One of the hardest things that we experienced when first cutting gluten, dairy, and eggs was finding where we could eat when we were out.  There are times when we find ourselves out at meal time and unprepared with our own food.  Or we are just craving a dinner where we don’t cook or clean.  Or we want to celebrate something with a fancy meal.  Where were we to go?  Many of our regular establishments no longer worked with our special dietary needs.

I would like to begin highlighting restaurants or styles of restaurants that with minimal effort can work for you and your family.  I am hoping to make this a weekly series as I work my way through all our finds.

Let’s start with Thai food.  Most Thai food restaurants are a great free-eating (I kinda made up that term right now and while it isn’t really a word, I think I’m going to use it:) establishments.  They primarily use rice noodles and rairly use soy sauce which fits our gluten free needs.  They also use coconut milk instead of cream in their sauces.  They do put eggs in some of their dishes but they are easily omitted and tasty without. 

Most restaurants list out the ingredients in all their dishes on the menu which allows you to know what you are ordering.  I think they do this because the majority of their patrons don’t speak Thai and have no idea what things are by looking at the names but it works in our favor.  Let’s pretend they do to make it easier for us that have to eat free.  Never be afraid to ask what is in an item if you feel it is unclear.  When ordering make it clear that you can’t have soy sauce and they will alert you if an item you order does have it. 

We love Thai restaurants as there is very little adjustment or explanation needed when ordering.  They are normally fast which is a plus with little kids.  Many Thai places are individually owned so they work very hard to make sure you are taken care of and you are supporting local business. 

Here are some of our favorite dishes

• Panang Curry
• Pad Thai Noodles minus the egg
• Yellow Curry
• Chicken with Cashew Nuts
• All the rest of the curries

Okay so I could go on and on.  We like almost every dish we get at Thai restaurants.  Make sure you check their specials as there are often some great dishes available. 

Check out your local Thai restaurant.  You won’t regret it.