Vegan wine and cheese pairings & a giveaway!

By Giselle Wedemire

I love wine, and I'm always up for trying out a new vegan cheese. But I never gave much thought to pairing the two because to me, wine pairing always seemed like one of those things that only rich, snooty WASPs do when planning their dinner menus after inviting similarly fancy friends with names like Carlton and Ivanna over for a dinner party. 

That's not how I roll.

A glass of malbec while curled up on the couch watching British game shows? Now that's more my speed. However, I like setting ridiculous, self-imposed challenges for myself, so I figured why not learn how to pair vegan cheeses with wine?

Last-minute vegan and gluten-free gift ideas

By Giselle Wedemire

So you've waited until the last minute to grab gifts for your loved ones this holiday season. No worries, I won't judge you. 

Maybe you've had a lot going on in your life this month and gift shopping fell on your list of priorities. Or maybe you're one of those weirdos who thrive on the adrenaline rush that shopping on Christmas Eve provides. Like I said, I won't judge you.

What I will do is help, because just the thought of someone having to face the massive crowds packing into the malls this time of year gives me hives. If you find yourself at a loss for easy gift ideas that require no trip to a Calgary mall, I've got you covered. Here are some simple, budget- and time-friendly vegan and gluten-free gift ideas for when you've waited until the last minute:

Chocolate bark

The best Stampede breakfast ever is back!

By Giselle Wedemire

As a vegan and animal rights advocate, I'm very much against the Calgary Stampede. But what I'm not against is pancakes. And if those pancakes are free, slathered in maple syrup, and vegan, then you'll have to knock me out (or distract me with videos of cats) to keep me from getting at those flapjacks.

I'm choosing to believe that that's actually pats of vegan margarine on top of those pancakes.
Photo via iStockphoto

Which brings me to my main point: Community Natural Foods' annual Stampede breakfast will be making its tasty and triumphant return this summer. From 7-10 a.m. on July 11, the good folks at CNF will be serving up traditional (yet organic) Stampede breakfast fare, as well as vegan and gluten-free pancakes and vegan/vegetarian sausages.

CNF's Stampede breakfasts are phenomenal (and phenomenally popular); they've regularly been voted as the Best Place to Snag a Stampede Breakfast in the (now defunct) FFWD Weekly's Best of Calgary annual polls. 

Between its green incentive of rewarding a lucky diner who brings and uses a re-usable plate with a gift basket and the fact that most attendees rock up in plaid shirts and ear gauges rather than plaid shirts and cowboy boots, CNF's Stampede breakfast has got a great alternative edge that sets it apart from other, more traditional Stampede breakfasts happening in the city.

A word to the wise, though: make sure to get there early (and bring some coffee or tea with you if you're not at all a morning person) because the lines tend to be on the longer side, and they don't move all that fast. But once you make it to the front of that line, it is so worth it! 

What time are you planning on lining up at CNF on July 11? If you're not going, what's your favourite Stampede breakfast the city has to offer? Let us know in the comments below or by tweeting us at @PickyBitchez.

Day 11: For the home cooks and the couples who need a date night

By Giselle Wedemire

With just one day to go, we are in the homestretch of our 12 Days of Christmas (Shopping) gift guide. While we've been pinpointing and spotlighting local stores we at Picky Bitchez love, we figured we'd shed some light on one of our favourite eateries in town.

The Coup has made a name for itself as an outstanding organic vegetarian restaurant. And it's only gotten better since its renovations this past spring. With a number of vegan and gluten-free options on the menu, we think The Coup is the kind of place you need to go at least once in your lives (though going more often than that is certainly advisable).

But one of the coolest things about The Coup is that the next time you sit down to a nice meal there, you can also get some of your Christmas shopping done! Here are some quick gift ideas that you can score the next time you pop in for a bite:

For the couple who is in desperate need of a date night: The Coup gift certificates (available in increments of $25, $50, or $100)

Photo via The Coup

Scrumptious Shortbread

By Casey Knoll

I absolutely love Christmas baking -- it's a great way to have fun, and to create 
affordable gifts for your friends and family.

This year, my mom's friend introduced me to gluten-free shortbread. I was never a huge fan of shortbread, but this recipe changed my mind. It's quick, easy, and absolutely delicious.

My mom's friend found this recipe on a blog by Amanda Farquharson. If you give these a try, let us know! 

What you'll need:

3 cups white rice flour

1 cup corn starch

1 cup icing sugar

1 pound of salted butter, softened

Cherries or sparkles (optional)

What you'll need to do:

• Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
• Sift the dry ingredients together.
• Cut the butter into quarters then halve again. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry mixture until you are able to form a ball of dough.
• Dust a cool surface with rice flour and place the ball of dough on the flour. Knead until the edges crack.
• Form golf ball sized balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. (I use a Silpat mat or parchment paper)
• Press down with a fork and decorate with sparkles or candied cherries.Bake approx. 20 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Let sit for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. 

Day 7: For the sweet tooth

By Giselle Wedemire

We are now on Day 7 of our 12 Days of Christmas (Shopping) gift guide, meaning we are more than halfway done! In case you didn't get a chance to score any gift-worthy gluten-free goodies at last week's vegan holiday bake sale, we've got you covered.

If you've got a Picky Bitch with a sweet tooth to shop for this Christmas, you might want to hit up Bliss & Co. Cupcakes and Desserts for a dozen (or two) cupcakes that can be stored in the fridge until Christmas Day.

For the picky sweet tooth: a JOY pack (a half-dozen regular-sized gluten-free cupcakes, $24.95) or HOHO mini-pack (one dozen mini gluten-free cupcakes ($24.95)

Photo courtesy of Alex Staines/Bliss & Co.

Halloween, our birthday, and a GIVEAWAY

By Giselle Wedemire

PIcky Bitchez turned two years old this month (!!!) and Halloween is right around the corner, so we've been feeling pretty festive lately while struggling with ideas of what we could do to celebrate our blog's birthday while making our readers' Halloween festivities even sweeter. And is there any better way to improve trick-or-treating season than by filling you in on what candies are both vegan and gluten-free?

Nope, there isn't. Because that right there is a good deal -- a scary good deal, if you will.

But before we get to the good stuff, we've got a scary story to tell to get you in the spooky spirit of the holiday:

Photo courtesy of Flickr

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:

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:

One of the easiest crowd-pleasing desserts ever

By Giselle Wedemire

For family gatherings, I'm usually in charge of making and bringing along dessert. This is often easier said than done considering my family is comprised of two omnivores, one celiac, and three vegans (one of whom is trying to go soy- and gluten-free). Keeping this demographic in mind, the number of fun, tasty, and wallet-friendly desserts I can make dwindles.

Recently, though, I stumbled across a lifesaver of a cake recipe while browsing Finding Vegan, the drool-inducing online recipe gallery. And with popcorn as this easy recipe's main ingredient, you may be a bit dubious, but keep an open mind here. 

Popcorn's not just for the movies anymore! A popcorn-based cake has opened my eyes to its potential for making tasty desserts even more delicious. 

Enter peanut butter popcorn cake.

Picky Bitch on a Plane

By Casey Knoll

I caught something during my four years of University.

It wasn't mumps (thankfully), or some other air-borne illness – I caught the 'travel bug.'

So a week after graduation (June 12), I hopped on a plane for a monthlong trip to Europe  through Great Britain and Ireland, and then Berlin, Prague, and Vienna.

A few days before my trip I remembered something: it was my first time traveling as a wheat-free woman. 

The company I traveled with, Contiki, helped with some arrangements for provided meals, but I was nervous. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad.

I found the UK in general was fairly gluten-free friendly. Sainsbury’s, the main supermarket, had tons of gluten-free snacks. When there was one nearby, I stocked up like crazy, especially for long trips on the tour bus.  In terms of restaurants, the ones I visited either had gluten-free menus or were willing to adjust menu items for me.  I fell in love with a restaurant chain called Bella Italia – they had the BEST gluten-free pizza. I dined there twice (in York and Glasgow), and ate my pizzas at a speed that would have put the Cookie Monster to shame. 

 

My delicious "funghi" pasta at Carluccio's in
London Heathrow Airport

 The best meal I had in the UK was actually at  London Heathrow Airport on the night before I  flew to Berlin. I had an awesome mushroom,  or 'funghi', pasta dish at a restaurant called  Carluccio’s. I hadn't experienced a decent  pasta dish in some time, so this was a nice  pick-me-up for the trip ahead.

 

Gluten-free (and vegan!) crackers in Berlin.

The last half of my trip in Berlin, Prague and Vienna also brought unexpected gluten-free surprises. I found some gluten-free crackers at a health food store in Berlin – although a few grains short of tasting like sand, they served as decent 'on the road' snacks.

  

Chocolate cake at Schönbrunn Palace.

 On  my last night in Vienna, my group and I  went to dinner at Schönbrunn Palace where I  had an awesome gluten-free chocolate cake.  Generally, during my travels I had fruit salad  for dessert if we went out for meals (not a  bad trade-off), but having a pastry was a nice  change!

If you’re travelling gluten-free, here are a few tips: 

• Bring as many snacks as you can in your luggage. This will tide you over until you can figure out where to eat once you've reached your destination. 

• Do some research to find gluten-free restaurants or supermarkets where you're going.  I wish I did more of this –- it would've been a huge help!

• Be as flexible as you can. You may end up eating the same type of meal over and over -- for me, it was a chicken breast and veggies. But hey, at least you’ll be able to eat!

Above all else, don’t panic. Travelling gluten-free can be tricky, but it’s not impossible. 

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!

Gluten sensitive doughnuts a popular choice at Jelly Modern

A delicious gluten sensitive Pumpkin Spice doughnut from Jelly Modern. 

If you don’t get along with gluten, you probably haven’t had a doughnut in years. Jelly Modern can change that.