Taste Guru

Last month I received a sample box from Taste Guru.  I had heard of Taste Guru but had never looked too much into it.  They send a monthly box of gluten free products right to your door.  According to their site:

At TasteGuru, we strive to find the best and most interesting new gluten free products.  In a typical box, we put 7-10 food items, including several full-sized items and a number of samples.  Included in the box is a chef-inspired recipe ... and we usually find space to put an extra little item or surprise in the box.

Every box is different - half the fun is getting the mystery box of goodies delivered to your door each month.

I can now attest to the fact that half the fun was finding out what was in the box of goodies. I was so excited to receive my box and look through all the different products.  I got the box from January (I know, I know, I'm late at posting again).  Inside was:

Lentil and Quinoa Chips from Simply 7

NoGii D'Lites Chocolate Bars

Boulder Granola

Oven Baked Organics Pancake Mix

Tabasco

Old School Grits

WOWBUTTER

Wyoming Authentic Jerky

Funny Face Cherry Cranberries

a copy of Delight Magazine

and some coupons

I really liked this because I got to try a lot of things I wouldn't necessarily have bought myself.  Some products I liked better than others, but either way I was glad to try it all.  They also include a card listing everything inside the box with some product info which was really helpful.

I also like that the box has funny sayings printed in it, such as "Gluten free food that doesn't taste like the box."

I would highly recommend Taste Guru.  It would also make an excellent gift... my birthday is April 25th - just sayin'.

Tres Pupusas

On the same day I received the cookie mix samples I received some coupons in the mail to try Tres Pupusas.  I decided to make a real night of it and have these for dinner and make the cookies for dessert.  I headed to my local Whole Foods and got two free boxes of Tres Pupusas.  I opted for Spinach & Cheese and Green Chile & Cheese.

According to their website, a pupusas is a Salvadoran "stuffed corn tortilla filled with delicious goodness".  Having sampled these myself, I can confirm this is true.  These are one of the very first products I have actually gone out and bought again on my own.  I just had the Spinach & Cheese for dinner with a side of veggies.

I bought the Spinach & Cheese for myself because I liked it the best, but I also tried the Green Chile & Cheese and it was very good.  They have three other varieties including: Pinto Bean & Cheese, Kale & Pinto Bean, and Black Bean & Sweet Corn.  The ones without cheese are not only gluten free but also vegan.

Tres Pupusas are available at several locations across the county.  I highly recommend them for a great snack or part of a meal.

Baking Mixes from Ardenne Farm

Last week I received a box of samples from Ardenne Farm.  Included was gluten free pancake mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, and chocolate cookie mix.  They arrived at my office and when I showed my coworkers they all agreed to help me taste test the cookies.

I went home that night and set to work making the cookies.  Regular cookies are so easy and fun to make I'm quick to judge cookies mixes, but these turned out fantastic.  They were very easy to make and came out great.  The chocolate chip cookies were soft and chewy, just how I like them.  The chocolate cookies turned out a bit flat and crisp, but I think that was my fault for having the butter too soft.  Either way, they tasted great.

I brought both kinds of cookies to work the next day and my coworkers were very happy with them.  They all exclaimed how good they were and that they couldn't even tell they were gluten free.  They devoured them within hours and were pretty upset when I didn't have more to bring in the next day.

I made the pancakes at home this weekend and was pleasantly surprised but how light and fluffy they were.  My GF pancakes always tend to come out really thin so it was a nice change.

They have a lot of other mixes including fudge brownies, sugar cookies, and blueberry muffins.  I would definitely recommend these mixes to anyone looking for some semi-homemade treats.  They can be found at select locations or online.