Archive for the ‘Products’ Category

I recently tried Mama’s Pancake Mix from Gluten Free Mama.  Now, let me preface this by saying, I haven’t had a pancake in the nearly 3 years that I’ve been gluten-free.  They were AMAZING!  Even my husband thought they were great — and he usually gives me attitude when I make anything gluten-free and expect him to eat it!  Haha! [Incidentally, I've since tried another brand, and he hated it.]

I’ve never been really big into making pancakes, but it only took me a couple of minutes to get the hang of it.

Preheating the pan and using non-stick spray worked best.  At the time, I was using a stainless steel pan.  The non-stick spray may not be as necessary with a Teflon coated pan (I just bought a stove-top griddle).

The mix was very easy to use and the directions were very clear.  Best of all, though–they were fluffy and didn’t fall apart like so many gluten-free products tend to do.  As you can see from the photos, it is easy to see when the bubbles start to form and it’s time to flip them over.

I was very impressed with these pancakes from start to finish.  I will definitely be ordering more pancake mix from this company.  Unfortunately, this mix is not available locally in Michigan, so website ordering is the only option.  There are several locations in other states, though, and Amazon carries the rice-almond flour blend.

And here is the finished product!  Ta-da!!!

And they were YUMMY with some strawberry preserves and whipped cream!

Just like at the pancake house!

 
 
 
 

Look at what I found at Meijer today!  –>

I was so excited, I could hardly stand it!  According to Sure Foods Living…

I spoke with General Mills customer service today to confirm that Corn Chex, Cinnamon Chex, Strawberry Chex, and Honey Nut Chex have also been re-formulated to be gluten-free. The General Mills representative said that if any of their cereals are gluten-free it will be clearly marked on the front and side of the box and that some cereals may be rolled out in only some parts of the country at first. UPDATE: Gluten-free versions of Chex will officially be available on June 1st. Thanks to The Gluten-Free Homemaker for this detail!

I’m really excited to try the other GF flavors when they hit the stores!  I think when I went GF 2 1/2 years ago, there was just Rice, Corn, and Wheat Chex.  They also had a Frosted Mini Chex, which was really good…but, alas…I degress.

Also, according to Gluten Free Philly…

Other General Mills cereals that are GF-friendly include Honey Kix and Chocolate Lucky Charms.

I’ve been eating Trix on occasion, but I didn’t know about these others.  Way to Go, General Mills!  The Gluten-free Community applauds you!

Another big announcement that I just found out about from Starbucks…

Starting May 5 we will be launching the Gluten-free Orange Valencia Cake with Almonds….This product was inspired by the passionate responses we heard from you on My Starbucks Idea.  [I voted in this!]

The Orange Valencia Cake is a delicious moist citrus cake bursting with Valencia oranges and topped with crunchy almonds.  Not only is it gluten-free, it is also prepared with 7 simple ingredients: Whole Eggs, Valencia Orange Pulp, Almonds, Sugar, Orange Peel, Gluten Free Baking Powder, and Orange Oil.  Plus it delivers 30% of your daily value of vitamin C.

Keep on the look out for it in the pastry case with a sign that says “gluten-free.”  A single cake will be displayed unwrapped so you can see it clearly, but don’t worry.   They all come individually packaged to prevent cross contamination.

Way to Go Starbucks for listening to your customers and being sensitive to the needs of your gluten-free fans!

Forest Hills Foods will be holding another Gluten-Free tasting day on Monday, March 10 from 12:00-7:00 pm. Enjoy!

Handy little list of Meijer brand products that are gluten-free!  Nice job, Meijer!

What a great meeting we had tonight! Our monthly meetings have become a real bright spot in my life…thanks for being a part of that!  Special thanks to our guests, Erin from Coco Charlotte Gluten-free Gourmet Bakery and Paul Swanson from Full Flavor Foods. The samples they brought were nothing short of amazing!

We had several new people attending for the first time at this meeting and a really nice attendance, considering some messy roads.  I’m so glad that you all ventured out for the meeting!

New samples for this meeting from Pamela’s (cookies, chip clips, hats & t-shirts), Glutino (pretzels), and some other fun stuff. The vendors have been very generous in sharing samples with us. It’s so nice to be able to try new products without spending a lot of money, only to find out we may not like the items.

Join us on Saturday, February 16 from 10 am - 3 pm for our 1st Gluten-Free Fair at the Hudsonville Harvest Health Location.  We will sample a wide variety of Gluten-Free products, vendors will be on hand to talk about their products and we will feature Special One Day Pricing on certain Gluten-Free Products!  Customer drawings for baskets of G/F products. Bring your favorite – tried and true - Gluten-Free recipe to share or email it to Info@HarvestHealthFoods.com.

Hey, we tried the Spinach Parmesan Risotto and used the Lundberg Wild Rice in place of barley in a homemade soup this last week and the entire family loved them both!

I did find a new chocolate cake mix at Meijer this last week as well. It is put out by Bob’s Red Mill and I will let you know how it bakes up because if it is good, which I have every confidence that it will be, it is about HALF the cost of the chocolate cake I’ve used the last 4 or 5 years. I’m anxious to try it just to save the money. Eating gluten free feels a lot better to the gut but not necessarily to the pocketbook as we all know.

I did notice, but didn’t take the opportunity to read yet(sigh), the article in RD that mentions Celiac Disease as a reason for stomach troubles. It is great to see CD coming more and more to the forefront of the minds of those who can help and being suggested as a possible resolution once identified.

Thanks again, Kim, for all of the great samples you handed out. I have seen several of the products on the shelves since we picked those up and it is great to now know for sure that some items that aren’t shelved specifically in the GF section are indeed gluten free!

I’m looking forwad to the next meeting on the 17th and hoping to see everyone out for the guest speaker and getting ready for the Christmas rush. See you all there!

I’ve been sampling some of the Full Flavor Foods mixes, and I have to say that I have been very impressed. The brown and turkey gravies were both very good and the only real difference that I noticed was that they formed a skin on top as they cooled down (faster than non-gluten versions). Once you stirred it again, that disappeared and it was fine again.

The other “experiment” that I tried turned out really well. I used a packet of the cream soup and a packet of the cheese sauce together. Here’s the recipe:

Chicken Spaghetti Pie

• Cut up cooked chicken breasts into small cubes
• Cook Tinkyada rice penne, per directions, and drain
• Prepare FFF Cheese Sauce and Cream Soup mixes together, as directed

Mix penne, sauce mixes, and chicken together. Add shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar and mozzarella) and stir. Put in baking dish/pan and cover top with more cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is thoroughly melted (we even like ours a little browned on top), approximately 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

I think this has been the biggest GF hit that I’ve made yet. My husband and teenage boys are anxious to have me make this again!

There are more tips and ideas for FFF mixes on their website.  You can purchase these mixes at Otto’s Turkey Store and they are coming soon to Meijer!  We are anxious to have Paul Swanson (owner of FFF) with us in January!

We had a really great meeting last night.  We had 18 people, only 3 of which had been to a previous meeting, so that was really great!  Many of the people who attended our meeting found out about it through an article in the local newspapers.  Unfortunately, our special guest had an emergency and wasn’t able to join us.

 We sampled some Miss Roben’s Soft Pretzels that the Allergy Grocer was so nice to supply for us.  Susan, who was not able to attend the meeting, was nice enough to prepare these for the group. [Thanks, Susan!]  Some preparation notes that she sent along:

These were prepared with yeast, olive oil, and vinegar.  I used warm water.

• Way too thick & sticky for a hand mixer.  Use a heavy duty stand mixer.
• Takes 15 min. (at least ) to brown on bottom before you turn them.
• Pretty much have to make “sticks” because dough is very difficult to work with.  I attempted a “pretzel shape” & it did not work.
• I baked these on a silicon baking sheet instead of greasing a pan–this may have affected browning.

We were also treated to some donut holes from Celiac Specialties in Chesterfield Township, near Detroit.  These were pretty much amazing!  They sent us glazed and cinnamon sugar.  They were a cake-like donut, not fluffy, like a Krispy Kreme style. 

 Allison was also nice enought to make us some really, really good peanut-butter, chocolate chip cookies from a recipe found on the All Recipes website.  [Thanks, Allison!]  For convenience, I will reprint the recipe here, but be sure to visit the site for a LOT of really great recipes!

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies

Submitted by: Jackie Rated: 5 out of 5 by 29 members

Yields: 15 servings

“This recipe is gluten-free and delicious! Pecans are great in these, but feel free to use peanuts or any other nut you choose.”

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups peanut butter 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs, beaten

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional) 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheet.
2.	Combine peanut butter, eggs, and sugar and mix until smooth. Mix in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Spoon dough by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet.
3.	Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 5 to 10 minutes before removing.

Everyone who attended received a bag full of sample products from various gluten-free vendors.  We will be posting reveiws of these products in the near future.  If you would like to add your comments about the pretzels, donut holes or cookies, please do so by leaving a comment.

We had a great time out Monday evening; we were able to sample some new (brand new!) products from fatgiraffebakery that were fabulous!, and the mixes for cakes and brownies and pancakes from CherryBrook Kitchen were a real treat, GF or not!, the Full Flavor Foods table had Beef Burgundy, Turkey with gravy, and an Alfredo that will blow you away!…Can you tell I am excited with the new GF options that are out there now all of a sudden?

FHF will also be carrying very soon a couple of additional new products from an old favorite GF supplier, Bob’s Red Mill…Rolled and Steel Cut Oats! Cindy (from FHF) said that they are just waiting on the suppliers now the orders have been placed. I don’t have any pricing info on the new products but having the availability at a relatively local grocery will be fantasic.

Let me back up to the fatgiraffe for a moment…these folks were so COOL! Peiter has been living wheat free (not celiac, but he’s been eating gluten free for a while now) and wanted there to be something a little more “fun” available and has developed cookie mixes that are so yummy I may be in diet trouble very soon All in all, the “tasting event” went off beautifully.

Paul Swanson, of FFF mentioned that the traffic through the store was quite steady throughout the day which is always good to hear when something is held open for a number of hours. It was quite busy while we were there and I thought we were hitting the tail end but people just kept coming. I really think the GF food industry is about to bloom into full force…there are so many of us out there now and more on the way, no doubt as people become more aware.