***Update***

Maui Sugar Shop has moved locations and seems to mostly be selling some of their baked goods out of other local businesses. Please check their website for updated locations. The new location in Kapalua is part of a wine bar, and has very different hours. The photos in this post reflect the previous location.

No matter where you live, or where you stay, on Maui you have got to shake a tail feather and make your way to Maui Sugar Shop. Located in Lahaina, this adorable bakery serves up astoundingly delicious baked goods and sweets. Go ahead and throw away any food guilt you may have before coming in because you won’t need it. Cynthia and Zane Monteleone are proud to bake not only gluten-free, but organic, non-GMO, soy-free, artificial dye-free, and many times vegan, bakery items from their infamous whoopee pies to highly inventive cupcakes and quiches. They’re even getting ready to launch their own baking blends for you to use in your own home.

These folks know what’s on trend. From the styling of their brick and mortar shop (adorable pallet project tables and chairs, cheerful paint colors, and chalk boards that look like they should be on Pinterest!), to the flavors and decoration of their cakes these folks are right on trend!

I finally found the time to head on over last week. I took Devin along since he knows his way around sweet stuff. I’d already let Cynthia and Zane know I’d be popping by to meet them, and their pastries. I don’t usually give notice before I go try out a new place as I want the same experience as everyone else, but I really wanted to meet these two who are making gluten-free history on Maui. While Cynthia wrapped up some work in the kitchen, the delightful Kim told me what was available on display that day.

When Cynthia came out we got to chat about why she started eating gluten-free, and how she and her husband got into the gluten-free baking business. Cynthia was an athlete, and her coach (who trains Olympians!) suggested that his athletes remove gluten from their diets. She found that her body liked this change, and so she has continued to eat gluten free. Zane has worked in the restaurant industry for many years on Maui (including helping to open Star Noodle), and has seen a lot of people request gluten-free foods. When the two decided to buy out Maui Speciality Bakery they decided that the best idea in opening the location was to make the bakery 100% gluten-free to avoid any potential for cross contamination.

After chatting for a while, it was time to sit down and try some of what they had to offer. We chose quite a variety of items. Kim helped us pick out what was dairy-free for me (a glutening the week before had placed me in the no-lactose zone), while Devin picked out some dairy filled and dairy-free indulgences. Boy howdy did I indulge! Here’s a sampling of what I tried. With Cynthia and Zane always baking up something fresh, you never know what new trendsetting treat you’ll find next to their timeless classics.

I started with a vegan coconut cupcake while Devin ventured into the vanilla custard cream puff. I found my cake to be moist, soft, creamy, and not cloyingly sweet. The frosting melted in my mouth. The coconut flavor was not artificial in any way, and there were whole shreds of coconut too! Devin found the puffs to be a little messy, but worth the mess. He said it tasted like a Komoda’s Store cream puff (a Maui classic), with the pastry being a little less sweet. The filling is placed between a split choux pastry ball instead of piped in. They had 2 flavors available the vanilla pastry cream, and a Belgian white chocolate.

We soon moved onto their ever popular vegan Whoopee Pies. This isn’t your old fashioned Moon Pie style Whoopee Pie. This is a large, and in-charge vegan pie. I went for the coconut haupia Whoopee Pie, while Devin tried out the Oatmeal Cookie with cinnamon filling. These are very heavy on the filling, so if you like frosting then you should definitely get one of these. I’m not big on frosting personally, but this was a good one for sure. I felt like a little kid eating this! Devin really liked the cookie on his Whoopee Pie. It was a soft oatmeal raisin cookie which he felt stood up well to the amount of filling. Devin and I agree that this is an efficient sugar delivery vehicle which would go well with a strong cup of coffee. It’s a good thing they have some on hand! We were already feeling quite spoiled when Cynthia brought out a freshly made strawberry Whoopee Pie. How could we say no? Chocolate cake on the outside with a strawberry filling on the inside. A glass of red wine would pair very well. The strawberry scent and flavor were quite potent. Yum!

I next tried coffee cake. It contained blueberries and walnuts. It wasn’t very sweet, so it’d make a good breakfast. The cinnamon was not overwhelming. Zach said they usually serve it with a cream cheese frosting, but with me being in the no dairy zone I couldn’t try it that way. I think it would really round out the flavors of the cake perfectly.

Devin moved onto a chocolate peanut butter cupcake with a chocolate peanut butter cup on top. He delicately unwrapped his cupcake as he prepared to dive in. Devin said the peanut flavor was so natural it was like he was tasting pure peanut, and not peanut butter. He described it as “tasting the details of the peanut.” The cake was very moist, and had a classic chocolate flavor and texture.

Next up for Devin was the Elvis cupcake. I remember saying, “Elvis is about to leave the building, and enter Devin’s stomach.” I couldn’t help myself. It had a banana baked into the cake, caramel drizzle, and bacon crumbles on top of the frosting with Elvis spelled in chocolate on top. He said the cake tasted like Banana’s Foster. The bacon was not overpowering, but it enhanced the experience of this cake and makes you think of Elvis. “Elvis knew what he was doing,” Devin said as he finished this cupcake.

The S’mores cupcake was also successful with its rich, dark chocolate cake, fluffy house made marshmallow topping, chocolate drizzle and adorable graham cracker. Our only thought was that the mallow could be lightly toasted to give it a little more campfire flavor. Devin said this would be the cake for those of us who aren’t into frosting.

Finally, I tried the chocolate donut with fresh lilikoi glaze. The donut was very soft, very moist, not crumbly and the glaze had a zippy hint of lilikoi. It made me understand why one of their most popular cakes is chocolate with lilikoi frosting. These would be good to have a dozen of on hand for brunch with family and friends, or alone with your cup of joe or tea in the morning looking out over the ocean. Donut fantasy time!

While we were tasting all these wonderful delights a young man from Makawao came in. I asked him why he likes to go to Maui Sugar Shop. He said we should already know and added, “It’s epic!” Although neither he, nor his family are gluten free, they are regular customers. He then ordered some Whoopee Pies to take home.

Don’t miss out on Maui Sugar Shop. Head on over and let them help you indulge!

Maui Sugar Shop

700 Office Rd

Kapalua, HI

(808)662-0033

Find them on Facebook and on Twitter.

Maui Sugar Shop shared their pastries with us for free, however my opinions remain my own as they always will.

When I got up this morning I said, “It’s a brand new year. A brand new day.” Then the geek in me came out and I proceeded to sing “Brand New Day” from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog. Oh yes, I am very proud to be a geek. It’s a wonderful thing to be proud of who you are. Don’t hold back. When I was in high school I had a very hard time fitting in. Heck, I had a hard time fitting in through most of my youth. The geeks didn’t want me. The goths didn’t want me. The preps didn’t want me. The punks didn’t want me. Thankfully, I had a couple of good friends who also didn’t quite fit in anywhere, and we sat together on the floor in the hall for lunch. We fit in together. That’s what’s important in life. Don’t worry about fitting into a bigger crowd. Find the people who you fit well with, and be together. Link arms, and stride through the world with your heads held high. My message for the new year is for you to love who you are. Don’t give up your true self to please others. Follow your heart. Follow your bliss. As for me, I’ll be geeking out hard core over here.

Today Hawai‘i passed a marriage equality bill through its last stage of our state congress. It still needs to be signed by our governor, who has the intention of signing the bill into law. Seeing no reason this will not happen, I am happy to go ahead and say thank you to all of those people who worked so hard to make this happen. Thank you to our legislators who voted in favor (and endured days of nearly endless testimony of both the perfectly sane and far gone varieties). Thank you to national and state organizations such as Human Rights Campaign and Equality Hawai‘i. And, an extra special thank you to the volunteers (e.g. my friend Kyle) who put in countless hours of phone calls, canvasing, and public education campaigns. Finally, if you even signed your name to one online petition in favor of marriage equality (either in Hawai‘i or another state), thank you for letting the world know how important the recognition of love and human rights truly are.

I know I lost a few followers on Twitter, but I know I gained even more than I lost over the last few weeks as the state in which I live worked toward equality. If you stuck with me through it, thank you to you too. If you’re new, welcome and thank you! To those who left, I’d say I’m sorry you’re gone, but that wouldn’t be the full truth. I’m more sorry that you can’t see your fellow human beings as equal to you, and worthy of the same rights you have. I hope some day you’ll learn to see the humanity we all share.

Olives. It seems like people either love them, or hate them. Yet, I seem to fall somewhere in the middle. For most of my life I have despised olives. They just tasted so wrong to me. Especially the green ones. Yet, in the last couple of years I have taken a minor liking to kalamata olive tapenade. It seemed like it was probably the only way I’d like olives.

Then I tried Jeff’s Naturals kalamata olives. I randomly saw this line of certified gluten free products on the shelf as I was walking down the aisle of condiments. I figured that since I had liked kalamata olive tapenade that I might like kalamata olives on their own. So, I picked up a jar. I took them home, chopped them up, and threw them on a pizza. They rocked! I then popped one in my mouth, and I fell for them. Hard. I now have two jars in the fridge, and I seem to be putting them on a lot of my food.

Last week I noticed that the line had capers. I have liked capers for most of the last decade, and considered it odd since I didn’t like olives. Especially the green ones (I know I said that already, but it’s worth repeating). I picked up a jar, opened it last night, and about half the jar is gone already (I even splashed a bit of the liquid into my pasta for extra kick. Yum!). I’m so glad they’re not expensive.

The last item in the photo are the pepperocinis. I like pepperocinis. They used to call them banana peppers at Subway. In the past I’d get a six inch veggie delight and have them load it up with these mild, tangy zips of flavor. The thing about pepperocinis is that they’re spicy, but not lingeringly spicy. They’re more zippy than spicy. There’s even a little pucker action that happens when I eat them. They make my salivary gland come alive! Jeff’s Naturals offers stand up pepperocinis that I am happy to buy a jar of for less than $3.00(US). I’m also happy about that price since Devin could probably devour the whole jar if given the chance. I won’t have to ration these!

I’m really thrilled that there is a company out there making certified gluten free, vegan, kosher, non-GMO, organic jarred olives, peppers, sundried tomatoes and capers. I haven’t seen them anywhere but Mana yet, but if you have please let me know where on the island you’ve spotted them.

Note: I was not compensated in any way to write this review. I spent our own money buying these products and chose to review them on my own.

I’m tired of looking for the demons in my food. Hunting out the gluten is hard enough sometimes. Even if I read the label, has the company been honest? What about shared lines? Is that even mentioned on the label?

Damn, I live in Hawai‘i. That’s right. The company is closed by the time I get to the grocery store. I guess I can’t call while looking at the product. I’ll try to search the internet.

Huh, no good information. It is labeled gluten-free, but it’s not certified. Should I chance ’em? Maybe not today. I’ll try searching more when I get home.

Oops, I got distracted by the rest of my life and forgot. Here we go again, back at the store with uncertainty. Maybe the same product, maybe not.

There’s no other option. I guess I’ll go without.

That’s the life of a celiac in the grocery store. That’s a good part of why I’ve decided to stop searching for every other demon in my food.

Yes, GMO is really bad. I get that. I really do. But, sometimes I just want some freaking tortilla chips that are gluten free, and fit my budget. They might not be organic, or GMO free, but dammit I want them anyway.

Yup, there might be some non-organic soy in something else I want to eat; but guess what, it’s gluten free certified and fits the budget. I’m going for it.

Don’t be mistaken. I definitely try to buy as much organic, and non-GMO products as possible. But, I refuse deprivation because of these demons.

Today I was in Mana Foods (a local health food store), and was looking at the gluten free bread in the freezer. As I was contemplating which one to get I saw a man looking at the freezer case as well. He called over to his friend, in a rather snobby and snarky tone of voice, “Oh… look. Gluten free junk food.” I turned to him and said, “Damn right!” grabbed my bread, and carried on with my day. I heard him whisper to his friend, “I don’t care if it’s gluten free, it’s still junk food.” He’s right, gluten free junk food is still junk food. Yet, I have to wonder when the last time he ate a gluten filled pastry was. Or when he had a bowl of ice cream last. I’d bet it wasn’t too long ago.

I know what’s healthy. I know what isn’t. I have studied many nutritional philosophies for more than half a decade. I still eat a healthful diet compared to most Americans. I definitely am not on the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet).

But, I do like snacks and treats. Who doesn’t? I’m just tired of demonizing food. I’m tired of feeling more anxiety when I’m already an anxious person. I am tired of food guilt. I just want to eat.

So, I will. Are you tired of hunting out every demon in your food? If so, give a shout.

If you’ll still scrutinize every thing you eat, tell me why it’s important to you.

What do you do when you have garden fresh arugula and basil? Make a pizza! Well, there are many things you can do with these two ingredients, but I really wanted to highlight them by making them the stars of a pizza. Pairing them with this gluten free crust recipe from Living Without magazine was clearly the right thing to do. My first intention was to do a pesto sauce, but I realized that I’d upstage the arugula and possibly make a flavor clash if I did. So, I decided to just go with olive oil on the crust (though a little minced garlic would also be nice now that I think about it…). Although arugula is already quite peppery on its own, especially when picked the same day it’s being used, you should put a bit more fresh cracked pepper with it as the nutrients become more bioavailable (according to a good friend of mine with whom I shared this pizza).

Once the crust is ready to go this pizza comes together quite quickly, so it’s a good choice for a healthful meal on a busy night if you have a ready made crust. It’s also a good choice if you want to take some time to make a crust from scratch. In the ingredients list I am estimating at the amount of each topping used, and this is fine to do because you might more or less of something that you really like. But, it’s a good starting point. You can also choose not to use the feta, but you’ll lose some of the saltiness so add it back in with a few pinches of quality finishing salt. I also added a tablespoon of chia seed to the crust recipe for some extra nutrition. Feel free to leave this out as it was not a part of the original recipe. Chopped chicken breast would also be outstanding here.

I invited a friend to join us for dinner and Battlestar Galactica time, and although she wasn’t a huge fan of the show she was a huge fan of the pizza. She declared it the best gluten free crust she’d ever had, and Devin agreed. They both really loved the freshness of the toppings; and we all had to restrain ourself from devouring both pizzas in one evening.

Garden Fresh Gluten Free Arugula Pizza

AmandaonMaui

• One recipe of Easy Gluten Free Pizza Crust by Living Without (or 2 ready made medium crusts)
• Cornmeal
• 4 Tb good tasting olive oil (plus extra for the pan and drizzling)
• 4 cups roughly chopped arugula
• 4 ounces feta, crumbled
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/2 cup of basil leaves, medium chiffonade
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper

Place your pizza crust onto an oiled pizza pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Onto your unbaked pizza crust brush 2 tablespoons of olive oil (you can use your fingers or a basting brush). Top each crust with half of the arugula, half of the feta, half the lemon zest, and half the basil. Sprinkle each with half of the black pepper. Bake at 450F for 20-25 minutes. Drizzle the baked pizzas lightly with olive oil.

As a university student (Did you know, “a” is appropriate since “university” begins with a “y” sound. Thanks Grammar Girl!) I find myself studying quite a lot. What a shocker! Not. Anyway… I like to have something to snack on during my hard core study sessions, but I don’t want to hit up the vending machines for junk food (even if it is gluten free) so I often pack a snack at home to carry with me when I’m on campus. A good study snack ought to have some good fat and protein for brain support. Whole grains, and fruits and vegetables are also wonderful options. Here is a list of a few of my favorites:

• Granny Smith apple with crunchy peanut butter
• Brown rice cakes with sunflower butter or peanut butter
• Hard boiled eggs with hot chili sauce
• Full fat yogurt with fruit and/or granola
• Almonds
• Stove popped popcorn with salt and/or cinnamon
• Cheese and whole grain crackers or apple
• Green smoothie made with yogurt or protein powder
• Venison jerky or salami
• Broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower with herbed plain, full fat yogurt
• Tuna or salmon salad with whole grain crackers or brown rice cakes
• High protein muffins [e.g. peanut butter banana (as in the picture) I made by following a recipe from Simply-Gluten Free]
• High protein snack bar

What snacks do you find to help you with heavy duty brain work?

“It’s oatmeal cookies.” That’s what Devin said to me after he had his first bite of this new gluten free granola by Nature’s Path. While attending a demonstration of a line of essential oils, I met a young woman who represents multiple natural and organic food companies through a local firm. I mentioned my blog, and she said that she had two samples for me in her car from Nature’s Path. The first is this Honey Almond Granola with Chia.

I have to say, it’s mighty addictive. I could probably eat the whole bag in one sitting. But, it’s probably not a good thing to do considering “evaporated cane juice” is the second ingredient, and the fifth is “clover honey.” Despite there being sugar right away in the ingredients list, the amount of sugar per serving is 7 grams per quarter cup. Yet, you can taste how sweet it is, so it still makes my mind tell me to ease up on the handfuls!

There are 2 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein per serving as well as 4.5 grams of fat (0.5 g saturated, 2g Polyunsaturated, and 6 grams monounsaturated…wait that doesn’t total 4.5, that’s more like 8.5…mislabeled perhaps?). There is a minimal amount of calcium and iron. Oh, and there are 16g of whole grains per 30g serving. It is considered “Low Sodium” with 65mg per serving.

The ingredients read as follows: “Gluten free rolled oats*, evaporated cane juice*, sunflower oil*, roasted almonds*, clover honey*, flavor*, rice starch*, sea salt, chia seeds* tocopherol (Vitamin E). *Organic. Contains tree nuts. Produced in a facility that uses soy, peanuts and dairy. Vegetarian.”

The packaging is a nice little bag, though it’s not something that may be recyclable everywhere. It’d be nice if Nature’s Path could make their packaging more sustainable, but even I don’t know how they could do that right now. Packaging directly in recyclable cardboard really isn’t an option.

The bag carries the “Non-GMO Project” label, as well as a “The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations” kosher certification mark, and a “Quality Assurance International Certified Organic” mark. They do not appear to be certified gluten free as there are no marks to make this distinction. Yet, their website shows that it is certified gluten free.

I like the nice clumps of the granola, and I like the flavor. It’s maybe a bit too sweet for me, but it’d be really nice for trips I have planned in the future. As this is a newer product, I am not yet sure of the pricing. If I had to guess, I’d bet it’ll be somewhere in the seven dollar range here on Maui based on comparable products.

With the granolas I would love to see more nuts and seeds, with their high protein, to balance out the sugars and carbohydrates. A nice bit of high protein milk may help to balance out the sugars, as it does help to reduce the sweetness on the palate. This particular granola also maintains crunch once doused in milk.

My rating scale in my head says that this is a good choice if you’re looking for a gluten free granola, and don’t have time to make it yourself. The price of gluten free granolas still seem out of proportion for the amount you get (in this case 11 ounces), and what’s really in there. I say, if you’ve got the time then make your own. It’s not too hard and you can control the ingredients even more. If not, then give this a go and let me (and everyone else) know how you like it.

P.S. Nearly half the bag is gone, and I just opened it today. Whoopsie!