Frozen – Page 22 – The Celiathlete

November 27, 2012

Gillian’s Foods brings outstanding gluten-free French rolls to the table

Product: Gillian’s Foods Gluten-Free French Rolls – $3.49+

First of all, let me give a shout-out and a HUGE thank you to my friend, Kathy Lubbers, because she is the person responsible for introducing the awesomeness of Gillian’s Foods to me. No joke. When I was in Hershey, Pennsylvania, we got together for dinner and she told me she had some small gifts for me. One of said gifts was a sack of Gillian’s French Rolls. I had heard of Gillian’s, but have never seen them in the wild before. As in…no one in this area actually carries them.

But…in Pennsylvania, it’s a different story. She picked up some for me from the Annville Natural Market and told me to try them out. I wouldn’t hurt her feelings if I didn’t like them.

So, these little rolls made their way back home with me. And, as I wasn’t sure when I would get to them…they got tucked away in my freezer. And then…along came the holidays. And with holiday insanity comes the burden of being the food allergic girl coming to dinner. I navigated the Thanksgiving meal quite well by providing two of the main components…a fruit and a vegetable. The starch component was compliments of Amanda, the hostess, who pulled out some potato for me before adding milk and butter.

And so, the holiday season of rushing and insanity began. And with it…and the shorter days…I often find myself behind schedule. Be it for breakfast, for dinner, or for just a simple errand. This time of year…nothing is simple.

But…rolls. Those can be simple.

This morning, after a very hectic Sunday and a five mile run in the dark and cold, I came home to change and get ready for work. One thing was on my mind – food, of course. I was hungry. And since my roommate had been ill the day before, I wasn’t too sure what her stomach could handle. In the freezer, I spotted the bag of Gillian’s Foods French Rolls.

Gillian's Gluten-Free French Roll — Gillian’s Gluten-Free French Roll

BINGO! Simple and not too much preparation needed. I pulled out two rolls (the serving size is half a roll…but this was breakfast!) and put them in a plastic bag to thaw. They did that up until the moment my roommate’s alarm clock went off. The directions on the bag say to microwave to warm up. Now…that’s what I’m doing tomorrow, because these rolls are breakfast again tomorrow. But…I decided I wanted to treat them like an English muffin. So, I cut each one in half and put it on a baking sheet. Into the oven it went to toast while I got out the peanut butter and a banana.

It took about 10 minutes to get a nice golden color on these. I removed them from the oven, gave each one a little schmear of peanut butter and then topped each one off with slices of banana. A good, healthy, protein and potassium packed breakfast, if you ask me. But…of course I had to leave some of mine plain. Because I needed to see what these rolls tasted like without being gussied up with condiments and delicious fruit.

Well, let me tell you…I am in love with Gillian’s Foods French Rolls. Honestly. And I can’t wait to see what they taste like when microwaved, like the bag says to do. But, toasting them in the oven as a nice touch, I think. It gave the outside a little bit of a crunch, while the inside remained soft and full of yumminess. Yes…these rolls are definitely full of yumminess. Trust me.

The French Rolls are Gillian’s Foods most popular rolls that they make. Made from a combination of white rice flour, tapioca flour, water, soy flour, guar gum, egg whites, yeast, salt and sugar, these don’t get much more straight forward. Notice how you can recognize every ingredient. No strange chemicals or preservatives are added, which is why these are best stored in the freezer. Even better, unlike a lot of gluten-free bread out there, these do not crumble in your hands or fall apart. They are quite substantial, great texture, not too heavy. They are…in other words…perfection in roll form. And I’ve been searching for the perfect roll. I even tried to make some and it was an epic fail. Gillian’s makes it easy…and super delicious.

Even my roommate devoured these up. And after having been sick to her stomach, these didn’t bother her at all. She was the first to get a bite of one this morning and she absolutely loved the taste and texture as well. And she can have, and does have, regular bread quite often. We were both very highly impressed.

These would be great to build a sandwich with…use as hamburger buns…or even just warm up and serve on the side with a delicious gluten-free meal. Honestly, they are quite delicious on their own. Which is more than I can say for some gluten-free breads out there.

Now…to seek out a local store that might carry these and these products. Because if the rest of the products are as good as these rolls…well, I’m eager to try all I can.

Thank you Kathy, thank you, Annville Natural Market, and thank you Gillian’s…for giving this gluten-free girl a French Roll to rave about.

Gillian's Gluten-Free French Roll (halved and toasted) — Gillian’s Gluten-Free French Roll (halved and toasted)

November 25, 2012

The Gluten-Free Oven bakes up best treat ever with Vanilla Creme Filled Fingers (Twinkies)

Product: The Gluten-Free Oven Vanilla Creme Filled Fingers – $2.50

It was love at first sight when I spotted these little delicious creme-filled cake treats at the Gluten-Free Living Now Expo in Carmel, Indiana. This is no joke. And, with the recent news of the Hostess shut-down…these little treats that have been sitting in my freezer meant the world to me. Just as much as they did back on the day I bought them at the expo.

The Gluten-Free Oven was one of the vendors that were attending the Gluten-Free Living Now Expo in Indiana. I had never heard of them, but one product on their table caught my eye. One product that I had not seen anywhere before and I had been…wanting, desiring, needing (to make Minion (from Despicable Me) cupcakes, of course). Twinkies. Okay…not real Twinkies…but a version of them. A fabulous gluten-free version of them. While I was never big on Twinkies when I was growing up and could eat these things…for some reason (must be those cupcakes)…I just had to have these. I needed them. I wasn’t leaving the expo without them.

So…I purchased one little package of the Vanilla Creme Filled Fingers from the vendor and went on my merry way. Upon arriving home after the expo that day, they went into my freezer (along with a bunch of other goodies I purchased) for safe keeping.

Then…Hostess went belly-up. And the real Twinkie was now going away. There were mad-dashes to the stores to buy up favorite Hostess products. My roomie (who can have gluten in her diet) got caught up in the madness and ended up purchasing one little packet of Twinkies for herself. She was going to indulge that day…but decided that she’d save them for Thanksgiving evening…and we’d celebrate getting through the festivities, putting up and decorating the tree, and planning Black Friday Shopping Insanity by breaking out our Twinkies and Gluten-Free Vanilla Creme Fingers and having a sweet treat.

That was the plan. And although we were ready for the treat upon arriving home from the meal (where I had the green beans I brought, some spiced fruit I brought, and a little potato that my friend Amanda pulled aside before she added butter and whole milk to them for mashing), we decided to wait. We had to. I forgot to pull my Vanilla Creme Filled Fingers out of the freezer before leaving. I was a bit hurried as normal, having run a 5 mile race, showered, and prepared my dishes I was supplying for the meal…and getting to the location in enough time to help out if needed…or at least just socialize before food comas set in. So…the treat had to wait. No matter…my roommate and I had a Christmas tree to put up and decorate. I placed the Gluten-Free Oven Vanilla Creme Filled Fingers on the counter top to thaw, then went to help deck the halls to the sound of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

The tree was up in record time this year and the lights and garland didn’t give us as much as a fight. We grabbed our ornaments and just starting hanging the bits and bobs from the branches. Soon…it was up. I checked on my Gluten-Free Vanilla Creme Filled Fingers…and they were at room temperature now and ready to eat. YAY!

The Gluten-Free Oven Vanilla Creme Filled Finger

So…time to indulge. Cathy grabbed her packet of Hostess Twinkies and I eased into my Gluten-Free Oven packet. We both snatched out one cake-y treat to begin with…figuring we’d save the other one for later in the weekend. I had to take pictures of mine…and sliced mine in half to get a look at the creme (which matched the cake middle so it is hard to see). After the photos for the blog were taken, I snatched up one of the halves and took a long, lingering bite, savoring the taste, texture and moment.

The Gluten-Free Oven hit these out of the park. I can say that for certain because I gave a little piece to my roommate to do a side-by-side comparison and she said she couldn’t even tell the difference. The Gluten-Free Oven Vanilla Creme Filled Fingers were a little heavier, she said, but aside from that, they tasted exactly the same.

I count that as a win.

Here’s what else I can say. The Gluten-Free Oven Vanilla Creme Filled Fingers are just like the Twinkies I sort of remember back when I could eat such things. The cake on the outside was moist and spongy. The creme in the middle was soft and creamy and just…sweet. It was the perfect compliment when put together. Hostess knew what they were doing when they invented the Twinkie. Well…The Gluten-Free Oven just brought them to the gluten-free community. And, with any luck, The Gluten-Free Oven won’t go the way of Hostess and will continue to provide these to the gluten-free community for a long time.

I fell in love with these. And…for the record…the other Vanilla Creme Filled Finger (and the other Twinkie for my roommate) got eaten immediately afterwards. No saving them for another day. They were G-O-N-E. Yep. They really are that amazing. I wish I had bought more than the one pack of them. Honestly. I’m considering ordering them online. Yes…they DO ship.

The Gluten-Free Oven is based out of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania…so it would be a bit of a haul to go and actually pick something up. The best I can hope for, currently, is that I see them at another gluten-free expo soon, or just suck it up and order their products online. Honestly, I would order a case of those Gluten-Free Vanilla Creme Filled Fingers. It’s best if I don’t…but I would. And should I ever decide to give those Minion cupcakes a gluten-free whirl…I just might be contacting them to send me a case.

If you don’t remember Twinkies…never had a Twinkie…or miss Twinkies due to your gluten intolerance or Celiac disease…then I encourage you to look up The Gluten-Free Oven because they can make your dreams come true…with a little pack of two of the best packaged treats I have eaten in a long time.

Happiness really can be baked…in a Gluten-Free Oven.

The Gluten-Free Oven Vanilla Creme Filled Finger (halved)

November 9, 2012

A different sort of vegetarian burger in Earth Fare’s Mushroom Rice Burger (gluten-free)

Product: Earth Fare Natural Mushroom Rice Burger – $3.99+

I have fallen into a veggie burger rut. That sounds strange…I know. But it’s true.

The marketplace for gluten-free veggie burgers is booming. And I’m happy about that, because as a gluten-free vegetarian, sometimes I just want to have a good veggie burger. And many of the ones I have tried have been awesome. Some have been better than others. Despite being one of the more pricier ones, I absolutely can not step away from Amy’s Kitchen Sonoma Burger. It’s delicious. And one of the more sane ones when it comes to nutrition.

You might recall my run-in with the epically off-the-chain deliciousness of Sunshine Burgers…but the calories and fat content in them totally derailed my moment of joy.

It’s hard to find decent gluten-free, vegetarian food that isn’t laden with high calories and a lot of fat.

But, one day while shopping at my area’s newest grocery store, Earth Fare (I call it Earth Joy because it makes me happy!), I stumbled across their house brand of veggie burgers in the freezer section. As I was on my last Amy’s patty, I figured…why not try something else? And with a quick glance at the nutrition information, I felt so much better about this selection than any of the ones that have come before it. Now, I just had to hope it tasted as good as it sounded.

The veggie burger I chose this time around is Earth Fare’s Mushroom Rice Burger. And when I removed it from the freezer last night to cook up for dinner, what I loved seeing was the bits of rice that are actually part of the burger. You can also see the various vegetables that are incorporated into the patty itself. Love that. In fact, the Mushroom Rice Burger is composed of portobello and button mushrooms, onions, carrots, red and green peppers, black olives, potatoes, and garlic. Organic brown rice is added to that flavorful mixture, and they are seasoned with wheat-free organic tamari, sea salt, garlic, and some herbs.

A single burger is the serving size, but for once, the nutrition facts on the back of the box didn’t send me throwing it back in the freezer. One patty is only 90 calories (I think this is the first gluten-free veggie burger I’ve had that is under 110 calories) and contains only 1.5 grams of fat (THIS IS A FIRST!). It is a lean burger that is low fat, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and free of saturated fat. The sodium level is very low (290 mg). And one patty contains a whopping 8 grams of protein. Love that.

Last night, because I had some red onion, local bibb lettuce, and some tomato on hand, I decided it was time for another veggie burger. So, I busted out the Earth Fare Mushroom Rice Burger to cook up and give a try. I put it in my skillet to cook and heat through. This was actually very easy to do. I just made sure that it wasn’t cold anywhere in the middle, and flipped it a couple of times until it was nice and golden on the outside and warm throughout.

As I am out of my gluten-free hamburger buns, I have been opting to sandwich my burgers in…gluten-free bread. I happened to only have one slice left of my Glutino Genius bread, so I did sort of an open-face burger thing in lieu of getting more gluten-free bread or some gluten-free buns. I threw a slice of Veggie Slices Provolone Flavor cheese over it to melt down. Then, I plated it with the fresh vegetables and sat down to enjoy.

My first order of business was to get a piece of the burger itself, with no veg or bread. Why? Because I really wanted to see how it tasted, unmarred by the flavors that accompanied it. One bite…and I fell in love. This veggie burger is packed with amazing flavor. All organic. All delicious. I haven’t been this impressed by a veggie burger in a long time (especially one that is at least a little more nutritious for me to eat!). Gluten-free veggie burgers are becoming a little more common, but these…these not only have the best nutritional stats of any that I have tried, but they were moist and rich with flavor. All of the vegetables, the rice, the seasonings…they all mingled and mixed to form this perfect bite of a burger.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I hoovered it. Just completely devoured it.

Yes…it is that good.

I have noticed that Earth Fare markets are opening up throughout the country. If you have one nearby, I encourage you to go inside and try some of what they have to offer. It’s a great little healthy supermarket. And I have fallen in love with their selection (especially for someone like me!) and their products. Their very own brand of veggie burgers has now become my absolute favorite. Now…how’s that for amazing?!

Earth Fare Natural Mushroom Rice Burger, topped with melted non-dairy provolone cheese, bibb lettuce, and tomato

October 31, 2012

Sinful, soft, and scrumptious Cinnamon Rolls from Sinfully Gluten-Free

Sinfully Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls with Icing

Product: Sinfully Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls – $4.95

One of my biggest cravings since going gluten-free has been for, believe it or not, cinnamon rolls. Honestly. And it’s not that there aren’t gluten-free options out there. Udi’s makes some pre-packaged cinnamon rolls…which are…eh…okay, but definitely not one of their better products. And I attempted to make cinnamon rolls from a Chebe mix…and that was an epic fail of monumental proportions. Just…trust me on this one.

So, with the smell of Cinnabon lurking…everywhere…I resigned myself to the fact that unless I make my own (no easy task), that I would probably just have to stick with what Udi’s offers. Edible…but not a cinnamon roll in my mind.

And then, as luck would have it, I was in Dayton, Ohio for a chocolate festival. Yes…mock all you want…I am a female and I love chocolate. So the words chocolate festival will bring me to Dayton. Trust me. After sampling and buying a few items at the chocolate festival and doing a bit of antique shopping, my usual partners in crime (Jenn & Cathy) and I headed toward Centerville because, after dining at Sinfully Gluten Free before the Air Force Marathon 10K, I knew I had to go back. And I always will while in Dayton. Hands down.

Well, after placing our food order, I went shopping. Because here I am in a dedicated bakery/café…of course I’m going to buy some of their products. Among the items purchased…Sinfully Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls. Happiness abounded. And it even came with its own little tub of icing. YUMMY!

Of course, as is the case…these weren’t devoured immediately. Nope. They went back to Columbus, Ohio with me first. And then made the trip back to the Louisville, Kentucky area with me, via a cooler. And from there…they went into my freezer. But then…a busy weekend left me with no time to make gluten-free scones for my gym days…so…lo and behold…the cinnamon rolls were about to make their debut.

Sinfully Gluten Free’s Cinnamon Rolls come in a container of 4. Each roll is around 4 ounces in weight. Since I froze them, I pulled them out of the freezer to thaw in the container overnight. After my hard gym workout, I carried it into work with me and settled in the kitchen with two plates and four cinnamon rolls. My roommate received two of them and I received two. I saw that you could just go ahead and microwave the lot of them in the container they came in (minus the lid), but I needed time to ice them and keep mine warm while I took the roomie hers. So…I slid them onto a plate, and put them in the microwave for about 1 minute. They emerged piping hot and ready for a schmear of icing. I topped them off, put the other two for me in the microwave, and heated them up while I delivered the other pair to my roommate across the office.

I returned soon after just as the microwave beeped. Out they came, hot and ready for icing. I topped them off and happily carried them into my office and settled in at my desk with a fork. They looked absolutely perfect. Just like the ones my mom used to make…but better…because these didn’t come from a can marked Pillsbury. With much anticipation building, I slid my fork through one of the rolls, feeling the dough happily give way, how soft it was on the inside, and with that…I took my first bite.

These made me beyond happy. They were a perfect texture, despite being nuked in the microwave. They were gooey on the inside. The icing complimented them, without being too sweet and overpowering. It melted right over the top and into the rings of the cinnamon rolls. The rolls themselves weren’t too dense. They were light, with a little weight from the cinnamon rolled up inside. Sweet. Savory. And just phenomenal. Honestly. I savored each bite for as long as I could, dragging out my breakfast because I didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want to reach that last bite.

But…sadly…like all good things…this did come to an end. One final bite and I messaged my roommate and said, “I wish we had more of those in the freezer.” So, needless to say, next time I’m in or around Dayton, I hope Sinfully Gluten Free has some of those on hand because they have to be the best gluten-free cinnamon rolls to exist in the gluten-free world. Honestly. I have yet to find better. They got it all right and I was totally lucky enough to have the chance to indulge and enjoy.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but they deserve the high praise again. Sinfully Gluten Free…you take gluten-free goodness to sinfully divine levels. This gluten-free girl is one happy customer, always hoping to find herself in or around Dayton…just so I can come by and purchase more of your scrumptious goodies. I hope the cinnamon rolls make it back into my life…and soon!

Sinfully Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls (iced)

October 22, 2012

No go on Caesar’s Gluten-Free Potato Gnocchi

Product: Caesar’s Vegan Gluten-Free & Wheat Free Potato Gnocchi – $4.79+

Before I had to go gluten-free, I fell in love with these amazing Italian potato dumplings known as gnocchi. The problem being, even though made from potato, these contain flour and that puts it on the no-no list for Celiacs. I was quite…sad, depressed, and unhappy when this happened. It was like I was being denied something that I had only just discovered and fallen in love with.

And then, one day while walking through the Liquor Barn, of all places, with my roommate, we discovered Caesar’s Gluten-Free Potato Gnocchi in the freezer section. Enter me doing a happy dance of joy right there. I wanted to take it home with me that day, but I had enough products in the house at the moment to work through.

Then…a couple weeks later, while on that side of town, my roommate and I stopped in again and this time a bag came home with me. And then…it sat in my freezer. I can’t explain why. It just sort of happened that way. With the influx of fresh vegetables and fruits coming in with my CSA bin, getting to the frozen foods in the freezer or the items in my pantry got a little less common.

However, this past weekend, I was heading out of town to stop by my friend Jenn’s house and then…the following morning, the three of us were going to venture out to Hershey, Pennsylvania as I was running in the Hershey Half Marathon on Sunday. So, I was bringing dinner to make things easy on us all on Friday night.

That evening, after arriving and settling in at her home, we got out the pot of water and got it up and boiling before pouring in the frozen potato gnocchi. I was quite disappointed right off with the amount of pasta in the bag. The sack said it was meant for four people, but there was barely enough to serve as an entree for the three of us. We let that slide however, and put the small amount of gnocchi in the bag into the boiling water. With gnocchi, the way you tell if it is done or not is that they float up to the top. Problem number two with Caesar’s Gluten-Free Potato Gnocchi…half of them floated immediately. How can we tell if they are done if the frozen dumplings are already floating? We decided, instead, to just time it for the 4 minutes suggested on the package.

Caesar's Vegan Gluten-Free & Wheat Free Potato Gnocchi (cooked) — Caesar’s Vegan Gluten-Free & Wheat Free Potato Gnocchi (cooked)

While that was going, we heated up some sauce for the meal and set the table. We checked on the gnocchi after four minutes. Not all of them were ready, so we let it go a little longer. Finally, we figured we were where we needed to be. Again, kind of hard to tell when half floated right off the bat.

We drained the pan, then dished out the miniscule amount of gnocchi between the three of us. We added the sauce…then a sprinkling of cheese and settled in at the table.

Only to be immediately disappointed. I’m not joking. Maybe a third of the gnocchi dumplings were perfectly cooked. Some were gummy. Some were still hard. It was inconsistent. And I was less than impressed. This didn’t make me remember the amazing gnocchi I was able to eat before having to go gluten-free. And that’s sad. Because this was the first gluten-free gnocchi I was able to find. I could make my own, of course, but it’s a lot of work and time I currently don’t have. But…I may be headed that way.

I’ve tried Caesar’s Gluten-Free Stuffed Shells and really enjoyed them. But these didn’t make the cut this time. Not at all. I was so unimpressed with the potato gnocchi. Therefore, I don’t think I’ll be purchasing them again.

I have heard that the best gluten-free gnocchi is made by Nuovo, which I finally found at one of my local grocery stores. But Caesar’s gluten-free gnocchi will never make it into my apartment again. Totally not worth the money.

Caesar's Vegan Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free Potato Gnocchi with tomato sauce — Caesar’s Vegan Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free Potato Gnocchi with tomato sauce