I know. I know. Why do I keep reviewing beer when I abhor it anyway?
The answer is simple…gluten-free chili con queso…where one of the main ingredients is beer. And I figure, while I’m cooking with it, I might as well sample it to see if it is at least palatable, yes? Makes sense. We all know a good chef tastes everything…including ingredients.
Well…here I found myself on a Sunday afternoon after my indoor triathlon, needing to create something for lunch. I had the makings of the Chili Con Queso (check my recipe section!) in my apartment, so I got to chopping and shredding and all that good stuff. In my refrigerator sat a lonely bottle of Estrella Damm Daura Gluten-Free Beer. Why? Because it’s always good to have gluten-free beer on hand when a craving for queso hits.
I measured out the beer for the recipe then put the bottle to my lips and had a sip. And recoiled. Blech. Beer. Blech. So, again, this product is immediately handicapped by my disgust of the beverage itself. I’ve never been a beer drinker…have never liked the flavor…but this…this was just…meh.
I was surprised, actually, because this beer has won so many accolades, including “World’s Best Gluten-Free Beer.” So, yeah, I think in my mind I was hoping that maybe this one would surprise me, shock me, wow me…something. But it only served to get me to wrinkle up my nose and recoil from the flavor. Yuck.
The flavor was too sharp for me. It lacked those sweet, cider-like undertones that come in other beers. This was just stark and…strong. And, not to put too fine a point on it…I didn’t like it. At all.
While I am glad that gluten-free beers are hitting the market, I don’t know if any of them will ever impress me. It’s not that I’m picky…it’s just that beer has never done anything for me. I love to cook with it…and this was a great beer to cook with, providing a nice bit of flavor to my gluten-free chili con queso. But, beyond that, Estrella Damm Daura Gluten-Free Beer certainly didn’t win me over.
Blue Diamond are the almond people. So when Nut Thins were first introduced to the market, they came in a few flavors, which have since expanded to eight flavors. Some are easier to find than others. And I have had quite a few of them. Yes, I am (slowly) working my way through the entire line. There have been some that I’ve loved (Barbeque, I’m looking at you!) and some that have disappointed (Pepper Jack…hang your almond head in shame!).
But when it comes to finding a healthy (and gluten-free) snack to satisfy that salty craving, Nut Thins are one of my go-to options. This was my first time ever trying the Almond variety. I don’t know why I never picked it up before. In fact, the only reason these made it into my pantry was that they were part of a gift basket at my local Fresh Market called “Don’t Be A Gluten.” It had a nice variety of gluten-free foods in it, so my roommate gifted me with it one day as it was on sale.
What the Almond Nut Thins deliver is all the taste and flavor of your standard tortilla chip, but with less guilt in each crispy bite. With only 130 calories for 16 crackers, these little discs of goodness also provide 3g of protein in each serving. They are low in sodium and (more importantly) fat, unlike standard tortilla and potato chips. You can’t argue with that.
Even more exciting is that the ingredients in these crackers are all recognizable. The two top ingredients are rice flour and almonds. That makes sense. And it makes for a delicious, crunchy treat that tastes like a tortilla chip. Eat them on their own or dip them in salsa, queso, guacamole, hummus, or whatever you like to dip. This is one skinny little treat that will take the guilt away from any midday snack craving.
Sure, Blue Diamond offers up a variety of flavors when it comes to their Nut Thin crackers, but when you want something simple but delicious, go with the original. I’m glad I did, because I absolutely loved these. So, if you are looking for something better than a tortilla chip, or just need something new to snack on…Almond Nut Thins. I promise…you’ll love them too.
Never, ever turn me loose in a bookstore. Ever. Because I walk out of there with things like The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free. It was at Half Price Books…and my roommate showed it to me. How could I not buy it?
Now, her birthday was coming up and I had every intention of making a gluten-free peanut butter chocolate cheesecake for her. But as I was reading off some of the recipes in this book, she fell in love with the lemon chiffon cake. So, when she said, “That’s what I want for my birthday!” I ditched the cheesecake idea and made her what she wanted.
Thank you Cake Mix Doctor for this recipe. While it seemed a bit daunting…in the end it all came together beautifully.
1 package (15 ounces) yellow gluten-free cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup orange juice (fresh or from a carton)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
For the filling and lemon whipped cream frosting:
1 jar (10 ounces) gluten-free lemon curd (I used Dickenson’s)
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream, chilled
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
Make the cake: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray, then dust with the rice flour. Shake out the excess rice flour and set the pans aside.
Rinse and pat dry the lemon or lemons with paper towels, then grate the yellow zest onto a small plate. Measure 2 teaspoons for the cake batter and place it in a large mixing bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice through a fine sieve, discarding the seeds. Measure 1/4 cup of lemon juice, pour it into the mixing bowl with the zest, and set the bowl aside.
Layer of gluten-free cake cooling on wire rack
Separate the eggs, placing the whites in another large mixing bowl and the yolks in the mixing bowl with the lemon zest and juice. Beat the whites with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Set the beaten egg whites aside.
Place the cake mix, sugar, orange juice, and oil in the bowl with the egg yolks and lemon and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. Using a rubber spatula and giving the bowl quarter turns, gently fold the egg whites into the batter until no traces of whites remain and the batter has lightened. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side. Place a large mixing bowl and electric mixer beaters in the refrigerator to chill.
Lemon curd filling spread over gluten-free lemon chiffon cake
Bake the cake layers until they are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 18-22 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another rack so that the layers are right side up. Let the layers cool completely, about 20 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, make the filling and frosting. Measure 2/3 cup of lemon curd for the filling and set it aside in a small microwave-safe glass bowl. Pour the cream into the chilled mixing bowl. Using the refrigerated mixer beaters, beat the cream with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 3 minutes. Fold in the confectioners’ sugar and 1/4 cup lemon curd. Beat again at low speed until the lemon curd is incorporated, 30 seconds. Refrigerate the frosting until ready to use.
Lemon chiffon cake layers with lemon curd filling
To assemble the cake, place the glass bowl with the lemon curd for the filling into the microwave on high power for 10 seconds to warm it. Transfer one cake layer, right side up, to a serving plate. Spread the top with the warmed lemon curd. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first and frost the top and side of the cake with the lemon whipped cream frosting. Refrigerate the cake until time to serve.
Icing on the cake
~*~*~
I couldn’t have been happier with the way this recipe turned out. It baked up beautifully. The layers easily came out of the prepared pans. They were light and fluffy. The filling was really good. The frosting wasn’t too heavy (much preferred as I am not a frosting or icing person!). And the birthday girl was totally thrilled with the end result. She said it was her favorite birthday cake…EVER! Just the right amount of citrus without overpowering the dessert. Cake perfection.
It seems daunting, but honestly, this recipe was easy to prepare and really, really delicious. Go ahead…try it.
It happens. What this meant though was I’ve actually sampled Betty Crocker’s Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix how it was intended, and then dressed up in a complex recipe, at the request of my roommate for her birthday. You know what that means? Double the cake. And that isn’t always a bad thing.
What I learned from this experience, however, is to read through the directions on a recipe first…otherwise you end up with two cakes when you only need one.
Moral of the story aside, so far, my gluten-free mixes from Betty Crocker have hit it out of the ballpark. I love the brownies, the chocolate chip cookies and the devil’s food cake. The only mix I still had in my pantry to try was the yellow cake, and my roommate requested a gluten-free lemon chiffon cake for her birthday. I set out to do that, and messed up by starting to make a yellow cake with the mix, instead of doing it how my recipe asked…which is not per box instructions or with healthy substitutes I throw in.
My "OOPS!" cake, made from Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix
So…my first cake batter attempt with this mix was successful, just not what I needed. So, I sent the birthday girl out to the store to buy a new box (aggravating when you’re on a budget, as these are not cheap!), while I tried to figure out what to do with the batter I now had. I hated to throw it away, so in the spirit of her birthday, I baked it up the regular way, then melted down some chocolate chips and poured it over the top for a light icing, then brought it to work to share. More than half the cake ended up in the garbage there anyway, sadly, but…I tried. Everyone who actually did sample a piece loved it, but it kind of was ignored when other goodies were brought in to celebrate March Madness or something. Ah well…you can’t say I didn’t try. And it does make me feel good when those who did eat it, complimented me on it. *fist pump*
One of the lemon chiffon layers made from Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix
Here is what I love about Betty Crocker’s gluten-free cake mixes – they bake up beautifully. Light. Fluffy. Delicious. I didn’t realize this until last night when I was working on another cake recipe and used a different brand of gluten-free cake mix…only to have it not bake up as well as Betty Crocker’s. So, my new cake is this flat little layer cake, where as the layers I created for the cake using Betty Crocker’s gluten-free mixes were fluffy and amazing. Honestly, until I baked this other cake last night, I wouldn’t have raved this much about it, but the cake mix from Betty Crocker definitely is superior to the one I chose to use in my new cake.
The gluten-free yellow cake mix not only bakes up beautifully, but it is delicious too. For the second cake, I mixed in quite a bit of flavor, as it was a Gluten-Free Lemon Chiffon Cake. In went lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, orange juice, and other ingredients, and nothing changed. What emerged were two delightfully fluffy, and very yummy smelling, citrus-scented yellow cake rounds. They came out of the pans clean, they cooled to perfection. And, when layered and iced, held up to everything. Nothing crumbled or fell apart.
I couldn’t rave any more about how amazing Betty Crocker’s Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix is. It honestly has impressed me, especially now that I could easily see how well it did against another brand. I was so happy with the way the cake(s) turned out and loved the flavors and texture of each one. When Betty Crocker stepped into the gluten-free baking world (due to a couple of employees having to go gluten-free), it was done right and to perfection.
I am, yet again, another very happy consumer and baker.
Thank you, Betty Crocker, for putting delicious cakes back on the menu.
Lemon Lover's Chiffon Cake made with Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix
This sandwich is what happens when I have ingredients in my fridge…and find a new product I want to try. This is the magic of the kitchen, friends. Because, in the kitchen, these little throw-together, anything goes sort of dishes sometimes turn out better than anticipated. This is one of those meals.
The product I was trying out was Schär’s Sub Sandwich Rolls. Since going gluten-free, sub sandwiches have been off my radar and I was craving. The other ingredients are often kept in stock in my pantry or fridge. The sauce I used was actually left over from the Vegetable Pad Thai I made a couple weeks back. This is a simple, easy sandwich dish that even my picky roommate devoured.
Recipe: Thai Sweet Red Chili Grilled Tofu Sandwich
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (I used WorldFoods)
4 tablespoons hummus (I used Oasis Jalapeño Hummus)
Baby spinach
Directions:
Place 6 oz of tofu (cut into 4 1.5 oz rectangles) into a plastic bag and pour in Thai sweet chili sauce. Close bag, shake to coat, and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to marinate.
Once tofu has marinated for desired time, preheat the oven to 400° F.
Open up the sub rolls and place on a baking sheet.
While oven is preheating, get out a grill pan (or any pan if you don’t have one…or use an actual grill) and begin to heat it up.
Marinated tofu on grill pan
Take marinated tofu and place on hot grill, allowing to cook on one side. Flip and use left over sauce to brush over the tofu as it grills. Flip a couple more times to get grill lines and heat tofu throughout. Set aside.
Place sub sandwich rolls into the oven for 5 minutes to warm.
Remove from oven and split open. Place 1 tablespoon of hummus on each side of the roll. Lay down a bed of spinach.
Slice the tofu into long strips and stack inside the sandwich.
Close sandwich roll and enjoy.
~*~*~
I was actually nervous when I served this to my roommate. She doesn’t mind tofu…she’s lived with me being a vegetarian for three years now, so tofu doesn’t phase her. I was mostly concerned about how she would take the hummus. But, she in fact loved it.
And I was quite surprised with how well the flavor combinations worked out. But the Thai chili sauce and the jalapeño hummus paired very well together. I think next time I might add some crisp vegetables to give it a bit more crunch, but this played out just fine in the end. We were both very happy…as were our stomachs.
Feeling brave? Give it a try. And if you aren’t a vegetarian and the thought of tofu frightens you…give another protein a go.
I admit it. I have an obsession with scones. And who can blame me? They can be sweet or savory. And the possibilities are endless when it comes to flavors. And that’s why I often play around with my recipe, tweak it here and there, throw in some different ingredients, say a prayer to the oven, and bake them up and see what happens.
This time, I had some chopped hazelnuts in my pantry, along with a lot (there was a sale, don’t judge) of Nutella and I thought…I bet I could make some sconey goodness with this. So, grabbing those ingredients, and also a pack of Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips, I let my creativity fly. And this is what emerged…
Recipe: Gluten-Free Nutella White Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Scones
Gluten-Free Nutella White Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Scones
3/8 cup white chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)*
1/8 cup chopped hazelnuts*
4 tbsp Nutella
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
*NOTE: Basically your white chocolate chip and hazelnut ratio equals 1/2 cup when combined. Just put in what you feel like works for your scones. I just eyeballed it in the measuring cup.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Cut in the Nutella using two knives.
Add the milk and beaten egg. Mix together with a fork. Dough will be thick.
Drop large, tall dollops of dough (scones will spread when baking) onto lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake for 15-17 minutes.
~*~*~
These smelled absolutely fantastic when they were baking. And what emerged was a little bite of heaven to be sure. The mix of sweet and salty with the white chocolate, the Nutella, and the hazelnuts made for a delicious bite each time. And they tasted just as good as they smelled. So, if you are addicted to Nutella (and who isn’t?) I highly recommend giving this recipe a try. They make a nice breakfast treat or snack that you can just grab, warm, and enjoy!
A couple months ago, Subway announced that, in a very, very, very, very (you get the picture) select market, it would be testing out gluten-free sandwich rolls in a few locations. This…is a step in the right direction. However, this very (et al.) select market is nowhere near where I live (naturally), so the little corner sandwich shops are still off-limits to me currently.
But that doesn’t mean sub sandwiches are. In fact, thanks to the wonderful parbaked bread that is marketed by Schär, I was able to create my own sandwich the other day for dinner. It had been a long time since I had anything that resembled a sub sandwich, so this was a great moment.
Schär has yet to disappoint me with a product. Yes, the products can be a bit pricey, but the fact of the matter is…they are good. Better than good. They are downright fantastic. I’ve had the ciabatta and baguette, as well as a few of their crackers and cookies (thank you gluten-free expo!). Loved them all. So, when I had an idea of how to use up the remainder of my bottle of Thai sweet red chili sauce, these sub sandwich rolls played perfectly into the recipe.
Schär Sub Sandwich Rolls
These are so easy too. Just preheat the oven to 400 degrees and when ready…put them on a cookie sheet and bake. It’s that simple and in five minutes, they are warm, toasted, and ready for consumption.
Schär’s Sub Sandwich rolls come individually wrapped in packs of two. This means you don’t have to use one now and freeze the other one. The other stays fresh within its little sealed pouch. It’s awesome. Even with the quick bake in the oven, these rolls came out soft, just like all those freshly baked breads you smell whenever you are near a Subway. Mmmmm.
So, for my foray into sub sandwich making, I toasted up these rolls and then grilled some tofu that I marinated in the Thai sweet red chili sauce. When the tofu was done grilling and the bread was oven-toasted, I sliced the rolls in half and coated each with a schmear of jalapeño hummus. A bed of spinach was placed on one half before being topped with strips of my marinated and grilled tofu. The other half of the bread topped it off…and bam…vegetarian sub sandwich!
These rolls were awesome. And at only 160 calories per roll, it is basically guilt free. The only bread at Subway that comes in under 160 calories are their mini breads. In addition to being nutritious, all of the ingredients on the package are recognizable and identifiable. Peace of mind. Not only are these rolls a great source of fiber, but they also only contain 2g of fat.
I can’t stop raving about Schär’s products. Each time I try one I am impressed even more than I was before. While my local grocery store does sell a few of Schär’s products, they don’t carry the sub sandwich rolls. I found those at a natural food store and with that initial sighting, I built the concept of this sandwich. Of course, the week I went back to get them, I got the last one on their shelf, so they sell fast it seems.
Do you miss sub sandwiches or have you been craving? Thanks to Schär, you can once again indulge in a sub sandwich, made however you like it…and without the guilt. Gluten-free continues to be delicious.
Schär Sub Sandwich Rolls topped off with spinach, marinated grilled tofu, and a schmear of jalapeño hummus
Restaurant: AP Crafters Kitchen and Bar, Louisville, Kentucky
Hello world of gastropubbing.
It’s such a foodie vs. food world and the gastropub is what has emerged to incorporate a high quality dining menu with the feel of a public house. It’s an amazing concept and one that I’ve witnessed through the wonderful world of Travel Channel shows as well as Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmare makeovers where some shady joint becomes a happening gastropub.
The word itself fascinated me and I really, really wanted to go to one.
So, one afternoon following a large 5K race through the streets of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, my roommate and I decided to give AP Crafters Kitchen and Bar a try. Billed as a gastropub, I was quite thrilled with the idea of dining there for lunch and getting a feel for their food and service.
Loved the jar-like cups drinks were served in at AP Crafters, Louisville, Kentucky
We walked in around lunch time and were greeted after a moment of waiting at the front. The hostess had been ducked under the front bar and didn’t hear us enter. We were shown to a table in the restaurant, which has high ceilings and hardwood floors. Televisions dotted some of the walls with whatever games or sports shows were going on at the time. I am not a sports person unless it’s soccer, and I know it wasn’t soccer. We were given a moment to look over the menu. Our waiter came over to take our drink order…which we stuck with water…and when he returned with that we were ready to order.
Naturally, as is usual if it is on the menu, my roommate ordered their Fish and Fries ($12.50) for her meal, especially intrigued by the fact that the cod was done in a cornmeal crust instead of a heavy batter.
As for me, as I’m a gluten-intolerant vegetarian, it took me a moment longer to find something for me to eat. I finally decided on a bowl of their Simple Tomato Soup ($4.00), which the menu says is made fresh daily, the Spinach Salad ($7.50), without the blue cheese on it, and their Fresh Fruit and Berries side ($3.00). It had been a cold morning for a run, so the hot soup would taste awesome. The salad was chosen because, as far as menu options went, there was really nothing else for a vegetarian, save for a grilled cheese sandwich, and that wouldn’t be gluten-free. So, stuck with the salad again. I had thought about getting a side of their fries, but I didn’t feel like asking if they shared a frier with anything breaded…and as it turns out, they were seasoned anyway with some unknown seasoning, so it was a good call just to skip them in the end.
We had a little bit of a wait before our food arrived. I appreciated that as it meant that things were cooked to order. And just at first glance, the food looked amazing. My roommate’s fish and chips looked really great and my soup and salad were…well…soup and salad. But I was hungry…and ready to dig in.
AP Crafters' Simple Tomato Soup with a side of Fresh Fruit and Berries
I tried the soup first, because it’s soup and I didn’t want it to get cold. Unfortunately, it was already lukewarm. Not what this runner who endured 30 degree weather that morning in a race wanted. Soup should be served hot. If it’s too hot for patrons, they can let it cool. But serving lukewarm soup is not good. I wanted to be warmed from the inside out, and this just sort of…didn’t do that. It did, however, have amazing flavor to it. The texture was awesome. It wasn’t runny, but you could really taste the fresh ingredients in it. So, heat-wise…fail. Flavor-wise…win. The fruit and berries side was a bowl with a mix of pineapple (my favorite part of it), honeydew melon, cantaloupe, strawberries and blueberries. All of the berries and melons were ripe and delicious. And I was shocked when the pineapple was my favorite thing in there. Usually strawberries always win.
As for the salad, they did kindly leave the blue cheese off and thankfully didn’t find the need to add something to it instead, as some establishments do. It looked really delicious, a delicious bed of green spinach with granny smith apple slices, blueberries, strawberries, red onions, toasted almonds, and (what really made the salad awesome and different) golden raisins. It was served with their house vinaigrette (on the side, not drowning the salad), which tasted like it was a raspberry vinaigrette…which was the perfect pairing for that salad. It was good. I mean, it’s a salad, but I always love the incorporation of fruits with greens in a salad. It just wakes up the taste buds with the mix of savory and sweet.
My roommate felt that her fish and fries came out lukewarm, like they were left on the pass while the rest of the meal was assembled. While she liked the lightness of the cornmeal batter, she found that it got soggy pretty quickly and after awhile, all you tasted was the seasoning. The longer it sat, the mushier it got.
While the food at AP Crafters is cutting edge, riding that fine line of traditional comfort food and upscale cuisine, this gastropub did little to really entice me back. The food was full of flavor, but not served hot when it should be. And that was the major disappointment for both my roommate and I. Additionally, with my dietary restrictions, there was little for me to really order on the menu, which makes my order at this establishment…the same every time. And as we head into summer, soup isn’t going to sound as delicious to me on a hot day. The general consensus was…it was okay, but we’d probably never eat there again.
Too bad. Because they are right on the edge of being fantastic. The cutting-edge cuisine could have been so amazing, had it been served hot. Live and learn.
I guess I’ll seek out another gastropub sometime and try again. But as for AP Crafters Kitchen and Bar, it just fell short of impressing me with its food. Such a shame.
Some of you may have learned by now, or by reading my sister blog to this one (Chasing Pavements), that I am a runner. Nothing makes me happier than to lace up my running shoes and head out for a run, or enter a race. I especially love races.
But with road races comes strange food rituals. Like, I never have anything more than cereal before a run. Never. I know that my stomach can handle that without it being too heavy or too much. However, this often means that by the time the race starts and I get through it and finish it…I’m starving. Seriously. And not every race has something that those with food allergies can eat. Lots of times it’s donuts, bread, sandwiches…not a piece of fruit (although most races do have at least bananas or apples). Last Saturday, I participated in a local road race that didn’t provide anything beyond baked goods that I couldn’t eat with my gluten allergy. So, after running and staying around for the awards and door prizes, I headed home to get ready to head into Louisville where I was going to be trying out a new restaurant…eventually. There were a few stops to make prior to that.
With that in mind, I reached into my gluten-free goodies drawer and retrieved the little baggie with my snack size Lärabar’s inside. I got a lot of these little fruit and nut bars for free from a Gluten-Free Expo that I attended in Birmingham, and was now ready to give one of them a shot. This wouldn’t be my first Lärabar…as I lived off of the snack size multi-pack during my summer of following U2, but it would be my first time trying the Carrot Cake flavor. Famished, I tore into the little orange wrapper, revealing a little square that was a blend of carrots, cinnamon, dates, almonds, walnuts, raisins, pineapple and coconut. You could literally see every…yes, every ingredient! Nothing deceptive about these.
One bite…and I remembered what it was like to eat carrot cake (which happens to be one of my favorite cakes when done properly, despite not being a cake lover, and something I haven’t had in years…and especially since going gluten-free). I was hooked. The flavors were perfect. I could see little chunks of nuts. I could taste the carrots and citrus. It was a journey back for my taste buds to my last bite of carrot cake, which happened to be at a birthday party for my roommate’s aunt years ago. Oh…this was beyond delicious. This was a dessert in bite-size little bar. Oh…it was good. When something that is supposed to be “carrot cake” flavored, to actually bite into it and have it truly remind you of a real slice of carrot cake speaks volumes.
Love at first carrot cakey bite. Good show, Lärabar. I wish I had more than one of those in that bag…
Product: Dark Chocolate Dream Pure Dark Chocolate Bar – $3.49+
Chocolate can be tricky sometimes when it comes to gluten intolerance. Honestly. I’m not making this up.
So when I find a brand that is clearly labeled gluten-free I try to stick with it. Not only is the Dark Chocolate Dreams Pure Dark Chocolate Bar gluten-free, but it is also dairy free as well, which is a definite plus with my lactose intolerance.
I am actually surprised this bar of dark chocolate goodness lasted as long as it did in my pantry. Seriously. But I had some chocolate to go through before I got to it. And I blame it on the much too bitter taste of the 100% Dark Chocolate Ghirardelli Baking Squares I had attempted to use in my gluten-free S’mores the night before for breaking into this dreamy bar of dark chocolate goodness. Using some gluten-free graham crackers, marshmallow fluff, and a square of the Pure Dark bar from Dark Chocolate Dreams, I was in S’morey heaven and it was love at first bite.
Not very many companies out there and guarantee that their chocolate is free of all traces of dairy and gluten, but the makers of Soy Dream and Rice Dream nondairy beverages can. And that sort of certainty makes a world of difference when it comes to food allergies.
One bite of the Pure Dark bar and I was in dark chocolate heaven. Honestly, dark chocolate is my favorite type of chocolate in the world, and this was perfection. Very smooth to taste and it was a nice compliment to the additional ingredients I was using it with. The chocolate wasn’t too bitter, but just the right level of bittersweet that you need with dark chocolate. It didn’t overpower anything and it held up to the kitchen torch when I toasted my marshmallow fluff for the Smore’s.
Color me impressed. For a dark chocolate connoisseur like myself, finding a chocolate that I don’t have to question how or where it was made is a dream come true. The fact that it is ultimate dark chocolate perfection is the added bonus. I highly recommend Dark Chocolate Dream’s Pure Dark Chocolate Bar whether for use with dessert or a sweet nibble when a chocolate craving hits. I know I’ll be buying more of these chocolates now that I know how amazing they are.
Squares of Dark Chocolate Dream Dark Chocolate Bar on Gluten-Free Graham Crackers
The Celiathlete 