Review: Pei Wei Gluten Free Menu

Pei Wei is a national chain of 5 different types of Asian cultures. They currently have an available gluten free menu:

Sweet N Sour Chicken from Gluten Free Menu with Steamed White Rice

GLUTEN FREE
Gluten Free Edamame  Salted soybeans in the pod
Gluten Free Asian Chopped Chicken Salad Sliced chicken, assorted lettuce, Napa cabbage, carrots, Thai basil, tomatoes, toasted sesame seeds, lime vinaigrette
Gluten Free Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad  Wok seared chicken, assorted lettuce, Napa cabbage,  carrots, cucumbers, snap peas, scallions, cilantro, rice sticks, tomatoes, lime vinaigrette
Gluten Free Pei Wei Spicy Shrimp Salad  Wok seared shrimp, assorted lettuce, Napa cabbage,  carrots, cucumbers, snap peas, scallions, cilantro,  rice sticks, tomatoes, lime vinaigrette
Gluten Free Vietnamese Rolls Chicken, butter lettuce, Napa cabbage, mint, carrots,  scallions, peanuts, rice noodles, sweet chile sauce,  lime vinaigrette, wrapped in rice paper and served  with sweet chile sauce
Gluten Free Pei Wei Spicy Chicken  Wok seared chicken, chile vinegar sauce, scallions,  garlic, snap peas, carrots
Gluten Free Pei Wei Spicy Shrimp  Wok seared shrimp, chile vinegar sauce, scallions,  garlic, snap peas, carrots
Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Chicken Wok seared chicken, Cantonese sweet and sour sauce,  red ginger, onions, green bell peppers, pineapple
Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Shrimp Wok seared shrimp, Cantonese sweet and sour sauce,  red ginger, onions, green bell peppers, pineapple

 SPICY    VEGETARIAN WHEN ORDERED WITH VEGETABLE & TOFU

A link to their Allergy Menu is available here.

The flavor of the chicken was amazing! I may not be a connoisseur of Asian cuisine,
but I did enjoy this.
They use a potato breading instead of regular breading but I didn't notice much
difference between
the normal sweet n sour I used to eat and this.
I don't normally care for white rice, but in this case the flavor was nice, the
texture was good for
using chopsticks, and I didn't have to add any flavoring to it. Please note,
soy sauce and teriyaki
sauces contain gluten unless otherwise listed.
I have visited two different Pei Wei's and the flavor of the dishes were consistent.
However, I did start to feel ill within a few hours of eating it so I checked their
allergy menu and
noticed egg was an ingredient.

>:( I plan on calling them if I'm craving their chicken to see if they can not use
egg in the recipe.
If they can't use an alternative, I sadly won't be able to go back. And just
when I thought I found
a great place to eat a quick Asian meal, I was brought back down to reality.
Gah.

*I am not paid to review restaurants or products and I did pay for my meal*

What Kinds of Grains are Gluten Free?

According to the Whole Grains Council, the following grains are gluten free:

Amaranth
Buckwheat
Corn
Millet
Montina
Quinoa
Rice
Sorghum
Teff
Wild Rice

The following grains contain gluten:

Wheat
Rye
Barley
Spelt
Triticale
Bulgur
Semolina
Oats* Note, oats are generally gluten free but can be processed with items containing wheat, causing cross contamination.

Why Gluten Free?

This is not a diet blog. This is a blog on living gluten free!

Why gluten free?

I was recently diagnosed with a gluten and egg intolerance. I've lived with symptoms of hypothyroidism for the past 4 years but even though my thyroid was checked, it came back fine each time. What gives? It wasn't until I found a great doctor that checked every single thing that could be wrong. So while I have a hormonal imbalance as well as other things, it turned out that I had high intolerances to both gluten and egg and didn't know it!

That was over a month ago and since then, I've lost some weight and really lost some inches!

I can say it isn't easy. It's all about checking every single thing you eat. It's about cooking at home, reading labels, getting frustrated because there isn't always something quick to pick up in a hurry. And it's about getting healthier and seeing life through a different lens. Whether you are going gluten free by choice as a diet change or because you too are intolerant or have Celiac, this blog is for you!

Welcome!