Eating out – one solution to grain free, gluten free on the Sunshine Coast

 

Husk & Honey– a cafe that is grain and gluten free- now that’s my kind of eating!

I always feel like I am compromising the way I want to eat when we go out to restaurants. I am always looking for the least offensive meal – you know the one with the best local produce which probably hasn’t been cooked in oils I don’t trust and with plenty of good veges and grass fed, pastured meat. Yes there are my Sheldonisms again!

Imagine my delight when I came across a cafe where I felt I could trust everything! After listening to an old podcast from the Up for a Chat girls, Cyndi O’Meara, Carren Smith and Kim Morrison about living grain free I decided to look them up to see how they were going as i was in the area.. In that particular episode they interviewed Tania Hubbard who started a grain free cafe, wrote a recipe book, and who now has started another business to sell grain and gluten free packet mixes (sadly no longer available) for cakes and breads to the public and other cafes. This created a must visit…and soon desire in my heart. I also immediately ordered the cookbook and some of the bread and cake packet mixes!

As my lovely hubby and I were spending the weekend up the Sunshine Coast (he was there to ride the Noosa 100 mile bike ride – yes he’s a MAMIL), it seemed like the perfect time to visit this beautiful little cafe.

I was not disappointed the decor had an eclectic retro feel and we enjoyed reading the old newspaper article pasted to the wall beside our table with Martin Luther Kings “I have a dream” speech printed. It was quite a busy place and obviously well supported by the local community.

We started our meal with a blueberry, banana yoghurt based smoothie (for me) and a lovely crema topped long black for Ric. He said it was one of the best coffees he’s had in a while…and that’s saying something!

Lunch for me was Beef Nachos – a generous helping of grass fed beef mince, served with chick pea crisps and a side of the most scrumptious relish, home-made yoghurt herbed cheese and a side salad sprinkled with seeds for crunch. Ric had a Savoury Chickpea Pancake. This is in Tanya’s recipe book, Gluten Free Grain Free – food we love,  and I will definitely be cooking it soon. it consisted of roasted vegetables piled onto the pancake topped with macadamia pesto topped with toasted seeds and it hit the spot quite nicely.

Unfortunately we had no room for desert as the helpings where quite generous but that didn’t stop me from buying a slice of carrot cake and  apple rhubarb crumble cake for us to enjoy later in the day. At this point I really need to confess that Ric really only had a taste of each of these 🙂

So I am comforted to know that it is possible to eat out knowing that the cafe has local quality produce, and satisfies my grain/gluten free lifestyle. I just wish I could find more of these establishments. Please let me know if you can suggest some in or around the South East Queensland way and if you are every on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, give this one a go, you won’t be disappointed.