Product: Katz Chocolate & Cinnamon Rugelech – $5.14; Sample Pack – cost of shipping (varies per state)
First of all…I had no idea what rugelech was when this was shipped to me. Honestly. I didn’t even know how to pronounce it. But, it looked like a little cinnamon roll, so it had to be good, right? Well, the only way to find out was to try it.
But first…what is rugelech? Well, it’s a Jewish pastry. I figured that much out on my own. But what did it taste like? That was the big question.
When I pulled these out to thaw the night before, I loved to see how they were twisted around like little cinnamon rolls – bite-size, of course. The sample pack contains one cinnamon and one chocolate, two of the varieties that Katz offers on their Web site, each pack containing 10.
Katz Gluten-Free Chocolate & Cinnamon Rugelech
For good measure, I unwrapped these this morning and gave them a 10 second zap in the microwave to give them that fresh-from-the-oven appeal. Since both my roommate and I are testing out these products, I cut each of them in half and plated them up. I was really excited about these because they smelled fantastic coming out of the microwave all warm and ready to enjoy.
I tasted the chocolate one first. It was like biting into a cinnamon roll but with chocolate instead. And who said chocolate was a bad thing? Not me. Nope. Not at all. I fell in love with this and cherished the bite I got. It was crisp, flaky, and melted in my mouth. A delicious morning treat that would pair well with a piping hot fresh cup of coffee. I loved it.
The cinnamon one was up next. And this was equally as good. Seasoned to perfection, with just enough cinnamon flavor and the right amount of sweetness to offset the heat. It was like biting into a fresh cinnamon roll minus the heavy icing on top. Yeah…these were a nice treat. And a part of me wished that I had left them for the very last thing to eat out of the sample pack. But it was not to be.
What I did come to know though is that rugelech is very delicious. This traditional Jewish pastry really, really got my breakfast sweet-tooth going. And it was just what I needed with the perfect light, crunchy texture to make it interesting…and flavorful. Both the cinnamon and the chocolate are amazing. The Katz Web site also offers vanilla…so perhaps that’s something for me to try in the future.
One can say…I will totally be ordering more of these because these…were deliciousness. And with only 110 calories per pastry, you don’t feel too bad about indulging a little, be it at breakfast or for a snack with your afternoon coffee…or even a glass of milk.
Product: Katz Dinner Roll (Small Challah) – $3.99; Sample Pack – cost of shipping (varies per state)
It’s a weekend, so I decided to dive into my gluten-free sample pack I got for free (well, I paid for shipping) from Katz Gluten-Free awhile back. A couple weeks back I tried out a couple of offerings from the pack and absolutely was impressed. So far, Katz is on a roll.
This morning…a roll is one thing that I was giving a taste test.
Last night, I pulled a few more of the goodies out of the sample pack to thaw on the counter to have after my long run this morning. One of these goodies was the Gluten-Free Dinner Roll (Small Challah). I was actually quite excited about giving this a try because I have been seeking out a good, light gluten-free dinner roll since attempting to make my own and not quite succeeding texture-wise.
Katz Gluten-Free Dinner Roll (Small Challah)
Well, Katz was on the job as usual and provided me with a delicious roll indeed. This little roll not only was soft after defrosting all night, but it honestly probably didn’t have to be reheated. I did, though, with a short zap in the microwave for good measure. This warm, soft and fluffy roll did make a nice addition to my breakfast. However…there really wasn’t anything spectacular about it.
That being said, I found these to be of a much better texture than the ones I baked up awhile back. They were definitely not as dense, and I loved how fluffy they were and soft to bite into. This is, by far, the best version of a dinner roll I have had yet…and that’s including biscuits. While most gluten-free rolls tend to be spongy in texture, these were simply soft and moist, and delicious with a light schmear of butter.
I love the products that Katz puts out and have been impressed with each one. While these were not blow-me-over amazing, they were the best rolls I have had since going gluten-free. Even better than my own attempts at such things. The rolls didn’t crumble, yet were delightfully soft and flaky. It’s hard to get that sort of a combination when dealing with gluten-free baked goods. Katz once again worked gluten-free magic.
And, unlike a lot of bread-y counterparts in the gluten-free world, these rolls are right up to par with regular options. Only 130 calories per roll and only 5g of fat, they are a nice treat to have…one-at-a-time, at dinner. These are sold in packs of four normally.
My roommate, who doesn’t have to eat gluten-free but mostly does because of me, said that her half of the roll was good…but nothing special. She’s right…but when it comes to gluten-free noshing…these are definitely at the top.
Genius by Glutino Gluten-Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread
Product: Genius by Glutino Gluten-Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread – $5.99+
It’s brilliant.
I think I can say I found the Harry Potter of gluten-free breads. Or the Einstein of gluten-free breads. Or maybe even the Sheldon Cooper of gluten-free breads (no Bazinga necessary).
I have had the chance to try out quite a few top brands of gluten-free bread and have liked and disliked a few things about each. From Udi’s to Rudi’s…gluten-free bread has gone from bland cardboard to wow…that tastes so much like the real thing. It’s fantastic. But one thing has never been quite right when it comes to those pricey loaves you buy from the freezer section of the grocery store, should you be lucky enough to have a grocery store that carries it. And that one thing…is size.
Now, a lot can be said about size not really mattering. What these top bread brands in the gluten-free world have brought is fantastic texture and flavor. Sometimes…it’s just like biting into a slice of “regular” bread. No…really. And I have a deep love for each of these.
Size comparison with Glutino's Genius Mulitgrain Sandwich Bread on the left vs. Udi's Whole Grain Sandwich Bread on the right.
But then…I ran across Genius by Glutino. I was in our local natural foods store when I spotted it…yes…in the freezer. Now, I had heard rumors of this bread, seen it mentioned on the internet, on the Glutino Web site, over on Twitter. I knew it existed…just not in my little world because my area is very slow on the gluten-free uptake at times. I was so happy to see it that I forgave the $5.99 price tag (which is on par with Udi’s anyway) and immediately bought it. I was in the market for bread that day anyway…so it was on the grocery list. I didn’t deviate…this time.
I chose the Genius Multigrain Sandwich Bread and tonight got to test it out for the first time in my second favorite sandwich ever (as peanut butter is my first!)…and that’s a grilled cheese sandwich. I thawed out two slices of bread in a plastic bag on the counter while I was at work. I came home to perfectly defrosted bread that was very soft and light to the touch. In fact, it felt less dense than the others on the market. Loved that. I put a schmear of gluten-free Dijon mustard on, topped it with a non-dairy cheese slice and then spritzed a little olive oil over it before setting it on my warmed skillet to toast up.
Here’s what I loved about this bread and this sandwich…
The bread toasted up to golden perfection. It laid lightly on the skillet so the edges didn’t burn, as is all too common with other breads I’ve used for my grilled cheese sammies. The cheese, even being vegan, melted to perfection inside. And the bread itself had a golden crust on it without being toasted to a rock-hard oblivion. And, it still held up when I went to dip it into my soup.
I even sampled part of this bread without it being toasted. Very light, very springy…and reminded me so much of what real sandwich bread was like back when I could eat it. And to think, I wasted most of my ‘real’ bread days eating that ‘mostly cardboard 45 calorie’ crap that’s on the market.
I don’t feel like I’m missing out though, because, for the first time ever, the Genius bread is actual bread size. I’m not kidding. It is the same size as regular loaves of bread as I used to have them. I was so happy with this. Elated. The bread must be called Genius because making it actual size is brilliant. It’s a stroke of genius. It’s the phenom of gluten-free breads out there. And it can really hold its own in the market.
The flavor and texture of Glutino’s Genius Multigrain Sandwich Bread blew me away. I’m seriously in awe and trying to plan out what kind of sandwich I’ll eat with it next. I bet it makes a sensational Fluffernutter.
Want to break away from tiny loaves of bread and bite into something that brings the size, texture, and flavor of real bread to your gluten-free palate…then find Glutino’s Genius sandwich breads and build a better gluten-free sandwich. What are you waiting for? The bread may be a gluten-free superstar, but you are the genius that has to put the sandwich together. Go on. You are a culinary, sandwich building genius…with the Genius bread to prove it.
Grilled cheese sandwich made with Genius by Glutino Gluten-Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread
It feels like just the other day I was touting my accomplishment of hitting the halfway mark to my goal of 500 miles this year. It seems that the mileage ramp-up to my first half marathon has been inching me further and further up the mileage chart.
It only seems fitting then that I struck my 300 mile mark during my long run on Sunday morning. In fact, I hit 300 miles in mile 6 of my long run. I just wasn’t aware of it at the time. I was focusing on my breathing, my footfall, and taking it easy on a tight, sore Achilles tendon that has been giving me some grief over the past week.
It’s the middle of April and in a couple of weeks the taper starts as the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon will be kicking off. It’s the largest mini-marathon in the United States and it runs up in Indianapolis. I am thrilled to be a part of it. I’ve trained hard for this race. I’m still working on proper fueling on long runs, but I’m getting the endurance part down. I think I’ll do better here than in Chicago, where I ran my first half marathon last September, completely untrained and completely lacking the knowledge of how to properly fuel and prepare for 13.1 miles of constant running.
This is my hope anyway.
A lot of my ability to work toward my mileage goal for the year just happens to be a direct result of my half marathon training. I honestly hope it pays off in the end.
That being said, I’m still looking ahead. Any one thing can derail a streak like this. And while you try not to dwell on it, accidents happen. Injuries happen. I hope that I can continue to run safe and smart.
300 miles down…200 more to go. Every mile closer feels so good!
Not in my world. I could eat soup, yes even hot soups, even in the heat of summer. Why? Because I grew up doing that. And some nights, you don’t want to slave over a stove or toil over something in an oven when there are better things to do…like getting in a run before it gets dark or polishing off another episode of that show you’ve been trying to catch up on. You know…life’s little important things that make your day just…right.
So dinner shouldn’t stress you out.
And that’s why Pacific Natural Foods is once again on the scene with another stunning, simple, organic soup that takes a favorite and makes it a classic.
That is no overstatement of the truth. It is exactly how I felt with every spoonful of the Organic Creamy Tomato Soup that I heated up for dinner tonight.
Soup is an amazing thing. It’s light, yet filling and it pairs well with crackers or a sandwich…or even a salad. But in all honesty, tomato soup was meant to go with a grilled cheese sandwich. So, I made up one of my gluten-free and dairy-free grilled cheese sandwiches to pair off with this soup, poured it into bowls and settled in for my dinner.
What I found was this soup more than delivered on flavor. It was flavored to perfection. I could have closed my eyes and sworn it was homemade, left to simmer on the stove, instead of coming out of a box and just simply being warmed for a few minutes over a burner. It really rivals the real, homemade stuff. And that’s what I fell in love with immediately. It was light, yet rich, and packed with that classic tomato soup flavor. The sweetness of the tomato isn’t too much but it still has that robust flavor you comes to expect from a tomato soup.
I ate it on its own…I dipped my sandwich into it. I, personally, loved it down to the last bit in my bowl. I cleaned it up as best I could and made a promise to get more of this kind as soon as I could. I never would have picked this one up on my own, as I tend to steer clear, though I don’t know why, of the classics. But this one came in my “Don’t Be A Gluten” gift basket of gluten-free goodness and wonder…and today just felt like a soup and sammie kind of day.
This soup…certainly hit the spot. If you love the classics, don’t overlook Pacific Natural Foods Organic Creamy Tomato Soup. It’s perfection and almost instant gratification. All you have to do is open the container, pour into a pan, heat, and enjoy. Let me tell you…it won’t get much better than this one.
Dave's Gourmet Organic Red Heirloom Tomato Pasta Sauce
Product: Dave’s Gourmet Organic Red Heirloom Pasta Sauce – $7.99+
You know…sometimes shelling out a few extra dollars for a quality product is well worth it. The most difficult part is justifying trying that product in the first place.
Luckily, my roommate and I familiarized ourselves with Dave’s Gourmet pasta sauces back when we found them on sale at our local natural foods store. Yes…these are quite pricey. But as we discovered after our first taste of the Butternut Squash pasta sauce…the flavors, texture, and taste all stand up for themselves. So yeah…the price tag…worth it.
With the epicness of the Butternut Squash pasta sauce still in our minds, we set out to try another one of Dave’s Gourmet pasta sauces. Why not? We were blown away by our first try. Why not tempt the foodie gods a little and give another flavor a go. The difficult part was deciding on what sauce to coat our spaghetti with.
We finally opted for the Organic Red Heirloom Pasta Sauce.
This time, the decision was to simply dress up some gluten-free rice noodles. Nothing fancy. No lasagna or stuffed shells. Nothing full of other flavors. We wanted to taste the simplicity. That’s the best way to tell the standard of a sauce. Eat it as it is meant to be.
And this sauce is nothing short of stunning. It has a very fresh taste that allows you to really get the hints of garlic, fresh herbs and, the star feature…the organic heirloom tomatoes. It has a very mild flavor to it and it isn’t heavy like the butternut squash version of Dave’s Gourmet sauces. This one is just a simple tomato sauce that is bursting with flavor. It’s light and pairs perfectly with a sprinkling of fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, gently sauced over simple pasta noodles. It’s not too thick and not too thin, but shows evidence of the bits of onion and tomato that are incorporated into it.
For a light tomato sauce to stand up on its own and really just wow you, there has to be something special about it. With a short list of ingredients, there doesn’t seem to be anything wow-worthy in this sauce. The fact of the matter is, Dave’s Gourmet is doing everything right with their sauces and something this simple to resonate on the palate speaks volumes.
Trust me, while it’s not always easy to justify the price tag for a product, when you find something that really stands up and smacks your taste buds around…then…it’s worth the extra cost. For me, Dave’s Gourmet is always worth a few extra dollars. It’s ramping up pasta to a new level…and it’s all in the sauce.
Dave's Gourmet Organic Red Heirloom Pasta Sauce over gluten-free elbow pasta
Me crossing the finish line at the Tomorrow's Children 5K Fun Run/Walk - Frankfort, Kentucky
Race: Tomorrow’s Children 5K Fun Run/Walk
Place: Frankfort, KY
Date: April 14, 2012
Time: 25:32
Races are supposed to be fun. No pressure. No expectations. Just get out there and run.
That being said…this was the first race I ever revisited to date…although it won’t be the last. Of course, this was also a race that I showed really well at the first time I ran it, so expectations were actually there. In my head. No one was putting them on me. But, I wanted to prove that I rightfully placed last year and the bad weather wasn’t the reason I won first in my division (30-39).
No pressure. That’s a joke.
I woke up that morning and got dressed for the race. It was going to be a perfect 54 degrees out at race time, so I was in my shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt…and opted for fun rainbow socks. I don’t know why. I was just feeling all Skittle-ish that morning, I suppose.
The drive to Frankfort always seems longer than it is. It’s not really all that far, but I didn’t eat breakfast at home. I saved my cereal for the ride and broke into it around 7:30 a.m. as we were heading into the Frankfort area. I didn’t want to eat too soon and risk being hungry during the race, but I didn’t want to eat too late either. As it was, I think I got the timing down perfectly.
The drive in got a bit stressful as my roommate never can quite remember where to go. I race in Frankfort often enough, but it seems she always turns too soon and we end up getting lost. This did happen. And then once we got turned around, the bridge we were supposed to take was closed. So we followed some detour signs, spotted some runners, parked the car on the street and found our way to packet pickup via “Eye of the Tiger” blaring up the streets of Frankfort via a stereo system.
I got my packet. Then got my number pinned on me…and went to use the bathroom once more before the race. As there was a pancake breakfast (not gluten-free…so sad!) afterwards, we had access to the church’s bathrooms (huzzah for plumbing). Then, it was time to stretch it out. And I really wanted to stretch well as my Achilles tendon on my left foot has been giving me troubles since my roommate accidentally stepped on it and did some minor damage. So stretching was very, very important that morning. My tendon was a little tender as it was so I wanted to warm it up without putting any strain on it. I’d be doing enough of that with the run.
And before I knew it, the runners were getting into the road to line up for the start. There was nothing really to indicate the start line, so one of the organizers got out there and waved her arms to indicate where we should line up. And so…we moved forward and took our spots. And somehow…I ended up where I never do…the front.
I went ahead and started my iPod because it would be one less thing to worry about as the race started. It was down low so I could talk to people if I wanted and could clearly hear the announcements. They had a prayer just before the race and then once the Frankfort police that were assisting gave the thumbs up…they got us on our marks, getting set…and we were off.
To say that I was up front for the entire thing is a stretch of the truth. Considering the winner finished 9 minutes before I did means that while I was up at the front, I was nowhere near the lead pack. Between the start of the race and mile one, which included a steep little hill, I was the second female within range. The only other one was just ahead of me and just after mile 1, I passed her…only to be passed by two other women running together. One I recognized as the overall winner of this exact race last year. As I came up toward the capital, the other woman I passed went by me on the uphill part as well as two other females, who I ended up passing and never saw again as soon as it leveled out. Damn, time to work on hill repeats. I have got to get stronger on those hills.
I passed up the other woman again on the downhill and managed to stay ahead of her heading into mile 2. At mile 2 I was even closing the gap on the two other women who were just ahead of me. I was struggling a little because I knew that I went out really fast on this race. I always tell myself not to, and to save it for the end, but I really got caught up in this one. Probably because I felt like I really had something to prove. Not to anyone else…but to myself. I felt good as I ran down the hill and headed back through the city toward the finish line. As I turned a corner, I could see the finish line clock and I did my best to pick up the speed…but I really just couldn’t.
My roommate was standing at the front of the finish, I could see her screaming, then hear her screaming, telling me to push, to dig, to go faster. The two women ahead of me crossed together. My roommate was pointing, flailing her hands, screaming at me to run faster. And I found out why a second before I crossed the finish line. That other woman, the one I battled back and forth with throughout the course, blew right past me and beat me to the finish line.
By one second.
I slowed and went through the finish gate, feeling…a mix of emotions really. The tag of my bib was torn off and I saw my roommate moving toward me. “Shit!” I said, despite being at a church. I wasn’t happy. Not at all. I had nothing left at the end and that was my undoing. The other woman, Heather Drake (a name I will never forget!), proceeded to move to the side and throw up. Well, at least I made her push hard enough to puke up her breakfast, right?
Shit.
Racing has never been about winning medals and placing for me. I do it because I love it. It means getting out to run with other people who love to run. The vibe, the atmosphere…it’s all just amazing. And it keeps me going back to races, no matter how short or how long. And it challenges me…pushes me to do better. But for some reason, being beat out at the last second by someone I passed and didn’t see again…stung. It really, really bothered me.
I languished for a moment on the sidewalk as I drank down a bottle of water. Then I remembered I never stopped my GPS watch, so now my time was all off. So I cussed again, threw a little fit, and then took a few deep breaths and reminded myself that this was supposed to be fun. My roommate helped with this too, telling me that I had a good race, that I ran well, and that while I still haven’t reached that elusive sub-25 minute goal, I ran well and finished. And she was right. Why was I being so petty? Was it because I had placed first in my division last year and just felt I needed to do it again for this race to mean something to me? Probably. But it was the wrong attitude to have.
After taking a moment to reflect on this, I stood up and went into the church bathroom to get changed out of my running clothes. I put one of my Icy-Hot patches on my tendon and headed up to the pancake breakfast, despite not being able to eat anything there. That was okay though, I had brunch plans back in Louisville, so I just sort of took a seat, put my foot up and waited for the awards ceremony to start.
Once people were given time to eat, the awards were handed out. For overall women, there was a tie for first (so it went first and second) and then Heather Drake (dammit!) took third overall.
One second.
Me with my medal for winning first in my age division (30-39) at the Tomorrow's Children 5K Fun Run/Walk - Frankfort, Kentucky
But I knew that this also meant that I had, in fact, defended my title, which was the original goal in the first place. My name was announced…first in my division, and I went to get my medal. I was happy. I really was. I would have been even if I had taken second or third. It was a good race for a good cause, and that was the important thing. Defending my title just put a little extra pressure on me that I probably didn’t need to carry with me…and in the future, I’ll remember that.
I was quite proud of myself for accomplishing my original goal. So, I was one second away from being one of the top female finishers overall. ONE SECOND! *cough* So, I didn’t set a new PR. What I did do, however, was run strong, run fast, and run well. In the future, I’ll pace myself better. I will save some push for the end. And one day…I’ll see the results of this. For now, I will call this a job well done and a race well run.
And I’m okay with that. Even that one second. Okay…maybe I’m not over that yet…but I will get there.
With all that being said, my official results of the Tomorrow’s Children 5K Fun Run/Walk are that I finished the race in 25:32. I was the I was 17/108 finishers overall and 4/42 women. And, of course, I finished 1/22 in my division. All that being said, it was a damn good race with damn good results.
Risotto is one of my most favorite things in this world. Honestly. It’s creamy and al dente all at once. And it’s rich and filling without being too heavy. Even better…it’s so versatile. You can dress it up however you like, add a variety of flavor combinations and proteins and settle in to enjoy a warm dish of something delish.
I admit, it can be labor intensive to make, but the end product is well worth all that stirring and reducing.
I found a simple Asparagus Risotto recipe on Simply Recipes and tweaked it to make it my own. What I ended up with was delicious, filling, and quite healthy. If you aren’t a fan of asparagus, try it with a vegetable that you adore. But…mmmm…asparagus.
1/2 cup dry white wine (or 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup water)
About 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock (or you can substitute some of the asparagus cooking water for stock)*
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper (I seasoned mine with sea salt and red pepper)
Directions:
Prepare the asparagus by breaking off and discarding the tough ends (about the last inch of the spear).
Cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (tips longer, base shorter). If your asparagus are especially large, cut into even smaller (bite-size) pieces.
Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath to shock the asparagus into a vibrant green color and to stop the cooking. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside.
In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.
While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
*(Note: the stock amount given is approximate. You may need a little more or less. If you end up needing more stock and you find yourself without, just use water or the cooking water from the asparagus).
Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 teaspoon butter, and the asparagus. Add salt and pepper (or, in my case, red pepper & red pepper flakes) to taste. Serve immediately.
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Here was the great thing about this risotto. While risotto is best on the day it is made, fresh from the pan itself, this reheated quite nicely the following evening. And once again, a delicious, healthy meal was at my fingertips. So, yes…it can be a bit time consuming to stand around in the kitchen and continually stir, but the end result is always worth it. Play around with it. Choose different vegetables. Season it however you wish. Dig in. Enjoy!
So…here’s the deal. Blue Diamond is the master of all things almond. Let’s face it. They put out the best almond milk, they are tops when it comes to their nut products, and they created Nut Thins, which I have a love-hate relationship with at times, finding some to be full of flavor and some to be quite bland.
So, I wasn’t sure what to think of Nut Chips when I spotted them at the grocery store. But, the fact of the matter was it was a crunchy product that was gluten-free that I haven’t tried yet. My roommate threw it into a cart and said I had to sample them…for the blog, of course.
Well, I can’t argue with that.
And this week brought about my chance to give these things a try. I dished out a serving (15 chips) to take to work with me. I love a good crunchy snack in the afternoon that will see me through until dinner time. I was hoping that these would do the trick. They look like a chip version of their Nut Thin counterparts…but here’s where they differ…
These are really, really delicious. I mean, filled with flavor. It has a chip-like texture that isn’t cardboard-like. And I found them to be rather amazing when all was snacked on and done. I loved the rich crunch, the just-the-right-amount of salt seasoning each wedge. I absolutely thinks these are amazing on their own, but would handle a dip really well.
Here is something else that intrigued me…these chips are baked, not fried. They have no saturated fat, no cholesterol, no MSG, and, naturally, no wheat or gluten. They are made from brown rice and almonds from California. The sea salt is added to bring out the crunchy flavor. And despite the fact that these are a chip, they are a rather healthy alternative to the real thing. One serving only has 130 calories and only 3.5g of fat. Can’t argue with that. Guilt-free, gluten-free yums.
I admit it. My friend Jenn and I totally Top Chef-ed this dinner. And here’s why. Gluten-free large pasta shells are not available in any store I have ever shopped in. Believe me…I have looked. You can get frozen gluten-free stuffed shells, but not just the noodles so you can make your own delicious food. And, honestly, when you can make something, why buy it frozen? However, Tinkyáda does make gluten-free rice pasta large shells, which I found on the internet and ordered.
Sadly…they did not make it to my friend Jenn’s in time. And Jenn had this fantastic recipe she found online, for a Three Cheese and Chicken Stuffed Shells dinner we had planned to make, sans chicken for my vegetarianism (or vegetinarianism as my roommate says). This was now a slight problem without our pasta base.
So, we improvise, adapt and overcome. One quick swing by a store and we were in possession of Tinkáda’s brown rice pasta small shells. The rest of the ingredients…we’d work with and make some kitchen magic happen. And that’s what we did.
Jenn got the original recipe online at Taste & Tell. And out of necessity, and my dietary needs, we put our own little spin on it. So, here is how we worked our magic…
Recipe: Gluten-Free Three Cheese “Deconstructed” Stuffed Shells
Gluten-Free Three Cheese "Deconstructed" Stuffed Shells
3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs (I used crusts from Rudi’s Gluten-Free Multigrain Bread and pulsed them in the food processor)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup spaghetti sauce
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water, then add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large bowl, ricotta cheese, 2 ounces of mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, bread crumbs, parsley and salt and pepper. Mix well.
Spray a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil (or non-stick spray…but we used olive oil…as it is gluten-free and the PAM is not) and cover the bottom of the dish with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Cover the sauce with the cooked noodles. Then, spread the cheese/breadcrumb mixture over the noodles. Cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top.
Bake in the preheated oven uncovered for 40 minutes; serve warm.
A helping of Gluten-Free Three Cheese "Deconstructed" Stuffed Shells with a Gluten-Free Cheddar Biscuit
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Let me tell you…for basically having to Quickfire Challenge this a la Top Chef…this was a delicious dinner. Very filling. Very yummy. It was like having a lasagna casserole. We devoured most of it and were quite happy with the way it turned out. So…stuffed shells these were not, but it was our own little take on a classic dish. And it worked. And it was delicious. And yes…I would totally make it again…in a heartbeat.
And, in case you were wondering, I left Jenn’s on Sunday and my large gluten-free pasta shells arrived on Monday. Figures. Well, this just means we can try the recipe as intended the next time I go to visit. I’m okay with that.
The Celiathlete 