Product: Udi’s Gluten-Free Sweet and Crunchy Vanilla Granola – $6.50+
A little while back, I received a nice box of goodies from Udi’s Gluten-Free, containing some of their old products and a few of their new products. Now…one of the first gluten-free products I actually enjoyed eating came from Udi’s. I believe it was their bread…and I think it made me cry because I was finally eating gluten-free bread that actually tasted like bread. I was in Colorado at the time. At a convention. And it felt like I had just won the lottery. Nothing could have made me happier.
Since that initial taste, I’ve been a staunch supporter of Udi’s products. In fact, I’ve tried most of their older products at some point and have enjoyed every single one of them…save the Cinnamon Rolls. They just don’t…do it for me. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been spoiled by gluten-free bakeries like Annie May’s Sweet Café here in Louisville, Kentucky, and Sinfully Gluten Free in Dayton, Ohio…whose gluten-free cinnamon rolls are to die for. Udi’s just hasn’t mastered that product yet. But…that’s okay. Everything else…is addicting. To the point I have my cousin in Minnesota (who does not have to eat gluten-free) completely addicted to and purchasing Udi’s Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Muffins.
No lie. I got her hooked on them last year when I was out to visit my grandpa and my family. If people who can eat anything prefer Udi’s…well…they are doing something right!
Some of you may realize that I am a breakfast person. I love me some breakfast. LOVE it. I could eat breakfast for every meal of the day and not get tired of it. Breakfast is so versatile and so many varieties of food can be made into a breakfast treat of some sort.
Well, one of my favorite things to make for breakfast is a fruit and Greek yogurt parfait. I give these some texture by adding gluten-free granola. And, let me tell you…I have pretty much exhausted the market of gluten-free granola. At least the ones I can find in this area. Every now and again I’ll stumble across one that I haven’t tried yet…but…yeah…I’ve pretty much got the granola available around here covered.
But…in my Udi’s box of gluten-free goodies…there was a package of granola. Now, I’ve had a few of Udi’s Gluten-Free Granola before…but I hadn’t tried the Sweet and Crunchy Vanilla Granola yet. So…this one, while not a new product, was a new product to me. I hadn’t tried it yet. In fact, I hadn’t even seen this variety in my various grocery stores I hit up on a week-to-week basis (and let me tell you…I hit up a lot every week).
Excited for my next breakfast parfait, I tucked it into my pantry for safe keeping and then…promptly went on two trips out of town and had to cancel my CSA bin of fresh and local produce and fruits. That being said, I was finally back in town and had some leftover plain Greek yogurt from making tzatzkiki with the cucumber and red onion I had received in the bin. When fresh blueberries showed up in my CSA bin, I already knew what was on the menu for breakfast.
The next morning, I pulled out the remainder of the Greek yogurt and knew I needed to dress it up some for my roommate. Plain yogurt has never been her thing, so I added a dash of my gluten-free vanilla, a hit of cinnamon, and a squeeze of honey and mixed it all together. It looked fantastic. I gave the blueberries a rinse and then pulled the granola out of the pantry. It was time to assemble the parfaits…but first…I needed to see how this granola tasted on its own.
I grabbed a small cluster in the palm of my hand and popped it into my mouth.
And then…I did it again. It was so incredibly good. The vanilla gives it the right amount of sweetness and the almonds give it texture and this nice savory and saltiness that it needs to balance it all out. The toasted gluten-free oats are crunchy to perfection, lending this great flavor and texture a much needed crunch. And the sweetness of the honey really shines in each bite. Oh yeah…this was good. This was beyond good…this was deliciously fantastic…and amazingly addicting.
I had to tell myself to stop eating it from the bag and start making breakfast parfaits for my roommate and I. So, into the bowl went a bit of the Udi’s Gluten-Free Sweet and Crunchy Vanilla Granola. I spooned some Greek yogurt over that, gave it a hit of honey, then added some blueberries. I then repeated with another layer. Topped it off with a bit more granola, and then hit it up with one last drizzle of honey. The result?
Sweet, refreshing, crunchy, perfection. It was one of the best parfaits I had assembled. The flavors just meshed well. The granola gave the yogurt and berries a much needed crunch. And the sweetness blended well with that of the other components in the parfait. I was hooked.
Udi’s Gluten-Free Sweet and Crunchy Vanilla Granola is a good choice when it comes to gluten-free granola. So often, granola are laden down with sugar, making them an unhealthy choice. Which, is not what you expect when you eat granola. A serving of Udi’s Gluten-Free Sweet and Crunchy Vanilla Granola is 1/4 cup, which will set you back about 140 calories and 6 grams of fat. That’s not too bad for granola. Even better, this particular variety only has 7 grams of sugar (YAY!! It’s one of the better ones I’ve seen!), serves you 2 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein. Awesome. This flavor has no cholestorl, no sodium, and no trans-fat.
And it is SO addictive and SO delicious. Trust me. Whether you eat it straight or add it to your oatmeal or yogurt…one thing is for certain…
Udi’s is continuing to do great things for the gluten-free foods on the market. Udi’s Gluten-Free Sweet and Crunchy Vanilla Granola is just proof that good things come in small packages. This is one delicious and fantastic granola that won’t make you feel too guilty about indulging. Find it and try it. You won’t be disappointed.
The Celiathlete 