6th Annual Gluten-Free Awards Nominations Closing Soon

You have only four more days to nominate your favorite gluten-free blogger or blog in the 6th Annual Gluten-Free Awards presented by the Gluten-Free Buyers Guide.

I am quite blessed that I have been a nominee each year since the beginning and a winner in the first Gluten-Free Awards. I thank you for each and every vote, nomination, and vote of confidence. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I wouldn't keep going if it wasn't for my readers. Your emails, Tweets, and Facebook posts are the inspiration I need to keep writing this blog after EIGHT LONG YEARS! Yes, it's hard work but I still find it rewarding after all of these years. Thank you all for the motivation.

If you are a fan of Gluten-Free Fun and Gluten-Free Globetrotter, I would love your support. Please visit this link and enter either the blog name or simply my name (Erin Smith) on one of the three nomination lines.

Thank you in advance! Polls close on August 24th! 

Soup in the Summer? YES with The Splendid Spoon

At the Speciality Foods Show in June, I met Nicole Chaszar, founder and "Spoon Captain" at The Splendid Spoon. I was excited to meet Nicole and learn more about her soup company for two reasons. First, I had just moved to Greenpoint, Brooklyn and realized that Nicole and I were practically neighbors. She started her company locally in Brooklyn and is now shipping her delicious soups all across the country. Second, The Splendid Spoon soups are gluten-free, provide 3+ servings of vegetables in every container, and do not need to be heated up to be consumed. These are gluten-free, delicious, and portable. It's a win-win-win product if you ask me!

Sold in both bottles and pints, The Splendid Spoon soups come in flavors like market gazpacho (my personal favorite!), vegan bone broth, cauliflower coconut, strawberry rhubarb (think soup meets smoothie), butternut tumeric, and beans & greens. The soups change with the season and all vegetables are sourced from small farms within 200 miles of New York City.

While I enjoyed the Splendid Spoon soups over a few days, the soups are suggested for use as a 1-, 2, or 3-day soup cleanse featuring five soups per day. You can also buy a seasonal sampler as well as build-your-own-soup package. I have never done a cleanse, but these soups were filling enough that I would definitely consider a nutritious soup cleanse with The Splendid Spoon in the future.

If you are looking for a healthy snack, a soup cleanse, or a little bit of both, I highly recommend The Splendid Spoon! Learn more at: http://www.thesplendidspoon.com/

My personal favorite! 

Note: The Splendid Spoon sent me these complimentary soups for my review. Views expressed in this post are my own. 

Gluten-Free at Taste of Kiva Zip NYC

Last week I went to a really cool event in Manhattan. This event was hosted by KivaZip. According to KivaZip FAQ, "Kiva Zip is part of Kiva.org. It is a small project through which lenders make microfinance loans directly to borrowers in the U.S. and Kenya via the Internet. Kiva Zip was launched as a pilot in November 2011 and moved into its Alpha testing phase in September 2012."

I was already familiar with Kiva.org but didn't realize that they were now funding entrepreneurs closer to home. As a small business owner, I know how difficult it can be to start up a company. I think this community supported type of financing is such a cool idea. Find a product or project you believe in, support it financially, and get your money back. It's as simple as that!

I was especially impressed with the Taste of Kiva Zip event because there were so many gluten-free businesses displaying their products. I think more than half were actually gluten-free! These businesses were funded thanks to the microfinance loans through KivaZip. The money raised helped them to launch their businesses or move it into the next level of product. The producers were grateful and very friendly. I was happy to meet and eat!

Please help support these small gluten-free businesses by visiting their websites and purchasing their products!

Nuts+Nuts, a farm-direct Indonesian Roasted Cashew Company
http://nutsplusnuts.com/

itskale: baked kale and chia seed chips
http://www.itskale.com/ 

Hernan Mole Pipian
NOTE: only this version of their mole is gluten-free!
http://www.hernanllc.com/  

Hernan Mexican Hot Chocolate
http://www.hernanllc.com/

Little Luna Cookies from 8 Bit Bakeshop
https://www.8bitbakeshop.com/little-luna.html 

Ka-Pow Veggie Jamz
http://veggiejamz.com/

Nonna's Sauces
http://www.citysaucery.com/nonnas-sweet-sauce/

Note, many of these products are made in shared facilities or incubator kitchens. I spoke to each producer to explain I was celiac and not just eating gluten-free by choice. It is up to you if you feel comfortable eating these products.



Are you interested in helping a gluten-free company build their business through a microfinance loan on KivaZip? Help Yummy Mummy Cupcakery, a gluten-free and vegan bakery, reach her goal by lending money today! https://zip.kiva.org/loans/14952

Gluten-Free in New York City Updates

If you follow me on Gluten-Free Globetrotter, you might have seen my post on Friday. Over the past seven years or so, I have been maintaining a map of New York City's gluten-free friendly restaurants. This is a never-ending process because restaurants in NYC open and close with the blink of an eye sometimes. Nevertheless, I have committed to keeping this updated over the next few months. I hope you find this helpful and that you share with your friends.

With more than 150 places currently on the map and at least 200 more to add, this is definitely a HUGE project. If I am missing any of your favorite restaurants, please send me an email at gfglobetrotter@gmail.com.



CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL MAP!