Does that sum it up enough? I was actually pretty stoked about these great little seaweed chips that I found on Manager’s Special at my local grocery store. I think, now that I’ve had them, that I now know why they were there…
Now, don’t get me wrong…I am a vegetarian sushi loving girl…and as such, I am accustomed to the inclusion of seaweed (nori) in my rolls. I love it when paired with the vegetables and the sushi rice. But on its own…well…
…it tastes like…the ocean floor. Or like orca. I can’t decide which.
This afternoon, I was starving after a quick run on my lunch break at the gym. So, when my 3:00 p.m. snack time hit, I reached into my desk and emerged with the little package of YangBan Sea Veggies. I had actually thought to, perhaps, bring a backup plan in case these didn’t hit the mark on flavor, but I decided against it. It was a healthy little snack…made from seaweed.
And…that’s exactly what it is. In fact, each little chip is just a section of nori, this one dusted with a light coating of sea salt. It looked harmless enough. In fact…I thought…it might even be tasty.
I was wrong. Not a fan. At all. It took a handful of Reeses Pieces and lots of water to get rid of the taste of algae, but…eventually it got there. My palate cleansed, I went and threw away the rest of the bag and vowed to go home and get rid of the hot chili flavor as well. In sushi…I love nori. In snack form…on its own…not so much.
So, if seaweed is your thing…then this might be the snack for you. It’s super healthy…only 35 calories for the little bag. But…I didn’t even take in one since I just couldn’t get past one bite.
Product: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Brownie Mix – $5.99+
Moist. Soft. Delicious.
These aren’t words that normally people would think of when someone says the “dreaded” words gluten-free. And trust me…people can be that finicky when it comes to whether or not they try a dish or not. Believe me…I see it happen every time I bring in food to my office. There are very few people willing to give something a try. It’s sad…because one always hopes that people will at least try something you bring in.
That being said, I have a lot of baking mixes in my pantry and I finally used up the last of my Swiss Colony Chocolano cookies that I ordered before Christmas. (For the record, those are amazing and you totally get more than the 16 cookies they list on the container. Would order those again in a heartbeat!). So…a new dessert was needed for this week.
After a quick consult of my gluten-free pantry list, I noticed that Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Brownie Mix was the next sweet treat up for baking. Now, I’ve had so much luck with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free items that I didn’t even hesitate when it came to making these up. Honestly. Nothing I’ve cooked up from a gluten-free mix from Bob’s Red Mill has done me wrong. Nothing.
And mixing this up was super easy. With my new Kitchenaid handheld mixer, I blended together the mix, warm water, melted margarine, and an egg. It was that simple. And what emerged was a creamy, thick batter just begging to be poured and spread over a greased 9×13 pan. But…there’s more. I could have stopped there, but I have a pantry of goodies as well and I figured why not add some dark and mint morsels to the mix? Minty brownies?! Yes, please! So, I folded in about 1/4 cup of the morsels and then poured the brownies into the pan.
Into my oven these went for about 23 minutes. And when the timer went off, I was fully prepared (as usual) to test it with a toothpick and have to put it back into the oven for another few minutes, check again, and repeat until the toothpick was clean. Except, Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free Brownies were actually done…right on time. My toothpick I inserted right into the center came out clean on the first try.
When I pulled these from the oven, I found that the surface was shiny and they smelled awesome. I let them cool for about 45 minutes and then just had to try one. So, my roomie and I decided to cut a piece and split it.
Verdict: We both stood there with this super-moist, light, soft brownie, chewing slowly, savoring…
This is the best brownie mix I’ve used so far since going gluten-free. Sure, I’ve liked the Hodgson Mill and even the Betty Crocker…but they weren’t as moist and soft and light as how Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free mix baked up. Honestly. I took a bite, feeling the moist crumbs tumble across my tongue and went, “Oh. My. God.” Then…devour mode was switched on. And that was a bite that didn’t even have the added dark and mint morsels!!
My roomie, who can eat any brownie she wants, also declared these as amazing. She loved the taste and texture as much as I did. And that rich, creamy, chocolate flavor was so amazing. It’s rich, without being too much. And the softness of each brownie just makes you crave more. As much as I raved about the previous brownies I made up with gluten-free mixes…they don’t even begin to compare to the way these turned out.
And, for the ultimate test, I took one of these brownies into my teammate at work. She has a very discerning palate, and she took one bite and said that the consistency was perfect. The flavor was awesome. And she enjoyed it as much as the roomie and I did. That, my dear friends, is a huge SCORE!!
Bob’s Red Mill once again for the win.
So what makes these brownies so spectacular, rich, deep and intense? Well, they have a moist, cake-like texture…which I love. I prefer cake brownies to fudge brownies any day. And Bob’s Red Mill uses Ghirardelli cocoa to coax out that rich flavor. Delicious. No wonder they are a decadent treat!
As for nutrition facts…these make 16 brownies…but I found those would be rather large for my liking. I love dessert, but small bites are usually enough. So I managed 24 brownies from my pan. This, naturally, changes the nutrition facts. If you make 24 brownies out of the mix though, your fudgey, moist brownie treat will only set you back 145 calories and 7 grams of fat. Less than that if you don’t add the baking chips to the mix. That’s about perfect for a dessert and you still get a really decent sized square of brownie without it being too much. Let’s face it…dessert comes after a meal…you really just need a couple of bites.
I’m already looking forward to sinking my teeth into another brownie tonight after dinner. These are the gluten-free brownies that dreams are made of. Even if you aren’t gluten-free…you’ll love these. You’d never know the difference. Trust me.
Gluten-Free Brownies with Dark & Mint Chocolate Morsels made with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Brownie Mix
The Really Great Food Company Gluten-Free Spinach Cheese Biscuit Mix
Product: The Really Great Food Company Gluten-Free Spinach Cheese Biscuit Mix – $6.19+
You know…when a gluten-free company goes all out and calls itself The Really Great Food Company, well, they better be able to back up that claim. That being said, I had never heard of said company prior to a little visit to Milwaukee and a stop inside the Gluten-Free Trading Company. If you are ever in Milwaukee, do stop in. It’s a completely gluten-free grocery store. And it is awesome!!
Anyway, on my second visit there in two days, I was stocking up on more goodies for the gluten-free pantry at home and came across a few mixes that were produced by The Really Great Food Company. Huh. I was actually intrigued because this was something I couldn’t get where I lived.
After toiling over which product to try, my roommate and I finally decided that the Spinach and Cheese Biscuit mix sounded like it could be an epic win (or an epic fail), so we went with that. Purchase made. And a lot of products to go through in my pantry prior to this one meant…it sat…and sat…and sat. Until last night.
You see…our workout schedule runs so that we go to the gym every other day. Well, this week it just happens to be a Monday, Wednesday, Friday sort of week. And after hitting up the gym, we head to our office and I nuke something I brought (homemade or otherwise) for us to feast on because by then we are truly starving. Since this mix was getting close to expiration, this is what I mixed up and baked up for post-workout brekkies this week.
Now, the box itself says that it only makes 9 biscuits. Heh. I managed to get 13 out of it. And as these are not made in traditional biscuit methods (not drop biscuits or cooked up in a pan), but rather made in muffin tins…they seem more like a roll than a biscuit…but this is just me nitpicking every little detail.
The Really Great Food Company Gluten-Free Spinach Cheese Biscuit Mix (mixed and prepped with cheese and spinach)
Making these was super easy. In a bowl, I beat together 2 eggs, some canola oil, and some unsweetened almond milk. From there, I the mix itself and beat that in as well. Then, the spinach, chopped cheddar cheese, and shredded Parmesan cheese all got folded into the mix. The resulting mixture was then placed into muffin tins and baked in a 375°F oven for about 27 minutes.
Now, if possible, I do try to bake an extra item of the new product I am trying out…just in case it isn’t any good. Because, after a hard workout, the last thing you want to find out is that your breakfast is nasty. Not good. That being said, I put it to the test, as always, with my roommate. I gave her the 13th biscuit and eagerly awaited her reaction.
“Pretty good.”
Hmmm…pretty good is not what I strive for when I bake something up. But she wasn’t spitting it out making obscene facial expressions, so…pretty good would have to do. The rest of the biscuits/rolls were put into containers and prepped for our three gym days this week.
After hitting the gym this morning, we arrived very hungry at the office. I set to the task of getting our breakfasts ready. Here was the first snag. Apparently I needed to spray down the muffin papers I baked them in because I found that the wrappers stuck to the product itself. Booo. But, this wouldn’t be the first time I encountered that…so I set to work, carefully peeling and making sure I was getting mostly paper and not mostly biscuit. Once I accomplished that task, it was a simple reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Good to go.
When I asked my roomie her thoughts on the biscuits, she said, “I like the cheese.”
Again…not very helpful or useful for my blog…so…here’s my rundown…
The Really Great Food Company knows how to make biscuits! Honestly. What shocked me most was that, despite being filled with chunks of cheddar cheese and slices of spinach, these biscuits aren’t dense in the slightest. They are light and airy. And the Parmesan cheese that was added to the batter melted down into the biscuits as they baked, giving each bite a cheesy flavor. Get a bite with a chunk of cheddar and it’s like cheese nirvana in your mouth. Light…fluffy…and delicious. I couldn’t stop eating mine. I had two biscuits for breakfast and they were devoured faster than I’ve eaten anything on a gym day. Every bite just tasted amazing. From the spinach to the cheese to the light batter itself, this biscuit was gluten-free perfection.
My only regret now is that I can’t find this brand around here. Thankfully, they do have a Web site and you can order their products online. And, trust me, I think I may do that…see what else they offer and if it lives up to the standard these biscuits have now set.
Gluten-free doesn’t have to mean heavy, dense breads. Nope. The Really Great Food Company proved once and for all that even something as simple as a biscuit/roll can have a light, airy texture and tons of flavor. I’m really, really hooked. The hard part now will be saving them specifically for gym days.
It may sound cheesy (heh heh…see what I did there?) but these biscuits truly are a gluten-free culinary work of art. If you can find the mix…purchase it and bake it. If you can order it online, I encourage you to do so. I was beyond impressed.
I was wowed!
The Really Great Food Company Spinach Cheese Biscuits
Who can argue with a snack that tastes like a classic summer dessert? You won’t find a lot of people complaining about that. Least of all me. As we all know…I love dessert. Love it. I could skip a meal if it mean a bigger dessert (that would be the trade-off). Of course, getting dessert isn’t easy for the gluten-free vegetarian…so I take what I can get.
With that in mind…I found myself awake on a race morning, having just eaten my cereal and knowing that I was going to need a little more closer to race time to see me through the race. If I don’t fuel about 30-40 minutes before a 5K, I normally find my stomach growling at the start of the race or halfway through. Nothing can throw you off your running mojo like hunger in the middle of a run. And with a 5K race, GU and Sports Beans are a bit excessive. It’s 3.1 miles…it’s not a half marathon.
That being said, I tend to come prepared for such things with my snack bars and protein bars. This particular morning, I found myself busting open a box of Lärabar Über that I picked up at the grocery store on Manager’s Special. I mean…the Über line is completely all natural, gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO, have no added preservatives, fillers, colorings, and no added sulfites.
LOVE that.
So, about 40 minutes before I was to start off on this 5K jaunt Saturday morning, I broke out my fuel, being my Lärabar Cherry Cobbler Über. My roomie (who was up and there to cheer me on) decided we would split it. So, I broke it in half and she took a bite. Being that she’s not big on cherry anything, the fact that she kept eating it was a good sign.
Lärabar Über Cherry Cobble
My turn.
Oh. Yeah.
This fruit and nut bar is hearty, made with chunks of fruit and nuts, rather than having it all ground together like the standard Lärabars. I love being able to see the full bits of dried cherries, raisins, and dates mixed with the almonds, cashews, and pecans. I love the rich flavor that the brown rice syrup, the salt, and the honey bring to the bar itself. When you take a bite of this bar, you actually get the illusion that you are eating an actual cherry cobbler. That’s exactly what it tasted like. And with the blend of fruit and nuts, nothing is too overpowering. Nothing at all. It is a nice balance of sweet and salty and one that settled perfectly into my stomach before a hard run on hilly roads.
I love how nutritious these bars are as well. Despite tasting like a dessert, the Lärabar Cherry Cobbler Über bar will only set you back 190 calories and 12 grams of fat, most of which is provided in the healthy form from the nuts. This particular variety offers of 14 grams of protein and no cholesterol. Yeah! Despite the addition of salt, the brown rice syrup, the dried fruits and the nuts, there is only 135 mg of sodium in each bar. That’s amazing. And while this does have 12 grams of sugar, I’m relatively certain that mostly comes from the dried fruits that are used and the brown rice syrup and honey that help bind the bar together.
In the end, what you have is a tasty bar that actually satisfies your hunger, keeps you going, and is nutritionally sound. And…it tastes like dessert. What could be better?
Product: 479° Popcorn Fleur de Sel Caramel – $3.99+
Okay…I copped out on a review prior to this one…mostly out of sheer terror of the product and the fact that I threw it away immediately after tasting it. And yes…it was the 479° Popcorn brand. That flavor was Black Truffle & White Cheddar. While the white cheddar was delicious the truffle was overpowering. Perhaps my taste buds aren’t “posh and sophisticated” enough for that flavor combination. But it didn’t taste good at all.
So, the next snack up for the afternoon munchies at work was the other 479° Popcorn I purchased while out grocery shopping one day. This one – Fleur de Sel Caramel.
Salted Caramel. How can it go wrong?
It can’t. That’s the best part.
According to 479° Popcorn, Fleur de Sel is harvested by hand from salt evaporation ponds on the coast of Brittany, France. These natural salt crystals are delicate and flaky, with a subtle hint of oceanic flavor. That being said, 479° Popcorn takes organic popcorn, coats it in a buttery caramel and then tops it off with a sprinkle of Fleur de Sel.
What comes of this combination? The classic sweet and salty combination that salted caramel brings to anything it is added to. And on popcorn, it’s like a sophisticated caramel corn. Honestly. The organic popcorn is light and airy. The buttery caramel that drenches each kernel isn’t too heavy or overpowering. In fact, it’s the right amount. And there at the end…the finishing touch…is the Fleur de Sel.
Magic in every bite. And trust me…you’ll want to keep eating these. One is never enough.
Thankfully, a serving size is 1 cup. And as far as nutrition facts go…this is actually a surprisingly healthy choice.
479° Popcorn’s Fleur de Sel Caramel flavor contains 100 calories per 1 cup serving. Each serving has 4 grams of fat (not bad for caramel corn!), 160 mg sodium, and 13 grams of sugar. That is definitely a bit higher on the sugar content than I would like for an afternoon snack…but it’s caramel corn. It’s going to have more sugar in it than regular corn. Call it a treat, savor each bite, and don’t worry about sugar for a few moments.
I am a huge fan of salted caramel goodies as it is…but this is just an amazing snack. Far better than the Black Truffle and White Cheddar flavor I tried just moments before this. And, wow…am I ever glad I did that. I couldn’t imagine being at work, biting into that popcorn and immediately having to spit it out in my garbage can. Thankfully, my roomie and I tried a piece beforehand…and moved on to the epic deliciousness of the Fleur de Sel variety.
With the elegant and fanciful flavor of the Fleur de Sel Caramel popcorn, you’re treating your taste buds to something special. Trust me…they will thank you for it.
I’m already craving more!
If you love caramel corn or are a huge fan of salted caramel goodies…this Fleur de Sel Caramel popcorn from 479° Popcorn is well worth snacking on. SO GOOD!
I started off with the original. Just a touch of sea salt and I had in my possession a snack chip made from rice flour and adzuki beans. Yes…you read that right…adzuki beans. And what did I make of these? That they were phenomenal. Like…better tasting Doritos. And much healthier option at that than what preservatives and unnatural ingredients go into Doritos.
So, this time I was quite excited to dive into the bag of Boulder Canyon’s Rice and Adzuki Bean Chipotle Cheese flavored chips. I mean…a little extra spice is always. Combine it with the addition of cheese…and yeah…it’s winning.
That being said, after I scooped up a serving of these chips to haul to the office with me, I couldn’t wait to dive into them and really test them out. I mean, the original flavor had been mind-blowing delicious…so these had to be yummy-amazing right?
ABSOLUTELY!
That afternoon, when my 3:00 snack time rolled around, I pulled out my container which had a 1 ounce serving (or around 20 chips), and took up my first chip. One bite…and I was even happier with these than I was the original. Oddly enough, the fact that these tasted more like Cool Ranch Doritos (despite having cheese in them) was amazing. Cool Ranch was always my favorite. I was hooked. Love at first bite.
The texture and flavor with each of these was fantastic. And one serving only set me back 140 calories and 7 grams of fat. Not too shabby for a snack trip. In addition, with the inclusion of adzuki beans in the ingredients, these chips give 2 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. I loved these and was quite sad when I got down to the bottom of my serving and had no more to nosh on.
Would I buy these again? In a heartbeat. Without a moment of hesitation. YUM YUM YUMMY!
Looking for a healthier option for a snack chip, I would definitely direct you to find Boulder Canyon’s Rice and Adzuki Bean Chipotle Cheese snack chips. I promise…these are not just a healthier snack chip option…but delicious too.
Angie’s Artisan Treats Dark Chocolatier Sea Salt Holidrizzle Kettle Corn
Product: Angie’s Artisan Treats Dark Chocolatier Sea Salt Holidrizzle Kettle Corn – $4.99+
Okay…it doesn’t get much better than this:
Popcorn.
Dark chocolate.
Salt.
What this provides is this amazing salty-sweet blend that is one of my favorite tastes ever. I guess that’s why I love chocolate covered (gluten-free) pretzels so much. Salty-sweet is my favorite thing because it honestly is the best of both worlds. Why choose when you can have both?
I had never heard of Angie’s Artisan Treats until my friend Shana posted a picture of the bag of Dark Chocolatier Sea Salt Holidrizzle Kettle Corn on Facebook. I was immediately intrigued. In fact, I was immediately craving. I asked her one simple question – is it gluten-free? Her response: YES! And she said she found it at Target, so when I was at Target a couple days later…I hunted and found it on the end cap. I grabbed the last two bags.
And then…the time just never seemed right to open it up. I mean…who really needs to make time for dark chocolate drizzled popcorn? But I have an air popper and that’s usually what I do for popcorn at night. Until last night…when I spent a majority of the evening baking up requested Triple Chocolate Mint Truffle Blossom cookies for my roommate (per her request) and had no counter space in order to set up the air popper. Her suggestion: why not eat the popcorn we bought at Target?
Brilliant!!
So, that evening, I dished up 1-2/3 cup of popcorn for each of us (yes…I do actually measure this out!) and served it up with our nightly cup of tea. As I settled in for the evening, I picked up one piece of popcorn, perfectly drizzled with dark chocolate, and took my first bite.
OH. MY. GOD.
If heaven was made of popcorn, then it would surely taste like this. So delicious. I love the sweetness of the dark chocolate and how it plays with the soft texture and the saltiness of the popcorn. It doesn’t feel heavy at all. In fact, the entire snack seems very light as you eat it. And yeah…it’s pretty damn amazing.
Angie’s Dark Chocolatier Sea Salt Holidrizzle Kettle Corn only has 13o calories per serving and will set you back 6 grams of fat. That isn’t too bad. These are all natural, gluten-free, contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. No artificial sweeteners are used in this popcorn either. This snack is a great source of whole grains and is non-GMO!
The best part is…it is super delicious…perfect for a snack to satisfy every craving and flavor you might have. I am so glad my friend Shana posted this on Facebook or I might have gone the rest of my life without this snack in my life.
Dark chocolate sea salt popcorn…how sweet it is!!
Angie’s Artisan Treats Dark Chocolatier Sea Salt Holidrizzle Kettle Corn
The words gluten-free and ice cream sandwich are normally not found hand-in-hand. But thanks to the teaming up of Glutenfreeda (who provides the cookie portion of the ice cream sandwich) with Julie’s Organic Ice Cream…even the gluten-free can have a sweet taste of an ice cream sandwich. Even better…not being limited to just the chocolate cookies with the vanilla ice cream. While it is traditional and the most common, even in the ice cream sandwiches that are not gluten-free, Julie’s Organic Ice Cream offers up four different varieties of gluten-free ice cream sandwich cookies.
And I have now had them all…with my final taste going to the Carrot Cake Ginger Ice Cream Sandwich Cookie.
This one actually was the one that my roommate dreaded. She isn’t the biggest fan of carrot cake (unless I make it, she says) nor ginger…so she sort of put off eating this one until I just marched over to the freezer the other day when it was time for dessert and pulled these out. Her reaction, “Oh…we’re having those?” And picture this being said in the most unenthusiastic tone of voice one can conjure. She was really, really, really not happy that I made that decision.
However…her tune soon changed…
The Carrot Cake Ginger Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies are composed of ginger cookies made by Glutenfreeda that are soft and crumbly…like a pie crust. And the carrot cake ice cream is what fills these up and gives them their amazing combined flavor. I’ve never had carrot cake ice cream before, but if it always tastes like this…I want more of it in my life!!
These ice cream sandwiches were SO delicious. My roommate took the first taste while I was snapping pictures for the blog (as I tend to do). And she says, “Oh…it tastes like a frozen pumpkin pie!” I finished taking pictures as she went to sit down and nosh on hers a bit more and took my first taste. She was absolutely correct. Forget carrot cake flavor, these really did taste like a frozen pumpkin pie. The ginger cookie gave the illusion of a crust and the ice cream was just super good. I loved the combination of flavors and how they would melt together on my tongue. The cookies are super soft, so that adds a crumbly consistency to them which sort of makes these more pie-like in the end.
SO YUMMY!!
I found myself looking forward to dessert the next day…but dinner was taking forever to cook (naturally). But, anticipation is part of the fun, yes? And when we settled in to devour the final two in the package, we sadly big adieu to these ice cream sandwiches. Phenomenal flavor. I would totally buy these again in a heartbeat. Absolutely loved them.
So, if you happen to be out at the store and looking for something different to try…whether you need to eat gluten-free or not…I highly recommend trying Julie’s Organic Carrot Cake Ginger Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies. It’s a slice of heavenly pie in ice cream form…and boy…is it ever delicious!
Boulder Canyon Rice with Adzuki Bean Natural Sea Salt Snack Chips
Product: Boulder Canyon Rice with Adzuki Bean Natural Sea Salt Snack Chips – $2.99+
Who would have thought? A snack chip made out of rice flour and adzuki beans? It doesn’t seem at all natural or like it should be even found in nature. And…well, while not a natural occurrence in our natural environment, Boulder Canyon now delivers this straight to our grocery store aisles. Founded in 1994, Boulder Canyon has been producing all natural, kettle cooked potato chips that go beyond the standard brands in both quality and taste. This isn’t just me speaking…this is the company’s mission statement.
And…the thing is, they can back it up.
Prior to this, I had been able to try a few of Boulder Canyon’s Kettle Cooked Potato Chips. I first sampled them here in my area (shocking, I know!) and then found them again at a grocery store out in Los Angeles, California, while visiting some friends. We got them hooked on them as well. And as snack chips went, these were a safe (save for the Malt Vinegar and Sea Salt variety) as far as gluten-free chips went. Better still…they were delicious.
Well, as I’ve gotten more accustomed to the whole gluten-free snack thing…I’ve branched out some. So, when a couple of bags of Boulder Canyon Rice with Adzuki Bean Snack Chips were on super sale at Big Lots…I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try them. A blind tasting this time. No samples from a gluten-free fair or expo…this was something I just saw and went with. At the price with a 20% discount on top of it…I’d be hard-pressed not to make a purchase.
And, as is the norm, I had other snacks to work through first before I got to these…but the magical snack moment arrived yesterday. I needed a quick 3:00 p.m. snack for the office to see me through to when I could cook dinner. I had packed up a serving (1 ounce) of these chips and brought them with me for that purpose. When the time rolled around, I opened up my little container and took my first bite.
I fell in love with them. Yes…with one simple bite. The flavor was so familiar and distinctive…but it was light, non-greasy, and clean. I offered one to my teammate, who has a very picky and discerning palate, and she took a hesitant bite…but soon was crunching on the chip as well. She said the flavor reminded her of Cool Ranch Doritos. She was absolutely right. But it had a better flavor…less mess…and was just better all around. And trust me…Cool Ranch Doritos used to be my favorite chip! So this is saying something!
The Boulder Canyon Rice with Adzuki Bean Natural Sea Salt Snack Chips (whew…that’s a mouthful…but a delicious one!) are made from rice flour, corn starch, adzuki beans, and corn flour. They are seasoned with chili flakes, cumin, and sea salt. What this does then is lend a little bit of spice and bite to each chip, keeping each taste interesting.
The flavor of these chips, I believe, mostly comes from the adzuki beans, which tend to have a nutty flavor and are commonly used in Japanese dishes. They are low in fat and high in protein. That’s a great combination to base a snack chip off, don’t you think? And with the way Boulder Canyon slow cooks their chips using sunflower and/or safflower oil, you don’t need to worry about trans fat or cholesterol. All of their products are free from both.
The Rice with Adzuki Bean Natural Sea Salt Chips have 140 calories per serving and 7 grams of fat. That isn’t bad for a snack chip when it comes down to it. Even though this is a flavor that is based on sea salt…the sodium content is quite low (130 mg) and each serving provides 2 grams of protein. Not too shabby for a snack chip. These particular chips are also gluten-free (obviously) and non-GMO. They are all-natural, so no strange chemicals go into the making of this snack.
The flavor that these chips provide is unmatched. You wouldn’t even guess that they are made with beans. Never in a million years. You don’t taste the beans…you honestly just taste the delicious flavors that are packed into each bite, seasoned to perfection, and made as healthy as a snack chip can be. When you can back up your mission statement of providing superior flavor and superior products, then you’re doing your job well.
Boulder Canyon can definitely back up their claims. I would buy these again in a heartbeat! And as they taste like really fantastic tortilla chips, they’d be perfect to dip in hummus or salsa or even guacamole. Mmmm…something to try next time.
If you are looking for something different when it comes to snacks…be bold (heh…see what I did there?) and try Boulder Canyon’s Rice with Adzuki Bean Natural Sea Salt Snack Chips. I promise…it will be love at first bite.
Product: Enjoy Life Caramel Apple On-The-Go Chewy Bar – $4.29+
It was as though my deepest fear was confirmed upon returning home from the office today. After the horrendous taste the Very Berry Chewy Bar left in my mouth (thank goodness my co-worker had some gluten-free white chocolate peppermint popcorn on hand), I was going to go straight home, pull the box out of my pantry and throw it away.
That’s exactly what I did.
And just as I had thought, the next item up in my gluten-free pantry for consumption as a snack was…Enjoy Life Caramel Apple On-The-Go Chewy Bars.
Sigh.
And the more I did think about it, the more I was absolutely certain these were the snack bars that my mom had tried when she started doing some gluten-free foods and told me to stay far, far away. They were not good, according to her initial report. Somehow that conversation had slinked back into my brain after the disappointing snack that I basically spit out this afternoon.
Determined not to revisit that experience with a different flavor bar, my roommate suggested that we go ahead and open one of the Caramel Apple Chewy Bars and break off a piece. We could each try it (me as the gluten-free girl and her as the ‘I don’t need to eat gluten-free, so I’ll be totally honest with you’) and make a decision as if they were palatable enough me to take for snack tomorrow.
Enjoy Life Caramel Apple Chewy On-The-Go Bar
After dinner and a very delicious dessert, I started to get things together for lunches and snacks tomorrow…and remembered that I needed to grab these snack bars. I hurried over to the pantry and removed the box from the shelf, cracking it open and removing one of the bars. I tore into the wrapper. There was no onslaught of apple scent like what happened with the Very Berry one. So…that was already different. However, the tiny little snack bar didn’t look much different from the one I had today. But, I was trying to keep an open mind on this one.
Why? Because I love Enjoy Life. I love that they keep their products free of the top 8 food allergens (gluten, wheat, egg, dairy, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, fish). I love that, in the past, I’ve enjoyed every product that I’ve tried. I’m especially a fan of their chocolate granola and their seed and fruit mixes. YUM!!
So, here I stood, breaking off the end of one of the Caramel Apple On-The-Go Chewy Bars and then split that in half so my roommate and I could both have taste. We looked at the little piece in our hand…then at each other…and we popped them in.
Here’s what I can say…the Caramel Apple was a little more palatable than the Very Berry variety. The taste was still cardboardish…and the texture was less than chewy. It wasn’t hard, but it was like gnawing on a wet box. I hated the texture. Very gritty and just…blech. All of that being said, it did actually taste a little like a caramel apple. Very little. But it was there. Especially at the end, when you just manage to get it down. But…that’s not saying much. I wasn’t impressed.
Thankful that I purchased these while they were on stupid super sale…I didn’t feel too bad tossing this box in the garbage can as well.
I hope that in the future, Enjoy Life considers redoing their recipes for the Caramel Apple and Very Berry Chewy Bars. There is so much potential there…but they completely missed the mark with these. And it’s too bad, because I have nothing but good things to say about the rest of their products I have managed to find and sample.
I guess everyone strikes out at some point.
Alright, Enjoy Life…I now need you to redeem yourself again…because the state of these last two products has saddened and makes me a little more apprehensive to try things like…your cereals…which I’ve been eying. Now, I’m not so certain I want to risk the dent they’ll put in my wallet.
Enjoy Life Caramel Apple Chewy On-The-Go Bar (unwrapped)
The Celiathlete 