Frozen – Page 17 – The Celiathlete

September 14, 2013

Product Review: Garden Lites Pizza Souffle

Product: Garden Lites Pizza Souffle – $3.49+

Can pizza be a vegetable? I mean…it’s normally made with tomato sauce…but tomato is a fruit. You can put vegetables on pizza (and I often do)…but it’s still…pizza right? Probably. In most cases. But thanks to Garden Lites…pizza is now a vegetable. For real.

Last year, I discovered and worked my way through the flavors of Garden Lites Souffles that were currently out on the market. Since then, more have been added and a few of those new flavors have actually been sitting in my freezer since I finally spotted them at the grocery store…MONTHS ago. Why hadn’t I pulled them out sooner? No clue. But that changed tonight. And, given the expiration dates, the first souffle to get sampled by my roomie and I was…Pizza.

Yes. Pizza Souffle. Hey, there have been stranger things in life. The “crust” isn’t a heavy dough like you would get in a normal pizza. Remember…this is a souffle. Therefore, cauliflower and brown rice make up the base, lending that crust-like flavor to the souffle itself. So…that cauliflower crust pizza that keeps turning up on Pinterest isn’t so new after all, eh? HA! Anyway, bound together with egg whites and topped off with tomato sauce and melty, gooey Mozzarella cheese and you have quite an interesting take on a souffle. And pizza for that matter.

Cooking this up is simple. Three minutes with the plastic wrap still on. Let it sit for a minute. Then remove the plastic and heat on 50% power for another minute. Enjoy. My roommate and I actually had ice cream for lunch (HAHA!), so we split this for dinner. But we both found that the smell and flavor was reminiscent of cafeteria pizza or pasta. You know…it has that lingering sweetness in the sauce that you just breathe in and it takes you back to grade school or…in the case of my roommate…some mess hall with some army thing-a-ma-jig. (Technical term!)

You know what? The flavor and taste sort of reminded me of cafeteria spaghetti too. Not saying that is a bad thing. I mean, whenever spaghetti day at school (from 1st grade through 12th grade) rolled around, you better believe that was the tray I grabbed from the lunch lady. Spaghetti was always my favorite thing to eat growing up (and still is now, although rice and corn noodles are now my noodle of choice due to the whole Celiac thing). Cafeteria food isn’t always the best tasting…but it is decent. It’s good. And that’s how I felt about this. It was like…eating a mix of my high school’s spaghetti and pizza. The sauce was very sweet, seasoned well, but sweet. More sweet than I usually like a tomato sauce. The cheese was a gooey mass on top, which I’m okay with. At least it was melty and gooey. Most packaged items don’t get to that point. Especially when nuked in the microwave. I don’t mind the cauliflower and rice base at all. It was actually a nice, crumbly texture that worked. The sauce was just…okay though. Thankfully the sauce and cheese weren’t heavy on the dish at all. In fact, there wasn’t too much of either of them. A nice balance that worked.

Let’s talk ingredients and nutrition now…

The Garden Lites Pizza Souffle is made from cauliflower, pasteruized egg whites, onion, low-fat milk, brown rice, crushed tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, red pepper, green pepper, corn starch, tomato paste, a natural spice mix (dehydrated onion, spices, corn starch, natural flavors, tomato powder, potassium chloride, autolyzed yeast extract), evaporated cane juice, canola oil, sea salt, lemon juice, garlic, basil, oregano, pepper, and a blend of locust bean gum, gaur gum, and xanthan gum. This souffle is gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free.

As for the nutritional aspect of the Pizza Souffle…one serving, which is the entire bowl, will provide you with 200 calories and 4 grams of fat. That is AWESOME for a meal. That is awesome for pizza! That’s just awesome! It does contain 650 mg of sodium and 6 sugars. But you also do get 3 grams of fiber and a whopping 12 grams of protein. So, you won’t feel like you need to eat more on top of this little souffle dish. I mean, I filled up on ice cream and was only mildly hungry when I heated this up for my roomie and I…and I still felt full after eating just half of the dish.

It isn’t one of my favorites, but I would eat it again. Honestly. It wasn’t bad…but it wasn’t knock me off my seat delicious either. I love the healthy take on the traditional pizza and the use of cauliflower and brown rice as the base. It’s ingenious. And it works well. If anything, I only wish the sauce tasted more fresh and less fake-sweet. Aside from that…totally devourable in every way.

September 14, 2013

Product Review: Glutino Spinach & Feta Gluten-Free Pizza

Product Review: Glutino Spinach & Feta Gluten-Free Pizza – $5.99+

I love pizza. I really do. Give me a good gluten-free pizza and I just might become your best friend ever. Not only has gluten-free pizza become my food of choice before a long run or a race (it unleashes my endurance, I guess!), but I have always, always loved pizza. Nutrition be damned…nothing is better than a flaky crust with gooey cheese and some great vegetable toppings. Right? RIGHT!

So, a couple of weeks ago before I headed out on vacation, my local grocery store was having a closeout on Glutino’s Gluten-Free Spinach & Feta Pizza. Now, my roomie and I had been dying to try these for awhile, but just couldn’t justify the price. But, with the closeout going on, the pizzas were only $1.99 each. So, yeah…we grabbed two. We would have grabbed more…except we didn’t know if we would like them or not…and we were getting ready to head out of town and we didn’t want to stuff our freezer, which we have been working hard on whittling down the products inside, full once again.

But we should have known better. After all…this is a Glutino product and they have never done us wrong. We haven’t met a Glutino product that we haven’t liked or loved. Stuffing our freezer full of these pizzas would have been the best thing to ever happen to our kitchen. For real!

Let me tell you why…

Glutino Spinach & Feta Gluten-Free Pizza (frozen)

The spinach to cheese ratio is amazing. More spinach…less cheese! I love that. As much as my roomie loves cheese, even she was thrilled by the amount of spinach on this pizza. Honestly…healthy greens that provide key nutrients. Yes. All about that. The crust. OH. MY. GOD. Yes…this is one of those thin crust gluten-free pizzas that turn up everywhere. Yes…sometimes I do miss having that amazing chewy crust. But…the crust on this Glutino pizza was flaky and crisp and still soft so it was everything I wanted in a pizza crust. The flavor was so delicious. Nothing that tasted off or gritty or anything. It really was a wonderfully golden flaky crust that crumbled against my tongue when I bit into it. Savory goodness right there. It’s rich and buttery and…I’m suddenly craving it again. GAH! The cheese doesn’t just stop with crumbles of feta. Nope. Add to it shredded mozzarella and ricotta cheese and you end up with a blend of amazing flavors that don’t overtake the crust or the spinach that is also part of the mix. It was SO good. My roommate usually takes forever to eat her food and she was done eating this pizza before I was. And she’s not even a Celiac. All she could do was rave about it. And for the same reasons I am. It is, honest to goodness, a whole lot of…well…goodness!! And it only took a short 15 minutes in the oven to bake before it was ready for prime time…or at least our bellies.

Let’s talk ingredients and nutrition…because it needs to be done! Starting with what makes up this pizza. The box lists off all the ingredients, which include: pizza crust (composed of water, brown rice flour, rice starch, potato starch, olive oil, sugar, tapioca starch, potato flour, yeast, cellulose, salt, spices, and garlic powder), spinach and cheese sauce (composed of water, spinach, milk, cream, feta cheese, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Monterrey jack cheese). It’s very straight forward and very, very delicious when all put together and baked up. Trust me…when I pulled it from the box and removed the paper, I wasn’t too sure it was going to be any good…but it’s amazing what a warm oven does to a product.

Nutritionally speaking, as far as personal pizzas go…this is a good one. The entire pizza only costs you 370 calories and 17 grams of fat. That isn’t bad for a frozen pizza…or a gluten-free pizza for that matter…frozen or not. You will also be consuming 530 mg sodium and less than 1 gram of sugar. Nice. Not bad for something packaged and frozen, for real. This pizza does have 30 mg of cholesterol, but it has no trans fat in it at all. You also get served 2 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein. Awesome!

I am so in love with this pizza. I normally am not a huge fan of frozen pizzas…but this one hits flavor, taste, texture, and everything right on the money. The regular price seems pretty steep, but buying it on sale and enjoying it this much makes me want to purchase it again, price tag be damned. In fact, I’m trying to talk myself out of rushing to the grocery store to pick up another one for dinner tonight. Must…behave…even if I don’t want to!

Must…resist…grabbing car keys…

Trust me…this pizza really is that fantastic. I was grocery shopping earlier and really, really had to resist buying a cart full of these. It wasn’t easy. I walked away without any more but the temptation still lingers. Which means…this is one hell of a frozen pizza. Try it out. Even those of you who don’t need to eat gluten-free…you might find you love this even more than those who do have to eat this way. It is frickin’ amazing!

Glutino Spinach & Feta Gluten-Free Pizza (baked)

August 13, 2013

Product Review: Lexington Pasta Gluten-Free Fusilli

Product: Lexington Pasta Gluten-Free Fusilli – $3.00 for 6 ounces

There are moments of absolute amazement when I look at some of the things my roommate has done for me since my diagnosis two years ago. Seriously. She basically eats gluten-free and vegetarian at home, all the time, Not only that, she is always on the lookout for new gluten-free items for us, not just me, to try. She is honest to a fault when I cook or bake something new, changing up a recipe to now be gluten-free. Some are definitely more successful than others.

But my entire point here is…she’s full of surprises.

This past Saturday…she totally surprised me.

You see, every Saturday I meet up with a group of runners to do our long run. This past Saturday, I was heading out with a small group aiming to hit that magic 16 mile mark. This meant Cathy was going to be left to her own devices for 2 hours or more. But this never slows her down. She always finds something to occupy her time. And on this particularly raining Saturday morning, with a fresh local coffee in hand, she stopped by the local farmers market. You see, I was in need of a giant watermelon for a recipe I was going to make that night. She was going to get one from a local vendor instead of hitting up the grocery store. But, while she was there…she spotted something else.

The words GLUTEN-FREE on a sign for Lexington Pasta. She swung by the booth and inquired. And when I finally made it back to the meeting point, a local coffeehouse, after a very long run, we returned to the car and she told me to go look in the trunk. Aside from a 10 pound watermelon waiting for me, she also had picked up fresh basil. And buried in the ice of the cooler…she had picked up two small bags of Lexington Pasta’s Gluten-Free Fusilli.

While it’s true, this handmade pasta does look more like macaroni than fusilli, I could see the small twists in the fresh and handmade pasta…giving it that corkscrew affect that you would normally associate with fusilli pasta.

That being said…I was holding a bag of gluten-free handmade fusilli!!! This was huge! This was awesome. This was so awesome I deemed Sunday night to be pasta night. I’d cook up some of my gluten-free rosemary cheddar biscuits to accompany the pasta and it would be one epic Sunday meal. Because while some products can wait…fresh, handmade gluten-free pasta is not one of those things. I had to have it as soon as humanly possible.

We got home from our day of running errands and grocery shopping and I put one of the bags of pasta into the freezer. The other went into the fridge for use on Sunday night.

Lexington Pasta Gluten-Free Fusilli (cooked & drained)

What I love about handmade, fresh pasta is how easy it is to prepare. No boiling your pasta for 12-20 minutes to get it to that perfect al dente. Nope. I went ahead and got a pot of water on the stove to boil while I prepared a small salad with some heirloom tomatoes that Cathy also picked up from the farmers market. When the water began to boil, I simply emptied the little baggie of gluten-free fusilli pasta into the water and let it go for 2-3 minutes. The pasta does come with an instruction guide on how to cook it and does warn against overcooking. I then got the sauce heated while the noodles quickly finished up. After three minutes I drained the pasta and then put it back into the pan with the marinara I had warmed up. Giving it all a toss, I was ready to plate it up. Into the bowls it went. And dinner was served. Yes…that quickly.

First of all, handmade and fresh pasta will always win. Always. Pasta that is done locally will win even more. And what really caught my attention about the gluten-free fusilli from Lexington Pasta was that it didn’t stick together or dry up immediately. It cooked to the perfect al dente in the water. Quick. It was one of the quickest pasta meals I ever prepared. I almost didn’t have time to warm the marinara. I forgot what it was like to cook with fresh pasta.

Taste…taste was spot-on. I believe Cathy mentioned that it was a rice flour noodle. It didn’t get mushy. It didn’t stick. It didn’t fall apart. In fact, each noodle held the twisty shape through the entire cooking process, the draining, and the addition of the sauce. The serving size was just right. And the noodles…light. Delicious. They have spoiled me on gluten-free pasta, honestly. Not only is this local, but it tastes fantastic. There was no weird aftertaste. No chewiness. Nothing that would be off putting. In fact, if I were to serve this to people, they would never…EVER…guess that it was gluten-free.

I sort of want to go and get more. Like…now.

I was really that impressed.

Lexington Pasta is based out of Lexington, Kentucky…which is a short car drive for me. So, when the farmers market closes for the season, I can still go and purchase this gluten-free pasta of awesomesauce from their retail location. Because I was beyond impressed with this product and find it comforting to see a local business taking strides to work with those with special dietary needs…who love pasta. You know…people like me.

Lexington Pasta…you made this Celiac one very, very happy pasta-loving girl! Thank you!

Lexington Pasta Gluten-Free Fusilli (in marinara) with Gluten-Free Rosemary Cheddar Biscuits

August 12, 2013

Product Review: BOLD Organics Gluten-Free and Vegan Veggie Lovers Pizza

Product: BOLD Organics Gluten-Free and Vegan Veggie Lovers Pizza – $9.49+

Sometimes…if you look hard enough…you manage to find something amazing…despite it being a processed food in the freezer department. At least it was at a natural food store…so that’s saying something, right? Right!

That’s what I’ll keep telling myself.

Anyway…what I speak of is a brand of gluten-free and vegan pizza (this version anyway) made by BOLD Organics. In fact, BOLD Organics pizzas (the vegan and the meaty ones) are all gluten-free, milk-free, lactose-free, casein-free, whey-free, egg-free, peanut-free, and treenut-free. EPIC!! I mean…EPIC, right?! Right!

BOLD Organics was founded with a simple principle to strive for – creating the most delicious and healthy frozen pizza on the market. And that vision was reached and realized with the line of gluten-free and dairy-free pizzas that, as the Web site puts it, “are redefining just how good eating healthy can taste.”

It’s not too bold (see what I did there?) a statement either. Because what BOLD Organics did…was take their goal and do everything in their power to make it a reality. Seriously. Founder, Aaron Greenwald, often found that traditional gluten-free products on the market were bland and lacked taste. That was when Aaron embarked on his mission to not just help people eat better…but also feel better. And he sourced the best chefs he could find who not only understood gluten-free food, but could also provide bold (I did it again) flavors to the products his company would produce. And so…BOLD Organics was born.

BOLD Organics began producing high quality, allergen-free foods…so people could have a choice when it came to gluten-free pizzas. He strove to provide restaurant quality food with premium taste…without paying a premium price.

Well, when I spotted this in my natural food store’s freezer…I decided that having a frozen pizza on hand wasn’t a bad idea. I mean…when you need something easy one night, just pop it out of the freezer, onto a pizza stone…and viola…dinner! So, I had one stashed in my freezer. And, as I am trying very hard to work my way through the plethora of gluten-free goodness I have stocked up in my freezer and pantry, on Friday, as I had a 16 mile run on Saturday, I figured gluten-free pizza would be the way to go.

BOLD Organics Gluten-Free and Vegan Veggie Lovers Pizza (cooked)

Out of the two vegan options offered by BOLD Organics, I went with the Veggie Lovers version. Why? Because any pizza that is topped with seasonal vegetables (organic roasted red peppers, organic roasted yellow onions, and shiitake mushrooms) is okay in my book. The cheese they use is completely vegan. So, I pulled this out of the freezer directly after work and preheated the oven to 450° F, per the instructions on the box. I stuck my pizza stone in to warm while the oven preheated and set about opening up the box.

The box does make me think that the pizza would be a little bigger than it really is…but what it lacks for in size (it’s an 8-inch pizza), it makes up for in the fact that it is not a cracker-crust, very thin-crust pizza. Nope. Not at all. This pizza has depth to it. It has the most amazing crust…and I could tell that before it was even baked. With the oven heated and pizza stone warm, I tossed the pizza in to cook for 20-22 minutes. If the vegan cheese has not melted, it says to broil it for 1-2 more minutes. The cheese on my pizza melted beautifully and the crust became fluffy and golden and just…perfect looking.

I removed the pizza from the oven and sliced it in half. The box I have says the serving size was half the pizza. That seems to have changed now…but…I’ll go off what I had in my freezer. One half went to my roommate, the other half was mine…all mine. I can say this…it looked and smelled amazing. But, as always, the true test lies in the taste. That is the absolute heart of the matter.

I settled in for dinner, fork in hand, and sliced through the crispy, yet soft crust. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. That is pizza crust perfection, my friends. PERFECTION! And, furthermore…this pizza was frozen pizza perfection. It looked like all the non-gluten-free counterparts you see on the market. It wasn’t this sad-looking thin crust slab of cheese and veggies. No. This was a bold looking, veggie laden (save for the mushrooms…I got a bit gypped on those), vegan cheese coated amazing thing. The flavors were melt-together perfect. It was sweet from the peppers and savory with the cheese. It had that perfect crust. I was in pizza heaven. I was. Because, with the exception of my local allergen-free bakery, I can’t find anything but cracker-crust when it comes to gluten-free pizza. That just changed. My whole frozen pizza world just expanded. I was…SO impressed. The cheese, even being a vegan mozzarella, was stretchy and melty and gooey. Pizza perfection. BOLD pizza perfection. I’m sold. For life.

Let’s talk ingredients and nutrition, shall we?

This pizza is made up of filtered water, vegan gourmet mozzarella cheese alternative, inulin, soy protein, agar agar, sea salt, plant-based natural flavor, carrageenan (BOO!), vegetable source of lactic acid, organic crushed tomatoes, organic potato starch, organic rice flour, organic corn meal, organic roasted red bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms, organic roasted yellow onions, fresh yeast, organic tomato paste, organic extra virgin olive oil, xanthan gum, organic evaporated cane juice, organic oregano, organic apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and organic spices (rosemary, black pepper, granulated garlic, red chili).

As far as nutritional value goes…for half of a pizza…this isn’t too bad. One serving (1/2 of the pizza) served up 340 calories and 13 grams of fat. That’s actually not bad! I was impressed. It has 670 mg sodium, which is a little high…but…not bad in the grand scheme of things. The serving has 6 grams of sugar as well, which is super good. And, 1/2 of the pizza dishes up 6 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein.

It’s awesome. BOLD Organics produced a product they can totally be proud of and stand behind. I loved every bite I took of this one. And I will definitely try the Vegan Cheese version in the future too. With a fluffy and flaky crust like that…it’s hard to stop me from stuffing another one in my freezer.

This pizza BOLD-ly went where no gluten-free pizza went before…and they did it perfectly!

A serving of BOLD Organics Gluten-Free and Vegan Veggie Lovers Pizza

August 11, 2013

Product Review: Phin & Phebes Dark Chocolate Salty Caramel Ice Cream

Product: Phin & Phebes Dark Chocolate Salty Caramel Ice Cream – $5.99+

I have to give some major props to my favorite local grocery store in my area – Earth Fare. What I love about Earth Fare is the deals that they have every now and again…especially over the weekends. Because if it wasn’t for some of those deals, I wouldn’t have even thought about getting some products that are offered.

This past weekend, the special deal going on was for a brand of ice cream that I never even noticed before. It’s a brand from New York (the Brooklyn area) known as Phin & Phebes. And in my area, only Earth Fare carries it. The deal was…for a if you spent $5 at Earth Fare, you could get a pint of Phin & Phebes ice cream (any flavor) for $1. With one thing in my cart I had already spent that much…so…I went to the freezer and eyed a few options. I already had banana ice cream from my local ice cream shoppe (YAY COMFY COW!) in my freezer, so I didn’t want to get the pint of Banana Whama Ice Cream. It turned out I couldn’t anyway…because it had vanilla wafers in it. So…good call.

Other flavors that I could find included Coconut Key Lime…which would have been like a key lime pie. I couldn’t have that one either…due to the graham cracker chunks throughout that. There was Ginger Cookie Snap…which is ginger flavored ice cream with ginger cookies and lemon icing filling. Again…one I couldn’t have. I was starting to think my roommate was going to be the one benefiting from this deal…not me. I kept looking…finding Vietnamese Iced Coffee flavor, which was one I could have…as it was simply coffee flavored ice cream with a hint of chicory and cardamom. But…I knew Cathy disliked coffee ice cream. This left…as far as I could tell…Vanilla Cinnamon…which is what I ended up grabbing. It was simply vanilla ice cream blended with Vietnamese cinnamon. I could tell Cathy was less than thrilled, so I almost said I’d get the banana one and she could have that while I ate the one from The Comfy Cow that was in our freezer…but didn’t bother. We put it in the cart and moved along.

Then…as we were perusing the freezer section just before heading to the checkout counter…I spotted it. I spotted ONE LAST PINT of what had to be the best flavor EVER of Phin & Phebes Ice Cream. It was all they had left so I grabbed the Vanilla Cinnamon from the cart, threw it into the freezer and snatched the last pint of…DARK CHOCOLATE SALTY CARAMEL. It was like it was meant to be. I love dark chocolate. And salty caramel anything grabs my attention. We called it a day and checked out.

Later that week…for two days…we each got to enjoy the awesome, awesome, awesome flavor of this ice cream.

Phin & Phebes Dark Chocolate Salty Caramel Ice Cream ice cream is just what it sounds like. Dark chocolate ice cream that has been sprinkled with salty caramel to create this uber rich, satisfying, and super-delicious treat. After dinner, I went to retrieve the pint from the freezer and dished up a serving (the standard 1/2 cup) for my roommate. I handed the bowl off to her and she dug in. I heard her say, “OMG! OMG!” I was like…”What?” And she said…”BEST ICE CREAM EVER!” Or something to that affect. She told me she wanted to see me take a first taste because she was having a hard time not hoovering hers. The reluctance to have a brain freeze was what kept her in check, I think.

So, my bowl now held a perfect 1/2 cup serving. The pint was returned to the freezer and I settled in to have my first taste. One bite…and it was a done deal. Whenever this flavor was in stock…it had to be in my shopping cart and then in my freezer. Holy cow!! This flavor is kept in balance by the perfect blend of rich, smooth dark chocolate ice cream with the salty, slightly sweet caramel. I mean…perfect balance. It was everything an ice cream should be. It was…it was a blend of my two favorite flavors from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream in Columbus, Ohio. Right there. In one pint. It was heaven. It was delicious. It was worth savoring…but not too much because ice cream soup is not as much fun as ice cream. I immediately tweeted to my friend Jenn and told her she needed to venture to the other side of town to their Earth Fare and just snag a pint of it. She wouldn’t be sorry. It had to happen. That’s how much I loved it.

This treat…is certainly a treat. A dessert among desserts. And sometimes…the taste and flavor is enough to negate any thought of how non-nutritional it really is. I mean…it’s ice cream!!! Live a little. But…as always, I like to share the nutritional information with my readers. A serving of Phin & Phebes Dark Chocolate Salty Caramel Ice Cream, which as mentioned is 1/2 cup, dishes up 230 calories and 14 grams of fat. So as tempting as it is to make it an every night sort of thing…DON’T DO IT! It’s fine every now and again. And worth it too. Also, you will be scooping up 500 mg sodium and 20 grams of sugar. In addition, you’ll get 2 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.

So…for a treat on a week when dark chocolate and salty caramel goodness is the only thing that is going to make life better…I highly, highly recommend Phin & Phebes brand. The Dark Chocolate Salty Caramel Ice Cream is a total WIN in my book. It does everything right. It tastes amazing. And…oh…it’s simply…the best.

You’ll want to lick the bottom of the bowl. Trust me.

NOTE: On the Web site, there is one further flavor listed that I didn’t see at all. Again, this wouldn’t be one I could indulge in, but it is Peanutty Pretzel, which is peanut butter ice cream with chocolate covered pretzels.

A serving of Phin & Phebes Dark Chocolate Salty Caramel Ice Cream

August 9, 2013

Product Review: Sol Cuisine Original Sliders

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i392/veggiefoodlover/Products/003_zpsef1636b4.jpg — Sol Cuisine Original Sliders

Product: Sol Cuisine Original Sliders – $5.49+

There is one thing that normally goes missing in my life. Being a gluten-free vegetarian…having sliders is usually not even an option…unless I make them myself. I’m okay with that…I’ve done it quite a few times, but sometimes it’s nice to just throw something into the oven or a pan and have it ready in no time flat.

And that was never the case until I spotted these amazing little slider patties at Whole Foods. What caught my eye? The box. It clearly is labeled…these slider patties are vegetarian/vegan, wheat-free, gluten-free, a good source of calcium and iron, and also made with heart healthy soy! You better believe I didn’t even blink when I grabbed a box of these and tossed them into my basket. Budget be damned this time. I wanted some sliders, dammit!

As fate would have it, I happened to have some gluten-free dinner rolls in my freezer, which would definitely make the perfect stand-in for slider buns…because you definitely can’t find those in gluten-free form. Not yet. But gluten-free dinner rolls…they work. I use them all the time for sliders…normally ones from my hometown allergen-free bakery…or Udi’s. But this time it was Katz Gluten Free. Which I toasted up in the oven to get that nice golden crust on the buns.

But…let’s get back to the star of this post…Sol Cuisine Original Sliders.

Frozen little disks of meatless goodness, that aren’t really that highly processed when you look at the ingredients. Which, I’ll do now, since I brought it up. These little patties are made from filtered water, soy protein concentrate, sunflower oil, dried onion, modified vegetable gum, dried tomato, sea salt, dried garlic, spices, organic lemon juice concentrate and caramel color. So, it’s not exactly clean eating…and yes…it is a processed food, but it isn’t too bad. Not when you compare it to other items out on the market. And the fact that these are vegetarian/vegan make me one happy girl.

The box supplies about 3 different ways to cook these up. Oven, stove top, microwave…however you choose. When I made the Sol Cuisine Breakfast Patties, I cooked them in the oven. But I already had dinner rolls and hand-cut sweet potato fries (yep…I made my own fries) working in the oven. So, I figured why not give the stove top a go. I warmed up a skillet and lightly coated it with some olive oil. Into the pan I placed four of the little patties. They immediately began to sizzle and cook. I gave each side about 4 minutes…and they got perfectly golden and had that great crust you associate with a good burger. I was already happy.

I plated each one up on one of the toasted dinner rolls and topped it with condiments and served it up with my oven-baked sweet potato fries. I handed my roommate her plate while I fixed up mine. She dug right in. And I could tell she was one happy girl when I saw her take her first bite. Now, as I have mentioned numerous times before, my roommate LOVES burgers. She is neither gluten-free nor a vegetarian…but she doesn’t mind eating like one. Lucky for her…as I am the cook in the apartment. And she was devouring these.

I settled in and was prepared to try for myself. Sol Cuisine has wowed me with their Breakfast Patties…and they totally disappointed me with their Tofu BBQ Ribs. So…I knew this could go either way. But…it was a total win!! The little patties are FANTASTIC. They have this great savory flavor to them. Pan searing them was definitely the right call. It gave them this moist texture. It was the perfect veggie burger, without tasting like a veggie burger. Honestly! I was in love with the texture. I thought the flavors were spot on. And I wanted to savor each bite. But…you know…burgers are best when they are warm. So, I polished it off and vowed to pick them up again sometime…as a treat.

Nutritionally speaking, a serving is 2 patties. This serving will dish up 100 calories and 3 grams of fat. That is SUPER!! These patties are cholesterol free and sugar free. WOOHOO!! And they are low on the scale for sodium, with only 240 mg per serving, which is awesome for something that is processed. In addition, 2 patties will also give you 3 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein. No wonder this meal filled me up. I was full for the rest of the night.

DELICIOUS!!

Sol Cuisine…keep this up and I may be working my way through your entire line of gluten-free and vegan products. I’m one happy slider-eating girl!! And I can’t stop talking about them! Thank you!! THANK YOU!!

Gluten-Free Sliders made with Sol Cuisine Original Sliders

August 9, 2013

Product Review: Katz Gluten Free Dinner Rolls (Small Challa)

Product: Katz Gluten Free Dinner Rolls (Small Challa) – $4.49

A long, long time ago…well…maybe not that long ago…but a good while back…Cathy (the roomie) placed an order for some goodies from Katz Gluten Free…which has quickly become one of my go-to places for amazing gluten-free products. Sure, I have to order online, but the prices are reasonable and they ship immediately. So I never have more than a 2 day wait to get my order. Everything goes into the freezer or pantry and I pull it out as I need it. And life is good.

Because Katz Gluten Free provides good products. Time after time I have been nothing but impressed by what I have ordered and eaten.

Whenever the last order was placed (which, as I said…was a long, long time ago), the roomie picked out a new product to try. These were Katz Gluten Free Dinner Rolls (Small Challa). When they came in the mail, I put them in the freezer at home and that was where they stayed…waiting…waiting for me to do something with them. They waited very patiently, being pushed further back into the freezer. I hadn’t forgotten about them, I just got distracted by my local bakery’s gluten-free dinner rolls. It happens.

But, after picking up some vegan and gluten-free sliders from Whole Foods a couple weeks ago…I needed dinner rolls for the buns. And without anywhere to pick up Udi’s Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls (they are really good) and not having picked up any from my local allergen-free bakery…I dug around in the freezer and…like a gift from the gluten-free freezer gods…there they were!! Katz Gluten Free Dinner Rolls (Small Challa). I let them thaw while I was at the office, which they did perfectly. I was afraid that, with how long they had been in there, they might become mushy or crumbly…but I should have known better.

While these rolls can go without being reheated, I love putting a bit of a crust on my buns when I make sliders. So, I sliced them in half (which was interesting as they do resemble muffins in shape), expecting them to crumble or fall apart. But they didn’t. They were soft and very fresh feeling. I smiled, feeling better about the situation already. So, I placed each half on a baking sheet and sprayed a light mist of olive oil over each cut side. I popped them into the oven for a couple of minutes while I finished up the sliders in the pan and the sweet potato fries finished up in the oven as well.

It only took a few minutes to get them perfectly golden. I plated them and placed a vegan and gluten-free slider on each bottom part. Then topped it with the top bun. Dinner was served.

My roommate actually bit into hers first. And she went, “KATZ RULES!” So this was a good sign. I love it when she raves about gluten-free foods…because she eats like this at home by choice…because I have to. And that’s a huge deal. Our kitchen is 100% gluten-free…which means she even gets gluten-free bread to eat instead of whole wheat, like she had previously been doing. Honestly…best roomie ever!! Aside from that, she said they tasted amazing. So, as I put my sliders together, I went and settled in to find out for myself.

First of all, even with the gentle toasting in the oven, the texture of the dinner rolls was incredibly soft and fluffy. I was so impressed. They had this very light texture to them and this very light sweetness in taste. I loved it. I was enamored with the taste of these. I just wanted to keep eating them. Forget the slider…these were fantastic. I loved being able to squish it down like a regular bun, watching as it would bounce back when I set it down. It wasn’t heavy or dense. The flavor was a little sweet, but definitely savory. I could have eaten all four of them in the package. But I was good…and I shared with my roommate. We both couldn’t stop raving about them. If my local bakery didn’t make such amazing ones, I’d be placing another order…STAT!

So, here we get to the science of the product itself…the ingredients and the nutritional information. Let’s start with the ingredients. These dinner rolls are free of gluten, dairy, and nuts. These rolls are made with real ingredients because a bakery makes them…from scratch. Honestly, that’s what I love about Katz. Anyway, the Dinner Rolls (Small Challa) are made from Katz Gluten Free flour mix (white rice, tapioca, arrowroot, corn, soy, potato) water, eggs, palm oil, brown sugar, honey, xanthan gum, dry yeast, salt, flaxseed, and apple cider vinegar.

Nutritionally speaking, a serving is one dinner roll. Each roll contains 150 calories and 6 grams of fat. One dinner roll also provides you with 20 mg sugar and 2 grams of sugar. Not bad. Not at all. And you also are provided with 1 gram of fiber and 3 grams of protein.

Okay…so as with a lot of gluten-free baked items, they contain more calories and fat than what regular ones would, but they make it up in the amount of sodium used for sure. And…these were fantastic. And sometimes…that’s enough!!

These…will definitely make their way back into my freezer in the future. They just won’t be kept waiting for so long.

Katz…again…your gluten-free goodness is a wonderful thing. I am so thankful for your products.

Sliders made with Katz Gluten Free Dinner Rolls (Small Challa)

August 2, 2013August 2, 2013

Sol Cuisine Veggie Breakfast Patties bring vegetarian sausage back to my favorite meal of the day

Product: Sol Cuisine Veggie Breakfast Patties – $3.49+

Breakfast.

I have said it once…I’ve said it a million times. Breakfast is my favorite…absolute favorite meal of the day. I can eat breakfast foods all day and be completely content to do so. And, sometimes, this is exactly what I do. And why not? It should be the most nutritious meal of the day. And often, that’s very true for me.

Then there are mornings where my roommate and I decide to revisit classics and make them so that I can eat them. For awhile, I would bake up cheddar biscuits and slap some Morningstar Vegetarian Sausage Patty between them and have a vegetarian sausage biscuit. It worked. It was delicious. And I loved it. But Morningstar products, as delicious as they are, are not gluten-free. So, when I had to cut gluten out of my diet…the breakfast sausage sandwiches went with it.

Until one day when Cathy and I were wandering around Whole Foods. We never go into the freezer section, but we had time to kill, so we were browsing. And that was when I spotted them. A beacon in the frozen food aisle. Sol Cuisine Veggie Breakfast Patties. Right there on the front of the box it listed that they are vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free, free from saturated fat, low fat, and made with hearth healthy soy. GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN SAUSAGE PATTIES!! (*DANCE OF JOY*) I had tried other Sol Cuisine products…and it’s hit or miss. So, I made note that they were there and then for weeks kept talking myself out of purchasing them. Then, on drunken grocery shopping night with the roomie, I took advantage of her tipsy state and managed to snag a box of these to try. FINALLY!!

They made the journey home to the apartment and into the freezer. And that was where they remained for a couple of weeks. Until one night I made a batch of gluten-free rosemary cheddar biscuits for my running group. I had leftovers…so I promised to do up Sausage Biscuits for my roommate on Friday.

Well, this morning brought about the morning she had been waiting for. And so…I got the box of Sol Cuisine Veggie Breakfast Patties out of the freezer, preheated the oven to 350 degrees, and opened up the box.

The patties come in two clear packages, each containing three patties. The first thing I noticed was that these were not all golden brown like the box showed. Nope. They were gray. And in my past experience, I know for a fact that food…should…NOT…be gray! So, needless to say, I was a little concerned. I removed four patties from their sealed packages and laid them out on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, preparing them to bake for 20 minutes. I was hoping that this might put some brown color into them…so they didn’t look gray still. Into the oven they went for 10 minutes. Then, I flipped them over and polished off their baking time with another 10 minutes.

They never did get to be that gorgeous golden brown that you think sausages should be. Even vegan sausages. So…these biscuits were just going to have to hold a gray vegan sausage. I’d just attempt to overlook the color. I plated my roomie’s biscuits first and delivered them to her while I compiled my own gluten-free and vegetarian sausage biscuits. As it takes me a moment due to having to photograph things for this blog, I saw her nibbling away…so I naturally inquired as to what she thought of the sausages. I always get nervous when I ask her that. She is honest to a fault. Her response…”They taste like sausage!” Considering my roommate is neither a vegetarian nor necessitating a gluten-free diet (she eats that way at home because I cook and I am a gluten-free vegetarian), this is one of the best statements that can be made about a vegan product. Honestly.

I settled in with my own sandwich, opting not to throw hot sauce on it this time because I really wanted to taste the sausage itself. Cathy was right. These vegan sausage patties are hearty and meaty and have an amazing texture to them. They may be gray in color, but that can be overlooked. The flavor is astounding. By baking them, the outside got this nice crispiness to it, but the inside was soft and chewy. It honestly tasted like sausage. It had no strange aftertaste, nor did it taste off. It was vegan breakfast patty perfection. I don’t think my freezer will ever not have these in it from here on out.

So…let’s break this all down as usual. First of all Sol Cuisine is a non-GMO company, which I appreciate and love. The Veggie Breakfast Patties, in particular, have 80% less fat than pork sausage. For real. And with how amazing they taste, you could probably fool any carnivore thinking it was real meat. Seriously. They are that good. As mentioned before, these products by Sol Cuisine are gluten-free, wheat-free, saturated fat free, as well as kosher.

Nutritionally speaking, yes…I do realize how highly processed these are. But…when you’re a gluten-free vegetarian…you roll with it. The serving size for Sol Cuisine Veggie Breakfast Patties is one patty. This will serve you up only 60 calories and 2 grams of fat. These patties are also low carb, only providing 3 grams per patty. In addition, the sodium for a processed frozen food is not so bad, standing at 260 mg. One patty will also provide your body with 2 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. They are filling…and delicious…and quite healthy when you break it all down.

I absolutely rave over these. RAVE. Honestly, if you have a Whole Foods store near you (I seem to only be able to find these at Whole Foods) go and purchase some. You’ll see why these have won me over completely. They are just the epitome of vegan (and gluten-free) breakfast sausage patties. They are so versatile and I can’t wait to utilize them in other recipes and with other components in the near future. For now, however, at least I know whenever I bake up some gluten-free biscuits, I can certainly treat myself to an epic breakfast sandwich.

Sol Cuisine…you brought sunshine back to this gluten-free vegetarian’s life. Thank you for redefining breakfast for me!

Gluten-Free Vegetarian Sausage Biscuits made with Sol Cuisine Veggie Breakfast Patties

July 27, 2013

A love letter to Louisville, Kentucky’s Sweet ‘N’ Savory Food Truck

Restaurant: Sweet ‘N’ Savory Food Truck, Louisville, Kentucky

Dear Sweet ‘N’ Savory Food Truck:

Let me start by saying how very fortunate we, the residents of the Louisville area, are to have you in our neighborhoods and at our public events. Honestly, if it weren’t for you, most food trucks would be a bust for me. In fact, I had never had the chance to actually eat from a food truck until you rolled into my life. And, since then, I find myself clearing up my busy schedule just so I can come out to an event or hit up wherever you might be parked and serving on any particular weekend.

But you don’t just put out your typical street food and food truck fare. No…you cooked yourself in a different direction and have set yourself apart from the sorts of trucks (sandwiches, burgers, tacos) that frequent the streets of cities.

But you didn’t stop there with a unique product. Nope. You also made a conscious decision to make your products gluten-free. This is no easy task and it can be quite costly. Not to mention, there are certain stigmas that come with the term “gluten-free” so you already had to get over that hump. But you built your truck, you brought it out to the streets…and that was where I found you.

And my hope is that I never have to let you go.

From my first crepe from your truck…I tested first the sweet ones. I wasn’t too sure how to take those savory crepes…so the ones with chocolate and fruit were my first choices. But…then…one very warm day at a festival in Louisville, I branched out. I tried my first savory crepe…and it was love. It was delicious, heavenly love. And now…the savory crepes seem to be my choice each time.

This past Saturday at the Gluten-Free Fair held at Apocalypse Brew Works in Louisville…not only did I get to indulge in another (savory) crepe, but talked my roommate and our friend Greg into trying them as well. My roomie had actually wanted tacos…but in the end went with a crepe. As for Greg…he can sometimes be a bit picky…but he seemed set on the same crepe I was getting. So…orders were in.

Sweet 'N' Savory Food Truck's Veggie Caponata Crepe — Sweet ‘N’ Savory Food Truck’s Veggie Caponata Crepe

The Veggie Caponata Crepe ($6.00) was my choice this time…although I was so tempted to get your delicious, rich Caprese Crepe again. But…this one caught my eye. This one not only sounded super-delicious, but it was made with local, fresh vegetables. Therefore…I had to have it. The Veggie Caponata Crepe was stuffed full with amazing Kentucky eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and roasted red peppers. But the star…the ingredient that made all of these fresh vegetables shine…was the Parmesan cheese. Complete and total love at first bite. It was like eating a delicious gluten-free, veggie pizza. The flavors sang. The vegetables were fresh and their flavor, after being roasted, really became elevated. And that crepe…it is never overdone, never burned, never mushy. It’s always perfect.

Then…on a perfectly hot summer afternoon, you gave to me the greatest gift of all. Gluten-free gelato. I can’t thank you enough for finding a dedicated gluten-free base for your gelato. I can’t wait to indulge in it more frequently. And…you offered a Salted Caramel flavor. Salted Caramel is my favorite flavor…for real. Nothing tops it. It’s what I crave…perhaps because, in and of itself, it is both sweet and savory. That sweet with the hint of salt. It’s the best combination out there…and you…you gave me my favorite without even being aware of that. You must have just known…

I bought one scoop of your Salted Caramel Gelato ($2.50) and was blown away. One of the best salted caramel items I have ever tasted…and trust me…I have had many. I even make my own. You made it to perfection. The right creaminess and richness to warrant a gelato…and the flavor was outstanding. Salty…caramely…refreshing. It was the perfect way to end my food truck feast.

No love letter would be complete, however, without a lot of praise and love going out to the owners and operators of Sweet ‘N’ Savory Food Truck. Much love, much appreciation, and respect go out to Richard and Ashley Giannini. I know this can be quite a costly venture…and one that you have put a lot of your own hard-earned time and money into…but from the heart of someone like me, I can’t thank you enough for not just building a better food truck, but for giving a gluten-free (and vegetarian) girl a place to come and eat at these fun little gatherings and festivals. I never have to worry about the food I purchase from you. I hope to continue to follow you around this beautiful city and give you not just my business, but more business from my roommate (Cathy) and my friends who happen to come along with us.

By the way…Cathy completely loved the Limoncello Gelato.

I count myself one of the lucky residents in this amazing foodie town of Louisville, Kentucky, who have discovered just how beautiful and delicious your products are. But when you take such great care with ingredients and you prepare them to perfection, it’s hard to imagine anything else.

Basically…the point I am trying to make here is…I love you.

And I can’t wait to indulge in more of that Salted Caramel gelato.

Love…food truck style…defined as Sweet ‘N’ Savory.

Love Always,
Karen
(Veggie Food Lover)

A scoop of Sweet 'N' Savory Food Truck's Salted Caramel Gelato — A scoop of Sweet ‘N’ Savory Food Truck’s Salted Caramel Gelato

July 26, 2013

Katz Gluten Free once again sets the standard with moist, fluffy Sponge Cake

Product: Katz Gluten Free Sponge Cake – $5.79

A long while back, I purchased a Gluten-Free Saver deal (sort of like Groupon for the gluten-free) that gave me more than half off a certain dollar amount of products ordered from Katz Gluten Free. If you have never tried Katz Gluten Free…get thee to their Web site now and order their sampler pack. It’s a great way to get introduced to their products. And if you don’t think that’s for you…trust me…order the doughnuts. Especially the powdered sugar and cinnamon ones. You can’t go wrong.

The thing is…I have yet to eat something that Katz shipped to me that I haven’t liked. There are some products I have liked better than others, but when it all comes down to it, Katz is honestly the top-of-the-line when it comes to baked goods. And, thanks to the magic of Internet ordering…you can have their amazing products shipped right to your door.

Well, as I said, awhile back I latched on to this deal. And as I was pressed for time, I gave my roomie carte blanche to log onto Katz Gluten Free and to go ahead and pick out some items for us. So…she went for a few of our favorites (hello doughnuts, doughnut holes, English muffins, and pizza crusts) and then put in a few surprises. One of these surprises was none other than…their newly introduced Gluten Free Sponge Cake.

I was elated when I received the box via UPS. But…as it goes in this apartment…there is always something else that needs to move out ahead of the item I’m dying to try. So, for months now, the Katz Gluten Free Sponge Cake has sat in my freezer…just begging me to make something with it. To eat it. To just try it. It was silently vowing not to let me down.

Katz Gluten Free Sponge Cake (unwrapped)

After a very busy winter and spring, the perfect opportunity to dig it out finally came around when our good friend, Greg, had space in his calendar to head this way and visit for the weekend. I had a plan…I’d make gluten-free baked ravioli with my gluten-free cheesy onion pull-apart bread…and then for dessert…I’d whip up some Vegan whipped topping, use some fresh blueberries provided to me by a good friend of mine, and put all of that over some of the Sponge Cake from Katz Gluten Free.

It sounded like a plan to me. Now…time to put it into action.

Dinner went well. The ravioli was a huge hit, but the bread still needs to be paired with the perfect cheese as it tends to get a little lost. But now I’m digressing. The fact was…dessert time was nigh.

While I do love cooking and baking and even just bringing out gluten-free goodies for guests, I always get nervous that they won’t like it. And this was a new product. I had no idea what it would be like. All I knew was that it was made by Katz Gluten Free. And, that was actually a relief. Because, if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a trillion times…I TRUST KATZ GLUTEN FREE!!

But…there are just some people you don’t know how they will take to something that they know is gluten-free. There are so many preconceived (and often correct) notions about gluten-free food. And when people are unfamiliar with it, they automatically assume that it will be heavy, dense, and probably taste like cardboard.

Let Katz Gluten Free Sponge Cake prove all of that wrong. It was love at first slice. I mean, despite the fact that this loaf had been chilling in the freezer for months now…after I set it out to thaw, it didn’t dry up, nor did it become hard, brittle, or just fall apart. It was beautifully moist. My knife slid through the cake easily, and I could tell how soft it was with texture. Just like any moist sponge cake, I pressed my fingers against the center and it bounced back. Beautiful.

So…it was passing on texture and looks alone. I mean, beautiful golden crust with a gorgeous creamy white center that was moist, fluffy, soft…and just perfect to gaze upon. But…it was time for dessert. So, I sliced the three of us up a serving and topped it off with some of the vegan whipped topping. Then, fresh blueberries were scattered over the top and voila…dessert was served.

And…oh…it lived up to expectations. One bite and it was like eating a lightened up version of a shortcake. Airy, fresh, and just beautiful. It had this great flavor on top of it all…vanilla with a hit of citrus. It was a fluffy, filling dessert and one that I returned to in the nights following until the entire cake was used up. I even experimented with it slightly on a couple of nights, tossing the slice into the microwave for about 20 seconds and then topping it off with the vegan whip and berries. And, it was like taking a bite out of a freshly baked sponge cake. If you didn’t tell someone this was gluten-free, they would never know. Honestly.

Let’s talk nutrition on this baby, shall we? The Katz Gluten Free Sponge Cake serves 8 people. One sizable slice will serve you up only 90 calories and 4 grams of fat! Loving those numbers so far, aren’t you? In addition, this fluffy cake will provide you with 40 mg of sodium, 7 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein. It’s a lightened up version of a regular sponge cake. And I’m loving these nutritional facts. You almost don’t feel guilty about indulging a little.

As for the ingredients used to make this amazing dessert…it’s a combination of Katz Gluten Free Four (a mix of white rice flour, corn flour, and tapioca flour), sugar, eggs, canola oil, orange juice, water, baking powder, xanthan gum, and vanilla. That’s it. And the end result is one of the finest, softest, lightest sponge cakes you will find out there. I’d stack it against any regular sponge cake and still believe this one would come out on top.

Katz Gluten Free puts quality at the head of their business and it honestly shows with their products. I’m proud to say that I would be more than happy to order this from Katz again. And I intend to. In the very, very near future.

Katz Gluten Free Sponge Cake (topped with vegan whipped topping and fresh blueberries)