First thing first, the Katz Gluten-Free Giveaway Winners!
Using the Random Number Generator:
The winner of $25 Katz Dollars goes to #35… Tia!
and
The runner up for a FREE sample package of Katz Gluten Free goodies goes to #71… LV!
Congratulations ladies! I will email you for more information. 
Thank you to everyone for entering this great giveaway courtesy of Katz Gluten-Free. Remember, there is still time to enter the “big” giveaway for $100 Katz Dollars! The deadline for entering is September 13, 2010.
I also want to thank everyone for your kind words of support and ideas about my bizarre taste issue, hopefully, I will get this figured out soon!
There will be a new giveaway starting tomorrow, so be sure to check that out (it will be exceptionally exciting for my corn-free friends)! 
Now, how about some lunch?
The inspiration for this nifty little concoction came from the Taste of Home Magazine. I thought this would be a great introduction to the joys of sandwiches for my kiddos, who are meat-sandwich adverse. I really don’t get it, but they will only eat a nut butter & jelly sandwich. Deli meats must be cubed (lunchbox kabobs) or made into a roll-up, egg-salad is preferred as a dip for potato chips* (see below), and chicken or tuna salad is…well, those just come back home!
Like a lot of parents, I struggle with sending a nutritious meal (that my kids will actually eat) to school five days a week. I think the problem with my eldest, is that he’s a flapper jack (I know it can’t be the food, he’ll eat Brussels sprouts like popcorn for Pete’s sake)! 
Sam just socializes too much during lunch, so he inevitably runs out of time. By the time he gets home at 4:30/5pm though; he is STARVING and proceeds to drive me batty while I am trying to prepare dinner!
The Day After Update: So, Sam came home with half of his “inside out” sandwich and 3/4 of everything else…except the gummy bears, he did manage to eat those! Here is what I came up with: No sweets in his lunch box until he starts eating all of his lunch (for at least a week) AND (this was my brilliant bomb drop): the next time he comes home with a full lunch, I will be making a lunchtime visit to make sure he eats…and I will hug & kiss him IN FRONT OF HIS FRIENDS! Oh, you should have seen the look on his face, LOL!
My solution thus far has been to have a variety of healthy snacks sitting out that they can freely munch on while I prepare dinner, like raw veggies with hummus or dill dip and fresh cut fruit. While I love doing this because they will usually eat whatever vegetable I offer when they are really hungry, I do fret that they are pretty much going the entire school day on whatever it was they had for breakfast (which is why I have to make sure breakfast counts big time)! My hope is that by making their lunch look fun and interesting, they might be enticed to actually eat it!
The jury is still out on the overall success of the “inside out sandwich” (I just sent them in their lunch for the first time today), but the boys were definitely intrigued this morning (although, I think they were most interested in the “pirate sword” toothpicks I recently purchased at Party City…hey, whatever works)!
To build a gluten-free inside out sandwich for Sam (I made Luke’s casein-free by omitting the cheese), I used Applegate Farms Uncured Ham, Udi’s gluten-free bread trimmed of the crust (the bread wouldn’t “roll” with the crust attached), a thin schmear of low-fat olive oil mayo on each side of the bread, a Sargento Light String Cheese (see Sargento’s gluten-free product list), and a dye-free dill pickle spear. After I rolled up the sandwich, I pierced it with a fun toothpick and trimmed off each edge, easy peasy!
To finish off this lunch, I added a thermos of leftover homemade Panera Bread Creamy Tomato Soup (which I tweaked to be gluten-free and dairy-free), fresh cut apple slices, a few gluten-free tortilla chips by R.W. Garcia with a ChiChi’s Salsa Snacker for dipping (they are on Hormel Foods Gluten-Free product list), and some Yummy Earth Gummy Bears.
*A Few Gluten-Free Chips:
Michael Season’s is our personal favorite brand of gluten-free potato chips (we like the lightly salted varieties) and cheese puffs (white cheddar is our fave). I am eager to find some of the Baked Multigrain Chips (they look like my old favorite, Sun Chips)!
We also enjoy the New York Style Risotto Chips (these also remind me of Sun Chips), and I am on the hunt for the new EatSmart Naturals line by Snyder’s of Hanover. Check out the EatSmart Naturals gluten-free offerings (just be sure to click on the certified gluten-free link in the left sidebar, not all of the products in this line are gluten-free).
The Food Should Taste Good brand of chips are all certified gluten-free. Our personal favorite is the Sweet Potato, have you tried these yet? Yum!
Another favorite of my kids are the Arico Foods Cassava Chips, a great alternative to the potato chip!
The Frito-Lay website has several links to product lists that are suitable* for special diets. For a shortcut, here are the direct links to the Frito-Lay gluten-free product list and the gluten-free/casein-free product list.
*Important note about Frito-Lay products: while they may not contain gluten and/or casein ingredients (per the above lists), they are not made in a dedicated facility or on dedicated lines (although the lines are cleaned between batches, some residue may get left behind).
Just in case this is helpful to anyone: my personal guideline is to limit how often we consume Frito-Lay chips due to the risk of cross-contamination (I apply this rule to ALL processed/packaged foods that are not certified gluten-free, regardless of the brand). I try to reserve products like these for when there isn’t a safer option available (as an “atypical” celiac, I am painfully aware that just because one might not experience any obvious symptoms when exposed to gluten, does not mean an immune response is not occurring anyway). The best any of us can do is try and reduce our risk whenever possible.
What is your favorite gluten-free chip?
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!
I love Boar’s Head brand deli meats and cheeses, in fact, it is the only brand of deli meat I buy for my family anymore. I primarily buy the low sodium turkey breast (at 2 pounds a week!) but we also like to indulge in the low sodium ham and roast beef on occasion. I use the low-sodium ham and turkey to make Sam’s gluten-free “Lunchables.” Do you know how much sodium is in the “healthier” Lunchables (green package)? A whopping 850 mg.!! Lunchbox Kabobs are another favorite way of ours to use Boar’s Head low-sodium deli meats and cheeses, all of which are gluten-free! The Boar’s Head website has an informative gluten-free brochure that I recommend reading.
I first became concerned about the sodium in my diet a couple of years ago when I began to battle elevated blood pressure, and I was only 34! Having several serious medical conditions at my age has made me painfully aware of the food choices I make and how they can negatively impact my overall well-being. I grew up a salt-a-holic. Not only did my mom make a lot of processed foods (like canned vegetables, which have a TON of sodium); I also added more salt to the end product. I was so used to an enormous amount of salt in my diet that when I tried low-sodium processed foods, I couldn’t eat them without adding a lot of…salt!
Enter Boar’s Head low-sodium turkey breast. Oh my gosh, it is literally the BEST tasting deli meat out there (in my opinion anyway) and it doesn’t even taste low sodium! This was the beginning of my successful journey in severely curbing my overall sodium intake. Like many things with me, I am a baby-stepper. One small success led to another, then another, and before I knew it, I am now surprisingly sensitive to salt!
Have you heard about The National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI)? In case you haven’t, it is a New York City-led partnership of 18 companies that have committed to voluntarily reduce sodium levels in their products. Boar’s Head is the first deli company to be involved in this initiative and is the only deli company to be on target for National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) 2012 Standards. You can read more about it by clicking on the following links: Time.com, USA Today, and Reuters.
When I was recently offered the opportunity to team up with Boar’s Head and help spread the word on this very important issue, I jumped at it! Boar’s Head sent me a complimentary gift card to purchase their low-sodium meats and cheeses (thank you Boar’s Head!) so I could whip up a few low-sodium sandwiches for this post (be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post for a chance to win one too!). Along with the gift card, they passed along some information:
Did you know that Americans eat almost twice the recommended limit of salt each day? In fact, only 11 percent of the sodium in Americans’ diet comes from our own saltshakers and nearly eighty percent of our sodium intake comes from the sodium that is added to foods before they are sold!
We may know that diets high in salt increase blood pressure, which is a factor in heart attack and stroke, the nation’s leading causes of preventable death, but what are we doing about it?
Boar’s Head recently had an online competition among New York City’s five boroughs to raise further awareness for the NSRI and the need to reduce sodium in our diets:
The competition—Boar’s Head Five Borough Sandwich Battle—took five different sandwich recipes made with Boar’s Head lower sodium meats and cheeses and puts them head-to-head. Each sandwich recipe was inspired by a different NYC borough—reflecting the different personalities of each borough—and the public got to vote on their favorite low-sodium sandwich recipe! The winner?
THE BRONX BOMBER
- 4 oz Boar’s Head Low Sodium Deluxe Oven Roasted Beef, Sliced Thinly
- 1 oz Boar’s Head 42% Lower Sodium Provolone, Sliced
- 1 oz Leaf Lettuce
- 1 oz Red Onion, Sliced Thinly
- 1 oz Boar’s Head Pub Style Horseradish Sauce
- 1 Ciabatta Roll (Sliced in Half)
I had to try this sandwich out myself, so I made an easy swap of the Ciabatta Roll for my favorite gluten-free bread, Udi’s! I have to say it was mighty tasty! I only used a drop or two of the Boar’s Head Pub Style Horseradish Sauce, a little goes a long way, especially for non-horseradish fans like myself!
Here are a few other low-sodium sandwich concoctions that I whipped up:
The sandwich above is a grilled turkey and provolone sandwich to which I added sliced Granny Smith apples and Amaranth strands. A wonderful flavor combination! The chips you see are another favorite of ours, Cassava Chips by Arico Foods.
The sandwich in the above photo is my spin on an old favorite of mine from a local sandwich shop (Cheese and Coffee) called the Chelsea. The sandwich consists of Turkey, Provolone, Avocado (I used Wholly Guacamole, which is gluten-free) and Green Chile on grilled Udi’s gluten-free bread.
I’m not quite sure how I landed on this wrap, but I used a Gluten Free Sandwich Petal (Red Chile Chimayo flavor) and spread on a thin layer of Chavrie Goat Cheese then topped with the low-sodium turkey, and Shredded Beet Salad. I can’t believe how good it was!
Using the low-sodium Roast Beef, I made a French Dip from a recipe I found in my Cooking Light cookbook. For the Au Jus, I used Kitchen Basics Unsalted Beef Stock.
Using a Spinach Garlic Pesto Sandwich Petal and the low sodium ham and swiss cheese, I made a ham and cheese quesadilla.
Now, Boar’s Head wants YOU to get involved by taking part in the Boar’s Head Lower Sodium Challenge!
Yea!! Come on, get excited with me!!!
Boar’s Head is offering one of my lucky readers a FREE Shake It Up Kit to encourage excitement about lower sodium options and to get us to take an extra minute to think about our daily sodium intake. The kit includes a $25 Boar’s Head Gift Card, a Boar’s Head condiment kit, and a Launch Your Assault on Salt guide.
To enter this giveaway:
Check the sodium content in some of you and your children’s favorite snacks and foods – then come back and report your findings by leaving a comment to this post. Did you find any surprises?
Bonus Entry Opportunities (just be sure to leave a separate comment for each completed task you do):
- “Like” Boar’s Head on Facebook
- Follow me on Twitter.
- Follow Boar’s Head on Twitter.
- Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and be sure to include @adventuresgfmom and @Boars_Head in your tweet.
- Mention this giveaway on your blog and include a link back to this post.
- Share this giveaway on your Facebook page and include a link to this post. Be sure to tag Boar’s Head and Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom in your update.
- Create a gluten-free sandwich using Boar’s Head low-sodium deli meats and cheeses and post a picture to the Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom Facebook page.
Using a Random Number Generator, I will pick the winner on Friday, August 6, 2010.
Good Luck!
If it says anything about how much the gluten-free community has been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Gluten-Free Bisquick, I have a funny story to tell. When my local GIG group sent out a blast email saying that GF Bisquick had been “spotted” in Albuquerque, I dropped everything I was doing (including the cookies that were in the oven) and set out to find some. I went to 6 Super Walmarts over the course of 4 hours (on a Friday night no less, have you ever been to a Super Walmart on a Friday night?? Definitely not my idea of a good time!) When I finally found the GF Bisquick, it was like finding a golden ticket and I swiped the last 6 boxes (in case there is a shortage!).
I have to admit that I was a bit taken aback by how small the package was, compared to the regular Bisquick (FYI, I found the GF Bisquick right next to the regular Bisquick, and not in the gluten-free section of the store). The box is the exact same size as the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Dessert Mixes, and it contains 16-ounces of mix. One difference I would like to point out is that the GF Bisquick does not contain shortening in the mix, like the original Bisquick does.
The first thing I made were the shortcakes, and I followed the directions as written on the box, and used butter (Earth Balance in my case) and 3 eggs; the end result was rather dense. One batch of shortcakes used an entire package of GF Bisquick and that left me somewhat dismayed, because that would mean I would be buying A LOT of GF Bisquick and at $3.98 a box, that could quickly add up!
I got the idea to reformulate the GF Bisquick to be more like what I remember, with the shortening already in the mix. I found a recipe to make your own homemade Bisquick-style mix and using those proportions (omitting the baking powder, salt and sugar, since it is already in the mix), I measured out 8 cups of the mix (about 3 boxes) and cut in 1 cup of shortening (I used Spectrum, but Crisco would work just as well). It worked wonderfully! I am now storing it in an airtight container and it is very easy to measure out what I need. If you decide to do this, don’t use the recipes on the back of the GF Bisquick box, just follow the regular Bisquick recipes.
I only recently learned how to properly measure flour by scooping the flour into the dry measuring cup (instead of scooping the flour out of the container with the measuring cup, this method packs down the flour and you will end up using too much).
Mound up the mix into the measuring cup (above photo), then use a knife to level it off (below photo).
To 8 cups of GF Bisquick mix, cut in 1 cup of shortening (I used the whip attachment of my stand mixer, but a fork or food processor would work too).
I couldn’t help it, I had to keep the label!
With my reformulated mix, I have made Pancakes (I used So Delicious Original Coconut Milk to make them dairy-free).
Strawberry Shortcake (I made a dairy-free, low-sugar version, sweetening the Strawberries with SUSTA natural sweetener, the berries will macerate with SUSTA, but I helped the process along by poking the strawberries with a fork).
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake:
Ultimate Chicken Fingers (I turned them into nuggets and omitted the egg and butter called for in the recipe. I simply rinsed the chicken in water and tossed with the dry seasoned mix):
I also made a recipe I found for “Shake and Bake,” using Bisquick (I am not sure how close the recipe is to the real version, but it was REALLY good!):
All-in-all, the Gluten Free Bisquick received two thumbs up in our house.
What set me back in the beginning was simply the fact that I had a different idea in my mind of what it was going to be (a gluten-free replica of the famous yellow box). A simple modification and we have been enjoying GF versions of many of our favorite recipes from days gone by.
Thank you General Mills!
Have you had a chance to try the new Gluten Free Bisquick yet? If so, what did you make and what were your thoughts?
Update 8/30/10:
When I wrote this post, I had only made the above recipes (with my re-formulated Gluten Free Bisquick Mix). After posting, I continued to experiment with more recipes until the mix was gone, I had purchased 6 boxes afterall! While many recipes worked, there have been those that did not. The biggest disappointment that comes to mind were the biscuits. Even with the reformulated mix, the biscuits turned out dense and rather flat (I had rolled mine out and used biscuit cutters). Once I depleted my supply; I bade farewell to Gluten Free Bisquick.
As easy as it is to make your own gluten-free baking mix, or to buy one that consistently produces better results for about the same price (or less) as Gluten Free Bisquick (one of my personal favorites is by Better Batter, which I use for biscuits, Impossible Pies and shortcakes. Pamela’s is my go-to mix for pancakes), it doesn’t make much sense to buy the Gluten-Free Bisquick just because of the name, especially since it is not the same product as the famous yellow box (it’s not even a close replica without making your own changes first). I talked more about this here after Tia of Glügle Gluten Free shared her thoughts on GF Bisquick.
I was reading Karina’s (Gluten Free Goddess) review of the GF Bisquick tonight and I definitely encourage you to read it.
Immaculate Baking Co. began in 1995, when the company’s founder and Chief Creative Officer, Scott Blackwell, combined his life-long love of baking with his new-found passion for folk art. According to the Immaculate website:
“Scott was drawn to the spirit of folk art and it’s artists, to their innate creativity, their resilience and resourcefulness. He decided to celebrate those artists by featuring their work on his cookie and coffee packages.”
Immaculate Baking Co. already has a full line of (gluten-containing) natural and organic cookie dough, brownie dough, buttermilk biscuits, and scones and now they are entering the gluten-free market!
I recently received a complimentary package of the new gluten-free Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough by the Immaculate Baking Co. to sample and review. While it is exciting to see more companies offering gluten-free products, I must admit, it would be nice to see some new products that are more “unique” than (yet another) GF cookie (or brownie for that matter). The mere fact that the Immaculate Baking Co. has entered the gluten-free market though, I am now really hopeful for a future gluten-free… crescent roll!
Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be able to whack open a tube on my kitchen counter-top again!
The Certified Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies are also dairy-free, but they do contain eggs and soy.
The cookies come ready-to-bake, in a plastic tray of 12 cookie dough balls. When you are in the mood for a cookie or two, just place the dough on a cookie sheet and bake at 325° F. for 18 – 20 minutes. I would recommend that you bake just one cookie the first time around. I baked mine for 18 minutes in my convection oven and they were still a bit undercooked after cooling; 20 minutes ended up being the right amount of time for my oven. All ovens are different, and you don’t want to test out the proper baking time for your oven with a full batch.
What I really enjoy about this product is that they are VERY easy and VERY quick to make.
Sam and Luke really enjoyed the cookies, as did my husband, who is my stand-in for taste testing right now (it’s been 3 weeks since I lost my ability to taste, and I am now beyond annoyed!). Mike said the cookie itself has great flavor, although he thinks adding a few more chocolate chunks would make them even better. Mike also said he can detect a subtle ginger flavor, which was unexpected, but nice. The cookies are a good size and bake up soft and chewy. The cookies also make for a very simple and tasty summer treat, ice cream sandwiches:
While I still prefer to make my own cookies from scratch, it will be nice to have a package of these on hand for future “Friday Fun Snacks” at the boys’ school, especially when just one cookie is needed for the cooking project. I hope that a gluten-free sugar cookie is around the corner for the Immaculate Baking Co., but what I REALLY want is a gluten-free crescent roll (refrigerated biscuits would be nice too, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?). I cannot tell you how many of Sam’s “cooking” classes required crescent rolls, refrigerated biscuits, sugar cookies, etc., pretty much any product that (currently) there isn’t a gluten-free version of on the market!
The gluten-free Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough is a new product and not yet widely available in stores, however, you can buy them online for $4.99 (less shipping); but one lucky reader will get a chance to try the new cookies for FREE!
**This giveaway is now closed**
To enter this giveaway for one free package of gluten-free Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough, courtesy of Immaculate Baking Co., simply leave a comment below about:
What other flavor of ready-to-bake gluten free cookies would you most like to try?
For Bonus entry opportunities:
- “Like” Immaculate Baking Co. on Facebook.
- Share the link to this giveaway on your Facebook Page.
- Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and include a link back to this post.
- Mention this giveaway in a blog post and link back to this post.
Be sure you leave additional comments letting me know which tasks you completed (one comment for each separate task).
Using a random number generator, I will pick the winner on Thursday, July 1, 2010.
Good Luck!
