The life of the lactose intolerant doesn’t have to be ruled by lactose-free milk. There is such a variety out there these days that sometimes choosing what to get while out at the grocery store is the difficult part.
As most of you know…I’m more than slightly obsessed with milk alternatives. From coconut milk to rice milk to hazelnut milk to almond milk, I have tried a wide variety of products.
This time, I returned to one of my favorite brands for almond milk, and gave their Unsweetened Vanilla flavor a try. And now, I have to wonder what took me so long!
The great thing about the unsweetened varieties of these various milks is that no sugar gets added to it. I don’t think “milk” should be laden with sugar, so when I buy, I go unsweetened. Always.
Low in calories and with no saturated fat, almond milk is a great milk substitute. The only thing it really lacks is a protein punch. The vanilla variety is flavored with natural vanilla flavor. With the lack of (unnecessary) added sugar, this means the beverage isn’t too sweet, nor too overpowering.
It’s fantastic poured over cereal in the morning, or warmed and mixed into a hot chocolate, or even to bake with. I’ve done all of them with fantastic results. Almond milk rocks my world. Add a little vanilla to it, and it’s like manna from heaven. Honestly, Blue Diamond is doing something very right when they make their Almond Breeze drinks. Enough to make me want to go back for glass after glass. And with only 40 calories per serving…why not?
The last one. My freezer now stands void of these amazing mini-meals. But this was a journey well taken and one that was full of surprises and fantastic flavors. I love finding a variety of good quality products by an amazing company that does food right. Frozen meals don’t have to be full of processed crap. Garden Lites prides itself on the fact that they don’t laden their meals down with phony nutritional ingredients to keep their products “fresh.” On the contrary, what you get is a meal that is not only hearty, but delicious and packed full of flavor. Real flavor. You can taste the vegetables that go into the making of each dish. And yeah…they taste amazing.
The last soufflé to be tried out was the Broccoli Soufflé. Once again, I loved the colors that were apparent, even from underneath the plastic wrap that steams the soufflé for the first 4 minutes. Amazing. It smelled fantastic as it was being heated up in the microwave. But, broccoli has always been one of my favorite vegetables.
Yes. I was one of those kids who loved eating my vegetables. We had vegetables with every dinner. In fact, when my mom cooked she always tried to put something in from every food group. Perhaps my early love of vegetables led me to the path of vegetarianism that I took up a couple years ago.
Regardless, what is awesome about Garden Lites products is that they are filled with vegetables…and spices. It’s that easy. It’s that simple. There are no guessing games when it comes to what goes into their products. Even better, all of the soufflés are low calorie and very low fat. What more could you want?
Garden Lites Broccoli Soufflé (frozen)
Well, the Broccoli Soufflé has joined the ranks of my favorite flavors of the six that I tried. It comes in second, I believe. It reminded me a lot of a veggie omelet, the broccoli really being the star of the dish. As it should be. I love how smooth and easy these are to eat and how simple they are to make. Tonight I devoured my half (again, I didn’t realize it was one per box, so my roommate ate the other half) with a serving of Ore Ida Crispy Crowns. And I was full at the end of it. Delicious. Hearty. And healthy.
I’m so happy to have discovered these products. My freezer is just waiting for me to fill it up again. And I intend to. And now I have an idea of which ones I really loved the best.
Want a fun way to eat your vegetables, get to your grocer’s freezer and look for Garden Lites. Healthy, hearty, veggie goodness.
Honestly. Because who really goes out of their way to buy carrot soup? I know I’m a vegetarian and all, and I do love my vegetables (and most of them out there too!), but…come on! Carrot soup?
Perhaps it was the almond that appealed to me then.
Whatever it was, tonight it was up in the pantry shuffle – that little dance you do when you stock up on items, probably because of a sale, and they just sort of sit there as you go through the stuff you are familiar with. Yeah…that.
I was…concerned to say the least. I mean…I like carrots. I love almonds, but how would they mesh in soup form?
The answer?
Harmony. Honestly. While the soup does mostly carry a carrot flavor, it isn’t overpowering. It’s not like drinking carrot juice or any of that. The texture of the soup is fantastic. It’s a creamy soup, but it isn’t too heavy and it isn’t too thin either. It’s the perfect balance of creamy and sweet and…carrot. The almond, I think, helps to tone down the carrot flavor and really bring out the richness of the soup.
I enjoyed mine with a gluten-free and dairy free (thank you Rudi’s Multigrain Bread & Veggie Slices) grilled cheese sandwich, which complimented the soup to perfection. When it’s a cold, gray day outside, a hot bowl of soup and a sandwich just sort of make the world right again, and warm you from the inside out.
Imagine really created a gem with this soup. It is vegan (yes, despite the word creamy in the title), organic, and a complimentary blend of carrots, onions, spices and…yes…almond butter. It may not sound appetizing, but trust me…it’s a delightful play of flavors across your palate.
Shop your organic food section. Give these organic, delicious soups a try. A good majority of them are gluten-free. All of them are organic, and contain organic ingredients. You can taste the quality. If you are feeling adventurous…go ahead, grab the Creamy Carrot Almond soup. Believe me…you’ll polish off the bowl.
Frozen entrees are sometimes a necessary evil. And sometimes…they aren’t as evil as others.
Ethnic Gourmet, maker of a variety of frozen entrees from Thai, Malaysian, to Indian, brings forth a plethora of flavors and ethnic cuisine in their meals. And they are easy. Zap them in the microwave as directed on the box and dinner (or lunch) is served. Well, I spotted quite a few of these in my grocery store on special (only $0.99 each) so my roommate and I grabbed a few while they were affordable.
Our country of choice: India.
My roomie snagged the Chicken Tikka Masala. I grabbed for the Palak Paneer, yes…the creamy spinach and soft cheese won me over again, and happily placed it in the shopping basket. But then I took pause, recalling that Trader Joe’s variety of this had 2 servings in the package. So, I went over the nutrition information and confirmed that one tray was equal to one serving. Whew. No consuming over 500 calories for me this time. This is the correct way to package a frozen meal.
Ethnic Gourmet Palak Paneer
It heated up very well in the microwave. Four minutes. Stir. Another three minutes. Let stand. Serve. Yep…I told you this was easy-peasy!
I admit, Palak Paneer only looks good at Indian restaurants. The frozen versions just look like…well…crap. It smelled fantastic though, so I poured the rice into a bowl and topped it off with the creamy spinach, sauce, and cubes of soft cheese. Well, the cheese was supposed to be soft. Unlike other varieties that I’ve had, this cheese was slightly on the dry side. I guess that’s what I should expect from a frozen entree. It wasn’t bad though. It could have used a bit more spice. The box indicated a medium heat, but it was rather mild to me. Overall though, a good meal at only 35o calories. Not bad.
As far as taste went, this was good. Right up there with Trader Joe’s…but none of them quite at Amy’s Kitchen (note to self: review Amy’s Kitchen’s Palak Paneer) standards. I loved that this was ideally one serving and that it was rather filling too. The cheese was the downfall however. If it had been soft and melt-in-your-mouth awesome like paneer should be…well…it might be a different story. All-in-all, though, you can’t argue with a company whose frozen entrees are free of artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. In fact, the spotlight goes immediately to the flavor – each spice can be tasted throughout the dish.
So, that is something!
I would probably give this entree another go, but I know there are other products that are just as good, if not better, available out there. Or, maybe I’ll just stop into my favorite Indian restaurant and get the real thing next time.
As it is, convenience is nice, flavor is good, but it didn’t completely wow me. However, the calorie count at least was far better than Trader Joe’s variety, yet not quite to Amy’s Kitchen standards yet. Close though. Very close.
Ethnic Gourmet Palak Paneer (out of packaging and ready for serving)
Product: DelGrosso New York Style Pizza Sauce – $1.20+
One of the most difficult foods to navigate when gluten-free is sauces and dips. Without a doubt. You’d be amazed what contains gluten. Reading the ingredient list is necessary. Grocery shopping takes a little bit longer. But safe dining is a huge plus.
While out at Big Lots, surprisingly, I spotted some pizza sauce that was clearly labeled gluten free. This gets huge props because it takes away the guess work. I wish labeling laws would become a bit stricter when it comes to gluten-free foods. I tend not to buy anything questionable, so if it’s labeled, you’re guaranteed a sale.
The pizza sauce I’m talking about is DelGrosso’s New York Style Pizza Sauce. At only 35 calories per 1/4 cup, you’re not going to fill up on sauce. In addition, the sauce literally has seven ingredients in it: tomato puree, tomatoes, sugar, imported olive oil, salt, garlic, and spices. I recognize every single one of those, therefore…it gets another point in its favor.
I sauced up Udi’s Gluten-Free Pizza Crusts with this amazing sauce. Just popping the lid and I could smell the amazing scent of the tomato sauce. This definitely boded well. A thin layer was applied to the crust, then topped with five different cheeses. A little more sauce was used to dot a bit at the top and into the oven it went.
Seven minutes later, I was slicing up a piece of pizza and sinking my teeth into one of the most delicious New York Style sauces I have tasted yet. Honestly. It has great flavor without being overpowering. It complimented the crust and the toppings. And, this is the perfect sauce for a vegetarian pizza. Given that I am also a vegetarian…this was yet another point in its favor. I found that this sauce was deliciously savory and sweet topping, just like a New York style sauce should be. Perfection in a bottle.
This jar was packed with flavor and would be amazing on any style pizza you could come up with. Best yet, it’s not expensive in the slightest. Gluten-free, pizza topping that is a delicious slice of heaven.
Use it well. Use it often. Top it off with your favorite toppings. Use it as a dip. Load it up with cheese. But enjoy it. Down to the last spoonful.
Gluten-Free Five Cheese Pizza (fresh mozzarella, ricotta, goat cheese, mascarpone, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses over DelGrosso New York Style Pizza Sauce on Udi's Gluten-Free Crust)
A friend of mine who often recommends gluten-free products to me when she spots them sent me some information on these chips and it sent me out to the grocery store in search of them. I did find them in my area, at a local natural food store, and they were happily on sale as well.
So, yes…they came home with me.
Now, I can eat tortilla chips on their own. No dip necessary. There is something about corn chips that are so madly addictive. This is why I always portion things out in bowls, because if I didn’t, I’d likely consume an entire bag before I realized it.
Mother Farms introduced a Multigrain Tortilla Chip made from multiple grains (duh), and some rice flour. Then it is topped off with a bit of honey and some sea salt. What emerges is this amazing flavor in each bite. Yeah, they’re fantastic on their own.
But I bought them with a mission in mind. I was making a gluten-free Chile Con Queso and these gluten-free tortilla chips were just the thing to pair with them. Wow, was I ever right. With the perfect seasoning, these tortilla chips complimented the flavor of the cheese dip to perfection. These would also be fantastic with a salsa as well. They are sturdy chips that are made for dipping. Honestly, these have quickly become one of my favorite crunchy snacks to nosh on. It truly was love at first bite!
(Thank you Julie!)
If you are looking for an amazing flavor and a fantastic new chip, look for Mother Farms products. The ingredients are USDA organic, they are gluten-free, they are kosher. All of that and they pack a flavor punch like none other.
Go ahead. Try to eat just one. And when you find you can’t, dish out a serving and try them out with a dip of your choice…or just eat them as is.
You know what’s hard about being gluten-free? Not having dips anymore at restaurants. Because most of the time, they do contain some sort of glutenous ingredient. So, they just aren’t ordered anymore. As a result, when I begin to crave, I have to go and make my own.
This recipe showed up featured on AOL’s homepage one morning and I bookmarked it. The only iffy ingredient was the beer, and there are gluten-free beers out there that I could easily substitute. So, happily, this past weekend I made a point to pick up the ingredients I needed (which wasn’t much, I had most of it) and get to work in the kitchen.
Adapted from a recipe by Eating Well magazine, you’ll want to dip right into this.
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel), drained
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add beer and cook until reduced slightly, about 1 minute.
Add 1 cup milk and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Add to the pan and cook, stirring vigorously, until bubbling and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, add cheese and cook, stirring, until melted. Stir in drained tomatoes, lime juice, salt, chili powder and cayenne (if using).
Serve warm.
~*~*~
This queso dip had amazing flavor. I served it up with some gluten-free tortilla chips and it made a fantastic snack. Also, it’s low in calories…even with the beer as an ingredient. Since I used almond milk, it took the calorie count under the original recipe’s 84 calories per serving. Great heat, without being too hot, full of cheese flavor, and it’s so easy to make. Delicious too!
Product: Green’s Gluten-Free Triple Blonde Ale – $5.29+
I shouldn’t be doing this review. I admit it. It’s handicapped from the very start. And it’s all because of one reason:
I. HATE. BEER.
Honestly, I just don’t like the drink. Never have. Not even during my college days was I a beer drinker. A sip here, another there, and it always resulted in that wrinkled up nose expression and me passing the glass or bottle to my alcohol dispenser of choice that night (probably some guy friend of mine who actually likes beer). Even when I went to Ireland, I gave Guinness and Murphy’s a try…hated both…stuck with Bulmers Cider (which is gluten-free!).
So, why review it then?
Because I used it when I cooked. And what was left, I sampled.
Here is what Green’s Triple Blonde Ale has going for it.
It has a clean, crisp taste to it. More like fruit than like…nasty beer taste. But, it just didn’t float my boat, you know? I liked that it had a light taste to it, wasn’t overly hoppy, and might have passed for cider if not for that beer taste. As far as beer’s go, however, this one wasn’t bad.
But it was even better to cook with. I bought it for the sole purpose of using it in a gluten-free Chile Con Queso, which was fantastic. So, while I didn’t care for Green’s Triple Blonde Ale on its own, it really added a nice flavor to my queso dip.
Verdict then is this: If you are a beer lover and are looking for something crisp, you’ll love this. If you are a gluten-free beer drinker, you’ll love the fact that this doesn’t contain any gluten in it. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you’ll love knowing that Green’s uses only natural tannins, so this is suitable for your dietary needs. If you are not a beer lover, however, it’s probably not for you. But it would be amazing to cook with. My queso’s flavor was awesome with this as one of the ingredients.
So whether you are a beer connoisseur or not…Green’s has something to offer you. Gluten-free to boot!
Product: Liz Lovely Gluten-Free Ginger Molasses Cookies – $3.99
So…here’s the deal.
Ginger has never been my thing. Gingerbread has never wowed me. Ginger flavor has never really appealed to me. So…why then would I buy a ginger molasses cookie?
For the blog, yes? Of course. Oh…and because it was the only kind at my natural food store that I hadn’t had yet (the other being Snickerdoodle). And, because if any company was going to create a cookie using ginger that I might actually enjoy…it was going to be Liz Lovely.
First…the simple part. As with her other gluten-free cookies that I have reviewed, the Ginger Molasses cookie is not only gluten-free, but also vegan. It’s soft, with fantastic texture. Baked with care and love, obviously. These things really do come through in the finished product.
Now…the nitty-gritty.
I actually didn’t dislike this cookie at all. It’s a basic cookie with molasses and crystallized ginger incorporated throughout. One bite and you get the sweetness from the molasses and then the heat from the ginger. It’s a nice pairing, actually. The flavor really good. Ginger still isn’t my thing, but I didn’t immediately get turned off by this cookie. In fact, I savored each bite I took, enjoying the different flavors, the sweet, the heat, all at once in one simple cookie.
Reminder…the serving size is only half of the cookie. For this one, that’s not hard to stick to. But there are some Liz Lovely cookies that would be downright dangerous for me to have around all the time.
As it stands, this is a great cookie if you really enjoy the flavor of ginger. Like I said, it’s not my thing, but this cookie was still fantastic because it found a good balance. One that even someone like me, who dislikes ginger, could enjoy. Now, that’s saying something about these amazing cookies.
Find a local store that carries Liz Lovely products…or order from their Web site online, because these cookies are totally worth it.
What are you waiting for? Treat yourself, you cookie monsters!
And can you blame me? So many delicious flavors to try; so little time.
Nevermind the fact that these little frozen meals of wonder are vegetarian and gluten-free, meaning – just what I need to eat. With how filling these are, you won’t even believe that they are so low in calories and fat.
Last night, I tried the soufflé that originally caught my eye and drew me to this brand – Butternut Squash.
I love butternut squash. It’s one of my most favorite foods on this planet. Honestly. It’s sweet without being too sweet and it really pairs well with variety of flavors and dishes. So, this really caught my eye. Two of my favorite things: butternut squash and a soufflé. Yum.
As I had another filling lunch at the office yesterday (the leftover vegan chili I made), I was quite happy to come home and prepare another easy, filling meal for my roommate and I. Yep. Soufflé and some sort of Ore Ida product, to be split between the two of us, resulting in a fantastically (and surprisingly) filling dinner for under 300 calories. And it’s so easy.
Garden Lites Butternut Squash Soufflé (frozen)
Out of the freezer came the Butternut Squash Soufflé. The first thing I noticed was how amazing the color was. The other soufflés by Garden Lites tend to be on the white or green color scheme, but this was a brilliant orange and it was a refreshing change of pace. I boshed it into the microwave for the required 4 minutes, let it sit for a minute, and then cut off the plastic and set it for one final minute of heating before I served it up, sliced it in half, and set some oven-crisped Crispy Crowns on each plate to complete the meal.
This smelled absolutely amazing. So, settling down to eat it was quite exciting. Like I said…this was the soufflé I had been looking forward to the most. It was definitely more dense than the other ones (and is the only one to have 180 calories instead of 140 calories). But, it is made of just butternut squash and eggs. So, yes…it would be a little heavier. One bite, and the rich, sweet taste of the butternut squash hits the palate and yeah…it’s pretty amazing. I enjoyed the way it just melted in your mouth. I was only eating half of the soufflé (because I thought there was more than 1 to a box, so my roommate and I have been splitting them), but it was just right. I think the entire thing would have been too rich. Full of flavor without adding anything to it, low in sodium, decadent, and straight out of the freezer.
How easy is that?
Surprisingly, this wasn’t my favorite out of the bunch like I had assumed it would be. That still is held by the Roasted Vegetable Soufflé. I wasn’t disappointed with this one at all, as it is definitely packed with sweet, rich flavor, but I think the lack of other flavors to round it out and break it up, makes it a little more of a challenge. Garden Lites does a fine job with their frozen soufflés and I wouldn’t change this one for the world, but being the butternut squash fiend that I am, I was surprised that this one didn’t light my fire more than others that came before it. But…that being said, I enjoyed every bite of this one, savoring it, and finding that butternut squash really is one of the best foods on this planet.
Remember, Garden Lites has given me a link to a coupon to share with all of you so you can go and try these products as well. I’ve found them at my natural food stores as well as in Whole Foods…and more recently at my liquor store in their frozen food section. So take a look. Use the coupon. Try these out and enjoy them as much as I am.
The Celiathlete 