Eating Local with Heidi’s Gluten Free Favorites

Excited to be celebrating National Gluten Free Day with seven sensational locally sourced North Carolina products. If you follow a gluten free diet or not, you’ll find these are all delicious ways to Eat Local. This post is a two-parter. Consider this “Part One” or the intro to how you can eat local and still keep in gluten free. Its a taste of more to come. Then, later this same day, will include recipes and photos for each of these wonderful local NC products. But first, we’re taking the good news to the airwaves…

Going Gluten Free on TV

I love what I do and am pleased to have shared this delicious list with the morning team at WGHP in HighPoint NC.

When producers called to ask if I could do a Gluten Free segment for them as a part of their morning show today, I immediately thought of making the segment a gluten free twist on one of my eat local roundups.

In Case you missed it, here is the link to the video. Enjoy! If the video doesn’t pop up in the space below – here is the link.

Let’s Start with Flour from Tidewater Grain Company

Tidewater Grain Company – Heirloom Grain Carolina Gold Rice and Rice Flour from Oriental NC. Tidewater is the first and largest rice farm in North Carolina. They are the only NC farm to produce rice flour – invaluable in making gluten-free sweet and savory baked goods, pasta and sauces. 

One of the hardest things to make from scratch for those on a gluten free diet is breads and baked goods. The process just got a whole lot easier with the announcement this year that Tidewater Grain Company, NC first and largest grower of NC heirloom grain Carolina Gold Rice, was milling rice flour. Like all gluten free flours, it helps to use a blend of ingredients as well as the addition of Xanthan Gum and often baking powder and ground flax seeds to give your gluten free yeast dough more body.

Tidewater Grain Company is a family owned farm and its my pleasure to work with the team. I developed the yeast roll recipe I will showcase in today’s gluten free TV segment for the team at Tidewater. Have to say, its a keeper. These rolls keep in the fridge and reheat and freeze well. You will love it too!

Find all of the recipe details to bake your own; as well as where to buy info on Tidewater’s rice flour and Carolina Gold rice, here.

And did you know that chefs are using Tidewater Grain Company Carolina Gold Rice Flour to make everything from breaders to Gluten Free Pasta? Get this great recipe for Cacio e Pepe and read more about a Charlotte chef’s gluten free pasta here.

This Protein Powder’s Not Just for Smoothies

Mighty Muscadine Protein Powder and Le Bleu Water – both from Advance NC and both two of my favorite NC products.

Didi you know that you can eat the skin and the seeds from NC Muscadines? These often thrown away parts of NC popular fruit are actually the most powerful superfruit there is with more antioxidants and good-for-you ingredients than acai, blueberries and way more than pomegranates. This protein powder, sourced from whole NC muscadines is packed full of power and is also vegan and gluten free. A perfect addition to smoothies ad well as healthy high protein dips and spreads. Order Mighty Muscadine products here. Stay tuned for more on the story and additional recipes in the follow up post.

Mighty Muscadine and Avocado Gluten free Sweet Potato Toasties

I often add avocados to my smoothies, to get in those “good fats”. Then the other day it occurred to me that I might try to make a high protein avocado toast. To that end I mixed a half scoop of Mighty Muscadine Protein Powder with one mashed ripe avocado and a new favorite spread was born.

Keep your avocado “toast” gluten free, by making my Sweet Potato Toasties and topping each slice with some of the Mighty Muscadine avocado spread. Garnish with pomegranate seeds for color and enjoy!

Drink it up and Keep in Local

Le Bleu water is ultra pure steam distilled water that makes everything taste delicious – perfect for cooking and blending in teas , soups or sauces. If you saw me on stage at the NC State Fair last October, you’ll know we served Le Bleu waters to our presenting chefs and to the guests at our on stage Chef Table. I cook with Le Bleu water all the time, because it lets other ingredients shine and gives dishes, soups and sauces the very best flavor. You can buy bottles of Le Bleu in many local retail establishments, in a variety of sizes or make it super simple and order a refillable water cooler for your own home, details are here.

Because this locally processed and bottled is steam distilled its the purest bottled water around and so when you use it in teas, smoothies, or for cooking, the flavors of your other ingredients shine through.

Le Bleu is also wonderful for making ice, cocktails and mocktails. Read more here

Matcha Made Easy and oh so Delicious

I learned about this next wonderful way to drink local at the annual Chow Chow festival in Asheville in September of 2022. I met Matcha Nude owner Samm Coffin and immediately fell in love with the product and the story behind this woman-owned company. More on all of that in the follow up post.

For now, know that Matcha Nude  s a Powdered Organic Japanese Green Matcha Tea packaged in Asheville NC. Mix with hot or cold ingredients to make Matcha tea, smoothies, cookies and baked goods too.  You can order this wonderful tea online and learn lots more about the product and process here. Not only is matcha gluten free, but it is hight in antioxidants and a makes a wonderful hot or cold beverage.

I also love it in these fun no-bake peanut butter protein balls, which also use Tidewater Grain Company’s Carolina Gold Rice rice flour and Mighty Muscadine Protein powder as well as Coddle Creek Farm’s honey and white chocolate peanut butter. Oh my!

Turmeric Zone Golden Drops are a Gluten Free way to Spice Things Up

I’ve shared all the wonderful products from my friends Elizabeth and Samir at Turmeric Zone in Morrisville, NC before. As much as I love the tea and the award-winning honey, these Turmeric Zone Golden Drops are a go-to for me.

These drops are like a vegan bouillon cube of sorts. They are made from a blend of turmeric powder, Ceylon cinnamon, clove and black pepper with a touch of Eucalyptus Honey. Its the honey that helps bind the ingredients together. Gluten Free and all organic, these drops or cubes are crafted based on ancient Ayurveda recipe. I love knowing its the same family recipe that Turmeric Zone owner, Samir grew up on. Great for adding flavor to everything from lattes to smoothies and sauces.

More recipes to come in the following post. But, meantime check out these recipes for a wonderful all local wild mushroom sauce and my go-to salad dressing. Both recipes feature products from the Turmeric Zone. Order products for yourself online for home delivery, here. 

Couldn’t Be Easier to Keep Things Gluten Free with these Convenient Seasonings from 1 Eatz

1 Eatz is another amazing woman-owned company with a product that keeps healthy eating and convenience in mind. I’ve written about this Raleigh NC-based company before. I continue to be amazed at all the ways you can use this product; and all owner Sana Siddiqui brings to the table.

While these single serving packets were originally designed to spice up any egg dish, the possibilities are endless. It’s not just for breakfast any more. Stay tuned for some delicious new recipes in the next post, but in the meantime, read more about them here.

You can order any of the five different flavor packets, each an all natural, gluten free mix of vegetables and herbs, online here.

It’s Peanut Butter Time, for People and Pet’s, Too!

Last up in this round up, my very favorite locally made peanut butter from Coddle Creek Farm in Mooresville, NC. Made following Mama Young’s family recipes; these nut butters are made each week in small batches from scratch in Mooresville NC. They are the perfect gluten-free addition to add nutrition and great flavor to any baked goods, smoothies and savory sauces.

You can shop with Coddle Creek Farm online here . Shop with them in person at their farm store, located at 2200 Coddle Creek Hwy, in Mooresville, NC. They also have a booth at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market on Saturdays in Building C.   I’ve got recipes to share in the follow up post this afternoon for smoothies, and desserts, so stay tuned. But first, check out all the details on these wonderful nut butters. Learn why I love them so, in this previous Keep it Local post.