Category: Gluten-Free

Product: Stubb’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce – $3.69+

Sauces and dressings can be scary, scary things when you have a gluten intolerance.  Honestly.  Depending on the ingredients that go into something, it may or may not be safe.  That’s not a good feeling when you’re either dining out or just trying to add a bit of pizazz to a dish you are creating at home.

Thankfully, there are some companies that label their sauces as being gluten-free, taking the guess work out of it.

Stubb’s is one of those companies.

Normally I use Bulls-Eye Original BBQ sauce when it comes to my bar-b-que sauces.  While Bulls-Eye Original is gluten-free, I came across a bottle of the Stubb’s Original BBQ sauce on the Manager’s Special table at my local grocery store.  This meant…it was a deal.  And since it was clearly labeled as gluten-free and all the ingredients were gluten-free, then…to me…it took a lot of the guess work out of it.

As none of the current vegetarian protein companies that supply my local food shops with goods make a gluten-free vegetarian/vegan nugget, this has sat around in my pantry for a little while.  But, tonight, I whipped up a  Gluten-Free Bar-B-Que Grilled Tofu Sandwich with oven roasted red onion and green heirloom tomatoes and just a dash of vegan mozzarella cheese for dinner.  I definitely needed some bar-b-que sauce to marinate the tofu in before grilling, so the Stubb’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce was the obvious choice.

I dug it out of my pantry and quite happily filled a bag with a bit of it.  The slice of tofu went in and a little more sauce was added.  The bag was given a good massage and shake, until everything was coated and then placed in the refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, I flipped it over and let it sit until dinner time.  Then, onto my cast iron grill pan the tofu went, being brushed with a bit more of the sauce until it was perfectly grilled.  I spread a bit of the sauce over a gluten-free sandwich roll, topped that with a bit of vegan mozzarella cheese, which I then melted in the microwave.  Over that went some spinach, the grilled tofu, the oven roasted tomatoes and finally the red onions.

One bite, and I was sold on the flavor of this sauce.  Stubb’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce is sweeter than Bulls-Eye, but contains a hit of smokey flavor at the end.  And that’s what I look for in a bar-b-que sauce.  While I love a more robust flavor, the sweetness to this sauce is the perfect balance, especially when that finishing smoke hits the palate.  I definitely fell in love with the bold, yet sweet flavors that really married this sauce together.  I hope that the one brand of vegan and gluten-free nuggets I discovered some day get to my area, because I think this sauce would be fantastic over it.  Until then, I’ll play around with other options and see what sort of bar-b-que goodness I can create.

Stubb’s took a great recipe with fantastic flavors and bottled it up with a smokey finish that makes this sauce…amazing to taste and even better to pour on.  It’s a keeper.  And I’m so glad I took a chance on it, stepped away from my norm, and gave it a try.

Product: Katz Dinner Roll (Small Challah) – $3.99; Sample Pack – cost of shipping (varies per state)

It’s a weekend, so I decided to dive into my gluten-free sample pack I got for free (well, I paid for shipping) from Katz Gluten-Free awhile back.  A couple weeks back I tried out a couple of offerings from the pack and absolutely was impressed.  So far, Katz is on a roll.

This morning…a roll is one thing that I was giving a taste test.

Last night, I pulled a few more of the goodies out of the sample pack to thaw on the counter to have after my long run this morning.  One of these goodies was the Gluten-Free Dinner Roll (Small Challah).  I was actually quite excited about giving this a try because I have been seeking out a good, light gluten-free dinner roll since attempting to make my own and not quite succeeding texture-wise.

Well, Katz was on the job as usual and provided me with a delicious roll indeed.  This little roll not only was soft after defrosting all night, but it honestly probably didn’t have to be reheated.  I did, though, with a short zap in the microwave for good measure.  This warm, soft and fluffy roll did make a nice addition to my breakfast.  However…there really wasn’t anything spectacular about it.

That being said, I found these to be of a much better texture than the ones I baked up awhile back.  They were definitely not as dense, and I loved how fluffy they were and soft to bite into.  This is, by far, the best version of a dinner roll I have had yet…and that’s including biscuits.  While most gluten-free rolls tend to be spongy in texture, these were simply soft and moist, and delicious with a light schmear of butter.

I love the products that Katz puts out and have been impressed with each one.  While these were not blow-me-over amazing, they were the best rolls I have had since going gluten-free.  Even better than my own attempts at such things.  The rolls didn’t crumble, yet were delightfully soft and flaky.  It’s hard to get that sort of a combination when dealing with gluten-free baked goods.  Katz once again worked gluten-free magic.

And, unlike a lot of bread-y counterparts in the gluten-free world, these rolls are right up to par with regular options.  Only 130 calories per roll and only 5g of fat, they are a nice treat to have…one-at-a-time, at dinner.  These are sold in packs of four normally.

My roommate, who doesn’t have to eat gluten-free but mostly does because of me, said that her half of the roll was good…but nothing special.  She’s right…but when it comes to gluten-free noshing…these are definitely at the top.

Product: Genius by Glutino Gluten-Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread – $5.99+

It’s brilliant.

I think I can say I found the Harry Potter of gluten-free breads.  Or the Einstein of gluten-free breads.  Or maybe even the Sheldon Cooper of gluten-free breads (no Bazinga necessary).

I have had the chance to try out quite a few top brands of gluten-free bread and have liked and disliked a few things about each.  From Udi’s to Rudi’s…gluten-free bread has gone from bland cardboard to wow…that tastes so much like the real thing.  It’s fantastic.  But one thing has never been quite right when it comes to those pricey loaves you buy from the freezer section of the grocery store, should you be lucky enough to have a grocery store that carries it.  And that one thing…is size.

Now, a lot can be said about size not really mattering.  What these top bread brands in the gluten-free world have brought is fantastic texture and flavor.  Sometimes…it’s just like biting into a slice of “regular” bread.  No…really.  And I have a deep love for each of these.

But then…I ran across Genius by Glutino.  I was in our local natural foods store when I spotted it…yes…in the freezer.  Now, I had heard rumors of this bread, seen it mentioned on the internet, on the Glutino Web site, over on Twitter.  I knew it existed…just not in my little world because my area is very slow on the gluten-free uptake at times.  I was so happy to see it that I forgave the $5.99 price tag (which is on par with Udi’s anyway) and immediately bought it.  I was in the market for bread that day anyway…so it was on the grocery list.  I didn’t deviate…this time.

I chose the Genius Multigrain Sandwich Bread and tonight got to test it out for the first time in my second favorite sandwich ever (as peanut butter is my first!)…and that’s a grilled cheese sandwich.  I thawed out two slices of bread in a plastic bag on the counter while I was at work.  I came home to perfectly defrosted bread that was very soft and light to the touch.  In fact, it felt less dense than the others on the market.  Loved that.  I put a schmear of gluten-free Dijon mustard on, topped it with a non-dairy cheese slice and then spritzed a little olive oil over it before setting it on my warmed skillet to toast up.

Here’s what I loved about this bread and this sandwich…

The bread toasted up to golden perfection.  It laid lightly on the skillet so the edges didn’t burn, as is all too common with other breads I’ve used for my grilled cheese sammies.  The cheese, even being vegan, melted to perfection inside.  And the bread itself had a golden crust on it without being toasted to a rock-hard oblivion.  And, it still held up when I went to dip it into my soup.

I even sampled part of this bread without it being toasted.  Very light, very springy…and reminded me so much of what real sandwich bread was like back when I could eat it.  And to think, I wasted most of my ‘real’ bread days eating that ‘mostly cardboard 45 calorie’ crap that’s on the market.

I don’t feel like I’m missing out though, because, for the first time ever, the Genius bread is actual bread size.  I’m not kidding.  It is the same size as regular loaves of bread as I used to have them.  I was so happy with this.  Elated.  The bread must be called Genius because making it actual size is brilliant.  It’s a stroke of genius.  It’s the phenom of gluten-free breads out there.  And it can really hold its own in the market.

The flavor and texture of Glutino’s Genius Multigrain Sandwich Bread blew me away.  I’m seriously in awe and trying to plan out what kind of sandwich I’ll eat with it next.  I bet it makes a sensational Fluffernutter.

Want to break away from tiny loaves of bread and bite into something that brings the size, texture, and flavor of real bread to your gluten-free palate…then find Glutino’s Genius sandwich breads and build a better gluten-free sandwich.  What are you waiting for?  The bread may be a gluten-free superstar, but you are the genius that has to put the sandwich together.  Go on.  You are a culinary, sandwich building genius…with the Genius bread to prove it.

Product: Pacific Natural Foods Organic Creamy Tomato Soup – $2.49+

Soup season has come and gone, right?

Not in my world.  I could eat soup, yes even hot soups, even in the heat of summer.  Why?  Because I grew up doing that.  And some nights, you don’t want to slave over a stove or toil over something in an oven when there are better things to do…like getting in a run before it gets dark or polishing off another episode of that show you’ve been trying to catch up on.  You know…life’s little important things that make your day just…right.

So dinner shouldn’t stress you out.

And that’s why Pacific Natural Foods is once again on the scene with another stunning, simple, organic soup that takes a favorite and makes it a classic.

That is no overstatement of the truth.  It is exactly how I felt with every spoonful of the Organic Creamy Tomato Soup that I heated up for dinner tonight.

Soup is an amazing thing.  It’s light, yet filling and it pairs well with crackers or a sandwich…or even a salad.  But in all honesty, tomato soup was meant to go with a grilled cheese sandwich.  So, I made up one of my gluten-free and dairy-free grilled cheese sandwiches to pair off with this soup, poured it into bowls and settled in for my dinner.

What I found was this soup more than delivered on flavor.  It was flavored to perfection.  I could have closed my eyes and sworn it was homemade, left to simmer on the stove, instead of coming out of a box and just simply being warmed for a few minutes over a burner.  It really rivals the real, homemade stuff.  And that’s what I fell in love with immediately.  It was light, yet rich, and packed with that classic tomato soup flavor.  The sweetness of the tomato isn’t too much but it still has that robust flavor you comes to expect from a tomato soup.

I ate it on its own…I dipped my sandwich into it.  I, personally, loved it down to the last bit in my bowl.  I cleaned it up as best I could and made a promise to get more of this kind as soon as I could.  I never would have picked this one up on my own, as I tend to steer clear, though I don’t know why, of the classics.  But this one came in my “Don’t Be A Gluten” gift basket of gluten-free goodness and wonder…and today just felt like a soup and sammie kind of day.

This soup…certainly hit the spot.  If you love the classics, don’t overlook Pacific Natural Foods Organic Creamy Tomato Soup.  It’s perfection and almost instant gratification.  All you have to do is open the container, pour into a pan, heat, and enjoy.  Let me tell you…it won’t get much better than this one.

Product: Dave’s Gourmet Organic Red Heirloom Pasta Sauce – $7.99+

You know…sometimes shelling out a few extra dollars for a quality product is well worth it.  The most difficult part is justifying trying that product in the first place.

Luckily, my roommate and I familiarized ourselves with Dave’s Gourmet pasta sauces back when we found them on sale at our local natural foods store.  Yes…these are quite pricey.  But as we discovered after our first taste of the Butternut Squash pasta sauce…the flavors, texture, and taste all stand up for themselves.  So yeah…the price tag…worth it.

With the epicness of the Butternut Squash pasta sauce still in our minds, we set out to try another one of Dave’s Gourmet pasta sauces.  Why not?  We were blown away by our first try.  Why not tempt the foodie gods a little and give another flavor a go.  The difficult part was deciding on what sauce to coat our spaghetti with.

We finally opted for the Organic Red Heirloom Pasta Sauce.

This time, the decision was to simply dress up some gluten-free rice noodles.  Nothing fancy.  No lasagna or stuffed shells.  Nothing full of other flavors.  We wanted to taste the simplicity.  That’s the best way to tell the standard of a sauce.  Eat it as it is meant to be.

And this sauce is nothing short of stunning.  It has a very fresh taste that allows you to really get the hints of garlic, fresh herbs and, the star feature…the organic heirloom tomatoes.  It has a very mild flavor to it and it isn’t heavy like the butternut squash version of Dave’s Gourmet sauces.  This one is just a simple tomato sauce that is bursting with flavor.  It’s light and pairs perfectly with a sprinkling of fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, gently sauced over simple pasta noodles.  It’s not too thick and not too thin, but shows evidence of the bits of onion and tomato that are incorporated into it.

For a light tomato sauce to stand up on its own and really just wow you, there has to be something special about it.  With a short list of ingredients, there doesn’t seem to be anything wow-worthy in this sauce.  The fact of the matter is, Dave’s Gourmet is doing everything right with their sauces and something this simple to resonate on the palate speaks volumes.

Trust me, while it’s not always easy to justify the price tag for a product, when you find something that really stands up and smacks your taste buds around…then…it’s worth the extra cost.  For me, Dave’s Gourmet is always worth a few extra dollars.  It’s ramping up pasta to a new level…and it’s all in the sauce.