A delicious g-free ravioli hailing from Saskatchewan

Among my bag of goodies from last week’s Gluten Free Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre were finds from the Saskatchewan company, Celiac Choice.

Stuffed pasta has always ranked high on my list of favourites, and since going gluten free, I actually haven’t had any. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten excited after hearing a restaurant can make any of their pasta dishes gluten free. But alas, the gluten free version of their original dish is always a rice pasta penne. While I am grateful for the g-free option, there is always some disappointment when the restaurant’s original dish is a ravioli or tortellini.

The lineup for this booth at the Gluten Free Expo was long, but the samples were worth the wait. I ended up forking money over for two bags of frozen ravioli and one bag of frozen perogies.

Tasty freebies & amazing buys at the Gluten Free Expo

The aftermath of my visit to the Gluten Free Expo in Toronto. (Minus the kitty. I had her already.)

Today I let my inner gluten free foodie run wild at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for this year’s Gluten Free Expo. (Full disclosure: I now work at the convention centre and was live-tweeting from the expo showroom.) This is the second g-free food event I have had the pleasure of attending, and it did not disappoint. An array of food was available for sampling, and while I normally make a beeline towards the sweet treats, today I gravitated towards the more savoury options. And was I ever glad I did. Sauces, sausage, pizza, lasagna, and ravioli graced my taste buds. I even had perogies for the first time in years. This might have been the highlight of my visit, and, yes, I bought some as well.

The expo was an exciting place to spend a few hours on what could have been a lazy Sunday. Vendors were busy catering to hungry crowds, who were eager to sample something new. At some booths, the samples couldn’t be prepared fast enough as expo-goers quickly seized bite-sized teasers of what could become bigger, future meals to come. When people were waiting for food, the delay did not spark any impatient irritation among them. Exhibitors came equipped with gluten free material and engaged in informative conversations. Yes, people were at the expo to learn, too. Leading experts in the industry delivered helpful presentations on the benefits of living gluten free lifestyles. Kathy Smart, author of “Live the Smart Way,” offered her expertise and spent time speaking with visitors of the expo further when she was done.

As you can see in the image above, I picked up quite a bit. Another shopping bag item that piques my interest is an organic pasta made entirely of beans. I’m excited to try this in the coming weeks and review it here on my blog. That’s my plan for most of the items I snatched up today, so stay tuned!

The busy showroom floor of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.