Baked Goods – Page 18 – The Celiathlete

May 23, 2014

Product Review: Annie May’s Sweet Café Easter Basket 2014

Annie May's Sweet Café, Louisville, Kentucky — Annie May’s Sweet Café, Louisville, Kentucky

Product: Annie May’s Sweet Café Easter Holiday Menu 2014

I am a little late on posting this blog because…life has been crazy-busy as of late. But…I didn’t want anything to fall by the wayside, especially when it is my favorite allergen-free bakery. Lucky me…it’s in my own hometown. And every year, around Easter time, Annie May’s Sweet Café offers people the chance to have their own individually wrapped items for an Easter basket. This year’s Easter Holiday Menu was enticing. And…I told my roomie to order for me…and surprise me with what she chose for us to try.

This year brought a change to the standards normally seen on the menu. Due to a chocolate shortage at the wholesale level, Annie May’s Sweet Café announced they would NOT be making the chocolate bunnies or chocolate candy this year. Bummer…because that sunbutter bunny I ate last year was beyond amazing. But…with the rising cost and lack of availability, I can’t blame them.

So…the weekend before Easter, Cathy placed an order at the bakery…and I didn’t listen in or anything. I was so excited about being surprised with what I would find inside. The only thing I was aware of was the 1 Dozen Gluten-Free Lemon Bars that Cathy and I had discussed purchasing, because I had been eying these on the menu every time…but they were never in the case. And Lemon Bars are one of Cathy’s favorite thing in life.

Mine too, honestly.

So…

The Saturday before Easter, we stepped into Annie May’s Sweet Café for breakfast. After we ate, Cathy went to get all the goodies for the Easter Basket she ordered. We got a large pink box containing the one dozen Gluten-Free Lemon Bars. But it was the surprises that I was ready to discover.

Turns out, Cathy put in an order for one of everything…save the Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Brownie as that item is always in the case at the bakery. Always. Trust me…our friend Greg always orders at least two of them.

So…here’s a review of everything inside my Gluten-Free Easter Basket of Awesome!

Gluten-Free Lemon Bars – $38.50

Annie May's Sweet Café Gluten-Free Lemon Bars — Annie May’s Sweet Café Gluten-Free Lemon Bars

One big pink box is what we brought home and immediately stuck in the refrigerator. Because lingering inside was 12 bars of lemony goodness. For real. And these weren’t small bars either. This dozen lemon bars could easily have been split in half and been enjoyed for much longer. But where is the fun in that? Needless to say…Cathy and I didn’t do that. Not at all.

These bars had this delicious shortbread-like crust. Then…the lemon curd in the center. And a delicious sugary crust on top. It was heaven. Heaven with each bite. The lemon was fantastic and refreshing. The curd inside was soft and lemony, without being overwhelming. That sugary crust on top added a bit of texture. And…I think I have declared these the best gluten-free lemon bars I have tasted.

And yes…I have had a few…some from Cherbourg Bakery in Columbus, Ohio…and some from Sinfully Gluten Free in Dayton, Ohio. But these…these from Annie May’s were the best ever. I hope she starts putting them in the case for Saturdays…because I will literally buy them all. Yes…they are that delicious. Trust me…I can’t make this up. I looked forward to dessert for six days straight! Lemony goodness indeed!

Annie May's Sweet Café Allergen-Free Mini Oatmeal Cream Pie — Annie May’s Sweet Café Allergen-Free Mini Oatmeal Cream Pie

Allergen-Free Mini Oatmeal Cream Pie – $3.50

Annie May’s Sweet Café is known for their Oatmeal Cream Pies. The thing is…these things are so huge at the bakery…that they can be quite daunting to eat. This is often the treat my guests choose to eat…and then they end up taking more than half of it with them. Oh…they are good. Just…sometimes a bit much.

So, for Easter, Annie May’s Sweet Café downsized them. And this…was absolutely perfect. You know those oatmeal cream pies you’d buy at the grocery store and devour as a child. These are sort of like that…but better. Two soft mini oatmeal cookies surround a thick layer of frosting. It’s sweet…with a hint of that savory oatmeal cookie appeal. I love texture of the cookies and the way they pair well with the filling.

It might just remind you how sweet some of life’s simplest pleasures really are. Like…cookies and icing. Simple…but oh…so good. And since this is one of their signature items…it’s totally worth the purchase!

Allergen-Free Mix & Match Petit Four Pack – $4.00

Annie May's Sweet Café Petit Fours — Annie May’s Sweet Café Mix & Match Petit Fours

Mmmm…little bite-size cakes of goodness. I love petit fours. Before I had to go gluten-free, I was often sent little petit fours at Christmas time from Swiss Colony. So, I totally missed these little one-bite goodies. But…not anymore. Not at Easter. Thanks to Cathy!

Annie May’s Sweet Café did up a four-pack of Petit Fours, two chocolate with a chocolate ganache topping, and two vanilla with a vanilla icing. And…boy, were these ever moist. I actually found that the vanilla was my favorite. Not a surprise. While I am a choc-o-holic, I also find that I prefer vanilla in some cases. Especially when it comes to cakes. I don’t know why…I just do.

I loved how the icing complimented the moist and sweet cake beneath. I enjoyed having a dessert I could just pop into my mouth and not feel guilty about the little indulgence. Not that I ever feel guilty about enjoying a dessert…but you get what I mean. These little cakes made me so happy. They didn’t last long if that tells you anything.

Annie May's Sweet Café Gluten-Free Decorated Sugar Cookie — Annie May’s Sweet Café Gluten-Free Decorated Sugar Cookie

Gluten-Free Decorated Sugar Cookie – $5.00

Mmmm…sugar cookies. I never make sugar cookies. Ever. Well, I tried a couple of times. It never ends well. Ever.

So…when I see gluten-free sugar cookies in the wild…you better believe I want one. It doesn’t get much better than a sweet, sometimes a bit gritty (mmmm…sugar!), soft cookie. It is one of the simplest…but most amazing cookies ever made. Almost always, sugar cookies have some sort of decorative flair to them. Last year, Kenna (co-owner of Annie May’s Sweet Café) hand painted Peter Rabbit on the cookies. This year, the cookie was shaped like an egg and decorated with white icing and various designs to make it look like an Easter egg.

I almost hated to cut it in half and devour it with Cathy’s assistance. But, my sweet tooth wins out over the artistic beauty of the cookie in the end. This sugar cookie was soft and sweet, without it being too sweet. Even with the icing, it found a nice balance. And it really was a beautifully decorated cookie. Hands down one of the best, and softest, gluten-free sugar cookies I have had to date.

Gluten-Free Six-Pack Caramels – $4.50

Annie May's Sweet Café Gluten-Free Caramels — Annie May’s Sweet Café Gluten-Free Caramels

Two words.

Homemade Caramels.

I actually saved these for last. Honestly. I had to. I wanted them to be last because caramel is one of my favorite things in the world. Especially if it’s salted. This wasn’t…but that’s okay. Seriously. Because caramel is the thing that delicious dreams are made of.

Always.

The caramels that Annie May’s Sweet Café put together for Easter were chewy and soft…and sweet. I loved how stretchy it was. But it didn’t attach itself indefinitely to your teeth either. I could taste the sugar, and how it caramelized down into the soft candy. These were so amazing. They practically melted in your mouth when you took a bite.

These were love. Soft, chewy, caramel-y love.

I’m addicted. And the three days I had these in my life were some of my best. More, please!

~*~*~

So…there it is…

Another Easter has come and gone…and for the second year in a row, Annie May’s Sweet Café provided me with a safe and epically sweet and delicious Easter basket. Their Easter menu was out of this world this year. I didn’t even miss the chocolate candies and chocolate bunny.

And seriously…if they ever start putting the lemon bars in that case…I’ll buy them all.

I’m already craving them again.

Maybe I can see about getting these for my birthday this year…

Maybe.

Thank you, Annie May’s Sweet Café, for another fantastic holiday treat. I seriously had some of the best desserts of my life in the comfort of my own home…without having to turn on my oven once.

Now that…is one delicious treat indeed.

May 22, 2014

Product Review: Bella Lucia Lemon Love Gluten-Free Pizzelle

Product: Bella Lucia Lemon Love Gluten-Free Pizzelle – $6.95+

It was one of the best moments ever. I am in a natural food store my friend, Jenn, had been wanting to take me to for years, while in Columbus, Ohio (Raisin Rack is the store). The aisles and aisles of gluten-free products are calling to me. Like…literally. I’m getting all whiney and needy and really, really wanting to try some items that I hadn’t found anywhere else.

And my roomie comes over with a medium-size basket and tells me to fill it up.

Of course…she helped.

One of the products that she insisted that we try was Bella Lucia Lemon Love Gluten-Free Pizzelle.

Why? Because it had the word “lemon” on it. And we had seen these before at our Whole Foods and never picked them up. Second chance. We’re taking it.

What are pizzelle? A pizzella is a traditional Italian waffle cookie that is made from flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and flavoring (like…in this case…lemon!). Depending on how they are prepared, pizzelle can be hard and crisp or soft and chewy. These are known to be one of the oldest forms of cookies. The cookie dough batter is put into a pizzelle iron (sort of like a waffle iron). They are typically stamped in a snowflake pattern on both sides. These cookies are thin, golden, and usually crisp in texture once it’s cooled.

I had never had pizzelle before, so I was already intrigued. After we polished off some dinner (leftovers from the Corn & Black Bean Salad I posted about in my “Cooking With Amy Farrah Fowler” blog), I cleaned up the dishes and pulled the plastic container out of the pantry so we could enjoy some dessert. I opened up the container and removed the sealed cookies. I carefully cut into the seal and eased out two thin cookies, handing one over to Cathy while I kept the other one for myself.

These cookies are so light and thin. Loved that. I wouldn’t feel guilty when the dessert I’m “indulging” in doesn’t feel heavy and fattening. HAHA! I took a bite.

The Bella Lucia Lemon Love Gluten-Free Pizzelle is of the soft and chewy type. I was really, really expecting them to be crunchy. Everything about them screamed crunchy. I think I was slightly disappointed that they lacked crunch. But…even more…the lack of lemon flavor was a bigger disappointment. And what I could taste was almost…fake in flavor. They also seemed a bit…dry.

As I have never had pizzelle before, I don’t know if this is normal or not, but it was a bit of a letdown in the end. The cookies look beautiful. But they really lack in the texture and flavor. At least this version of them. I’d be willing to try the other flavors of gluten-free pizzelle offered by Bella Lucia…but the Lemon Love were slightly disappointing. At least for me.

Ingredients in the Bella Lucia Lemon Love Gluten-Free Pizzelle include white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, potato flour, xanthan gum, pectin, sugar, canola oil, eggs, and lemon extract. They are gluten-free…the founders wanting to make traditional baked goods that would meet new dietary needs without giving up flavor and taste.

As for nutrition information, a serving size of the Bella Lucia Lemon Love Gluten-Free Pizzelle is one cookie. Just one. This serving will give you 100 calories and 4.2 grams of fat. In addition, you will be consuming 28.8 mg cholesterol, 6.3 grams of sugar, and 9.5 mg sodium. Finally, you will be taking in less than 1 gram of fiber and only 1.3 grams of protein. So…don’t expect these cookies to fill you up. They won’t.

I expected something completely different in a pizzelle. And while I’m not totally disappointed, I’m not entirely impressed either. I love what Bella Lucia is doing. And I think I might have enjoyed it more with more lemon flavor infused…but these were just a little bland. And not crispy. When I get a thin cookie…I want some crunch to it. So, slightly lacking. But not bad. Not amazing. But not bad.

May 21, 2014

Product Review: Lucky Clover Farm Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin

Product: Lucky Clover Farm Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin – $3.00

Yeah…after the mention of the Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin from Lucky Clover Farm in my previous post, I wasn’t going to leave you hanging. Seriously. I think I’m in love with the gluten-free baked goods this local business is putting out. I am so glad that I went to the Buy Local Fair in Louisville on Sunday because I don’t think I would have found them otherwise.

Happiness…is being able to eat baked goodies!

Because unless I go to a specialty bakery or buy them in the store or make them myself…I go without.

That’s how it works when you are a Celiac.

That being said…when I literally turned around and walked back to the booth at the Buy Local Fair that was advertising gluten-free breads, muffins, cakes, etc…I didn’t know what I was in for. I ended up purchasing more than what I initially intended. I wanted the gluten-free carrot cake…but it’s hard to sell that on my roomie. She was intrigued by the herb bread…and I just blogged on that. We also picked out three of the jam varieties they had for sale as well. We are jelly and jam lovers here. Seriously. I kept eying that carrot cake…but ended up leaving it and going for the Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin instead.

First of all, I have never seen such beautiful muffins. It was shaped like a giant flour. Seriously. I picked up one of the individually wrapped muffins and found it soft, light, and smelling of fresh blueberries. It smelled sweet. And fresh. And…yeah…I supposed I could leave the carrot cake behind this time if this was what I got to have instead.

On Monday morning, after my spin class, I returned home and got to work on a quick and easy breakfast. This was going to consist of some of the aforementioned gluten-free herb bread from Lucky Clover Farm…and Cathy and I were splitting the Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin. I decided to toast the slice of bread, tossing it on a pan and then into the oven while I went and showered. When I was dressed and back in the kitchen, the bread was finishing up…so I unwrapped the blooming Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin from Lucky Clover Farm, placed it on a plate, and then placed it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

It smelled so amazing as it emerged out of the microwave, warm all the way through. I sliced it in half…then into quarters. Cathy loves her muffin buttered, so I added a light schmear of real butter to her muffin slices and then plated it with the toasted gluten-free herb bread.

I never have buttered much of anything I ate…including bread and muffins, so mine was simply plated. I settled in with my coffee and my tasty (and easy and quick) breakfast that morning. I already knew the bread was good, so I immediately turned my attention and appetite to the Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin.

It was so soft and light. It was not dense at all. Just fresh and baked to a golden perfection on the outside. The blueberries added a great amount of fresh sweetness. And it wasn’t laden with sugar, making it seem more like cake. This was a muffin through-and-through. It was soft and chewy and perfect. I think angels might have baked it…because I love a muffin that isn’t heavy. And this was just what I needed that morning. They seem to make different varieties of their gluten-free muffins throughout the year and where they end up at different fairs and festivals and markets.

I can’t say enough good things about Lucky Clover Farms. In fact, these gluten-free baked goods were such a hit with me and Cathy that we can’t wait to try the jams out.

This might have been my favorite Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin to date. I mean…it looked like a flower and tasted like a dream.

Doesn’t get much better than that!

Lucky Clover Farm Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin

May 21, 2014

Product Review: Lucky Clover Farms Gluten-Free Herb Bread

Lucky Clover Farms Gluten-Free Herb Bread – $7.00

This past weekend, I was happy to attend the Buy Local Fair in Louisville, Kentucky. That’s one thing I have to give to Louisville…they are very supportive of their local businesses. I first attended this event last year, so when I heard that it was happening again, I was just thankful my half marathon ran on Saturday, as this event happened on Sunday.

My main purpose for attending the Buy Local Fair was purely selfish. I wanted a gluten-free crepe from Sweet ‘N Savory. My favorite food truck disappeared over the winter but have been back in town since April. I, however, have been out of town or very busy hosting friends and doing what I do best. So, my entire purpose was to eat lunch there…which I did. A delicious savory crepe, which I’ll blog about in a separate post. After that, I purchased some dairy-free gelato from Sweet ‘N Savory and Cathy and I set about to check out the local businesses that had set up booths and tents at the event.

We first just perused…seeing a few different things that caught our eyes. One thing that one particular booth did was advertise, quite boldly, gluten-free baked items.

My haul from the Buy Local Fair in Louisville, Kentucky. All but the bottle of vinegar came from Lucky Clover Farm!

PAUSE.

REWIND.

I honestly think that’s what it looked like. Because I backpedaled and then quickly ducked into the tent to check out what items they had for sale. I mean, it never hurts to look, right? In my case…it hurts the budget, but it’s supporting a local business. I really wanted the gluten-free carrot cake, but it’s hard to sell carrot cake on my roomie…so we both agreed to pick up three varieties of their jams, one of the Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins (next blog!) and a loaf of the Gluten-Free Herb Bread. It looked really good. A light brown crust and you could see the variety of herbs that was baked into it. It wasn’t dense to hold and it smelled fantastic!

Yeah…that was totally coming home with us.

Lucky Clover Farm Gluten-Free Herb Bread

And…it totally became dinner too. After a light breakfast, but a crepe-filled lunch, I figured we’d keep dinner a little light. So, that evening I sliced into the bread, cutting two pieces for each of us. We had an odd number of my gluten-free minestrone soups in the freezer, so I figured we could split that and have some toasted bread with it. I turned on the oven, gave the bread slices a little drizzle of olive oil (after we split an end piece to eat without toasting!) and put it in the oven while I heated the soup in the microwave.

The slice we had without toasting was amazing. As I said before, this bread was not dense at all. I loved the light feeling it had. And I loved the flavorful herbiness that came in each bite. Seriously. I was drooling just thinking about having more bread with the soup. And it was a task not to go slice more off the loaf to devour while waiting on the bread to toast and the soup to heat all the way through. Somehow, I resisted.

The toasted slices of the Gluten-Free Herb Bread filled the apartment with the most amazing aroma. I pulled them out of the oven, now a golden color and toasted to perfection. I plated the bread and dished up the soup and we both settled in for dinner.

Oh. My. God. This bread was some of the best I have ever tasted. Honestly. Toasting it only drew out the flavors more, if that was even possible. I was in love with the different herbs that would dance across my palate with each bite. It paired so well with the soup too. In fact, the following night, I heated up the last of the soup, and made grilled cheese sandwiches with this bread to go with it. I mean…it was so versatile. I used the last of it this morning, serving it up with some roasted vegetables and a poached egg on top. It goes good with practically anything and everything. And I kept wanting to cut smaller slices just to make it last.

Of course, now I’ll be looking for Lucky Clover Farms in other fairs and markets, hoping to pick up more of their items. From what I’ve been reading, it sounds like the carrot cake I didn’t get is one of their best sellers. Next time, I’m getting the damn gluten-free carrot cake.

For now, as the loaf is gone, I will dream of the next time I get to enjoy a slice of Lucky Clover Farm Gluten-Free Herb Bread. Because, yeah…it really is that good. Gluten-free baking is a science in and of itself…and they have mastered this bread for sure. Soft. Flavorful. And absolutely delicious…however you slice it and serve it. Highly recommended. So glad to have them in the area…because I’m going to be dreaming of that bread until I can get another loaf!

Two slices of Lucky Clover Farm Gluten-Free Herb Bread lightly toasted with olive oil

May 20, 2014

Restaurant Review: Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza and Pub, Fishers, Indiana

Restaurant: Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub, Fishers, Indiana

Twas the night before a half marathon…

…so…in other words…gluten-free pizza night!

About a week before setting out to Fishers, Indiana, to run the Geist Half Marathon (for training), I started a full-on search for good gluten-free pizza in that area. I’m spoiled rotten by my local allergen-free bakery, Annie May’s Sweet Café, because her pizza crust is actually a thick crust…not this thin cracker crust you get everywhere else. I always crave her pizza and went on a search to, perhaps, find a place that was comparable to the one she makes.

No luck.

Cracker crust everywhere I turn.

UGH!

So…I tossed it out on my Facebook page for some suggestions. I wanted to try somewhere new…somewhere I couldn’t easily go here in Louisville. So no Puccini’s and no Mellow Mushroom (although…yum to Mellow Mushroom!). I didn’t want to go somewhere I already had gone up there to try…so no Monical’s or Jockamo’s. Some of my friends in my running group were, unknown to me at the time, also running Geist…and Laura said they were going to hit up Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub in Fishers on Friday night for their dinner. And she saw they had a gluten-free menu as well.

I went to check it out, along with two other places that I researched via Find Me Gluten Free.

In the end, due to being conveniently close to the hotel…Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub was where Cathy and I decided the night-before-the-race pizza would happen. And…as an added bonus, my good friend, Julia, was going to meet us there for dinner. YAY!

I’ve had a lot of misses on the gluten-free pizza as of late while on the road. So, I was desperately hoping that this pizza was good. And…after getting caught in some storms on the drive up to Fishers, then getting stuck in traffic, hitting up the race expo for packet pickup, and then getting caught in more traffic, we finally made it to the restaurant, where Julia got us a table in the bar and was patiently waiting…and had been for about 30 minutes (damn traffic). Lots of hugs and a quick browse of the menu…and we were set.

The inside of Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub is dark…but beautiful. It’s very rustic chic. And I thought the ambiance was perfect for a pizza/pub. It just felt right and comfortable. Our waitress came over…and I gave her fair warning of my food allergies. She put any of my fears to rest and assured me that they would cook me up a good pizza. So, with our minds made up…the order was placed.

Cathy and I were going to split the 10″ Gluten-Free Vava Veggie Pizza ($12.00 – which includes the $1.50 up-charge for gluten-free crust). Julia was on the same wavelength and got the regular wood fired version of the Vava Veggie Pizza ($10.50). With the orders in, we were able to sit and talk while we waited for out food. A short time later, our pans of pizza were being settled in front of us.

The Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub’s Gluten-Free Vava Veggie Pizza is done on a custom gluten-free cracker crust. Very thin crust…crunchy…you know the drill. The pizza itself is topped off with roma tomatoes, fresh basil pesto, crimini mushrooms, red and green bell peppers, broccoli, house tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. It was very colorful and smelled absolutely delicious.

Our pizza, however, was a little lopsided. One half was coated with veggies, the other half had a lot of plain cheese. As I don’t handle dairy too well, I took a supplement and then took the slices with more veggies than cheese showing. That was fine by Cathy. I think sometimes she only tolerates the veggies that I get on my vegetarian pizzas. But…she dug in first.

First of all…the crust was cooked all the way through. That…was a huge plus. YAY! It had a nice crispness to the crust. The vegetable were fresh and added both savory and sweet aspects to the slices itself. I loved the mushrooms, finding them cooked perfectly through. Cathy fell in love with the pesto that was on the pizza. And each slice was packed with fresh veggie goodness, which I appreciated. But…I did notice how wet the pizza got soon after we dove into our first slices. I think it was the blend of tomatoes with the tomato sauce and basil…but it got a bit soggy after a short time. Which…made me sad. I love that crispness to the crust that pizza should have. Ah well…I polished off my half of the pizza regardless, giving each of my slices a liberal sprinkle with the crushed red pepper flakes. Mmmm.

All-in-all, not bad. Really. Not bad. In fact, I’d be more than happy to eat here again and try something else. I hear the gluten-free bread they make their sandwiches on is fantastic (thanks for the insight, Tammy!). If anything, I was most disappointed by the appearance (veggies were SO off-kilter!) and the way it just sort of got soggy after a moment of sitting while we ate. But…it was cooked through. The cheese was melted. The veggies were cooked to perfection and tasted fresh. I was content. I felt good.

And…it must have worked because this gluten-free pizza fueled me all the way to a new half marathon personal record!

Julia seemed really happy with her wood-fired pizza…and the crust looked absolutely fantastic on her slices. I admit…I had crust envy.

If you find yourself in the Fishers area, I highly recommend Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub for your lunch or dinner plans. They have everything from salads to pizzas to sandwiches…and even dessert. I toyed with the idea of getting gelato…but I opted against it in the end. But…trust me…this is a great place and they were very careful with the preparation of my food. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

I will definitely be back. Next time…I think I’ll try a sandwich!

Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub's Gluten-Free Vava Veggie Pizza — Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub’s Gluten-Free Vava Veggie Pizza

May 20, 2014

Restaurant Review: Crepes ‘N Crepes, Denver, Colorado

Restaurant: Crepes ‘N Crepes, Denver, Colorado

Crepes.

Thin little French pancakes of awesomesauce.

Yep. That about sums it up. They come sweet. They come savory. But the fact of the matter is…I love them. There is something just so…foodie…about a crepe. They, for one thing, are a bitch to make. And, sadly, they are very hard to come by in the gluten-free variety.

There is a great food truck here who catered my birthday party last year…Sweet ‘N Savory, who does gluten-free crepes…and I love them so much. We’re BFFs really. If they have an event…you better believe I am there. When I go to Columbus, Ohio…I hit up Cest Si Bon…where I can get gluten-free crepes while out of town. But, the place I would get gluten-free crepes when I was visiting Denver…closed. It’s been closed for about two years now. It was where I first had a Crepe Suzette (my absolute favorite crepe in life!) and fell in love with it.

So what is a girl to do when she constantly craves crepes and her usual spot in Denver is gone?

You find a new one! And thanks to my Find Me Gluten Free app, I found one.

The place is Crepes ‘N Crepes…and they do have amazing gluten-free options. Any crepe can be made gluten-free…you just have to tell your server. I actually had a decent breakfast up in Boulder, Colorado that morning (The Buff, FTW!)…but I knew I’d be hungry sooner or later. And when we had limited parking at the hotel, our minds were made up…Cathy and I were grabbing an early dinner…and it was going to be crepes.

We drove out to East Third Avenue in Denver and parked the car. A short stroll from the parking garage to the restaurant. I was quite excited! We strolled in and we were seated out on the front porch under a nice umbrella, the afternoon breeze a nice change of pace. We were given menus and ordered water. I already knew what I was going to get for my crepe. They had a Crepe Suzette. Cathy…she needed some time to ponder. She is more of a savory crepe person than a sweet crepe person, so when she finally decided…it was all about cheese. Seriously.

Cathy ordered the Fromage de Chevre (Goat Cheese Crepe) that came with a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and a Pesto ($8.00). I got the Gluten-Free Crepe Suzette ($10.50 includes the $1.00 up-charge for gluten-free). The waitress asked if they needed to clean the stone off for me. I did explain that I was a Celiac and that it was necessary. She said it wasn’t a problem and went to put our orders in.

We only had a little bit of a wait before our crepes arrived. My folded pocket of goodness was a thin folded pancake that was made up of lemon juice, caramel, butter, sugar and grand marnier. Mmmm…boozy crepes!! It looked amazing, all flambeed to a beautiful sugary crust on the top. I was ready to dive right in and see if it compared to my first…and the one my food truck made specifically for me on my birthday. I took up my fork and knife and sliced right in. One bite…

And it was good. It was. It wasn’t quite up to what I had at La Creperie Cafe the other times I was in Denver (such a shame they closed!) or from Sweet ‘N Savory. But it was very good. It had that gritty sugary feel on the inside with the butter making it soft and delectable. The caramel gave it that nice crust on the top. And the lemon juice tied everything together. The booze was nicely burned off, giving it just that hint of flavor. Yep…still my favorite crepe. Just delicious. I was one happy girl, eating my gluten-free crepe out in the Denver sunshine that afternoon.

Cathy’s crepe, by the way, looked fantastic. It was stuffed with soft goat cheese and she was provided with two dipping sauces. While she is a huge fan of roasted red peppers, her favorite sauce was the pesto. She was in heaven when she combined that flavor of the crepe with the savory cheese and that kick of the pesto. She devoured it. And left no pesto in the container.

I was very happy that I at least got to have one of my favorite treats while in Denver. It was Denver where I first got served up a gluten-free crepe, so it has become somewhat of a tradition to seek out. Thanks to Crepes ‘N Crepes…I had an amazing Gluten-Free Crepe Suzette while enjoying a relaxing afternoon on the patio, chatting with my roommate and just taking it all in. Was it the best Crepe Suzette I ever had? Nope. But it was still delicious…and that is good enough for me! I can’t wait to go back!

Crepes 'N Crepes Gluten-Free Crepe Suzette — Crepes ‘N Crepes Gluten-Free Crepe Suzette

May 19, 2014

Restaurant Review: The Gluten Escape, Denver, Colorado

Restaurant: The Gluten Escape, Denver, Colorado

I have my friend, Pecos, to thank for turning me on to the newest gluten-free bakery near the Denver Tech Center in Denver, Colorado. I make a yearly sojourn out to Denver for Starfest, an annual sci-fi/fantasy convention, and am always looking for places that can safely feed me. A couple of months before I headed that way, Pecos mentioned this place on Facebook. Sure enough, it wasn’t far from my hotel at the convention at all. Insert a happy traveler right here!

As it turned out, we’d be hitting Denver at the right time to stop into said bakery for lunch. And I couldn’t be happier. Cathy and I budgeted some money (and then she added on after we settled in to eat and after purchasing a few things for later…but I’m getting ahead of myself) for this stop to be our official lunch and snack stop on Friday afternoon. It was perfect. And…after getting a little lost trying to find the place, we finally located it (under a storage awning, of all things).

The Gluten Escape. Their slogan…”Where gluten is a 4-letter word…gone!”

Love it.

The bakery itself is quite small and cozy. You see the counter with all the baked goods in the case and on top of the case the moment you walk in. To the left is a fridge, a toaster, a microwave, and coffee/tea stuff. To the right, a small dining area for those who are dining in. The back and far walls had little shelves with some of the items they had for sale…as well as cakes. Cathy scoped those out while I was preparing lunch…but I’m getting ahead of myself again.

We were greeted by a very nice gentleman behind the counter when we entered the bakery. We told him that we were from the Louisville, Kentucky area and had been told about this bakery by a good friend of ours in the area…and we were starving travelers. I was eying the brownies and bars in the case at the front when Cathy tapped me on the shoulder and said…”Bagels!”

The Gluten Escape's Gluten-Free Onion Bagel and Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll — The Gluten Escape’s Gluten-Free Onion Bagel and Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll

SOLD!! They were out of the Everything Bagel, which would have been my first choice. The other two options were Onion and Cinnamon Raisin. I jumped at Cinnamon Raisin, but Cathy said…”Really? You want that one?” Which means…she didn’t. So, I gave in for the Gluten-Free Onion Bagel ($3.00). And let me tell you…this bagel looked AWESOME!! Even better than Udi’s Gluten-Free Bagels. All of them. So, we got the Gluten-Free Onion Bagel with the Daiya Cream Cheese (yay for vegan cream cheese!) to split as we also purchased one of the Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls ($2.25) to split as well.

We also picked up other goodies…but I’ll get into that in a moment.

Let’s focus on lunch. We were handed the bagel, which he sliced for us and told that the toaster was right behind us. Awesome. I got to work toasting it while he grabbed the dairy-free cream cheese and then the cinnamon roll. He handed that to Cathy and told her she might want to give it a 20 second warm-up in the microwave. Which…she did. The toasting on the bagel was taking a bit of time and I was hoping I wasn’t going to burn it. Because…FRESH MADE GLUTEN-FREE BAGEL!! HELLO!! Do you realize how uncommon that is to find??!! Trust me…you don’t see it very often. I don’t see it at all, honestly. The bagel popped and I plated it and carried it to the table. Photos happened and then I spread the bagel with the cream cheese and we each took a bite.

Holy gluten-free bagel, Batman. This was fantastic. It was light, not heavy. The flavor was amazing. You really got the onion flavor without it being overpowering. It had that nice crust on the outside, but was still chewy and bread-y in the middle. It was heaven. I cried. Seriously. Tears of joy. Because, save for the Udi’s processed gluten-free bagels…I hadn’t had an actual bagel since I had to go gluten-free. This…was life changing for me. Life affirming even. I might survive after all. I set the bagel down so I could try the cinnamon roll.

This was not what I was expecting when I cut the cinnamon roll in half. Honestly. It looked more like a muffin than the traditional cinnamon roll. It was way different from the gluten-free cinnamon rolls that I purchase from Sinfully Gluten Free in Dayton, Ohio and Annie May’s Sweet Café in Louisville, Kentucky. Like I said…it looked more like a muffin. But…we all know that cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite indulgences…and I was looking forward to splitting this with Cathy. I sliced it in half…a pocket of cinnamon flavoring nestled right in the center. I lifted it and took a bite. It reminded me of…apple pie, oddly enough. I think it was the spices that went into the dough and the cinnamon center. I loved that it wasn’t coated in icing, but lightly drizzled. I am not a fan of icing or frosting…so the less the better in my book. And this definitely gave it a nice level of sweetness. It wasn’t my favorite gluten-free cinnamon roll, but it was delicious. And we ended up buying another one!

This brings me to our side purchases…

For breakfast the following morning, Cathy and I picked up two of the Mini Chocolate Donuts ($1.59), the Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bar, and the Lemon Raspberry Bar as well. I would have bought one of everything if I could have afforded it. So, after I went for a run that morning, I returned to the hotel room and got our breakfast prepped. I sliced the bars in half and delivered those to Cathy, along with her donut. As I was getting the rest of my breakfast ready for me to settle in and enjoy…I hear the happiest noise in the world.

The Gluten Escape's Gluten-Free Lemon Raspberry Bar, Gluten-Free Chocolate Donut, and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bar — The Gluten Escape’s Gluten-Free Lemon Raspberry Bar, Gluten-Free Chocolate Donut, and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bar

“You HAVE TO try the donut RIGHT NOW!” I was told.

So, I took a bite.

OMG…best gluten-free donut I have had yet. From anywhere. And, trust me, I’ve eaten a lot of gluten-free donuts…in gluten-free bakeries and the store-bought kind. Seriously…reminded me of a Dunkin Doughnuts Chocolate Munchkin. I was once again in tears. It was a cake doughnut, but without the denseness and heaviness that I often find with gluten-free donuts. These were light and airy, and amazing. The chocolate chips inside were a very nice treat as well. I was starting off breakfast with a bang. YUMMY!!

The next thing I sampled was the Gluten-Free Lemon Raspberry Bar ($3.75). This had this delicious crust and was topped with a sweet and tart lemon filling and then capped with something akin to raspberry jam or compote. Whatever it was…the flavor combination was awesome. The crust gave it a little bit of texture as well as dulled the sweetness of the berries and the tartness of the lemon. I liked this bar a lot, but found myself wishing that it was just the lemon on there. I love raspberries and all…but LEMON…is the ultimate bar. Forever.

The Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bar ($3.75) snagged my attention away from the brownies that were in the case. Those were tempting too. But…pretzel! HELLO! This was a lot like a blondie…but with gluten-free pretzels baked into it and scattered across the top. I’m thinking…sweet with salty. I was right. This bar was fantastic. The pretzels were slightly on the stale side, but that’s because I had bought them the day before and they were sitting on top of one of the tables in the hotel room all night. It didn’t take away from the deliciousness though. I loved the play and sweet and salty, which is my favorite flavor combination These were amazing. For real.

The Gluten Escape's Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Cookie — The Gluten Escape’s Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Cookie

Later on that day, Cathy and I decided to have a snack. We indulged in some fruit we had picked up at the grocery store. And with it, we split the Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Cookie ($2.50) that we also purchased while there. This was my first time ever encountering a crispy snickerdoodle cookie. But…the flavors were spot on. The sweetness from the sugar, the heat from the cinnamon. Snickerdoodles, as we all know, are my absolute favorite cookie and these were different from what I’m used to, but I loved it all the same. So, it wasn’t the chewy cookie I associate snickerdoodles with. Didn’t matter. It tasted like a snickerdoodle. That’s what counts, yes? RIGHT!

I won’t lie…the buying didn’t stop there. Nope. Not at all. Before we left the bakery on Friday afternoon, Cathy pointed out the Gluten-Free Biscotti and the Gluten-Free Puppy Chow on one of the shelves. I also found a Pumpkin Spice Granola Bar that was definitely intriguing, since pumpkin flavored everything rules! I ended up buying the Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola Bar ($2.25), the Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti ($1.95), the Grain Free Mocha Almond Biscotti ($3.25), and a container of the Gluten-Free Puppy Chow ($3.99-ish?).

The Gluten Escape's Gluten-Free Puppy Chow — The Gluten Escape’s Gluten-Free Puppy Chow

I tried the Puppy Chow on Monday morning on my way to the airport. Cathy and I needed to swing by Voodoo Donut to pick up some dounuts for a co-worker of ours. So, while there, Cathy ordered a donut for herself. As for me…it was Puppy Chow time. The Gluten Escape’s Puppy Chow is a mix of Chex cereal, puffed rice, pretzels, and corn flakes. They are dusted in powdered sugar. And it was really, really good. I loved the different textures and flavors with each bite. You got the salty from the pretzels, the sweet from the cereal, and each cereal was different, making it crunchy or softer or just snack-able by the handful. I loved it. I ate half of it before hitting the airport and brought the other half to the office with me the following day.

The Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola Bar was…lacking sweetness, in my opinion. It was good. And they definitely had the right pumpkin spice flavor down. It wasn’t overpowering. But…the bar just seemed flat. It was very crunchy, which is fine…granola bars can go either way. But I kept waiting on something that would sweeten the deal. Like chocolate chips or something. I just think it needed a touch of sugar (not too much…just something to elevate it). Regardless, it was good and I downed that entire thing at the office.

As for the two biscotti that I chose…WOW!! Just…WOW!! They complimented my morning coffee beautifully for one thing. The first one that Cathy and I tried (we split them) was the Grain Free Mocha Almond Biscotti. OH MY GOD!! So delicious. I enjoyed dunking it in my coffee and just having that flavor mingle and mix. Oh…it was divine. And totally made my morning, if you couldn’t tell. The Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti was the same way. I loved the crispness that would soften when dunked in the coffee and the chocolate chips were a nice lingering sweet touch. I was in total coffee heaven those mornings. Seriously. I will probably buy whatever biscotti they have next time I am in town. For real. That…was love at first bite for sure!

I know that Colorado is a hotbed for gluten-free companies and businesses…and I love visiting there for that reason. But, if you happen to be near the Denver Tech Center (DTC)…I strongly encourage you to take the trip up the road to The Gluten Escape and indulge in some of their daily specials and their baked goods. Everything looked fantastic. I really would have purchased one of everything had the budget and my belly allowed. But, that’s why there is always a next time. And there will be a next time.

Beyond impressed!

The Gluten-Escape's Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola Bar, Grain-Free Mocha Almond Biscotti, and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti — The Gluten-Escape’s Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola Bar, Grain-Free Mocha Almond Biscotti, and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti

May 18, 2014

Product Review: WOW Baking Company Lemon Burst Cookies

Product: WOW Baking Company Lemon Burst Cookies – $4.99+

Lemon. Lemon.

Luscious lemon.

There is something go refreshing and amazing about foods that have that lemon tang to it. Citrus has always been one of my first loves…especially lemon. Lemonade, lemon chiffon, lemon meringue, lemon zest, lemon…lemon…lemon! Give me all the lemon.

Luckily, my friends know of this lemon love…and often share it.

That goes double for my friend Jenn, who kindly stocked me up with a package of WOW Baking Company’s Lemon Burst Cookies.

I mean…what is not to love about that? LEMON. BURST. COOKIES.

I was thrilled to have these in my pantry…and after working through some other items…pulled these out one evening for a delicious palate cleanser after dinner. Dessert doesn’t have to be big…but it should always be enjoyed. I love a small touch of sweetness after a meal. My desserts at home are often just a couple bites of something, but I never deny myself that little treat.

That being said…I pulled open this little sack of cookie goodness and discovered a bag full of amazing soft, two to three bite cookies. I checked the label for the serving size…which says…2 ounces. That turned out to be around 4-5 of the little mini cookies. So…I dished up a measured serving (yes…I weighed them each time!) for my roommate and one for me. I delivered the cookies to her and she dug in. She might love lemon even more than I do…so she was happily nomming away at her batch of cookies when I finally settled in with my dessert.

One bite confirmed what her appreciative chewing noises were telling me. These…WERE AWESOME!! The texture was somewhere in between a butter cookie and a cake. Seriously. They were so soft and light…I loved it. No annoying crunching. Flavor-wise, it was like eating a bit of sugar cookie dough that was kicked up with a hint of lemon flavor. Just enough to sweeten and not overpower. It was so refreshing. Each bite was a treat, most definitely.

WOW Baking Company is very dedicated to producing soft, chewy, delicious tatsting baked goods that are wheat-free and gluten-free. According to their Website, all products are produced in small batches with premium, all-natural ingredients. You won’t ever find hydrogenated oils, refined sugars, artificial flavors or wheat and gluten in any of the products they produce. Their products are non-GMO, which is always nice. WOW Baking Company produces all their products in a dedicated and certified gluten-free facility.

So, let’s discuss the ingredients in WOW Baking Company Lemon Burst Cookies, shall we? These cookies are made from a gluten-free flour blend (brown rice, sweet rice, tapioca), cane sugar, butter, eggs, corn starch, potato starch, vanilla, cream of tartar, pure lemon oil, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt and citric acid. That’s it. And what you get is a product you’d be hard pressed to guess was gluten-free if you didn’t know. Trust me.

Nutritionally speaking, a serving of WOW Baking Company Lemon Burst Cookies is, as I mentioned before, 2 ounces, or around 4-5 cookies. This serving will dish you up 260 calories and 12 grams of fat. These cookies also have 50 mg cholesterol, 220 mg sodium, and 14 grams of sugar. The Lemon Burst Cookies also have 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein in each serving. So…they are a treat for sure. Don’t over indulge…but do enjoy.

I fell in love with the WOW Baking Company Lemon Burst Cookies at first bite. Chewy, soft, light, and delicious. The right amount of lemon flavor. The right balance of everything else. Real ingredients means really delicious treats. This…is a favorite for sure!

Just…WOW!

April 29, 2014

Recipe: Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters

I admit it…originally, I was going to take my zucchini and pull out my handy-dandy Cusinart food processor and make some more gluten-free zucchini bread. Why? Because I love my family recipe for zucchini bread (which very successfully bakes up gluten-free from the original not-gluten-free recipe). I was so tempted.

But…I’m going out of town this weekend…and need to use up produce without having too much left just sitting around in the crisper drawer or in the fridge and freezer. So…I hunted down other ideas. And thanks to the magic of Pinterest…I stumbled across a recipe that would not only use up the zucchini in my crisper, but also one of my two sweet potatoes. It was from the blog Averie Cooks and I had everything necessary to make these that night for dinner. I sent the link to my roomie and she mightily approved. I gave her the option of two sweet potato recipes…and she went with this one. And so…dinner was decided…just like that.

Upon returning home from the office on Friday, I set myself to work in the kitchen, cleaning and shredding up a large sweet potato and a large zucchini. And when all was said and done, these baked up to be a soft, but delicious treat for dinner. Honestly, I can’t wait to make it again. The flavors are amazing and they even go well in a skillet and served up like a veggie burger on a bun (that’s what I did with the leftovers!).

Check out this easy recipe:

Recipe: Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato Zucchini Fritters

Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters (with Gluten-Free Baked Zucchini Fries)

Servings: 6
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Bake 50 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (or vegan butter)
1 large egg (or egg replacer or flax egg)
2 teaspoons chipotle seasoning (I used ancho chili powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose)
about 3 cups coarsely grated sweet potato (1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and grated)
about 2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (1 large or 2 small zucchini)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Sp with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.

To the melted butter, add the egg and beat with a fork to combine.

Add the chipotle seasoning, salt, pepper, and stir to combine.

Add the flour and stir to combine.

Add the sweet potato, zucchini, and toss to combine.

Mixture will be loose and a bit soggy.

Using a 1/2-cup measure, form fritters by transferring one heaping half-cup of vegetable mixture from mixing bowl directly to baking trays. They will be about 4-inches in diameter.

Bake fritters for 10 minutes at 375°F and if fritters have “leaked” or released any liquids, either from the zucchini releasing water, or the butter-egg mixture, just “push” the liquid back into a fritter using a spatula.

Lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake for about 15 minutes. Carefully flip fritters over (they will be soft and delicate, so be careful to flip them without breaking them) and bake for about 15 more minutes, or until browned. Fritters will be browned but soft upon removal from oven. Allow them to cool and firm up on the baking trays for at least 10 minutes before moving or serving them.

~*~*~

Really, really fantastic flavor!! Honestly. My roommate raved about them. They are still quite soft, but they are delicious and amazing. I fell in love with these at first bite. And so did the roomie. In fact, we were thrilled to come home tonight and eat the two leftover patties as veggie burgers. The night I made these, we each had 2 fritters each (about 100 calories per fritter), and I baked up some gluten-free zucchini fries with the leftover zucchini. One of my favorite dinners to date.

I encourage you to give these fritters a shot. They are definitely worth the time they take to make and eat. Trust me…you’ll love them.

April 28, 2014

Product Review: O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins

Product: O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins – $3.99+

It had gotten to the point, as of late, where I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I was never, ever, ever…EVER going to stumble across the third flavor of gluten-free Bagel Thins from O’Doughs. Seriously. Because my local grocery store that actually stocks this brand only carries the Original and Sprouted Whole Grain Flax Seed versions.

And while I appreciate that…I was in search of ALL the Bagel Thins.

Leave it to Organic Harvest (my happiest place in Birmingham, Alabama), a natural food store in the aforementioned Birmingham, Alabama, to carry this particular product in their freezer section. And…because I think ahead…I had a cooler with me for transport back to Indiana when I finished up my visit with my family. I was actually in town for the Making Tracks for Celiacs 5K race with my mom (I ran; she walked) and the gluten-free expo that followed. All of that was fine and good, but with lunch looming at a diner where there is really nothing my mom or I can eat, we make our way over to Organic Harvest and pick up one of their small salads and usually a dessert to split between us. But, while there, I had permission to shop a little and pick up some items that I can’t find in Louisville.

YAY!

And so…I began to walk the aisles, scanning the shelves…looking for items of interest. Something that would grab me, shake me, and beg me to take it home. Not really though, because if food started to do that, I might scream and run away. But…if we’re just talking figuratively…I wanted to make the best decision as to what was coming home with me. Nothing worse than grabbing an item and then finding out it was crap.

Well, my roomie does get just as excited about gluten-free goodies as I do (which I love…since she can eat ALL the food and doesn’t have to eat gluten-free). And she spotted the O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins in the freezer section while she meandered quicker through the store with my dad. She hurried over to find me…and alert me of this finding. I immediately said, “THAT…is definitely coming home with us!”

And so…it happened. Into the basket with a couple (I behaved) other items and my lunch for that day. We checked out, put things in the cooler, went to lunch, and then went back to my parents house to store the items in the freezer until we left the following morning.

With another trip looming, this time to Colorado (the iconic home of all things gluten-free and awesome!), I’m starting to work my way through some of these things. And, with my morning being a crazy hot mess with spinning and everything…well…something quick that could happen while I showered was ideal. So, out of my freezer came the O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins.

I pulled out a baking sheet (I don’t own a toaster), and then sliced two of the bagel thins in half. I was expecting to see flecks of cranberry throughout, but I didn’t. Ah well. I never know what to expect. And as the oven was warming, I tossed the pan in and went to take a quick shower. By the time I was out and dressed, the bagel thins were toasted up and ready for the vegan cream cheese schmear. Breakfast was served (with a side of my left over Mustard Roasted Potatoes).

One thing that I do find is that bagel thins, while they are less calories, aren’t truly a bagel. I miss that doughy middle section and that crunch on the outside with the softness in the middle. That’s a bagel (spoken like a true New Yorker!). But…I also love to save some calories for other indulgences…like dark chocolate to keep me awake when I’m drowsing off at my desk. You know…those unexpected things in life. So, when you bite into one of O’Dough’s Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins, you get a crunch. If you toast it…you get a crunch. And then…you get cream cheese. Even just using a serving size of the cream cheese…you get cream cheese.

But…when you break off a piece that didn’t get well schmeared with the cheese…and taste it on its own…you still kind of don’t get inundated with the flavors of the bagel thin itself. It does have a nice hint of sweetness to it, thanks to the apples and almonds. And you get some very mild undertones of cinnamon and raisins and maybe even some citrus. But it’s not strong. Which…is not a bad thing. You don’t want to overpower the product with too many flavors. However, I was hoping that the apple and cranberry flavor would really take a front seat here. Unfortunately, it didn’t. That being said, the texture and the taste of these little bagel thins are really good. And if you don’t want a strong flavor to your bagel thins, but you want little hints of it in each bite, these may be the way to go. These would also probably be really good with butter on top. But I’m a cream cheese girl at heart.

Let’s talk ingredients for a moment, shall we? The O’Dough’s Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins are made from filtered water, potato starch, tapioca starch, chickpea flour, soya flour, whole grain rice flour, organic evaporated cane juice, cellulose fiber, dried apples, dried cranberries, raisins, glycerine, sunflower oil, yeast, sea salt, salba chia seed, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, dehydrated fruits and vegetables (oranges, apples cranberries, tomatoes, broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, carrots).

Hmmmm…tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli and carrots in my bagel? Really?? REALLY??! That’s…different.

Nutritionally speaking, a serving size is one bagel thin. One of O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins will supply you with 100 calories and 1 gram of fat. These thin little bagels have 300 mg sodium and 2 grams of sugar. They also have 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein. They are cholesterol free, gluten-free, all-natural, and preservative free. These are an fantastic source of fiber as well. Oh, and those veggies I was talking about up there are part of the 7 different fruits and vegetables that are contained in these bagel thins…which is nutritionally equivalent to 2 servings of fruit and veggies. Go figure.

Overall, I thought these were pretty good. I wish these came sliced, however, because slicing a bagel thin is a tricky task. Cut one bit too thin and it gets burned in the toaster or oven. It’s all just about holding it right and cutting it right. If they came pre-sliced, things would be so much easier on all of us. Other than that…these were good. What they lack in appearance, they do make up for in taste. And that…is saying something.

If you haven’t been able to find O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins in your grocery store…see if they can order them in. They are definitely worth trying. Especially if (like me) you are a cinnamon-raisin lover. It’s…sort of similar to that flavor.

O'Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese — O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

The final flavor was the Apple Cranberry. These made for a nice change as they had the wonderful sweetness from, you guessed it, apples and cranberries with the subtle undertones of raisins, orange, and spicy cinnamon. These reminded me of my beloved cinnamon raisin bagels back in my pre-Celiac diagnosis days. Top them with either butter or cream cheese and you are really good to go – their flavor is just robust enough that anything other than a simple topping would likely be a mistake on these. – See more at: http://www.glutenfreemike.com/odoughs-new-bagel-thins/#.U17c_qKwVFY