Ian's Allergy Friendly Products

I loved chicken nuggets as a kid so when I was approached by a rep from Ian's about trying some of their gluten free chicken nuggets I was more than happy to say yes.  I had never had a gluten free chicken nugget and was really excited to try them. They sent me three varieties: Smokin' Sweet BBQ Chicken Nuggets, Southwest Chicken Tenders, and regular Chicken Nuggets.  I was pleasantly surprised by all three and would definitely recommend them to kids and adults alike.

Ian's specializes in natural, allergy-friendly and gluten free frozen foods.  In addition to chicken nuggets they have things such as gluten free fish sticks, onion rings, french toast sticks, pizza, and more.  There is a very helpful search filter on their site to help you find food by different allergies (peanut, tree nut, soy, egg, casein, etc.) as well as by attribute (organic, GMO free, Kosher, vegan, vegetarian, etc).  The chicken they use is free range and vegetarian fed and their fish is wild-caught Alaskan Pollock.  I think Ian's is doing some really good work and I'm very happy to recommend them to you.

Greenview Kitchen's New Gluten Free Products

Last month someone from Giovanni reached out about trying their new Greenview Kitchen Organic Pasta Sauce, Pizza Sauce, and Bruschetta.  They recently received their gluten free certification and asked if I'd help spread the word.  They sent me their Roasted Garlic pasta sauce, Spicy Tomato pasta sauce, Pizza Sauce, and Bruschetta. So far I've only tried the sauces but I really enjoyed both of them.  The Roasted Garlic is a little bit sweet (in a good way) and the Spicy is a little bit spicy (not overwhelmingly so).  They have aided in some very easy dinners these last few weeks which has been super helpful as my job is busy and I was extra busy finding a new roommate (she moves in tomorrow)!

I haven't had a chance to try the pizza sauce or bruschetta yet but I'm looking forward to both.  They suggest putting the bruschetta over grilled chicken and I think that sounds like a great idea. Certified gluten free and organic?  What's not to like.

Dancing Deer Gluten Free Brownies

Last night around 7:30 my apartment buzzer went off with a delivery from UPS.  I thought it must be a package for my roommate but it turned out to be brownie samples for me!  I had just finished dinner and this was basically the best surprise delivery ever.

It wasn't a total surprise because a rep from Dancing Deer Baking Co. had reached out to me last week to see if I would like some samples of their new gluten free brownies and I provided him with my address, so, you know, they were going to come sometime.  Dancing Deer has been selling their baked goods at specialty stores and online for years.  They are now introducing a gluten free brownie and asked for my feedback and to let you good people know about them (provided I liked them of course).

Well, I did like them.  So much that I ate three within an hour of them being delivered.  I am not proud of this fact, although Dancing Deer should be.  When my roommate got home I told her she had to bring the rest to her office today so I wouldn't eat ALL of them myself.  She agreed, after eating one herself and also realizing they were too good to have around our apartment.

The gluten free brownies are made in a dedicated gluten and nut free facility so you can rest assured they are safe to eat.  They come in packages of four and are currently being introduced at retailers mostly in the Northeastern US, but can also be purchased online at the Dancing Deer website.  Not convinced quite yet? Well, not only are these brownies pretty damn good, but Dancing Deer donates a portion of their profits to charity, making them a really awesome company to support as well.

Ok, I'm off to the gym now.  Does one Shred class cancel out three gluten free brownies?

Sun Cups

I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  I'm going to go ahead and put them in my top two favorite candies, right behind Snickers.  But not everyone can eat peanuts and so far this post is just really rubbing that fact in their faces.  Enter Sun Cups!  All Sun Cups products are peanut free and gluten free.  To make this even sweeter, they are also soy free, tree nut free, certified Kosher, and all natural.  I was sent some samples recently and my roommate and I both really enjoyed them.  Not only do they have two flavors of sunflower butter cups, but they also have caramel and mint cups.  Each one has a funny name like "yummy in the tummy milk chocolate sunflower butter cups", "ooey-gooey goodness caramel cups", and "terrifically tingly mint cups".

The terrifically tingly mint cups are in fact terrifically tingly.  They are like a York Peppermint Patty but they aren't as sweet and you get two of them!  The caramel cups were really sweet and good.  I liked the milk and dark chocolate sunflower butter cups.  The chocolate shell is harder than a Reese's and they have a much nuttier flavor (i.e. more sunflower than sugar).

I would highly recommend all four flavors not only for folks that can't eat nuts, but for everyone.  They can be ordered online or found at stores around the county.

Canyon Bakehouse

The good people at Canyon Bakehouse reached out to me recently to see if I'd like to sample some of their products. You know I said yes.  They sent me their 7-Grain Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia, and Hot Dog Buns.

I wrote about their 7-Grain bread over two years ago and said it was the best gluten free bread I had tried. This holds true today.  Their 7-Grain bread is my favorite gluten free bread out there.  I've never been much of a cinnamon raisin bread gal but I've been enjoying their's recently with breakfast.  I turned the focaccia into stuffing for Friendsgiving yesterday and it worked well.  It's currently 25 degrees in NYC so I'm not anticipating hot dogs anytime soon, but I'm sure they are great as well.  I see from their site that they have a deli rye style bread.  I miss rye bread and will definitely be giving this a try.

Canyon Bakehouse's products are certified gluten free, kosher, 100% whole grain, as well as dairy, nut, and soy free. Thank you Canyon Bakehouse for such great gluten free products!

Trader Joe's Cupcakes

Photo stolen from here.

I went Trader Joe's yesterday for the first time in ages.  I forgot how amazing it is.  Minus the really long lines, which is a huge factor.  Almost a deal breaker for me.  But if you can deal with it then they have really great food.  They also have a lot of gluten free options.

I'm writing this post because I want to tell you about their gluten free cupcakes.  I had read about them online but hadn't really thought about them since.  Then I saw them in the store and they had my favorite flavor: chocolate with vanilla frosting.  I told myself I didn't need them.  I told myself I didn't even really want them.  And then I bought them anyway.  Classic me.

I got their Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting.  Guys, these are amazing.  Like almost some of the best gluten free cupcakes I have ever had.  Which says a lot because I have clearly had a lot of gluten free cupcakes in my day.  However, because they are prepacked cupcakes they have their nutrition facts on them.  Let me tell you, these cupcakes are REALLY bad for you.  Like, disgustingly bad.  But taste so good.  This is a real conundrum.  I'll let you make this important life decision on your own.

Goldbaum's

A few weeks ago I received a box of samples from Goldbaum's.  I have to admit I had never heard of Goldbaum's, but I was pleasantly surprised by the variety I received from them.  They sent me: fettuccine, french onion flatbread crisps, two flavors of quinoa crisps, onion & garlic pop potato chips, ice cream cones, and chow mein noodles.  Ice cream cones and chow mein noodles?  You guys are already the coolest.

Last weekend I worked the New York City Wine and Food Festival.  It was a really fun few days but also long hours and very hectic.  These Goldbaum snacks really saved me.  I brought the flatbread crisps for lunch with some cheese and let me tell you, these crackers are delicious.  I would definitely buy them.

I also really liked the multigrain quinoa crisps.  They are only 100 calories a bag and come in barbecue, sea salt, and onion & garlic.  They are prefect for on the go snacking.  They also have popped potato crisps if that's more your thing.  The brown rice fettuccine came in super handy for quick dinners.

It isn't exactly ice cream season in New York anymore, but I can't wait to try the ice cream cones.  And I'm really not sure when I'm going to use the chow mein noodles, but believe me, that will happen.

Thank you Goldbaum's.  This box of goodies was a very pleasant surprise.

Tate's Bake Shop

Tate's cookies have been sold at gourmet markets in the city for as long as I can remember.  Mostly, I remember because my brother loves them.  He's tall and very thin, yet he has been known to eat an entire package in one sitting.  I recently got to try Tate's because they introduced a gluten free line and I saw them at a market in Astoria.  They have chocolate chip cookies, double chocolate chip cookies, ginger zinger cookies, and brownies.  I tried the chocolate chip and they were delicious.  All are baked in a dedicated gluten free facility.  I hope to see the brownies around sometime because I'd love to try them!

Fruit Bliss

The latest product I was able to try was dried fruit from Fruit Bliss.  Fruit Bliss was founded on the basic principle of all natural, pure, and healthy snacking.  I love these products, especially the "on-the-go" size which were so convenient to take with me on the run and to keep at my desk for an afternoon snack.  Fruit Bliss has figs, plums, apricots, dates, and a fruit medley.  I love dried fruit, and I especially loved these.  They are soft dried, preservative free, and have no added sugar, making them an on the go snack I can feel good about.  Thanks Fruit Bliss!

tummy drops

Photo from enteralhealth.com

Have I mentioned how much I love trying new products?  I was recently approached about trying tummy drops from Enternal Health.  When the package arrived with ginger and peppermint drops I tried them both immediately and liked them.  They are kind of like cough drops but designed to help with upset stomachs.

Ginger tummy drops are meant to help with motion sickness, morning sickness, nausea, and general upset stomachs.  The peppermint drops are designed to help with cramps, bloating, nausea, and upset stomachs.  The ingredients are all natural, gluten free, kosher, fat free, and each drop only has 10 calories and 2 grams of sugar. They also taste great.

I was interested in seeing if they actually work but hadn't had a stomach ache since receiving them a few weeks ago.  My mom was in town visiting last weekend and she randomly said she was feeling nauseous.  I promptly told her about the tummy drops I had received and she opted to try the ginger.  Not only did she like it, but she said it actually helped.  When the nausea came back a few hours later she popped another one and was good.  I now keep some in my purse in case I, or someone I know, has a stomach ache, or if I need a little treat.

Sweet Christine's Bakery

Awhile back I received a box of samples from Sweet Christine's Bakery in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Summer is the crazy busy season at my job so I am quite late on writing this post.  In fact, things have been so busy that I haven't even been able to try everything I was sent!  In early August Sweet Christine's sent me: a loaf of bread, a baguette, 6 small pizza crusts, a cookie, and a brownie.  The day I received the package I immediately opened and shared the cookie and brownie with my stressed co-workers.  The brownie was good and as I sit here writing this I wish I had another (ignore the fact that it's 9 am).  The cookie had the taste and consistency of what I remember Chips Ahoy cookies tasting like, which isn't my preferred cookie, but for a prepackaged cookie is pretty good.

I must say I don't love the bread.  It is a bit sweeter than I like.  I haven't tried the baguette yet but it looks great and I'm keeping it in my freezer until I cook something worthy of serving it with (I'm imagining lasagna).  The pizza crusts are interesting because it says you can use them as pizza crusts, or as wraps or quesadillas.  It suggests to use a pizza stone or right on the oven rack versus on a baking sheet.  I don't have a pizza stone and I was weary of cooking them right on the rack so I opted not to try them as pizza crusts.  First I tried them as soft taco wrappers which didn't work so well, but as quesadillas I really liked them.  I don't think I've had any quesadillas since going gluten free and these were great.

Sweet Christine's has a storefront in Kennett Square, but after doing some research on their website they do so much more.  They are partnering with schools, colleges, and stadiums to get gluten free products available in places they traditionally aren't, which I think is great.

Tim Horton's Gluten Free Macaroons

They sent me this handy picture to show you

Having gone to school in Canada, Tim Horton's holds a special place in my heart.  There's nothing like a hot chocolate on a -40 degree day (I wish I was kidding about that temperature).  And who doesn't love timbits?  Timbits were actually on the menu the weekend I got so ill I knew I had to finally go to the doctor regarding my pesky chronic stomach aches.

I had long resigned to no more Tim Horton's treats in my life until I was contacted recently about their new gluten free coconut macaroons.  A small package arrived a few days later with a sample of the macaroons.  They come two in a two pack and are pre-wrapped to avoid cross contamination.  So far, they are winning.  They sent me some literature with the macaroons that informed me that not only are they available in all Tim Horton's locations, but they are only $1.29 per package.  This seems very reasonable to me.  They also tasted good. So, overall nice work Tim Horton's.

I've read some reviews that complain how unhealthy they are.  But come on, you are at a doughnut shop, what do you expect?  Low cal, all natural, organic macaroons?  If you are going into Tim Horton's in the first place you aren't there for a nutritious snack.  You are there for some delicious treats.  And now you can have a safe delicious treat along with the rest of 'em.

While I appreciate the gesture of a gluten free treat from Tim Horton's, I do have one complaint: they aren't timbits.  Dear Tim Horton's, please start working on gluten free glazed timbits.  Love, Anya.

Caesar's Pasta Review

I recently received some free samples of Caesar's Pasta.  Caesar's has been around for 42 years making frozen pasta dishes with high quality, all natural ingredients.   They recently introduced their gluten free line which includes lasagna, stuffed shells, ravioli, manicotti, gnocchi, and more.

I really loved the meat ravioli.  Ravioli is never high on my list of things I want to order at restaurants or make for dinner, but this ravioli was so good I would definitely buy it for myself.  I have only tried one other brand of gluten free ravioli and it completely fell apart while cooking and then got stuck to my strainer.  Caesar's gluten free ravioli not only tasted great, but it held up really well.

I like Caesar's not only because it tastes good, but also because their meat and cheese come from grass fed cows. Grass fed cows are happy cows.  Happy cows taste better.  It's a proven fact.

Next, I would like to try their gnocchi.  Give them a try and let me know what you think!

biPro Whey Protein

Last month the folks at biPro emailed me asking if I'd like to try their Whey Protein.  I like to try new things so they sent me a few samples.  biPro is unflavored, gluten free, carb free, sugar free, fat free, and lactose free.  It is 100% pure protein and doesn't have any added fillers.  I don't generally use protein powder in my day to day life, but two men in my life do.  I figured I'd give it a try and ask them to try it as well to get their expert opinions.

My man friend runs his own personal training company.  Not only does he train people, but he exercises a lot.  (I eat cookies a lot.)  He usually has a protein shake before he goes to the gym.  Here's what he thought of biPro:

"I think the product is good mainly because it's natural in comparison to similar products.  Other protein products are compounded with unnecessary ingredients that don't necessarily digest well.  Although I normally would rather a flavored brand of protein, this one mixes well with chocolate and fruit when making smoothies."

Because he usually just mixes protein powder with water quickly before the gym, he prefers when the powder has a taste.  Conversely, my dad has been searching for a protein powder that does not have a taste.  He had major surgery a year ago that has made it very difficult for him to gain weight (not a problem I am familiar with).  He is very particular and hates sweet drinks.  He has been drinking smoothies with protein powder as an afternoon snack and really dislikes the flavors of the protein powder sold in most stores.  biPro was a good find for him because it is unflavored and easy to digest on his post surgery body.

I love smoothies and decided to mix biPro with one I purchased by work.  I prefer all fruit smoothies rather than the addition of milk, yogurt, or ice cream.  However, I do like my smoothies a little thicker.  biPro thickened my smoothie without the addition of any fat or carbs.  What's not to like about that?

With my samples came a few different recipes for baking with biPro, all of which are gluten free.  I didn't get a chance to try any of them, but I think it's a cool idea.  Overall, I think biPro is a good product for whatever your whey protein needs may be.

Disclaimer - I did not pay for my samples of biPro.  However, everything I said here is true.

A Gluten Free Taste of Turkey - ebook review

Last Monday I got an email from Sibel Hodge asking if I'd like to review her cookbook: A Gluten Free Taste of Turkey.  My first thought was "heck yes".  My second thought was "...what is Turkish food?"  I didn't have to wonder for long because within a few hours I had a copy of Sibel's ebook.

Sibel has dual Turkish Cypriot and British nationality.  She started cooking gluten free for her husband who has Celiac.  I really enjoyed this little anecdote in her introduction about getting to know her husband:

‘I’m coeliac,’ he admitted sheepishly, just after I’d invited him round for dinner early on in our relationship.

‘Coeliac?’ I gave him an odd look, thinking he was trying to prepare me for some bizarre sexual quirk that sounded a bit dodgy.

Well, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, I can tell you, when he explained to me he had a disease that meant he was unable to eat gluten, not someone who wanted to dress up in lederhosen and be slapped with stinging nettles. Then I thought, unable to eat gluten? That must be really horrible, but how difficult can it be to cater for that? Well, not as easy as I first thought…

A Gluten Free Taste of Turkey is filled with funny little notes as well as a lot of great recipes.  It is broken into Meze, Soup, Salad, Egg Dishes, Pasta, Vegetable Dishes, Meat Dishes, Seafood, Dessert, Bread, and Drinks.  I like it because most of the recipes are naturally gluten free.

I couldn't decide on just one dish, so I made a Turkish feast (shout out to my boyfriend who eats everything I cook, even when I clearly have no idea what I'm doing).  I started with a yogurt and cucumber dip served with fresh veggies and individual corn bread.  I love yogurt dip as a dip, but also on main dishes like chicken and rice.  I'm so happy that now I know how to make it on my own.  The individual corn bread reminded me more of corn fritters than of what I would traditionally call corn bread.  But hey, who doesn't like a corn fritter?

I made two main dishes: Aubergine Bake and Chicken Casserole.  Aubergine is what we call eggplant in the US. According to Sibel, eggplants are eaten daily in one form or another in Turkey and North Cyprus.  I haven't cooked with eggplant in awhile so it seemed like a good opportunity.  Both of these recipes call for mozzarella melted on top.  How can you go wrong with melted cheese on top?  The answer is, you can't.

Other recipes I'd like to try include: Hummus, Sexy Cabbage, Bean Salad, and Beetroot Salad.

Overall I like this cookbook.  Sibel is funny and it's nice to have recipes on hand from a different type of cuisine.  A Gluten Free Taste of Turkey is available on Amazon for $4.99 and will be available in paperback soon.

Wow Baking Company

I was at LaGuardia Airport last week and came across some gluten free cookies from Wow Baking Company in the Cibo Express. They had individually packaged chocolate chip, peanut butter, ginger molasses, and snickerdoodle cookies. I had a hard time deciding between the chocolate chip and the peanut butter but finally went with the peanut butter because it looked so soft and chewy. It was really good.  Surprisingly good for a prepackaged cookie.

When I got home and looked this company up I found they use all natural ingredients with no hydrogenated oils or refined sugars. In addition to individually wrapped cookies they have bags of cookies, cookie dough, and cake mixes.

This was a great gluten free treat to find in the airport. My only problem with it was it was marked as being two servings. Who, besides my dad, eats half a cookie? Other than that, if you see these cookies in the airport, or elsewhere, I suggest you give them a try.

Joan's GF Great Bakes

I've been hearing about Joan's for a long time now but hadn't had the chance to try her products until recently.  Not only was I able to finally give her products a try, but I was able to meet Joan in person at Whole Foods a few weeks ago.  I was there for a book signing, but there were also a lot of gluten free vendors around the store giving out free samples.  Joan was one of them and Erin, the leader of the NYC Celiac Meetup Group and author of Gluten-Free Fun, told me I had to go try some of Joan's products.  I'm glad I did!

I sampled Joan's Corn Toaster Muffins, English Muffins, and Double Chocolate Muffins.  They were all amazing.  I ended up going home with the Corn Toaster Muffins and Multi Grain English Muffins.  The English muffins make a great addition to breakfast and the Corn Toasters are a nice evening treat.  Next I'd like to try Joan's pizza.

Not only were Joan's products really good, but she was very nice herself!  Overall, a winning combination.  Nice work Joan, and thanks for the great products!

4 Ingredients Gluten-Free Cookbook

I was at Whole Foods this week for a cooking demo and book signing by Kim McCosker of 4 Ingredients.  Kim McCosker and Rachael Bermingham started their cookbook series 4 Ingredients a little over 4 years ago.  The concept is simple: hundreds of recipes with four or less ingredients.  Recently, Kim and Rachael realized the need for a gluten free version and voila, here it is.

I love the concept of this book.  The recipes are pretty basic, but sometimes that's just what you need to get dinner going.  There are over 400 recipes in the gluten free version including condiments and dips, breakfasts, appetizers, light lunches, sides, mains, desserts, drinks, and recipes for kids.

It was fun to meet Kim at the event.  She was very nice, engaging, and gave lots of tips.  I was able to try her BBQ beef stir-fry, guacamole, chocolate covered marshmallows, and another dessert I don't remember the name of.  I'm looking forward to trying the Chicken Tikka Masala made with just chicken, tikka masala paste, condensed GF tomato sauce, and plain yogurt.

The only question I had in the book was about the ingredient gluten free self rising flour.  Apparently, this is something they have in Australia where Kim is from, but not really in the US.  When I asked her about it, she told me to just add a teaspoon of baking powder to a regular all purpose gluten free flour blend to make it "self rising".  Easy.

I've been in a bit of a cooking rut lately and I hope this book is just the jump start I need.

Genius Gluten Free Bread

I've heard a lot of hype recently about Genius Gluten Free bread.  Particularly their sliced white bread.  I've pretty much given up on eating gluten free bread, but I like to try new brands from time to time.  I saw the sliced white bread in Whole Foods today and decided to give it a try.

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but I did not like it.  It tasted like...nothing.  Not only did it taste like nothing, but the nothingness concealed the flavors of the sandwich contents.  Maybe I should have tried their brown bread instead since I like grainier breads these days, but there is something nice about a simple white loaf for sandwiches or toasted with some butter.

Has anyone else tried this bread or their other flavors?  Thoughts?

Cup4Cup

Developed by Chef Lena Kwak, with the support of Chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, Cup4Cup is designed to replace regular wheat flour "cup for cup" in gluten free baking.  With such prestigious people behind it, developed exclusively for Williams-Sonoma, and with the claim of doing everything wheat flour can do in most gluten free recipes, Cup4Cup has been getting a lot of attention recently.

Cup4Cup made it onto my Christmas wishlist but I couldn't wait until Christmas morning to open this gift. Cup4Cup is comprised of cornstarch, white rice flour, brown rice flour, milk powder, tapioca flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum.  A three pound bag will run you almost $20.  This is an awfully steep price to pay, but for all the hype I wanted to try it anyway.

With my three pounds of Cup4Cup I was able to make:

This banana bread.

These snickerdoodles.

And this corn bread.

All three turned out pretty well.  The banana bread and cornbread were a bit gummier than I'm used to my baked goods turning out.  I'm not sure if this was a result of the xanthan gum in the mixture, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.  My only other critique is the breads dried out within a day or two.  With a little butter in the toaster oven they were still good, though.  The snickerdoodles were perfect.  Overall I was pretty happy with Cup4Cup.  At $20 a bag I'm not sure I'll be using it in my everyday baking, but it is a good mix to have around and for those not as comfortable mixing flours in the kitchen.

Have you tried this?  Is it worth the money?  How'd your treats come out?