Thursday, October 16, 2008

Glutino Feta and Spinach Pizza OH MY GOD GOOD


Normally, I emphasize the "no" on "Glutino." That's a little unfair of me, but I remember trying their foods in my earlier gluten-free days, and they had a long way to go.

Well, they've made it. I bought this pizza on a whim (and thus, I have no idea how much it was because I didn't want to know), and expected it to taste like a big fat NO. It was an enormous YES. YES YES YES.

This pizza couldn't have been more right. The crust is a mix of corn and tapioca starch, which surprises me because it takes a bit like a rice crust. It's got a sour hint that tastes perfect, and while it's especially crunchy, it's balanced perfectly by the gooey goodness of the feta, mozzarella and ricotta. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! That spinach.... mmmmmmm. Just mmmm. This pizza's a winner in my book.

This is a single-server that takes about 17 minutes to cook in the oven and should be chopped into four fat pieces (if you can get more out of this thing, I'd like to see it). The cheese is all-star real cheese, folks, so this one's not for vegans. No nuts were harmed in the creation of this pizza.

I'm salivating for another piece right now. Maybe I shouldn't have written this review until I had another one in the freezer...

Enjoy Life Soft Baked Snickerdoodles - heck yes.


Mmmmmmmm and mmm. This one gets an A+++ for texture, and you know what an accomplishment that is.

Okay, so you should know beforehand that this cookie is made out of a buncha fruit. That said, go into this knowing that it's going to be a fruity snickerdoodle.

The size is, well, kinda small, but delightfully bite-sized (I prefer the cookies this size, myself). And it's all good for you. Just after the main ingredient - sorghum flour - comes a parade of fruit: date paste; grape, apple and pear juice concentrates. Click the image above to check out more of the wholesome facts on this cookie.

As if the chewy texture wasn't enough, they're also nut-free and vegan/vegetarian friendly. Go them!

I microwaved four of them at 10 seconds just to get them a little warm, and dipped 'em in milk. I think I'm just about to do it again...

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Kinnikinnick Tapioca Rice English Muffins... if you're in the mood for a biscuit.


See, I'm eating one of these right now (and getting butter all over the keyboard) and it tastes REALLY good... but this is NOT an English muffin. It's sort of a fluffy, sweet-tasting biscuit. And if you're in the mood for a biscuit, this is the one.

This is another one of those situations where every time you eat one serving, you can't help but recall that you just ate a dollar and some change. I believe I picked this package of 4 "muffins" for $5 or more.

The size & shape is off - entirely too big to slice into halves and pop into the toaster (I had to sort of mangle one side to get it out). I'm still not sure why they make GF English muffins so damn big, but if you have a toaster oven, it'll be no problem. Unfortunately the texture is a little too crumbly to slice into thirds, which is what I do with the Foods By George English muffins (which I'll get to another day).

But yeah, overall, these are damn tasty biscuits. I'd suggest having them with something simple like butter or jam at dinnertime.

Oh, PS - they are made with egg, so these are not vegan muffins. The main flour ingredient is rice flour and they also include tapioca starch and potato starch. Most interesting ingredient of the day? Pea protein. Hooray for veggies!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Bell & Evans Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets - Ta$ty with lots of $$


Freaking delicious.

I kind of lied in my bio: I miss pizza and donuts, but I REALLY miss chicken nuggets. It was my mom's guilty pleasure when it came to feeding me & my brother quickly when we were kids, and my dad's guilty pleasure when we were pleading for a trip to McDonald's.

I just bought this brand of chicken nuggets tonight at Maggie's, our local health food store. They're terribly overpriced, but I can walk there, and often that seals the deal for the extra dollar or two I'll spend.

I paid $6.99 for the small box, which made each chicken nugget almost $0.60 apiece. That's freaking expensive, but I have a feeling it's just my health food store; you can probably find it cheaper elsewhere.

Regardless, they were DELICIOUS. Just right. The only other GF chicken nuggets I've tried have been the Wellshire Kids brand, which are REALLY good but don't taste quite as healthy and natural as these ones did. (Plus, the Wellshire Kids ones are a little on the spicy side, and they're shaped like dinosaurs... both of which are actually a big bonus to me!)

Buyer beware: The Bell & Evans nuggets are uncooked, which means you need to be sure they're cooked all the way through when you take them out of the oven. The suggested max time of 30 minutes took care of this for me. Each nugget was fully cooked, a healthy size, and tasted like a gourmet bite-sized chicken finger.

They're breaded with rice & corn flour and you can kind of taste it, but it didn't bother me at all. They do include xanthan gum, so but I wasn't unusually gassy afterwards (you do know that xanthan gum is a mild laxative, right? 'Cause it is).

So all told, Bell & Evans does a mean chicken nugget that tastes perfect and has a perfect texture, but I hope you can find them for less than $7 a box. If you do, snatch them up immediately.

Welcome, non-gluten-eaters and friends!

This blog was created for Celiacs and non-gluten-eaters like me who love food, but also love adhering to their diets, and really love not having to cook every damn night.

I'm by no means rich, but trying out new gluten-free foods has become a hobby of mine over the years. I've found some good ones. I've found some horrible ones. I'd like to share them with you so that you can personally bypass the latter.

So here's the proposed format of this blog:

  • These are my reviews, and you may not agree with them. That's cool.

  • If you've tried the food I'm reviewing, I encourage you to comment with your own quick review.

  • Any comments that are mean or snide in nature will be removed, no questions asked.

  • If you have a GF food you'd like me to review, by all means suggest it to me!

  • Also, if you have any suggestions as to how this blog is laid out or run, please feel free to share them. I won't be able to post daily, weekly, or even monthly - I'm just going to post reviews as I try new foods - so subscribing to the RSS feed may be a good idea.

    Bon appetit and I hope I can help you find more gluten-free foods that don't suck!