Want a gluten-free Twinkie?

I didn't grow up eating Twinkies (thank goodness), but I know many people love them and for those that get diagnosed with celiac or a wheat allergy, it's bye-bye to this nostalgic ooey gooey treat.  Since I've had so few twinkies, I could not tell a real one from an imposter even if I could eat one.

Even though I don't care anything about having a Twinkie type treat, I coudn't resist the version offered by Katz Gluten-Free.  There was a vanilla creme filled cake and a chocolate creme filled cake from this line in the freezer at Sprouts.  They were on sale so I could not pass the oportunity to try at least one version up.


The first thing I noticed was how small the little cakes were...I think they're smaller than Twinkies, but I could be wrong about that.  Then you have to let it defrost on the counter before eating it.  So right off the bat, this is a miss for me.  I don't want to have to think two hours ahead of time "I think I'll have a gf Twinkie like treat today".

Eventually, the cake was ready to try.  I'm a huge fan of Katz so it was a bit surprising that this cake didn't taste very good to me.  The cake and the creme filling (of which there was very little of) were a total miss for me.  Even my husband who enjoys pretty much anything baked, including things I think are super horrid, didn't care for it. 


We'll stick to the amazing apple fritters and small apple pie (not the mini pies) from Katz from now on ;)
  

REVIEW: Pampas Steakhouse in Johns Creek

Obviously, most steakhouses are fairly gluten-free friendly.  Sauces and some side dishes might contain gluten, etc., but it's relatively simple to get a safe gluten-free meal at a steakhouse - if you order steak and baked potato, for instance.  However, I'm not a huge fan of steak anymore, and neither is my husband so we rarely eat at steakhouses.

Enter Pampas Steakhouse in Johns Creek, GA.  One of my gluten-free friends told me about this place as she went with in-laws for a birthday celebration.  After hearing about the Truffled Potatoes Au Gratin - yes they're gluten-free(!) - I went about planning a b-day celebration of my own - or rather, for my husband - at Pampas.

The online menu denotes which items are gluten-free, except for in the dessert section.  Thankfully, the sweet treat we wanted, bananas foster, is indeed gluten-free.  Several other options are as well. With most of the meats and several seafood dishes being gluten-free as prepared, the Chef at Pampas is happy to accommodate other requests, when possible.  Therefore, I inquired about having a crab cake appetizer and, to my delight, was told that was doable!

The atmosphere at Pampas is quite lovely with warm, inviting decor.  We sat in a comfortable booth and our well informed server knew it was my husband's birthday (noted on reservation) and that I was getting a gluten-free crab cake.  We ordered salad and the (non gf) lobster bisque as starters.  My husband enjoyed the bisque and we both enjoyed the salad.  However, the star of the show for me was the amazing almost all crab meat crab cake.  The presentation was lovely and the taste was even better!  As there was no breading, or filler of any kind besides minced veggies, it was a refreshingly light crab cake.  I've had similar crab cakes before, but this was the best version without breading that I've had out in over a decade!

My husband said his Center Cut Filet, with au poivre sauce, was wonderful and we were both impressed with the side dishes we chose.  Those are meant to be shared and even then, we took some of each one home!  The basil fried corn seemed very fresh, as if it had just been shucked off the cob, and was delicious.  The Truffled Au Gratin Potatoes were the main reason I wanted to go to Pampas and were more dreamy than I could have imagined!  The only issue I have with it is that when I make my own version of the dish at home, it will never compare to the amazing option at Pampas!

The icing on the cake, so to speak, during our amazing meal didn't involve cake at all.  We ordered a dish my husband makes a wonderful version of - meaning we're super picky about it - Bananas Foster.  Once again, this dish, which is prepared table side as it always should be, didn't disappoint.  Like most versions of this decadent treat, eating just half the generous portion will put you in a sugar coma, but it was well worth it!  I actually had a quarter of it (they nicely split the dish for us) and my husband enjoyed the rest.

It's honestly worth going to Pampas Steakhouse for the sides and desserts for me, but for most people, it's about the steak.  Aside from my husband's lovely filet, I'm happy to report that friends (who've had other steaks there) have been quite impressed with the quality of meats offered at Pampas!

Other notes worth mentioning: valet parking is available and we saw no children during our visit.  To my knowledge, there is no rule about kids, but we appreciated the "adult atmosphere" we enjoyed during our fabulous visit to Pampas!

         

Gluten-Free at The Grove Park Inn

The first time I dined at The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC, it was during the Christmas holidays. I was not gluten-free back then and the holiday buffet we enjoyed was spectacular in terms of taste and visually amazing as well. Seeing the impressive holiday themed ice sculpture alone was worth the price of the meal!

During the last week of December last year, we popped over to Asheville from TN after spending  Christmas with family. We enjoyed viewing the wonderful Gingerbread House Competition entries at the inn before heading to feast on a gourmet meal at Horizons - the high end dining room at the resort. The sprawling property is always busy, especially so during the holidays, and this year was no exception. We were glad to get away from the crowds and enter the relaxed atmosphere inside Horizons.

We were seated by the window and had an incredible view of Asheville down below. Our friendly server introduced herself and someone delivered freshly made gluten-free savory mini biscuits to the table. I named the bread that because that's what it reminded me of. A bite of the tasty mini biscuit with a dab of butter on it and I knew I was in for a real treat!

Below are my selections from the printed gluten-free menu offered to me that evening. There are no photos posted because the ones I took did not turn out at all. I've spent way too much time trying to  make them viable to publish here, but I can't do that to the talented culinary team at Horizon's. Their dishes looked like artwork at times and the photos don't do the impressive meal any justice at all.


STARTER

Amuse Bouche - green tomato jam with blue crab salad atop lemon creme fraiche, garnished with shaved fennel, fennel fronds and spiced pumpkin seeds.  

FIRST COURSE

Butternut Squash Bisque - shaved dark chocolate and marshmallow fluff
        
SECOND COURSE

Slow Braised Hickory Nut Gap Pork Belly - quail egg, citrus confit and grilled scallion

MAIN COURSE

Pan Seared Diver Scallops - braised South Texas wild boar, Swiss chard and Hendersonville apple butter

DESSERT

Artisan Cheese Plate - served with gluten-free bread 


Most everything I had at Horizons was wonderful! The description of the bisque was so intruiguing that I could not pass on ordering it, and I was surprised that I actually quite enjoyed it. The pork belly was out of this world delicious and I was glad my husband doesn't care for that dish so I didn't have to share it.  The scallops were incredible as was the apple butter, but I don't care for Swiss chard at all.

There were three desserts on the gluten-free menu and I was in the mood for a cheese plate listed among the offerings.  The artisan cheeses served were all wonderful, and while I appreciated the gluten-free bread wedges served with them, I didn't have room much of it. It was similar to pita bread wedges and pretty tasty.

The menu changes at Horizons often so that the freshest and most local ingredients can be used. However, I want to share the other interesting dessert options available to me during our visit.

*Stirred Lemon Custard - torched meringue and blueberry sorbet
*Espresso Mousse - flourless cinnamon cake and chocolate-orange ice cream 
   

There are several restaurants at the resort, but we didn't inquire about other gluten-free options as we only visited for dinner one evening.  If you make reservations at Horizons, be sure to mention your gluten-free needs so the staff can accommodate you deliciously!
        

Review: GlutenTox Home gluten test kit

For whatever reason, I've never ordered, used or reviewed a gluten detection product in the past.  There have been a couple of such products on the market for a while now, but I've never felt the need to use one.  However, I was recently offered the chance to receive the newest gluten test kit for free, in exchange for a review of it.  Naturally, I accepted the offer!  I've always wondered how well such products work, but not enough to fork out good money to find out. 

My GlutenTox kit arrived just before Christmas and so far I've only tested one product.  I gave quite some thought to what products I would test.  I wanted to find something that I know some people are hesitant to try, for whatever reason.  I finally decided on the new Snickerdoodles cookies from Trader Joe's.  The reality is that GIG certifies the TJ gluten-free items (or at least some of them as shown in their current certified product handbook), but some people don't like the fact that the products carry only a 'g' symbol, which at TJ's denotes only that the product is made without gluten ingredients.  There is no mention of 'gluten-free' anywhere on the items.   

The packaging of GlutenTox is very professional and the instructions are VERY easy to understand and follow.  You basically follow the steps given, in order, and in about 20 minutes, you have your result.  You can test for either 20 ppm or for 5 ppm.  I chose to use the 20ppm method.  As expected, the Snickerdoodles from Trader Joe's (their store brand with the 'g' no gluten ingredients symbol on the box) tested gluten-free.  I was not surprised since I enjoy such items from that store on a regular basis.   

Since this is the only testing product I've ever used, I can't speak to how it stacks up to similar items.  I can only say that using this kit could not be easier and an intelligent six year old (who can read) could use it successfully.  It doesn't get much easier than that!

More about GlutenTox (and a discount code!) from the company:

With GlutenTox Home you can quickly and reliably check for gluten in foods, liquids, and personal products/cosmetics:

• Easily detect gluten from wheat, barley, rye and oat with the G12 antibody

• Adjustable sensitivity: choose 5ppm or 20ppm

• Results in less than 20 minutes

• No special equipment required

• Qualified Medical Expense for HSA, HRA, FSA account holders

GlutenTox Home is found in select stores, including New Vitality Health Foods in Orland Park, IL and Strictly Gluten Free in East Northport, NY. It's also available online at glutentox.com — where you can enter the code GF2012 to receive free shipping until noon (EST) on January 20th, 2012.

Review: Kettle Cuisine gluten-free soups

Ever since I discovered Kettle Cuisine frozen soups, I've been enjoying them and telling everyone I know (gluten eaters included) about how great they are. First and foremost the entire line of soups is gluten-free.  There are several flavors that are also dairy-free and some low fat and vegetarian options.  Even though I've written about the line many times, I was just recently offered the chance to do a review in exchange for some free soup.  The weather in Atlanta was pretty dreadful recently (for us wimpy Southerners), so it was perfect timing that the sample box arrived just in time for winter temps!

I've not tried all the flavors of Kettle Cuisine soups, but of those I've had, the Chicken Chili with White Beans is my absolute favorite!  Next in line is the Angus Beef Steak chili with Beans. Each of those are very thick, almost stew-like soups, with strong and perfectly blended flavors.  They are both incredibly delicious!

The Three Bean Chili and Southwestern Chicken and Corn Chowder are both extremely tasty soups as well.  The latter is quite spicy and the flavors in it are strong, but not overpowering.  Most of the soups I eat from Kettle Cuisine contain a serving of vegetables which makes them both delicious and healthy.

One flavor of the soup, Thai Curry Chicken Soup, actually surprised me because I've never liked anything with curry in the name.  So, imagine my surprise when I tasted this soup from Kettle Cuisine and thought it was fantastic.  Maybe I now like curry...not quite sure what's going on.  Maybe the curry flavor is very subtle in this soup.  Whatever is going on, I'm so glad I found another great soup from Kettle Cuisine to enjoy!  Find out where to purchase Kettle Cuisine soups near you by clicking HERE.


*Some, but not all of the soups reviewed above were sent to me free of charge.  As always, my opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.     

Review: Enjoy Life Foods 'not nuts!' trail mixes

There is not a nut I don't like.  I'm a huge fan of nuts - pecans, cashews, macadamias, walnuts - all nuts.  I love them.  So, when Enjoy Life Foods sent me their trail mixes to review, I didn't even remember until they arrived that all products in the line are allergen free.  Meaning that none of them contain nuts of any kind.  I figured that I might not enjoy the mixes since they are nut free and the only reason I'd typically eat trail mix is for the nuts.

Below is description of the products:

Happy trails to you.

Salty, sweet and crunchy, our trail mix is so good you won’t even miss the nuts. On the trail or on the go, it's the ideal portable snack. With no peanuts or tree nuts (or any other allergens for that matter), it also makes a great school-safe treat.

gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, tree-nut free, soy free, egg free and casein-free

Once I read the ingredients on each of the two bags, I felt better about my chances of liking the mixes.  After all, I quite like dried fruit, sunflower kernels, pumpkin seeds and salt. The first mix I opened was the 'beach bash' and it was excellent - the perfect blend of savory and sweet ingredients!  There are six servings in a bag, but this snack is so good one could easily get carried away and down half the bag without thinking about it.  To keep from doing that, I put the mix in a small ramekin.

Next up was the 'mountain mambo' mix.  It too was delicious and a little extra special in that it contains chocolate chips!  Seriously, dried fruit and chocolate - what's not to like?!  I'm not really sure which mix I think is the best of the two.  They are each extremely tasty and both fairly different.  I can see putting some of the trail mix into small baggies to have on hand when dining out in a place that doesn't offer gluten-free appetizers.  The resealable pouch package will also travel well and not take up a lot of space in luggage.

If you like the ingredients listed in these two mixes, you're sure to like the combinations of them that Enjoy Life Foods came up with for these delightful products!

*The products reviewed above were sent to me free of charge. As always, my comments are my own and have not been influenced by any outsides sources.    

Review: Cedar's brand of hummus

Since I've been gluten-free, I have grown to LOVE hummus!  I doubt I even ate any before I was 40, but now I hate to go a day without it.  It's one of the most healthy spreads around and with so many flavors to choose from, there is something for everyone!

While checking out the hummus offerings at Whole Foods recently, I came across a couple of flavors from Cedar's that I've not seen before.  I picked up both the Spinach Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper 'hommus' as they call their product.  Both are clearly marked gluten-free right on the top of the lid.

The Spinach Artichoke flavor was okay, but not one of my favorites.  I love spinach artichoke dip so this was quite surprising.  The Roasted Red Pepper hummus was right up my alley.  It's bursting with wonderful flavor and is simply delicious!

Cedar's gluten-free items bear the GFCO symbol.  The Gluten Free Certification Organization is a division of GIG.      

Killer gluten-free cupcakes in Greenville, SC!

Greenville, SC is really coming up in the world in terms of gluten-free offerings.  When I found out my in-laws were moving there, I was concerned that I might be hard pressed to find many places in the area that would float my gluten-free boat so to speak.  While I've only dined out up there once so far, at Larkin's on the River (which was beyond amazing!!!!), there are more gluten-free friendly places than one might think would be the case.  I hope to get to try more places in the area eventually!

For now, I can happily share that I had one of the best gluten-free cupcakes I've had at any bakery at The Chocolate Moose in downtown Greenville.  While checking out the cute shops on main street, I went into the bakery to inquire about gluten-free offerings just for kicks.  I had no idea that the place had gluten-free cupcakes on Tuesdays and Saturdays and was shocked - and tickled - that they had gluten-free chocolate chip cupcakes that day, served with my choice of frosting.

For some odd reason, I chose  key lime frosting just because I could. Admittedly, this combination wasn't the best I've had, but both the cake and the frosting were excellent on their own and interesting together!  The cupcake was actually so moist and tasty that I started thinking maybe they gave me a gluten treat by mistake. My husband tasted it and thought the same thing.  I found out a couple of hours that in fact, the cupcake was 100% gluten-free!

It's super easy to bake your own amazingly delicious gluten-free cupcakes at home, but I find that this treat at bakeries can be hit or miss. The places that do it right make the gluten-free cakes first thing in the morning which might be at 3 am.  By the time I have one at 2 pm, the cake part can be dry depending on how and where the cupcakes are stored.  Whatever The Chocolate Moose is doing is what every bakery should be doing!  All I know about their flour blend is that among other things, it contains millet which is a very healthy grain.

From now on, our first stop in Greenville (if we arrive on Saturday) will be The Chocolate Moose - no doubt!

   

Awesome chips from Late July!

It seems that Late July introduced a line of gluten-free chips last fall, but I just found them at Natural Foods Warehouse in Duluth last week. Even though there are some flavors of Doritos that are gluten-free, they contain MSG which I avoid in addition to gluten.

The Dude Ranch Organic whole grain chips from Late July are like a Dorito - only better!  The flavor is wonderful and the crunch factor is perfect.  The multigrain chips are certified gluten-free and they are delicious. I will be trying the other flavors very soon!

Review: Cookie Dough bars from LUNA Bar

When I was at a food show in July, I was able to sample the Chocolate Peanut Butter bar from LUNA Bar.  There are a few new bars in the line that were specifically created to be gluten-free.  I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor I had and bought some of the bars when I found them later at Natural Foods Warehouse.

Last weekend I found the Cookie Dough flavor at Target and I must say that this flavor is by far my favorite of the two I've tried so far!  It's kind of like a bad-for-you candy bar that is actually pretty good for you.  And unlike most candy bards - the LUNA bar is full of fiber!  This is my new go-to chocolate/protein bar. I paid $5.49 for a box of six bars which I consider a very good deal.  Please note that all bars in this line are NOT gluten-free.      

Fabulous new gluten-free English muffins!

The Celiac Maniac recently sent me some products to review. They sent me both their plain and cinnamon raisin English muffins. None of their products are sold in this area yet. The reason I'm posting my review here is that Kim beat me to it on Celiac-Disease.com. Not surprisingly, she and I agree about how great these things are. You can read her review here.

The English muffins from The Celiac Maniac are exceptional tasting and it's hard to determine which type I like best! To get the best results, I wrapped the fork split muffin in foil and heated until soft. Then I unwrapped the foil to toast it. This is definitely a product line to watch. I hope they get national distribution soon so I can try their cookie doughs and quick breads too!

These English muffins are shipped frozen and need to be re-frozen and kept that way before toasting them. They are good enough to serve picky gluten eaters and they are better than many gluten English muffins I ate in the past. I think McDonald's should use the plain version of The Celiac Maniac English muffin to make gluten-free Egg McMuffins. Yes - they are that fabulous! 

*Special thanks to The Celiac Maniac for my review samples. You really have something special and I hope you are aptly rewarded for your efforts!  

Review: Glow Gluten Free cookies

Glow Gluten Free cookies have been available at Return to Eden for a while now, but I never picked them up. Truthfully, I've never been one to eat cookies as a snack that often. That's changed somewhat since I've been doing gluten-free product reviews, because I have cookies sent to me from time to time for that purpose. Such is the case with Glow Gluten Free cookies. I read one rave review after another about these cookies and finally decided to see what all the buzz was about.

Even though I'd seen so many glowing reviews for Glow's gluten-free goodies, I had never noticed that the ingredients included bean flours. Gosh - I never met a sweet made with such flours that I loved so when I read the ingredients on the sample boxes that arrived at my house last week, I was suddenly not so excited to try them. But of course, I had to. I'd been sent all four flavors to taste so I tried to be positive and gave one of the cookies a try.

First up was the Chocolate Chip cookie. The texture was definitely more crunchy than chewy, but the cookies are crunchy in a soft way...it's hard to explain actually. In any case, the good news is that the taste of the cookies was very good and best of all, there was NO bean flour taste to it. Whew - what a relief!

As the week progressed, we ended up getting into all four flavors of the Glow Gluten Free cookies. Here is how the rest of the flavors broke down at our house.

Snickerdoodles - excellent flavor; my second favorite flavor; my husband's least favorite.

Double Chocolate Chip - exceptional taste; my favorite of the bunch; my husband's second choice.

Ginger Snaps - exceptional texture and taste; my third choice only because I'm not a ginger snap person; my husband's favorite option (he ate four the night we opened them -  giving me one bite - and ate the last three cookies the next day at work).

If you ever watch the Rachel Ray show, you know that she has a "snack of the day" and Glow's Gluten Free cookies recently made the cut. You can watch the video clip here. According to Rachel, we're in the midst of a gluten-free movement. Hey - the more times gluten-free is mentioned on a mainstream cooking show - the better for all of us!

Glow Gluten Free cookies are all natural and free of casein, trans fats and preservative as well. You can view the impressive nutritional data here. The cookies from Glow carry GIG's trusted seal of approval. If you can't find Glow's cookies in your area, you can order them online. My favorite way to enjoy these cookies is to dunk them in hot tea or coffee. Give them a try and I bet they'll have you "glowing" too!

*Special thanks to Jill for my sample cookies and for making healthy gluten-free cookies that taste decadent!
                 

Gluten-Free Bisquick review

OK - I'll admit that I'm one picky customer when it comes to food. I don't care if it's gluten-free replacement type items or imported cheeses - I'm just plain picky. As much as I'd hoped that General Mills would create a killer gluten-free version of Bisquick - I personally didn't care for the pancakes made with the recipe from the box - at all. You can read the full review here.

On a brighter note, if you're one to mix your own flour, Heidi over at Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom created her own version of gluten-free Bisquick - from the new mix. Sound confusing? Yes, my thoughts exactly. Why in the heck didn't General Mills (Betty Crocker) just create the mix so it would be more similar to "real" Bisquick? Maybe it has something to do with the shelf life of rice flour and shortening mixed together. Anyway, here is a helpful post that explains how to convert the new gluten-free Bisquick into a better version of itself. Thanks to Heidi for taking the time to figure that out!  

Gluten-free cinnamon buns coming to Atlanta Whole Foods!

We rarely shop at Whole Foods anymore, except to buy overpriced "to die for" cheeses that we can't find elsewhere. All their gluten-free items cost more than at the store we shop at around the corner (Natural Foods Warehouse) from our Whole Foods. However, there might soon be a reason to pop back into Whole Foods every now and then. Sweet Odelle's gluten-free cinnamon buns will soon be available in the Atlanta area locations. The ink on the deal is dry so look for the cinnamon buns to start showing up at Whole Foods soon! Sweet Odelle's is based in Suwanee, GA and does not have a store front.

The tightly rolled, small cinnamon buns that we had were simply delicious! Sweet Odelle's is a local company and you can buy the cinnamon buns now at the farmers markets they exhibit at. Check their website for market details.We didn't care for the cream cheese glaze which is the most popular for the gluten-free buns. Vanilla is more up our alley when it come to glazes.

The owner of the Sweet Odelle's can't eat gluten so this venture is not about someone jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon without understanding how to make truly gluten-free products. They take every precaution to make safe foods in a multi use facility.

Please note: the photo above is for the regular cinnamon buns. We  had our very early before leaving town and I forgot to snap a photo of them. The gluten-free buns are quite small, but I only ate one of them. My  husband scarfed down four in one sitting. If you buy them at the farmers market, the price is $10 for six small buns or 4 large ones. I'm not sure what the Whole Foods price will be.

Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins take the gluten-free cake!

By now, anyone who follows the gluten-free diet and lives in the U.S. has heard of Udi's Gluten-Free in Colorado. I guess people who are not online might have missed the news that Udi's Gluten-Free has turned the gluten-free baked goods world upside down. Think all gluten-free bread has to be heated in order to eat it - or even just to make it palatable? Wrong. Enter Udi's fantastic breads, muffins, pizza crust, granola and bagels!

I recently had the chance to try the Double Chocolate muffins and plain bagels from Udi's. Well, the muffin isn't really much like a muffin to me. It's like a fabulously decadent chocolate chip cupcake! All you need is some frosting and you've got a perfect tasting gluten-free treat for a kid's birthday party. I think all the muffins (and most of Udi's gluten-free items) are now available at Natural Foods Warehouse (both locations) and Return to Eden.      

The Udi's bagels are wonderful, quite like their white bread shaped into a bagel form. I put garlic powder and onion powder on half of an over-sized bagel before toasting to a golden brown. Then I add cream cheese and I've got a wonderful gluten-free breakfast. But the most perfect way to enjoy an Udi's bagel for me is to use it for open faced cold sandwiches. I won't be leaving  home without them ever again. My next experiment will involve making a gluten-free version of Panera's cinnamon crunch bagel...if all goes well, I'll post the instructions here later.