Category: Gluten-Free

Product: Bakery on Main Strawberry Shortcake Flavor Instant Oatmeal – $5.99+

There was a time in my life when I hated oatmeal.  Hated it.  Everything about it.  Then, as I became a runner, I discovered the benefits that came with eating a bowl of this hot breakfast.  In fact, oatmeal is my lunch day in and day out on work days.  The difficult part these days is finding a brand that doesn’t contain gluten.  There are some out there…and I’ve definitely sampled a few that were just bland and not up to par.

Granted, I understand the healthiest choice is a plain bowl of oats, dressed up however you choose with fruit and nuts, jam, or whatever else you might add.  Most instant versions with flavors are laden with sugars for added flavor.

While out at my natural food store, I spotted a new product on the shelves.  Being a new connoisseur of oatmeal, it was a treat worth splurging on.  Bakery on Main just released a line of instant oatmeal in three flavors: apple pie, maple multigrain muffin, and strawberry shortcake.  My rule is…if strawberries are involved…it wins.

So, I left the store, rather unexpectedly, with a box of Baker on Main’s Strawberry Shortcake flavored oatmeal.  And since I was behind on the blog, it sat for a couple weeks in my pantry without a second glance.  But, then…as I ran out of my other brand of oatmeal, the time to give this new brand a try came around.  So, I opened up the box, pulled out a packet, and headed to the office that day.

As lunchtime rolled around, my stomach began giving me the tell-tale signs of the rumblies…so off to the kitchen I went to dump the contents of the packet into a bowl, add 2/3 cup of water, and warm it up for 90 seconds.

Bakery on Main’s oatmeal is a blend of certified gluten free oats, amaranth and quinoa.  What emerges from the microwave is a hearty bowl of oatmeal.  No joke.  Comparing the texture when I stirred this to the other brands I have tried, this definitely cooks up thicker.  It smells amazing as you give it a stir, releasing that aroma of strawberries from the freeze-dried bits that are included in the packet.

The taste…fantastic.  I was so busy enjoying my food at my desk that I completely ignored my work for a moment to just savor the texture and taste.  It didn’t taste like strawberry shortcake, but the flavor had that tinge of strawberry goodness and the thickness of the cereal itself meant that I wasn’t starving an hour down the line, like I am sometimes with other brands.  This was a fantastic treat to have for lunch, one that warms me up (my office is a frozen tundra, especially in the winter months) and fills me up.  Not to mention, it smells so good as it cooks up.  I love walking past my co-workers with it and having them go, “What smells so good?”  It’s life’s little joys!

Check out your local natural food store if you are seeking some certified gluten-free oatmeal that doesn’t skimp on flavor or nutrients.  It is a hearty, wholesome bowl of awesome, spoonful after spoonful.  So, warm some up in your microwave and within seconds you can enjoy a nice bowl yourself, packed with flavor, and completely delicious.

Bakery on Main…your products win my oatmeal loving soul.  Now, to try those other delicious sounding flavors…

Product: Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo – $3.99+

Vegetarian/vegan meat-replacement products that are additionally gluten-free are not easy to find.  In fact, it’s nigh on impossible at times to find one.  Most contain gluten as companies claim it gives the right texture to their products.  Of the varieties I have been able to find, I say that these companies need to rethink this as those that I’ve tried that are gluten-free are amazing.

To add to my slowly growing list of vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free faux meat…Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo.

First of all, my area finally got a Trader Joe’s.  I had been wishing and hoping and praying for years now that we would get one.  The supermarket gods finally smiled upon me and one opened at the end of October in Louisville, Kentucky.  So, a short drive into Kentucky and I’m a happy grocery shopper.  On my first trip there, I spotted the Soy Chorizo immediately.  The first thing I noticed was the symbols showed it to be not only vegan…but also gluten-free.

It was like it was made for me.

I had some Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust mix sitting in my pantry, so it was time for pizza night.  With that in mind, I made sure I picked up some of Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo for my toppings.

Here’s the interesting part of this product.  It is in a casing.  Yep…just like real sausage meat.  So, I sliced off what I was going to use of the Soy Chorizo and did as instructed by the package…removed it from the casing.  I had every expectation that I would be slicing this up to put on the pizza, but it crumbled instead.  No problem…I just gave it a scattering over my crust, topped it with my vegan cheese, and boshed it in the oven for 20 minutes to allow it to bake up to perfection.

I was so excited about this product and my expectations were not let down.  Trader Joe’s offers a fantastic product here.  The Soy Chorizo is fantastic in texture and taste.  In fact, the hit of spice is not overwhelming at all.  In fact, it’s provided a pleasant kick that other faux meat products haven’t offered.  Take that all you glutinous vegetarian products!

Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo is a hit in my books.  No strange aftertastes, not too hot, and the perfect filler for any taco, burrito, or topping for a pizza.  Honestly.  The heat element was at the right level.  The way it blended with the other toppings on my pizza (in this case, mushrooms and Daiya vegan cheese) meant that it didn’t steal the show from either the crust or what it was paired with.  It was a nice hit of spicy deliciousness for my first attempt at homemade, gluten-free pizza (done vegetarian style!).

I can’t wait to try the Soy Chorizo in other dishes now.  I have a feeling a taco night is in the future and I will definitely brown some of this up to include as a filling for mine.  Absolute spicy goodness!  Thank you Trader Joe’s…for catering to the gluten-free vegetarian with this amazing product.  Proof once again that gluten-free is delicious and that vegetarian/vegan options are not at all hindered by being gluten-free.  To me…this is a vast improvement over other options I’ve seen on the market.

You won my heart, Trader Joe’s.

Product: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Whole Grain Mix – $4.29+

I took a chance on this one.

Honestly.  I’m the girl who buys the frozen pizza crusts in order to make pizza these days.  Let’s face it.  Making pizza dough is a lot of work.  And it’s even more of a task when it needs to be gluten-free.

But that’s when the glorious gluten-free mixes by Bob’s Red Mill steps up and makes life a little easier.

I bought a couple bags of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Whole Grain Mix when I was at Big Lots.  They had the absolute best price on these mixes (only $2.90) and I really wanted to pick up a few of each while I knew I could.  Good thing I did too, because a recent trip to Big Lots left me empty-handed when it came to my Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free mixes.  They were no longer stocked.  What a disappointment.  Back to only treating myself when I can afford it, it seems.

But, to get to the real star of this entry…the mix.

I’ve used one other Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free mix prior to this…and that was his gluten-free cornbread.  I didn’t blog about that one (yet) because I don’t think I gave it a fair shake.  I tried to veganize it, and the result was…disastrous.  So, it gets another shot.  I have also become quite fond of the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (which I should review eventually!) for use in a lot of baking (especially my gluten-free waffles!).  So, I was a bit hopeful when it came to the pizza dough mix.

The package actually comes with a packet of yeast.  YAY!  One last thing to have to worry about.  Just add warm water, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then add eggs, olive oil, and the mix.  Then…do what it’s made for…mix it together.

I don’t have a stand mixer, which is ideal for making doughs up.  So, I was stuck using my cheap hand mixer when I combined all the ingredients together.  It was a task, but I managed.  I ended up, for the sake of the motor of my hand mixer, adding a little more water than what the bag called for.  My result was really sticky dough.  Oops.  I added some herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, rosemary) to the mix as I was blending it with the mixer as well, to get all chefy and all with it.  It turned out to be a wise decision.  With a mass of sticky dough, I hoped for the best, split it in half, covered it with cling wrap, let it rise for 20 minutes, and hoped for the best.

Twenty minutes later, the dough had risen…some.  But it was now time to plop it in the middle of a pizza pan and spread it out by hand to the edges.  Well, sort of.  With my lack of a decent mixer and the stickiness of the dough (my own doing), it was a bit harder to get to spread out.  The result, a very rustic…very not-to-the-edge of the pizza pan pizza dough.  Oh well.  I ran with it.  I spread it out as much as I could without ripping holes into it, then baked it for 9 minutes in the oven.

Once it began to brown, it was out of the oven to add the sauce and toppings of choice.  Back into the oven for another 15-20 minutes and DONE!  That easy.

My toppings of choice?  Gluten-free pizza sauce, with gluten-free Soyrizo (from Trader Joe’s), mushrooms, and Daiya vegan Mozzarella cheese.

I was actually a bit worried about my pizza crust because I had definitely added more water than it needed and handicapped the dough a little.  But, it baked up just fine and my end result was a crunchy on the outside crust, with a soft on the inside texture.  And that, to me, is perfect.  The actual pizza crust looks really rustic as I was not able to spread it out as instructed due to my lack of a good mixer.  But, the end result was a delicious pizza crust.  Honestly, I was holding my breath on this one.  I don’t know what it is about me handicapping mixes from Bob’s but I did it again.  But, this time…it worked out.

The crust would have been rather plain without the added herbs, and that’s fine.  The star of the pizza is usually the toppings regardless.  But this mix provided the perfect base for any topping.  Gluten-free and delicious.  It does rise in the oven as it cooks, so be aware of that when you spread it out on the pan.  Let it cool for a moment then slice it up and enjoy.

Gluten-free pizza with your own gluten-free crust can be achieved.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of practice makes perfect.  Despite my own handicapping of this mix, the gluten-free crust provided by Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Whole Grain Mix was just what my pizza needed.  And I look forward to cracking open another package of it and doing it some justice with a proper mixer.  Despite my own handicapping of it, this turned out to be a huge win and will definitely be a nice addition to pizza night from now on.  It browned up wonderfully in the oven, crisped where it needed to, and was still chewy like all those pizzas you buy from those pizza-to-go joints.  In other words, it had baked up to the perfect level of being able to hold up to the toppings without being burnt to a crisp.  Yeah…this was a delicious win on the pizza scale.

Even if you don’t need to eat gluten-free, I highly recommend giving this mix a try.  My roommate absolutely loved it with her pizza (her toppings were vegetarian pepperoni, vegetarian meat crumbles, and vegetarian bacon – my “Save the Piggy Pizza” combo with real Mozzarella cheese), and raved about not only the taste but the texture as well.  In fact, I think we’re already looking forward to our next pizza night.  Until then, we have leftovers in the fridge for this week.

Getting gluten-free pizza to go or from your local pizza shop is next to impossible, especially in this area.  So, it’s either buy frozen or buy a mix (or do my own from flours I can’t afford to purchase at the moment).  While frozen has proven to be a great way to go for gluten-free crusts, nothing quite beats a crust you mix together and prepare yourself.  This is as close as I have ever gotten to making my own dough and it yielded a delicious end result.  I highly recommend giving your next pizza night a gluten-free boost with amazing, gluten-free crust from Bob’s Red Mill.

Trust me…one slice won’t be enough.

Product: Envirokidz Organic Berry Blast Crispy Rice Bars – $2.50+

Afternoon snacks can get monotonous after awhile.  Same flavors.  Same textures.  So it’s good sometimes to shake it up a little and try something you normally wouldn’t try, right?

Right.

I was able to do that once my grocery store put a bunch of gluten-free products on manager’s special from Envirokidz.  Sure, with the cute animals on the packaging, these are marketed to children, but taste is what matters to me.  Besides, one huge draw to the Envirokidz line is the fact that 1% of sales on these boxes decorated with endangered species are donated to species and habitat conservation or education programs for kids.  What’s not to like about that?

These gluten-free treats have not steered me wrong yet.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised by these products.  The peanut butter crispy rice bars were fantastic and I have been thoroughly enjoying my Gorilla Munch cereal in the mornings.  And since I love Rice Krispie treats and berries…this seemed like the perfect combination.

I broke out one of the bars today for my afternoon snack at the office.  What is interesting about these crispy brown rice bars is that they have freeze-dried blueberries and raspberries mixed into it.  It gives a nice, colorful presentation upon tearing open the wrapper.  One bite…and I was reminded of the taste of salt water taffy or perhaps even Crunch Berries from Cap’n Crunch cereal.  It was…different.  And for the first couple bites took some getting used to.

But, they are good.  The freeze-dried berries definitely are the kicker for the flavor in these bars.  I wasn’t sold at first on the flavor as a whole, but the more I tasted, the more I grew to like it.  It’s an interesting blend, the crispy rice bits with the berries, but it works.    Not only that, I can recognize every ingredient listed on the box.  That’s always a huge thing when it comes to my choice of snacks.  The more I recognize, the safer I feel about consuming it.  And, these little treats are gelatin-free, making them vegetarian.  Perfect for me, the gluten-intolerant vegetarian.

If you love a good berry flavor without the loads of added sugar, these low-fat, low-sodium treats are a great choice.  And they come in a variety of flavors, so if berry doesn’t suit you, find one that might.  I loved the peanut butter ones.  But, I do recommend stepping outside of your snack comfort zone and giving the Berry Blast Crispy Rice Bars a try.  You might be as surprised and impressed as I was.