Rob brought me some Josef Glutin-Fre-ee gluten free chocolate O's- which are happily Oreos for celiacs. Not such a bad thing. So the O's resemble Oreos with two chocolate wafers hinging on a slab of cream, and they even have the filigree imprint stamped on each cookie. In addition to being gluten free, the O's are egg free and contain no wheat and dairy. They are also made in a dedicated gluten, lactose, casein, peanut, and tree nut-free bakery. Wow!
Taste-wise Josef O's are pretty good. They aren't as chocolaty as Oreos, but they have a good crunch and the cream filling is not too sweet and certainly rich enough. They look decadent but fortunately aren't- meaning that after having a few you can still button your jeans. It's probably not likely that we'll make a steady diet of O's- but who can resist a gluten free Oreo from time to time.
Ingredients:
Chocolate sandwich cookie ingredients:
Base: gluten free flour: Contains brown rice flour, tapioca flour, soy flour, white rice flour, potato starch, non hydrogenated shortening (palm oil), powdered sugar, sugar, water unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla, xanthan gum. Contains soy.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 2 cookies (31g)
Servings per container: 9
Calories: 150
Calories from fat: 70
Total fat: 8g
Sat. fat: 3.5g
Trans fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 0mg
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Bagels: Glutino Bagels
I've been seeing many more Glutino gluten free products lately. Though I shouldn't have been, I guess I was surprised to find Glutino brand bagels in the frozen section. I've had Glutino mac and cheese and pretzel sticks, etc. but it was a relief to think Rob would have something to eat for breakfast over the weekend that wasn't too time consuming to make.
The bagels- even in their frozen state are actually normal sized- not small and shrunken. I microwaved one for 20 seconds, then split in half before toasting. It was not like slicing a gluten bagel- it was smoother in consistency. When the bagels had popped and were nicely browned, I did the shmear of cream cheese on one side and olive oil on the other. Though this is going to sound bizarre, the hot bagels emitted a bit of that gluten free flour smell. Maybe it's the glucono-delta-lactone- or perhaps just my sensitive nose. Who knows, but once I got past that and took a bite and actually tasted the bagel- there was redemption!
These bagels are actually quite good- with a crunchy exterior crust and a soft inside. Did I say they are regular sized? That of course is a definite plus too. The best thing is that they can be on hand in the freezer and made just like a Lender's Bagel. Remember them? But really this makes eating gluten free in the a.m. not too hard.
Ingredients:
Corn mix (corn starch, skim milk powder, evaporated cane juice, salt, glucono-delta-lactone, pectin, sodium bicarbonate, sodium alginate, modified vegetable cellulose), water, tapioca starch, margarine (palm and palm kernel oils, soy lecithin), skim milk powder, evaporated cane juice, liquid egg whites, safflower oil, liquid yolks, guar gum, yeast, salt, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, iron, calcium.
This product may contain sesame seeds.
Nutrition Info
Serving size: 1/2 bagel
Servings per container: 10
Calories: 200
Calories from fat: 50
Total fat: 6g
Sat fat.: 1g
Trans fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 5mg
Sodium: 330mg
Total Carb: 36g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 3g
Glutino plain bagels are labeled gluten free, wheat free, with no refined sugar and no hydrogenated oils.
The bagels- even in their frozen state are actually normal sized- not small and shrunken. I microwaved one for 20 seconds, then split in half before toasting. It was not like slicing a gluten bagel- it was smoother in consistency. When the bagels had popped and were nicely browned, I did the shmear of cream cheese on one side and olive oil on the other. Though this is going to sound bizarre, the hot bagels emitted a bit of that gluten free flour smell. Maybe it's the glucono-delta-lactone- or perhaps just my sensitive nose. Who knows, but once I got past that and took a bite and actually tasted the bagel- there was redemption!
These bagels are actually quite good- with a crunchy exterior crust and a soft inside. Did I say they are regular sized? That of course is a definite plus too. The best thing is that they can be on hand in the freezer and made just like a Lender's Bagel. Remember them? But really this makes eating gluten free in the a.m. not too hard.
Ingredients:
Corn mix (corn starch, skim milk powder, evaporated cane juice, salt, glucono-delta-lactone, pectin, sodium bicarbonate, sodium alginate, modified vegetable cellulose), water, tapioca starch, margarine (palm and palm kernel oils, soy lecithin), skim milk powder, evaporated cane juice, liquid egg whites, safflower oil, liquid yolks, guar gum, yeast, salt, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, iron, calcium.
This product may contain sesame seeds.
Nutrition Info
Serving size: 1/2 bagel
Servings per container: 10
Calories: 200
Calories from fat: 50
Total fat: 6g
Sat fat.: 1g
Trans fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 5mg
Sodium: 330mg
Total Carb: 36g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 3g
Glutino plain bagels are labeled gluten free, wheat free, with no refined sugar and no hydrogenated oils.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Restaurant: Ago, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
This past December Rob and I celebrated our fourth annual “Festivus” trip to Las Vegas One of the 5-star highlights however, was dinner at Hard Rock’s Ago.
On a whim, Rob emailed the renowned restaurant and explained his celiac disease and intolerance to gluten. Truly we hadn’t expected anything other than the normal, “when you arrive for dinner just tell the wait-staff and we’ll see what we can do”- conversation.
Instead Rob received an email back from the executive chef of the entire Casino, Mark Sharlin, who assured him that it was no problem. Upon arriving at Ago, we were pleasantly surprised at the spacious room- other diners were far enough apart, yet there was a casual, intimate and sophisticated ambiance all at once.
After being seated, Rob informed our waiter, Victor, of his prior conversation- and within a few minutes- to our utter astonishment, Ago's chef Sergio himself appeared at our table! Obviously we are neither rich nor famous so this type of treatment was so unexpected and wonderful for us. There was to be no harried wait-staff acting as middle-person between Rob and the necessity of a gluten free meal- and a busy chef who may or may not have gotten the memo on the dinner ticket. It completely threw us for a loop!
In any case, Chef Sergio suggested the Wild Boar Ragout which he had prepared as a special. Sipping a crisp Sauvignon Blanc over a tasty bed of greens, Rob awaited the ragout. It arrived piping hot and picture-perfect. Nothing though could have prepared him for such a sumptuous gluten-free feast! It was divinity on earth with tender-cut-melt-in-your-mouth cubes of wild boar served with a rich sauce over gluten free papardelle pasta. Rob was positively ecstatic and nearly ate the plate. Mark Sharlin even stopped by as well to check in on how we were enjoying the meal.
It was probably the most memorable and comfortable dining experiences Rob has ever had. Not only was it fabulous- but assuredly gluten-free.
Thank you Ago!! Hope to see you in December!!
-Diana
Monday, March 23, 2009
Bread: Bob's Red Mill Hearty Whole Grain Bread Mix
Bob's Red Mill is to me like a beacon of light in an otherwise dark supermarket. Bob's offers a wide variety of gluten free cookies, brownies, bread mixes, and flours. The Hearty Whole Grain Bread mix is a great product to have on hand in the cupboard- particularly on a cold weekend when you are inclined to drag out the bread machine.
Generally in our gluten free household we bake up a loaf of bread, freeze it and consume it over a few weeks. Since it does take some effort, we don't make it all that regularly- though we certainly should- especially if it's Bob's Red Mill.
I really love this bread- but mainly it has to do with what's in it. This is no shrinking violet; it has major heft to it, weighs a ton and is hearty beyond all recognition. But the best thing is that it can be sliced, frozen, toasted and consumed- all without falling into a crumbled mass like most gluten free breads. Bob's Hearty is one of the few breads that can actually survive being made into a sandwich- a rare feat in the world of mainly tapioca and starch-based gluten free flours. I can't even count how many times I've made Rob a sandwich- only to have it fall apart each time he picked it up to the point where the chicken salad sandwich has to be consumed with knife and fork.
Yes so Bob's is a bit on the heavy side- kind of like a dark brown molasses bread, but as I said, it's worth every slice- kind of like gluten free gold!
Ingredients:
Whole grain buckwheat, garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, cornstarch, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, whole grain sorghum flour, tapioca flour, turbinado sugar, cocoa powder, evaporated cane juice sugar, fava bean flour, dried molasses (molasses, maltodextrin, silicon dioxide), xanthan gum, caraway seeds, active dry yeast, sea salt, whole grain teff, potato flour, onion powder, guar gum, soy lecithin
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1/16 of pkg (35g)
Servings per container: 16
Calories:
Mix: 130
Baked: 190
Calories from fat:
Mix: 30
Baked: 70
Total fat: 3.5g
Sat. fat: 0g
Trans fat; 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 170mg
Total Carb.: 23g
Dietary fiber: 4g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 4g
What You Need:
1 3/4 cups Water
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. cider vinegar
This mix can be made by hand or by a bread machine.
"Bob's Red Mill products labeled Gluten Free are batch tested in our quality control laboratory. We use ELISA Gluten Assay test to determine if a product is gluten free."
Generally in our gluten free household we bake up a loaf of bread, freeze it and consume it over a few weeks. Since it does take some effort, we don't make it all that regularly- though we certainly should- especially if it's Bob's Red Mill.
I really love this bread- but mainly it has to do with what's in it. This is no shrinking violet; it has major heft to it, weighs a ton and is hearty beyond all recognition. But the best thing is that it can be sliced, frozen, toasted and consumed- all without falling into a crumbled mass like most gluten free breads. Bob's Hearty is one of the few breads that can actually survive being made into a sandwich- a rare feat in the world of mainly tapioca and starch-based gluten free flours. I can't even count how many times I've made Rob a sandwich- only to have it fall apart each time he picked it up to the point where the chicken salad sandwich has to be consumed with knife and fork.
Yes so Bob's is a bit on the heavy side- kind of like a dark brown molasses bread, but as I said, it's worth every slice- kind of like gluten free gold!
Ingredients:
Whole grain buckwheat, garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, cornstarch, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, whole grain sorghum flour, tapioca flour, turbinado sugar, cocoa powder, evaporated cane juice sugar, fava bean flour, dried molasses (molasses, maltodextrin, silicon dioxide), xanthan gum, caraway seeds, active dry yeast, sea salt, whole grain teff, potato flour, onion powder, guar gum, soy lecithin
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1/16 of pkg (35g)
Servings per container: 16
Calories:
Mix: 130
Baked: 190
Calories from fat:
Mix: 30
Baked: 70
Total fat: 3.5g
Sat. fat: 0g
Trans fat; 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 170mg
Total Carb.: 23g
Dietary fiber: 4g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 4g
What You Need:
1 3/4 cups Water
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. cider vinegar
This mix can be made by hand or by a bread machine.
"Bob's Red Mill products labeled Gluten Free are batch tested in our quality control laboratory. We use ELISA Gluten Assay test to determine if a product is gluten free."
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Pizza: Amy's Cheese Pizza
Recently I was thrilled to find that Amy's has made a gluten free frozen pizza. We are huge fans of Amy's Gluten free Mac and cheese so we looked forward to it. The rice crust cheese pizza is made with organic rice flour and tomatoes; it is marked gluten free and contains sunflower seeds.
Since I had some diced onion and peppers in the fridge, I heated the oven to the recommended 375 degrees and added the chopped veg on top. I did notice the cheese seemed to be a bit on the sparse side; quite a few frozen cheese bits fell off while I removed the pizza from the plastic wrap. In any case I drizzled the top with olive oil and sent it to the oven. This time I followed the directions and only cooked the pizza for 12 minutes. The package states that the pizzas are pre-cooked and delicate. I took this to mean the pizza could burn to a crisp if not removed in time- and I couldn't risk losing our lunch!
After the allotted 12 minutes, the cheese was melted and ready to go. I sliced and served up. I liked it- but didn't love it. The crust seemed at first grainy- as is often the case with gluten free flour products. But on further reflection, the crust was just very buttery. It was flavorful- but maybe more appropriate for a dessert pie than a pizza pie. There is no denying that the crust is light- not heavy like some of the mix-your-own types, but not like a gluten-filled pizza. It's on the sweet side too- which I guess shouldn't surprise me as honey, potatoes, tapioca flour and sunflower seed meal are listed in the ingredients.
So yes, though I think I would buy Amy's again, if I had a choice between Amy's and Foods by George Pizza, I would definitely opt for the George.
Ingredients:
Part-skim mozzarella cheese, organic sweet rice flour, organic tomato puree, filtered water, organic sunflower seed meal, organic tapioca flour, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic potatoes, organic honey, organic red onions, sea salt, expeller pressed high oleic safflower oil, yeast, soy lecithin, spice (100% pure herbs & spices (no hidden ingredients)), organic garlic, black pepper.
Contains Milk, Sunflower Seeds and Syou.
"This product is made in a facility that processes foods containing wheat, tree nuts and seeds. Amy's Kitchen does not use any peanuts, fish, shellfish or eggs."
Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1/3 pizza (113g)
Servings per container: 3
Calories: 320
Calories from fat: 150
Total fat: 16g
Sat. fat: 4g
Trans fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 10mg
Sodium: 590mg
Total Carb: 34g
Dietary fiber: 2g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 10g
Since I had some diced onion and peppers in the fridge, I heated the oven to the recommended 375 degrees and added the chopped veg on top. I did notice the cheese seemed to be a bit on the sparse side; quite a few frozen cheese bits fell off while I removed the pizza from the plastic wrap. In any case I drizzled the top with olive oil and sent it to the oven. This time I followed the directions and only cooked the pizza for 12 minutes. The package states that the pizzas are pre-cooked and delicate. I took this to mean the pizza could burn to a crisp if not removed in time- and I couldn't risk losing our lunch!
After the allotted 12 minutes, the cheese was melted and ready to go. I sliced and served up. I liked it- but didn't love it. The crust seemed at first grainy- as is often the case with gluten free flour products. But on further reflection, the crust was just very buttery. It was flavorful- but maybe more appropriate for a dessert pie than a pizza pie. There is no denying that the crust is light- not heavy like some of the mix-your-own types, but not like a gluten-filled pizza. It's on the sweet side too- which I guess shouldn't surprise me as honey, potatoes, tapioca flour and sunflower seed meal are listed in the ingredients.
So yes, though I think I would buy Amy's again, if I had a choice between Amy's and Foods by George Pizza, I would definitely opt for the George.
Ingredients:
Part-skim mozzarella cheese, organic sweet rice flour, organic tomato puree, filtered water, organic sunflower seed meal, organic tapioca flour, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic potatoes, organic honey, organic red onions, sea salt, expeller pressed high oleic safflower oil, yeast, soy lecithin, spice (100% pure herbs & spices (no hidden ingredients)), organic garlic, black pepper.
Contains Milk, Sunflower Seeds and Syou.
"This product is made in a facility that processes foods containing wheat, tree nuts and seeds. Amy's Kitchen does not use any peanuts, fish, shellfish or eggs."
Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1/3 pizza (113g)
Servings per container: 3
Calories: 320
Calories from fat: 150
Total fat: 16g
Sat. fat: 4g
Trans fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 10mg
Sodium: 590mg
Total Carb: 34g
Dietary fiber: 2g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 10g
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Follow us on Twitter
We're setup on Twitter since we figured it would be nice to have another outlet to discuss celiac safe foods. Things that would normally not merit a blog post can now be tweeted out. See gluten-free foods being prepared live, pictures of new products we find in the store, etc.
Follow us here.
Follow us here.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Beer: Redbridge Label Update
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