Category: Products

Product: Bakery on Main Gluten-Free Apple Pie Flavor Oatmeal – $5.99+

I know.

I was a little harsh in my review of Bakery on Main’s Maple Multigrain Muffin Flavor Oatmeal.  But I have to be honest.  It just didn’t win me over like their Strawberry Shortcake Flavor Oatmeal did previously.

But…they definitely did improve (yet still haven’t bested the strawberry) with the Apple Pie Flavor Oatmeal.  Honestly.

This oatmeal, while still not the most appealing looking, the flavor actually is reminiscent of apple pie (or what I can remember of apple pie because, since going gluten-free, I haven’t had even a bite).

The actual oatmeal itself consists of a variety of ingredients, of which the most important is certified gluten-free oats.  In addition to that, and probably adding to the weird consistency of the oatmeal is chia seeds.  And then other things get added to boost some nutritional value, like flax meal and quinoa.  So, yes…you are getting a rather protein-rich oatmeal here.  And for someone like me…that is a plus.  Flavoring it, and giving it that apple pie feel is dried apples and cinnamon.

I’ll admit…the first bite was just okay.  But the more I ate of it, the more of the flavor I got.  It was like a building block for lunch that day.  One spoonful wasn’t enough…so I had to continue to take them and that’s when the flavor hit.  Is it really like having pie for breakfast?  Nope.  But, it does have a lot of flavor in each protein-rich bite.

And after being let down by the Maple Multigrain Muffin flavor, I really needed this one to win me over.  It did…sort of.  It didn’t hit it out of the ballpark for me, but it was good enough that I don’t mind packing up this little baggie for my lunch at the office and scurrying to the kitchen on break to warm it up with some water for 90 seconds.

I’d love to see other flavors come out of Bakery on Main for their gluten-free oatmeal.  I do respect a company that listened to its Celiac customers, who developed gluten-free items because of that, and then took them to the mainstream so that everyone could enjoy.  That’s Bakery on Main’s story.  And they continue to put out gluten-free products that are not only nutritious, but simple…and simply good.

If you are an oatmeal lover, like I am, then find Bakery on Main at your grocery store or natural food store and warm up a bowl for yourself.  It’s not exactly pie for breakfast (or lunch), but it’s close.  It’s oh…so close.

Jovial Gluten-Free Brown Rice Fusilli – $4.99+

I have to hand it to Jovial.  They create something amazingly simple, yet so delicious with their brown rice pastas.  I have always been a Tinkyáda pasta girl, but I find at times the rice pasta, when refrigerated for leftovers, will absorb water and become very, very mushy.

Well, once again I didn’t make something that made leftovers when I made dinner up the other night, but I did crack open another amazing brown rice pasta from Jovial.

The first thing I want to point out, because I can, is that Jovial’s brown rice pastas contain two ingredients.  Yes.  Two.

Organic Brown Rice Flour.  Water.

No chemicals, no unnecessary additions.  Just gluten-free (and organic) flour and water.  Nothing complicated.  Nothing that could potentially harm you years down the road.  Nothing unrecognizable or unpronounceable.  Just organic, gluten-free, simplicity in a package.

For the organic, natural foodie that I am…this makes me beyond happy.

For the foodie in me…the fact that this pasta cooked up al dente within nine minutes, didn’t require a cold water rinse upon draining, and stood up to the addition of steamed asparagus and a red heirloom tomato sauce, a toss, and a sprinkling of freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano, speaks volumes of the quality.

Nine minutes is all it took to cook in a bath of boiling water.  Just like every other pasta out there.  I stirred it a couple of times to keep it from sticking together or to the bottom of the pan.  But it didn’t need to be fussed with that much.  Which was good because I had asparagus to steam, sauce to warm, cheese to shred, and a gluten-free biscuit to reheat.  Whew.

Even without having to babysit the pasta, when I drained it, nothing flaked or fell apart.  It was at that perfect al dente you need to have pasta at.  Still firm, but not hard…and definitely not turning into mush.  I tossed the drained, steaming hot pasta into a large bowl, added the asparagus, poured over the sauce and gave it a good toss to incorporate it all together.  Then…I served it up in bowls to my roommate and myself with one gluten-free (and homemade) biscuit on the side.

One bite and I could see why Jovial was besting the gluten-free pasta category time after time in gluten-free food awards.  (Yes…I do pay attention to those because I am a gluten-free foodie and I like to know what is tops!).  The pasta cooked perfectly.  It held up to all additions.  And it has that perfect pasta texture and taste.  No joke.  If you just served this to someone who didn’t have to eat gluten-free…they wouldn’t even know the difference.  This was something my roommate’s aunt pointed out when I cooked up a pasta dinner for the three of us.  She’s absolutely correct.

I recommend Jovial even if you don’t have to eat gluten-free.  Cutting out chemicals and preservatives didn’t do any sort of damage to the texture and flavor of this brown rice pasta.  It’s delicious organic pasta that has now made my ‘must buy’ list.  You could just take my word for it…or you could rush out to your grocery store and try it yourself.

Come on.  Make tonight a gluten-free pasta night.  You deserve it.

Product: Blue Diamond’s Hazelnut Nut Thins – $3.49+

With Blue Diamond’s Nut Thins…it’s hit or miss.  Some are so amazing and full of flavor.  Some…all you taste is the rice cracker.  I’ve been wowed and I’ve been let down by different variations of this cracker.

Well, after some searching, I finally ran across the Hazelnut variety that had eluded me for so long.  It was actually at Big Lots that I stumbled across them for far less money than I could find them anywhere else.  So, yes…I snatched up a box and excitedly took them home to try.

I had heard good things about this variety.  Some called it their favorite.  And what’s not to love?  Hazelnut is one of my favorite flavors and nuts out there.  Honestly.  And the hazelnuts used in these rice flour crackers are brought in from Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

The good news is that these crackers only contain 130 calories.  They have 2g of protein, no saturated fat, and are completely gluten-free.  You gotta love that.  They make for a nice, light snack in the afternoon that’s easy to grab and fun to bite into.  Yes…these definitely have crunch power.

The bad news is, at least the box that I have, taste very bland.  You can taste the rice cracker, but if there is supposed to be a hazelnut flavor…it is completely lost to me.  Which is too bad because these just screamed awesome from their purple box on the shelf in the store.  For real.

I can see how these could be a great cracker to use for dips or spreads, but on their own they are very weak in the flavor department.  When I bite into a cracker, I want it to be full of flavor.  I want to remember it.  These…I’ll forget about once the box is gone.

Maybe I just got a bad batch…because I have heard such amazing things about this flavor of Nut Thins.  But…I was a bit let down in the flavor department.

Too bad…because they could have beenso good.

Product: Lucini Italia Rustic Tomato Basil Sauce – $4.50+

This was a new one for me.

Sauce…in a pouch.  Yes…a pouch.

Lucini Italia Rustic Tomato Basil Sauce…packaged for three servings…in a microwavable pouch.

I’ve warmed up pouches of Indian food in the microwave, but never a pasta sauce.  But, it had worked well for previous products, who was I to judge.  Besides, this little pouch of gluten-free, vegan pasta sauce came as a part of a “Don’t Be A Gluten” gift basket that was full of gluten-free products for me to try.  My roommate gifted it to me awhile back and I was working my way through other sauces at the time.

Then, the perfect opportunity to try this one out arose when I had to travel to St. Louis, Missouri, for a concert.  I was going to be cooking dinner for myself, my roommate, and her aunt, who we were staying with while in town.  Her aunt is hard at work on another degree, so she was in study and final project mode.  I figured we could make her life easier if I brought some gluten-free foods that we all could eat and I could cook them up and she could just keep plugging along on her studies.

With the travel, this pouch was perfectly portioned.  It had three servings of sauce in it and that meant…the three of us would all benefit from it.  Now, I have never had Lucini Italia brand, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from it.  But, let me tell you, I’m digging the whole pouch concept.  For real.

It was so easy.  As the pasta was being drained, I vented the pouch, tossed it in the microwave for 90 seconds, and viola!!  The sauce was ready.  I only had to pour it over the pasta, give it a toss, and it was ready to serve!

Lucini Italia’s Rustic Tomato and Basil Sauce was a fantastic treat for the palate.  Seriously.  The sauce is simply made with fresh plum tomatoes and summer basil.  It seems simple enough, and it was.  But the flavors were the star of the show here.  The tomatoes lent a delicious, fresh taste to the sauce and the basil wasn’t overpowering, but rather complimentary to the rest of the sauce.  Nothing overpowered.  And in the end, the sauce was a delicious, pre-packaged for your microwave treat.  I felt it paired very well with the brown rice pasta and asparagus that we cooked up for the meal.

And, despite being microwaved, this sauce wasn’t watery at all.  It was thick and seasoned to perfection.  Nothing felt watered down.  Nor did we need bread to sop up the runny bits of the sauce.  There wasn’t any of that.

I was impressed.

So, if you need an easy sauce to travel with, or just want to save some time and pans, I highly recommend Lucini’s Italia Rustic Tomato and Basil Sauce.  It comes in a jar…but the smaller-portioned, microwavable pouch is even more convenient.  Go ahead…try it.  You’ll be surprised too.

Product: Jovial Brown Rice Penne – $4.99+

The problem I have had since going gluten-free is finding a brown rice pasta that doesn’t turn to mush when it’s cooked.  I love Tinkyáda because the texture is just like real thing.  Seriously!  But it seems that every time I see awards handed out for gluten-free pastas, Jovial takes the top prize.

I have seen Jovial around at the natural food stores that I shop at, but never quite picked it up.  Mostly because it is a bit pricier and harder to find when others are right there at my usual grocery shopping watering holes.

But then…I went to a rather large gluten-free expo in Birmingham, Alabama and walked away with more samples of gluten-free products than I knew what to do with.  Among them was a sample package of Jovial Brown Rice Penne pasta.  As I was currently working my way through an open package of pasta, this sat in the pantry.

Then, this past weekend I had to travel to St. Louis, Missouri, for a concert.  My roommate and I were staying with her aunt, who is currently hard at work on another degree.  I put out the offer to bring food and prepare it so she didn’t have to feel the need to entertain and could focus on her studies.  I figured everyone liked pasta, so I packed up the two sample packs of Jovial Brown Rice Penne along with some gluten-free pasta sauce that I got in my “Don’t Be A Gluten” gift basket my roommate bought for me.  It was perfect, safe, and hopefully it would be delicious.

Cooking Jovial pasta was so easy.  Boil the water, add pasta, allow to cook for about nine minutes until al dente.  It’s that easy.  All you do after that is drain, add sauce, and toss.  No rinsing with cold water to improve texture or any of that.  You cook and it’s ready to roll.

We all really enjoyed this pasta.  It was cooked to the perfect level.  In fact, my roommate’s aunt (they share a name, so I can’t refer to them as such or it would be Cathy and Cathy…LOL!) complimented me on how perfectly I cooked up the pasta.  This was her first time having brown rice pasta and she said it tasted just like the real stuff that she’s used to having.  It held up with the tomato sauce I added to it, and the addition of asparagus to bulk it up.  It was a delicious, yummy treat for sure.  One that we just gobbled up until it was gone.  Even the dog had a little helping when we were all stuffed and only a small amount remained.

Jovial’s Brown Rice Penne is definitely one of the sturdier versions of brown rice pasta that I have tried.  I didn’t have the opportunity to refrigerate and then attempt a reheat to see if the noodles were soggy the following day, but for a fresh-from-the-stovetop perspective…this brand is awesome!

And it’s no wonder.  According to Jovial’s Web site, the brown rice pasta recipe they use was developed by Master artisans in Tuscany, Italy, who wanted to develop the most authentic gluten-free pasta out there.  The company didn’t want those who had to eat gluten-free to feel like they were sacrificing texture and flavor to keep themselves healthy.  And they did a bang-up job.  Honestly.  Bite after bite the pasta stayed perfectly al dente and equally yummy.

If you have to eat gluten-free, or if you are just looking for a healthy alternative to pasta, I highly recommend using Jovial’s brown rice pasta.  I can’t speak (yet) for the other brown rice varieties in their lineup, but they won me over with the Brown Rice Penne.

Come on…have pasta night and do it gluten-free.  It’s May.  It’s Celiac Awareness Month.  Treat yourself to some gluten-free goodness this month.  You’ve earned it.

Product: Food Should Taste Good Jalapeño with Cheddar Tortilla Chips – $2.50+

Spice up my life.

No, really.  If something has a bit of a spicy kick to it, then I am game.  I love to feel the heat when it comes to snacks and meals.  The spicier…the better…just as long as it doesn’t burn.  I love a little heat in my meals.  This is why I had hot sauce to eggs and red pepper to pizza and spaghetti.  Honestly.

So, when I spotted Food Should Taste Good’s variety of tortilla chips that is Jalapeño with Cheddar…I knew I had to try them.  I’ve had a couple of the chip varieties from Food Should Taste Good, my favorite being the Sweet Potato Chips.  Mmmm.  Well, these may have just trumped that.

Here’s what I love about them.  Aside from being kosher, gluten-free, cholesterol free, trans-fat free, and all natural, these chips really will wow you with their spicy flavor.  You know when you go to a ball game and you get the nachos and you hate yourself for loving them?  Well…that’s what these chips taste like.  They taste like a good version of those ballpark nachos that come with the cheese-like substance and jalapeños.  And they are really, really delicious!

Every bite is a blast of heat from the jalapeño and crushed red pepper that is infused in these little tortilla chips.  Each chip is dusted with a light coating of white cheddar.  And the combination is flavor perfection in my book.  Just the right amount of heat so as not to kill off your taste buds, but still tame enough for the cheddar flavor to shine too.  It’s the perfect bite.

And, at only 140 calories for 12 chips, you get a really great serving without any of the guilt.  And you don’t even need a dip because this tastes like it has been dipped.

If you are a lover of spicy foods and, especially nachos, these are the chips you have been looking for.  Find them, if you can…and take a spicy bite of something delicious.

Food Should Taste Good definitely lives up to its name!