Sun In Bloom (The Sweets)

Lemon-strawberry cupcakes. You want one.

Some days, you just need a cupcake. Meeting that need when you're gf? Not so easy. I will admit to baking up a tray of cupcakes from a mix when I'm desperate - and then eating way too much, of course. (Even if I just want ONE, I over-indulge; my sweet tooth doesn't have an off switch.) Or schlepping to an out-of-the way (verrrrry out-of-the-way) gf bakery, only to overindulge yet again because, I trekked ALL the way there, dag nabbit. And (whimper) doesn't little 'ol gluten-free me deserve treats?

Pathetic, I know.

But those days, they are over - thanks to Sun In Bloom (yes, the "I" is capitalized here), a Park Slope eatery that has gf cupcakes every single day, so I can get just one - and get my fix. My favorite is relatively new, the lemon-strawberry pictured above: lemony cake with lemon frosting and fresh sliced strawberries. (I like it best after it's been refrigerated, as it hardens the frosting.)

Want a sweet, but (strangely) not in the mood for a cupcake? They also offer muffins, chocolate chip cookies, whoopie pies, and banana bread (with or w/o chocolate chips) - all gluten-free! 

Carrot cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies.

For all my goings on about their sweets, should mention: Sun In Bloom is a full menu organic vegan and macrobiotic eatery, with the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus available all day. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday, and the menu changes weekly, with a gluten-free pancake item offered every week. (A recent brunch menu included pancakes with caramelized bananas and fresh strawberries. Nice.) Oh, and: All items are vegan, most can be made gluten-free, and some are raw. (Gluten-free, vegan, raw cheesecake, anyone?) I can't offer savory recommendations, as I haven't sampled them yet (will post an update when I do) - but sweets? They all rock.

Cookie sandwich? Yes, please.

The restaurant space itself is gorgeous and comfortable: farm tables, loads of natural light, and high ceilings. The staff is delightful to a fault, even when presented with surly pre-caffeine, low blood sugar me some mornings. You should go there. You will like it. Open 8am-8pm every day, Sun In Bloom is located at 460 Bergen St. between 5th and 6th Avenues and can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/suninbloom

Gluten-Free Bisquick Experiments (Pizza Edition)

I picked up Bisquick's gluten-free mix, intending to make some pancakes or biscuits.

Not your grandma's Bisquick. 

Then I noticed the pizza crust recipe on the box. Have been on a pizza-making spree around here, soooo...

Bee-yoo-ti-ful.

Did it rival a slice from the local pizza parlor? Of course not. It's Bisquick - and it tastes like Bisquick. I shared this pie with a gf friend, who I believe said "Yum, reminds me of my childhood" and promptly ate three slices. 

So push those memories of Gino's or Nino's - or wherever you used to get your pizza fix in the gluten-y days - and enjoy this for what it is: i.e. a ridiculously fast and easy way to satisfy your pizza needs, without spending a small fortune on frozen gf pizza. The box of Bisquick was $4.59 at my local Key Food and contains enough mix for at least two large crusts. It mixes up as easily as pancake batter - and has the consistency of it too. Don't be alarmed; you didn't mess anything up. Just spread it thinly on a pizza pan (or cookie sheet) and bake off for 15 minutes. Then add toppings and heat until cheese is bubbly. Mangia!

*5.2.11 Update*

I've now made at least 2 dozen of these crusts and have to recommend a couple of recipe tweaks: 

1 - There is no need for so much oil - and, in fact, I think it is more like "real" pizza without it. I've reduced the 1/3 cup it calls for to about 2T and made up the liquid difference in water. The batter will be thin - you'll wonder how it can possibly become a pizza crust, but it will. 

2- Use good oil. Decent oil, at least. The recipe is 1 1/3 cups Bisquick, 2 eggs, oil, and water - so ingredient quality definitely matters. (The Bisquick recipe also calls for you to add herbs to the crust batter, but that's just wrong. Don't do it.)

3- When spreading the batter across the pan, I recommend pushing the bulk of it to the edges, so that you end up with a thin middle and a satisfying and chewy crust. Like this: 

4 ingredients + 15 minutes = joy

Lastly, just have to say: people love the pizza I've been making with these crusts. LOVE. And I feel like the woman from the old Rice Krispies Treats commercials; these are so easy to make that you'd really have to pretend you worked hard on them.

Progresso Soup (Gluten-Free Edition)

You know about this? Progresso has started selling some gluten-free soups. I just wish they weren't so dang high in sodium! I found a low-sodium vegetable soup that was marked gf, but the rest contained waaaaay more sodium than I'm willing to consume in one meal. Hmm. Just realized that the vegetable flavor isn't listed on their website (list below taken from their website). Perhaps more flavors are in the works. Please share if you see any out in the world!

GF flavors currently available:
Southwestern Style Chicken Chowder
Chicken Rice with Vegetables
Chicken Cheese Enchilada Flavor
Manhattan Clam Chowder
New England Clam Chowder
Potato Broccoli Cheese Chowder
99% Fat-Free New England Clam Chowder