I recently received a big box of complimentary gluten-free sweets from Katz Gluten Free Bake Shoppe to sample and review on my blog.
Katz is a dedicated and certified gluten-free bakery (it is also completely nut-free and dairy-free), and all of their products are certified Kosher. Katz was established in 2006 by Mrs. Katz, the mother of two gluten-intolerant children, so she knows firsthand the challenges that parents of dietary-restricted children have to deal with everyday in order to keep our kiddos safe. You can read more about Katz here.
Katz Gluten Free offers a wide range of gluten-free, dairy-free baked goods, from breads (including challah), cakes, cookies, muffins and rugelech.
We personally sampled the Chocolate Cupcakes, Honey Muffins, Apricot Tarts, Chocolate Dipped Cookies, Chocolate Strip, Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Cinnamon Rugelech (the nutrition information is available for each product on the Katz website).
The hands down favorites of my clan were the Cinnamon Rugelech and the Apricot Tarts. Sam waged a great campaign for me to allow the rugelech as a breakfast option (since they look like “cinnamon rolls,” but unfortunately for him, mom didn’t just fall of the turnip truck, LOL!). 
My husband loved the Apricot Tarts, he said the slightly tart apricot center was a nice complement to the sweet shortbread-style cookie.
I wish I could give you a more descriptive review on the other products, but the only words my brood could muster were “mmm, good” (I really need to expand their vocabulary of descriptive words!). Personally, I can tell you that the products had great texture, but…I think it’s time I share something with you:
Medical Oddity Disclaimer: I haven’t mentioned this yet because I haven’t been quite sure what to make of it (and I keep expecting things to back to normal any day now!), but…I have been without my sense of taste for 3 months now! Not only that, everything tastes like metal (I think that’s how I would describe it), isn’t that weird? I have no idea why (I do know that it started with a sinus infection back in June), but it makes doing reviews a little challenging for me because I can only tell you about texture and what my “official taste testers” think!
Would you like to try some of the Katz Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free products for yourself? Well, you are in luck because you have TWO opportunities to win some Katz Dollars which are redeemable towards products on the Katz Gluten Free website!
For a chance to win $100 Katz Dollars, simply visit the special Katz web page and enter the drawing. The deadline is September 13th, 2010.
Katz Gluten-Free is also generously offering:
- One of my lucky readers a chance to win $25 Katz Dollars to spend towards products on their website,
and
- One runner up will receive a FREE sample package of Katz goodies!
To enter this giveaway:
Simply leave a comment below letting me know which Katz product you would most like to try!
For bonus entry opportunities (just be sure to leave a separate comment for each additional bonus entry you qualify for, this is how I keep track of entries…I don’t want to accidentally miss anyone!):
- Follow katzglutenfree on Twitter
- Follow Adventuresgfmom on Twitter
- “Like” Katz Gluten-Free on Facebook
- “Like” Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom on Facebook
- For 10 Bajillion Bonus Entries…Tell me how I can get my sense of taste back (pretty please)!
Using the Random Number Generator, I will pick the winners on Tuesday, September 7, 2010.
Good Luck and I hope everyone has a happy and safe gluten-free Labor Day weekend!
I recently returned home from a fantastic weekend in Seattle, where I attended the International Food Bloggers Conference. The conference was co-hosted by Foodista and Zephyr Adventures, and while there were many great moments over the weekend, I will just share a few of my personal highlights today (sorry this is going up so late, I have been feeling a bit under the weather since returning home).
First, a funny story. As Kim, (of Cook It Allergy Free) and I were checking in at the Hotel Monaco, in walked Diane (of The W.H.O.L.E. Gang) and Shirley (of Gluten Free Easily) from an afternoon of shopping. Diane immediately queried, “Heidi?” to which I obviously responded and after a big round of group hugs, I asked Diane how she knew it was me. Can you guess what gave me away? Yep, my hair, LOL!
Anyhoo, on Friday afternoon, the gluten-free bloggers met up at the Flying Apron Bakery for a little “meet and greet” over some delicious gluten-free and vegan food.
I ordered the gluten-free and vegan vegetable pizza (below photo, far left) and it actually surprised me by how wonderful it was. It is not the type of pizza that most Americans think of when it comes to pizza: those of the greasy, cheesy, pepperoni, artery-clogging variety. Instead, this pizza was more like a tart; with a flaky crust filled with scrumptious organic, seasonal vegetables on top of organic tomato sauce and seasoned with just the right amount of sea salt to heighten the natural flavors of the vegetables. No cheese necessary. In fact, I think cheese would have taken away from the festival of flavors that my mouth was rejoicing over!
The middle photo (above) was Kim’s gluten-free and vegan macaroni and cheese (you can see a better photo on her blog). I tried it and could not tell is was vegan (we were all sampling each others food…just because we could!). I am not sure of the ingredients, but I would LOVE to find out so I can make something similar for Luke now that he is dairy/casein-free (sadly, the recipe is not in the Flying Apron cookbook).
The gluten-free and vegan cookies (above photo, far right) were Shirley’s (can I tell you a secret? Each time Shirley turned her head, I stole a bite of her pumpkin chocolate chip cookie! Shhh…).
If you are gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free and plan on visiting the Seattle area, I definitely recommend the Flying Apron Bakery!
Before heading back to the hotel for the conference registration and opening reception, Shauna and Danny Ahern, (a.k.a. Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, not that they need an introduction), surprised us with a glimpse of their soon-to-be-released cookbook, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: A Love Story Filled with 100 Tempting Recipes. If you haven’t done so already, you simply have to watch the video promo for their cookbook, it still gives me goosebumps when I watch it! You can also pre-order the cookbook on Amazon and trust me, you will want to add this to your collection, if only for their gluten-free bread recipe (which I will tell you about in a minute).
Friday evening at the opening reception, we were treated to a fantastic spread of food and drink (it was a “mom’s weekend off” afterall!) featuring products by conference sponsors such as Pom Wonderful (have you ever had a Pomtini?), Theo Chocolate, Tonnino Tuna, Chateau Ste Michelle and many more; you can read more about all the sponsors here. All of the conference attendees received a generous gift bag filled with all sorts of cooking loot, courtesy of Sur La Table. I will be sharing some of my trinkets in an upcoming giveaway, and will also be including a signed copy of Shauna Ahern’s book, Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found The Food That Loves Me Back…And How You Can Too. Be sure to subscribe to my blog, so you don’t miss the details!
I also want to extend a BIG THANK YOU to Udi’s for providing us with their lip smacking gluten-free muffins for breakfast each day. If it weren’t for Udi’s, there would have been a bunch of hungry GF Bloggers walking around! I tweeted a thank you to Udi’s, using the conference hashtag, #IFBC, and as you can see below, all of our #IFBC Tweets were streaming onto the big screen (I hope Udi’s isn’t shy about a little PDA, I went a bit overboard with my affection)!
The featured speaker Friday evening was none other than Morgan Spurlock, the Academy Award Nominee for his documentary Supersize Me. In case you are new to my blog, I went through a “she’s come undone” phase last winter, after watching Supersize Me and several other “do you really know what’s in your food” documentaries.
I will always be grateful for what Morgan Spurlock and Michael Pollan dared to show in their films. Not only did those films make me take a good hard look at the way I personally viewed food, they released me from my once terribly obsessive “mommy guilt” for having passed on my gluten sensitivity genes to my children.
*Just in case you are wondering, no, I no longer feel that way. I believe that celiac is a condition, not a disease. I believe it is the condition of an amazing immune system that is screaming out for us to quit eating foods that our bodies were never designed to eat in the first place.
My greatest hope is that my children will now be able to live a much healthier and happier life than I have, all because we became aware so early in their young lives. We caught it before the gluten-related chronic health problems set in, as well as the plethora of other health consequences that stem from eating the typical daily western diet, filled with highly processed, high fat, high sugar, high salt, artificially colored, artificially flavored, chemical preservative laden “faux” foods.
I still need to further refine our diets to exclude the gluten-free processed foods that we eat on occasion (and can be just as unhealthy as gluten-containing processed foods), but at least we are on the right path. Anyhoo, I digress.
Morgan Spurlock really has a great way of catching one’s attention. He shares his message with the appropriate amount of frustration, softened with a healthy dose of laughter. He doesn’t make you feel like an idiot (although it’s hard not to feel like one once you become painfully and personally aware of the consequences of eating a lifetime of crap), and his message does make you think!
Moving along…
Another gluten-free highlight from Friday evening was when it came time to announce the winners for the upcoming Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook. Cinde, from Gluten-Free Taste of Home was one of the winners and will have her recipe published in the cookbook which is due out in October. WOO-HOO!!! Congratulations Cinde, I’m absolutely THRILLED for you!!
On Sunday, the gluten-free bloggers were treated to a scrumptious luncheon by Shauna and her husband, Danny! They made several recipes from their new cookbook for us to try:
Arugula Fig Salad with Blue Cheese and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette (above).
Do you see this gluten-free bread? Did I get my camera close enough for you to visualize the perfectly chewy crust and the melt-in-your-mouth moist crumb? Now close your eyes and imagine being in your grandmother’s kitchen, taking in the unmistakable aroma of fresh baked bread, can you imagine it? Well my friends, go ahead and pull out the dairy-free buttery spread, because this is not a dream! The recipe will be in Shauna and Danny’s cookbook!
Corn/Quinoa Pasta with Anchovies, Olives, and Lemons, topped with Seared Prosciutto-Wrapped Salmon (above).
Blackberry and Peach Crumble (above).
The food was delectable and we all ate to our hearts delight. Shauna and Danny’s bread was without a doubt the best gluten-free bread I have ever had. I found myself shoving slices into my pockets (in addition to those that were already in my hands and mouth!), just so I could extend the joy for a few hours longer! A little bonus for those of you who cannot eat rice…Shauna tweaked her bread recipe to be rice-free so another blogger could enjoy it too!
I managed to snag a few photo ops with several of my favorite gluten-free bloggers, but darn it if I didn’t manage to get one with everybody!
Carol, from Simply…Gluten Free is just as sweet as can be, and she has a cookbook coming out too (did you know Carol’s sister is a steamy romance author?).
Melissa, from Gluten Free For Good, had me entranced with her knowledge of nutrition and exercise. In fact, she’s convinced me to seek out a yoga class in hopes of helping me relax and reduce my stress levels (which will go a long way in helping my body fight all its ailments, and help me cope with my upcoming recurring phlebotomies, ick!).
Diane, from The W.H.O.L.E. Gang, knocked my socks off. I’m really not convinced she’s human, but rather an iPhone in disguise (I really wanted to take her home with me so she can organize my crazy life)!
Dr. Jean Layton, of Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes, is a naturopathic physician and chef. Jean shared packets of her gluten-free sourdough bread starter packets with all of us and I am looking forward to trying it soon.
Then of course there’s Kim, from Cook It Allergy Free. Can you believe this was my second time meeting her and my second time forgetting to get a picture with her?
I also met a few other amazing women and I am excited to get to know them better.
I met Emily while we were standing in line for the “Royal Restroom,” (a.k.a., a really nice port-a-potty, LOL! I realize that was probably TMI, but you have to admit it’s kinda funny!). Emily is a holistic health and nutrition counselor and her website is called CoreWisdomWellness.com. Emily is also gluten-free and you can read more about her here.
Bernice is the author of Wheatless and Meatless, and I am looking forward to exploring her blog for more gluten-free and vegetarian meal ideas, especially now that I am on a low-iron diet and have drastically reduced my meat consumption!
I also met another food blogger, Susan, from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. Susan was really nice and she has a clever wit about her that will leave you in stitches! Although Susan’s blog is not gluten-free, she has a lot of wonderful looking recipes that can be easily tweaked to be gluten-free! The first recipe I plan to do a gluten-free makeover on? Susan’s Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes…WOW!
Shirley (Gluten Free Easily) and me (left). If you’ve been reading my blog for long, then I think you know how much I love me some Shirley! Shirley really surprised me though, she is much more quiet in person than I had imagined she would be. We always tease each other about who writes the longest blog posts, so I naturally assumed she was a jabberwocky like I am! Nope, not at all…unless she was just too distracted by my hair to collect her thoughts!
Jeanne (Four Chickens) and me (right). While I was really excited to meet Jeanne, my 6 year old was beside himself that I was going to meet “THE Four Chickens gluten-free doughnut fairy!” Yes, that is how Jeanne is referred to in our household after we discovered her recipe for gluten-free doughnuts! If you feel so inclined, you can read my post about Jeanne’s doughnuts here.
Alexa (Lexie’s Kitchen) and me (left). Lexie is super sweet (and really tall)!
Wendy (Celiacs in the House) and me (right). Wendy is hysterical, and she turned me on to a new hobby: photographing feet! Do you ever think to look down when you are out and about? There is a whole world of fascinating shoes that I never noticed before, LOL! Can you guess which feet belong to which blogger in Wendy’s IFBC post??
Carrie (Ginger Lemon Girl), Shirley and me (above). Carrie is an absolute doll and I can’t wait to get to know her better in the blogiverse!
So glad I remained cool, calm and collected around Shauna…geesh, you really can’t take me anywhere, LOL!
I’ve decided to take a time management shortcut and share the links to my blogger bud’s posts about the conference, which offer great detail on everything from the conference sessions (Melissa has a great breakdown in her post about the (life-altering) photography session featuring none other than Penny De Los Santos. Penny is an award-winning documentary photographer and her work has been featured in National Geographic, Time, Saveur, and more).
Carrie from Ginger Lemon Girl shared her experience about the conference sessions, and sightseeing around Seattle with her husband, Michael.
Melissa from Gluten Free For Good also wrote a great (and funny!) post about the conference (you have to check out Melissa’s picture of THE SHOES, they launched my new-found fascination with foot photography)! 
Kim from Cook IT Allergy Free, shared her experience at the conference in two posts Take 1 and Take 2.
Wendy from Celiacs in the House, shared her experience on the conference here and here.
Lexie from Lexie’s Kitchen shared here experience here.
Dr. Jean Layton from Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes shared hers here.
Stephanie from Wasabimon shared a brief bit here. I did not get the chance to talk with Stephanie but I love her blog, especially her breath taking photographs (my soon-to-be 7 year old LOVES the photo titled, “Storm Troopers and Cupcake”).
Bernice from Wheatless and Meatless did a post highlighting Wheatless in Seattle, the Seattle bakery that made the delectable gluten-free meals for us.
I am really excited to finally be participating in my first “Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger” event!
The Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger program was started by Sea of Book of Yum, in 2008. This is a great way to get to know gluten-free bloggers by trying some of their recipes!
August’s Adopt a GF Blogger is being hosted by my dear friend, Shirley of Gluten Free Easily (and I get to meet her in person tomorrow, yea!!!!). Be sure to visit Shirley’s blog to find out about other fun adoptions and/or to sign up and participate (you do not have to be a blogger to join in on the fun)!
I decided to pick Alexa from Lexie’s Kitchen for my first official “adoption!”
I was first introduced to Lexie’s Kitchen by another great gluten-free blogger buddy of mine, Maggie of She Let Them Eat Cake (love me some Maggie!). Maggie “adopted” Alexa back in June, and you can check out her post here.
Let me just say, Alexa “had me at homemade deodorant!” Ever since I saw that post, I have had a great time getting to “know” Alexa better (and I get to meet her in person tomorrow too!).
Just like with our family, Alexa’s son Miles was the catalyst for changing the way her family eats. Miles had been suffering from hypotonia, gross motor/speech delays and chronic diarrhea when she decided to take matters into her own hands and help restore her son’s neurological and intestinal health through nutrition (you go mama bear!). You can read more about Alexa’s journey here, it is a touching story and quite inspirational!
Alexa’s recipes are all gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free, so she has been quite helpful to me as I learn the ins-and-outs of cooking dairy-free for my youngest son.
I wanted to make more of Alexa’s recipes, but I ran out of time with all the back-to-school craziness going on. I settled on a lovely Cinnamon Pomegranate Glaze and used it to accompany a pan-fried pork chop and mashed yams (this was the first time I ever had a true “yam,” they are actually quite different from sweet potatoes):
The cinnamon pomegranate glaze is so good that I had trouble keeping my brood away while I was taking my photos. Sam (God love him), got a hold of the squeeze bottle containing the glaze and proceeded to drink it straight up (which is why the first photo is lacking in the glaze department and I had to remake it for the second photo!
The other recipe I made of Alexa’s (actually, it would fall into the “not-really a recipe” category and it is a GREAT lunchbox snack!) were the Justin Nut Butter on Apples. I happen to have quite a bit of Justin’s Chocolate Peanut Butter on hand because it is one of Luke’s favorite treats (and it is dairy-free!). I decided to make a naturally gluten-free, dairy-free (and dye-free) healthy alternative to those damn Goldfish crackers. So without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to…
the ANTI-Goldfish Cracker!
These are definitely addictive! I will offer a few tips on making them though:
- Use a metal cookie cutter, they are sharper and make a clean cut than plastic cookie cutters.
- When I make apples slices for the boys, I do a 5 minute dip in an ascorbic acid and water solution to prevent the apples from turning brown. (I follow this guideline for approximate measurements).
- The nut butter will fall out of the cookie cutter imprint, so for each apple snack, I cut the shape out of one slice (and fill with the nut butter) then I lay the decorated slice on top of a whole apple slice (kind of like a cracker base).
Alexa has a lot of other great looking recipes that I plan on making when I return from Seattle, check these out:
Quick Strawberry Rhubarb (and red beet) Syrup
Saturday Pancakes (these would be fantastic to make ahead and freeze for those frenzied school mornings!).
Pirate Smoothie (the name alone will get my boys interested!)
Frozen Mounds of Refried Beans (I do this with mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes and it works great, I call them “eventually instant mashed potatoes!”).
Did you see any particular recipe’s on Lexie’s Kitchen that piqued your interest?
The past two days have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for me as I’ve been preparing to set Luke up with a safe environment at preschool. Preschool is a dietary-restricted parent’s worst nightmare! Gluten and food allergens are EVERYWHERE and not just in the popular processed kid fare department (have I told you lately how much I hate Goldfish crackers??).
After meeting Luke’s WONDERFUL new teacher yesterday, I found myself on a desperate scavenger hunt looking for:
- A gallon of Elmer’s Glue (one needs the gallon size for frequent “flubber” making and his school does not use Elmer’s glue, which I know is gluten-free. I haven’t heard back from the company that makes the School Smart brand of art supplies yet, but I will let you know the gluten-free status when I do),
- 400 Gazillion pounds of cheap rice flour (so I can make gluten-free, dairy-free play dough for the class),
and…
- Frantically looking for a case of not too hideously expensive gluten-free oats for the “tactile stimulation table.”
$@*#! WHY DO THEY HAVE TO PUT GLUTEN IN EVERYTHING?!
*sigh*
Thank you for allowing me to get that off my chest, I feel much better now and I am ready to move forward with a smile on my face!
The following recipe for dill dip is the one my mom made while I was growing up and even though it is naturally gluten-free, I tweaked it anyway to make it healthier (my husband is beginning to fear that I might “tweak” him next…and I just might at the rate I’m going!).
I also make a dairy-free version of this dip for Luke, subbing out the sour cream with So Delicious plain coconut milk yogurt. The dairy-free version is sweeter tasting than the dairy version, but that’s just the nature of the beast. Luke likes it and that’s all that really matters, right?
Dill Dip
3/4 cup Sour Cream (I now use Fage Fat-Free Plain Greek Yogurt which has 20 grams of protein per 8-oz. serving and is certified gluten-free).
3/4 cup Mayonnaise (I use a low-fat olive oil mayo, which has less than half the fat of regular mayo).
2 tsp. Dried Parsley Flakes
1 Tbs. Fresh Minced Onion
1 tsp. Seasoned Salt (Lawry’s is gluten-free, or you can make your own)
1 1/2 tsp. Dried Dill Weed (I grew up using dried dill weed, but just this summer I discovered that fresh dill is DEFINITELY the way to go! Dried dill really doesn’t have any taste whatsoever compared to fresh dill).
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight until the flavors develop.
- Serve with your favorite fresh-cut raw veggies and enjoy!
Serve with your favorite funny veggies!
The boys got a kick out of purple bell peppers this summer, Sam even developed an affinity for raw purple cauliflower (and the answer is no, Luke did not eat the purple cauliflower…he hid it in his underwear. Imagine my surprise during a potty training session)!
Whoever said fruits and veggies are boring, must never have been to a farmer’s market!
A few other things:
- Kim from Cook It Allergy Free is doing a giveaway for Ricki Heller’s (of Diet, Dessert and Dogs) new cookbook, “Sweet Freedom,” which is filled with recipes for wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free and refined-sugar free treats! Did you know that Sweet Freedom is one of Ellen Degeneres’s recommended cookbooks?
- Have you joined Dr. Rodney Ford’s new Facebook group, “Gluten Free Planet” yet? Come on, join the movement with me!
- Cybele Pascal shared her recipe for Vegan and Soy-Free Chocolate Pudding on WholeLiving.com (Cybele’s recipe is also peanut and tree-nut free, unlike the recent recipe I shared using MimicCreme). Woo-Hoo! Chocolate pudding for everyone!
- Lastly, I am so unbelievably excited for a “mom’s weekend off” field trip that I am about to go on this Friday. I will be heading to Seattle to attend the International Food Bloggers Conference!
The best part for me is that many of my gluten-free blogging heroes will be there too, including a certain Gluten Free Girl and her Chef!!! As if that weren’t enough, on Sunday, Shauna and Danny will be preparing a delicious gluten-free meal for all the GF bloggers that are attending!!!!! I mean really, is that an opportunity of a lifetime or what?!
Want to know who else is going to be there?
Shirley from Gluten Free Easily
Jeanne from Four Chickens
Kim from Cook It Allergy Free
Diane from The W.H.O.L.E. Gang
Carrie from Ginger Lemon Girl
Carol from Simply Gluten Free
Dr. Jean Layton from Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes
Wendy from Celiacs in the House
Melissa from Gluten Free For Good
Alexa from Lexie’s Kitchen
Karen from Cook4Seasons
Ali from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
Now, if only I can keep myself from being a total groupie…I better pack some paper bags in case I hyperventilate when I meet these phenomenal women (they are pretty much the equivalent of rock stars to me).
I will do a blog post giving you all the fun details and photos as soon as I return; but while I’m there, I will be sharing frequent updates on my Facebook page and on Twitter, so you will have to “Like” me and/or “Follow” me if you want to find out sooner if I make an *$$ out of myself!
Okay, let’s just address this upfront. “Say whaaa?“
Well, there is a very big NEED for gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free cheese slices and I can’t seem find a commercial one anywhere! I got excited the other day when I found some “cheese” that looked like it would fit the bill perfectly BUT then (there’s always a but, isn’t there?), I flipped it over and read the ingredient label: casein (milk protein):
Is it just me, or does that make about as much sense as adding gluten to rice bread??
So, since Luke recently tested positive for anti-casein antibodies, I’ve now found myself seemingly back at square one, just like when I was handed my celiac walking papers 5 years ago and having no idea what I would be eating for the rest of my life (only with a much better attitude!).
Most things are easily tweaked to be dairy-free, well, everything except cheese! Add to that dilemma, I try to avoid soy at all costs (not because of an allergy, but because my mom is a breast cancer survivor and any added estrogen freaks me out).
Luke’s new preschool also has strict guidelines for snack time, and each snack has to be low in sugar and contain a protein. While I think this is great, their primary suggestion was cheese. I am thankful that he does not go to a peanut/tree-nut free school, because I would not have all the nut butters to fall back on and while I have a great homemade beef jerky recipe, I’d rather not send meat for every snack!
Enter my life motto: “where there is a will, there must be a way,” (it’s just a matter of finding it)!
When I stumbled across an out-of-print cookbook on Amazon called “Make Your Own Convenience Foods“ by Don and Joan German, I just had to order it. The tag line of the book is “How to make chemical-free foods that are fast, simple and economical.”
The cookbook is something of a “Back to the Future” time capsule and politically correct, it is not!
I suppose we would fall into the “invalid” group, LOL!
This cookbook has all sorts of crazy recipes that can be easily tweaked to fit one’s particular dietary restrictions. There are recipes for “Gee Whiz,” (Cheez Whiz), bologna, “Lecithin Pan Coating,” which is a non-stick spray, so you could make your own non-stick spray with Sunflower Lecithin (instead of soy) AND…
There is even a recipe for “Extended Butter” which I presume is a margarine. So for folks that are corn-free (but not dairy-free), you can easily make your own corn-free buttery spread! I am curious if it would work to sub the butter called for in the recipe with palm shortening and just add some butter extract/flavoring to it (assuming it’s corn-free) for a dairy-free and corn-free buttery spread??
This cookbook is the perfect example of why I affectionately call myself a “glutadoodle!” Living a healthy, dietary-restricted life in a world of processed food can make one a little wacky (in a good way, mind you), so why not embrace it and have some fun?
Okay, before I share the recipe there are a few things I need to mention, because I think this recipe still needs some tweaking (and I could use some help)!
- While my tweaks make it dairy-free, it is not vegan because of the gelatin. I am wondering if pectin would work, but I fear that the “cheese” may end up with a fruity aftertaste. I was also thinking that agar might be a good alternative, or even xanthan gum (I used this as a substitute for gelatin in a recipe for corn-free marshmallows last January. I found the idea to use xanthan gum in a super cool downloadable (and free) e-book called “Texture-A Hydrocolloid Recipe Collection,” I definitely encourage you to check it out and tap into your inner “food scientist!”).
- I subbed the instant non-fat powdered milk with powdered rice milk and it did lend a slightly sweet taste to the end product. I can’t seem to find a dairy-free/casein-free powdered milk that is not sweet. I am wondering if there is something else that would work instead, maybe even just replacing the powdered milk and water altogether (and just using a very hot dairy-free milk instead?), or replacing it with a gluten-free flour/starch (since I am not a chemist, I have no idea what purpose the powdered milk serves. If I knew, that would help narrow down the potential substitutes!).
- The “processed” dairy-free cheese turned out on the soft side, not really like American cheese slices or even Velveeta. The consistency reminded me more of a cheddar cheese spread, like Kraft’s Old English, which is okay, because having something to spread on a cracker is much easier and less messy than sprinkling on some Daiya vegan shreds (I am really hoping that a sliced cheese is next on Daiya’s “to-do” list!).
I will share the original recipe with my dairy-free tweaks next to it (the recipe is for a 2-lb. bar of cheese, so I only made 1/3 of it just in case it bombed; Daiya is not cheap!) so experiment away (and if you figure out a way to improve it, please let me know)!
If you are not dairy-free, but are dye-free, you could just follow the original recipe and use white cheddar cheese to make a food coloring free Velveeta-style cheese!
American Cheese
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. Grated Mild Cheddar Cheese (I used 8-oz. of Daiya Cheddar Shreds)
1 1/2 cups Very Hot Water (I used 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs. Instant Nonfat Dry Milk (I used 3 Tbs. Powdered Rice Milk)
1/2 Envelope Unflavored Gelatin (1 1/2 tsp.) (I used 1/2 tsp.)
Directions:
Because your blender will not handle all of the ingredients at once (a Vitamix will hold all of the ingredients but they weren’t around in 1978!), make the cheese according to the following directions:
- In a blender or food processor put 1/2 cup very hot water, 3 Tbs. Instant nonfat dry milk and 1/2 tsp. gelatin.
- Whip until the gelatin is dissolved.
- Quickly add 1/2 pound of the grated cheese and blend until well combined.
- Pour into an 8 x 4 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan that has been lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper (since I made a smaller batch, I used a mini loaf pan).
- Repeat this process two more times, until all of the ingredients have been used and the loaf pan is filled.
- Cover the pan with more plastic wrap and chill overnight before unmolding. Keep cold and slice as needed.
Like I said, the recipe could still use some tweaking (for dairy-free and vegan), but I figured I would go ahead and share the recipe, so we could make this a collaborative project! If you find something that works really well, please let me know and I will update this post (or if you are a blogger and post the recipe with your tweaks, let me know and I will link up to you from here)!
Glutadoodles Unite!
Yeah, I am definitely off my rocker…
Dr. Rodney Ford has a few new videos posted on his YouTube channel and I want to share them with you! The first video had me in stitches, Dr. Ford has a fantastic funny bone! What made the first video even funnier for me is the fact that my dad is from Minnesota, so I know the poisonous grain capital quite well!
The third video was especially moving for me, because Dr. Ford talks about some of the “atypical” symptoms of the celiac condition. The little blonde girl about halfway through the third video was me (not really me, but you know what I mean). One of my primary medical specialists growing up was a dermatologist, not a gastroenterologist.
I was diagnosed with everything from ezcema to psoraisis, but never dermatitis herpetiformis (maybe that was because I had an extremely mild and erratic presentation of it, at least compared to the photos I’ve seen online?) The tiny little blisters that appeared on my knees in the summer months (yep, my DH rash was seasonal and coincided with my summer chore of mowing my parents lawn!), didn’t stick around long because I would scratch them. My allergist and my dermatologist both dismissed it as a reaction to my grass allergy. The following is the only picture I have, and it is of my knee from 3 or 4 years ago. At the time, this had been my worst “outbreak” in the 17 years I had been dealing with dermatitis herpetiformis. I never experienced the severity of many of the photos I have seen of dermatitis herpetiformis online, so I want to show what mine looked like by comparison (click on the link below for Dermatitis Herpetiformis to see a contrasting photo).
Over the past several months, I have been acquiring many of my pediatric medical records, trying to put the pieces of my gluten sensitivity puzzle together. I strongly believe that I have had celiac disease at least since I was about the age of 12, maybe even as early as age 3 or 4; but I was not diagnosed with it until I was almost 31.
Now, at the age of 36, I am paying the price for the ignorance of my childhood physicians. I have celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis, Graves’ disease, I’ve entered into early menopause and now, I am battling iron overload (not sure yet if it is due to hereditary hemochromotosis or if there is another underlying cause, but I will tell you what, I’m scared).
**I haven’t found much on the link between celiac disease and hemochromotosis , but Jefferson Adams made mention of it in an article on celiac.com. I would like to learn more because the main problem I always hear/read about is iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in people with gluten sensitivity, not iron overload.**
I wish I was as lucky as the little girl in the 3rd video, to have had a doctor like Dr. Ford, who didn’t just treat my atypical symptoms; but tested me for the underlying cause of them. It brings me to tears to think of how different my life and my health would be today, if they had only known about the silent monster that resided within.
Speaking of which, The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center will be holding their annual FREE celiac screening on Saturday, October 9th, 2010.
You are eligible for the Blood Screening if:
- You have a close family member that has celiac disease or Type-1 diabetes;
- You have Down Syndrome;
- You have a related autoimmune condition such as, rheumatoid arthritis or Addison’s Disease;
- You have digestive problems, chronic fatigue, osteopenia/osteoporosis;
- You have other related symptoms or conditions (I added this link for more information on the NFCA website)
Advanced registration for the screening is required, call 773-702-7593 or visit www.CeliacDisease.net for more information.
On to Dr. Ford’s videos, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Part 5:
Here is the link to The Lancet article Dr. Ford referred to in the last video clip, by Dr. Mario Hadjivassiliou, Gluten Sensitivity: From Gut to Brain doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(09)70290-X
What did you think of the videos? Was there anything Dr. Ford talked about that struck a personal cord with you, like it did with me?
Gluten-Free Sopaipillas. Fluffy “pillows” of fried dough, drizzled with sweet honey…oh, how I never thought this day would come!!
Why is this such a big deal to me, you ask? Well, I live in New Mexico, the birthplace of sopaipillas and they are as commonplace in New Mexican restaurants as bread baskets are in Italian restaurants! Sopapillas are typically served sweet with with honey; or savory, by stuffing them with various enchilada-type fillings.
I have spent the past several months trying to make my own gluten-free sopaipillas and I have tried numerous recipes and different flour blends, only to be disappointed with the end result: flat, hard “Tempur-Pedic pillows” of fried dough!
Is it just me, or do you ever feel like some gluten-free flour blends may as well just “hit you over the head with a rolling pin?”
I had to do some research on sopaipillas and I learned that the temperature of the oil plays a very important role in the desired “pillowy-ness” of the fried dough. If the oil is too cool or too hot there will be no “poof.” Of all the flour blends I’ve tried, the taste test winner belonged to my personal favorite: Better Batter Gluten-Free Flour. **Just to be clear, I am not affiliated with Better Batter in anyway, nor do they pay me to promote their product, nor do I earn a commission if someone buys their products because of my blog. I just really love it!
If you haven’t heard of or tried Better Batter yet, let me tell you a little bit about it. The following is from the Better Batter website (my emphasis added):
Approved for use in diet: GFCF, Kosher [OU-Pareve], Vegetarian/Vegan, Feingold Stages I and II
Ingredients: Rice and Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Potato Flour, Pectin*, Xanthan Gum
*Lemon Derivative
Allergen Advisory:
Shared Equipment with: tree nuts (but they are working hard to find a solution to this)
Better Batter Products are Free of: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut, sesame, seafood (fish and shellfish), GMO
**ELISA Tested (batch AND third party lab) Free of : Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy**
I have been doing a little bit of math over the past couple of days to add to Tia’s (of Glügle Gluten Free) recent post on Gluten-Free Bisquick. I thought this was a great post and Tia made some very good points that personally hit home with me, and I will add my two cents in a moment. But first, let’s make some gluten-free sopaipillas!
I adapted the following recipe from one I found on allrecipes.com (I cut the recipe in half):
Gluten-Free Sopaipillas
2 cups Better Batter Gluten-Free Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder (I did not cut this amount in half, the extra baking powder can be quite helpful with gluten-free flours at times).
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 Tbs. Shortening (I used Spectrum)
3/4 cup Very Warm Water
Oil for Frying
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt then cut in the shortening.
- Stir in warm water; mix until dough is smooth.
- Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. This is a good time to start heating the oil.
- Roll out on floured board until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut into 3 inch squares.
- Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). (Use a thermometer to make sure the temperature is EXACT. If the oil is too cool, the sopapillas will not puff up and they will turn out soggy. If the oil is too hot, they won’t puff up and they will turn out hard as a rock).
- Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
Photo Tutorial:
Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.
Cut in Shortening.
Add warm water.
Cover the dough with a towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
Roll out the dough to 1/8 – 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut dough into 3″ x 3″ squares.
Add dough to 375° F. oil.
Fry until golden brown on each side. It is SO COOL to watch them puff up!!
Serve warm, drizzled with honey for a traditional New Mexican treat or add some flare with a dusting of powdered sugar, hot fudge sauce or make these a main meal and stuff them with your favorite fillings! Check out this video with Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives, for some inspiration!
Okay, so back to the topic that Tia at Glügle Gluten Free recently blogged on. Tia posed the following question:
With all of the talk about how expensive gluten-free products are, why are people choosing a more expensive one because of the name?
Tia was referring to the cost of Gluten-Free Bisquick. I mentioned something about the cost in my recent review, and while I paid less than Tia did for the GF Bisquick at my local Super Walmart ($3.98 for a 16-oz. box), I had to modify if it to make it more like the yellow box Bisquick (wanting to put the “quick” in the GF Bisquick, LOL!). While adding the shortening to the mix worked great for the products I tested it on (for my review), shortly thereafter I made biscuits and they came out flat and hard as a rock. I re-made the biscuits with the Better Batter Pancake and Baking mix, and just like I’ve always thought, they remind me much more of the Bisquick biscuits I grew up on (see my Better Batter Gluten-Free Biscuits post from February 2009).
So, I decided to do a little cost analysis of my own and here are my calculations per ounce of gluten-free flour (store cost) to add to Tia’s list:
Gluten Free Bisquick (at $3.98 per 16-oz. box): $0.25/oz
Better Batter Gluten-Free Pancake and Baking Mix (at $6.37 per 20-oz. box): $0.31/oz BUT Better Batter is ready to use, no need to add shortening (which adds more to the cost of the GF Bisquick).
Here is another comparison:
King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour ($7.95 per 24-oz. box): $0.33/oz (FYI: The King Arthur GF Flour DOES NOT contain Xanthan Gum, so you will need to figure in the added cost for that.
I have to admit that I was a bit miffed at the cost of the King Arthur GF Flour the second I read the ingredient list: Specialty Flour Blend (Rice Flour, Tapioca Flour), Potato Starch, Whole Grain Brown Rice Flour.
Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch and Potato Starch.
I don’t know about you, but in my experience those are the least expensive gluten-free flours out there and with no Xanthan Gum added (which is not cheap mind you), why are they charging $7.95 for a 1lb. 8 oz box of flour? I will make an assumption here, but I think we are paying for the name brand King Arthur Flour. Doing the math, I figured out that 5 lbs. of King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour would cost $26.50, and you would still need to buy the xanthan gum!
Better Batter Gluten-Free Flour ($18.50 per 5-lb. bag [80 ounces] + $7.50 for shipping on Amazon): $0.32/oz AND it includes the Xanthan Gum.
**I personally buy Better Batter directly from them (by the 25-lb. bag) and it reduces my cost even more: $0.18/oz. (and that includes the flat shipping rate of $7.50 per order).
While I understand (and feel) the excitement about all the new gluten-free products coming to market (and I can’t ignore that there’s a sentimental factor for the name brands I grew up on); I think it is very important to remember the smaller companies that have been making safe gluten-free products out of sheer love and passion (and quite often because the entrepreneur has celiac disease or knows a close friend or relative with it), long before the gluten-free diet went mainstream.
These are the companies that were here before the bigger companies wanted a piece of the “gluten-free pie,” and these are the companies that will be hit hardest by the current economy.
Large companies can get loans from the bank, can raise money in the stock market, or even get a government bailout; but it is the small companies (who can’t do any of this right now), who need the most help (trust me, I know lots of small business owners in this very boat right now). In many instances, these folks have put their entire net worth on the line to develop these products for us and our families; and as far as I’m concerned, as long as the product works for me and the price is not much higher (if at all), I think I will be sticking with the products from companies that took the biggest risk early on. They were there when I needed them, and now I want to return the favor.
Okay, I will step down off my own soap box now, but I would love to hear your personal thoughts about this too!
Thank you to all who entered the “Summer Of Easy Gourmet Entertaining With Chavrie Goat Cheese” Giveaway!
I used the Random Number Generator to pick the lucky winner and that person is:
#9, Shirley!
Shirley said, “Now that’s a great giveaway! Can you believe I’ve only had homemade chevre? Our friends have goats and always bring goat cheese, yogurt, etc. to support group meetings. Lucky me, for sure, but at first, I thought you’d spelled the name wrong when I read the title. LOL I didn’t even know this product existed. Silly me. I’d go for the souffle I think … such a classic.”
Congratulations Shirley! I will email you for your shipping address and get your prize out to you.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, tomorrow is my sweet husband’s 37th birthday, so we are going to go have some fun!
xo
I love goat cheese. Its creamy texture and tangy mouth-feel is the perfect complement for a variety of appetizers, grilled meats, salads and desserts. Goat cheese pairs perfectly with beets, raspberries and strawberries. In fact, this has been one of my favorite ways to enjoy Chavrie® goat cheese this summer (I am in my infancy of enjoying beets, and raw beets with balsamic vinegar and goat cheese are my limitation at the moment).
And yes, Chavrie Fresh Goat Cheese is gluten-free!
Strawberry Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette:
Shredded Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Fresh Raspberry Vinaigrette:
I did a twist of the shredded beet salad with raspberry vinaigrette and turned it into a gluten-free sandwich wrap with Boar’s Head Low Sodium Turkey meat:
I recently tried a recipe I found on the Chavrie website for Goat Cheese Hummus (I made my own Hummus and subbed the cilantro for fresh rosemary, YUM!) and served with grilled gluten-free pita bread (I love this pita bread, you can read my review of it here):
So why am I telling you all of this? Well, August just so happens to be National Goat Cheese Month and to celebrate, I have an exciting giveaway for one lucky reader!
The folks over at Chavrie® Goat Cheese are sponsoring this fabulous giveaway and here is what the prize includes:
Summer of Gourmet Entertaining with Chavrie (Estimated Value $100):
- Vintage Wood Chip & Dip from Pottery Barn (valued at $50)
- Chavrie Fresh Goat Cheese coupons
- Chavrie’s “For the Love of Goat Cheese “ Cookbook
- Chavrie recipes
Chavrie kindly sent me a free entertaining package too (which is how I know it’s FABULOUS)! The Pottery Barn Vintage Wood Chip and Dip is a beautiful serving piece to use at all of your dinner parties. I have received numerous compliments on it at several of my recent gatherings.
To enter this giveaway:
Simply visit the recipe section of the Chavrie website and report back about which recipe looks most intriguing to you!
Bonus entry Opportunities (completely optional but if you do any, please be sure to leave a separate comment for each completed task, this is how I keep track of entries):
- “Like” Chavrie Fresh Goat Cheese on Facebook.
- “Follow” @Chavrie on Twitter.
- “Like” Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom on Facebook.
- “Follow” @Adventuresgfmom on Twitter.
- “Tweet” about this giveaway on Twitter and include a link back to this post (be sure to include @adventuresgfmom and @Chavrie in your Tweet).
- “Share” the link to this giveaway on your Facebook page.
- Mention this giveaway in a blog post and include a link back to this post.
I will use the Random Number Generator to pick the winner on Friday, August 20th, 2010, Good Luck!
My youngest son loves “jelly” cups (a.k.a. Jello/Gelatin), but when we started a synthetic dye-free challenge a few months ago, out went the Jello brand gelatin cups! I tried a product by the NutraDrink company called Natural Jel Desserts back in May (see my “Funny Oranges post”) and while I was initially impressed with the product, upon further experimentation I discovered that it is prone to melting, especially when sitting in a child’s lunchbox all morning. So back to the drawing board. We are not gelatin-free, but I wanted to find something that works for our friends out there with beef allergies (most gelatin is derived from beef marrow).
Enter Pomona’s Universal Pectin!
Pomona’s Pectin works GREAT with 100% juice to make a gelatin-like dessert!
The recipe for the “sugar-free” jello is on the instruction pamphlet included in the package (the jello is not really sugar-free, as the recipe states; but there is no additional sugar added. The only sugar in this recipe comes from the natural sugars in the 100% juice). Not all 100% juices are created equal in the sugar content category, as I found out AFTER I bought some 365 brand Black Cherry juice. One 8-oz serving contains a whopping 50 grams of sugar!!!!
See? No sugar added to the juice (above).
But there is still 50 grams of sugar in one cup of the black cherry juice (above).
The good thing about the “jello” cups, is that I don’t make 8-oz. portions, so at least there is less sugar. I guesstimate about 19 grams of sugar per 3-oz. jello cup, which is still hefty for a snack that does not provide any fiber or protein.
The problem with juice is that there is no fiber to slow down the absorption of the sugar (which is why whole fruits, peel and all, are a much better choice than juice). I allow Luke to have a maximum of (3) 3-oz. jello cups a week and I usually add chopped whole fruit to it, for a little bit of fiber. I will also be using 100% juice made from fruits with lower amounts of sugar from now on!
On the days Luke takes a jello cup in his lunch, he must forgo having a juice box, I leave the choice up to him. I do subscribe to the philosophy of moderation is key (and since my kids can’t eat 99% of the popular convenience/processed foods due to their dietary restrictions, I don’t get too worked up over it).
The “jello” in the above photo is made from Tart Cherry Juice (24 grams of sugar per 8-ounce serving). The whipped cream is dairy-free and soy-free (MimicCreme’s Healthy Top) and the Maraschino Cherry by Tillen Farms is all-natural (no artificial colors, dyes, or flavors and does not contain sweeteners derived from corn).
The following is the recipe for Pomona’s “Sugarfree Jello,” including my notes for cutting the recipe in half; which I do because I make a few different flavors at once:
Pomona’s Gelatin-Free “Jello”
4 cups of 100% juice (I used 2 cups)
4 tsp. Calcium Water (I used 2 tsp.) The mix for the calcium water is included in the package of Pomona’s Pectin.
4 tsp. Pomona’s Pectin (I used 2 tsp.)
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring juice to a boil.
- Put 1 cup of boiling juice in a blender/food processor and add 4 tsp. of pectin powder, vent lid, blend 1 – 2 minutes until all powder is dissolved.
- Add pectin-juice mixture to remaining hot juice, stir well.
- Pour hot jello into serving bowl or individual dishes; allow to cool down some. Refrigerate until jelled.
And yes, it will work in a mold!
Here’s how I did it:
Place 2 cups of 100% juice in a saucepan (above).
Add 2 tsp. of calcium water then bring the mixture to a boil (above).
Place 1 cup of boiling juice into a blender or food processor and add 2 tsp. of Pomona’s Universal Pectin, blend well (above).
Add blended juice/pectin mixture into the pan with remaining hot juice.
Whisk to combine then pour through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth* (see note below) into cups or jello mold, allow to cool then refrigerate until jelled.
Fruit jello cups:
Note: I learned by trial and error to strain the jello mixture with a fine mesh sieve (or use cheesecloth) to avoid the unsightly foam you see in the below photo:
I made the above “jello” fruit cups with Juicy Juice:
“Only” 26 grams of sugar (compared to the 50 grams of sugar in the black cherry juice), in one cup of Juicy Juice (Punch flavor), so I estimate a 3-oz. “jello” cup to be about 10 grams of sugar.
Now for the winners of the Goldbaum’s Giveaway!!
Using the Random Number Generator, the winners are:
#33: TinaK and
#80 CDM
Congratulations and I will email you for your shipping information!
I have another giveaway coming up later today, but first I would like to highlight a few of my blogger friends posts from the past week.
- Kim, from Cook It Allergy Free wrote a great post titled 15 Tips On How To Heal The Leaky Gut, I definitely recommend reading that article!
- Shirley, from GFE is hosting this month’s “Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger,” and I plan on doing my first adoption (can I adopt 10??)!
- Tia, from Glügle Gluten Free shared a recipe for Gluten-Free Banana Muffins, including a variation for Chocolate Banana Muffins (they are also dairy-free) These will be perfect for a healthy school-day breakfast!
- Do you dream of gluten-free Pierogi? Well, dream no more, my friends! Both Alta, from Tasty Eats At Home and Lauren from Celiac Teen shared recipes and photos of their gluten-free pierogi as part of the August 2010 Daring Baker’s Challenge.
- Do you have a garden overgrowing with Basil? On Friday, Diane, from The W.H.O.L.E. Gang announced that the theme for this week’s Friday Foodie Fix is Basil. Be sure to check it out for some great ideas for using all that yummy basil!
- Lastly, Erin, over at Gluten-Free Fitness has quite a few great posts on gluten-free living, celiac disease and nutrition news , which is a great resource for all of us. Gluten-Free doesn’t always equal “healthy” and Erin does a great job breaking it down for us!
I recently received several complimentary gluten-free products from Goldbaum’s to sample and review on my blog. I have been ordering Goldbaum’s gluten-free ice cream “cake-style” cones for a few years now, but that is all I had tried up until this point (and we love them!). GF mom tip: the cake-style cones are handy snacks for little teethers, since they tend to melt as the kiddo’s “gum” them!
The above photo is a Goldbaum’s GF Cake Cone with So Delicious Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cookie Dough Ice Cream (yep, you read that right, GF/DF Cookie Dough Ice Cream!). The cake cones are Gluten Free, Low in Calories, Kosher, GMO-Free, and Vegan.
Cake Cone Ingredients: Potato starch, tapioca starch, palm oil (gmo free), sugar, dietary fibers, emulsifier (lecithin), cocoa powder, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, natural vanilla.
One cake cone has only 11 calories, 0.1 grams of fat, 6mg. of sodium, 3 grams of total carbs and 0.1 grams of sugar.
Goldbaum’s Cocoa Sugar Cones are Gluten Free, Kosher, GMO-Free and Vegan.
Ingredients: Potato starch, sugar, tapioca starch, palm oil (gmo free), dietary fibers, emulsifier (lecithin), cocoa powder, salt, stabilizer (xanthan gum), natural vanilla.
One cocoa sugar cone has only 41 calories, 0 grams of fat, 27mg. of sodium, 9 grams of total carbs and 3 grams of sugar.
I am already beginning to experience some mild anxiety over the upcoming school year and the “challenging” snack projects the kids make. Last year took it’s toll on me, especially after making 1,000 GF Goldfish for Sam’s week of counting projects (I’m just now recovering from that one!).
Anyhoo, last Christmas, the kids decorated Christmas trees from sugar cones. This project sneaked up on me rather unexpectedly, so I didn’t have time to order any sugar cones without incurring a crazy overnight shipping charge (and they are not available year round at stores in New Mexico!). So, I made my own gluten-free, dairy-free sugar/waffle cones (I will warn you, the photos are bad. This was back before I knew to take food pictures by natural light and not with a flash, so it looks like I live in a cave, LOL!).
I am happy to know that I can make my own GF cones if I need to, but really, I’d just rather not! If you click the link to my post on making the cones, you will see a picture of the decorated Christmas tree at the bottom of the page.
I decided to re-make the Christmas tree with Goldbaum’s Cocoa Sugar Cones, but this time, I made it without synthetic dyes (we went for the white Christmas tree look).
Before ↑
After ↑
For the dairy-free white icing recipe I use, refer to my post on Easter Cupcakes. To decorate the “tree” without using artificial colorings, I crushed some of Yummy Earth’s Organic Drops then sprinkled them on the icing. Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans would also make for great “ornaments,” and Candy Tree’s gluten-free licorice laces would make great garland (or use naturally colored icing).
I was exceptionally excited to try Goldbaum’s Jumbo Cones! The jumbo cones are Gluten Free, GMO Free, Low Calories and Dairy Free.
Ingredients: potato starch, sugar, tapioca starch, palm oil (GMO Free), dietary fibers, emulsifier (lecithin), salt, stabilizer (xanthan gum), natural vanilla.
One jumbo cone has 74 calories, 0.7 grams of fat, 48mg. of sodium, 17 grams of total carbs and 5.4 grams of sugar.
Goldbaum’s Jumbo Cone with So Delicious Coconut Milk Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (above photo)
Attempting to display the size difference in the cones!
I was surprised to find out that Goldbaum’s also manufactures gluten-free pastas and rice crackers. I was skeptical of the pasta, because I have yet to find another GF pasta that even comes close in taste and texture to my favorite brand, Tinkyada (I’ve heard Bionaturae has a really good GF line of pastas too, but I don’t eat soy so I’ve never tried it).
I received a package of Goldbaum’s GF penne-style brown rice pasta and I decided to make pasta salad with it.
Ingredients: brown rice, rice bran, water.
One (1 cup) serving of penne pasta has 190 calories, 0.2 grams of fat, 3mg. of sodium, 43 total carbs, 0.9 grams of fiber and less than 1 gram of sugar.
Goldbaum’s gluten-free pasta is available in the following shapes: Fettucine, Fusilli, Penne, Shells, Spaghetti, and Spirals. You can purchase the pastas on Amazon and GlutenFreePlaza.com.
Pasta salad is my performance test of choice for GF pastas. If a gluten-free pasta holds up well in taste and texture when cold, then it’s golden in my book. For this test, I tried a new pasta salad recipe from my latest issue of Living Without, Pizza Pasta Salad (this will be GREAT for lunchboxes!!).
I boiled the pasta in lightly salted water for 16 minutes (um, this is AMAZINGLY good gluten-free pasta when warm, I had a hard time stopping myself from nibbling on it so I would have some left for the pasta salad!). I made two versions of the pizza pasta salad, one with cheese for Sam and one without, for Luke.
For the dairy version, I added some fresh mozzarella Ciliegine (above photo).
I spruced up Luke’s dairy-free version with some goldfish shaped bell peppers (above photo). Have I told you how much I hate goldfish?
The Goldbaum’s pasta held up exceptionally well when cold. I might even go so far to say that I think it does better than Tinkyada (and Tinkyada holds up great too)!
The final product we tried was the Goldbaum’s Zesty Choice Original Flavor Baked Rice Crisps.
Ingredients: Organic Rice Flour, Rice Bran Oil, Sea Salt, Soy Sauce Powder, Ginger Powder.
20 of the Original crackers have 155 calories, 3.4 grams of fat, 126mg. of sodium, 28.8 grams of total carbs, 0.2 grams of fiber and 0 grams of sugar.
The Goldbaum’s Zesty Choice Crackers are available in the following flavors: Original, Garlic, Chili and Unsalted.
We loved the rice crackers and we thought the texture was a cross between a classic crispy rice cracker and a flakier cracker, like Glutino’s gluten-free crackers. These are perfect for appetizers, like the highly addictive appetizer you see above. Kim from Cook It Allergy Free made some of these for us when we were visiting a few weeks ago. A gluten-free cracker topped with Tomato Basil Hummus and Smoked Salmon. Kim doesn’t have the recipe posted on her website yet, but maybe this will put the pressure on, LOL!
Would you like to try all of the above Goldbaum’s gluten-free products for FREE? Well, here’s your chance!
Moe, from Goldbaum’s has kindly offered to give TWO of my readers the same sample package of products that he sent me (one package of each of the above products I reviewed)!
To enter this giveaway:
Leave a comment telling me what your favorite brand & flavor of gluten-free ice cream is!
For optional bonus entry opportunities (be sure to leave a separate comment for each additional task completed):
- Subscribe to my blog via email (this is what the subscribe section looks like at the top of this page ↓)
- “Like” Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom on Facebook (then leave a comment).
- Share this giveaway on your Facebook page, including a link back to this post (then leave a comment).
- Follow @adventuresgfmom on Twitter (then leave a comment).
- Tweet about this giveaway and include a link back to this post, be sure to include @adventuresgfmom in your Tweet (then leave a comment).
- Mention this giveaway in a blog post (then leave a comment).
Using the Random Number Generator, I will pick the two winners on Monday, August 16th, 2010.
Good Luck!
