Nourish123 Gluten-free foodie tour

It's Saturday so I have time to cook breakfast but not too much patience since I slept in and I'm hungry. I made stovetop cream of buckwheat cereal with some local honey and topped with some leftover pulled pork mixed with pineapple habanero barbecue sauce.

Breakfast of champions. Or me.

Although I put out the word that I wanted to go, I had no takers for this month's gluten-free foodie tour. Ken from Rock a Healthy Lifestyle managed to set up this event at one of my favorite safe places to eat, Nourish, so I was going, even if I had to go alone. I saw that it was almost sold out and bought my ticket. As my Saturday took it's course, I got nervous about making it in time.

A woman I've known for about ten years emailed me and my DH Mick about her son's move and his need to get rid of some outdoor dog kennels. After some calls and emails, we determined that we wanted them and would drive out to get them. Then we realized that they were too long (12 foot sides and roof!) to fit in a 7 foot pickup truck bed. So we scrambled to get a trailer we could hook up to the Pathfinder. We ended up renting a 5 x 14 box trailer and headed toward the dark skies east of us. Somehow, we managed to avoid the rain, loaded up the kennels, and made it home, just in time for me to get ready to head back out to almost the same area of town I had just visited.

I only knew a few people at the event--Ken, Kirsten the owner, Dan the chef, and Celiacandthebeast and her non-gluten-free-boyfriend. She got better photos than me, including (in order, but not all inclusive) the watermelon refresher which included chia seeds--good but textural, the biodynamic white wine--"better" than organic, the "taco" bar which included a walnut "meat" and butter lettuce--a huge hit with everyone, and the berry soup with cashew kreme--like dessert before dinner.

But I got a few photos of my own.

Yes, it's all vegan. The three bean chili is perfectly spicy, and not cooked until it's warmed for serving.

The entertainment at my table sponsored by Crispin Cider.

I ATE DESSERT: Innocent Indulgence lemon, mocha, chocolate "cheesecake"

Me and Kirsten. I won a PopChips basket. I wish they didn't use yeast in all the flavored chips.

I ate, I drank, I talked, I listened. I ate a lot. I overheard the chef tell someone he used nutritional yeast to make the cashew creme. I really, really seriously hope that's not true or I didn't eat enough to make me sick or that nutritional yeast doesn't make me sick, cause really, who knows what a brewers yeast and bakers yeast allergy really fucking excludes from a diet besides the obvious. (The gal at my table thought I should try the cider until she read the bottle and it described the taste as "yeasty.") I didn't eat the "cannelloni" which was super cute thin slices of zucchini wrapped around a nutritional yeast "cheese" filling. Anyway, I'm still a damn freak, even among freaks at the table.