffins -- you name it! Ever since then, I’ve always loved to bake, especially biscuits. They go perfectly with a nice cup of tea.

When I became gluten intolerant, baking wasn't fun anymore. I couldn't find a flour recipe that I was happy with because everything seemed to taste like sawdust, or just fell apart in the oven. Yes…there were many biscuit meltdowns.

Finally, after at least two years of sawdust-esque, flaky, crappy baked goods, I got an incredible gluten-free flour mix from a friend of mine that washed all my biscuit woes away. The recipe is at the bottom of the post, so make sure you have a look! Give it a whirl with this recipe for gluten-free orange zest raisin tea scones. 

Baby your skin with Live Clean (baby) Calming Bedtime products

By Giselle Wedemire

In my opinion, babies are like beards: they're pretty cool, but I don't ever want to have one of my own. However, babies have kind of cornered the market on smelling good and having super soft skin, which are both pretty cool things that I wouldn't mind having for myself.

So, when I received (baby) Calming Bedtime,* Live Clean's latest line of baby bath products, I jumped at the chance to baby my skin. Packed with skin-soothing safflower and coconut oils and relaxing essential oils like vanilla, lavender, chamomile, and jasmine, the bubble bath and lotion in Live Clean (baby)'s Calming Bedtime collection sound like a recipe for stress relief for anyone, young or old. 

After a full day at work and an invigorating evening of living room yoga, I set myself up for a more grown-up version of a baby's nighttime bubble bath. Armed with a glass of vegan wine, a great book to read during my relaxing soak, and a tub teeming with bubbles, I got down to business and tested out how effective these products can be on an adult who sets her own bedtime, thankyouverymuch. 

Here's what I think of Live Clean (baby)'s Calming Bedtime collection:

Cilantro pesta salad to beat the heat

By Giselle Wedemire

The summer heat has been getting the best of me lately, and retreating indoors often provides little to no relief for me -- especially in my kitchen. For some strange reason, my kitchen seems to retain even the smallest amount of heat during the summer, regardless of if the last time my stove was turned on was two hours ago or two days ago!

This presents the unique challenge of needing (and wanting) to make myself nutritious meals while avoiding excess heat at all costs. Salads are a great way to solve this problem,  and I've been taking advantage of the cool simplicity of making salads a lot this summer, but I was in the mood for something a bit heartier the other day. 

I also needed to use up the rest of the cilantro pesto I had lingering in the fridge after I made some amazingly delicious black bean wraps earlier that week. Thus, out of necessity and high humidity my pesto pasta (pesta?) salad was born!

I strongly suggest you whip this gluten-free and vegan wonder up whenever you feel you've had enough of the summer sun, and dig in while cooling off in the shade.

Cilantro pesta salad
(serves 4 as an entree)

What you'll need:
2 cups dried gluten-free pasta (I used Catelli's gluten-free penne)
1/2 cup Thug Kitchen's cilantro pesto
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1 tbsp chopped cilantro, for garnish
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

What you'll need to do:

• Prepare the pasta in boiling water according to the package's instructions. Once cooked and cooled, transfer to a large serving bowl.
• In the meantime, whip up the cilantro pesto in a food processor or blender. The recipe makes one cup of pesto, so measure out 1/2 cup of pesto and save the rest for another day.
• Add the pesto to the bowl of pasta. Add in the black beans, corn, and peas as well, and mix until everything is well coated with pesto.
• Add the diced avocado and mix lightly, being careful not to smush the bits of avocado.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

Try this recipe out and let us know what you think of it by commenting below or by tweeting us at @PickyBitchez.

Gluten Free Expo Product Reviews

By Casey Knoll

The Gluten Free Expo, Canada's largest gluten-free event, came to Calgary on March 29 and 30. Giselle and I ventured down to the University of Calgary's Olympic Oval on March 30. To say the least, I acted like a kid in a candy store. There was complete sensory overload of gluten-free goodness.

I picked up lots of interesting products which I'm currently making my way through. Here's what I've chomped through so far:

Enjoy snacking again

By Casey Knoll

Snacking gluten-free can be tough. But take it from celiac Rachel Feddema – things are better.

Picky bitch Casey shows 
some gluten-free muchies including 
Rice Krispies (not the gluten-free brand in the photo), 
dried cranberries, rice cakes, and Lara Bars.

“There are so many more options than there were before,” says Feddema, who explains you need only go down the health food isle of Safeway, or a health food grocer to get munchies.

Here’s a few of Feddema’s snacks:

• Lara Bars - Superstore, Planet Organic. 
• Judy G’s Pizza - Slice Bakery, Planet Organic.
• Mesa Sunrise Cereal - Planet Organic, Superstore.
• Riceworks Chips - Superstore.
• Gluten-free Kellogg’s Rice Krispies – Safeway.
• Home-made trail-mix: dried fruit, sunflower seeds, and Enjoy Life chocolate chips.

Share your favourite gluten-free snacks!

Figuring out how to get “floury"

By Casey Knoll

Picky bitch Casey demonstrates the confusion 
you can avoid! She's looking at Namaste 
all-purpose gluten-free flour (right), and
quinoa flour from Planet Organic (left). 

Understanding how gluten free flours work can be tricky.

Sarah Pynoo, SAIT Journalism student and celiac, shares some tips.

“I tend towards nuttier or fattier things for muffins cinnamon buns - I’ll use bean, nut, or tapioca flours,” says Pynoo. 

For breads or pastas, she uses rice or potato flours, which are lighter.

However, trial and error is key. 

“I’d recommend having one all-purpose, and then a couple [of other gluten free flours] for experimenting,” explains Pynoo, who says doing so helps you understand the difference from wheat flour.

Check out Living Without for properties of gluten free flours.

Don't let wheat ruin your Thanksgiving sweet-tooth

Picky Bitch Casey Knoll holding a tasty gluten-free pumpkin
pie at Lakeview Bakery's 90th Ave SW location. 

By Casey Knoll

Picky bitch Casey shows you how to rid gluten from thanksgiving pies with kitchen practices, local bakeries, and gluten-free crusts.