Category: Gluten-Free

Product: Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery Multigrain Hamburger Buns – $5.99+

It’s the story of my life these days.  Veggie burger…no bun.  Portobello mushroom sandwich…no roll.  Going gluten-free meant giving up on ever having a burger or sandwich with the bread served at the restaurant.  And for awhile, it meant making my own at home on what gluten-free bread I could find…no actual buns.

And then…Rudi’s hamburger buns were dropped into my lap by the graciousness of the gluten-free gods.

I can’t say enough good things about Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery.  They have provided the gluten-free community with outstanding bread products, from sandwich bread, to pizza dough, to buns and rolls for hamburgers and hotdogs.  It means we gluten-free foodies can have our bread and eat it too.

My first opportunity to use Rudi’s Multigrain Hamburger Buns came up when my office had it’s monthly lunch meeting.  They were ordering sandwiches from a local pizza place up the street.  I was prepared to do my usual thing and just bring something in, but the Portobello Sandwich (Portobello Mushroom, Provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato) sounded really good to this vegetarian.  So, I placed the order, highlighted and underlined that I did not want bread, and hoped for the best.

The following day, the lunches arrived and I had LOTS of mushrooms with melted cheese and my sides of tomato and lettuce in a bowl.  I brought in my Rudi’s Multigrain Hamburger Bun, warmed it in the microwave for a few seconds, sliced it, and put some of the cheesy mushrooms on it, added tomato and lettuce, and now…I was having a sandwich just like everyone else in the office.  And man…I bet my roll was better than what this pizza place offered.

Rudi’s Gluten-Free Multigrain Hamburger Buns have this very pleasing sweetness baked into them, in part from the molasses and honey that are included in the ingredients.  When you slice into them, you can see the variety of grains, especially the sunflower seeds.  They have this great, bounce-right-back texture, so when you take a bite and everything squishes down, it puffs back up, even better than the real thing ever did.  And these are sturdy!  It held up to Portobello mushrooms, tomato, cheese and lettuce, without getting soggy on me and falling apart on my plate.

But my love affair with the hamburger buns don’t stop there.  At home, I found a great brand of gluten-free veggie burgers.  So, the other day, I cooked one up for dinner and put it on one of Rudi’s buns.  One again, the added flair of the honey and molasses adds this great hint of sweetness to every bite, which perfectly complimented my veggie burger and toppings.  Absolutely fantastic.

One qualm, and it’s just a nitpick, is that the buns do have to be sliced.  They do not come pre-sliced, so make sure you have a knife ready for the task.  But, these hamburger buns are versatile and packed with amazing, sweet flavor.  Try them at your next tailgating event, picnic, family get-together, or dinner.  You won’t be disappointed.  In fact…you just might go back for seconds.

Product: Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar – $2.50+

Arrrrrr.  Shiver me snackin’ timbers.  Hoist th’ Jolly Roger and head for th’ open seas, matey.

Pirates are my thing.  Seriously.  It was born into me.  After all, my birthday falls on International Talk Like A Pirate Day.  It was bound to happen.  So, when a snack emerges that is gluten-free called Pirate’s Booty…you bet your ever-loving’ treasure I’m going to test it out!

Pirate’s Booty already wins for the name and packaging.  It’s fun.  It’s clever.  It catches your eye.  But…how does it taste?  I was given a bag one day, and not to let it go to waste, it became a delicious afternoon snack for one entire week at the office.

The little corn and rice puffs are very unassuming and could be quite bland.  However, that is not the way this snack functions.  I had the Aged White Cheddar kind, so each of these little popcorn like puffs were dusted with a real aged white cheddar (none of that fake stuff) and then baked.

They are light and airy, making it an easy snack, and one that won’t fill you up or out.  And, wow, are these little puffs addicting!  They are flavored to perfection.  The dusting of aged white cheddar packs so much flavor in each little bite that you just keep wanting more.  So, it’s no surprise that soon after opening my little snack pack, the contents were gone, leaving only the aged white cheddar seasoning on the bottom as any evidence it ever existed.  It’s a good thing I portion out my snacks or I’d probably sit down with the bag and eat them all.  And despite being trans-fat free, even this pirate has to eat things in moderation.  But it would just be so easy to keep going.

The first day I packed these, my roommate, who I work with, kept walking by my desk and sneaking pieces from my bowl.  Pirate, right?

So, if you are looking for a healthy, baked, trans-fat free, gluten-free snack…look no further than Pirate’s Booty.  Let me tell ya, matey, ye won’t go wrong with this lot of booty.  ARRRRRRRRRRR!

Product: Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery Original Sandwich Bread – $4.99+

I admit it.

I became a gluten-free sandwich bread snob without even knowing it.

It happens.  You try a product.  You love it.  You stick with it.  Nothing else will do.  Nothing.  Even if you never, ever tried it.  There is just no way it could live up to the standard that has already been met…right?

I was wrong.  Really wrong on this one.

Looking back on past posts, you’ll find me clinging to my go-to bread of choice: Udi’s.  And yes…Udi’s is amazing.  First gluten-free sandwich bread I tried and fell in love with.  And then…I never thought to give other breads (often more inexpensive than Udi’s) a try.  And then, the gluten-free gods smiled upon me one day and the UPS man delivered to me a box of gluten-free goodies.  One product that was nestled inside was a loaf of Rudi’s gluten-free original sandwich bread.

Dare I cheat on my beloved gluten-free go-to brand?  Dare I?

Well, my friends…I did.

And I loved it.

There.  I said it.  It’s out in the open now.

Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery Original Sandwich Bread.  You…are a delectable delight in every bite.  Here’s what I love about you:

• While you aren’t quite at “normal” bread size, you sure do come closer than the aforementioned brand I had a love affair with.
• You have a great texture.  Soft.  Fluffy.  Like “real” bread!
• You have a sweetness to you.  Your flavor meshes well with anything that might be sandwiched between two slices.
• Every single one of your ingredients I can say and identify.  Nothing fake about you.
• YOU ARE DELICIOUS!

I suppose it’s okay to cheat on my sandwich bread, right?  Because every way I fixed this bread up, I was satisfied with the end result.  When it toasted, it toasted up to a crispy crunch.  When I grilled it, it held up through every flip.  When I roasted it in the oven, it got crispy on the edges just as it should.  And when I made french toast out of it…well…game over.  I was in a gluten-free breakfast heaven.

Honestly, if nothing else, I learned a valuable lesson by branching out a little.  It’s that…while you should have brand loyalty, especially when you have found a brand to trust…it’s okay to branch out a little and try other things.  Because something equally as good might be just waiting on you to pick it up and give it a try.  I admit, I probably never would have moved beyond my gluten-free bread of choice had my eyes not been open.  And, Rudi’s gluten-free bread is a whole dollar or more cheaper too.  Healthy, versatile, and fits into my budget.  Oh Rudi’s…you’re doing everything right.  So right.

If this is the beginning of a love affair…how deliciously satisfying it is.

 

Product: Food Should Taste Good Toasted Sesame Chips – $2.50+

I love the name of this brand.  Because it sums up everything food should be about.

Food should taste good!

I love this line of chips.  I have tried four different kinds (blogged about only one, I believe…but will remedy that!) and have fallen in love with each and every one.

I was in Chicago when I spotted the Toasted Sesame chips at a little natural foods shop.  I had just picked up my packet for the Chicago Half Marathon and while wandering back toward the city-proper, was gifted with a sample of hummus.  Now, I love hummus, but the chips that were being offered for free were not gluten-free.  I decided if I could find a grocery store I could pick up some baby carrots and at least enjoy the hummus.

Well, baby carrots weren’t an option that day, so as I perused the options I had, I spotted the rack of various chips from Food Should Taste Good.  Perfect.  Now to find one to pair with hummus.  I gave a lot of thought to The Works flavor, but in the end, settled on Toasted Sesame, as that would definitely pair well with hummus.

I didn’t get past the corner before I was tearing into the bag and pulling out a chip.  I ate it on its own first, as I normally do when trying a product out.  It was to die for.  Deliciously seasoned.  Not too salty.  Not greasy at all.  You first taste corn, and then the toasted sesame seeds that are baked into the chips hits you.  The perfect balance of flavors that mesh at all the right times.  Nothing overwhelming.  I could have eaten them without the hummus, but why waste perfectly good (and free) hummus?  And, as suspected, they paired perfectly with it.  It was the most amazing afternoon snack.

After I ran the Chicago Half Marathon (my first half marathon), I was starving.  I hadn’t prepared well at all for what I needed to do to keep energy up during the race.  One bowl of cereal was all I had that morning, and I burned through that probably in the first two miles.  With nothing to eat along the way, I was running on fumes, but powered through all 13.1 miles.  At the end, I ate a banana, but that wasn’t satisfying my stomach at all.  My friends had brought a bag with them to carry supplies, and tucked inside was the bag of Toasted Sesame chips I had gotten the day before.  PERFECT!  Honestly, nothing tasted better to me at that moment than those chips.  Although light in sodium naturally, the little bit in them was just right to help restore what I sweated out during the race.  And, it helped provide my muscles and body with the fuel I needed to get me through until I ate lunch a couple hours later.

When a company calls itself “Food Should Taste Good,” you hope and expect that their products live up to the name.  So far, everything I have had from this brand does just that.  In fact…goes beyond what I expect.  These gluten-free, cholesterol free, lactose-free, trans-fat free chips are the perfect snack.

Delicious and satisfying.  Food should taste good indeed!