Madrid has plenty of restaurants offering gluten-free food to choose from, and to make any coeliac a happy one. 
​
“From Madrid to Heaven” states a famous saying to describe live in this city. Could “gluten-free (heaven)” be added to such saying? 
 
Let’s find out!

This entry is a more detailed compilation of the information shared at the “Where Have I Eaten” page (where I list, in an organized manner, all the gluten-free places I’ve eaten at around the world) focusing in the gluten-free options that Madrid has to offer.  
 
Considering the wide number of establishments that can cater for a gluten-free diet in Madrid, I created different categories to make your search easier, focusing on what type of food experience you might look for. Is it ice-cream time? Or perhaps you fancy some (gluten-free) chocolate con churros? Maybe you want to try some traditional Spanish delicacies or indulge in heavenly brunch. Whatever you are looking for, I’ve got you covered ;) .
 
I think that this way of grouping the establishments in different categories is a very useful way to plan your stay in Madrid and see what places you’d like to give a try to eat gluten-free in Madrid. 
 
Some establishments can belong to various categories and therefore, may show up more than once, in different lists. At each group category, the establishments are listed in alphabetical order. 
 
While here in Glutenacious Life I only feature places where I have personally been to —so I can give you a honest opinion of the experience—, as I wanted to create a very complete guide for eating gluten-free in Madrid, and with the purpose of helping you, dear reader, to enjoy your time in Madrid, I have also included an additional list of those places serving gluten-free food that are under my radar (heard good comments about them, or that might have caught my eye), but hadn’t had the chance to go there yet. This list will be updated accordingly.

*For example, at the time of publication, the bakery Celikatessen was in my pending to visit list, but as I had the opportunity to visit it since, it’s now moved up to the main list). 
 
Those places that are dedicated gluten-free have been marked with the letters DGF, to easily identify those places where all the menu is free from gluten, as they only serve gluten-free food. 
 
But this article is not just a mere list of establishments offering gluten-free food in Madrid. It’s more than that. This article is aimed to be your gluten-free travel guide and as such, I have added additional information to help you navigate a Gluten-Free Madrid (an even Spain). 
 
First, you will find a detailed list of all those establishments in Madrid that offer gluten-free food, grouped by categories and listed in alphabetical order. As an extra bonus, from me to you, there’s an extra list of those places under my radar, but I hadn’t had the chance to eat there yet. 
 
Secondly, I have included information about grocery shopping in Madrid, should you want to buy some gluten-free products at the stores. While nowadays most supermarkets in Spain have a “free-from” aisle, I wanted to point out some supermarkets where it is almost guaranteed that you’ll find gluten-free products, hence you can get familiarized with their names. Besides that, I have also added a list of specific gluten-free Spanish brands so you can easily identify them. From my own experience, travelling and living in other countries, I understand the pain of trying to find out information about the gluten-free scenery in a new place and how to know which brands will be safe. Fear no more, I am sure this information will be useful and will ease you shopping experience at a Spanish supermarket ;) 
 
Thirdly, I have also added a reference to gluten-free labels in Spain (and Europe), for you to know what you need to look at when reading labels, so you can be certain that the item is indeed safe for coeliac people. I think it is paramount to understand how the gluten-free labelling of the country you are visiting works, to make sure that you are indeed purchasing a gluten-free product. Gluten-free labels across the world have different symbology, and sometimes, even different levels of maximum gluten allowed (measured in parts per million) to be considered gluten-free. I hope this will help you to familiarise with the gluten-free labels used in Spain and Europe to designate a gluten-free product. 
 
Also, with the goal of helping any coeliac coming to Madrid, no matter where you come from, I have included a note about the current situation in Europe regarding the so called gluten-free beers, as other countries have different regulations on what they consider gluten-free beer. 
 
Lastly, as any good ol’ travel guide, I included some basic gluten-free vocabulary in Spanish, to help you reading labels and also identify yourself as coeliac at the restaurant.

 
Enjoy a gluten-less Madrid! 

​Note: All establishment mentioned here are places where have I have personally been to (except the ones in the “pending to visit” list), so I can give you a real and honest opinion. All visits have been paid from my pocket. 

Bakeries, Pastry shops and Patisseries

• Arte Diet (Bakery) DGF
• Celikatessen (Bakery) DGF * All products are made from organic ingredients
• Marqués Free-From (Patisserie and chocolate) DGF *Lactose-free and vegan options available. Also specialized in a wide range of food allergies that can be catered (nuts, dairy, egg….)
• La Celiacoteca (Pastry shop) DGF *I’ve been to the store in Alcalá de Henares, but they’ve recently opened another store in Madrid city center
• La Mejor Tarta de Chocolate del Mundo (Cafe)
• Leon The Baker (Bakery) DGF
• Sana Locura (Café and pastry shop) DGF *Lactose-free options available

 
 
Pending visit:

• Celilocos DGF 
• Exento Sin Gluten DGF
• Holy Grain Bakery DGF
• Maicookie DGF (cupcakes and desserts á la US. Allergen-free)
• Manolo Bakes

Ice-creams

• Lolo Polos Artesanos

 
Pending visit:

• Bico de Xeado
• Helados Patagonia Artesanal
• Sani Sapori

Churrerías
 
For those unfamiliarised with the concept of churrerias, they could be described as a café specialized in serving hot chocolate (the Spanish way: thick enough so you can eat it from a spoon) and churros. Considered a very typical establishment in Madrid, they are popular all over Spain. 

• Maestro Churrero * Lactose-free chocolate also available  
• Chocolatería 1902  it seems they also offer the famous bocadillo de calamares in a gluten-free version! -confirmed

​You can also check my guide on Where to eat gluten-free churros con chocolate in Madrid
​

​Tapas

• La Jauría
• Taberna La Concha

 
Pending visit:

• Bar Méntrida
• Bresca (Bologna- Italy)
• Cucurucho Bar DGF (self-described as "the essence of the south")
• Farruca Bar
• Katz (New York style cuisine)
• LaLina
• La Tape
• Solo de Croquetas DGF (tapas bar specialized in croquetas)

Traditional Spanish Cuisine restaurants (by regions) ​

• El Ñeru (Asturian cuisine)

 
Pending visit:

• Celmart DGF
• Cucurucho Bar DGF (self-described as "the essence of the south")
• El reloj de Harry y Sally (traditional Spanish cuisine with a modern touch)
• La Bola (Madrid cuisine, specialized in cocido madrileño)
• Llagar La Llobera DGF (asturian cuisine - previously known as Llagar El Quesu)
• Lume Madrid DGF (mediterranean inspired)

International Cuisine

• Africa Fusión (Africa)
• Cuando Salí de Cuba (Cuba) 
• Da Nicola (Italy)
• Falaferia (Middle East)
• Grosso Napoletano Senza Glutine (Italy) DGF pizzas
• La Hummuseria (Middle East)
• La Mordida (Mexico)
• Nuria (Ethiopia)
• Okashi Sanda (Japan) DGF *All menu is also lactose-free and free from refined sugar
• Pasta Balboa (Italy) DGF freshly-made pasta 
• Restaurante El Alamillo (Mexico) 
• Surya (India)
• Tandoori Sation (India)
• Taquería El Alamillo (Mexico) 

​Pending visit:

• Bresca (Bologna- Italy)
• Comic Planet Spain (USA inspired)
• Katz (New York style cuisine)

Vegetarian, Vegan and Organic Food
 
I’ve used the following abbreviations: 
 
V: Vegetarian
VG: Vegan
O: Organic food

• Artemisa (VG, V) DGF
• Ecocentro (VG, O)
• El Huerto de Lucas (V, VG, O)
• Falaferia (V) 
• Honest Greens (V)
• La Hummuseria (V)
• Nuria Ethiopian restaurant (vegetarian options)
• Honest Greens (V)
• Planet Organic (V, O)
• Vega (VG, O)*

 
Pending visit:

• Avocado Love  DGF (VG) Everything's made from avocado
• Superchulo (V, O)

Restaurants

• Artemisa *Vegetarian​ DGF
• Cuando Salí de Cuba
• Da Nicola
• Ecocentro *Vegetarian & vegan
• El Alamillo
• El Huerto de Lucas *Vegetarian and vegan options
• El Ñeru
• Grosso Napoletano Senza Glutine DGF pizzas
• La Hummuseria
• La Jauria
• La Mordida
• Nuria *Vegetarian options
• Okashi Sanda DGF * All menu is also lactose-free and free from refined sugar
• Pasta Balboa DGF freshly-made pasta 
• Surya
• Tandoori Station
• Vega *Vegan

 
Pending visit:

• Asador Chelín DGF (take-away only)
• Avocado Love  DGF (VG) Everything's made from avocado
• Bresca (Bologna- Italy)
• Celmart DGF
• Comic Planet Spain (USA inspired)
• Cucurucho Bar DGF (self-described as "the essence of the south")
• El reloj de Harry y Sally (traditional Spanish cuisine with a modern touch)
• Katz (New York style cuisine)
• Llagar La Llobera DGF (asturian cuisine - previously known as Llagar El Quesu)
• Lume Madrid DGF (mediterranean inspired)
• Naked&Sated DGF
• Superchulo (vegan and vegetarian) 

​
Foodtrucks

• La Pavoneta DGF

 
Pending to visit

• Come y bebe que la vida es breve DGF
• La Lonchería (Mexican food) DGF

 
Note: Due to the nature of the foodtruck business, these foodtrucks can be found throughout all the country. La Pavoneta was the first gluten-free credited foodtruck in Spain (by the coeliac association of Asturias). The ones listed as pending to be visited are recent and are assessed by the Madrid Sin Gluten coeliac association.  

Chains
(Available nation-wide) 

• Llaollao
• Ikea (restaurant)
• McDonalds
• Rodilla
• Starbucks
• Telepizza
• VIPS

 

For your convenience, I have created this detailed map on Google Maps, so you can check on the go where you could go to, based on your location. Enjoy!
​

​GOODBYES
I’d like to dedicate a minute of silence to those establishments that have served us gluten-free food but are now closed down —call it a memento mori, if you wish, but I think we should remember all those places that helped us out when eating out in the city.  Thank you for your time serving gluten-free food!

• Alter Café (vegan and gluten-free) 
• Antigua Taquería (Mexico)
• Copenhagen (Mediterranean fusion restaurant) 
• Creperia Breizh (galettes from Brittany)
• El Arrozal (paellas and rice dishes)
• Maúz (Venezuelan cuisine)
• Mamá Kokore DGF (vegan and organic pastry shop)
• Mesón Restaurante Los Verdes (tapas and Spanish cuisine)
• Barandales (Zamora and León cuisine restaurant)
• Bristol Bar (England cuisine restaurant and bar)
• Bio in the bowl (healthy take away food) 
• Hanan (Ethiopia) the owners are the same ones from Nuria restaurant, which is still running) 
• Kint Food DGF ("fresh" and free-from food) 
• Loliam DGF​ (gluten-free bakery and restaurant)

It is very easy to find gluten-free products at Spanish stores, from little shops to big supermarkets, it is very likely that there will be at least a designated space for gluten-free products. Obviously, the bigger size of the store, the more options there will be (in brands and variety of dedicated gluten-free items).  More often than not, there will be a clearly signed “free-from” aisle —it will be marked as “sin gluten”. Then, there are exceptions like Mercadona, where you will find the specific gluten-free products scattered all around the store alongside the gluten-containing partner products (for example, the gluten-free pasta is located besides the “regular” pasta, and so on). 
 
This is a general list of those stores and supermarkets where you can find gluten-free items, in Madrid and in many cases, also elsewhere in Spain: 
 
*Some stores carry their own gluten-free brand (a private brand that sometimes can be cheaper). I have indicated the name besides, in the brackets. 

• Alcampo ("Auchan Sin Gluten")
• Ahorramas
• Carrefour ("Carrefour No gluten!") 
• Día
• El Corte Inglés, Supercor, Hipercor (Special Line Sin Gluten) (Madrid: I highly suggest paying a visit to the El Corte Inglés located in calle Princesa, the dedicated area (at ground level) is one of the biggest ones I’ve seen, both in quantity and variety of brands to choose from) 
• Eroski (Eroski Sin Gluten)
• Lidl
• Maná Sin Gluten: store specialized in gluten-free products
• Mercadona (The only shop where is possible to buy Beiker, Schäer’s private brand)

Besides the usual supermarkets, there are some stores specialized in gluten-free products, such as: ​
​

• Celisana
• Magda Allergy (specialised in gluten-free plus other food allergies)
• Maná
• La Despensa de Lucía
• Singlutum​

​
Organic stores are also catching up with the situation, so it is not unusual to find a “free-from” aisle there too. Obviously, the products products that can be found there are organic and gluten-free. Some organic shops in Madrid from where you can buy gluten-free products are: 
​

• Bio C’est Bon
• Ecobionature Vida Integral
• Ecocentro
• Herbolario Navarro
• La Canela
• La Ventana Natural
• Veritas

​One of the most easily to be-found brands is Schäer, the international famous brand. But there are also a big number of Spanish brands that exclusively elaborate gluten-free products. I would like to help you out, easing your shopping experience, by sharing some of their names below:
 

• ADPan
• Airos
• Beiker (Schäer’s private brand, only available in Mercadona supermarket)
• Esgir
• La Santiña
• Mdalen (magdalenas – similar to muffins)
• Muuglu
• Noglut
• Panceliac
• Pastas Gallo (while it is a “regular” pasta brand, they have a dedicated Factory where they exclusively elaborate gluten-free pasta) 
• Proceli
• Sinblat
• Zealia

At the moment, the only treatment for coeliac disease (and non-coeliac gluten sensitivity - NCGS) is a strict gluten-free diet. 
 
Those products made specifically for the coeliac population (for example, bread, pasta, flour, cookies, pizzas, pastries…) must be clearly identified and labelled as “gluten-free”. 
 
Being an avid traveler, and having lived in different countries abroad, I perfectly understand the panic when you first go to a supermarket in a different country, the fear to be able to identify a dedicated gluten-free product. This feeling intensifies when the language is different; not only there is a language barrier, but every country has their own gluten-free label (and sometimes, even different standards to the ones in your home country, for labelling gluten-free products). 
 
But fear not; this is why I have created this webpage, and this specific article about Spain: to help you navigate the gluten-free life and be the helping hand in your travels. 
 
In Spain, there are two official labels that certify that a product is free from gluten: 
 

• Marca de Garantía «Controlado por FACE» (literal translation: FACE warranty brand “controlled by FACE”): this green label certifies that the product has under 10 particles per million of gluten (<10ppm)

 
This gluten-free label is used in Spain and is regulated by the Spanish coeliac association (FACE). However, you might see Spanish products with this label in other European countries. 
 
*Important note: Starting in January 2020, the Spanish coeliac association gluten-free labelling will be integrated in the European License System (ELS, explained below). Therefore, this specific label from the Spanish coeliac association will cease existing, and from this date onwards, gluten-free products in Spain will only have the ELS label (the crossed-grain symbol). As an additional piece of information,  there won’t be any label certifying  <10ppm, as the ESL certifies <20ppm.
 
 

• European License System or Crossed Grain Symbol: this gluten-free certification is licensed by the Association of European Coeliac Societies (AOECS, the umbrella organization for European national coeliac societies) and is used to certify gluten-free products along Europe (country members of the European Union plus Switzerland, Norway, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina). This license certifies that the maximum level of gluten is 20ppm ( <20ppm).

 
 

• Other “sin gluten” labels: It is possible to find products that, while no having any of the official gluten-free logos mentioned before (crossed-grain symbol and FACE warranty symbol), display a “sin gluten” (“gluten-free” in Spanish) wording (or even logo). This is very common in supermarkets like Mercadona or Lidl, where they have their own gluten-free logo. In this regard, the term “gluten-free” is covered by EU legislation, under Regulation 828/2014 and therefore, products labelled gluten-free must comply with this regulation, that establishes that a product labelled as “gluten-free” cannot contain more than 20ppm of gluten (certifies <20ppm). 

Knowing some basic vocabulary of the local language is a very useful tool, you can always share it to the restaurant staff or look for the words in the packaging when buying gluten-free products at the shops. 
 
Below you can find the essential vocabulary that I think can be helpful to know:
​

I didn’t want to finish this article without an important warning for US coeliac people regarding the situation about gluten-free beer in Europe. 
 
While in the US there is a distinction between gluten-free beer (made from naturally gluten-free ingredients) and gluten-removed beer (made from gluten-containing ingredients, where the gluten has been removed by a process), this distinction does simple not exist in Europe (I don’t know why). 
 
In Europe any beer can be labelled “gluten-free” as long as they meet the standard of having less that 20 parts per million of gluten (<20ppm), no matter the ingredients used for creating the beer. 
 
Therefore, those beers that are not considered gluten-free, nor safe for coeliac people in the US, for being made from gluten-containing ingredients, are considered safe for coeliac people in Europe, and thus, labelled as “gluten-free”. 
 
Remember: In Europe, gluten-removed beers are considered “gluten-free” and labelled as such (the concept of gluten-removed beers does not exist).

At a time like this, when it seems that the more and more restaurants are starting to offer gluten-free options (something positive for the coeliac community, one would say) I would like to share here some personal thoughts. 
 
My first piece of advice is to always ask, no fears attached. Just because there is a «gluten-free» word on the menu, it doesn’t necessarily mean nor guarantee that they know what they are doing, what it means to cook gluten-free food, what cross-contact is (and how to avoid it). I do not intend to alarm you, but to ask you to remain vigilant and to proceed with caution, especially in those new places that you are visiting for the first time or don’t have any reference. Talking from first-hand experience, there will be those who jump into the “gluten-free” wagon because it’s the “trendy food” at the moment, without realizing that the health of the coeliac people is, literately, in their hands. 
 
There were times where I decided to leave an establishment, because after the usual questions, their cooking policy didn’t seem trustworthy to me (coeliac / gluten-free cooking requirement). But there was no drama for me, after all, I decided years ago to put my health first, and if I feel that a place is not safe for me to eat there, I won’t eat there and that’s all that there is to be. 
 
Also, be aware that the allergen list is neither a warranty of food being safe. While mandatory for food establishments in the European Union, it only contemplates the ingredients from which the dish is made from (and I’ve experienced how sometimes the staff is not very aware of such ingredients, which is paramount in our case, because we really need to know all what has been used to cook a dish). This means that the allergen list can only be taken as a reference of the main ingredients that have been used because it does not contemplate cross-contamination by gluten (cross-contact). Therefore, even if a food allergens list indicates that a dish does not have gluten/wheat, we should still ask about food manipulation and how cross-contact is handled (or, better said, avoided). 
 
There’s a saying that states “from Madrid, to the sky”. While I leave that to your judgement, what we surely can agree is that there is a wide array of options to eat gluten-free in Madrid —and luckily, those numbers are raising. I hope that this guide will help you to plan your next visit to Madrid (and who knows, in an ever-changing city, you may discover a place of your own!). I would like to remind you that you can also have a look to a curated list of all the places around the world where I have eaten gluten-freein this link. 
 
 
Thank you note
I would like to thank you, dear readers, all your comments and suggestions. These places have been added to the list, and thank you to your invaluable help, the list is enriched.  
 

Note: Glutenacious Life has no commercial relationship with any of the mentioned establishments, brands or companies. All visits to the mentioned establishments have been paid by Glutenacious Life.  

​Elisa is an experienced gluten-free traveler that always brings a very curious item with her: a little device that can test if there’s gluten in the food you are about to eat. 

​I met Elisa through her Instagram account Gluten-free trips and I immediately fell for all her gluten-free foodie adventures around the globe. (Does the topic sound familiar ;)? )
Her honesty felt refreshing as well. She will bluntly tell you whether she liked the food or if she felt it was safe to eat there or not. Such honesty seems to be a bit rare nowadays, so that level of transparency is really appreciated. After all, that’s also been my motive to create this space, to share honest and real opinions. I feel reflected in her approach of making reviews. 

There is a little device featured in her pictures that immediately caught my attention. 
 

​She always travels with a portable gluten tester called Nima. I had previously heard about this gluten sensor —mainly from other gluten-free bloggers from the States— and I was very curious to find out more about this new item that seems to help coeliac people in their trips, home and abroad. So, what better way to find out more about this portable gluten tester than from a gluten-free world traveler that has being using it in all her travels around the world? 
​

Nima is a portable gluten tester that allows you to test meals for gluten. It is optimized to detect 20ppm — it detects if gluten is present at more than 20ppm or if the levels are below 20ppm. 
 
By introducing a little piece of the food you are about to eat into the test capsule, it will notify you, in just a couple of minutes, whether the food is gluten-free (it detected a level of gluten below 20ppm) or if gluten has been found (if there is more than 20ppm). 

Elisa comes from the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo and finds pleasure in food and traveling. She is also a big Disney fan. She had to cut gluten from her life due to a medical diagnosis, but she didn’t let that stop her from traveling. (Aren’t we soulmates?) 

Now she combines her holiday adventures with business trips due to her work, so doing a research to find out where she can eat safely helps her a lot to plan her stay.

***Also, she’s going to Miami in August, so if you have any tips for here, like your favorite places to eat gluten-free in Miami, you can leave it in the comments section. ****
 
She documents all her travels in her own Instagram account, called Gluten-Free Trips, where you can find useful information on what places offer gluten-free food and whether they are Nima approved—having tested less than 20ppm— and considered gluten-free. 
 
Elisa loves Italian food and some of her favorite places in the world are London and Disney World (Orlando) because it’s very accommodating towards coeliac people But she doesn’t forget about Sao Paulo, where it is quite easy to find gluten-free options (there are at least 15 dedicated gluten-free restaurants and there is awareness about cross-contamination. 

While the beginnings where a bit challenging and overwhelming (it was at a time when there was still not much information about coeliac disease) she know feels very comfortable traveling and eating out. 
 

​Question: For how long have you known that you are coeliac? 
Answer: In the end of 2009 I started having a lot of symptoms, especially diarrhoea. After going to a lot of doctors, I found out there were a lot of polyps in my intestines, which got me really worried. They were all benign, but a doctor at the time told me to cut gluten to see if my stomach aches and diarrhoea would get better. They did, and after a few years, all my polyps are gone (I test every 2 years to see if everything is ok). The only bummer is, since he told me to cut off gluten without testing for coeliac disease, I was never properly diagnosed, but he explained about cross contamination, so I live my life as an undiagnosed coeliac!

Q: How did you receive the news? Did it impact you?
A: Honestly, I cried a lot. It was the beginning of 2010 when I was told I had to cut gluten completely out of my life. There wasn't much information at the time, and I was really lost and sad, and in Brazil we had no good options for bread and pizza and stuff. I cried a lot. I would stay away from gluten for 2 weeks, feel better, then eat gluten "just to see", get sick, and cry. I think that was a cycle for me for a few months. Until I got tired of getting sick and really stopped eating gluten.

Q: How was the change transitioning to a gluten-free life? Was there anything that you found particularly challenging?  How did you adapt to this new life? 
A: It was long, and it wasn't easy. It took me a while to realize that cross contamination was a real thing. I got sick so many times without knowing what it was because I didn't really know all the details about cross contamination. I was lucky that I moved to the US in the same year to get my master's degree and when I found out about Whole Foods supermarkets and all their gluten free options, I was so grateful lol. Not long after that, gluten-free diets became a trend and it was even easier going out to eat.
​
Q: What impact has had being coeliac in your live? Did you have to change many things of your daily routine? 
A: I live in a gluten-free house now, to avoid cross contamination at home. I also always loved going out to eat, so it was challenging going to places that I used to go to with friends but now I had to just watch. But I got used to explaining the situation and suggesting a place that I could actually eat in.

Q: How did your friends and family react?  
A: Nowadays all my friends know and understand, and luckily, they enjoy going to places that are gluten-free! When I first started they really didn't know where to take me or what to do, but now it's easy. My family always supported me as well.
 
Q: How’s the gluten-free scenery in Brazil? (is it easy to find gluten-free places? Are people aware of coeliac disease?)
A:I live in São Paulo, which is the biggest city in Brazil and nowadays it's really easy to eat gluten free! We have at least 15 dedicated gluten free places to eat at, and a lot of restaurants are now aware of what is celiac disease and cross contamination, so it's easier to eat out. 

Q: On your Instagram we can see that you are a world traveller. Did you travel as much prior your diagnose?
A: I always have loved to travel, I travelled a lot before finding out about coeliac disease (and it's funny to remember all of the times I felt sick on my trips and thought I had eaten something rotten)! But only about 3 years ago I have started doing it more for work. So, I travel for work and also for pleasure! 

Q: Has coeliac disease changed the way you travel, or impacted you in any way? 
A: It has. I always bring snacks with me when I travel (because I am afraid the airline will forget my special meal, lol) and always go to the supermarket where I am to see if they have any different gluten-free products, and also to buy snacks. I try to choose hotels based on if they have gluten-free breakfast, or at least are close to gluten-free places. I also look up a lot of gluten-free restaurants close to the attractions or places I am going so I can plan ahead where I am going to eat.

Q: Are there any major differences between traveling for business purposes or for leisure? 
A: There are. When I'm traveling for work, I don't really have time to go to the supermarket, or I can't really choose a gluten free place because either I'm with a large group, or I'm late and have to eat fast. So I eat a lot more snacks when I travel for work, and I use my Nima device a lot more when I got to the places that are not known for being gluten free.

Q: There’s a little device featured in all your Instagram pictures. What is it?
A: Oh, Nima is my best friend when I travel! I bought it online, and it tests gluten in food. It saved me from getting sick during a trip many times now. 

Q: How does it work? 
A: I think they explain better on their website, but basically there's a capsule, I put food inside, close it, and put it in the sensor. If it has over 20ppms of gluten, the sensor will tell me "gluten found".

Q: What made you acquire the Nima sensor? 
A: I was just tired from getting sick from supposedly gluten free things when I travelled, and it made me feel more confident to eat out!

Q: Would you eat something that tested positive with gluten? 
A: No, no way!

Q: Has the Nima sensor changed the way you travel in any way? Would you recommend it? A: Yes, it gives me more freedom! I would def recommend it! But it doesn't replace the fact that you have to talk to a manager or a chef to explain your situation, so you make sure that they are making your dish with the proper care.

Q: Do you feel more secure when eating out by having this device with you? 
A: Definitely! 

Q: What do the restaurants think when you bring this item with you? Have you ever encounter a negative response from them? 
A: 90% of the restaurants find it interesting and are super nice. The other 10% are very offended, especially when I get a gluten found. There was a place in Austin that insisted that the device was wrong and that the dish was gluten-free. Oh well, thank God it's only 10% of the time!

Q: Do you have any upcoming trip in the planning? Are you excited for it? 
A: Yes! I have two. I have a convention in Anaheim, so I'm really excited about going to Disneyland after it ends (and maybe a few nights for dinner!). And I'm also going to Miami in August, I have started looking for gluten-free places, but it's been kind of hard so far - if anybody has any tips, I would love them!

Q: You are quite a globetrotter. Have you noticed any differences on gluten-free eating around the world and how restaurants cope with it?
A: I think the restaurants are different even in the same city. I've had great and terrible experiences in all cities I have been to, so I don't think it has to do with the country or city, but just people and the restaurants and how they will treat you.

Q: There are still many coeliacs that feel hesitant to eat out, or that feel discouraged to travel abroad because of the gluten-free diet (even more when there’s a foreign language and cuisine involved). What would you tell them to encourage them to keep a “normal” life; to eat out and don’t feel afraid to keep traveling? - Have you felt that way before?
A:  I am still kind of afraid of going to Asia. I would love to go to Japan, but I think I would have to have a big stock of Nima capsules with me! So yes, sometimes I STILL feel that way, but I will def get over it and go to Asia eventually! Instagram helps me a lot. Because there will always be a coeliac blogger willing to help, anywhere I go. Our community is so friendly and helpful, I love it! So even if you have a Nima, my advice is: rely on our community! Look for bloggers and instagrammers from that city, or that have been there recently, I am sure they will love to share their tips with you! :)
 

I hope you enjoyed this interview (as much as I had the pleasure to talk to Elisa and learn about her experiences) and served you as an example of why you should not limit yourself by your dietary restrictions. You can still enjoy your life and keep traveling all over the world (if that’s your call).  I think Elisa is a great example of it. I really like her perseverance and positive attitude towards her new situation. There’s always a learning curve at the beginning. I’ve been there, and I can tell you that then things get better, because you get to know how to take care of yourself.  
I will add a piece of advice, and that is to always put yourself first. While I don’t travel with a Nima sensor, I always do my research, so I know in advance what places I could go to. Also, always trust your gut. If you don’t feel confident about eating in that place, it’s ok to leave, because remember, in our case, food is really our medicine. I have been there and if I perceive that the staff is not very aware of what eating gluten-free really means (right ingredients, cross-contamination) I just don’t eat there and that’s ok. 
 
Also, as Elisa said, our community is very welcoming to help each other. One of the reasons that I created this blog is precisely to help YOU. Not only I have been traveling for a long time, but I’ve also lived in many countries around the world, so I really know what it feels to start from zero in a new place you know nothing about. 
 
Luckily, being a blogger has allowed me to meet people from all over the world and connect with them and I can tell you that our community is very open and welcoming to help. 
 
Now it’s your turn! What do you think about Elisa experience? Let me know in the comments how you felt after receiving the diagnose and whether now you feel more empowered to take control of your life and perhaps travel more or just eat out. 
 
Also, if you have any experience about traveling gluten-free in Asia, or you have recommendations for Miami, let us know in the comments. 
 
Do you have an interesting story to share with us? Let me know! I wanted to create this space for our community — The Glutenacious Community— to be open to include your stories and share your learnings with us. 
 
Be Glutenacious. 

Note: This is an interview for information purpose only. Glutenacious Life has no relation with Nima. 

 
This time I bring you not one, but two different entries in one post, all for your enjoyment.
 
Firstly, a delicious gluten-free creamy avocado pasta recipe to indulge your tummy and your senses, from Spring to Autumn (to be honest, anytime you fancy a creamy avocado).
 
Secondly, a review of the gluten-free pasta brand Gallo.

I came up with this recipe one of those heart-warming lazy late Summer – early Autumn afternoons, when the temperatures are still warm, but the evenings are getting softly chill and you fancy to eat some more soul-warming food. (I’m saying this because, I don’t know about you, but for me hot, warm summer days call for light and fresh meals. The warmer it gets, the less I can digest * insert “I don’t know” emoticon *)
 
I had an avocado that seemed to be at the perfect ripen point, ready to be eaten. However, I was still not very sure what to do with it (perhaps a guacamole sauce to use as appetizer?) or even if to save it for later and do some pasta instead, which I was also craving. But this heart-healthy avocado was calling me, so I decided to do a little experiment and mix them both: an inspired guacamole sauce with some pasta.
 
Sometimes, the best recipes are the ones that come in on the spur of the moment, and this one turned to be a beautiful creation. Occasionally, they are a complete fail, but that’s the beauty of creating recipes, getting creative in the kitchen and see how to best combine flavours, textures and taste. I truly enjoy the cuisine and coming up with new delicious recipes, and of course, sharing them with you, my dear readers.
 
As expected, the avocado didn’t disappoint: its creaminess made a fantastic base for the pasta recipe and the taste was exquisite. The end result of this creamy avocado pasta dish: superb.

One thing that I am quite proud of is that the avocado sauce is naturally lactose-free. As coeliac disease has a high association with lactose intolerance, I find it dishearting when I see that many store-made sauces have milk (or other dairy derivatives) added to the recipe. Why to do that unless strictly necessary? On top of that, this recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan, soy-free, sugar-free and as just mentioned, lactose-free.
 
This recipe can be adapted throughout the seasons: it can be served as a warm dish (perfect for chilly weather) or a cold salad (perfect for those summery days)
 
I hope that you enjoy this fantastic creamy avocado pasta recipe as much as I did.

Enjoy it!

½ guacamole (it was a big one)
½ lime
 1 clove of black garlic * (don’t know what black garlic is? See notes below)
A dash of cilantro (to your taste)
Salt, pepper
Sesame seeds

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the salt when water is boiling and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.
2. While the pasta is cooking, is time to make the stunning avocado creamy sauce. Simply mix the avocado flesh with the lime zest, the black garlic clove and some cilantro in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
3. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and serve on a plate. Place on top the fantastic creamy avocado sauce you have just created. (Alternatively, you can also bring it together, but for picture purposes and aesthetics, I went for the first option).
4. Top with some sesame seeds and serve immediately.
   

 
Bon appetite!

The special light captured in the photos belong to sunset time. I took my pasta to the outdoors to have some picnic time al fresco. It was a very nice experience and a feast for the senses. While I savoured this delicious creamy avocado sauce, I indulged my eyes and sight by observing the sun slowly disappear over the horizon, and how it bathed the nearby mountains in golden, pink and ochre rays of light, before fading to a midnight blue sky scattered with stars.

Glutenacious notes:

• As avocados oxidize very quickly once sliced, this sauce is best served immediately. If you would like to cook in batches, make more quantity of the pasta, save the leftovers pasta portions and then make the avocado sauce the moment you’d like to eat it. As you can see, it’s very quick and easy and you can do it under 5 minutes, it doesn’t require too much work.

 

• If you’d like to turn this recipe grain-free, you can always substitute the spaghetti pasta with zoodles (spiralized zucchini) or whatever your preference is —for example, spaghetti squash.
  

 

• For this recipe, I used spaghetti, but you could use any other pasta of your preference.

 

• I don’t complicate things too much and I make the creamy lactose-free avocado sauce by simply mixing the ingredients together with a fork (also less cleaning afterwards ;) ), but if you want to, you can also use a food processor to do the sauce ingredients blending. Black garlic cloves are very soft, so are easily mashed with a fork —more of black garlic coming below.

 

• You can top the dish with some more lime zest, if you wish to, and even change the seeds to your preference. For example, I think that some flaxseeds would match the taste as well.

​As mentioned earlier, I thought that the best way to talk about some gluten-free pasta is to make a recipe with it — otherwise, it would be a bit boring, wouldn’t it?
 
Pastas Gallo is a very famous Spanish brand specialized in pasta, with a long history behind and that recently has launched a line of gluten-free pasta that is made in a dedicated factory. You can easily spot them at the stores due to their distinctive blue colour.
 
I have been using these pasta brand for a while and I like it. Cooks well, taking into account the difficulty of mastering the art of cooking gluten-free pasta. One of the things I like the most is that there is essential information put in a very clear way in the package, such as the following:

• Cooking time —even giving two options for the desire point of pasta cooking (in this specific package of spaghetti: 8 minutes for “al punto”—which I guess is what in Italy is called al dente— and 10 minutes for soft.

 

• Visual pasta measurement aid to know how much pasta should be used per person. Again, in this specific package of spaghetti, it’s a white circle that measures for 100g of pasta. In other packages (for example, macaroni, the guideline is a line on the package, as it’s been divided in blocks of 100g.

 
 

• Cooking guidelines for properly cooking pasta — which I am very happy to see, as it is how it is done in Italy. I have myself made blogpost about it. Check my guide for how to cook pasta like in Italy— Basically, it’s 1 litre of water per 100g of pasta (per person), 10g of salt.

 

• A clear identification of the gluten-free label that guarantees that the product is effectively gluten-free. In this case, they showed label is the one accredited by the Spanish Coeliac Association that states that the product has under 10ppm of gluten.

The funny note, (and throwing here a bit of language learning) is that gallo (the chosen name of the brand) means cock (US: rooster) in Spanish; that’s why you see the figure of this animal in the packaging.
 

They have quite a good variety of gluten-free pasta, such as macaroni, spaghetti, pipe rigatte, fusilli (with tomato and spinach), tagliatelle, noodles and even lasagne and cannelloni sheets. But that’s not all, besides the “dry pasta” they also offer gluten-free fresh pasta options (to be found in the cold storage area at supermarkets) such as gluten-free tortellini filled with spinaches and ricotta cheese and gluten-free ravioli with meat and veggies.
 
On top of gluten-free pasta, they also offer gluten-free breadcrumbs and special gluten-free bakery mix (for making pizza, bread, cakes...etc).

 Pastas Gallo was founded in 1946 by José Espona. He acquired a flour factory in Barcelona. At that time, the most used wheat flour was soft wheat flour and José Espona decided to work with durum wheat flour (hard wheat), which is more appropriate for elaborating pasta.
 
Moving forward, during this 21st century they added more products to their traditional pasta line, such as fresh pasta and sauces. For the coeliac community, probably the most important key action is that on 2015 they decided to turn a factory in Barcelona (Esparraguera) into a dedicated gluten-free pasta facility, being the first one of its type in Spain. According to the company, the 1.3% of the total sales in 2015 was for the gluten-free line.

Regarding the recipe, I don’t have much to say other that I really enjoyed coming up with this delicious creation and that I hope that you like it as much as I do. I come back to it anytime I’m hungry and need to cook something quickly.
 
In regards the brand review, I have to say that this was a fun exercise for me, as I didn’t know much about the history behind pastas Gallo. For me, it was one of those lifelong brands that has always been there. I really appreciate that they thought about the coeliac community and decided, not only to launch a gluten-free line, but the fact that is made in a dedicated factory. Cross-contamination is an important issue when elaborating gluten-free food and some brands don’t take it seriously. Luckily, Pastas Gallo is not one of them. The fact that they are certified by the Spanish Coeliac Association and that they elaborate the gluten-free pasta in a dedicated factory used only for gluten-free products, speaks volumes.

I was doing my groceries when I suddenly laid my eyes on a nice piece of mango at a very good price, so I told myself “let’s do something out of it and try new stuff”.  I had previously tasted mango, but I remember not being especially fond of it and preferring papaya in lieu, which I found more appealing to my sweet tooth. But sometimes your taste evolves and you find yourself surprisingly enjoying foods for which you didn’t feel that attraction earlier. I’m glad I was mistaken about mango, because oh boy, where have you been all my life?

While at first I was a bit sceptical on how to put it at a good use in the kitchen —other than just simply eat the fruit— with a little bit of imagination and some Internet research, I realized that in fact, mango is a very versatile fruit.

As summer is approaching and temperatures are rising quickly, I came out with this delicious smoothie.

Funny note: I consider mango to be an “exotic” fruit and I kind of associate it with summer and dreamy destinations, so this mango smoothie really put me in a very good mood  — I’m currently craving about holidays somewhere far away, in a beautiful tropical island or something like that, so while I was sipping it, I just needed to close my eyes and picture myself there *insert your dreamy destination here*. (A girl can dream, right?)

Now let’s get ready for a delicious Mango smoothie and say hello to summer!

​

• Mango
• Apple
• Celery
• Spearmint
• Carrot

Recipe note: As you might have noticed, I haven’t specified any quantity. The reason why is very simple: I just went with the flow and guesstimate. Being this such a simple recipe, there is no way you could be wrong with the ingredients, just adapt it to your personal taste and flavour liking. Are you spearmint enthusiast? Then add a good bunch of leaves. Perhaps you don’t fancy celery? Just add a little of it (or maybe just skip it, thought I found celery adds a nice touch in flavour).

 

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy it! —That’s it!

Let me know if you tried it and how you liked it!

What's your favourite summer recipe? Let me know in the comments :) 
​

Something happens in Madrid when temperatures start to dwindle (and most likely in many other Spanish cities) as a curious phenomenon takes place at breakfast time. Let’s have a look at the cafeterias, shall we? Surprisingly, the café con leche is no longer that popular as a deeper, richer and more comforting drink has replaced it: a wonderful hot chocolate! Which comes of course with a side of lovely churros.  

Nothing can beat the great combo of chocolate con churros (or churros con chocolate). This delicatessen is quintessential to Madrid life, and one of those must things to do in Madrid, especially at winter- autumn time.

Many guides would tell you about monuments, museums and sightseeing, but if you want to feel like a real madrileño and savour the local life, you can’t go wrong by indulging into a nice cup of hot chocolate accompanied by fresh-made churros. 
 
If this is your first time visiting Spain, you should be aware that most of Spanish social life takes place outdoors —even on wintertime! —. For this reason, when temperatures drop down, meeting up with your peers in a churreria sounds like a great plan for a comfort afternoon or evening rendez-vous. Time will fly, and before you realize, the time to leave will (sadly) have arrived. But your tummy will be thankful for these guilty pleasures. 
 
Even though the Madrid bible says that “winter = chocolate con churros”, they can actually be enjoyed throughout the whole year — after all that’s what churrerias are for, aren’t they?  Even though it’s more common to enjoy the chocolate con churros in autumn and wintertime, you won’t be stopped should you fancy a chocolate con churros in the middle of the summer. (Just bear in mind that most likely temperatures will easily reach 40ºC - 104ºF during Madrid summer.) 

I have mentioned before that churros con chocolate are consumed at breakfast time, but merienda (supper) is also a very valid option. Moreover, this might actually be rush hour for churrerias, as the morning rush is over, and we can enjoy some more relaxing time. It is also very common to get up early on a Sunday morning and go to the churreria to fetch some fresh, recent made churros (bye brunch, hello churros con chocolate). Ah, the little pleasures of life!

You’ve probably noticed some new words here and there and you might be curious about them. No worries, let’s have a look into them (by the end of this post you’ll be a pro in the fine art of churros ;) 
 
The churrerias are the place where churros are made. They operate as a cafeteria but they are specialized on offering churros — as a matter of fact, they are fresh made on that establishment — and chocolate. Opening time is very wide, from very early in the morning till late in the evening (everybody is welcome to have churros, from early risers to night owls).
 
These next places don’t offer gluten-free churros (as far as I am aware), but I think I should at least mention them, as they are considered THE churrerias par excellence in Madrid:

• Chocolateria San Ginés (the most iconic one in Madrid. Opens 24h!)
• La Antigua Churreria
• Chocolates Valor (they are spread all over Spain)
• Churrerias Siglo XIX.

Churros are basically a deep-fried dough made from wheat flour. That’s why the traditional churros are a no-no for coeliacs. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy them, does it? As I always say, coeliacs can eat everything as long as proper ingredients are used. In this case, it’s as simple as using a non-wheat, gluten-free flour.
 
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of its ingredients; the elaboration of good quality churros is truly an art that not everybody can master. It’s common to use sunflower oil, but for me, being an olive oil lover, there’s nothing like the fragrant flavour given by olive oil. 

Churros vs Porras​

Sometimes people use these two names interchangeably, but madrileños are very picky about using them properly. Eating chocolate con churros is truly an art!.

Churros have a laze shape; are rather thin, crunchy and have very characteristically marks.  

Porras, though also crunchy, resemble a straight stick, have no marks and are thicker.

​Up to now, I was only able to find gluten-free churros, but no porras. 

Particularities of hot chocolate in Spain:
Spaniards are very particular about hot chocolate, especially the one that accompanies churros, and you will find that the way it is prepared is very different from other parts of the world.  The first thing you’ll notice is that the chocolate is quite thick, so much that it looks like a chocolate pudding. But that’s considered a real chocolate: a consistency so thick you could eat it with a spoon. The quality of the ingredients is also very important — it should be made with a good quality cocoa, that would give a intense and fragrant chocolate taste. Needless to say, there’s no whipped cream or any other flavours added to the chocolate; it’s enough by itself.
 
As an image is worth more than a thousand words, please enjoy this picture; the quintessential churros con chocolate experience: 

Glutenacious tip: Don’t hesitate to request a glass of water to quench your thirst; the mixture of sweet and savoury flavours tends to have that effect ;).
 
To be considered by lactose-intolerant people: If you are lactose intolerant, you should be careful, as the chocolate is normally made by adding milk to the cocoa blend. Luckily, many places offer lactose-free milk nowadays, so just to be safe, always check with the establishment what type of milk they serve. 

Now, to the most important part of this guide: where to find (and eat) gluten-free Chocolate con Churros in Madrid? 
​

An old time churreria – chocolateria, Maestro Churrero opened in 1902. Their location is superb, in the heart of the Barrio de las Letras (the Literary Quarter, named after the great literary figures of the Golden Age) and very close to Puerta del Sol.
 
The premises are very small, with just a few tables inside that will be more likely occupied. They also have two big terraces outside and I have witnessed long queues in order to get a sit — even on winter time! Madrileños do love their chocolate con churros.
 
Their menu is very broad with many innovative churros offer. For coeliacs, however, there’s only the gluten-free version of traditional churros. I like that they are clearly and boldly announced, there’s no place for mistakes: Gluten-free churros are available in Maestro Churrero. 

​There are basically two options: to eat there or to take away. Should you like to sit on a table and enjoy your churros in the madrileño atmosphere, you can choose between ordering 4 churros (2,5€) or 8 churros (4,5€). If you want to eat them al fresco, at the terrace, there’s an increase. If you prefer to enjoy your churros in your home, there’s a pre-made package with frozen churros ready to be fried at your place. It’s compound by 8 churros and costs 3,90€.
 
The boxes have the gluten-free certify by the Spanish Federation of Coeliac Associations (FACE).

My Glutenacious experience at Maestro Churrero: The chocolate served in Maestro Churrero is Glutenacious approved: It has that pudding consistency that allows you to eat it with a spoon. That’s how I like chocolate! There are different sizes you can order as well as many serving options (with whipped cream, condensed milk, dulce de leche…)

I also enjoyed the gluten-free churros, considering that the lack of gluten makes any dough a bit more difficult to be worked. They are perfectly crunchy and in the right spot of oiliness (I personally dislike when churros are bathed and/or loaded in oil). 

​Because gluten-free churros are immediately made after you place your order, it takes a bit longer than the regular churros, but I personally don’t mind it. I’d rather wait and make sure that there is no cross-contamination. I’ve been told that they have a dedicated fryer for the gluten-free churros. 

Overall

One of the things I like the most about Maestro Churrero is their location — right in the heart of Madrid, a square up from Sol and very close to the lively calle Huertas. Whenever I’m around that area in the centre of Madrid, I always end up there because of their convenient location. I like their way to prepare hot chocolate —really thick— which is exactly how I like my chocolate. I also appreciate that we can enjoy lactose-free hot chocolate for the same price as regular chocolate (there are some places that charge extra for using lactose-free milk) and I find their prices quite affordable for the cost of living in a big city like Madrid.
 
Even though their gluten-free options are very limited (just the regular churros) compared to the many varieties being offered for non-coeliac people, I’m grateful that we can enjoy gluten-free churros made in a dedicated fryer. Also, it’s a good place to bring your non-gluten-free friends that might wanna explore the world of churros. 

UPDATE January 2017

Maestro Churrero has announced through their social media that they will be offering a Gluten-Free Roscon de Reyes for Ephiphany Day,  at the same price than the "regular" (not gluten-free)  version.

For those of you unfamiliarised with this tradition, let me explain it to you: While most countries exchange the Christmas/holidays gifts on the 25th December, in Spain the tradition is for the 6th of January, also called “el Día de Reyes” (translation: the Day of the Three Kings).  The night of the 5th The Three Wise Men or the Kings will deliver gifts to those children who have behaved properly throughout the previous year. To top the day, it’s very traditional to have the Roscón de Reyes – The Three Kings Cake for breakfast of supper (and guess what’s the preferred drink to accompany it: chocolate!). Traditionally, it’s only eaten on the 5th or 6th of January, but madrileños love this cake so much that they would start eating it as early as December. 

Maestro Churrero
Plaza Jacinto Benavente 2, Madrid | Metro Sol; Metro Tirso de Molina; Metro Antón Martin

Celicioso is a specialized gluten-free bakery, so their whole menu is suitable for coeliacs. Their menu is also 100% lactose-free and offer sugar-free and vegan options as well. This bakery has become so popular in Madrid that you would find many non-coeliacs enjoying their sweets. The atmosphere is very lively and international.  There are currently two locations in Madrid: the original one, located right by metro Gran Via and another one, not too far, in calle Barquilo. While the first one offered mainly baked sweets (cookies, cupcakes and cakes), the new one has a broader menu with many savory dishes such as salads, sandwiches and pasta. 

Churros do not belong to their regular menu, they are instead a welcoming specialty during autumn- winter months. 

This year, sadly, (gluten-free) churros are no longer available. On previous seasons,  the gluten-free churros would be offered around October - November and you just had to request the gluten-free churros by this time of the year.  It’s such a pity they aren’t available anymore, as it is a very madrileño experience to indulge in chocolate con churros during winter months (Nor there are many places offering gluten-free churros). I hope that the situation changes for the upcoming year and that we would be able to enjoy again some delightful gluten-free churros in Madrid. ​

My Glutenacious Experience: Had you asked me the first year that churros became available, I would’ve told you that I truly enjoyed them: the dough was perfectly fried on its point and no greasy. But my experience from the very last time was slightly difference, as I found the churros to have been made earlier in the morning and then re-heated prior to serving, which changes the texture of the churro. I am not a huge fan of the chocolate here, mainly because I find it too liquid for my taste. As I said before,  I’m a huge fan of thick, dark chocolate that can be eaten with a spoon, and in Celicioso is served more a la française way: liquid with no consistency (like a shake).  

These pancakes were going to be part of my review of VIPS restaurant new gluten-free menu, but then I realized that these beauties deserved their own entry. Don't you agree?

VIPS is a very popular chain restaurant in Madrid, where it first opened, and has now expanded beyond the capital to many other places in Spain.

I'll talk in more detail about this chain of restaurants and their new gluten-free menu on the next entry to come, but for now, let me tell you that VIPS restaurants have been assessed by the Spanish Federation of Coeliac Associations and after collaborating hand in hand for a year, they are now offering a renewed gluten-free menu at 116 restaurants. I would say their menu is aligned with fast casual food style: you can find salads, burgers, sandwiches, nachos.... Luckily, they have not left out desserts of the gluten-free options — we all know the story: great gluten-free food at a specific place, but when dessert time comes, we can only opt to yogurt, fruits and so on. Like, hello, we also want some cakes or at least something more "elaborated" (Not that I am against healthy options, but when eating out I like to be able to eat something I wouldn't have at home) — But no worries, here you can choose among pancakes, chocolate brownie or a dark chocolate ice-cream topped with cream (a paradise to all those with sweet tooth, right?). You could argue that 3 desserts is not that much, but believe me, it is a great deal for us coeliacs. After all, not every restaurant accommodates coeliac needs, and if so, it is still hard to find one that offers some “elaborated” gluten-free option for dessert.

Now, to the pancakes!

Well, hello sweet lovely pancakes, my tummy is happy to meet you.

I have to admit that I was a bit sceptical at firs. Due to some previous experiences I'm prepared not to expect that much for the gluten-free version, specially for desserts, but oh boy! These pancakes were not only great in presentation, taste, flavour and looks, but also really delicious! I was not expecting them to be that good (and the other coeliacs that were with me at the time agreed).


As you can see, they come in a considerable size (another low-down for gluten-free version is that many times they make it smaller, like the hamburger buns, so good point VIPS for not making them smaller), are decently thick and extremely fluffy — Have I mentioned how much in love I am with them? Seriously, I can't remember having eating any other pancakes like these ones. (Maybe I should go on a gluten-free pancakes quest now? Hmm).

Also, take notice that they are three pieces, not two (I don't think I've seen this much quantity before, as until now all the places have been offering just two pieces).

The pancakes are accompanied with whipped cream and chocolate caramel syrup.

I'm not a huge fan of whipped cream; unless homemade, I normally find it too artificial so I tend to leave it as it has no added value to me. But I was quite happy with this one, especially with the syrup on top, it was a nice combination of textures and flavour.

I included a close-up of the caramel ingredients so you can have a look. It's basically made of glucose, sugar, water, maple syrup plus the usual preservatives, colorants and stabilizers. It may come to a little shock that you are just given a little sachet (as if it was ketchup) instead of in a little jar, but to me I didn't find it annoying at all. Actually, I prefer it this way as it can really guarantee you that not only it's gluten-free, but there are no risks of cross-contamination.

​Wrapping up

In a nutshell, I really liked these gluten-free pancakes by VIPS restaurants. It really took me by surprise, as I was not expecting them to be this tasty. They were fresh made and you can tell it; they remind me to the ones you make at home. Moreover, let's not forget that you are given three pancakes, not two.

Also, be ready to drool over the delicious smell and wishing they’d magically appear ipso-facto on your table (so you can start admire AND devour them).

   Gluten-free pancakes
   Where: VIPS restaurants
   Quantity: 3 pieces
   Price: € 4.95

I was checking the new IKEA catalogue when I came accros a very interesting page that inmediatly caught my eye. Curiosly, it was not featuring furniture, but a new food arrival to their restaurant and food section: new veggie balls that not only are vegetarian, but also gluten-free and lactose-free.

​To be precise, these veggie balls were first launched in April 2015 (IKEA Spain). Though you could say that they are not "that" recent, it wasn't until now (checking that catalogue) that I discovered they were rolled out. For this reason, I consider them new to me.

It's widely known that  IKEA's "regular" meatballs are extremely popular and one of their most demanded dishes at the restaurant. I'm not able to give any feedback on them as I've never tried them prior, nor they are gluten-free.

I cheerish these new meat-less balls for being suitable for vegetarians, vegans, lactose-intolerant and coeliac. So many things to cater with just one product!

These vegan meatballs are made from chickpeas, carrots, maize and kale, and contain no animal ingredients. Also, according to their claim, they are free from the following:

• Gluten
• Lactose
• Soy
• Egg
• Nuts

Even though I am specifically talking about IKEA Spain on this post, the launch of the veggie balls seems to be worldwide as they can be found in many other countries like the U.S, Canada and U.K.

Additional Information

• Veggie balls recipes  — IKEA  (check below)
• IKEA takes a new course in its food offering —IKEA
  
• Lingonberry parfait recipe — IKEA
  
• Veggie ball with huevos rancheros recipe — IKEA
  
• IKEA recipes: Try a Taste of Sweden — IKEA
  
• Our favorite recipes for leftovers — IKEA
  
• Travel with your taste buds: A tapas style travel party — IKEA
  

Where can you find them?

Served with vegetable and lemon tajine garnish. There are two sizes of serving:

• Standard serving: 15 pcs €5 / $4.49
• Small : 10 pcs €4

(This refers to the current offer at IKEA Spain restaurant)

A one kilo (2.205 lb) package of frozen balls. Look for the name GRÖNSAKSBULLAR

• 1 kg €4.49 / £3.85 / $7.99
  

Have you tried these veggie balls? What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.

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I have to confess that I wasn’t very enthusiast about gazpacho until recently; despite its popularity I just couldn’t understand the hype about it. I would have to add that my experience was limited to the buy-at-the-store versions.
 
But this summer the heat hit quite strong and was calling for refreshing foods.  Then (perfect timing) I had the opportunity to taste a fantastic, homemade organic gazpacho and I just fall in love with it. Now I understood the greatness of this amazing yet simple cold tomato soup: healthy, delicious and very nutritious. Oh, did I mention that it’s also vegan?

After my “wow” moment at the restaurant and “how is it possible that I’ve been missing this for such a long time” I knew I had to make it back at home. I was ready to prepare the “classic” recipe, but I realized that I was missing some of the ingredients, and that some others might be a bit too strong for me and would rather adapt to my palate.  Considering that my stomach was already protesting and ready to get some food in, let’s just say that I kind of improvised and created my own version of gazpacho.

The traditional recipe for this classic Spanish soup uses green pepper, garlic and bread. Believe or not, I had run out of green pepper, and regarding the garlic, I find it too strong just to eat it raw. Therefore, I substituted the green pepper with celery, as it also adds that “something” flavour (unlike red pepper which has quite a different taste). Instead of the strong (at least for me) raw claw of garlic, I used green garlic, softer in taste. The bread is used for garnish as croutons, but I simply prefer eating the gluten-free bread as it is and sincerely, I didn’t feel any need to add bread to this recipe — I’ve sometimes seen some gluten-free croutons at the stores though; if I get to find them again (and before the arrival of the new colder season) I might give it a try —

Though at first I wasn’t very sure that I could excel the fantastic gazpacho from the restaurant, it turned out to be an impressive turn and mouth watering. I knew I had to share it with you (and make some much more for the rest of endless days of summer).
 

I would also like to add that the quality of the fresh ingredients has a high impact on the recipe’s result. I have tried it several times with organic and non-organic ingredients and I definitely could taste the difference.  On a personal note, as this recipe uses fresh and raw vegetables, I prefer using organic ingredients when possible, because the difference in taste is noticeable.
 
Enjoy this (my) version of the gazpacho cold soup! Perfect for summer time and warm weather.
 

1 big tomato
1/4 of finely chopped cucumber
1 teaspoon of finely chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped green garlic
Extra virgin olive oil – very important
Sherry vinegar
Cold water (from the fridge)
Salt & pepper (to your liking)

(This all transformed in approx. 200ml of gazpacho)

P

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and blend using a food processor or blender.  —Yes it’s that easy!
2. To ensure the mouth-watering effect, let it cool down a couple hours in the fridge, as it has to be served as cold as possible. Gazpacho has traditionally been served in an earthenware casserole, as they are known to maintain the temperature of the dish.
3. You can use croutons, finely chopped onion, chopped tomatoes and chopped green pepper or a drizzle of olive oil as garnishment. Just serve them on a separate dish so they can be added as per each one’s personal preference.

Notes: I cleaned and peeled off the tomatoes and pepper prior to their use in the blend. If you will use a strainer after the blending, you can skip this step.
 
When I indicate a spoon as a measurement, I literally mean a spoon from the silverware.

Additional Information

• Traditional andalusian gazpacho recipe – Directo al Paladar (Spanish)
• The cuisine of Andalusia – Spain Info
• A walk along the shores of the best beaches in Andalusia – Andalucia.org
• Andalusian cuisine & Olive oil – Andalucia.org

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Hello everyone!

Today I would like to welcome you to the new Glutenacious Life site, or as I like to call it, Glutenacious Life 3.0.

In case you hadn’t notice during the past weeks, the webpage address has changed from myglutenaciouslife to www.glutenaciouslife.com, hope this will make it easier for you to track me on the net.

So in the case that coming across Google you get an error code saying that this webpage does not longer exist, don’t panic! I’m still here, it’s just that Google it’s catching up with the new address.

Aesthetically, everything remains the same, it’s just the inner arrangements I have been doing to improve the site that the eye can’t catch, so no worries on that.
 
Also, I’d like to say that there are yet so many new things to come; can’t wait to share them with you! As I have many other projects besides this webpage, sometimes I can’t upload as often as I would like to. Nonetheless, my off-line side is constantly working for you guys (and testing so many things).

What do you think? Is the new address easier for you? And also, is there any topic /information you'd like me to cover? :)

It wasn’t that long ago that I became aware that gluten can be hidden in cosmetics and toiletries as well, so it’s nice to find companies like Evolution of Smooth  (eos) offering cosmetics not containing gluten in its ingredients.

These two products I’m about to review were given to me as a present from a dear friend, who was so thoughtful as to noticed that they were gluten-free and therefore, they would be a perfect gift to me I was delighted when I received these presents. (Thank you!)

I've noticed that during these past months my skin got quite dry. Blame it on pollution, low temperatures or just the dry climate I’m living in, accentuated by this time of the year wintertime conditions (drastic change of temperature from indoors to outdoors, the combination of cold weather and heating…) but most of the time I find my lips to be quite chapped and on need to re-apply hand moisturizing lotion every few hours. I don’t like carrying many stuff with me on my bag, so I’m always looking for a good lip balm and hand lotion that can keep my hands and lips moisturized for as much time as possible.

This hand lotion by eos is said to be hypoallergenic, dermatologically tested, free from parabens and gluten and not tested on animals.

There are three hand lotions available, each one of them with a signature escent: Berry blossom, Cucumber and Fresh flowers. I was given the first one, Berry Blossom.

The price, as per the official webpage, is $2.49.

The size is 1.5 fl or 44ml.

The detailed ingredients/ INCI list is as follows:

The first thing that caught my eye was the packaging: The sheer pink colour and the pebble shape. I think that the colour matches the fragrance, as it makes me think indeed of a delicate flower in blossom. Regarding the curious shape, I immediately thought of Zen style. Many times I find myself just holding it because it’s kind of a stress reliever to me, especially with such a smooth surface.

 The hand lotion comes attached to a piece of cardboard depicting a pair of hands that create the illusion of being holding it. Quite a beautiful presentation.

The container fits perfectly on your hands, making it a perfect travel companion that doens't take much space nor weight on your purse/handbag. Though at first sight it may seem a bit small, the truth is that you don't need that much of the product- a little drop is enough to moisture my hands properly, so I believe this is quite a convenient size for maximum utility.

I have to agree that the formula isn’t greasy (I'm not very fond of greasy formulas) as it claims  and it absorbs quickly.

It is also very easy to apply: just open up the lid and squeeze the package a little bit to obtain the desired quantity of cream. When not in use, the lid remains firmly closed, and seems to be safe enough as not to accidentally open- when you are always on the go, like me, you appreciate this little things that avoid the risk of creating a mess in the purse.

I have a picky noise, so I always pay attention to smells (be it, cosmetics, food or cleaning products). It is indeed one of the very first things I notice when I try a product. On this case, you can definitely say that there’s a little bit of smell, but I don’t find it annoying at all, quite the contrary, I'm fond of it. To me, the scent is like a mix of gummy strawberries with a delicate blossom.

After having beeing using this hand lotion for the past couple months, I can say I am really happy with the results; it is one of the very few hand creams that works for me. Whereas with other brands I had to keep reapplying the lotion throughout the day, with this one from EOS I can see results by only applying it once (or maximum twice) per day. Well done EOS! I feel I have finally found my hand cream/lotion.

EOS lip balm has a peculiar name as it is called Smooth Sphere Lip Balm, and by having a glance at it, you can understand this name. Instead of being the typical stick that we are used to see, this lip balm comes in an oval, egg-shape container. It's said to be organic and free from gluten, paraben, petrolatum and phthalate.

 There are 11 flavours, some of them with very original names like Blueberry Acai or Summer Fruit. The one I have is Pomegranate Raspeberry.

The price, as per the official webpage, is $3.29.

The size is 0.25 oz or 7g.

The detailed ingredients/ INCI list for pomegranate strawberry is as follows:

The first thing to notice about eos lip balm is its unique and distinctive shape: it's a sphere! The base is flat, making it very stable if you want to storage it on a shelf.

Though at first it seemed a bit intimidating to use, it turned out to be way more easy than I thought: you just need to twist off the top and there you go!

The sphere shape of the lip balm stick is useful to cover all your lip area with just one glide, and thanks to the sturdiness of the packaging, you can throw it into your purse without worrying that it’ll get damaged or that the top will be lost (anyone there?).

This Pomegranate Raspberry flavour has a strong pink colour. It seems that the colour of the packaging comes according to the chosen flavour. The smell is definitely stronger than the hand lotion (ok, I admit that this happens when you put it close to your nose, I told you I enjoy pleasent scents), and makes me think that I’m eating a strawberry gummy. Though it comes off as bit strong at first, it doesn’t smell that much once you apply it.
 

Located nearby to the Luxembourg gardens, Tugalik Cafe is a gluten-free and vegetarian restaurant.
 
You can order single dishes or make it a menu  by adding a fresh-made juice at a convenient price. Here I'm having some chicken with peas, broccoli and a ratatouille kind-of-sauce. I ordered the "menu" option, so I also got the fresh-made juice to go with the meal.

There are two floors, but the venue is somewhat small. However, as it wasn't crowded by the time I got there, I was able to take my meal out to the terrace and enjoy the food under the lovely Parisian sun.

Maybe due to the time of arrival to the restaurant, the food was a bit cold, so it was heated on the microwave prior to be served. I appreciate being able to eat my meal warm instead of it being cold, but you can always tell the difference when something has been heated on the microwave even at home.
 
Other than that, I liked the food and found the location to be very conveniently close to the Luxembourg gardens.

Note: at my time there, there were fish and chicken available, which I think is a nice gesture in case you are not vegetarian.

Additional info: The staff was very nice and spoke English.  Free WiFi was available

4 Rue Toullier, 75005 Paris| Métro Saint-Placide, Métro Vaneau

Located in the 9ème, on the right bank across the Seine, My Free Kitchen is a very charmant restaurant offering 100% bio, gluten-free and lactose-free food.

You can order different options like quiche, soup, salad and plat du jour  (dish of the day) for under 10€. You can order them individually or make a special combination (lunchtime) called La Formule Healthy and La Formule Gourmande. The first one consists on an entrée (your choice among cake, quiche or soup) plus a big salad or soup for 10,90€. The second one also consist on an entrée plus the plat du jour for 12,90€.  If you feel fancy, don't miss out the glass of bio wine for 5€.

I ordered La Formule Gourmande, consisting on a entrée (being a cake, quiche, salad or soup)  + the plat du jour for 12,90€. I chose the aubergine quiche with the plat du jour : quinoa risotto with carots, mushrooms and soy sauce.

The quinoa risotto:

The aubergine quiche:

I’m always down for dessert, so I couldn’t leave without trying it. As I was craving for something sweet, I couldn’t say no to this muffin aux 3 chocolats (3 chocolates muffin).

Just look how crunchy and fluffy and sweet and wonderful it looks like. And trust me, the taste was even better than what it looks like. It was delicious!

The staff was really nice and helpful, and it turned out that the owner herself is celiac, which made me feel at ease. I don't know if this happens to you as well, but when I find out that the chef or owner of a certain restaurant is also celiac, I feel relief because I know that they are aware of all what it means eating gluten free (like the importance of avoiding cross-contamination for example). After all, we never know what happens inside the kitchen of a restaurant, and we can only hope for the best.

The premises are rather small, but I arrived at a time when everything was quiet and had plenty of space to enjoy the food and chill out after being all day out and about in Paris.

Additional info: They spoke English as well and free WiFi was available

1 Bis Rue Bleue, 75009 Paris, Francia | Métro Poissonnière

I had heard wonderful things about Chambelland bakery (French: boulangerie) and it might live true to its name, because when I got there, pretty much everything was gone! So sad to arrive so late, but at least I was able to get a piece of lemon cake.

This bakery offers a big variety on gluten-free breads, as well as sweet (sucré) and salty (salé) snacks options such as cheesecakes, brownies, muffins, cookies and sandwiches.

I took the lemon cake piece away with me and we both went on tour through the city, stopping at the Jardin des Tuileries. What a peaceful moment, stepping in the beauty of the garden and enjoying this soft and spongy lemon cake.

14 Rue Ternaux, 75011 Paris | Métro Parmentier; Métro Oberkampf

I couldn’t leave Paris without trying crêpes , so I head to Biosphére Cafè, a famous gluten-free  and organic bakery (pâtisserie) and crêperie. Let me repeat it: all the food is gluten-free, from the pastry to the bread and crepes. A gluten-free heaven!
 
Located in the 8th arrondissement, in the heart of Paris, it also offers some lactose-free options.

If you noticed the façade, it is advertised as Creperie Bretonne. And what is that, you may ask, and what would be the difference with a non-bretonne creperie?  Well, crepes are normally made from regular flour, which is a big no for coeliac. However, in the French region of Brittany, they have this speciality called Breton galette and what it makes it so special is that is made from buckwheat flour, which is naturally gluten-free, so we could say that it is coeliac approved.

I ordered the galette called La Protéinée, consisting on egg and ham. It was really yummy and the perfect end for a long day.

 What about dessert? Sadly (and again), pretty much all the sweets were gone (I’m really thinking on doing an early morning tour around French bakeries so I can get to taste all the products), but luckily, there were still macaroons left. I know that there are very famous places in Paris to order macaroons from, but cross-contamination is not guaranteed. I really enjoyed these ones from Biosphére, and with the peace of mind that they are 100% gluten-free (and there are some lactose-free options as well).

If macaroons are the dessert par excellence of a Paris trip, the Eiffel Tower is the quintessential monument. What happens when you combine them both? A win-win situation.

Additional info: The customer service was really good, but I would suggest to go with enough time to enjoy the experience. The venue is really small, so I strongly recommend booking in advance. I saw that some people ordered to take away, so that can be an option in case it’s fully booked.

47 Rue de Laborde, 75008 Paris | Métro Saint- Augustin

This was quite an unexpected finding. I was at the airport waiting for my flight and wandering whether I would be able to get some gluten free food prior to embarking when I came across this restaurant. EXKi is a Belgian food chain delivering natural, fresh and healthy fast food.

I really liked the fact that allergens were clearly pointed out and that there were many gluten free options among the variety of soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts offered.

There's a menu option, and also each item can be bought separately. I opted for the  carrot soup and a bakara salad. I wasn’t ready to leave Paris, it was nice to enjoy some comfort food to comfort me (pun intended ;) ).

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport | RER Aéroport Charles de Gaulle

I was told wonders about Helmut Newcake, a 100% gluten-free bakery, and was highly recommended to try their macaroons.  The problem was that, apparently, macaroons have to be ordered with at least 5 days in advance (or so I was told at the bakery), so sadly I couldn’t get any macaroons here.

My sweet tooth was fully satisfied for the day, but the pastries looked very appetizing, I wish I have had room left for all of them!

36 Rue Bichat, 75010 Paris | Métro Goncourt

The city of Paris is divided in 20 arrondissement (meaning district or quarter), and each one is identified by the (last) number of the zip code. For example, the zip code 75007 refers to the 7th arrondissement, also called 7ème. By the way, that's where you will find the Eiffel Tower ;)

Being Paris such a big city, I personally found it useful knowing in which district the restaurants were located; it helped planning the visit and deciding what to do and see everyday, there’s so much to be seen in Paris!

Inaugurated as early as in 1900, Paris mètro is the easiest and quickest way to move around Paris. It is very efficient and there are 16 lines connecting all the city, each one represented with a different colour. You can find more information at the official webpage.

You would most likely use the metro very often as, again, distances are big in Paris! (What I thought that would be a pleasent walk of just couple minutes from Jardins des Tuileries to Notre-Dame Cathredal, turned out to be longer that expect. Quite a pleasent walk indeed, but luckily I was not in a hurry). For this reason, besides the address of the restaurants,  I also included the closest mètro stop, so you know to which stop head to when navigating the big mètro lines.

While on the street, the stops can be signalized as Métro, Métropolitain or simply by the letter M

The RER (Résau Express Régional) are regional trains that also operate in downtown Paris.

Oh, and don't forget to look for the blue Sortie sign, that's the french word for Exit.

Bonus: Excited about the public transportation in Paris? Check out this Gluten free metro map by Paris to Go, really handy!

First things first: parlez-vous français? (Meaning “do you speak French?”).  Knowing the local language always helps, for sure, but there’s no need to stress too much about it if you don’t.  At most places where I’ve been to, the staff spoke English.
 
In case you want to try to speak some French, these are the basic keywords for the coeliac traveller:
Sans gluten is the word for gluten free. You can also say Je suis celiaque, for I am coeliac, and contamination croisée is the word you are looking for if you are concerned about cross contamination.
 
Regarding the food scenery, it seemed to me that most of the gluten free restaurants are also vegetarian; take that in consideration in case that you are not vegetarion and so you know what to expect.
 
I would also suggest to double check the restaurants and stores opening times; there is nothing as frustrating as arriving to the designated location after a full day strolling around the city, and finding out that it’s closed; even more when you are coeliac and can’t just do a walk in to any “other” restaurant. From my experience, some places might be closed on weekends; some others close as early as 6pm (no time for dinner). It always come in handy knowing the opening times to schedule your day around Paris; remember, it’s a big city and moving around takes time, moreover when you are impressed by the beauty of the city and can’t stop admiring it and taking pictures at the same time ;)

Lastly, but not least, my personal to go tip: always double check with the staff as things can change with time.

Bonus: Kathleen, from Gluten Free Family Travel has a list of many gluten free restaurants and cafes, and bakeries and shops on her site, check it out. Erin, from Gluten-Free Globetrotter has racked up these Paris top travel tips.

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Oh, tapas, the quintessential feature of the sweet Spanish life. Let me take you on a tapas crawl in the madrileño neighbourhood of Lavapiés. Beware, because these aren’t just the regular tapas you can find everywhere, but an international version to eat your way around the world (and of course, they are celiac friendly).
 
 Are you ready to taste some delicious tapas? Let’s go!

On a side note, this will be the first feature on the new blog section "Going Gluten-Free in Spain". Being gluten-free at home might have its challenges some times, but if you add a different scenario, on a foreign place to the mix, that will put you out of your comfort zone for sure. Not only you have to learn about this new place you are living in, but start from zero about its costums, specially food and cuisine related.

Ever thought about visiting Spain? Be it for a quick trip or a longer stay, let me help you with valuable coeliacs tips and know-hows, I know a thing or two about Spain.

Tapapies is an event/festival that takes place every year at Lavapiés neighbourhood in Madrid. This place is known for its unique mixture of nationalities living together (aka, the international neighbourhood),thus, this is the place to go if you want to try out international cuisine.
 
To honour this international background, they’ve created this Multicultural Tapa Tour, where not only you will found great food, but also live music and plays.  
 
What’s the meaning of Tapapiés, you might ask.  As a fun fact, this word does not exist in Spanish, but if we do the following math: Tapas + Lavapiés = Tapapiés. Easy right? ;)
 
Now let’s talk about food.
 
Most of Lavapiés restaurant participate in this event, offering the public a unique tapa that has been created specifically for this occasion. Curious? Check out all the delicious tapas, just waiting to be eaten. Price is 1,5€ per each tapa, and 2,5€ for tapa + beer (Estrella Damm).
 
There’s a competition to choose the best tapa of them all, and we, the public, have a lot to say about it. We can vote to our favourites one via the Tapapiés webpage or through an app (which is free and available at Apple Store and Google Play). It’s all as easy as walk around eating your way around the world, choose your favourite one and vote.
 
Be aware that there will be A LOT of people and most places here are quite tiny, so you might have to “swim” your way through the people, but that’s part of the experience. I’m just informing of how it looks like so you know what to expect (but there’s always so many people in Madrid anyway).

To my fellow coeliacs, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. A first glance to the tapas list didn’t make me feel very confident on whether I would be able to find something gluten-free, but hope is the last thing to lose, they say.  After scrolling through the whole list I found a place where they clearly stated that their tapa was gluten-free (would it surprise if I tell you that it was a taco?) Sadly this was the only restaurant making such a clear claim; none of the others mentioned it. It was explained, however, what the tapas consisted on; and after seeing that many mentioned naturally gluten-free ingredients, I thought that I could give it a try and ask in person about it. This turned out to be a great idea, as I was able to discover some more places.
 
I didn’t encounter any problem when asking about gluten-free, they were all really nice, but again, let me remember you that there will be quite a lot of people, and at rush hour they might not be able to give you the same service as oppose to when it’s more slow.

Who wants some tacos? This was the restaurant advertised as gluten-free (and vegetarian) friendly, as it was made from 100% corn tortilla, cheese, mushrooms and roselle. The tapa name was “Flor de Jamaica” (Jamaican flower).
 
Needless to say, I repeated.

Antigua Taquería
Cabestreros 4, Madrid | Metro Lavapiés

I came across this place by chance, while I was doing my tour around the neighbourhood. This tapa is called "Maffe" and comes all the way from Senegal. It consists of meat in peanut and vegetables sauce (you can clearly see the carrots and something like potato) with a side of white rice. I’m not an expert on African food, so all what I can say is that it reminded me of Ethiopian food (a cuisine that I really like), but softer. If you like this type of spicy food, I’d strongly suggest you this tapa. The sauce was creamy and with perfect consistency (not too thick, not too fluid) and the rice was on point.

África Fusión
Argumosa 14, Madrid | Metro Lavapiés

Let’s travel to Brazil! The tapa being offered here was not celiac friendly, as “Coxinha” is made of wheat flour, but I was able to get a gluten-free dessert to end my foodie night. The Beijinho is basically condensed milk and grated coconut. It being so suave and sweet, that "kiss" seems like a perfect name for it (beijinho means kiss in portuguese).
 
I was told that (outside of the Tapapies event) they have many more dishes and that they use tapioca flour. I will let you know my impressions of this Portuguese-Brazilian food style restaurant once I come back.

 Saboor Tapioca
de la Fe 1, Madrid | Metro Lavapiés

To wrap up, this event turned out to be a very interesting experience. Despite not having a clear statement from the organizers on whether there were any gluten-free choices, I still had the opportunity to taste some tapas from all over the world, which was a fantastic and convenient opportunity, as I just had to go for a little stroll around Lavapiés neighbourhood. I'm happy I had the courage to start talking to the restaurants in person, as I was able to find more choices that were gluten-free. This is me encouraging you to go out and enjoy your life as usual, don't feel down because of the gluten-free diet :).

The atmosphere was lively and a perfect alternative to the traditional after-work evening. I would like to make the wish that for future festivals they will keep the coeliac community in mind; perhaps a collaboration with coeliac associations to provide some input on? (It's not just about using the right ingredients, but not messing it up when preparing and manipulating the food.) Morever,  how great would it be to not only be able to enjoy a gluten-free tapa, but having our own gluten-free tapas crawl?


Have you ever attended Tapapiés festival? How do you deal when attending an event not knowing whether there will be gluten-free options?

Hello everyone! Summer season is not over yet and temperatures are still up, what about cooling it down with this fresh and delicious oeufs mimosa? It can be served as an appetizer or main course and it's a classic in my family during Summer time.

The recipe is easy peasy and you'll be surprised on how little time it takes, so it's perfect for when you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen and rather enjoy the lovely weather outside.
So let me share with you my family recipe of these beautiful oeufs mimosa, which of course are gluten-free. I hope that you will like it as much as I do.

 
Oeufs mimosa ,or (not so) deviled eggs is one of my favourite recipes for summer time, I can never have too much!
 Not only it takes very little time but it's so easy to prepare that you'll be enjoying a delicious meal in no time!

With only 3 ingredients you can forget the "I don't feel like cooking right now", "I'm starving and need some food asap" or "I'm in a hurry and don't have much time to cook" (The struggle is real).  So take those eggs, tuna and mayonnaise and indulge yourself in a delish and fresh summer recipe with almost zero effort!

1. Boil the eggs to hard point (I add them to cold water and then bring them to boil), making sure that the yolk is set.
2. Once that the eggs are boiled, remove the shell and cut then lengthways . Remove the hard yolk and toss it into a small bowl, smashing it a little bit so it'll be easier to make the stuffing mixture.
3. Add the tuna and mayonnaise to the bowl as per your preference and mix it together until you get a creamy stuffing mixture.
4. Fill the empty hole left by the yolks with the creamy stuffing et voilà! Your oeufs mimosa are ready to go. They can be eaten straight away though I suggest to let them chill in the fridge for some minutes, they will taste even better!
5. Bon appetit! Enjoy your meal and make the most of your free time saved with this easy peasy recipe :)

Note: You can save some time by boiling the eggs in advance, so when the time comes you will only need to mix the ingredients and fill in the eggs.

Don't be shy, share ;)

What do you think about this infographic? I hope it was helpful for your trips :)