Category: Vegan

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Recipe: Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup

I admit it.  I’m a girl from the North, so when my CSA bin arrived with collard greens inside…I had NO clue what to do with them.  None.  And while I lived in Birmingham, Alabama for six years…I was never one for southern-style cooking.  Just ask any of my friends and co-workers.  I was not having any of it.  So…collard greens had me stumped.

So, I did what any good Northern girl would do when staring at collard greens and trying to figure out a good way to use them before they went bad (because we waste NOTHING!).  I hit up Pinterest.  And…much to my delight, found a soup recipe (and I love soup!) that incorporated collard greens and pretty much (save for a red onion and an extra box of organic veggie broth) everything I already had in my pantry.  Seriously!  So…I figured I would give it a try.

Let me tell you…this soup is so easy to make.  One pot.  That’s all you need.  I used my Dutch oven to cook everything up and it was just…easy.  And smelled really good.  I know…some of you might wonder how these ingredients all come together.  Like…tomato paste and peanut butter…but it works.  Just trust me.  If you like Pad Thai…you’ll appreciate this soup.  That’s what it smells and tastes like…minus the noodles and chicken and all that stuff.  I got this recipe from Cookie + Kate…and it was a flavor sensation of pure perfection.

Recipe: Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup

Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup
Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup

Servings: 6-8
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 35 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 bunch collard greens (or kale), ribs removed and leaves chopped into 1-inch strips
  • 3/4 cup unsalted peanut butter (chunky or smooth…I used chunky so I wouldn’t have to buy peanuts to garnish)
  • 1/2 cup tomato paste
  • Hot sauce, like Sriracha
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional)

 

Directions:

In a medium Dutch oven or stock pot, bring the broth to a boil.

Add the onion, ginger, garlic and salt.  Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

In a medium-sized, heat-safe mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter and tomato paste, then transfer 1 to 2 cups of the hot stock to the bowl.  Whisk the mixture together until smooth, then pour the peanut mixture back into the soup and mix well.

Stir in the collard greens and season the soup with hot sauce to taste.

Simmer for about 15 more minutes on medium-low heat, stirring often.

Serve over cooked brown rice if you’d like, and top with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.

~*~*~

Like I said…it’s like liquid Pad Thai.  And I love Pad Thai.  It sounds odd…but trust me…the flavors are there.  You can make it as mild or as spicy as you want.  I kept mine near the middle, because while I love spicy foods, my roommate is a “heat wimp” (her words).  So…I found the happy medium there.  This soup is just delicious and honestly…couldn’t be easier to make.  It didn’t take much time to get the ingredients ready and then you just let it cook, stirring every now and again.  I do recommend using chunky peanut butter.  It is just awesome.

So…if you are looking for a different soup to try…totally give this one a shot.  I promise…you’ll like it.  You might even love it…like me.

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Product Review: Jessica’s Natural Foods Gluten-Free Pecan Almond Granola

Jessica's Natural Foods Gluten Free Pecan Almond Granola
Jessica’s Natural Foods Gluten Free Pecan Almond Granola

Product: Jessica’s Natural Foods Gluten-Free Pecan Almond Granola – $6.99+

It wasn’t in the budget this week.  Honestly.  But I have a lot of delicious, fresh blueberries at home and needed some way to prepare them.  Well…some other way as I’ve already put some in a blueberry compote for gluten-free pancakes and even baked some into dark chocolate and blueberry scones.  Mmmm…scones.  I’ve been eating them prior to running and after running.  So, when I was out grocery shopping, it occured to me that one of my favorite ways to eat blueberries…is in my breakfast fruit, yogurt and granola parfaits.   So, while at Whole Foods, Cathy and I were walking through the cereal aisle and she spotted the bright, colorful, yellow packaging of Jessica’s Natural Foods Gluten-Free Granola!

Her eyes fell on the Motor City Crunch variety, which is a chocolate and hazelnut granola.  Mmmm…Nutella in granola form.  I wanted it.  So, I told her we had to get one, because, after all, we had blueberries to eat.  So, she grabbed…the Gluten-Free Pecan Almond Granola??!!  After waving chocolate hazelnut at me?  That’s just mean and cruel, I think.  Next time I’m selecting so I get the chocolate hazelnut.  Crazy roomie of mine.  Chocolate and hazelnut always win.  I mean, I love pecans and almonds, but those are in…pretty much every other granola out there.  And Motor City Crunch actually had like a special title and everything  It wasn’t just the flavor.  It has to be big…it has to be amazing…it has to wait until next time…

Bummer.

But…you just go with it in these situations.  So, instead of the one I thought we were getting…the Jessica’s Natural Foods Gluten-Free Pecan Almond Granola is the actual variety that made it into our shopping bag and then into the pantry on Saturday.

Fast forward to Monday morning.  I had spin class to get to by 5:30 a.m. and breakfast had to be quick.  So…here it was…blueberry breakfast parfaits.  I pulled out the pouch of granola and opened it up.  I retrieved glasses to build the parfaits in and then the Greek yogurt and berries from the fridge.  I plucked the honey from the pantry.  And I figured I had to taste-test the granola before loading it into the parfaits.  So, I reached inside and plucked out a large clump of granola.

It was sweet without being overly sweet.  It looked like it was packed with sugar…but it’s not.  The nuts add a great bit of depth to the flavor and the oats are toasted to perfection.  You get that perfect granola crunch followed by the sweetness.  I had to take another bit before telling myself that I actually needed to build a parfait and couldn’t just eat the granola.  But trust me…I could.  While I might have been disappointed that the flavor I wanted remained shelved at Whole Foods…this flavor is top of the line.  I mean, honest-to-goodness ingredients and flavors.  Low in sugar…packed with enough flavor that makes you almost feel guilty when eating it.  It was like a treat.  And when I paired it with the ripe and very fresh (and amazing) blueberries and the Greek yogurt…it was a fantastic combination.  The pecans, almonds, and oats brought this nice texture, the berries practically burst on my tongue…and the smooth yogurt just tied it all together.  This was a wonderful (and tasty) surprise this morning.  LOVED this flavor.

So…let’s talk ingredients.  Inside a package of Jessica’s Natural Foods Gluten-Free Pecan Almond Granola you will find certified gluten-free rolled oats, organic honey, brown sugar, expeller pressed sunflower oil, pecans, almonds, ground flax seed, coconut, maple syrup, pure vanilla extract, sea salt, cinnamon, and tocopherols (natural vitamin E).  That last ingredient sounds very chemical-like…but look at everything else.  The sweetness, I now see, is due to the honey, brown sugar, and maple syrup that are included.  I can taste the hint of coconut and the seasoning of cinnamon that is included.  And the combination is magic on your taste buds.  Not only is it gluten-free, but it’s also cholesterol free.  YAY!

Nutritionally speaking…these stats are pretty awesome.  A serving of Jessica’s Natural Foods Pecan Almond Granola is 1/4 cup.  This serving will provide you with 135 calories and 7 grams of fat.  That isn’t bad for something that contains nuts.  Mostly healthy fats there.  A serving also will give you only 25 mg sodium and 6 grams of sugar.  This is phenomenal for a granola.  You will also be taking in 3 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.  It doesn’t sound like much, but you will actually feel full.  Trust me.

I always try to get Cathy’s opinion on a product and since this was the flavor that she chose…against my wishes (because NUTELLA!)…I asked her what she thought.  She gave her usual…”It was good.”  Or whatever.  And then I remember she is still fighting off a summer cold and she had just woken up.  Dammit.  No luck these days with her opinion.  And this one I really wanted.  Maybe another time.

That being said, despite not getting the Chocolate Hazelnut variety I am enamored with high praise and love for Jessica’s Natural Foods and the Pecan Almond Granola.  Delicious.  Not too sweet…although it just looks like it should be more sweet than it is.  It’s sheer granola perfection and I can’t wait to try the other flavors.  But next up…Motor City Crunch.  For real!

Jessica's Natural Foods Gluten Free Pecan Almond Granola
Jessica’s Natural Foods Gluten Free Pecan Almond Granola
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Recipe: Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms, Garlic Marinara, and a Homemade Basil Pesto

Sometimes, I get more produce in my CSA bin than I can logically begin to work through in a week.  Sometimes I think I should go to every-other-week….but then the thought of not getting my fresh fruits and veggies makes me sad.  So, I try to come up with clever ways to use some of it up.  Last week’s bin had a yellow summer squash and a zucchini inside…and this week’s bin…two zucchinis.  I needed to use some zucchini up stat.

Also…I hate some large portobello mushroom caps, two of which were a little busted up…so making my portobello mushroom cap pizzas were not going to be an option.  So I thought…what can I do with this?  And then I thought…pasta.

But pasta made from zucchini…giving a bit of a low carb option (not that I worry about carbs!).  I was going to coat everything in a pesto, but my homegrown basil was…not enough to do that.  So I only had a small amount.  So, I could garnish the pasta with it.  And thankfully I had a jar of RAO’s Homemade Roasted Garlic Sauce in the pantry.  Yes!  Rescued by a manager’s special!  HA!

This recipe was super-easy to make and put together.  Even better…super good for you.  And, even if you don’t want to mess with making a pesto, the dish won’t lack anything if you leave it out.  Or, you can do what I originally had planned and skip the marinara and go with just the pesto!  It’s up to you.  I’ll put up the recipe for the full pesto recipe just in case.  I had to cut mine down to 1/4 the original recipe as I only had 1/2 cup of fresh basil.

That being said…

Recipe: Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms, Garlic Marinara, and a Homemade Basil Pesto

Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms, Garlic Marinara, and a Homemade Basil Pesto
Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms, Garlic Marinara, and a Homemade Basil Pesto

Servings: 2
Time: Prep 15 minutes; Cook 15 minutes


Ingredients for Pesto:

  • 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast


Ingredients for Pasta:

  • Olive oil
  • Chopped/minced garlic
  • Seasoning of choice (I used herbs de provence)
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 2 zucchini
  • 3 large portobello mushroom caps, sliced
  • 6 oz of marinara (or 4 ounces of pesto)
  • Dab of homemade pesto (if not using as the sauce)

 

Directions:

Make the pesto.

Place the basil, walnuts, and garlic in a food processor fitted with the S blade.  Pulse to combine, until the mixture is coarsely ground.

Turn the motor on and drizzle the olive oil in a thin stream.  Add the sea salt, pepper, lemon, and nutritional yeast, and pulse a few more times to combine.
Make the pasta:

Use your julienne peeler, spiral slicer or mandolin to create noodles out of the zucchini.  I used a mandolin and made long, thin strips of zucchini for noodles.  It’s really up to you!  Zucchini is usually full of water, so take a paper towel and squeeze them to get out some of the water.  Place them in a bowl and set aside.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and heat for a minute at medium heat.  Add 1 clove of minced garlic and sauté for one minute.  Add your mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms begin to release their juices and have browned up beautifully.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Rinse out your skillet (or wipe it down to get out any mushroom residue) and place another tablespoon of olive oil in the pan, allowing it to heat for one minute over medium heat.  Add your zucchini noodles to the pan and begin to heat them up.  In order to not turn them to mush, do not stir them.  Just move them gently around the pan.

Once the zucchini noodles are heated, add the musrhooms back into the pan and season with your seasonings of choice.  Definitely add a bit of salt though.

Toss together and then add the sauce (be it marinara or pest0).  Continue to toss in the skillet until it is heated through.  Transfer to bowls and top off with pesto, if you didn’t use it for your sauce of choice.  Or don’t…if you didn’t want to fuss with it.

Serve!

~*~*~

This was so packed with flavor and so delicious.  Honestly, it was super delicious.  I’d love to make this again and serve it up in the way I intended…with the pesto sauce, but the marinara added great flavor and worked so well with the zucchini and mushrooms.  A delicious, low calorie, low carb meal that doesn’t take too long to prep or cook.  Dinner…couldn’t be easier.

Give it a shot.  I hope you like it!

 

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Product Review: So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert

So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert
So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert

Product: So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert – $6.99+

Pause.

Observe.

Stare at the product listed above.

Did you figure out why I had to have this in my life?  Did you?

I’ll give you a hint.  Two words.

Not “dairy free” (although my stomach is thankful that it is)…not “gluten-free” (although…if I’m eating it, obviously it is).

Keep looking.  Ah…you saw it too?

COOKIE DOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you aware that, growing up, cookie dough ice cream was my absolute favorite thing in life.  I mean, it blended two of my all-time favorite things in life…ice cream and cookies.  Not just cookies…but that soft, rich cookie dough that everyone (save me) just ate out of the bowl.  I love the ice cream…we were just never a cookie dough out of the bowl kind of family.  But…COOKIE DOUGH ICE CREAM THAT IS VEGAN AND GLUTEN-FREE!!!

Yes…that is in my freezer.  In fact…two pints of it are in my freezer.  HA!

The ice cream itself is actually labeled to be a “frozen dessert,” as technically it doesn’t contain any cream…but…we all know it’s ice cream.  Made by the coconut milk people, So Delicious (a brand and name I trust!), makers of much epic goodness!  Seriously, I’ve yet to find a product of theirs that hasn’t just been amazing!  They are called So Delicious for a reason.  That’s quite the reputation to live up to…but they do it with style!

This product is just what it sounds like…a vanilla coconut milk based ice cream that is packed with gluten-free cookie dough chunks and crispy chocolate flakes.  Happy memories flooded my mind as i pulled this out of the freezer and let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes.  When you have dairy-free ice cream, you need to let the it sit out to thaw a little so it’s easy to scoop.  Just…trust me on this.  I am a pro.  I haven’t indulged in cookie dough ice cream in ages.  And I really haven’t since I had to go gluten-free three years ago.  SO…EXCITED!

As it is mega hot and stupid humid outside…ice cream just sounded amazing.  Ice cream always sounds amazing though.  I grew up in New York and ate ice cream year round…even when it was negative something degrees outside.  Ice cream is just one of my comfort foods.  And, trust me, not all dairy-free varieties are up to par.

But this one is.  I never doubted it since it was made by So Delicious.  In fact, I found it to be really good.  You can’t even taste the coconut in the base.  It just tastes like a light vanilla ice cream.  The gluten-free cookie dough balls give this great body and texture.  I loved getting to one of the hunks of cookie dough and letting it melt for a moment on my tongue.  Mmmm…

…must not raid freezer for other pint…

And the flakes of chocolate give it a great crunch as well.  That’s the key to cookie dough ice cream…creamy, gooey, crunchy, sweet, and a bit of salt (from the dough).  It’s the most magical ice cream, because it literally can trip every switch on your taste buds.  Mmmm…

…put the spoon down…

As you can guess…I LOVED IT!

Let’s take a look at what So Delicious pours into their So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert (which is a tasty mouthful…literally!), shall we?  The ingredients are listed as containing: organic coconut milk, organic dried cane syrup, cookie dough (made from rice flour), chicory root extract, chocolate flake, carob bean gum, guar gum, natural vanilla flavor.

How’s that for ingredients, eh?  And remember, this ice cream is vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and kosher.

As for nutrition…well…it’s ice cream.  A fantastic dairy-free ice cream…but still ice cream.  A serving of the So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert is 1/2 cup.  This serving will dish up 170 calories and 9 grams of fat.  Do not freak out over the fat.  Yes…some of it is from the “dough” part of this ice cream…but some of it is the healthy kind that you find in the coconut milk.  This ice cream is cholesterol free, contains only 35 mg sodium and 16 grams of sugar.  Yeah…that is a lot of sugar.  But…it’s a treat.  A serving will also provide you with 7 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein.

As I tuck the pint back into the freezer and lick my bowl clean…I just want to reiterate how happy this frozen dessert made me.  I can’t thank So Delicious enough for putting a dairy-free and gluten-free cookie dough ice cream out on the market.  I’ve been craving cookie dough ice cream for years now…and finally…I have the liberty to indulge.

As you can tell…that’s never a problem with me!  If you haven’t tried the So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert…then you’re missing out.  So get to your grocery store and snag yourself a pint.  It’s a taste of cookie heaven in a creamy, dreamy ice cream base.  It’s…all that is good in life!  It is, simply put, amazing.

And yes…so delicious!  (See what I did there? So clever!)

A serving of So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert
A serving of So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert
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Product Review: Annie May’s Sweet Café Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Annie May's Sweet Café
Annie May’s Sweet Café

Product: Annie May’s Sweet Café Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust – $7.50

Forget hitting up the grocery stores on Saturday.  I think all I need to do now is hit up that new freezer at Annie May’s Sweet Café on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky.  Honestly.  Because, for me, it’s a one-stop shopping extravaganza of everything I have ever loved to eat at her bakery…or taken home with me.

And that was the entire point of the newest feature in Annie May’s Sweet Café.  Simple, safe, gluten-free take-n-bake items that are prepared and frozen…and all you have to do is follow the simple instructions on the label to cook up all the deliciousness in the comfort of your own home.  Let me tell you, I was thrilled to hear that this was being added to the bakery…and now that I have bought a few items from the freezer…let me tell you…I hope this catches on and they have to expand.  Because…with the garlic bread, the mac and cheese, and the pizza crust…I was set for three meals this week.  Simplicity…yet with the high quality and amazing flavor you get in all of Annie May’s products.

Annie May's Sweet Café Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
Annie May’s Sweet Café Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Having already feasted on the Vegan Garlic Bread and the Macaroni and Cheese earlier this week…that left one of the take-n-bake purchases in my freezer.  And tonight…it was dinner.  I’m talking about the best pizza crust in the world.  No exaggeration there either.  And not just a gluten-free pizza crust…but THE BEST in the world.  Seriously.  I’ve eaten a lot of regular…and now a ton of gluten-free crusts and nothing has topped this one.  Nothing.  Nowhere.  No way!  I don’t think it will ever happen.

Want to know why?  Because…it is not a cracker crust or some thin little sheet of dough that ends up soggy.  This is a substantial, it can hold any and all toppings, sort of crust.  It is the crust to end all crusts.  It is the Godzilla of gluten-free pizza crusts.  It is…REALLY amazing.  And I don’t know how she does it, but I’m glad she does.  Because whenever I eat a pizza at Annie May’s…my day just gets better.  My life just gets better.  This crust is legendary.  Honestly.  You’d never even know it was gluten-free.  And now…now…I can make it in the comfort of my own home!

And that’s what I did tonight!

Annie May's Sweet Café Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust (frozen)
Annie May’s Sweet Café Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust (frozen)

I had a request from Cathy…for a pizza I haven’t made in forever.  She wanted…the Meditenuttian Pizza.  I know what you’re thinking…”What the what is a Meditenuttian Pizza?”  Well, let me explain.  It’s a pizza crust, that is given a brushing of olive oil, then a sprinkling of black pepper, then a drizzle of honey.  Then, I top mine with vegan mozzarella shreds, caramelized onions, walnuts, and then…I wilt something green over the top in the last minute or so of cooking.  Tonight…it was kale.  If you can handle dairy…feta or goat cheese is good crumbled over the top as well.

So…here it is.  I preheated the oven to 450°F and prepped the pizza crust per instructions, placing it and the parchment paper that is included on a baking sheet.  I topped it off with everything (except the kale) and popped it in the oven for about 15 minutes.  I pulled it out to put the kale on top and popped it back in the oven for about another minute.  Then…just like that…dinner was served.

My Meditenuttian Pizza baked on Annie May's Sweet Café Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
My Meditenuttian Pizza baked on Annie May’s Sweet Café Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

And, let me tell you…the frozen crust you take home to bake is just as delicious as the pizza crust served when I order in the café on either Friday or Saturday.  It has this doughy, thick texture to it, much like the “real” crusts everyone else can get in restaurants.  I’ve never had gluten-free crust like this.  When it is so reminiscent of the pizza I used to be able to eat…that is saying something.  No cracker crust.  Nothing that crumbles.  This is honest-to-goodness damn good pizza crust.  Not only can you buy a plain crust, but you can also purchase frozen already done up vegan and gluten-free pizzas that you can pop into your oven.  No need to add your own toppings…she has done it for you.  I might try that next time.  But…for me…it’s all about that crust.  That amazing Annie May’s pizza crust.

For the record, Annie May’s pizza crust is completely allergen free.  According to the label, it contains millet flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, quinoa flour, water, egg replacer, agave nectar, xanthan gum, salt, and cream of tartar.

This is a 9 ounce pizza crust.  My roomie and I split the pizza (as we do at the bakery whenever we order a pizza) and it is filling.  Filling…but heavenly.  A slice of gluten-free pizza heaven.  I guarantee you won’t find a better crust out there.  And I’m glad I can now take it home with me!  And I just might…weekly!

Half of my Meditenuttian Pizza baked on Annie May's Sweet Café Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
Half of my Meditenuttian Pizza baked on Annie May’s Sweet Café Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
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Product Review: Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola

Fiona's Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola
Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola

Product: Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola – $4.99+

Another morning…another healthy breakfast!  That’s how I try to look at it.  Especially as I am gearing up for marathon training, yet again, through the hot, steamy summer mornings.  This morning, not only did I have a training run to do, but I also have my spin class.  Fuel is important and I want to be sure I’m giving my body the best fuel possible for optimum performance.  Besides, food that is good for me makes me feel good.  I try to keep it as natural as possible as often as I can.

So, after my run (I had something to eat before heading out, don’t worry…sports nutritionist’s orders!) and before heading out for spinning…I grabbed yet another product from my May Cuisine Cube – Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola.  First of all, if you haven’t checked out Cuisine Cube, I highly encourage you to do so.  I get a box, every month, with a new gluten-free item from every meal category.  One for breakfast, one for snack, one for candy, one for dinner, one for lunch, and one for dessert.  Every month, this is delivered to me with…and everything inside is from  a smaller, lesser known company that specializes in gluten-free foods.  I love it, because it is introducing me to companies and products I never would have heard of otherwise.

As my CSA bin had provided me with some amazing looking organic strawberries, I figured it was time to build up some breakfast fruit and yogurt parfaits.  Because I have some damn good Greek yogurt in my fridge.  It’s a staple.  I always have it in there.  So…I pulled the granola (a breakfast item from my Cuisine Cube) out of my pantry and began to build my famous parfaits.  First some granola…then the yogurt…some honey…fruit (in this case…strawberries)…more granola…yogurt…honey…strawberries…granola…honey.  Serve!

Super easy.  And one of my favorite breakfasts.  It’s cool and refreshing and just damn good.  But…a lot of the success of this parfait does fall to the granola.

So…it was time to put Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola to the test.

You know what?  It passed.  One bite (which I took straight from the bag so I could see how it tasted on its own without the yogurt and fruit  muddling the flavor) and I knew it was good.  I knew I was going to be okay with this one.  The flavors were fantastic.  Not overwhelming or overpowering, but just enough.  I loved being able to see not just the sunflower seeds, but the oats and flax seeds too.  Nothing was hidden or unidentifiable.  And the sweetness was natural as well, brought out with agave and  coconut.  And…the coconut doesn’t take over the granola either.  And because it is sweetened with pure, organic agave nectar, this granola is low glycemic and won’t cause those sugar highs that lead to the eventual crash.  This granola is heavenly.  Seriously.  The combination of the pure vanilla with the coconut and the crunchy sunflower seeds and toasted oats…magic on my tongue.  I am so glad I had the chance to enjoy this granola.  Because I use granola a lot in things and I love trying new ones.  I’d never heard of Fiona’s Natural….and now I hope to find it in one of my stores around here.

Let’s talk ingredients.  Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola couldn’t be cleaner.  The ingredients are as follows: certified gluten-free oats, unsweetened coconut, sunflower seeds, milled flax seeds, organic agave nectar, rice bran oil, and pure vanilla extract.  Not only are all of those natural ingredients, but they are all recognizable and things I have in my kitchen.  Seriously!  And the granola is also vegan, soy-free, and salt-free.  But it does not skimp on flavor because of that.  Honestly…you’ll fall in love at first bite too.

And what about nutritional information?  Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola is a bit higher on the calorie scale than many other granolas out there.  However…I didn’t use a full serving in my parfaits…in fact, I normally use about half of what this says.  But a serving is 1/3 cup of the granola.  This serving provides you with 210 calories and 10 grams of fat.  Do NOT freak out over that fat…they are the healthy fats.  I promise!  A serving will also give you 5mg sodium and 6 grams of sugar.  That isn’t bad for a granola at all.  This granola is cholesterol free and gluten-free.  A serving will dish up 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.

So much love to Cuisine Cube for introducing me to yet another company with a great product.  I hope to find Fiona’s Natural granola in stores around here.  And if not, I will see if I can have it special ordered.  Or…maybe I’ll just order online.  This was really good granola.  I was impressed.  And when you eat a lot of granola, sometimes they all blend together.  But this one, the subtleness of it…made it stand out.  And I’m happy to have a bag of it in my pantry.

Fiona's Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola
Fiona’s Natural Sunflower Vanilla Coconut Granola
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Product Review: Annie May’s Sweet Café Gluten Free Vegan Garlic Bread

Annie May's Sweet Café
Annie May’s Sweet Café

Product: Annie May’s Sweet Café Gluten Free Vegan Garlic Bread – $4.25

I love that my local gluten-free bakery is growing.  I love that they are getting enough business to even offer more of their business aside from their daily lunch specials and daily specials in the case.  This makes me insanely happy.

On Saturday, on the third anniversary of the opening of Annie May’s Sweet Café on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky, I finally got to partake in the newest feature of the bakery…

Take-n-Bake goodies from their freezer.  I am talking their (FAMOUS AND DELICIOUS) pizza crusts, garlic bread, vegan garlic bread, cinnamon rolls, and even some of their pastas…(like the best mac & cheese ever).  All items are gluten-free and most are allergen-free.  They make a point when doing gluten-free to also try to do allergen-free.  But some items (like the regular garlic bread and the mac and cheese) contain dairy.

I had stuck my head in the deep freeze earlier in the week when I was in for Soft Pretzel Wednesday (because pretzels on a Wednesday make the best lunch ever!).  The key words that made me happy was…Vegan. Garlic. Bread.  Short on money in the middle of the week, and knowing I was stopping in for the celebration of three years at that location on Saturday, I vowed to make a purchase then.  Little did I know I’d walk out of there with not just the Vegan Garlic Bread, but also the Mac & Cheese, and the Pizza Crust (seriously…best gluten-free pizza crust on this planet…hands down!).  I might have also walked out with an Allergen-Free Banana Spice Muffin (of heaven!).

But, I digress with the muffin.

Let me focus on the entire reason I pulled open that freezer in the first place…

Gluten-Free and Vegan Garlic Bread.

Annie May's Sweet Café Vegan Garlic Bread (frozen)
Annie May’s Sweet Café Gluten Free Vegan Garlic Bread (frozen)

What you get is a half of a half loaf of bread that has been slathered down with a vegan butter and garlic topping.  Then…wrapped and frozen with baking instructions on the label.  Talk about easy.  Just preheat the oven and place the garlic bread on a pan and into the oven and allow to cook for allotted time.  Once done…enjoy.

That’s what I did tonight (and served it up with the Mac & Cheese which I baked at the same time!)

I cried when I took my first bite.  Tears of happiness.  Tear of joy.  Because I haven’t had garlic bread in a very long time.  I tried to order some gluten-free garlic bread from a pizza place in Denver, but they wouldn’t deliver to the hotel (which was only 4 miles away).  So…unless I make it out of gluten-free sandwich bread, it hasn’t happened.  And trust me…that’s not the same.  Annie May’s Vegan Garlic Bread was amazing.  Delicious.  The crust got all golden and crunchy and the middle…soft…chewy…garlic and vegan buttery goodness.  Honestly.  Seasoned perfectly.  Tears.  When a food makes me cry…then it’s damn good.  We only ate half the loaf tonight with dinner…I almost cooked up the second half.  I think this will become another staple that I always purchase from Annie May’s when she has it in stock…much like her cinnamon rolls and her macaroni and cheese!  This…is one of my favorite things I have ever eaten since going gluten-free.  Real food.  Really good.  Make you cry good!  Even my roomie was blown away.  She had taken a bite before I had and she gave me the saddest eyes.  When I took my bite…I understood why.  She liked it better than the garlic bread she has been able to eat.  I liked it better than any I had prior to having to go gluten-free.  Honest…good…food!  That’s what Annie May’s bakes up every single time!

Annie May’s Sweet Café has literally changed my life.  With all the restaurants in Louisville’s blossoming foodie areas, all I want is Annie May’s!  Why?  Because not only can I get safe treats and meals there, but now…I can take a whole lot of their good stuff home to bake up myself when it is convenient.  I hope that the take-n-bake freezer takes off for them and expands, because I would be totally willing to purchase these convenient meals and items every week…just to make one day of my life (if not more) a lot easier.

Happy Third Birthday, Annie May’s…and here’s to many, many more delicious, allergen-free years!!

Annie May's Sweet Café Gluten Free Vegan Garlic Bread (baked)
Annie May’s Sweet Café Gluten Free Vegan Garlic Bread (baked)
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Product Review: Billy Goat Chip Company Original Potato Chips

Billy Goat Chip Company Original Potato Chips
Billy Goat Chip Company Original Potato Chips

Product: Billy Goat Chip Company Original Potato Chips – $2.99

I was so happy to see a 3 ounce bag of Billy Goat Chip Company’s Original Potato Chips in my June Cuisine Cube because I was already familiar with this product…by only a couple of days.  I kid you not!  On Monday morning of the week I received my cube, my boss came into work and handed me two of the snack size bags of Billy Goat Chip Company’s Original Potato Chips.  She said she had noted that they said “gluten free” on them and knew I could have them.  She got one bag for me and one for Cathy.

So…at dinner that night…we feasted on them with a Vegan Gluten-Free “Bacon” (I make this with beans and buckwheat groats), Lettuce, Avocado, and Tomato Sammies.  And we were hooked.  So…I had already had an inkling of what we were in for when I served these up with a gluten-free veggie burger during the Uruguay v. Costa Rica match of the World Cup last night.

Billy Goat Chip Company is apparently a St. Louis, Missouri, restaurant that became famous for their hand-made chips.  These chips are made fresh every day and by the order.  Nothing sits around.  One batch of these locally renowned chips takes approximately seven minutes to cook.  Each batch then gets a special dusting of secret seasoning, called “Billy Goat Kicker Dust.”  This seasoning is apparently the magic of the chips…because it is the one difference everyone can taste between these chips and those you buy in the store.  The chips are all-natural and made fresh to order.  This means the potatoes and selected, sliced, seasons and packaged by hand when they are ordered and then shipped out to customers.  The owners of the restaurant make these chips with heart healthy canola oil, no MSG, no preservatives…and maintain that they are gluten-free.  The dedication these two restaurant entrepreneurs put into their chips is so that they can guarantee that customers get the most fresh and flavorful chips possible.

The Billy Goat Restaurant & Bar opened in St Louis back in 2002, becoming the city’s first gastropub.  It produced hand-crafted, house-made food, using locally sourced products whenever possible.  The potato chips quickly became the restaurant’s signature item.  With their growing popularity and demand for these treats, the Billy Goat Chip Company was born in 2009, where the company has started to work with vendors and customers to distribute this popular restaurant item.

When they set a goal to create the best potato chips in the Midwest…they succeeded.  I might even venture to say they created the best potato chips in the United States.

Let’s discuss.

Since I had previously had them prior to their arrival in my Cuisine Cube…I can honestly say, seeing the large 3 ounce bag made me beyond stupidly happy.  Honestly.  I was…thrilled.  The thing is…the Billy Goat Chip Company honestly does produce a high quality product.  They take time and put a lot of effort and care into their food…and it shows.  Each chip is done to that gorgeous golden brown, making it crispy and crunchy, not burnt and brittle, and definitely not soft.  But, it really is the seasoning that takes these chips up to the next level of awesomesauce.  Honestly.  I don’t know what it is about the “Billy Goat Kicker Dust” but…it does provide the right amount of everything to these chips.  It’s salty…it has a touch of garlic…a little bit of spice to take it up a notch.  Nothing is over seasoned.  Nothing is overdone.  Each bite is pure chip perfection.  Crunchy, salty, good perfection!

I might be jealous of St. Louis, Missouri…

Ingredients are honest and simple…russet potatoes, canola oil, salt, onion, garlic, spices and sugar.  That’s it.  That’s all.  It’s that cut and dry.  You can clearly taste the quality and the high standards in each chip.  No big name can compete with these.  Mass produced chips just don’t have level of flavor and quality that Billy Goat Chip Company pours into their products.

Nutritionally speaking, one serving of these chips is 1 ounce.  A serving will provide you with 150 calories and 10 grams of fat.  You will also be taking in 160 mg sodium and 1 gram of sugar.  These chips are cholesterol-free, trans-fat free, and gluten-free.  One serving of the Billy Goat Chip Company’s Original Potato Chips also will provide you with 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.  Not filling.  But chips are a side…not a meal.  So they shouldn’t fill you up.

But they should be tasty, and there is no doubt that these chips are delicious!  I sort of wish I had more.  Good thing my boss promised that she would bring more back for me the next time she goes to St. Louis.  YAY!  Since her daughter lives there, that happens more often than not.  I want to give a shout-out to June’s Cuisine Cube for providing my new favorite chip to me…so I didn’t have to wait as long to indulge in them again.

Thankfully, they can be ordered online.  So, if you’re curious about how amazing these chips are…go ahead and order them.  I promise…you will NOT be disappointed.

Billy Goat Chip Company Original Potato Chips
Billy Goat Chip Company Original Potato Chips

 

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Product Review: Sir Kensington’s Classic Ketchup

Sir Kensington's Classic Ketchup
Sir Kensington’s Classic Ketchup

Product: Sir Kensington’s Classic Ketchup – $4.99+

Thank you Jungle Jim’s and your amazing prices!  Seriously.  For years now I have been wanting to try Sir Kensington’s Classic Ketchup.  Because I’m the type of person who puts ketchup on my ketchup.  This is the condiment of my life.  Ketchup is life changing.  It’s good for most things.  And I never have enough of it.  If I were told I could only have one condiment to use for the rest of my life…it would have to be ketchup.

So, when I was paging through the myriad of magazines I get each month…I kept seeing the award winning Sir Kensington’s Classic Ketchup.  Gourmet ketchup.  GOURMET KETCHUP!!  There was such a thing and I hadn’t tried it yet?  Unfortunately, the few stores I spotted this in had it at a price I seriously couldn’t justify.  So…it never happened.

Why gourmet?  Why this ketchup?

First of all, as I mentioned before, this is award-winning ketchup.  I didn’t know ketchup could win awards.  But this one had and still continues to do so.  And…it is made with only all-natural ingredients.  And you know how much of a stickler I have become about what is in the food I am eating.  This made me happy.

And then Jungle Jim’s up in Cincinnati, Ohio, made me even happier by having this ketchup at a decent price.  You better believe that made it into my grocery basket and then…into my pantry.  And what better time to bust out gourmet ketchup than when you are cooking up veggie burgers and sitting down to the Uruguay v. Costa Rica match of the World Cup.

So, with the burgers constructed, each gluten-free hamburger bun got a liberal serving of the Sir Kensington’s Classic Ketchup. Had I baked some fries, this would have been served on the side as well for dipping purposes, but I chose to use a product from my June Cuisine Cube (stay tuned for that review!) to serve with the burgers.  So the ketchup was it for the condiment factor and it was teaming up against an amazing veggie burger and the toppings (vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onion, and sliced avocado).  It was really going to have to shine.

Well, it did.  Wow…it did.  What I found I loved best about the taste of Sir Kensington’s Classic Ketchup was that it wasn’t overly sweet.  It wasn’t heavy.  And it wasn’t too strong.  If you think all ketchup is created equal…think again.  Not only does this one have a very short list of ingredients, but it tastes fresh and clean.  It doesn’t feel bogged down with unnecessary sweeteners and chemicals.  It has a lively, mild flavor.  This is the Captain America of condiments.  This will make you rethink ketchup forever.

The ingredients in Sir Kensington’s Classic Ketchup are basic, simple, and fresh.  They include: tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, raw sugar, onion, honey, olive oil, lime juice concentrate, green bell pepper, salt, agave nectar, and spices.  Simple.  Clean.  And, when combined, a brilliant use of ingredients for ultimate flavor and perfect gourmet ketchup.  The tomatoes they use are never from concentrate.  This brand boasts 50% less sugar (because it’s a condiment, not a confection) and 45% less sodium (because…why pickle yourself) compared with the leading national brand (and I think we all know what brand that might be…).  Don’t you just love it?

As far as nutrition goes, a serving size is 1 tablespoon.  Which is perfect for a condiment (even when I multiply it by 10 sometimes!).  This serving will provide you with 15 calories.  This ketchup is a fat free food!  This ketchup is also cholesterol free.  It contains only 105 mg sodium and 2 grams of sugar.  Ketchup contains no fiber or protein.  But veggie burgers do!  HA!

Oh…this will forever be the ketchup that finds it way into my fridge.  I mean…wow.  Gourmet ketchup.  Yeah…I’m feeling posh as I sit down to watch the World Cup.  My burger has Sir Kensignton’s Classic Ketchup on it.  What about yours?  Hmmm?  You might want to rethink your red sauce.  Give your burgers and fries a gourmet sauce.  You and your food deserve it!

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Product Review: Hilary’s Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burger

Hilary's Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burger
Hilary’s Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burger

Product: Hilary’s Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burger – $3.99+

It’s World Cup time!!  YAY!!  I had the honor of attending a World Cup match back in 1994, when the USA was hosting the matches.  It was so much fun.  And while I’ve never played soccer…I love the sport.  I could go to a match and have the best time of my life.

And with the World Cup kicking off a couple of days ago…and with my favorite player (Diego Forlan on the Uruguay National Team) playing a match late this afternoon, I figured we needed some sort of game-day grub for the occasion!  Back in 2010, you couldn’t pull Cathy or I away from the matches on television or online.  We watched the hell out of them.

Those days are back with a vengeance.  And…although Uruguay lost today to Costa Rica (BOOOO!), at least I made a fun “pub grub” like meal.  The main focus of said World Cup meal was…veggie burgers.  And…more to the point…one of my favorite brands so far…Hilary’s Eat Well.  This time, instead of her original veggie burger…I was told to choose one of the options at our new local grocery store (Lucky’s).  They had three other ones I had yet to try…and in the end, I went for the Adzuki Bean Burger.  Why?  The words green chili and cumin caught my attention!  And we had purchased an avocado…so that would pair well, I figured.  Green chilies and avocado are best mates!  I think.

With kickoff happening, I got up to make the veggie burgers and prepare the toppings.  I had thawed out some of the Rudi’s Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns that were in my freezer and put them in the oven to toast.  I caramelized some onion…sliced tomatoes…tore up some lettuce…and sliced up the avocado.  As I finished that up, the Hilary’s Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burgers came out of the freezer and hit my skillet with just a touch of oil.

These don’t take long to cook at all.  About three to five minutes on each side.  And then, because I melt a slice of vegan cheese on mine, a moment longer with some water thrown in and the lid topping it to allow it to steam and the cheese to melt (as well as vegan cheese can melt).  The buns were toasted, so I pulled them from the oven.  I topped them off with gourmet ketchup (because every burger needs gourmet ketchup), the lettuce, the patty itself (which was crusted on the outside…and soft on the inside), and capped with the tomato, caramelized onion, and sliced avocado.  I served this up with some gluten-free potato chips.  Dinner was easy, early, and served with a side of World Cup!!

Hilary's Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burgers (frozen)
Hilary’s Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burgers (frozen)

I went for the burger first, of course.  The Hilary’s Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burger is the perfect size for a veggie burger patty.  Sometimes they can skimp on size, but not on fat and calories and that’s a problem.  But this was a really great sized patty.  It was a perfect circle of bean and grain goodness.  And yes…you can visibly see the ingredients.  Nothing hidden.  Love it.  One bite…and it was love.  Again.  I raved about the Hilary’s Eat Well World’s Best Veggie Burger…but this…this one might even top that one.  As I mentioned, when I cooked it up in my skillet, it got this perfect crispness to the outside and remained soft (not mushy…just soft) on the inside.  A perfect burger bite.  It browned up beautifully and maintained amazing flavor throughout.  Even better…the taste.  Oh…my…god!  Seriously…this burger isn’t trying to replicate a beef burger.  It’s trying to let the grains and beans be the stars of the patty.  And I applaud Hilary’s Eat Well for that.  Fantastic flavor.  There is a slight hint of spice from the green chilies as well as the chipotle and chili powders, but it doesn’t overpower and it’s not hot.  Trust me…my roommate never said a word about the “heat” level or it being “spicy.”  You can just taste it.  The millet and quinoa add a bit of a nutty flavor to each bite.  And the beans…that creates that amazing texture!

So…let’s look at nutrition.  And far as ingredients go, this is a fantastically constructed veggie burger.  For real.  Hilary’s Eat Well prides itself on using real-food ingredients that nourish the body and support a healthy ecosystem.  So…the Hilary’s Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burgers are made from a combination of water, millet, adzuki beans, quiona, expeller-pressed coconut oil, sweet potato, onion, mild green chilies, psyllium husk powder, arrowroot, real salt, apple cider vinegar, garlic, cumin, chili and chipotle powder, and lime juice.

I recognize everything listed above.  I love it when food is made from real food.  These burgers are also non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free, egg-free, yeast-free, and nut free!

As for the nutritional information, a serving size is 1 veggie burger patty.  One of the Hilary’s Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burgers will serve you up 190 calories and 7 grams of fat.  This burger will also be giving you 290 mg sodium.  These burgers are cholesterol and sugar free.  LOVE!  Finally, you will be taking in 5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.  I consider this to be a very healthy burger with trusted ingredients.

So, even though Uruguay lost to Costa Rica, my taste buds were engaged and happily savoring every bite of the Hilary’s Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burger.  Delicious!  I can’t wait to try the other burgers that the few stores that carry these have in stock.  Super delicious!!

Hilary's Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burger (cooked)
Hilary’s Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burger (cooked)