Category: Vegetarian

Product: Glutino Gluten-Free Macaroni ‘n Cheese – $5.99+
Glutino definitely has earned its spot on gluten-free brands I can trust just from previous products of theirs that I have snagged and tried.  I mean, so far I have enjoyed every product of theirs that I have managed to sink my teeth into.  I have many more to go, but I found one the other day that was new to me.  It isn’t, at all, a new product.  I just had never seen it before.  In fact, the only reason I found it in the first place was I made a random stop into a natural food store I had never been in before looking for a different product…which they didn’t have…but ended up leaving with something in the end.

The product – a classic comfort food to be sure.

Glutino has a frozen gluten-free Macaroni ‘n Cheese.

Now, the chef part of me wants to condemn it right off.  I mean…it’s frozen!  And, since I make a great gluten-free homemade macaroni and cheese, you might be wondering why scoop up something that’s frozen?  Well, I’ve done some of the boxed varieties out there available to the gluten-free community; it would only be fair to give the frozen variety a fair shake.

And so…one night after a long day at work when the last thing I wanted to do was cook and the budget was not allowing for any sort of dinner out, I reached into my freezer for an easy, comforting meal to split (and when served with two slices of Against the Grain’s Baguette it’s the perfect amount) with my roommate.  Normally, this package holds one serving.  But I have a difficult time consuming 440 calories in just a main entreé of a frozen meal.  Even my homemade macaroni and cheese doesn’t have that kind of calorie count.  So, splitting was definitely ideal.

And after cooking it per the instructions on the box, I stirred it and served it up for dinner.  It smelled amazing.  And, for being a frozen meal, looked pretty good.  It wasn’t mushy, nor was it overcooked, despite the finicky nature of my microwave.  It was heated to absolute perfection.

Glutino’s Macaroni ‘n Cheese uses brown rice pasta and mixes it with a creamy cheesy sauce made up of Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Parmesan cheese.  The triple cheese combination brings out an intense flavor that is just the right amount of richness to make you savor each and every forkful of this meal.  Even the noodles plumped up to perfection.  I was quite happy with this product in the end, despite being a frozen meal.  Hey, sometimes you just gotta take the easy way out and let someone else do the prep work.

This gluten-free macaroni and cheese totally surpassed the boxed varieties that I have tried.  Glutino does a lot well.  And this is yet another fantastic product I would be more than happy to add to my list of products I will buy again.  Simple and delicious.  And cheesy.  So…it’s a frozen meal of perfection ready to be warmed in your microwave to warm you up during these chilly winter nights.

Good show, Glutino!

Product: Mother’s Farms White Quinoa Tortilla Chips – $3.99+

Maybe it was for the best.

I had an event to attend on Saturday night, so I needed a light, delicious snack to get me through to the reception.  Not wanting to spoil my appetite for anything that I might be able to consume (and, sadly, I wasn’t able to eat anything that night) I needed a little bite without being too heavy or two much.

After scouring my pantry and freezer, I finally pulled down a bag of Mother’s Farms White Quinoa Tortilla Chips.  I had purchased these, on sale, at my local natural foods store and had been wanting to try them out.  I had some of my infamous gluten-free chile con queso in the refrigerator, so I tore into this bag and dished out a serving to accompany the cheesy dip of awesomeness.

Except…the dip was no longer any good.  SO…I now had an open bag of tortilla chips and nothing to dip them in.  Now, I’m not above eating tortilla chips on their own, but I really love dips.  Really.  Thankfully, I found a jar of salsa in my pantry and the afternoon was saved.

But prior to any dipping, I did have to taste the chip on its own for blog’s sake.  Well, these were fantastic.  Amazing flavor, without a lot of salt, tasting like your run-of-the-mill tortilla chip, which would normally be made with corn…not quinoa.

Well, I’m a huge fan of quinoa, so these were fascinating from the moment I spotted them.  Why Quinoa?  Well, consumer requests were coming into Mother’s Farms asking for better ingredients and the use of ancient grains.  What resulted was a chip made from quinoa, organic sesame seeds, and a hint of sea salt.  What emerged from that was one of the most amazing tortilla chips I have ever bitten into and dipped into a medium salsa.  I would have been delighted to have not dipped these as they were just perfectly seasoned.  They would be great with guacamole, or hummus, or queso, or salsa or…well, you get my point.  But the fact that, on their own, they don’t leave you wanting anything more, speaks volumes.

These chips are not only kosher, and approved USDA organic, but they are also gluten-free and a low fat, low calorie snack to sink your teeth into and savor.  Mother’s Farms has done it again and I am once again blown away by their snacky goodness.  It just goes to prove, you don’t have to stick to the norm to make something amazing with your products.

Product: Terra Chips A La Mexicana – $5.89+

Terra Chips are amazing.

Honestly, these are some of the best chips out on the market.  You may wonder why.  Well, every ingredient is 100% natural in these chips.   Any ingredient listed on the bag is something that you can actually find in nature.  These chips are actually made from their vegetable counterparts.  No additives you wouldn’t even begin to recognize, let alone pronounce.  Just a crunchy taste of vegetables, packed with flavor, and providing a healthier alternative to other lines out there.

Yes…it is a chip.  If you truly wanted the ‘healthy’ benefits, the vegetable would be preferred.  But sometimes, you just gotta have that salty, crunchy flavor of a chip.  Well, when that happens, I recommend reaching for these.

I found  quite a few intriguing flavors in their line-up.  Do mind which you buy though.  Not all of them are gluten-free.  Those that are are kindly labeled on the bag (THANK YOU!!).  So, the winning flavor that got to come home with me was one of their newest in their Exotic Vegetable Chips line-up.  It’s the A La Mexicana flavor, which are chips made from tomato, black bean, and roasted garlic.  It was intriguing.  It sounded amazing.  It was on sale.  It was purchased…and consumed.

One of the main components of these chips that I fell in love with is how colorful they are.  Honestly, it’s a rainbow of red, orange, whites, and purples when you pour them out of the bag.  A serving size is an amazing 14 chips, which weighs in at about 150 calories.  And bite-for-bite, each one packs a fabulous flavorful punch to the taste buds.  These aren’t overly salty and don’t leave an oily residue on your hands.  They have the most amazing crunch that is then followed up by the hints of Mexican seasonings that just make everything blend together perfectly.  They are quite tasty and were a great pairing with my gluten-free (and dairy-free) grilled cheese sandwich that I consumed at midnight the other night after an event.  I had the same thing the next day at lunch because it was so good!

I know, promoting reaching for a bag of chips to snack on isn’t the healthiest form of encouragement, but when they are made from real vegetables, lightly seasoned, taste amazing, and aren’t oily in the slightest, you feel a little better about doing it.  I did.  And I can’t wait to dig into other flavors out there.

Product: Ruth’s Foods Apple Almond Cinnamon Chia Goodness – $7.99+

Fact: I never would have even looked twice at this product except a co-worker of mine picked it up for me as she spotted the gluten-free label on it and it made her think of me.

So, with that disclaimer put out there, yesterday I finally got around to trying this product out, manufactured by Ruth’s Foods.  It’s called Chia Goodness and it comes in a variety of flavors.  For me, yesterday, it was lunch.  Normally I’m a (gluten-free) oatmeal at lunch kind of girl.  Especially during the winter.  But what I love about oatmeal is that it’s filling without being too heavy.  It’s the perfect lunch to enjoy in the comfort of my work cubical.

But, as I was in the midst of opening up a new box of oatmeal, I spotted this in my pantry and decided now was as good a time as any to try it.

It’s bizarre.  Two tablespoons is all the package calls for.  What you dish up is a strange mix of little black seeds and whatever dried fruits is combined to flavor it.  Mine is Apple Almond Cinnamon.  So I had dehydrated apples, almonds, and raisins throughout mine.  This is a raw food, so you can ‘enjoy’ it either warm or cold.  Cold kind of freaked me out, so I heated up some water, poured the required 1/4 cup into the bowl and let it sit for about 5 minutes.  This is all per package instructions.

The result?  Well, it smelled fantastic…like apple pie.  Yum.  However, it had become a gelatinous bowl of…black seeds and dehydrated fruit.  Honestly, it had this slimy film that no amount of stirring or allowing it to sit and absorb helped.  It looked unappetizing.  The weird part was…it actually tasted good.  It had really great flavor and was seasoned perfectly so that the cinnamon didn’t overpower it and the dehydrated fruits were a key to the texture.

BUT…the sliminess killed it for me.  You see, apparently when chia seeds (yes…like those you put on a Chia Pet) get wet, they get gelatinous, taking on a slimy, wet texture.  That’s fine…if you’re growing a Chia Pet.  If you’re trying to enjoy a lunch, that’s not so fine.  It was really, really difficult for me to get beyond the look of this product to eat it.  I was hungry, so I did.  It smelled and tasted good, which is a plus.  It looks like that Shrek Chia Pet you’ve been harvesting on your windowsill regurgitated in your bowl, which is bad.

I definitely see the draw to chia seeds, though.  Chia seeds have some of the most nutrition packed into them.  They are not only lactose free, but naturally gluten-free as well.  These little seeds are a powerhouse for calcium, containing more than five times that in milk.  Even more impressive is that these little wonder seeds contain more Omega 3 than flax or salmon.  That’s perfect for a vegetarian like me.  Except…I can’t stomach the sight of this stuff.

So, if a bowl of goo doesn’t set your stomach turning, you might really like Chia Goodness.  It’s available in four flavors: Original, Cranberry Ginger, Apple Almond Cinnamon, and Chocolate.  It really smelled and tasted good.  I just can’t handle the slimy consistency.  It just turns my stomach.  While Chia Goodness is a superfood in a simple package, it’s just not for me.