Gluten Free Beer Review: Estrella Damm "Daura" and Sprecher "Mbege"

Wow!!! That's the first word in my mind after taking my first swig of Estrella Damm Daura, a gluten free beer from Barcelona Spain.  To this day, I've never tasted a gluten free beer as good as Daura. In fact, I'd have to say that Daura is one of the best tasting light beers I've ever had, gluten free or not!  I made our friend Mary, a true beer connoisseur, try it without telling her it was gluten free and she thought it tasted great as well.

I purchased it at the Foodery in Philadelphia on 2nd and Poplar.  Something I'm really excited about is the fact that the Foodery now serves sandwiches with freshly baked gluten free bread on a daily basis for just $1.50 extra.  Unfortunately the deli was closed when I visited Thursday night, but I plan to take a trip back soon to enjoy my first GF sandwich from a deli ever!  I can't wait!

Here's the website to: Estrella Damm Daura.   You have to try this beer! It's AWESOME!!

The second beer I want to talk about a bit is called MBEGE from Sprecher.  The description on the Sprecher Beer Website is: "Bananas are the main ingredient in mbege style beers popular in Eastern Africa. In keeping with tradition, this is brewed with real bananas and presented unfiltered. Light hints of banana remain present in the aroma and flavor of the unique offering."

I did a little research and I found that Mbege is one of the typical cauldron fired brews endemic to Tanzania in Eastern Africa, where it plays an vital role in rituals, business and pleasure.  Mbege is often found at weddings, funerals and other social gatherings, and is a cash product that supplements many family incomes.  At times, Mbege is used as another form of currency.

This beer is really tasty.  It does have a banana taste to it, but it's not too strong.  It's also a dark brew; something I favor, and goes down a bit too smoothly at times:)

Here's the website for Sprecher's Beers.

The gluten free beer options are increasing and improving all the time!  Thank goodness!!!  It's great that as time moves on, and awareness grows, this celiac thing feels much less like a curse than it used to.

Gluten Free POM and Balsamic-Glazed Chicken

I recently acquired a case of POM Wonderful juices.  Besides making amazing mixed drinks, my new favorite = Pomegranate/Blueberry and Hennessey, there are a lot of recipes incorporating these delicious, high in antioxidants juices. The first dish I decided to try out was the POM/Balsamic-Glazed Chicken.  The recipe came straight off the POM Wonderful Website.  There are a number of great recipes on their site that I plan on testing out soon.

This meal is really easy to make.  I added a little too much stock, which made the glaze a bit runny, but it was absolutely delicious!  This is a super healthy, fast and easy dish to whip up.  You'll love it!









Ingredients

• 1 cup pomegranate juice (I used POM Wonderful Pomegranate Blueberry Juice)
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 3 tblsp olive oil
• 1 cup GF chicken broth 
• 1/4 cup GF balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Cooking Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on med-high heat, and brown the chicken breasts with the carrots and onions.  This should take about 5 minutes for each side of the chicken breasts.
2. Remove the carrots and onions, set aside and keep warm in a covered container.
3. Add the GF chicken broth to the chicken breasts in the skillet, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. 
4. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside in covered container to keep warm.  Save about 1/4 up of chicken cooking liquid in skillet.  
5. Add and mix the pomegranate juice, vinegar, cornstarch, brown sugar and seasonings with the chicken cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes.
6. Arrange the chicken breasts on plates (feel free to slice it up to soak in more glaze) with the carrots and onions and drizzle with the pomegranate glaze.
7. Use the remaining glaze to dip bites of chicken into if desired, and chow down!