Cuisine Cube – Page 7 – The Celiathlete

August 18, 2014

Product Review: Dinner Tonight Burger Seasoning

Product: Dinner Tonight Burger Seasoning – $3.95+

Maybe it’s the “end of summer” last call in this month’s Cuisine Cube, but I was hit up with a product I couldn’t eat (Field Trip Cracked Pepper Turkey Jerky) as a vegetarian, and then, as I was eagerly pulling products out of the box…noted the burger sauce and the burger seasoning.

You’d think I would do as I did with the turkey jerky and put it in the break room as fair game for any hungry or burger-loving co-workers. But not me. You see, one thing I love doing is creating products in my kitchen. And never have burgers been completely limited to meat. Especially where I am concerned. What I did was started to ponder what a vegetarian could create using these products meant for burgers and lo and behold…it came to me.

I decided I would create a veggie burger (using green lentils for the main source of protein) and figured I could use the Dinner Tonight Burger Seasoning Mix as I would if I had been cooking with meat. It was brilliant. It was…a good reason to dig out those lentils.

Last night, I donned my skull and crossbones apron and set myself to work, creating my veggie burger. Lentils, mushrooms, and more all got cooked up, and after giving it a little mash, in went the seasoning. I immediately loved how light and citrus-y it smelled. It had this very bright aroma to it and I knew it was really going to elevate my veggie burger. Happiness. I chilled the base and after about 30 minutes, pounded out about 10 actual patties, freezing 8 of them and using two for dinner (one for me and one for the roomie!). Some olive oil on my skillet and down went the patties. No cheese necessary…I was topping these with Russian red kale and green tomato.

Within a couple of minutes, the burgers had a beautiful sear on them and I lifted them off the skillet and put them in the gluten-free buns (which I purchased from my local gluten-free bakery, Annie May’s Sweet Café). Dinner was served (with a side of smashed purple potatoes!). I topped these off with the Charleston Gourmet Burger Co. Burger Sauce (see next review!) and then…settled in to see how my own play on a veggie burger came out.

I can honestly say, thanks to the Dinner Tonight Burger Seasoning, I didn’t need to add anything more to these burgers as I formed the base. No extra salt. No other spices or herbs. This was just what these lentils, mushrooms, and other veggies needed. The seasoning itself wasn’t too strong, but you could definitely taste the variety of flavors that made up this mix. The veggie burgers that I made with the Dinner Tonight Burger Seasoning were pure perfection…especially when it came to balancing flavors. Brilliant.

The Dinner Tonight Burger Seasoning Mix is made from garlic, thyme, black pepper, salt, lemon zest, cayenne pepper, onion, parsley, natural lemon juice powder, sugar, and citric acid. This mix is all natural, cholesterol free, and gluten-free. And…it’s perfect for carnivores and herbivores alike. Trust me.

A serving of the Dinner Tonight Burger Seasoning Mix is 1 teaspoon. This one serving will provide you with 5 calories and less than 1 gram of fat. You will be taking in 135 mg sodium. Finally, this serving gives you 0 grams of protein and fiber.

Once again, Cuisine Cube provided me with a product I never would have known about or tried…but thanks to it being in my cube, I found a purpose for it. I’m not going to let a vegetarian keep me from trying whatever I can in these boxes of happiness each month. The jerky was one thing…but burger seasoning…hell, I can figure out a use for that! One delicious veggie burger later, not using it with a meat base made no difference, this seasoning mix should be raved about. Absolutely loved it. And now, I have my first official recipe for my own cookbook.

Thank you Dinner Tonight and Cuisine Cube!

August 10, 2014May 11, 2015

Product Review: Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake & Waffle Mix

Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake and Waffle Mix

Product: Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake & Waffle Mix – $7.99

Okay…I think this is a first. An absolute first since I started receiving my Cuisine Cube orders. If you’re just tuning in, Cuisine Cube is a brilliant service that sends a box of 5-6 lesser known company products in the gluten-free world to my door…for me to enjoy…each month. Yes. Each month. And for a really good fee as well. I always look forward to my cube and have been trying to get through the items that have been sent in May-July as my August cube is to arrive tomorrow and I still have quite a few untried and untested products in each box. But…I’m getting there for sure!

So…there is my plug for Cuisine Cube. And I encourage anyone in my gluten-free reading circle (or even if you’re not gluten-free!) to give Cuisine Cube a try. You can cancel at any time…but I’m loving it too much to even dream about canceling. Because, it seems, they have nailed these products and sent some of the most amazing products I, otherwise, never have discovered or heard about.

And usually…these products wow me and astound me and make me want to seek them out so I can keep them in my pantry. But…this time…for the first time in four months…I didn’t care for a product that was inside.

The product in question was in my June Cuisine Cube. It was the Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake and Waffle Mix. Now…I absolutely love pancakes and waffles. I wouldn’t be a runner if I didn’t. Let’s face it. HA! Seriously, there is nothing quite as satisfying as a delicious soft pancake with hot maple syrup drizzled over it…or a crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside waffle fresh from my waffle (stick) iron. And yet…they are a breakfast item I so rarely make as the waffle maker sometimes drives me nuts and, well, I just haven’t done pancakes in awhile.

With my friend, Greg, in town…I figured I could test out the Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake and Waffle Mix for breakfast on Sunday. I had already hit up the gym and done some laps in the pool (SIGH!), so after a shower…I grabbed the little container of the Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake and Waffle Mix and headed into the kitchen. I dug out my waffle stick maker and got it heating up. I sprayed it with cooking spray and then got to making the batter for the waffles.

I realized I had no eggs…but thankfully there is a vegan version of the mix on the container. No eggs needed. I emptied the bag of mix into a large bowl and added 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk and 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Per the instructions. I gave it a mix…and it was just dry and clumpy and…not batter. So I added more almond milk, and it didn’t do much different…but at least it was a bit creamier.

I pulled out my 1/3 cup scoop (that’s the serving size) and poured the batter into the waffle iron. I spread it out with a knife, adding a little batter here and there where needed to fill in holes. Then, I closed the lid and let it steam and cook and get toasted and crispy. It took about 6 or 7 minutes total. I decided to take a chance and serve Greg first. He’s rather particular about his food…so I crossed my fingers, laid it out with some warm maple agave syrup, and went back to start on Cathy’s (the roomie!) waffles.

I repeated this process again, handing over her waffles and heading back to make mine. And as she dug in I had to ask…

“So, what do you think?”

And her response…was shocking. “Actually, I’m not a fan.”

“Really? Why? What’s wrong?”

“It’s…salty.”

So, this immediately sent me scrambling for the package to see what might be salty in the mix. And, near the end there is salt, but it was one of the last ingredients listed. However, I did note that there were two different bean flours that were used in the mix…and I thought, perhaps, the bean flours were giving it that flavor to her. I would have to wait for my waffles to finish so I could see for myself.

I pulled my waffle sticks from the waffle iron, gave them a drizzle of syrup, and settled in to tuck into my breakfast.

One bite…and I totally knew it was the bean flours. The flavor of the Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake and Waffle Mix…is, supposedly, vanilla. I don’t get vanilla at all. I did see what Cathy meant about the “salty” aspect of the prepared waffles. I definitely could pinpoint it as to being a result of using both chickpea and fava bean flours. It sort of reminded me of why I disliked the flavor of some of the Dr. Lucky’s Gluten-Free Cookies, which also uses bean flours as a base…and you can tell. The texture of these waffles were perfection. It got that golden crust on the outside and nice and soft in the middle. A perfect cook indeed. It fluffed up in the waffle iron and was golden perfection. I was really excited about them. Until I took a bite. Because they didn’t have that vanilla flavor that was advertised. They had bean flavor. And I don’t want bean flavored waffles. Seriously. That’s…disgusting. When you bite into a waffle or pancake, you want the buttermilk or vanilla or whatever flavor you expect. This salty, bean flavor was not what I expected…or wanted. I was really turned off and it was a fight to actually get me to finish them off at breakfast. Drown anything with syrup and you can get through it, I guess.

So…yeah…

So, let’s talk about the ingredients in the Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake and Waffle Mix. This mix is a blend of an organic gluten-free flour blend (garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, whole grain sweet white sorghum flour, and fava bean flour), organic sugar, leavening (monocalcium phosphate and sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch), baking soda, salt, vanilla bean powder, and xanthan gum. The mix itself is gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and cholesterol free.

As for nutrition information, a serving of the Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake and Waffle Mix is 1/3 cup. There are 4 servings per container. One serving will provide you with 170 calories and 0 grams of fat. This serving will give you 590 calories and 3 grams of sugar. And finally, you will be taking in 1 gram of fiber and 5 grams of protein.

All-in-all…I was just really disappointed with the Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake and Waffle Mix. I had gone into it with an open mind and a lot of confidence because it was from Cuisine Cube…and I’ve never disliked something (until now) that was in my Cuisine Cube. This just was strange…the flavor was way off. I wish it had been delicious because I liked everything else about the waffles. Just not the taste.

Too bad.

Well, we can’t win them all. I can’t wait to move forward and try something else from my next cube. But I don’t think I’ll be ordering any more of the Southern Culture Artisan Foods Shortstacks Gluten Free Vanilla Pancake and Waffle Mix.

August 6, 2014

Product Review: Stroopies Gluten-Free Authentic Dutch Stroopwafels

Product: Stroopies Gluten-Free Authentic Dutch Stroopwafels – $2.50

I know what you’re thinking…you’re thinking..

“What the hell is a Stroopwafel?”

Am I right? Am I? Well, up until I received my July Cuisine Cube, I fell into that category too. In fact, I didn’t even know such a thing as a Stroopwafel even existed. Never heard of one. Never would have thought to even look for one to try. But, thanks to the miracle of my Cuisine Cube, I not only am introduced to a new company, but also a new product (and in a sense, a type of food I didn’t even know existed until then).

So, to answer the above question…Stroopwafels are all the rage in Holland. It is a type of Dutch cookie with a rich, flavorful, caramel taste. It is apparently best enjoyed with a warm beverage or as a snack. These cookies are made from two thin layers of baked dough with a thin caramel syrup-ish filling in the middle. They are a popular street food in the Netherlands and, I am assuming, a nice accessory with a good coffee.

Stroopies is based out of Lancaster, Pensylvania, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. Dan and Ed, the owners of Stroopies, make these delicious cookies from classic ingredients that are locally sourced and all natural. What Stroopies manage to do with their Stroopwafels is find that perfect balance between the cinnamon and the caramel. And what emerges is this delightful, light, tasty treat.

With my August Cuisine Cube on its way, I began picking through some of the stuff left in my current cube. And, as we used up the dairy-free ice cream in the freezer yesterday, I was giving my roommate the option for dessert. The Dutch cookies from the July cube…the dairy-free chocolate freezer pops, the last pint of dairy-free ice cream, or the gluten-free biscotti we picked up at the grocery store.

As the Stroopies were in my hand at that moment…that’s what she chose.

And so, after our dinner of Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Walnuts, dessert was going to be a synch. All it required was for me to open the little plastic pouch the cookies arrived in. As I wasn’t prepared to brew up a decaf coffee to have these with, I ended up just popping them in the microwave as an nontraditional way to warm these up (instead of over the cup of a hot beverage). So, a quick 20 second hit in the microwave and these were ready. I handed my roommate hers and she immediately dug in while I went to warm up mine and retrieve it.

“It tastes like…a cinnamon roll. A really thin cinnamon roll!” she declared.

To me, this can only be a good thing…because I absolutely love cinnamon rolls, as you all very well know. So, as I settled in to try it myself, I was already anticipating that first hit on my tongue. I broke off a piece of the cookie, the two thin waffle layers breaking apart slowly with the now warm caramel layer in the center coming with it. I popped the little bit into my mouth and…magic. Pure cookie magic. This is probably one of the most unique and best cookies I have tried that is nothing like anything I have ever had before.

Stroopies actually do find that perfect balance between the cinnamon and the caramel. In fact, the thin caramel layer perfectly matches the waffle cookie shells that sandwich it inside. It’s the perfect layering…very even…so nothing outshines anything else. This was one unique and fantastic dessert, for sure. Honestly, it does taste like a cookie version of a cinnamon roll. I can see why these are so popular in Holland. I was hooked at the first bite and found myself wishing that we had more than the two cookies that came in the pack inside my Cuisine Cube. Each bite brought more flavor and more of that soft and amazing texture. I was more than enamored with this cookie. And if you can…I highly recommend these.

As these are one of those local-ish products, I don’t have any nutritional information, however I can go over the ingredients with you. The Stroopies Gluten-Free Authentic Dutch Stroopwafels are made from brown rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, soy flour, corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, butter, margarine, eggs, salt, spices and flavorings.

I will note that these cookies are made on dedicated equipment, however they are produced in a factory that contains wheat, soy and peanut products.

Another fantastic product that came to me via my Cuisine Cube. Subscribing to my monthly Cuisine Cube has been one of the best things I have done in a long time. I’m really enjoying getting introduced to smaller gluten-free companies out there that I would otherwise know nothing about. And if you are interested in trying Stroopies Gluten-Free Authentic Dutch Stroopwafels…head on over to their Web site and place an order. Trust me…these are worth ordering without trying. I am about to go order more myself.

August 1, 2014

Product Review: Thumbs Cookies Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Product: Thumbs Cookies Gluten Free Sugar Cookies – $20.00+

Who says good things don’t come in small packages? Certainly not me. I often find some of the best things in life come in smaller packages. Heck, I’m a 5’3″ runner…so I’m a small person as it is. The smaller…the more likely I am to take a second glance at it or even…purchase it.

I never would have even known about the existence of Thumbs Cookies if not for my monthly delivery from Cuisine Cube. These little cookies (seriously….the size of your thumbprint) were inside my June box as the dessert treat. And, for you regular readers…we all know how I feel about cookies. If I were blue and furry with googly eyes, I really would be cookie monster.

GIVE ME ALL THE GLUTEN FREE COOKIES!

And all the cookies is possible this time, as Thumbs Cookies are tiny. Teeny-tiny, pop-in-your-mouth morsels of cookie goodness. Cuisine Cube included the original Sugar Cookies in the June cube…which is fine by me. I love a good sugar cookie. And, since creator Robyn Frank, has immortalized her family recipe that her mother used, these cookies are close to as good as it gets without being fresh from your own oven. Seriously…Frank, in fact, hand rolls each and every cookie in the palm of her hand and finishes them with her thumbprint. She used to bake these alongside her mother whenever she made them for special occasions.

I love a good cookie story…especially when family and family history are involved.

The evening was shaping up to be a busy one. Work was finally over and I had been intending to do the last of the BlueMile Brew Miles (a local running store’s mile runs at different pubs in the Louisville area), but an almost stress fracture sidelined my plans to run. My roomie said that we could still go and walk it…if we took it slow and steady. But this meant a quick bite at home and then off to the races, as it were. I was reheating homemade soup, serving it with gluten-free crackers, and then having these cookies for dessert. Simple. Quick. Efficient. Especially on a busy night.

So, after downing our soup, we cleaned our dishes and I snagged the little box of these teeny-tiny cookies for dessert. I figured they were small…so we’d just split the entire package. Why not? We were off to walk a mile anyway. So, I doled them out and we settled in to pop them, one-by-one…

First of all…we probably could have split these between two nights, but they were so fantastic, I didn’t care. I really didn’t. I put the first one in my mouth…and it was just this soft little butter cookie with a hint of cinnamon and a bit of sugar sprinkled on top. Like…mini snickerdoodles. Little sugar cookie morsels of amazing goodness. I was in love. In fact, I believe I looked up at my roommate and said, “Well that’s a fantastic little bite!” And I wasn’t joking. These won’t melt in your mouth, but they aren’t brittle or hard. They are just these nice little poppers of cookie yumminess. Seriously, if I had just opened the pack for me, I probably would have eaten them all without a second thought. So, eating half the container didn’t leave me berating myself either for indugling so much. These really are itty-bitty cookies…and I enjoyed each and every bite.

As far as ingredients go…you can tell these are homemade. The Thumbs Cookies Gluten Free Sugar Cookies are made from shortening, sugar, cinnamon, more sugar, and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour. These are homemade, to order, and no nutritional information is available on them. Just rest assured, they are small but mighty and it is so easy to just keep popping them like candy.

I’m always told that I am small, but fierce. That is definitely these cookies. They are small…but they pack a mighty flavor punch. Cookie perfection in little bites. And for that…Thumbs Cookies hits all the right notes. Fantastic flavor, great texture, and…well…when it’s a cookie…and when it’s a delicious cookie…you have me sold. I can’t wait to dig up some more of these. I might not share this time. HA!

Once again…thank you, my dear Cuisine Cube…without you, I’d have no idea these even existed.

July 21, 2014

Product Review: Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch Cereal

Product: Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch Cereal – $5.99+

Many of you know, because I make it no secret, that there are certain things in life that I love. Certain foods that I fall in love with and make a staple in my pantry, refrigerator, or even my freezer. Well, that holds true for products made by the Australian company, Freedom Foods. Freedom Foods makes a variety of products, although only a few items are available in the United States at the moment…and most of these include cereals, which, for the record, are made in a dedicated and specially built allergen-free facility in the Riverina region of New South Wales, in Australia. As Freedom Foods was specifically developed to make allergen-free foods, they test every batch made in their facilities, to the most stringent levels possible, leaving no doubt that the Freedom Foods products you pick up will be free of the allergens that are necessary to avoid.

LOVE THAT!

Because we live in a world where it’s not enough to just be health conscious. Now we have to be allergen conscious too. With the growing number of food allergies and intolerances, it is nice to find a company that really proves that it is dedicated to creating products that are safe to consume. Freedom Foods has been around for over 20 years, making great-tasting and nutritious allergen-free food. I can attest to this, as I am a huge fan of the products I have had from them thus far. All of their products adhere to the strict guidelines laid out by Australia’s food industry, meaning all their products are non-GMO. They even test for GMOs just to make sure.

One of my favorite products, mind you, is the Tropico’s cereal, which is a gluten-free version of Froot Loops, but made without artificial colors, ingredients, partially hydrogenated crap…you know…all that bad stuff that Kellogg’s puts into their cereals and people consume freely. I am a cereal girl. I start most of my mornings with a small bowl. A serving. And yes…I do measure. You knew that already though, right?

Well, in my July Cuisine Cube, I had a special surprise waiting for me inside. Because when I opened up the box, I saw that bright red top of a cereal box that meant…it had to be Freedom Foods. I thought for a moment that they just restocked me on my Tropico’s (which my parents mail to me every few weeks so I never run out – as it is impossible to find them around here anymore!). But I was wrong. The box of cereal that awaited me when I pulled it out of the Cuisine Cube was…one I had never seen in the wild before. Not when stores around here carried it…and not at the store that carries the brand in Birmingham, Alabama…where I think my parents buy them out of Tropico’s.

The cereal was Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch Cereal…and it’s basically a chocolate version of Rice Krispies. Chocolate puffed rice cereal? I’m down with that. We all know I’m a chocolate fiend as it is. Give it to me for breakfast and you just won my morning. As I just ran out of Tropico’s…it looked like Monday was going to start with a bit of chocolate. So, I poured myself a serving of the Cocoa Crunch, topped it with a splash of unsweetened almond milk, and settled in to get something more in my stomach (I had a small bite of something before I went for my run, but I still had spin class to contend with…so…fuel, baby, fuel!).

I have had my fair share of puffed rice cereals in the chocolate form before. Envirokidz (Koala Crisp) and Mom’s Best (Crispy Cocoa Rice) both do gluten-free puffed rice cereal. And both are really delicious. So…when I took a bite of this cereal, I was hoping it would live up to those two at least.

It came as no surprise that…it did.

Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch is a chocolaty bowl of goodness and rightness in the morning. Chocolate can make anything better. Even a good morning can be improved on with a hint of chocolate. What makes this cereal really unique, though, is that these chocolate puffs of rice are flavored and colored with natural ingredients and are lower in sodium and sugar than comparable kids cereals. And…the flavor really is great. I don’t want a cereal to be too sweet, because it feels like it’s just a bunch of sugar. And this one strikes a nice balance of rich chocolate without that overkill on sweetness. It was crunchy, and stayed crunchy, as I ate it. And analyzed each bite…which I tend to do each time I try a new cereal. It was decadent without being too much. And, the best part is…the chocolate milk left in the bowl at the end of it. Recovery fuel at its finest! This cereal is total chocolate love without the excess sugar and sodium that other kids cereals have inside.

So…let’s get down to the comparisons and the nitty-gritty of the ingredients and nutritional information, yes?

Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch Cereal contains the following ingredients: gluten-free flour mix (rice, non-GMO corn, wholegrain sorghum flour), cane sugar, chocolate syrup, psyllium, cocoa powder, salt, palm oil, natural chocolate flavor, and…wait for it…vitamins (niacin, thiamine, folic acid). This cereal is free from gluten, wheat, nuts, soy, eggs, and GMO ingredients.

As for the nutritional information, this isn’t too bad for a gluten-free chocolate-based cereal. Honestly. A serving of Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch Cereal is 1 cup (Envirokidz Koala Crunch is 3/4 cup and Mom’s Best is 3/4 cup). This serving will give you 130 calories and .5 grams of fat (Envirokidz – 110 calories; 1 gram fat; Mom’s – 120 calories; 1 gram fat). This serving will also dish you up 85 mg sodium and only 7.5 grams of sugar (Envirokidz – 100 mg sodium; 11 grams sugar; Mom’s – 150 mg sodium and 13 grams sugar). And finally, you will be taking in 3.5 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein (Envirokidz – 2 grams fiber; 2 grams protein; Mom’s – 0 grams of fiber; 1 gram protein). So, Freedom Foods might have a few more calories than the other gluten-free puffed rice cereals out there, but it definitely has them beat on everything else. And you know what? That makes me really happy. The small amount of sugar that is inside a chocolate cereal from Freedom Foods just wow’s me. Honestly. I am beyond impressed.

Between Tropico’s and Smudge…Freedom Foods is really making a name for itself in my pantry. And now…it’s striking a high note with the chocolate lover in me with this Cocoa Crunch Cereal. I can’t thank Cuisine Cube enough for introducing me to this product that I didn’t even know existed. Another great item in my latest box…another fantastic product from Freedom Foods. I am one happy food-loving girl!

A bowl of Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch Cereal

July 20, 2014

Product Review: Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snack Bar

Product: Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snack Bar – $2.49

As you know, I am always on the lookout for more and different protein bars, as I am an athlete on the go! I usually consume a protein bar on weekends away, or perhaps before a race (with time to digest, of course), and sometimes after I hit up the gym for my weights sessions.

I have my go-to brands…Lärabar, thinkThin, and KIND to name a few. All of them are certified gluten-free and carry a good portion of protein to help rejuvenate me after or before a hard workout. When I’m traveling, they also make fantastic snacks and/or food options when nothing else is available.

So, imagine my surprise and my joy when my June Cuisine Cube showed up in the mail and it included an energy bar as a mid-day pick-me-up snack option. Not just any energy bar…one that was two of my favorite things…Chocolate Peanut Butter flavored! The Cuisine Cube, as I explained before, tends to include products for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and a snack. And every now and again…a bonus. In June, the bonus was the energy bar. And it sounded amazing.

I had never heard of Grab the Gold before, and was quite curious as to what their version of an energy bar would be like. I’ve had some good ones in my time and some really, really bad ones. But, I have come to trust my Cuisine Cube and the choices of products that go inside. I had a run and some weights to do this morning, and my breakfast beforehand was simply cereal. Delicious cereal, but by the time I finished up at the gym, I was ready for something to eat.

I packed my roommate and I each a protein bar. She had her favorite Lärabar (ALT Lemon Pound Cake…in case you were wondering!). I decided to give the one I received in my Cuisine Cube a try. So, that was what emerged from my bag in the car to eat on the way to her family’s house to sort out some (who am I kidding…TONS) of items in the garage. I was going to need reinforcements. So, I unwrapped the gorgeous golden foil wrapper and unveiled an unassuming round bar. Little flecks of oats and chocolate chips were visible. I broke off a piece for my roomie to try and then I took a bite.

You know those amazing no-bake cookies? Yeah…that’s what this bar tasted like. A fantastic no-bake cookie. Talk about a treat! Great texture and taste too. It was chocolatey without being too candy-like. It had that nice hit of peanut butter. The oats gave it that cookie-like texture. The chocolate chips were that little burst of flavor in each bite. And the round shape made for a nice change of pace from other bars on the market.

A little bit of history…the Grab the Gold Protein Snack Bars were created by 16 year old Danielle Ontiveros, who didn’t like typical breakfast food growing up and preferred something lighter in the mornings, since she was never hungry. This was the end of the 80s and there weren’t a lot of choices for protein bars. Most were expensive and didn’t taste good, so Ontiveros told her mother she wanted to make her own bars. She pulled out items from the cupboards and began measuring, mixing, and recording what she was doing. She began to market the bars to friends, family and neighbors and soon her business was born. The reason these bars are round is that Ontiveros was concerned with fairness and equality and wanted to be sure everyone got the same size bars. Cutting them into squares never yielded uniform bars in size and thickness. Then she got the idea to weight the batter into equal parts and put them into a muffin tin. The perfect, uniform, and round bar was born.

So, now that we know how these were made and why they are so good…let’s look at the nitty-gritty stuff. Yep…nutrition and ingredients.

The Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snack Bar is made from organic oats, peanut butter, soy nuggets (soy flour), glucose syrup, cane sugar, semisweet chocolate chips, fruit juice, brown rice dextrins, canola oil, soy lecithin, natural cocoa powder, and vanilla. This bar is gluten-free, cholesterol free, dairy free, vegan, contains no high fructose corn syrup, contains no preservatives, contains no trans fats, and is a sort of high fiber.

As fur nutrition, the Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Snack Bar is right on par, if not better, than other bars on the market. One serving is one bar. This bar contains 193 calories and 5 grams of fat. One bar also provides73 mg sodium 345 mg potassium, and 12 grams of sugar. I admit, it is high in sugar…higher than I normally like. Might be why it tastes like a cookie. But DAMN…it’s worth it. Yum! One bar also gives you 7 grams of filling fiber and 11 grams of protein. You actually will feel full after eating this bar. Trust me!

So, Cuisine Cube sent me another winner! I hope to order some of the Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snack Bars in the near future, if I can’t find any in local stores. As I have never seen or heard of these before now, it’s more likely I’ll be ordering online or from Cuisine Cube’s store. But…I am now completely and forever hooked on these. Like having dessert for breakfast…but one that will last you for a couple of hours.

Well done!

Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snack Bar (unwrapped)

July 20, 2014

Product Review: Biaglut Pasta Senza Glutine Bucatini

Product: Biaglut Pasta Senza Glutine Bucatini – $5.50+

That’s a mouthful, isn’t it? Wow. But…it is one that is worth attempting to say (preferably with an Italian accent). Because what we honestly and truly have here is the finest, best, and closest-you’ll-ever-get-to-the-real-thing gluten-free pasta. I raved about Biaglut a long while back…a couple years ago, when I reviewed the Biaglut Maccheroncini (Elbows). I even had another one of their pasta offerings, but didn’t blog on it. I think I was overwhelmed with blogging and thought, “gluten-free pasta is pasta…what more can I say about it?”

I’m actually really sad that my thought process went that way. And here’s why…

Biaglut honestly is the best gluten-free pasta out on the market. It’s not easy to find. But if you do find it…or if you can order it online, I honestly encourage you do to so. It is amazing. It has the texture and taste of “real” pasta. Nobody would even suspect that it was gluten-free. That goes for all three varieties that I have now tried.

This latest round of gluten-free pasta a lá Biaglut was brought to me by the amazing Cuisine Cube. My June box contained this sack of amazing pasta. And since I’ve been out of town, I haven’t gotten to play around with my bin ingredients lately. But that changed. That changed last night when I decided to do up some pasta…but in a different way. I still have a pantry of various pastas to use…but the Biaglut was right there and I really wanted to attempt this one with a “spaghetti” type noodle. And since Cuisine Cube sent me some Bucatini in my box…I was ready to rock and roll!

My recipe involved very little. A Gluten-Free and Vegan Caprese Spaghetti, as it were. So, what I did was slice up two tomatoes and lay them on a baking sheet. I covered each slice with a slice of Teese vegan mozzarella cheese. Then, I put it in the oven for about 20 minutes, allowing the cheese to get melty and good. While that was baking…I got some water into a big pot and set it on the stove to bring to a boil. Once it was there, I put 4 ounces of the Biaglut Pasta Senza Glutine Bucatini into the water (a serving for both my roomie and myself) and let it begin to cook. The bag said it would take around 7-8 minutes to get to that perfect al dente. I gave it a stir every now and again, but just let the boiling water work it’s magic. And, wouldn’t you know it? Seven minutes later…the Bucatini was cooked perfectly. I drained it and began to assemble my pasta…

A serving of Biaglut Pasta Senza Glutine Bucatini (cooked)

Bucatini…a drizzle of olive oil, topped off with the slices of tomato with the melted vegan mozzarella, a sprinkle of fresh basil, and then a drizzle of a red wine reduction. Dinner was served.

So, bucatini gets their name from the Italian word, “buco,” or “hole.” It is similar in shape to spaghetti, but the hole allows water to enter as it boils, speeding up the cooking time and also making it ideal for slurping up your favorite sauce. Naturally, then, I make a pasta dish without a sauce. HA!

Let me tell you though, Biaglut knows what it’s doing. Honestly. This pasta had a great texture and amazing flavor. It worked so well with the slices of tomato, the vegan cheese, the fresh basil, and the red wine reduction. It just…came together in perfect harmony. The pasta was actually ideal, despite there not being a true sauce on this dish. It actually made me realize how much I missed eating spaghetti. Especially one that actually felt like I was eating spaghetti and not bits of spaghetti brown rice noodles that turned to mush despite not being overcooked. It was a very nice change and made for one of my favorite meals. Sometimes getting creative in the kitchen and having it come out perfectly means…having the right base for said dish. Biaglut was just that. And I am, once again, forever going to sing high praises for this product.

Biaglut products are made from the finest gluten-free ingredients with authentic Italian recipes. This company isn’t playing around. The Biaglut team has worked for years to perfect the recipes for their gluten-free products to have them taste like, if not better than, that of the comparable gluten containing products. They believe that gluten-free products shouldn’t mean sacrificing taste and flavor.

So, while on this subject…let’s take a look at what goes into the Giaglut Pasta Senza Glutine Bucatini, shall we? The ingredients include: cornstarch, potato flour, lupin flour, lupin proteins, and mono and diglycerides (emulsifier). Very few ingredients. And all of them, when put together, create the ideal gluten-free pasta. Just take my word on this one.

As for nutrition, a serving of Biaglut Pasta Senza Glutine Bucatini is 2 ounces. This serving provides 190 calories and 1 gram of fat. In addition, this serving gives you 15 mg sodium and less than 1 gram of sugar. This pasta is cholesterol free. You also get 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.

Biaglut, honestly, is top of the line when it comes to gluten-free pastas. If you can find these and/or order this brand, I highly encourage it. You’ll never find this pasta to turn to mush or fall apart. Biaglut’s quality is worth the price it takes to have this pasta in your pantry. You’ll never go back to other brands. I promise you that much.

Gluten-Free Caprese Spaghetti made with Biaglut Pasta Senza Glutine Bucatini

July 8, 2014

Product Review: Miracle Noodle Garlic and Herb Fettucine

Product: Miracle Noodle Garlic and Herb Fettuccine – $3.49+

Ah…my dear Cuisine Cube. You’ve brought so much understanding and…great products into my life. And I’ve only been subscribing to you for three months now (my July cube should arrive tomorrow or Thursday, I believe!). While sometimes I receive products I have heard of or tried, there are other times I get products that I’ve looked at…wondered if it was worth trying…and put back on the shelf at the grocery store, either out of fear that I’ll waste my money…or out of not being able to expand the budget.

That was the case with Miracle Noodle. We have these in our local stores. I’ve spotted them at Meijer and at Whole Foods. I’ve probably spotted them a few other places as well. But…I never bought them. Why not? They were really no different than the Shirataki Noodles I used to buy and prepare. And, it took a couple of tries for me to get used to the texture…but they weren’t…awful. They weren’t bad. And once I got the hang of how to cook them…they weren’t a bad substitute.

Not one bit.

But I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t make myself purchase the little water and noodle-filled bags on the shelf at my grocery stores. I just…couldn’t.

But Cuisine Cube changed all of that.

I initially had other plans for dinner tonight, but then I found a recipe for corn tacos…which I need some ingredients for in order to fix…so it was time for another plan. I recalled my May Cuisine Cube had the Miracle Noodle Garlic and Herb Fettuccine noodles in it, and they were currently taking up residence in my pantry. This would be a great time to break them out…especially since I had some marinara sauce in the fridge and some vegan and gluten-free garlic bread (from my local bakery, Annie May’s Sweet Café) in the freezer. Dinner was saved.

Shiratake Pasta (Miracle Noodle) is made from the root of a plant called the konnyaku imo and is known for its health benefits for 2000 years in China and Japan. Shirataki is made from the soluble fiber of the plant and is remarkably low in calories. Like…for real! And, these noodles will absorb the flavor of any sauce or dish that you add them to. They are little noodle-y ninjas.

Miracle Noodle Garlic & Herb Fettuccine (drained and rinsed)

So, I immediately got the bread in the oven and while it was baking for 20 minutes, I got to work on the noodles. The Miracle Noodles are encased in a plastic sack that is filled with water. I cut it open and poured the noodles into a strainer. They smelled horrible. Fish-like. I remembered that from the Shirataki Noodles…but I had forgotten how pungent that scent initially was. But, it goes away. The noodles were given a 15-20 second bath under cold water and then placed into a pot of boiling water, simply to blanch them…only for a minute. Then, drain them again and place on paper towels, removing as much water as humanly possible. From here…you place them in a pan, heat them until they are dry, and then add them to your dish. In this case…the marinara sauce I had working on the stove top. Heat through…and serve.

Easy.

And…much to my genuine surprise…these were really good. One of my biggest obstacles with the Shiratake Noodles was the texture. Just rubbery and gummy and just…not pasta-like. I didn’t get that texture with Miracle Noodle. Not at all. I loved the texture of these noodles. They almost had that fresh pasta bite to them. Almost. And the flavor was amazing. This was the Garlic and Herb variety and it brought great flavor to the dish itself. No need to add any spices to the dish…these noodles did it for you. They tasted really good. To the point where I said I wanted to purchase them again…because I wanted to! Go figure! Never saw that one coming. I love pleasant surprises like that.

So, let’s first talk ingredients. The Miracle Noodle Garlic and Herb Fettuccine are made from purified water, konnyaku, garlic and herb mix, and calcium hydroxide. So…not completely free of “chemical” sounding things, but not bad either. Miracle Noodle Garlic and Herb Fettuccine is soy free, gluten free and cholesterol free.

Impressed? Wait until you read these nutrition facts! The Miracle Noodle Garlic and Herb Fettuccine contains two servings in each pouch. Each serving contains 15 calories and are fat-free. They have no cholesterol, as mentioned above, contain 5 mg sodium, and contain no sugar. These noodles have only 3 grams of carbs per serving. And they have 2 grams of fiber and no protein. So, they won’t fill you up, but they are a great low-calorie substitute for pasta. Guilt-free pasta!! That’s what I’m talking about. I’m a carb fiend…so sometimes a low-carb options is good to institute into my food regimen.

I was really set to dislike Miracle Noodle…but these were really amazing. The Garlic and Herb flavor of the noodles was a nice match to the plain marinara. The texture was perfect. And dinner was a low-carb, low calorie, delicious meal in the end. Beyond impressed and ready to add Miracle Noodle to more dishes in the future.

Thank you, again, Cuisine Cube.

Oh…and if you haven’t checked out Cuisine Cube yet…click here. You might want to subscribe yourself!

Miracle Noodle Garlic and Herb Fettuccine (with marinara)

June 16, 2014February 9, 2015

Product Review: Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola

Product: Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola – $4.99+

Another morning…another healthy breakfast! That’s how I try to look at it. Especially as I am gearing up for marathon training, yet again, through the hot, steamy summer mornings. This morning, not only did I have a training run to do, but I also have my spin class. Fuel is important and I want to be sure I’m giving my body the best fuel possible for optimum performance. Besides, food that is good for me makes me feel good. I try to keep it as natural as possible as often as I can.

So, after my run (I had something to eat before heading out, don’t worry…sports nutritionist’s orders!) and before heading out for spinning…I grabbed yet another product from my May Cuisine Cube – Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola. First of all, if you haven’t checked out Cuisine Cube, I highly encourage you to do so. I get a box, every month, with a new gluten-free item from every meal category. One for breakfast, one for snack, one for candy, one for dinner, one for lunch, and one for dessert. Every month, this is delivered to me with…and everything inside is from a smaller, lesser known company that specializes in gluten-free foods. I love it, because it is introducing me to companies and products I never would have heard of otherwise.

As my CSA bin had provided me with some amazing looking organic strawberries, I figured it was time to build up some breakfast fruit and yogurt parfaits. Because I have some damn good Greek yogurt in my fridge. It’s a staple. I always have it in there. So…I pulled the granola (a breakfast item from my Cuisine Cube) out of my pantry and began to build my famous parfaits. First some granola…then the yogurt…some honey…fruit (in this case…strawberries)…more granola…yogurt…honey…strawberries…granola…honey. Serve!

Super easy. And one of my favorite breakfasts. It’s cool and refreshing and just damn good. But…a lot of the success of this parfait does fall to the granola.

So…it was time to put Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola to the test.

You know what? It passed. One bite (which I took straight from the bag so I could see how it tasted on its own without the yogurt and fruit muddling the flavor) and I knew it was good. I knew I was going to be okay with this one. The flavors were fantastic. Not overwhelming or overpowering, but just enough. I loved being able to see not just the sunflower seeds, but the oats and flax seeds too. Nothing was hidden or unidentifiable. And the sweetness was natural as well, brought out with agave and coconut. And…the coconut doesn’t take over the granola either. And because it is sweetened with pure, organic agave nectar, this granola is low glycemic and won’t cause those sugar highs that lead to the eventual crash. This granola is heavenly. Seriously. The combination of the pure vanilla with the coconut and the crunchy sunflower seeds and toasted oats…magic on my tongue. I am so glad I had the chance to enjoy this granola. Because I use granola a lot in things and I love trying new ones. I’d never heard of Fiona’s Natural….and now I hope to find it in one of my stores around here.

Let’s talk ingredients. Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola couldn’t be cleaner. The ingredients are as follows: certified gluten-free oats, unsweetened coconut, sunflower seeds, milled flax seeds, organic agave nectar, rice bran oil, and pure vanilla extract. Not only are all of those natural ingredients, but they are all recognizable and things I have in my kitchen. Seriously! And the granola is also vegan, soy-free, and salt-free. But it does not skimp on flavor because of that. Honestly…you’ll fall in love at first bite too.

And what about nutritional information? Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola is a bit higher on the calorie scale than many other granolas out there. However…I didn’t use a full serving in my parfaits…in fact, I normally use about half of what this says. But a serving is 1/3 cup of the granola. This serving provides you with 210 calories and 10 grams of fat. Do NOT freak out over that fat…they are the healthy fats. I promise! A serving will also give you 5mg sodium and 6 grams of sugar. That isn’t bad for a granola at all. This granola is cholesterol free and gluten-free. A serving will dish up 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.

So much love to Cuisine Cube for introducing me to yet another company with a great product. I hope to find Fiona’s Natural granola in stores around here. And if not, I will see if I can have it special ordered. Or…maybe I’ll just order online. This was really good granola. I was impressed. And when you eat a lot of granola, sometimes they all blend together. But this one, the subtleness of it…made it stand out. And I’m happy to have a bag of it in my pantry.

June 15, 2014

Product Review: Billy Goat Chip Company Original Potato Chips

Product: Billy Goat Chip Company Original Potato Chips – $2.99

I was so happy to see a 3 ounce bag of Billy Goat Chip Company’s Original Potato Chips in my June Cuisine Cube because I was already familiar with this product…by only a couple of days. I kid you not! On Monday morning of the week I received my cube, my boss came into work and handed me two of the snack size bags of Billy Goat Chip Company’s Original Potato Chips. She said she had noted that they said “gluten free” on them and knew I could have them. She got one bag for me and one for Cathy.

So…at dinner that night…we feasted on them with a Vegan Gluten-Free “Bacon” (I make this with beans and buckwheat groats), Lettuce, Avocado, and Tomato Sammies. And we were hooked. So…I had already had an inkling of what we were in for when I served these up with a gluten-free veggie burger during the Uruguay v. Costa Rica match of the World Cup last night.

Billy Goat Chip Company is apparently a St. Louis, Missouri, restaurant that became famous for their hand-made chips. These chips are made fresh every day and by the order. Nothing sits around. One batch of these locally renowned chips takes approximately seven minutes to cook. Each batch then gets a special dusting of secret seasoning, called “Billy Goat Kicker Dust.” This seasoning is apparently the magic of the chips…because it is the one difference everyone can taste between these chips and those you buy in the store. The chips are all-natural and made fresh to order. This means the potatoes and selected, sliced, seasons and packaged by hand when they are ordered and then shipped out to customers. The owners of the restaurant make these chips with heart healthy canola oil, no MSG, no preservatives…and maintain that they are gluten-free. The dedication these two restaurant entrepreneurs put into their chips is so that they can guarantee that customers get the most fresh and flavorful chips possible.

The Billy Goat Restaurant & Bar opened in St Louis back in 2002, becoming the city’s first gastropub. It produced hand-crafted, house-made food, using locally sourced products whenever possible. The potato chips quickly became the restaurant’s signature item. With their growing popularity and demand for these treats, the Billy Goat Chip Company was born in 2009, where the company has started to work with vendors and customers to distribute this popular restaurant item.

When they set a goal to create the best potato chips in the Midwest…they succeeded. I might even venture to say they created the best potato chips in the United States.

Let’s discuss.

Since I had previously had them prior to their arrival in my Cuisine Cube…I can honestly say, seeing the large 3 ounce bag made me beyond stupidly happy. Honestly. I was…thrilled. The thing is…the Billy Goat Chip Company honestly does produce a high quality product. They take time and put a lot of effort and care into their food…and it shows. Each chip is done to that gorgeous golden brown, making it crispy and crunchy, not burnt and brittle, and definitely not soft. But, it really is the seasoning that takes these chips up to the next level of awesomesauce. Honestly. I don’t know what it is about the “Billy Goat Kicker Dust” but…it does provide the right amount of everything to these chips. It’s salty…it has a touch of garlic…a little bit of spice to take it up a notch. Nothing is over seasoned. Nothing is overdone. Each bite is pure chip perfection. Crunchy, salty, good perfection!

I might be jealous of St. Louis, Missouri…

Ingredients are honest and simple…russet potatoes, canola oil, salt, onion, garlic, spices and sugar. That’s it. That’s all. It’s that cut and dry. You can clearly taste the quality and the high standards in each chip. No big name can compete with these. Mass produced chips just don’t have level of flavor and quality that Billy Goat Chip Company pours into their products.

Nutritionally speaking, one serving of these chips is 1 ounce. A serving will provide you with 150 calories and 10 grams of fat. You will also be taking in 160 mg sodium and 1 gram of sugar. These chips are cholesterol-free, trans-fat free, and gluten-free. One serving of the Billy Goat Chip Company’s Original Potato Chips also will provide you with 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein. Not filling. But chips are a side…not a meal. So they shouldn’t fill you up.

But they should be tasty, and there is no doubt that these chips are delicious! I sort of wish I had more. Good thing my boss promised that she would bring more back for me the next time she goes to St. Louis. YAY! Since her daughter lives there, that happens more often than not. I want to give a shout-out to June’s Cuisine Cube for providing my new favorite chip to me…so I didn’t have to wait as long to indulge in them again.

Thankfully, they can be ordered online. So, if you’re curious about how amazing these chips are…go ahead and order them. I promise…you will NOT be disappointed.