This past weekend, I was happy to attend the Buy Local Fair in Louisville, Kentucky. That’s one thing I have to give to Louisville…they are very supportive of their local businesses. I first attended this event last year, so when I heard that it was happening again, I was just thankful my half marathon ran on Saturday, as this event happened on Sunday.
My main purpose for attending the Buy Local Fair was purely selfish. I wanted a gluten-free crepe from Sweet ‘N Savory. My favorite food truck disappeared over the winter but have been back in town since April. I, however, have been out of town or very busy hosting friends and doing what I do best. So, my entire purpose was to eat lunch there…which I did. A delicious savory crepe, which I’ll blog about in a separate post. After that, I purchased some dairy-free gelato from Sweet ‘N Savory and Cathy and I set about to check out the local businesses that had set up booths and tents at the event.
We first just perused…seeing a few different things that caught our eyes. One thing that one particular booth did was advertise, quite boldly, gluten-free baked items.
My haul from the Buy Local Fair in Louisville, Kentucky. All but the bottle of vinegar came from Lucky Clover Farm!
PAUSE.
REWIND.
I honestly think that’s what it looked like. Because I backpedaled and then quickly ducked into the tent to check out what items they had for sale. I mean, it never hurts to look, right? In my case…it hurts the budget, but it’s supporting a local business. I really wanted the gluten-free carrot cake, but it’s hard to sell carrot cake on my roomie…so we both agreed to pick up three varieties of their jams, one of the Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins (next blog!) and a loaf of the Gluten-Free Herb Bread. It looked really good. A light brown crust and you could see the variety of herbs that was baked into it. It wasn’t dense to hold and it smelled fantastic!
Yeah…that was totally coming home with us.
Lucky Clover Farm Gluten-Free Herb Bread
And…it totally became dinner too. After a light breakfast, but a crepe-filled lunch, I figured we’d keep dinner a little light. So, that evening I sliced into the bread, cutting two pieces for each of us. We had an odd number of my gluten-free minestrone soups in the freezer, so I figured we could split that and have some toasted bread with it. I turned on the oven, gave the bread slices a little drizzle of olive oil (after we split an end piece to eat without toasting!) and put it in the oven while I heated the soup in the microwave.
The slice we had without toasting was amazing. As I said before, this bread was not dense at all. I loved the light feeling it had. And I loved the flavorful herbiness that came in each bite. Seriously. I was drooling just thinking about having more bread with the soup. And it was a task not to go slice more off the loaf to devour while waiting on the bread to toast and the soup to heat all the way through. Somehow, I resisted.
The toasted slices of the Gluten-Free Herb Bread filled the apartment with the most amazing aroma. I pulled them out of the oven, now a golden color and toasted to perfection. I plated the bread and dished up the soup and we both settled in for dinner.
Oh. My. God. This bread was some of the best I have ever tasted. Honestly. Toasting it only drew out the flavors more, if that was even possible. I was in love with the different herbs that would dance across my palate with each bite. It paired so well with the soup too. In fact, the following night, I heated up the last of the soup, and made grilled cheese sandwiches with this bread to go with it. I mean…it was so versatile. I used the last of it this morning, serving it up with some roasted vegetables and a poached egg on top. It goes good with practically anything and everything. And I kept wanting to cut smaller slices just to make it last.
Of course, now I’ll be looking for Lucky Clover Farms in other fairs and markets, hoping to pick up more of their items. From what I’ve been reading, it sounds like the carrot cake I didn’t get is one of their best sellers. Next time, I’m getting the damn gluten-free carrot cake.
For now, as the loaf is gone, I will dream of the next time I get to enjoy a slice of Lucky Clover Farm Gluten-Free Herb Bread. Because, yeah…it really is that good. Gluten-free baking is a science in and of itself…and they have mastered this bread for sure. Soft. Flavorful. And absolutely delicious…however you slice it and serve it. Highly recommended. So glad to have them in the area…because I’m going to be dreaming of that bread until I can get another loaf!
Two slices of Lucky Clover Farm Gluten-Free Herb Bread lightly toasted with olive oil
You know…I didn’t think it was going to be possible.
A little while back, I blogged about an almond butter from Wild Friends Foods, known for their different flavors in nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter), that I thought was the best thing I ever tasted…nut butter-wise and so forth. Little did I know…that the Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter I had raved and raved about was about to get unseated as the best nut butter in my nut butter addicted world.
No…honestly…I have this crazy addition to nut butters. I eat the hell out of them. There is no stopping me. Even when I try to leave notes to NOT snack on the nut butter…I ignore them…and…another jar gone.
Love, for me, is a jar of peanut butter (or almond butter, or cashew butter, or…you get the picture) and a spoon.
For real.
So…the other day I went to the office after my cardio session at the gym and brought breakfast with me. I had some gluten-free bagels calling for me and my roomie to devour them. So, I thawed them out the night before and packed the sample packet of Wild Friends Foods Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter to top them with. I also brought a serving for each of us from the jar of the Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter I splurged on (a jar runs $11.99…YIKES!) to top the other half of each bagel with. So…I was pretty much giving some protein back after a good workout.
Anyway…I toasted up the bagels in the toaster oven (on a dedicated plate). While they toasted, I gave the packet of Wild Friends Food Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter a good kneading, so that it would be good to squeeze and spread when the bagels were adequately toasted. That was about five minutes later. I removed the bagels and tore the corner of the sample packet of the Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter and began to squeeze it out over two halves of the bagels. I gave it a quick spread with the knife, noting the full raisins that were actually incorporated into the peanut butter itself. Awesome. I used my mana from heaven (the Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter) on the other halves and served them up.
As I settled in at my desk, I lifted the bagel half with the Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter on it and took a bite. I figured it was going to taste good. I mean…I love peanut butter. I love cinnamon. I love raisins. So…this seemed like a given. What I wasn’t expecting was just how much I was going to like this peanut butter. In fact, after taking a bite, I set that half down, took in some water, then picked up the Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter half and took a bite.
It was a given…the Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter just moved ahead in rank to the top of my favorite nut butter in my life. Seriously! That being said, I turned my attention to the half with the almond butter on it to eat first. When I returned to the half with Wild Friends Foods Cinnamon Raisin Almond Butter…I savored each bite. The peanut butter is naturally sweet, but the raisins add a bit of texture and sweetness as well. In addition, I live the hint of heat you get from the cinnamon that is incorporated. Whole raisins are actually in this spread…that’s amazing! Yes…even in the little sample pack. You will love, love, love this flavor combination. Next time I splurge on nut butter…it’s going to be for the less expensive (only $6.99 for a 16 ounce jar) Cinnamon Raisin Almond Butter.
DELISH!
Ingredients couldn’t be simpler. Honestly. The Wild Friends Foods Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter is made from peanuts, raisins, cinnamon, roasted peanut oil, organic agave, and sea salt. That’s it. It is made with all-natural ingredients. This peanut butter is non-GMO, non-dairy, cholesterol-free, and kosher. It contains no gluten ingredients either. YES!
Nutritionally speaking, it is comparable to all the other peanut butters out there. A serving is 2 tablespoons. This serving will provide you with 180 calories and 14 grams of fat. Much of that fat comes from the peanuts as there are no hydrogenated oils is this peanut butter at all. Color me happy. The 2 tablespoon serving will also provide you with 45 mg sodium and 4 grams of sugar. That’s really good. While agave is added to sweeten this, I always find peanut butter naturally sweet anyway. And, a serving will give you 2 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. Awesome!
Yep…just when I thought the nothing could top Wild Friends Foods Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter…they do it themselves. If you are a cinnamon raisin lover like me, you will fall head-over-heels in love with Wild Friends Foods Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter. I’m ready to go to the natural foods store and buy a jar right now, honestly. Then…all I’d need is a spoon…
Best. Peanut. Butter. EVER!
Wild Friends Foods Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter (on a gluten-free bagel)
About a week before setting out to Fishers, Indiana, to run the Geist Half Marathon (for training), I started a full-on search for good gluten-free pizza in that area. I’m spoiled rotten by my local allergen-free bakery, Annie May’s Sweet Café, because her pizza crust is actually a thick crust…not this thin cracker crust you get everywhere else. I always crave her pizza and went on a search to, perhaps, find a place that was comparable to the one she makes.
No luck.
Cracker crust everywhere I turn.
UGH!
So…I tossed it out on my Facebook page for some suggestions. I wanted to try somewhere new…somewhere I couldn’t easily go here in Louisville. So no Puccini’s and no Mellow Mushroom (although…yum to Mellow Mushroom!). I didn’t want to go somewhere I already had gone up there to try…so no Monical’s or Jockamo’s. Some of my friends in my running group were, unknown to me at the time, also running Geist…and Laura said they were going to hit up Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub in Fishers on Friday night for their dinner. And she saw they had a gluten-free menu as well.
I went to check it out, along with two other places that I researched via Find Me Gluten Free.
In the end, due to being conveniently close to the hotel…Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub was where Cathy and I decided the night-before-the-race pizza would happen. And…as an added bonus, my good friend, Julia, was going to meet us there for dinner. YAY!
I’ve had a lot of misses on the gluten-free pizza as of late while on the road. So, I was desperately hoping that this pizza was good. And…after getting caught in some storms on the drive up to Fishers, then getting stuck in traffic, hitting up the race expo for packet pickup, and then getting caught in more traffic, we finally made it to the restaurant, where Julia got us a table in the bar and was patiently waiting…and had been for about 30 minutes (damn traffic). Lots of hugs and a quick browse of the menu…and we were set.
The inside of Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub is dark…but beautiful. It’s very rustic chic. And I thought the ambiance was perfect for a pizza/pub. It just felt right and comfortable. Our waitress came over…and I gave her fair warning of my food allergies. She put any of my fears to rest and assured me that they would cook me up a good pizza. So, with our minds made up…the order was placed.
Cathy and I were going to split the 10″ Gluten-Free Vava Veggie Pizza ($12.00 – which includes the $1.50 up-charge for gluten-free crust). Julia was on the same wavelength and got the regular wood fired version of the Vava Veggie Pizza ($10.50). With the orders in, we were able to sit and talk while we waited for out food. A short time later, our pans of pizza were being settled in front of us.
The Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub’s Gluten-Free Vava Veggie Pizza is done on a custom gluten-free cracker crust. Very thin crust…crunchy…you know the drill. The pizza itself is topped off with roma tomatoes, fresh basil pesto, crimini mushrooms, red and green bell peppers, broccoli, house tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. It was very colorful and smelled absolutely delicious.
Our pizza, however, was a little lopsided. One half was coated with veggies, the other half had a lot of plain cheese. As I don’t handle dairy too well, I took a supplement and then took the slices with more veggies than cheese showing. That was fine by Cathy. I think sometimes she only tolerates the veggies that I get on my vegetarian pizzas. But…she dug in first.
First of all…the crust was cooked all the way through. That…was a huge plus. YAY! It had a nice crispness to the crust. The vegetable were fresh and added both savory and sweet aspects to the slices itself. I loved the mushrooms, finding them cooked perfectly through. Cathy fell in love with the pesto that was on the pizza. And each slice was packed with fresh veggie goodness, which I appreciated. But…I did notice how wet the pizza got soon after we dove into our first slices. I think it was the blend of tomatoes with the tomato sauce and basil…but it got a bit soggy after a short time. Which…made me sad. I love that crispness to the crust that pizza should have. Ah well…I polished off my half of the pizza regardless, giving each of my slices a liberal sprinkle with the crushed red pepper flakes. Mmmm.
All-in-all, not bad. Really. Not bad. In fact, I’d be more than happy to eat here again and try something else. I hear the gluten-free bread they make their sandwiches on is fantastic (thanks for the insight, Tammy!). If anything, I was most disappointed by the appearance (veggies were SO off-kilter!) and the way it just sort of got soggy after a moment of sitting while we ate. But…it was cooked through. The cheese was melted. The veggies were cooked to perfection and tasted fresh. I was content. I felt good.
And…it must have worked because this gluten-free pizza fueled me all the way to a new half marathon personal record!
Julia seemed really happy with her wood-fired pizza…and the crust looked absolutely fantastic on her slices. I admit…I had crust envy.
If you find yourself in the Fishers area, I highly recommend Rockstone Wood Fired Pizza & Pub for your lunch or dinner plans. They have everything from salads to pizzas to sandwiches…and even dessert. I toyed with the idea of getting gelato…but I opted against it in the end. But…trust me…this is a great place and they were very careful with the preparation of my food. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
I will definitely be back. Next time…I think I’ll try a sandwich!
Yep. That about sums it up. They come sweet. They come savory. But the fact of the matter is…I love them. There is something just so…foodie…about a crepe. They, for one thing, are a bitch to make. And, sadly, they are very hard to come by in the gluten-free variety.
There is a great food truck here who catered my birthday party last year…Sweet ‘N Savory, who does gluten-free crepes…and I love them so much. We’re BFFs really. If they have an event…you better believe I am there. When I go to Columbus, Ohio…I hit up Cest Si Bon…where I can get gluten-free crepes while out of town. But, the place I would get gluten-free crepes when I was visiting Denver…closed. It’s been closed for about two years now. It was where I first had a Crepe Suzette (my absolute favorite crepe in life!) and fell in love with it.
So what is a girl to do when she constantly craves crepes and her usual spot in Denver is gone?
You find a new one! And thanks to my Find Me Gluten Free app, I found one.
The place is Crepes ‘N Crepes…and they do have amazing gluten-free options. Any crepe can be made gluten-free…you just have to tell your server. I actually had a decent breakfast up in Boulder, Colorado that morning (The Buff, FTW!)…but I knew I’d be hungry sooner or later. And when we had limited parking at the hotel, our minds were made up…Cathy and I were grabbing an early dinner…and it was going to be crepes.
We drove out to East Third Avenue in Denver and parked the car. A short stroll from the parking garage to the restaurant. I was quite excited! We strolled in and we were seated out on the front porch under a nice umbrella, the afternoon breeze a nice change of pace. We were given menus and ordered water. I already knew what I was going to get for my crepe. They had a Crepe Suzette. Cathy…she needed some time to ponder. She is more of a savory crepe person than a sweet crepe person, so when she finally decided…it was all about cheese. Seriously.
Cathy ordered the Fromage de Chevre (Goat Cheese Crepe) that came with a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and a Pesto ($8.00). I got the Gluten-Free Crepe Suzette ($10.50 includes the $1.00 up-charge for gluten-free). The waitress asked if they needed to clean the stone off for me. I did explain that I was a Celiac and that it was necessary. She said it wasn’t a problem and went to put our orders in.
We only had a little bit of a wait before our crepes arrived. My folded pocket of goodness was a thin folded pancake that was made up of lemon juice, caramel, butter, sugar and grand marnier. Mmmm…boozy crepes!! It looked amazing, all flambeed to a beautiful sugary crust on the top. I was ready to dive right in and see if it compared to my first…and the one my food truck made specifically for me on my birthday. I took up my fork and knife and sliced right in. One bite…
And it was good. It was. It wasn’t quite up to what I had at La Creperie Cafe the other times I was in Denver (such a shame they closed!) or from Sweet ‘N Savory. But it was very good. It had that gritty sugary feel on the inside with the butter making it soft and delectable. The caramel gave it that nice crust on the top. And the lemon juice tied everything together. The booze was nicely burned off, giving it just that hint of flavor. Yep…still my favorite crepe. Just delicious. I was one happy girl, eating my gluten-free crepe out in the Denver sunshine that afternoon.
Cathy’s crepe, by the way, looked fantastic. It was stuffed with soft goat cheese and she was provided with two dipping sauces. While she is a huge fan of roasted red peppers, her favorite sauce was the pesto. She was in heaven when she combined that flavor of the crepe with the savory cheese and that kick of the pesto. She devoured it. And left no pesto in the container.
I was very happy that I at least got to have one of my favorite treats while in Denver. It was Denver where I first got served up a gluten-free crepe, so it has become somewhat of a tradition to seek out. Thanks to Crepes ‘N Crepes…I had an amazing Gluten-Free Crepe Suzette while enjoying a relaxing afternoon on the patio, chatting with my roommate and just taking it all in. Was it the best Crepe Suzette I ever had? Nope. But it was still delicious…and that is good enough for me! I can’t wait to go back!
I want to tell you a story about two different pizza places.
While at the convention in Denver, Colorado, I wanted to order a pizza for dinner one night. While I did have a rental car, parking was a bitch on Saturday night and if my roomie or I left the hotel, we’d have to pay for parking elsewhere (as our spot would be gone!) and as guests of the hotel, that just didn’t seem right. So, I pulled out my iPhone and pulled up my Find Me Gluten Free app to search for nearby places that would deliver pizza. The first place that caught my attention was the place recommended to us by the guy at The Gluten Escape Bakery on Friday. NICE! The place…Pizza Doodle. Not only did they offer gluten-free pizza…but gluten-free garlic bread too. I was one happy girl. I never get to have garlic bread while eating pizza. I mean…I was on top of the world. My app said they were about 7 miles away…so, I called in an order for the Gluten-Free Garlic Bread and a 9-inch Gluten-Free Tree Hugger Pizza (that would be pesto sauce, onion, garlic, artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers on what their menu advertised as THE BEST GF CRUST!). I made sure to order this with vegan cheese. The lady took the order and my phone number and said it would be forty-five minutes. Cathy and I decided to go wait outside for the pizza, and ended up waiting for well over an hour. I finally called back and was told that they don’t deliver to the DTC.
IT. IS. SEVEN. FREAKIN’. MILES. AWAY!
I was starving and angry. And really pissed off that they didn’t call (even though they claimed they did…I was holding my phone the entire time and it never rang once and I had no missed calls or messages). All day I had been looking forward to gluten-free garlic bread…and now I wasn’t going to get it. Cathy took my phone to find somewhere else to have pizza and I stormed off in tears (hunger + emotional wreck because I never get gluten-free garlic bread).
Cathy apparently found a place that could accomodate my diet…though without the garlic bread. The place…zpizza!
Actually, she told the guy on the other end of the line the storry about what Pizza Doodle pulled and inquired as to if they did gluten-free garlic bread. He said they did not, but he upgraded our pizza to a large for no extra cost. They did the vegan cheese, so that was sufficient. Although…it wasn’t what I wanted.
About thirty minutes later, my phone rang as I was in my friend, Marc Gunn’s, concert. Cathy and I hurried out to meet the pizza delivery guy from zpizza, give him a nice tip, and thank him for the food. We dashed up to the hotel room to finally eat. I was so ready to dive in…but I remembered to get a picture for the blog.
Cathy ordered the Gluten-Free Napoli Pizza ($15.40 – with the cheese substitution and gluten-free crust) from zpizza. This pizza is their gluten-free crust topped with tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese (we got vegan though), basil, and a roasted garlic sauce.
She did good.
I was really disappointed to flip open the box and see the thin-crust that I always get with a gluten-free pizza (my local gluten-free bakery, Annie May’s Sweet Café, has spoiled me with their thick pizza crust!). I might have pitched an unhappy fit over that, but I was still in garlic bread mode…and nothing was making me happy at that point. With the photo for the blog out of the way…we dug in.
While the Gluten-Free Napoli Pizza from zpizza was not what I wanted…it was really, really good. Okay, the crust was a bit of a disappointment, but I’m used to that cracker crust by now. And, honestly, it wasn’t bad. The tomatoes were fresh. The basil was a nice seasoning touch. And the vegan cheese was melted to perfection! That’s not always easy to do…trust me. The best part, however, was definitely the roasted garlic sauce. That sauce made this pizza. It was delicious. I love a white pizza, and anything with garlic involved is going to immediately be my friend. When Cathy said they upgraded us to a large, I told her the two of us wouldn’t be able to eat a large pizza. But the two of us devoured that pizza. Really…really quickly. We were extremely hungry and I was an emotional mess and was now stuffing my face with each gluten-free slice I could get my hands on. Epic pizza toppings for sure. I’d be more than happy to order from zpizza again. And, despite not being a gluten-free environment, they, like most pizza places that offer gluten-free crust, did a fine job of not cross-contaminating anything. I didn’t get sick. And the pizza was a dream come true. I wanted to hate it since there was no gluten-free garlic bread…but there was nothing to dislike about this pizza. Fantastic!
Where Pizza Doodle, although highly recommended, failed…zpizza triumphed. I thank them from the bottom of my gluten-free heart for the delivery to the hotel. I was beyond upset with Pizza Doodle and it was nice to have a place step in and make things awesome again. The pizza was stellar. The toppings were fresh. And I was pleasantly full as I polished off the last slice of my half of the pizza. Although they didn’t have to, they felt bad for what happened to us with the other pizza place and gave us an upgrade free of charge. That’s great business right there.
I’ll order from them again in a heartbeat!
zpizza’s Gluten-Free Napoli Pizza with Vegan Cheese
I have my friend, Pecos, to thank for turning me on to the newest gluten-free bakery near the Denver Tech Center in Denver, Colorado. I make a yearly sojourn out to Denver for Starfest, an annual sci-fi/fantasy convention, and am always looking for places that can safely feed me. A couple of months before I headed that way, Pecos mentioned this place on Facebook. Sure enough, it wasn’t far from my hotel at the convention at all. Insert a happy traveler right here!
As it turned out, we’d be hitting Denver at the right time to stop into said bakery for lunch. And I couldn’t be happier. Cathy and I budgeted some money (and then she added on after we settled in to eat and after purchasing a few things for later…but I’m getting ahead of myself) for this stop to be our official lunch and snack stop on Friday afternoon. It was perfect. And…after getting a little lost trying to find the place, we finally located it (under a storage awning, of all things).
The Gluten Escape. Their slogan…”Where gluten is a 4-letter word…gone!”
Love it.
The bakery itself is quite small and cozy. You see the counter with all the baked goods in the case and on top of the case the moment you walk in. To the left is a fridge, a toaster, a microwave, and coffee/tea stuff. To the right, a small dining area for those who are dining in. The back and far walls had little shelves with some of the items they had for sale…as well as cakes. Cathy scoped those out while I was preparing lunch…but I’m getting ahead of myself again.
We were greeted by a very nice gentleman behind the counter when we entered the bakery. We told him that we were from the Louisville, Kentucky area and had been told about this bakery by a good friend of ours in the area…and we were starving travelers. I was eying the brownies and bars in the case at the front when Cathy tapped me on the shoulder and said…”Bagels!”
The Gluten Escape’s Gluten-Free Onion Bagel and Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll
SOLD!! They were out of the Everything Bagel, which would have been my first choice. The other two options were Onion and Cinnamon Raisin. I jumped at Cinnamon Raisin, but Cathy said…”Really? You want that one?” Which means…she didn’t. So, I gave in for the Gluten-Free Onion Bagel ($3.00). And let me tell you…this bagel looked AWESOME!! Even better than Udi’s Gluten-Free Bagels. All of them. So, we got the Gluten-Free Onion Bagel with the Daiya Cream Cheese (yay for vegan cream cheese!) to split as we also purchased one of the Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls ($2.25) to split as well.
We also picked up other goodies…but I’ll get into that in a moment.
Let’s focus on lunch. We were handed the bagel, which he sliced for us and told that the toaster was right behind us. Awesome. I got to work toasting it while he grabbed the dairy-free cream cheese and then the cinnamon roll. He handed that to Cathy and told her she might want to give it a 20 second warm-up in the microwave. Which…she did. The toasting on the bagel was taking a bit of time and I was hoping I wasn’t going to burn it. Because…FRESH MADE GLUTEN-FREE BAGEL!! HELLO!! Do you realize how uncommon that is to find??!! Trust me…you don’t see it very often. I don’t see it at all, honestly. The bagel popped and I plated it and carried it to the table. Photos happened and then I spread the bagel with the cream cheese and we each took a bite.
Holy gluten-free bagel, Batman. This was fantastic. It was light, not heavy. The flavor was amazing. You really got the onion flavor without it being overpowering. It had that nice crust on the outside, but was still chewy and bread-y in the middle. It was heaven. I cried. Seriously. Tears of joy. Because, save for the Udi’s processed gluten-free bagels…I hadn’t had an actual bagel since I had to go gluten-free. This…was life changing for me. Life affirming even. I might survive after all. I set the bagel down so I could try the cinnamon roll.
This was not what I was expecting when I cut the cinnamon roll in half. Honestly. It looked more like a muffin than the traditional cinnamon roll. It was way different from the gluten-free cinnamon rolls that I purchase from Sinfully Gluten Free in Dayton, Ohio and Annie May’s Sweet Café in Louisville, Kentucky. Like I said…it looked more like a muffin. But…we all know that cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite indulgences…and I was looking forward to splitting this with Cathy. I sliced it in half…a pocket of cinnamon flavoring nestled right in the center. I lifted it and took a bite. It reminded me of…apple pie, oddly enough. I think it was the spices that went into the dough and the cinnamon center. I loved that it wasn’t coated in icing, but lightly drizzled. I am not a fan of icing or frosting…so the less the better in my book. And this definitely gave it a nice level of sweetness. It wasn’t my favorite gluten-free cinnamon roll, but it was delicious. And we ended up buying another one!
This brings me to our side purchases…
For breakfast the following morning, Cathy and I picked up two of the Mini Chocolate Donuts ($1.59), the Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bar, and the Lemon Raspberry Bar as well. I would have bought one of everything if I could have afforded it. So, after I went for a run that morning, I returned to the hotel room and got our breakfast prepped. I sliced the bars in half and delivered those to Cathy, along with her donut. As I was getting the rest of my breakfast ready for me to settle in and enjoy…I hear the happiest noise in the world.
The Gluten Escape’s Gluten-Free Lemon Raspberry Bar, Gluten-Free Chocolate Donut, and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bar
“You HAVE TO try the donut RIGHT NOW!” I was told.
So, I took a bite.
OMG…best gluten-free donut I have had yet. From anywhere. And, trust me, I’ve eaten a lot of gluten-free donuts…in gluten-free bakeries and the store-bought kind. Seriously…reminded me of a Dunkin Doughnuts Chocolate Munchkin. I was once again in tears. It was a cake doughnut, but without the denseness and heaviness that I often find with gluten-free donuts. These were light and airy, and amazing. The chocolate chips inside were a very nice treat as well. I was starting off breakfast with a bang. YUMMY!!
The next thing I sampled was the Gluten-Free Lemon Raspberry Bar ($3.75). This had this delicious crust and was topped with a sweet and tart lemon filling and then capped with something akin to raspberry jam or compote. Whatever it was…the flavor combination was awesome. The crust gave it a little bit of texture as well as dulled the sweetness of the berries and the tartness of the lemon. I liked this bar a lot, but found myself wishing that it was just the lemon on there. I love raspberries and all…but LEMON…is the ultimate bar. Forever.
The Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bar ($3.75) snagged my attention away from the brownies that were in the case. Those were tempting too. But…pretzel! HELLO! This was a lot like a blondie…but with gluten-free pretzels baked into it and scattered across the top. I’m thinking…sweet with salty. I was right. This bar was fantastic. The pretzels were slightly on the stale side, but that’s because I had bought them the day before and they were sitting on top of one of the tables in the hotel room all night. It didn’t take away from the deliciousness though. I loved the play and sweet and salty, which is my favorite flavor combination These were amazing. For real.
The Gluten Escape’s Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Cookie
Later on that day, Cathy and I decided to have a snack. We indulged in some fruit we had picked up at the grocery store. And with it, we split the Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Cookie ($2.50) that we also purchased while there. This was my first time ever encountering a crispy snickerdoodle cookie. But…the flavors were spot on. The sweetness from the sugar, the heat from the cinnamon. Snickerdoodles, as we all know, are my absolute favorite cookie and these were different from what I’m used to, but I loved it all the same. So, it wasn’t the chewy cookie I associate snickerdoodles with. Didn’t matter. It tasted like a snickerdoodle. That’s what counts, yes? RIGHT!
I won’t lie…the buying didn’t stop there. Nope. Not at all. Before we left the bakery on Friday afternoon, Cathy pointed out the Gluten-Free Biscotti and the Gluten-Free Puppy Chow on one of the shelves. I also found a Pumpkin Spice Granola Bar that was definitely intriguing, since pumpkin flavored everything rules! I ended up buying the Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola Bar ($2.25), the Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti ($1.95), the Grain Free Mocha Almond Biscotti ($3.25), and a container of the Gluten-Free Puppy Chow ($3.99-ish?).
The Gluten Escape’s Gluten-Free Puppy Chow
I tried the Puppy Chow on Monday morning on my way to the airport. Cathy and I needed to swing by Voodoo Donut to pick up some dounuts for a co-worker of ours. So, while there, Cathy ordered a donut for herself. As for me…it was Puppy Chow time. The Gluten Escape’s Puppy Chow is a mix of Chex cereal, puffed rice, pretzels, and corn flakes. They are dusted in powdered sugar. And it was really, really good. I loved the different textures and flavors with each bite. You got the salty from the pretzels, the sweet from the cereal, and each cereal was different, making it crunchy or softer or just snack-able by the handful. I loved it. I ate half of it before hitting the airport and brought the other half to the office with me the following day.
The Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola Bar was…lacking sweetness, in my opinion. It was good. And they definitely had the right pumpkin spice flavor down. It wasn’t overpowering. But…the bar just seemed flat. It was very crunchy, which is fine…granola bars can go either way. But I kept waiting on something that would sweeten the deal. Like chocolate chips or something. I just think it needed a touch of sugar (not too much…just something to elevate it). Regardless, it was good and I downed that entire thing at the office.
As for the two biscotti that I chose…WOW!! Just…WOW!! They complimented my morning coffee beautifully for one thing. The first one that Cathy and I tried (we split them) was the Grain Free Mocha Almond Biscotti. OH MY GOD!! So delicious. I enjoyed dunking it in my coffee and just having that flavor mingle and mix. Oh…it was divine. And totally made my morning, if you couldn’t tell. The Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti was the same way. I loved the crispness that would soften when dunked in the coffee and the chocolate chips were a nice lingering sweet touch. I was in total coffee heaven those mornings. Seriously. I will probably buy whatever biscotti they have next time I am in town. For real. That…was love at first bite for sure!
I know that Colorado is a hotbed for gluten-free companies and businesses…and I love visiting there for that reason. But, if you happen to be near the Denver Tech Center (DTC)…I strongly encourage you to take the trip up the road to The Gluten Escape and indulge in some of their daily specials and their baked goods. Everything looked fantastic. I really would have purchased one of everything had the budget and my belly allowed. But, that’s why there is always a next time. And there will be a next time.
Beyond impressed!
The Gluten-Escape’s Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola Bar, Grain-Free Mocha Almond Biscotti, and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Because, somehow, without even knowing me…you created the ultimate snack. You invented my new snack crack. Because this combines two of my most favorite things in life…and then some. You take peanut butter…and popcorn…and you make it snackable. You make it…so easy to dive into this little pouch and keep on going. It’s so hard to stop. It’s just…you made my snack kryptonite.
Congratulations.
Now, you, my fellow readers…if you are unfamiliar with Earth Balance and, more specifically, P.B. Popps…read carefully. Earth Balance is a company that is committed to producing 100% plant-based, vegan, non-GMO, lactose-free, egg-free, casein-free, trans-fat-free products. I use their vegan butters, buttery spreads, and nut butters in numerous things. I keep Earth Balance products in my fridge and pantry…constantly. When a company specializes in vegan products that are created only using all-natural ingredients that are organic, and often benefit those who not only are vegan or vegetarian, but also have food allergies…well…you better believe I’m going to support them.
A little while ago, Earth Balance began putting out some vegan and gluten-free snack options. First it was some popcorn (in various flavors) and such. But…one day they put up on Facebook that they created this amazing product called P.B. Popps. I immediately knew that if I spotted them in the grocery store…I’d buy them. It took some looking, but almost a year later, they turned up on the shelf of my local Whole Foods store. There was much rejoicing and budget breaking that day. I snagged a pouch of them and took them home.
These…have been my snack at the office this past week. And oh my GOD…they are SO good.
P.B. Popps are described on the packaging as popcorn cuddled in peanut butter and a bustle of oats. I love popcorn. I definitely love peanut butter. And oats are one of my favorite things in life. I mean…I eat oatmeal in some form for lunch every day. Yes. EVERY day! So, popcorn coated in peanut butter and oats…that sounds right up my alley.
Trust me. It was. And you’ll love them too! Each popcorn pieces is coated liberally in peanut butter, and dipped in oats. This makes the most interesting texture combination when you bite into it. The popcorn has that crunch from the peanut butter that coats it…and then the oats add a hint of softness to each bite. The peanut butter flavor is awesome on these. I mean…awesome. It doesn’t overpower…but you know it’s peanut butter. And, trust me, it’s best to put out only a serving because you could keep popping these little peanut-buttery-oaty popcorn pieces and down the entire bag. These…are beyond fantastic. These are a treat worth repeating!!
Ingredients for Earth Balance P.B. Popps are peanuts, whole grain oats, dried cane syrup, tapioca syrup, popcorn, expeller pressed natural oil blend, flaxseed, agave syrup, salt, baking soda, water, natural flavor, pea protein, and sunflower lecithin. I know what every single one of those ingredients are! That’s a bonus. The Earth Balance P.B. Popps are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, cholesterol-free, non-GMO, made with 100% natural ingredients, and contain 0 grams of trans-fat. LOVE.
Let’s look at nutrition for this snack…because…vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free…and all of that still comes with a nutrition label, yes? You better believe it. A serving size of the Earth Balance P.B. Popps is 28 grams (or about 1/3 cup). This serving will provide you with 130 calories and 6 grams of fat. This serving will also be giving you 80 mg sodium and 6 grams of sugar. And finally, you’ll be consuming 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.
Not bad for a peanut-buttery popcorn snack, right? RIGHT! I was very impressed with this snack. Earth Balance has never let me down. Not once. And this has made me an even bigger fan. I can’t wait to try more of their snack items in the very near future. The most difficult part now will be not purchasing a pouch of these every time I go into Whole Foods.
For real! They are that amazing. Try them yourself. Trust me…you’ll want to pop more than one!
So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Toasted Almond Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert
Product: So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Toasted Almond Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert – $6.99+
Mmm…ice cream.
I love ice cream. It’s the one treat I never like to say no to eating. However, being lactose intolerant, ice cream doesn’t always love me back. Even when I take a supplement to help with digestion…it doesn’t always work. As you can imagine, for someone who grew up eating ice cream no matter what time of year it was…this can be quite challenging.
But…thanks to products from So Delicious Dairy Free…I can still have my ice cream and at it too.
Well, technically, being dairy free it can’t be called “ice cream”…but more of a frozen dessert. And from So Delicious, the primary base of their products is…coconut milk.
YUMMY!
Back in April, I was running around my grocery store and my roommate said…”Did you see the no sugar added So Delicious ice cream over there?” I was all, “Um…NO!” And went tearing over to the freezer with the So Delicious and other dairy-free frozen desserts tucked inside. Over near the organic and natural foods, of course.
And there it was…a beacon of grocery store light shining down upon it. A little white container with a blue label wrapped around it declaring…”NO SUGAR ADDED!” This is my kind of dessert. Being the sweet tooth that I am, I’ve been desperately trying to cut back on sugar where I can. It’s not easy…but this…this was made for me. I didn’t even ask…I opened up that freezer door, pulled out a pint…and it came home with me that night.
And the other night…I was feeling ice cream. So, this finally had it’s moment to prove itself.
The grocery store had a few varieties in flavor to choose from, but my eye was drawn to the So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Toasted Almond Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert.
Whew…that’s a mouthful.
A delicious mouthful!
But…I’m getting ahead of myself. After a light dinner, I went to the freezer and retrieved the little pint of dairy-free dessert goodness. I dished up a serving for Cathy and one for me. Since this is dairy-free with no sugar added, the ice cream was a bit…flaky. It isn’t as creamy as regular ice cream, so scooping it out was sometimes a challenge…but I measured out the serving and dished the goodness out to each of us.
All it took was one bite for me to know that this was going to be a match made in heaven. A delicious dairy-free, gluten-free, less-sugar-in-your-life kind of heaven. So, it wasn’t creamy…but it wasn’t an unpleasant sort of flaky. In fact, each spoonful would melt into creamy goodness in your mouth, and the bits of almond and flakes of chocolate would be the last things to dance across your tongue. Magic. Just pure spoonfuls of magic. I was loving it. And sad that I only had two more servings. Gone to soon, for sure. But…a delicious treat that I wasn’t expecting. I am a huge fan of coconut milk and things made with coconut milk. And the fact that this is lower in sugar makes me one happy girl. You wouldn’t really even know that it was low-sugar if you weren’t told. It really is that good!
I am out…and need more.
Soon.
Ingredient-wise…So Delicious Dairy Free uses organic coconut milk, gum arabic, chocolate flake, almonds, vegetable glycerin, chicory root extract, erythritol, natural flavors, sea salt, locust bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan (UGH!), and monk fruit extract in the No Sugar Added Toasted Almond Chip Frozen Dessert. So…not completely a clean eat…but, not the worst (by far) on ingredients. It is cholesterol-free soy-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free. It is certified kosher, vegan, and organic!
Nutritionally speaking, a serving of the So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Toasted Almond Chip Frozen Dessert is 1/2 cup. In this serving, you will be consuming 140 calories and 12 grams of fat (some of that is the healthy fats you get from coconut and almonds…so don’t panic!). You will also be consuming 80 mg sodium and 1 gram of sugar. Yes…you read that right…1 GRAM OF SUGAR!! LOVE!! In addition, you will be taking in 10 grams of filling fiber and 2 grams of protein. So much love for these nutrition facts. For real.
Love. That’s what this dessert is all about. Lots of dairy-free, tasty, ice-creamy love. The No Sugar Added variety of the Toasted Almond Chip Frozen Dessert from So Delicious Dairy Free may not be the creamiest of ice cream treats…but it brings the flavor. And the love. Especially to those of us who have problems with dairy. This is one of life’s greatest gifts to the ice cream lover in me. I need more.
Stat.
A serving of So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Toasted Almond Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert
Product: WOW Baking Company Lemon Burst Cookies – $4.99+
Lemon. Lemon.
Luscious lemon.
There is something go refreshing and amazing about foods that have that lemon tang to it. Citrus has always been one of my first loves…especially lemon. Lemonade, lemon chiffon, lemon meringue, lemon zest, lemon…lemon…lemon! Give me all the lemon.
Luckily, my friends know of this lemon love…and often share it.
That goes double for my friend Jenn, who kindly stocked me up with a package of WOW Baking Company’s Lemon Burst Cookies.
I mean…what is not to love about that? LEMON. BURST. COOKIES.
I was thrilled to have these in my pantry…and after working through some other items…pulled these out one evening for a delicious palate cleanser after dinner. Dessert doesn’t have to be big…but it should always be enjoyed. I love a small touch of sweetness after a meal. My desserts at home are often just a couple bites of something, but I never deny myself that little treat.
That being said…I pulled open this little sack of cookie goodness and discovered a bag full of amazing soft, two to three bite cookies. I checked the label for the serving size…which says…2 ounces. That turned out to be around 4-5 of the little mini cookies. So…I dished up a measured serving (yes…I weighed them each time!) for my roommate and one for me. I delivered the cookies to her and she dug in. She might love lemon even more than I do…so she was happily nomming away at her batch of cookies when I finally settled in with my dessert.
One bite confirmed what her appreciative chewing noises were telling me. These…WERE AWESOME!! The texture was somewhere in between a butter cookie and a cake. Seriously. They were so soft and light…I loved it. No annoying crunching. Flavor-wise, it was like eating a bit of sugar cookie dough that was kicked up with a hint of lemon flavor. Just enough to sweeten and not overpower. It was so refreshing. Each bite was a treat, most definitely.
WOW Baking Company is very dedicated to producing soft, chewy, delicious tatsting baked goods that are wheat-free and gluten-free. According to their Website, all products are produced in small batches with premium, all-natural ingredients. You won’t ever find hydrogenated oils, refined sugars, artificial flavors or wheat and gluten in any of the products they produce. Their products are non-GMO, which is always nice. WOW Baking Company produces all their products in a dedicated and certified gluten-free facility.
So, let’s discuss the ingredients in WOW Baking Company Lemon Burst Cookies, shall we? These cookies are made from a gluten-free flour blend (brown rice, sweet rice, tapioca), cane sugar, butter, eggs, corn starch, potato starch, vanilla, cream of tartar, pure lemon oil, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt and citric acid. That’s it. And what you get is a product you’d be hard pressed to guess was gluten-free if you didn’t know. Trust me.
Nutritionally speaking, a serving of WOW Baking Company Lemon Burst Cookies is, as I mentioned before, 2 ounces, or around 4-5 cookies. This serving will dish you up 260 calories and 12 grams of fat. These cookies also have 50 mg cholesterol, 220 mg sodium, and 14 grams of sugar. The Lemon Burst Cookies also have 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein in each serving. So…they are a treat for sure. Don’t over indulge…but do enjoy.
I fell in love with the WOW Baking Company Lemon Burst Cookies at first bite. Chewy, soft, light, and delicious. The right amount of lemon flavor. The right balance of everything else. Real ingredients means really delicious treats. This…is a favorite for sure!
As many of you, my dear readers, know by now…one of my most favorite things in life…and truly my drug of choice…is peanut butter.
Yes.
Peanut butter.
I can’t get enough of the stuff. I eat it by the jarful. When I’m stressed out…it’s what I turn to for comfort. After I workout, it’s what I grab to get some protein. I eat it on sandwiches, in cookies, and…best of all…right off a spoon straight from the jar. Yes…if we all have that one food that is our kryptonite…for me…it’s peanut butter.
I do try to keep it as natural as possible. I don’t mind having to stir my peanut butter or store it upside down. Nope. It doesn’t matter to me at all. Because peanut butter is one of those perfect foods that balances my love of sweet and salty…all at once.
Well, while in Birmingham, Alabama, I discovered little sample packets (and the jars) of nut butters from Wild Friends Foods. The cute, winking squirrel on the label was what caught my eye first. Then…the unique and different flavors. I originally snagged my (still) favorite so far…the Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter. But the next chance I had at Organic Harvest in Birmingham, I snatched up a few more…and one of them was the Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter. Let me say that again…
Chocolate. Coconut. Peanut Butter.
Is that not heaven in nut butter form? Of course it is. These packets only sat in my pantry for a very short time. Very short. Because I was without vegan cream cheese the other day and wanted to finish off the gluten-free bagels that were sitting in my freezer. So, I chose both of the chocolate varieties I had in the pantry (the previous reviewed Chocolate Sesame Seed Almond Butter was the other) and kneaded the packets so that when the bagels were done toasting in the oven, I could split each flavor between the four halves for my roommate and I to try.
Out of the oven came the bagels and two halves got the Chocolate Sesame Seed Almond Butter schmeared on them. The other two halves…got the Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter treatment. I served up one half of each for each of us and settled in for breakfast. I tried the Chocolate Sesame Seed Almond Butter first…and loved it. But when I took a bite of the Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter…I knew which one I preferred. Seriously. I had recently fallen in love with a brand of almond butter that mixed in coconut pulp. I mean…it’s crack. But this…this went beyond crack. This was amazing. The sweetness of the chocolate blended well with the texture of peanut butter…but that little tang of coconut is what made this. Amazing. I said it before…I’ll say it again…who needs Nutella when this exists? I’d eat an entire jar of this without stopping if I could. Probably best I had this in the sample packet only!! It’s really good. In fact, I was waiting on my roommate to comment that she didn’t like it as much as the Sesame Seed version…but she surprised me, saying she preferred the Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter variety. WOW! That’s definitely saying something as she adamantly declares her dislike of coconut often. WINNING!
Ingredients in the Wild Friends Foods Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter are simple and clean. This particular nut butter of chocolate and coconut goodness contains peanuts, coconut, organic agave, chocolate liquor, and sea salt. Yes. That’s it. No unnecessary oils or preservatives. No strange additives or white sugar. Simple ingredients that offer big flavor. Wild Friends Foods Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter is all-natural, non-GMO, non-dairy, kosher, and this particular flavor contains no gluten ingredients. It is also cholesterol free!
Nutritionally speaking, a serving of Wild Friends Foods Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter is 2 tablespoons. In this serving, you will be consuming 190 calories and 15 grams of fat. Don’t panic over the fat content. That comes from the nuts and the coconut. A serving also has 35 mg sodium and 5 grams of sugar. Only 5 grams of sugar in something that is chocolate. Yes. You read that right. This serving will also dish you up 2 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. You will feel full…and that is only a good thing. You don’t want to overindulge…which I tend to do when it comes to nut butters.
Three distinctly different flavors of Wild Friends Foods nut butters have been sampled. All of them have been enjoyed for various reasons. It is so nice to have a brand that puts so much pride in the flavors they create and the product itself. You can tell from the first bite how much love goes into the production of these nut butters. And…if you like something a little sweet and nutty…the Wild Friends Foods Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter is a fantastic choice. Keep this in your pantry for always!
Wild Friends Foods Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter (on a gluten-free bagel)
The Celiathlete 