Crystal Noodle Soup...

It's another overcast day here in Ohio today....where has all the sunshine gone? Days like today remind me of Fall, except for the site of the lush green foliage I can see out my front living room window. I was just recently diagnosed with having a very low Vitamin D level, and gloomy days like today sure don't help.

I sat around for awhile wondering what could boost my mood...BESIDES chocolate :-) If it is going to be gloomy out I needed  to think about what I could make to lift my spirits for lunch. Mmmmm...
I have always loved a good bowl of soup and a sandwich on a dreary day, so today would be perfect.

Last week I had received three different varieties of soup from Crystal Noodle to sample and review. Since I have a special love for onions I decided to try their Caramelized Onion soup. I enjoy making home made soup on a cold Winter day, but being we are in the middle of summer with just one of those completely gloomy days looming overhead and no place to go, I decided to try something quick and easy.

I had some cooked bacon leftover from yesterdays breakfast so I threw it on some gluten free rye with a slice of cheese, and made a bacon-grilled cheese sandwich. Then I threw some water in the microwave to boil to add to the soup cup. While the soup steeped I finished the grilled sandwich and then sat down to a very tasty lunch.

The Caramelized Onion soup is as delicious as any onion soup you will find in a restaurant, minus the bread and cheese of course, but never the less very delicious. I enjoyed the taste of the onions with the texture of the mung bean noodles. These noodles are a clear thin noodle made from the mung bean, and are flourless, making them gluten-free, and always non-fried. The cup makes a 1.09 oz serving of soup and was quite filling  with only 110 calories. It did not disappoint! I am anxious to try their other varieties as well.

Although the Sodium percentage was slightly higher that the regular canned onion soups I currently stock in my cupboard, I would definitely add this to my grocery list in the future. The fact that these soups are gluten-free, have no added MSG, 0 Trans fat, are great for Vegetarians, and ready in three minutes make them great time savers. Not to mention it was great tasting as well, as all the fresh ingredients are freeze dried to preserve the taste.

You all know how I love to experiment....I believe by adding just a touch of cornstarch as a thickening agent that this could make a wonderful glaze for pot roast.....Mmmmm...

Well until next post, have a great gluten-free day, and check out Crystal Noodles site where you can purchase the soups. You'll be glad you did...

Sharon

Mrs Bickel's pizza crusts...

A few months back I had received several of Mrs Bickel's pizza crust to sample. Needless to say I had placed them in the freezer and they got overlooked until yesterday when I had a real hankering for pizza. Suddenly it was as if a light bulb went off in my head when I remembered them!

With all the traveling I have done the past few months visiting family,  they had just got pushed to the back of my mind...This was a big error on my part, because I have to tell you that these pizza crusts are the best gluten free crusts I have tasted to date! Wow!!!

Even though I had to dice and chop fresh ingredients, it was well worth the effort. I had received their Original crust as well as the Italian Herb, so I decided to make both as they were  the 8 inch versions.

It didn't take long for the crusts to defrost after taking them from the freezer, actually just the right amount of time to slice my tomatoes, onions, and green peppers, along with my fresh spinach leaves.
On the Original crust I added my sauce then topped with the green peppers, onions and cheese.

The Italian herb got the workings of the sliced tomatoes and fresh spinach leaves....yum! Both were equally delicious although I preferred the Original, only because I love onions almost as much as I love my chocolate :-)

The crusts are thin and baked up crisp and crunchy, not soggy like so many other gluten free crusts I have tried. OK...I admit that in my pre- gluten free days I absolutely loved the doughy, gooey crust of pizza, but life throws you a curve ball sometimes, and I am proud to say I have adapted fairly well to my gluten free lifestyle, thin crust and all....

I am really drawn to companies such as Mrs Bickel's that personally know what it is like to be gluten intolerant or who have Celiac disease themselves, because they really seem to get it right. The owner of this company is no exception as she found out at a early age that gluten was something that was to be avoided in her life. She has worked over 20 years perfecting this crust and I have to say she has done a excellent job.

If you check out their home page you will find several restaurants that carry their pizza crusts, so if you live local to one of  them I hope you will stop in and enjoy. Better yet...have your favorite restaurant owner stop by the site and order some samples to try, or order your own crusts to make at home. Yum!!! As always, their shipping is FREE...I don't know many companies now days who can say that!

I really enjoyed the pizza crusts, in fact I have a few slices left over for today's lunch in just a few minutes. So until next time....Have a great gluten free day!

Sharon

 

Pillsbury steps it up...

Thank you Pillsbury! You have once again out done yourself with your new offerings of gluten free pie and pastry crust, chocolate chip cookie dough, and thin crust pizza dough, pre-made in tubs for convenience.

 I was recently surprised that General Mills, who owns Pillsbury, has long been a friend of the gluten-free community. Its associated companies now offer more than 300 gluten-free products. Chex Cereal was its first mainstream product followed by Betty Crocker baking mixes. Today there are seven varieties of gluten-free Chex cereal. Now Pillsbury has added 3 new gluten free varieties of dough in tubs for us to enjoy.

I discovered this merely by accident when our local Giant Eagle ran an ad for these three dough's in their sale flyer. Needless to say I was off in a dash to purchase some...The sale price was a little over $3.40 and the tubs looked rather small, but I opted for the chocolate chip cookie dough and the pizza crust anyway.

The Pillsbury team had developed at least a dozen different formulas to test. Wheat flour was eliminated. The cookie dough contains rice flour. The pie crusts have rice and sorghum flour. The thin pizza crust contains tapioca starch, rice, millet and sorghum flour.

I love chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven, and since I like to dunk them they had to pass the ‘dunk-able’ test, meaning it wouldn’t crumble when dunked  in milk, as well as tasting good.” I was not disappointed. The cookies browned evenly, were moist and chewy, and help up to my "dunk" test without crumbling. Although the tub looks a little small I did get over 1 1/2 dozen fresh baked cookies fresh from the oven, more than I had expected...YUM!

Very impressive Pillsbury, kudos to you....keep up the great work! Be looking for these new gluten free products in your local grocery store pronto.

Have a great gluten free week, and enjoy!

Sharon

                                                                         

Gluten Free flour tortilla recipe...

If you are like me it has been some time since you have had a decent gluten free Tortilla wrap. Most you buy in the stores are hard, and break when you try to roll them, or taste like cardboard, uck!

I have been on a long awaited search for these, and finally found a recipe that seems to work for me. These make great wraps not only for sizzling fajitas, but also to use for tuna and egg salad sandwiches as well. You are only limited by your own imagination. They would be great as a bread replacement as well. I can't wait to try them the next time I make my Cherry enchilada bake, as the corn wraps I used last time with the cherries wasn't my favorite mixture as far as taste went.

I love the fact they are made with white rice so the flavor will be milder. ...I have put the leftover wraps in the freezer for future use and am not sure how  they will freeze, I will have to keep you updated on that at a later time. Hope you enjoy!

          Ingredients

2 c. Gluten-free all purpose flour (or 2 c. White rice flour)
2 tsp. Xanthan gum or Guar gum
1 tsp. Gluten-free baking powder
2 tsp. Brown sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 c. Warm water

Directions


1) Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix the ingredients thoroughly.

2) Add the cup of warm water to the bowl and mix the dry ingredients into the water with your hand until its an even mixture.

3) Separate the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place all but one of the dough balls back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap until you're ready to work with them.

4) Sprinkle a clean, flat surface with a bit of buckwheat flour and then roll your dough ball into a roughly circular shape and get as thin as possible.

5) Throw the tortilla onto a hot griddle (I use a cast iron griddle on medium heat with just a smidgen of olive oil) and let it cook approximately 1-2 minutes or until it has started puffing up and the bottom side is developing those lovely brown spots. Flip the tortilla and cook the other side until is toasty as well.

6) Slide the cooked tortilla onto a covered plate to stay warm and repeat from step 4 until you've cooked all 8 tortillas. I generally roll one tortilla out while another is cooking, so that there is always a tortilla on the griddle.

7) Serve these warm with your favorite filling, or heat up later and use as a roll up for quick sandwiches.!
Happy gluten free day!
Sharon

Gluten...Gluten Free???

Gluten...Gluten free, that is the question I have to ask myself. I just returned from Pennsylvania once again from a trip to visit family. It was the grand "Twins" High School graduation, and something I definitely didn't want to miss. I have been back and forth to Pennsylvania a total of six times in the past month and a half, and I feel like I have been living out of my car, along with my sick feline Angel.  She is definitely not enjoying all this traveling in the car lately :-(  , and she sulks.

My dilemma this trip is that I was definitely NOT prepared, and the schedule was so quick paced that fast foods made up most of my meals. We have a favorite hot dog shop in my old stomping grounds named "The Brighton Hot Dog Shop" ...they have been around for as long as I can remember, even as a teenager. Their chili hot dogs are out of this world, along with their famous fries!

After the graduation ceremony this is the spot where everyone decided to meet. Nothing on their menu is even remotely gluten free, but being that I hadn't eaten since around 11 AM and it was now 9:30 in the evening, I decided I would just have to bite the bullet and indulge...

The very next day my choices was almost as bad. Although at breakfast I was on back on track, the rest of the day pretty much went the same as the previous evening....Huge mistake! When will I ever learn???

Since I am the only one who is eating gluten free in the family (my husband has shifted gears ever so slightly) they just don't seem to understand its importance, although with all the physical "symptoms" many of them have, they should be living a gluten free lifestyle as well.

I am now back home and can finally get back on track, although I am pretty sure it is going to take awhile for all that gluten to get out of my system, and for the physical symptoms from indulging in gluten laden foods to go away. Possibly this trip I have learnt my lesson, as even the arthritic symptoms in my hands have seemed to resurface, OUCH! And my body is screaming at me for loading it with foods it has a hard time tolerating. What was I thinking, putting into my body what it considers to be poison????

Some out there might think I am a little off for my eating style, some might even think it is another crazy fad, but for myself I know it is a much needed way of life. Next time I will definitely be prepared, and at this moment I am working on a emergency traveling kit to better stay on track.

If anyone has any ideas on traveling gluten free please feel free to post a comment to share...We all need a little help now and then!

As always...have a great gluten free week!
Sharon 

Pumpkin Cake review...

Hi all. The past week has been pretty much gloom and doom here in Ohio with all the rain and wind we have had lately. I just returned home this past Friday from a week long trip visiting family in Pa., and I will be leaving once again tomorrow for just a few days to attend the grand "Twins" graduation ceremony.

It seems that I have done so much traveling lately that all I want to do is to stay home for awhile now. On days like today, when I feel my stress level begin to escalate while getting ready for the trip,  I did what soothes me the most....and that is BAKE!

I had a Pumpkin cake mix in my pantry from my friends at Taste of Gluten Free so I decided to take a few minutes to relax my mind, and settle myself down.  Besides... I need SUGAR when I am stressed!

The cake turned out delicious as I knew it would.  All products I have tried from this company so far have been quite delicious. The cake was light, fluffy and moist. I once again was not disappointed. The cake makes 9 servings with only 8g of sugar per slice, not a bad way to satisfy a sweet tooth...

I am anxious to try their chocolate and vanilla cake mixes as well since I am currently taking a cake decorating class. If I am going to make my cakes look pretty, I darn well want them to taste delicious too!

Well I am off to finish packing...and enjoy another piece of pumpkin cake :-)

Have a great gluten free day!
Sharon

 

Zucchini bread from XO Baking Co.

Do you want to be able to bake delicious  goodies without all the hassle of figuring out the recipes for yourself? Then drop by the X O Baking Company site. This company has already figured out what tastes great, and now you can make it at home without all the hassle of going it alone!

Their mixes include both sweet and savory goods. All of them are simple to make, and quite delicious! I recently made their Gluten Free Zucchini bread Mix and it was not only easy to make, but quite good. I love the fact they included coconut flour to add a little fiber to the mix. The bread came out nicely browned, moist, and was so delicious fresh from the oven with some butter on top. Mmmmm...All their products are certified gluten free and Kosher.

They offer a All Purpose Flour, Banana Bread Mix, Corn Bread Mix, Pumpkin Bread Mix, Zucchini Bread Mix and Pancake & Waffle Mix.

For more sweeter desserts be sure to check out their Oatmeal Cookie Mix, Gingerbread Cookie Mix, Pound Cake Mix, Double Chocolate Peppermint Mix, Sugar Cookie Mix, Fudge Brownie Mix and Cupcake and Frosting mixes! They offer 19 mixes in all, quite a selection.

I have used several of their mixes before and have never been disappointed. They always come out to perfection and leave you coming back for seconds. I hope you drop by the site and order a few mixes. By the way....their brownies are to die for!!!!!!!

Happy gluten-free baking!
Sharon

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Almonds...

Hi all. Found this great Mothers Day idea over at HGTV.....Great site with lots of ideas. Enjoy!

 

      Ingredients:

     6 cups baby spinach
     1 pint strawberries, sliced
     1/2 cup sliced almonds
     1 small white onion, sliced
     3 tablespoons fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
     Great with GF store-bought poppy-seed dressing, or your Mom's favorite...

Directions:

Fill a large bowl with spinach, then layer on white onions. Add the slivered almonds around the outside. Add a layer of sliced strawberries to the top of the spinach salad. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with sliced strawberries. Serve with favorite dressing.

Gluten Free Coconut Macaroon by New Grains...

Morning all. It has been a whirlwind week as I was traveling once again....I had just received a sample pack of goodies from New Grains Gluten Free Bakery before I left, so I took several of their products from the cookie line with me. They had sent me a variety of  breads and cookies, that I am really excited to try.

During the trip I "gave in" to temptation and devoured the Coconut Macaroon that came in its own individual package. I really had a hard time eating only half of the cookie as it was SO delish, but the cookie is really pretty large at 4", and my husband was looking at me like I was Miss Piggy at that point.  I offered to share, relentlessly of course, but he declined, so it was his loss and my gain!!!

This cookie was one of the moistest macaroons I have eaten! I love Almond Joy candy bars, and this was a version of my favorite,  just minus the Almonds. The taste was really unbelievable! Mmmmm...

The second cookie I ate during the trip was the Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookie, also a pretty good size I might add. It tasted just like a brownie in cookie form, with huge chocolate chips in every bite....I was in heaven. I actually didn't want to share this treat, so I made no offers to share. Piggy, piggy, me...

I still have two more cookie choices to try, but for now I wanted to share with you this great company's products. They offer several more cookie choices, as well as a great variety of breads. I was so excited to hear that New Grains also offers several sampler packs that comes with a variety of their products to be sampled for those fairly new to living a gluten free life style, or anyone wanting to try something new, that you can purchase that won't "break the bank" so to speak!

I can be picky when it comes to my SWEETS...but New Grains really has this combination done right in this writers opinion. I am really looking forward to sampling the breads they sent also.

These two cookie varieties sell for $1.99 each, or you can buy a ten pack which I highly recommend. Because as the popular potato chip commercial goes... "you can't eat just one"!

The company also offers three types of cookie dough and a pastry & pie crust dough, if you would like to bake fresh. The company is very versatile and offers not only already baked products, but has a wide variety of mixes and flours as well, which includes a egg, dairy, and gluten free variety of products. This is a company I highly recommend you take a look at!

Well its off to do some chores and get back on track, so until I write again....have a great Wheat Free day!
 
Sharon





 

Wholesome Chow gluten free at it's best...

Today is another rainy day in Ohio and as usual instead of turning up the heat I turned on my oven. I love to hear the sound the raindrops make on the roof and it puts me in a melancholy mood, but it also adds a chill to the air. I guess now is a perfect time to bake and catch up on my product reviews.

Wholesome Chow sent me several products to sample and review, so today I decided to make their Chocolate Lavender Cake...Yes I said Lavender. I have never eaten a real live flower before, although I know there are several that are reported to be very tasty, so this was a adventure in itself.

As I mentioned, this was a first for me, and  I honestly have to admit that the house didn't smell like a lavender bouquet while baking, but I can say there is a slight hint of lavender taste in the finished cupcakes, which was quite refreshing...

I was also pleasantly surprised that out of all the cake mixes and cake recipes I have tried over the past year, that this has the best texture and consistency  I have tried so far. In comparison to a "regular" wheat laden cake mix I would not have known it to be gluten free, if indeed I had not made it myself. This is a great compliment in itself for this company.

Wholesome Chow's  baking mixes are made without and never require: Eggs, Dairy & Casein, Peanuts & Nuts, Cholesterol, or Animal Products. They are always vegan, gluten free, and  delicious!

The mix made 12 cupcakes, or will make 1 - 9" cake. It was about easy to make as opening up the bag, as you only need to mix it by hand for approximately 10 seconds. No need to bring out the mixer for this cake! I used my pastry blender for this step, how easy was that?

This mix is wheat, egg, dairy, casein, and nut free. You don't even have to add eggs. All it calls for is milk and oil in the directions...Their products are certified Gluten free and are also Non-GMO. They are also certified Organic.

I finished off the cupcakes with their Organic Vanilla Frosting mix which was as delicious as the cupcakes. Of course I had to bake them in Lavender colored cupcake liners, just for fun...

This is a mix I am sure you will enjoy. I can't wait to try the PLAIN chocolate cake version of their mix, for as we all know, I am addicted to plain old chocolate in any form.    :-) Either way I definitely give this company, and mix, a thumbs up!

Have a great wheat free week.
Sharon
 

Balsamic Roast Chicken...

Hi all. I seem to be at a loss lately as to what to serve for dinner. I have just returned from visiting family in PA. and the cupboards are bare and in much need of replenishing. So once again I have been web searching for ideas and fell upon this tasty looking recipe from the Mayo Clinic. The ingredients are few, and the picture looks so delicious I will have to give it a try for dinner tonight.

You can visit the Mayo Clinic  website for extra recipes, and tips, about living gluten free. Just go to their home page and type in the words.. gluten free diet, then click the search button. There are several other recipes there that I plan to try as well.  Well I am off to shop with my list in tow....so...Have a Great wheat free Sunday!

Sharon

 

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold running water. Pat it dry with paper towels.
In a small bowl, mince together the rosemary and garlic. Loosen the chicken skin from the flesh, and rub the flesh with olive oil and then the herb mixture. Sprinkle with black pepper. Put 2 rosemary sprigs into the cavity of the chicken. Truss the chicken.
Place the chicken into a roasting pan and roast for 20 to 25 minutes per pound, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Whole chicken should cook to an internal temperature of 180 F. Baste frequently with pan juices. When browned and juices run clear, transfer the chicken to a serving platter.
In a small saucepan, combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Heat until warmed but don't boil.
Carve the chicken and remove the skin. Top the pieces with the vinegar mixture. Garnish with the remaining rosemary sprigs and serve immediately.