You read that right. All natural. All things I had at home. All healthy ingredients. And the best part, it really does fill you up. Fiber is a wonderful thing. Trust me.
It was a bitter cold morning…around 0°F…and I didn’t want to have anything cold. Nothing. Hot coffee. Hot breakfast. So, I modified a recipe I spotted in a magazine and it proved to be as epic as it sounded. I loved the play of flavors and the way everything was fresh, light, and filling. This is definitely a hearty, no-guilt breakfast.
Recipe: Blueberry Breakfast Rice Bowl
Blueberry Breakfast Rice Bowl
Servings: 4
Time: Prep 5 minutes; Cook 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup almond milk
4 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 packet stevia
1 cup fresh blueberries
Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions.
In a medium bowl, combine rice, oil, cinnamon, orange zest and salt. Divide among serving bowls.
In a small saucepan, bring milk and maple syrup to a boil on medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and stevia. Drizzle over top of rice mixture and top with blueberries, dividing evenly.
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I loved the warm, homey feel of this breakfast. It was definitely something different. Rice for breakfast…when done like this…doesn’t seem too different at all. The spices and flavors all mixed really well. The blueberries really played well with the cinnamon and lemon. And I loved how everything just sort of played well together.
This is a new favorite. And it is so easy to make.
Product: Simple Truth Gluten-Free Blueberry Waffles – $2.49+
Okay…they aren’t Van’s Gluten-Free Waffles…but they aren’t half bad!
I admit it. I had a coupon for Kroger’s organic brand of waffles from Simple Truth…and they happen to have two varieties of gluten-free waffles on the market…so I definitely took advantage of the coupon this past weekend. And, no sooner had I bought them, I was whipping them out for a quick breakfast. After all, I circuit trained and did spinning this morning. This meant…easy breakfast that can toast while I showered and got ready for work.
Waffles.
Easy peasy!
Onto a baking sheet and into the oven they went (ever since being diagnosed as Celiac…the toaster went into the garbage due to cross-contamination problems…and was never replaced). 10 minutes later, I was pulling golden, perfectly toasted waffles from my oven. They smelled amazing. They toasted up perfectly. And I could even see the blueberries inside the little waffle shapes. Quick, but efficient breakfast was about to commence. A little dab of butter and some maple-agave syrup over the top…and we were in business. I paired it with some water and a cup of coffee. Just the easy meal I needed after a hectic morning.
So, how were they?
Less soft and substantial than Van’s Gluten-Free Waffles. But, for a freezer waffle…for a gluten-free freezer waffle…I give them a solid 8 out of 10. The batter seemed really thin in parts, making them more of a crunchy waffle, rather than that crisp outside, soft middle that I associate with perfect waffles. The blueberries weren’t even throughout…mine were mostly to one side of the waffle…but at least they were in there, right? Yeah! They were sweet, which I love…waffles should be sweet…and they had a good flavor. And, when all is said and done, that is the most important thing. Were they perfect? Nope. Were they edible? Beyond edible. They were tasty. And organic…which you have to love. And they, honestly, were good!
They just weren’t as good as Van’s Gluten-Free Waffles. But…I haven’t found one that is yet either.
Let’s talk ingredients. Simple Truth’s Gluten-Free Blueberry Waffles are made from water, brown rice flour, potato starch, vegetable oil, corn flour, organic tapioca starch, blueberry bits, sugar, potato flour, inulin, leavening, soy lecithin, fruit juice concentrate blend, natural flavors, and salt. So…it’s sort of a mess…but not too bad. Not really. Not for a quick dine-and-dash morning meal anyway. Especially one that is, honestly, coming out of a box in the freezer.
Nutritionally speaking, a serving is 2 waffles. These waffles will serve you up 220 calories and 8 grams of fat. Not great…but not bad either. Van’s does better with 10 fewer calories and 2 grams less fat. So…there is that. The Simple Truth Gluten-Free Blueberry Waffles also will serve you up 350 mg sodium and 7 grams of sugar. Van’s beats them here too, with way less sugar and 30 mg less sodium. You will also have 2 grams of fiber an 1 gram of protein. Not exactly a filling breakfast…but it’s a sugary treat from the freezer (and not one I make a habit of consuming either!).
So, the basic gist of this is…Simple Truth puts out a good gluten-free waffle. The blueberries gave it a nice added bit of flavor. And they had a nice crusty outside that toasted up perfectly. They weren’t the best frozen waffles I have had since going gluten-free…but they are close. I liked them.
So, if you can get Simple Truth products, I recommend trying the Gluten-Free Blueberry Waffles, or even the Gluten-Free Homestyle Waffles (which I’ll get next time I have a coupon). They make a good, quick, and easy breakfast when you have a busy, busy morning. Thumbs up.
Simple Truth Gluten-Free Blueberry Waffles (toasted)
Product: Liz Lovely Gluten-Free Cowboy Cookies – $3.99+
Remember awhile back when I worked my way through every Liz Lovely gluten-free cookie available?
Times are changing.
And so is Liz Lovely. In fact, they recently just got their certification. Certified. Certified for goodness, of course. But this is HUGE. Liz Lovely is now CERTIFIED 100% FREE OF WHEAT, DAIRY, AND EGGS! Yep.
You know what this means?
It means this cookie monster has more cookies from this amazing company at my disposal. My taste buds are ready!
While out at my local natural food store, I spotted the Liz Lovely shelf that I usually walk to and stare longingly at for a little while. Most of the time I can talk myself out of purchasing a pack of 2 cookies…but this had varieties I had yet to try. I got the roomie to consent to one item off the grocery list/budget this week and we brought home Liz Lovely’s Gluten-Free Cowboy Cookies. Previously, you could only get this version done vegan…now it’s both.
And I am one very happy cookie monster.
So, what is a cowboy cookie? Well, it’s a hearty cookie for one thing. Usually they contain oats, chocolate chips and some sort of nut. Sometimes…coconut is included. In the case of Liz Lovely’s variety of Cowboy Cookies, you get a magical combination of oats, chocolate chips and walnuts. YUMMY!! The base of her cookie is dipped in delicious dark chocolate and the top has some nice dark chocolate stripes. It looked amazing. Sounded delicious. And after dinner last night, I split one in half with my roommate and we enjoyed a gluten-free Cowboy Cookie dessert.
On Liz Lovely’s Web site, she gives a little background as to how the Cowboy Cookies reinvented the idea of the original business concept. Liz Lovely was originally going to do vegan truffles, but it turns out, one night before hosting a tasting party, Liz had extra chocolate but no more centers…so she quickly baked up some oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies and drizzled the extra chocolate all over them. The truffles were all but forgotten at the party. The cookies were the hit. So, the next day, it was decided…Liz Lovely would be a cookie company. Cowboy Cookies…that’s what made it happen.
I can see why too! These cookies are fantastic. Way better than I could even imagine a vegan truffle to be (although I love vegan truffles too). My first dessert love is a cookie…always and forever…so this was a very nice treat. The oats in the dough give it this fantastic texture and a bit of sustenance. The chocolate chips bring the sweetness. And those walnuts…not only add a bit of a crunch, but that saltiness that pairs well with the chocolate. I love how the extra chocolate on the bottom and top of the cookie meshes with the rest of the flavors. It is one sweet, hearty, delicious bite. That’s for sure! Consider me one happy cookie monster.
So…now we’ll talk ingredients and nutrition.
One thing I love about Liz Lovely cookies is that they are real. No ingredient is processed or fake or made up of chemicals. You’ll recognize (and enjoy) everything that goes into her cookies. In the case of the Gluten-Free Cowboy Cookies, you’ll find: unrefined cane sugar, gluten-free rolled oats, rice flour, dark chocolate, palm fruit oil, walnuts, water, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, molasses, vanilla extract, sea salt, potato starch and baking soda. The ingredients aren’t a mile long…and, as I said…everything is recognizable and able to be purchased in your grocery store. LOVE IT!
Now, let’s talk about nutrition. Do remember…this is a COOKIE and any way you slice it (in my case…in half) it is a treat. A serving size of a Liz Lovely Gluten-Free Cowboy Cookie is 1/2 of the cookie. This half will dish you up 180 calories and 8 grams of fat. This half of a cookie also contains 14 grams of sugar (I know…it’s a lot…but it’s a COOKIE!) and a mere 75 mg sodium. Not too shabby. And you’ll also be devouring 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.
Nice!
And these cookies are naughty and nice. Honestly. If you are going to splurge, I encourage you to find a store that sells Liz Lovely’s cookies and give them a try. I have yet to find any better on the market. They are soft, chewy, and just…amazing.
And…if you can’t find them where you live, you can always order online.
Me…I happen to love it. It just…takes so long to prepare. In fact, brown rice often takes longer to get to cook perfectly than white rice. But with white rice being so refined, brown rice is always a better option.
I just don’t always have time to let it cook up on the stove.
Thankfully…Tasty Bite has me covered.
Yes. Tasty Bite.
Yes…the makers of all those amazing little Indian meals I blog about from time to time.
The very same Tasty Bite.
They do rice too. They do it well. And they make it so easy to enjoy.
There isn’t too much I can say about Tasty Bite’s Brown Rice. I mean…it’s brown rice. But I can say this…
The package contains fully cooked brown rice that you simply reheat in the microwave for 90 seconds. Yes. 90 seconds and you have two servings of rice as your fingertips. It’s brilliant and very convenient. Brown rice is full of vitamins, minerals and fiber, and is my favorite type of rice to incorporate into meals. Tasty Bite’s Brown Rice has that nutty flavor and that tougher texture that regular brown rice has. The flavor…is that of plain brown rice…which is why I served vegetarian baked beans over mine. Hey…don’t mock. I had vegetarian baked beans in the pantry…just begging to be used. It actually worked together very well.
Let’s talk ingredients and nutrition then, since brown rice is…well…brown rice. The Tasty Bite Brown Rice pouch contains water, brown rice, and sunflower oil. That’s it. As it is precooked, you’re steaming it back to life and then pouring it into a dish. The microwavable pouch contains two servings of brown rice.
Half of the package, that being a serving, will dish you up 240 calories and 3 grams of fat. This particular rice is cholesterol-free, sugar-free, and contains no sodium. My roommate will love reading that. This serving provides 2 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. Filling. Nutrition. Delicious. And the Tasty Bite Brown Rice is vegan, vegetarian, kosher, and gluten-free. Loving it.
So, you don’t have to spend the better part of the evening at your stove waiting on your brown rice to cook to perfection. Nope. Let Tasty Bite do that for you…letting you have your rice ready in a minute and a half as opposed to 20-30 minutes (if not longer!). The rice you get is fluffy, light, and seriously cooked to perfection. It sure does make dinner a lot easier and quicker to get on the table.
Thank you, Tasty Bite…for taking the stress and guess work out of cooking brown rice.
I am a runner. Carbs are my friend. And I just happen to be a huge, huge fan of potatoes. I love potatoes. Any way you can serve them up, I will devour them.
Recently in my CSA bin, I received a huge bag full of fingerling potatoes. Instead of roasting them up as I normally would, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to think outside of the normal box I hem myself in when potatoes are in my kitchen.
So…that’s exactly what I set out to do. I decided to finally get to smashing potatoes. I’m not talking mashed potatoes. I really mean…smashed potatoes. I served mine with a dipping sauce of Spinach & Artichoke Hummus.
For real. And yeah…it was super delicious.
Recipe: Smashed Herbed Potatoes
Smashed Herbed Potatoes (with Spinach and Artichoke Hummus)
12 fingerling potatoes (or other small potatoes, like new potatoes, etc.)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
Rosemary (or other herbs of choice), to taste
Directions:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes to the water and cook them until they are fork-tender.
On a sheet pan, generally drizzle olive oil. Place the tender potatoes on the cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room between each potato.
With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Do this to all the potatoes. Then, brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle the potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and freshly chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available).
Bake in a 450°F oven for 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown.
Serve.
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OH. MY. GOD.
This is my new favorite way to eat potatoes. For real. I mean…packed with flavor. The fresh herbs really draw out amazing flavors. And dipping it into hummus was sheer genius. Trust me. This is one dish that is totally worth making. It takes some time, but…you will be as addicted to these as I am.
I’m already wanting to make it again. And thankfully, this week’s CSA bin is coming with fingerling potatoes. Hmmm…
I love, love, love kale. Seriously. I do. I love that it is a nutrient powerhouse. I use it often…and always! Kale is high in fiber, unlike many other greens. It’s a great source of nutrients, especially vitamin A and calcium. It is a fantastic source of beta-carotene, which many nutrition experts believe is a major player in the battle against cancer, heart disease, and certain age-related diseases. Kale also contains lutein and zeaxathin, carotenoids which help keep UV rays from damaging the eyes and causing cataracts.
Like I said…nutrient powerhouse. And it always has a home in my kitchen.
That being said, I was using up the contents of my refrigerator not too long ago, and happened (as I often do) to have some greens inside. It was, as it normally is, kale! With a little inspiration from my Clean Food cookbook, I concocted a hearty and healthy dish with only a few ingredients, which I happened to have on hand.
Recipe: Sautéed Garlic Greens with Caramelized Onion and Toasted Pine Nuts
Sautéed Garlic Greens with Caramelized Onion and Toasted Pine Nuts
Servings: 6
Time: Prep 5 minutes; Cook 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 bunches dark leafy greens (kale, collards, mustard greens, dandelion greens or chard)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dry sherry
Water, as needed
Sea salt
Toasted pine nuts (optional, but adds great texture)
Directions:
Remove dry stalk ends from the greens and chop the leaves into bite-size pieces.
In a Dutch oven or skillet over medium-low heat, sauté the onion, stirring often, to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until soft.
Add greens and dry sherry and sauté for 1 minute.
Increase the heat to medium, add water (one tablespoon at a time) as needed to prevent sticking, cover, and cook until greens break down.
Remove from heat and toss with remaining tablespoon olive oil. Season to taste with salt, top with pine nuts, and serve.
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I fell in love with this dish. The kale cooked down to perfection and mingled so well with the sweetness of the caramelized onion and the added flavor of the garlic and sherry. The pine nuts really gave it a bit of texture, which just worked so well with the soft feel of the meal. My roommate and I devoured this dish in no time flat. Really delicious.
Loving finding new ways to enjoy my greens. Can’t wait to make this one again.
In the South, it is customary on New Year’s Day to eat black-eyed peas to ensure good luck and prosperity. Now, I am not a southern girl, but I did spend 6 years of my life in Birmingham, Alabama (where my family still resides). Prior to that, I was a New Yorker all the way. And now…relocated to Southern Indiana…where the Louisville, Kentucky food scene is taking flight, well…I can’t say that I don’t try anything new!
Granted, traditionally, this dish would be served with collard greens…but I’m a kale girl myself. Love me some kale. And I just happened to have kale in my crisper drawer…because…what girl doesn’t? So, on New Year’s Day…I cooked up a my kale with black-eyed peas and hoped that it would bring luck and prosperity to me this year.
It’s too early to say whether this worked or not…but what I can say is…the dish was phenomenal. I played around with a recipe out of my Clean Food cookbook. Whether you have always followed this tradition or are just hearing about it, like me, I figured I had nothing to lose by cooking it up. And neither do you!
Remove the stems from the kale and chop the leaves into bite-size pieces.
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté garlic and onion in olive oil until soft. Add the kale and stir until it turns bright green and wilts. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, to keep the kale from burning.
Add the black-eyed peas and vinegar and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes to heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve.
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It’s traditional. It’s easy. It’s delicious! I was actually surprised. I’m not a huge fan of Southern food…but this was fantastic. Seasoned perfectly. Really packed with flavor. And carrying a traditional promise of good fortune and luck. If nothing else…I at least got a fantastic meal out of it.
So go ahead…branch out. Try something clean, something new, and something totally yummy!
It is by sheer happenstance that I have had, since going gluten-free, a slice of gluten-free focaccia bread. And that happy moment occurred at a local, and now relocated (they moved out of Indiana and into Louisville) café here in the area. The restaurant was Earth Friends Café…and their gluten-free sandwiches were made on gluten-free focaccia bread, provided to them by one of my favorite local businesses, Annie May’s Sweet Café.
That feels like forever ago. It was…probably just over a year or so.
While I can still go to Earth Friends Café, it has been awhile. That is something I definitely need to change. Aside from that, however, that was the only time I had something different when I ordered a gluten-free sandwich. No Udi’s. No Schär. No prepackaged, store brand. Nope. It was real and amazing focaccia bread.
And that one time…an eternity ago…set the standard.
I attempted, once, to make a focaccia bread from a mix by Chēbē…which didn’t work out for me…at all. And that was that. Nothing more ever came of focaccia in my gluten-free life.
Until…one day…I was at my local natural food store and I spotted something I had never seen before. While I had heard of the Canyon Bakehouse brand via the various gluten-free magazines I subscribe to, and my annual trip out to Colorado (the Canyon Bakehouse dedicated gluten-free bakery is located in Loveland, Colorado), I had yet to actually taste any of their products. I had wanted to carry some home with me on my last trip to Colorado, but that final trip to the grocery store never actually happened. So…YAY…happy dance in the aisle when I spotted the brand in my area. FINALLY!
The freezer section actually had a few Canyon Bakehouse options inside now, but I zeroed in on the Gluten-Free Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia. I have an abundance of gluten-free pasta in my pantry at the moment, so I figured…get some focaccia and get motivated to start cooking some of that up for dinner. With some pleading eyes and maybe a pout, I convinced my roommate to allow one extra splurge this week to our grocery budget. It worked…and the Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia made the journey home to my own freezer.
I just returned from vacation, which means my cabinets, pantry, and fridge are pretty much bare, save for a couple of items. Pasta. Naturally. And lo and behold…my freezer had the focaccia bread inside. I knew what dinner was going to be the next three nights. Who doesn’t love a gluten-free rotini with a marinara sauce and a slice of gluten-free focaccia? I didn’t think I’d hear any complaints!
So, after coming home from the airport and letting the focaccia bread thaw for a couple of hours, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and began to slice the bread into serving sizes. The packages says it will serve 8, so I sliced it in half, then cut those halves in half and then halved those again. Total…8 slices of focaccia. It worked well. I put the slices on a pan and then put them in the oven to toast while I worked on the pasta and marinara. About 10 minutes later, the pasta was ready and I pulled the bread out of the oven. Plating was easy. Bowl for the pasta…focaccia over the bowl. Perfect for mopping up that marinara, yes? Yes!
Settling in to eat, I couldn’t wait to taste the bread. So, I took one bite. And WOW! Canyon Bakehouse has a great reputation for a reason. The Gluten-Free Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia caught me off guard. I was prepared to have a taste of something heavy and dense…but the opposite was true. This focaccia bread, while not light, was flaky. The crust was golden from the oven, the inside, soft, flaky, warm, and perfect. It tasted like real bread. TOTALLY!!
Canyon Bakehouse states on their Web site that their mission is to create delicious and nutritious gluten-free breads that the entire family will enjoy. If the Gluten-Free Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia is any indication of their standards, then watch out gluten-free world…because this product is stellar. You’d be hard-pressed to tell it was gluten-free. No crazy aftertaste, no too dense. Just really good flavors, really great texture, and just amazing bread all around.
Let’s get down to the chemistry of the Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia, shall we? The ingredients are simple and recognizable: water, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, extra virgin olive oil, cultured brown rice flour, xanthan gum, eggs, sea salt, yeast, thyme, rosemary, organic agave syrup, black pepper, and natural enzymes. Nothing fake. Nothing chemical. No words I can’t pronounce. No question marks as to what I’m consuming. Real ingredients that make really delicious bread.
As for the nutritional aspect of this bread…it’s actually not bad…especially since it is gluten-free bread. A serving is 1/8 of the loaf of focaccia. This serving will provide you with 140 calories and 4 grams of fat. Much of that fat percentage is derived from the olive oil that is used in the dough. Healthy fat. A proper slice will also provide you with 15 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, and 2 grams of sugar. That’s not too bad. And, finally, you will be biting into 3 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein, so you won’t be left feeling empty after eating a slice. I find, so often, that gluten-free bread doesn’t fill me up like regular bread does. That’s not the case with this one. One slice is plenty.
I love how Canyon Bakehouse is thinking outside the box when it comes to products. With the variety of breads they offer (all of which I hope to try very soon), as well as hamburger buns, hotdog buns, and even muffins, the bakery does focus a lot on not just taste, but nutrition as well. I was beyond happy each night I had my gluten-free pasta to have a slice of the Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia. It was the perfect compliment, seasoned to perfection, toasted up, with great, flaky texture and amazing flavor.
Yeah…you’re now on my radar, Canyon Bakehouse. And I hope to find more of your products soon!
A slice of Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia
I know what you’re thinking…pasta is pasta…it’s all about what you add to it. Right? Well…perhaps…unless you’re gluten-free.
Because then…pasta becomes an adventure in tastes and textures. For example…quinoa pasta is my new favorite thing in life. It cooks to perfect texture, phenomenal flavor, and doesn’t get mushy if you have to refrigerate it and have leftovers. Rice pasta can get gummy…it can get mushy…it is fantastic if you eat it all the day you cook it…but even then, it sometimes just falls apart. Corn pasta…well…I love the texture and the fact that it reheats beautifully, but I don’t put too much corn in my diet due to Monsanto…
Be that as it may, sometimes my roommate has surprises up her sleeve. She was out on one of my last-minute errands one evening to the grocery store (for something I’m sure I thought I had in the pantry, but really didn’t), and upon her return she came back with a box of Ronzoni Gluten-Free Rotini. Hmmm…a new gluten-free pasta I hadn’t heard of before. This wasn’t common. There are many I haven’t tried yet…but this brand I hadn’t even heard about yet. Interesting.
Ronzoni Gluten-Free Rotini is pasta made from a multigrain blend, which includes white rice, brown rice, corn and quinoa. So, it’s like everyone into the pool…let’s see what happens. The box advertises that it tastes just as delicious as white pasta. It has been forever since I have actually had white pasta…not just because of Celiac. Years before even being diagnoses with an issues, I switched to whole wheat (or the irony!) pasta. So…I address my roomie on this one…
…and her palate is messed up at times (she just had white pasta while in Disney World!) because she just said…”It tastes like pasta.” Thanks…for not being helpful to this blog at all…
To her defense, she did follow that up with, “I would not be able to tell that was gluten-free…”
So…um…WIN?!
Okay…inconclusive on the taste-test portion of this with someone who doesn’t have to eat gluten-free pasta.
Ronzoni Gluten-Free Rotini (cooked)
The fact of the matter is…Ronzoni does put out a fantastic product. I love the way the noodles cook. It takes about 9 minutes to reach that perfect al dente. No fooling around. My roommate complimented me on both nights we’ve eaten this with how I cooked the pasta perfectly. YAY! The noodles hold up to the boiling process as well as the draining. They don’t shred or fall apart when they are dumped into the marinara sauce. Nor do they fall off the fork when pierced just before taking a dainty bite…or a mouthful…depending on hunger level.
What does all this say?
1.) The roomie isn’t always the best source for comparison reasons…as her palate is sometimes flighty…
2.) This is the gluten-free pasta of champions.
3.) Multigrain = gluten-free perfection for taste, texture, and flavor.
Ronzoni really turned up the competition when they got into the gluten-free market. I like how they take a nice mix of all the gluten-free grains and incorporate them into a sturdy, satisfying noodle. They currently offer Spaghetti, Penne Rigate, and Rotini in this line. Oh, and the gluten-free pasta is produced in a dedicated gluten-free facility…and each ingredient is verified to be gluten-free. Cross-contamination is not a problem because the pasta making process is strongly controlled to maintain the gluten-free status of the produt. I love that Ronzoni took this extra step to guarantee safety for it’s gluten-free consumers.
I prepared the Ronzoni Gluten-Free Rotini for dinner the night I returned from Disney World. I have pasta and marinara in my pantry. It was a given. I thought the noodles cooked to perfection in the boiling water. I loved that when I drained them, I didn’t have bits of noodles…just full, and fully-cooked, pasta. I love that the sauce didn’t distract from the flavor of the noodles. I thought the starchiness was spot-on for a pasta. And that everything held together with each and every bite.
Nutritionally speaking, Ronzoni Gluten-Free Rotini gives you the standard 2 ounce serving size (which is about 3/4 cup). This serving gives you ample pasta which will leave you satisfied without feeling bloaty and overstuffed as so many pastas can do. This serving will provide you with 200 calories and 2 grams of fat. Not bad for a boxed pasta, I must say. In addition, this pasta is cholesterol-free, sodium-free, and sugar-free. You also get 2 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein, which leaves you just on the right level of full.
I really am enjoying my Ronzoni Gluten-Free Rotini. So, despite not being able to compare this pasta with ‘regular’ pasta when asked, the roomie rocked and choosing a new gluten-free pasta to try out. I think this will be added to the quinoa pasta that I keep in the pantry as well. So good. Loved it all the way to that last forkful.
Spaghetti and pasta were my favorite thing growing up…and even going gluten-free…that hasn’t changed. The gluten-free market has been expanding and thankfully, getting better and better with each version out there. Forget mushy brown rice pasta…turn up the flavor and the texture. Give Ronzoni Gluten-Free Rotini a try.
I’m so glad I did.
Ronzoni Gluten-Free Rotini (with Organicville Marinara Pasta Sauce)
Tasty Bite, as many of you know, is one of my favorite go-to quick meals…especially for busy nights/days or just nights where I don’t have much in the pantry/freezer/fridge…or just don’t want to spend my entire evening on my feet in the kitchen prepping and cooking something.
The great thing about the Tasty Bite meals is that they are clean…healthy…and beyond delicious. I only have a few remaining packages in my kitchen pantry, but they were perfect after returning from my recent trip to Florida. Without last week’s check in the bank (the boss still has it), my roommate and I are honestly living off what we have in our apartment…and trust me…that means Tasty Bite meals, pancakes, eggs, or pasta. This is no joke. And for the rest of this week, the budget purse strings are being pulled tighter than ever to try to recover from our much-needed and totally fun (but expensive) vacation.
So, after disembarking at the Louisville airport on Tuesday…just before noon…we returned home with hungry stomachs. I do not do fast food. I can’t. Not with my food allergies. And I’m okay with that. I actually do not miss fast food at all. Not one bit. The drive-thru was never my friend anyway…so my dietary restrictions put a total kibosh on them. No problem. I’d rather prepare my food anyway.
That being said…with a practically empty apartment food-wise, I was happy to dig out a few pouches of Tasty Bite products. I’m down to one Indian meal and a couple of rice options. I opted for a rice option with some added protein…because I’m in recovery mode from my 48.6 mile running adventure.
My choice – Tasty Bite’s Ginger Lentil Rice.
Yes…this is exactly what it sounds like…ginger-infused long grain rice that is tossed with brown lentils and red peppers. It makes a colorful and flavorful plate…trust me. The package simply gets put in the microwave for about 90 seconds, and BAM…into a bowl and enjoy! Totally that easy. And don’t be dissuaded by the fact that this comes in a pouch on a shelf in the microwave. It still fits into clean eating. Observe the ingredients: water, rice, onions, whole brown lentils, red pepper, coconut milk, sunflower oil, ginger, garlic, salt, curry powder, chilies, sugar. Quick…Clean…Eating.
And the taste…was fantastic. Seriously. The ginger, garlic, curry, chilies all provide layers and depth of flavor to each bite. The lentils add great texture and the rice actually steams up to perfection in that 90 seconds. All the components work together and make magic with each bite. Each freakin’ tasty bite. I used some Glutino Gluten-Free Sea Salt Snack Crackers to scoop up the rice and add a nice crunch to my plate. It was a magical, quick lunch after returning from the Happiest Place on Earth. I savored each bite…chewed slowly…and just let the flavors roll over my tongue. This one is amazing. It’s not just rice. It’s rice that is so much more.
Nutritionally speaking, this meal is a healthy choice as well. One serving is half the pouch. This serving gives you 190 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. This serving will also give you 380 mg sodium and 2 grams of sugar. That is amazing for a processed food. And a serving will also give you 3 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. So it is filling as well. Loving it.
So, if you’re concerned about Indian food…not sure you’d like it…or just not ready to try something new…then give Tasty Bite a chance through their flavored rices. In fact…I highly encourage purchasing the Ginger Lentil Rice. The flavors will wow you…and just might encourage you to give those Indian meals a try after all.
The Celiathlete 