Glutenfreeda Maple Raisin & Flax Oatmeal
July 28, 2010 | View Comments
I must have been living under a rock because it’s only been recently that I’ve discovered the convenient goodness of Glutenfreeda products. They’ve been around for 10 years, but until recently, I never saw their products in my local health food or at Whole Foods stores. I stumbled upon a box of their Instant Maple Raisin & Flax Oatmeal at a Whole Foods in NYC recently and have been in love ever since.
uncooked
I’ve tried a couple of instant gluten-free oatmeal’s before, but they never had that creamy texture that I like. Glutenfreeda’s oatmeal, when prepared with milk, is creamy, perfectly sweet and completely satisfying. I bought a box to stash at work and have a second box at home! For me, breakfast is a challenge, so it’s a huge boon to be able to have an instant-oatmeal that I can make in the microwave at work, instead of having a bowl of cold cereal or a piece of fruit and yogurt.
cooked and delish!
I’ve prepared it with water and with milk and I have to say the milk makes it taste a lot better. That’s not to say it tastes bad when made with water, but it just doesn’t have that rich, creamy flavor. Also, the microwave prep is great when you’re out of the house, but it does taste a lot better if you warm hot milk on your stove and pour it onto the oatmeal. The best part about their oatmeal is that it’s certified gluten-free, so you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination. They have a few different flavors, but I’ve only tried the Maple & Raisin so far. I’m sure the other flavors are just as good if the Maple & Raisin is any indicator. Plus, I visited their site and found out that they are the creators of the cookies used in Julie’s Organic Gluten Free Ice Cream Sandwiches, which if you haven’t tried yet, you really must!
Have you tried Glutenfreeda’s oatmeal before? What do you think?
Video Review | Plocky’s Gluten Free Hummus Chips
July 26, 2010 | View Comments
I love discovering new gluten free goodies in unexpected places. I went into a Jewish deli here in Stamford and found Plocky’s Roasted Garlic Hummus Chips and I’ve been hooked on them ever since. The hummus part of the name grabbed me immediately because I love me some hummus (heyyyy Cedar’s!) and I’m a huge fan of anything garlic flavored so I snatched them up pronto and started eating them in the car, since the half a mile drive back home was clearly too long for me to wait.
The chips are really light, but have a lot of flavor. I love them because they are easy to eat, but are low in calories (only 120 cals per serving) so there’s no guilt involved when you want to have a couple of handfuls (or more). The one thing I haven’t tried, is eating them with hummus, but now that I think about it, I think it would be an awesome combo!
Check out my review on YouTube for more!
French Meadow Gluten Free Yellow Cupcakes
July 23, 2010 | View Comments
“OMG, I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!”
Yup, those were the first words out of my mouth when I finished my French Meadow cupcake. I have to admit I had some trepidation about trying another French Meadow product after my bad experience with their frozen cookie dough, but they looked so tasty that I had to buy them.
They come packaged in a cute little box of four and have a thick layer of frosting on top (they’re dairy free!). I took one out to let it defrost and sampled some of the frosting while I was waiting. The frosting was pretty good – sweet and almost like a firmer version of Twinkie filling. Actually, now that I think about it, it had the same kind of fake taste that Twinkie filling has, not in a bad way, just in that processed way.
I thought the cake was actually the best part, the texture and flavor were really good, albeit a little dry, but balanced the frosting nicely. As it defrosted while I was eating it, I liked the combo more and more. I’m not usually a big fan of pre-packaged cupcakes, but I really enjoyed these and I don’t feel so guilty about eating the whole thing since they are only 200 calories a pop. If you’re having a major sweets craving, these will hit the spot for sure.
I’d tell you to check out their website, but it looks like the FDA came down on them for some misleading terms – ooops!
Kellogg’s Is Pro-Gluten
July 21, 2010 | View Comments
Kellogg’s really ruffles my feathers. Not only are they so far behind the gluten-free bandwagon that they never even saw it stop, they continue to try and ignore the fact that millions of us out there have gluten intolerance/celiac disease and it’s not ok. My motives for posting this are semi-selfish – I have an intense craving for Corn Flakes, and no, not the healthy, new age, gluten-free, cardboard corn flakes I have tried before (Glutino, I am looking at you). Let’s call a spade a spade, no amount of wishing, hoping or blindfolding will ever make those roof-of-my-mouth cutting knock-offs ever taste as delicate, and delicious as my beloved Corn Flakes (yes, high fructose corn syrup and all).
So today I am throwing down the gauntlet, Kellogg’s. Get with the program. Take the “malt flavoring” OUT of your corn flakes and give the gluten-free folks out there a chance to enjoy a taste from their past again. Take a page from General Mills’ book, reformulate and ultimately cut costs on your production by removing the wheat-based substances from Corn Flakes, Corn Pops AND Rice Krispies too while you’re at it. Wash the lines down or create a dedicated gluten-free line for these products. Just do something and do it soon, or you will miss out on a huge opportunity.
I’m not the only one that feels this way either. A post from Gluten Free PDX included the statement below from Kellogg’s. They aren’t even apologetic about their pro-gluteness!
Which of your products is gluten- or wheat-free?
At this time, we do not offer products suitable for consumers on a gluten- or wheat-free diet. All of our products are produced in facilities that also manufacture wheat-containing products. We cannot guarantee that any products are 100% gluten- or wheat-free.
Kellogg’s® Eggo™ Syrup and Kellogg’s™ Fruit Flavored Snacks are formulated gluten and wheat-free and may be acceptable for consumers on restricted diets. However, these products are produced in facilities that also manufacture other products that contain wheat. Consumers have varying sensitivities to gluten, and although we follow approved standardized manufacturing practices, some consumers are so sensitive that even wheat dust that may be in the product can result in a reaction. Therefore, we do not have any products that are gluten-free.
Kellogg’s® Corn Pops and Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies might be suitable, depending on gluten sensitivity. Corn Pops have a very small amount of wheat starch added, and Rice Krispies have a small amount of malt flavoring, made from barley. Check with your personal physician to determine if these products are suitable for you.
It is deplorable that a company as large as Kellogg’s cannot/will not reformulate a few cereals to be GF. It’s time we let Kellogg’s know how we feel! Who is with me? :)
Chicken, Chorizo & Shrimp Paella
July 19, 2010 | View Comments
I’ve been getting bored of having the same thing for dinner again and again, so lately I’ve been trying to think out of the box and try new things. One of my self-imposed challenges, was taking on Paella, which I’ve avoided like the plague for years. Paella has always seemed like something too difficult and cumbersome to take on, so I’ve never tried and was supremely ignorant on how to make it or what even went into it. When I finally decided to make Paella, I found a variety of recipes, no two ever exactly alike, and yet all seemed quite easy to prepare.
chicken frying in the oil
I’m not a huge seafood fan, so I knew that I only wanted to have chicken, chorizo and shrimp. I searched high and low for recipes and finally decided on a Tyler Florence recipe (of all recipes!) from the Food Network website. It had all of the ingredients that I wanted in my Paella and good reviews, so I figured why not.
beautiful meat mountain (fried chicken and chorizo)
The whole process was actually pretty easy. First you marinate your chicken thighs in some spices, I did my standard garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and oregano with a touch of paprika. While that’s getting happy, you saute some chorizo pieces in olive oil. Any dry chorizo will work well, but if you can get your hands on good dry Spanish chorizo, go for it! When it’s browned, you take it out and fry up your chicken pieces and then move the chicken to a paper towel with your chorizo. Take a few moments to reflect upon your beautifully browned meat mountain and then go back to your frying pan and saute onions, garlic, and parsley.
hand-crushed tomatoes, and other veggies getting happy
You then add in your hand-crushed tomatoes, and rice and let that cook for a bit. Then in goes the meat and saffron, yum! If you’re adding any seafood, this is when you would do it. We added shrimp, but honestly I would forgo the shrimp next time and add more chicken and chorizo. You let that cook for a good 15 minutes.
rice, chicken and water/broth simmering away
When that’s done, you add the thawed frozen peas on top and cook for 5 minutes without stirring. The peas will cook from the steam and the heat from the rice. Now this is the part where I messed up, I guess I had too much wine while preparing my meal because I didn’t notice that it said to turn the heat up at the end to get that nice toasted bottom on the rice. I’m definitely making note of that for next time though!
peas cooking as if by magic!
That’s really all there is to paella, easy right? Well, kind of, you want to make sure you have the right rice and the right pan. I used arborio rice because I couldn’t find any Spanish short or medium grain rice at my local stores. The arborio worked out fine for me and I’d use it again in a pinch. This really great article on paella goes into more detail on the type of rice and pan to use. They suggest not using a cast iron pan because it heats too quickly. I used a regular stainless steel skillet and it did the job just fine. I’ve included the full recipe below with notes. Give it a try and tell me what you think!
The Ultimate Paella – Tyler Florence
Ingredients
- Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows
- 1 (3-pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces (I used boneless chicken thighs)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced (I used Goya chorizo)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 Spanish onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced (not called for, but I used it anyway)
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
- 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
- 4 cups short grain Spanish rice (I used Italian Arborio risotto rice)
- 6 cups water, warm (I used 3 cups of chicken stock and 3 cups of water)
- Generous pinch saffron threads
- 1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed (omitted)
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined (I used 6 large shrimp)
- 2 lobster tails (omitted)
- 1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Special equipment:
- Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet
Directions
Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.
In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it’s perfect.
Cook’s note: The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.
Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.
Spice Mix for chicken:
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered
so good!!
