Celiac Disease

Official Website of Celiac-Disease.com

You are here: Home / Blog

Blog

Review: Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 12 Comments

If I am anywhere within a 2-mile radius of Trader Joe’s, I make it a point to swing in to pick up my favorites. I build this time into my errands and bring along coolers if I am picking up refrigerated or frozen items. Recently when I was on one such trip, I found these gems waiting for me.

Oh yeah!

Ingredients: Powdered sugar (cane sugar, cornstarch), cane sugar, unsalted butter, buttermilk (cultured low fat milk, nonfat milk solids, sodium citrate, salt, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3), water, cream (cream, carraggnan), expeller pressed canola oil, rice flour, eggs, potato starch, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, vanilla extract (water, ethyl alcohol, vanilla bean extractives), salt, sodium bicarbonate, xanthan gum, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate), coffee.

IMG_6444I knew my time with these cupcakes would be limited, so I made sure to stake my claim loudly and clearly to the 17-year-old boy who inhales all things gluten-free in my house.  The cupcakes are moist and rich with decadent, creamy frosting.  Darn near perfect and had these been served to me on a plate, I wouldn’t have known that they weren’t homemade.  My son concurred and asked me to make sure to buy these each and every time I go to Trader Joe’s from here on out.

Trader Joe’s maintains a list of gluten-free products making it easy to shop in their store.  I was disappointed to find that there weren’t any of Udi’s gluten-free items in stock when I was there this time but was told there had been a delivery issue and they hoped to have them back on the shelves as soon as possible.  It makes me happy to see the gluten-free baked goods line consistently growing at Trader Joe’s.

Have you tried the new Trader Joe’s gluten-free cupcakes?

Review: Kinnikinnick Gluten-Free Soft Bagels

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

It was just a few weeks ago that I found out and wrote a blog post about the brand new Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels. I checked a few local stores, but was not able to find the bagels in stock yet.

The gluten-free gods must have smiled down on me because I received samples of the new bagels earlier this week.

Plain – Ingredients: Water, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Sunflower and/or Canola Oil, Corn Starch, Cellulose, Fructose, Psyllium fiber, non-Hydrogenated Shortening (palm and/or canola oil), Yeast, Modified cellulose, Salt, Cultured corn syrup solids, citric acid, Vitamin and Mineral Blend(Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron), Enzymes

Blueberry – Ingredients: Water, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Blueberries, Sunflower and/or Canola Oil, Cellulose, Corn Starch, Fructose, Psyllium fiber, non-Hydrogenated Shortening (palm and/or canola oil), Natural Flavour, Yeast, Modified cellulose, Salt, Cultured corn syrup solids, citric acid, Vitamin and Mineral Blend(Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron), Enzymes

Cinnamon Raisin – Ingredients: Water, Raisins, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Sunflower and/or Canola Oil, Cellulose, Corn Starch, Fructose, Psyllium fiber, non-Hydrogenated Shortening (palm and/or canola oil), Yeast, Modified cellulose, Cinnamon, Salt, Cultured corn syrup solids, citric acid, Vitamin and Mineral Blend(Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron), Enzymes

IMG_6409I didn’t waste any time sampling these babies!  I had planned on a veggie burger for a fast dinner, so the plain bagel became my vehicle!

Look at that – so bagel-y!  The outside has crisper “skin” and the inside is nice and chewy, just like a bagel should be! Breakfast was a given – blueberry bagel and cream cheese.  Before I show you my breakfast, check out the bagel after I toasted it, before I spread it with cream cheese, it is purple from all of the blueberries!

Seriously delicious!  I do believe that this is the first gluten-free blueberry bagel I have tried and it was spectacular! The bagel was thick, soft and chewy and had a wonderful blueberry flavor.  Simply heaven!  Last, but not least, the Cinnamon Raisin bagel. It was equally as impressive and tasty smeared with butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.  What a nice treat!

In addition to being gluten-free, these bagels are also vegan, dairy- and nut-free.  The bagels come 4 to a package and are priced at $5.99/package.  They are currently available on the Kinnikinnick website and will be shipping to their distributors over the next few weeks.  Remember that Kinnikinnick offers flat rate shipping for $10, so make sure to stock up on your favorites.

Have you tried the new Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels?

Recipe: Mother’s Day Treat–Nut Gluten-Free Butter Muffins

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

I was on a quest the other day to make some muffins. These muffins were to serve a dual purpose – feed my son for breakfast and be a nice treat for me (Mother’s Day on Sunday) as well.

Don’t they look amazing?  I browsed some of my favorite gluten-free cookbooks and settled on a recipe from Jules gluten-free “Free For All Cooking” cookbook for Nut Butter Muffins. I did make a modification, though, and used Nutella in place of the peanut butter.

Nut Butter Muffins

Recipe reprinted with permission from Jules Shepard, modified slightly by me

  • 1/2 cup nut butter (I used Nutella)
  • 2 TBSP butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs plus 1 egg white
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla, gluten-free
  • 1 cup Jules gluten-free flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder, gluten-free
  • 4 TBSP milk (I used Silk Almond Milk)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350*.

2.  Line with muffin papers or oil 12 cup muffin tin

3.  Measure nut butter, butter and brown sugar into large mixing bowl.  Beat together with a dough paddle rather than a whisk attachment on your mixer.  Beat in eggs, mixing well with each addition.  Add vanilla last.

4.  Stir together the dry ingredients then add them to the mixing bowl.  Pour in the milk and stir together slowly until thoroughly mixed.  Add the chocolate chips and spoon into muffin tins, filling only 1/2 to 2/3 full.

5.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until light brown crowns have formed and they are springy to the touch.  Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from pan.

*I highly recommend an oven thermometer to ensure proper oven temperature.

IMG_6342

I don’t know that I have made a more perfect muffin before. These muffins were very moist and held together well. The chocolate chips were a nice complement to the Nutella flavor that was present throughout the muffin. My son loved the muffins and would like me to make them weekly. I say that means SUCCESS!

While I am somewhat curious to make the muffins with peanut or almond butter next time, I am not sure I can avoid using Nutella. Such a nice chocolate treat!

Do you have a favorite flavor muffin?

Review: Pamela’s Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookie Mix

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

I had the opportunity to sample a new cookie mix from Pamela’s Products recently and I am thrilled to share my thoughts about it. Pamela’s recently debuted an Oatmeal Cookie Mix that is not only certified gluten-free, but dairy-free, too.

Ingredients:
Gluten-free Oats, Evaporated Cane Sugar, Brown Rice Flour, Brown Sugar, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Sorghum Flour, White Rice Flour, Sweet Rice Flour, Spices, Grainless & Aluminum-Free Baking Powder (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Potato Starch), Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Guar Gum.

I followed the directions on the back for the cookie bars, as opposed to cookies.  I chose to add peanut butter baking chips, as I knew that was a sure fire way to get Jon to eat the bars, though I would have preferred raisins.  The mix was simple to put together by softening the butter with the mixer and then adding the mix, egg and mix-ins.  Mix-ins can be anything from dried fruit to nuts, coconut or baking chips.  After the ingredients were well blended, I pressed the batter into an 8 x 8 parchment lined pan.

IMG_5992I baked the bars for 28 minutes in a 350 degree oven, let them cool for a while and then cut them while they were still warm.

The mix produced a wonderfully moist and flavorful Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie bar!  I love the combination of flavors and can’t wait to share them with a few gluten-free friends tomorrow.  While the mix is free of dairy, the bars as I prepared them are not, though they could be made that way by using dairy-free margarine and baking chips or subbing dried fruit for the chips.

Pamela’s Products mixes can be purchased online or in select stores across the US.  Have you tried Pamela’s new Oatmeal Cookie Mix?  What is your favorite Pamela’s product?

Schwan’s Gluten-Free Options and Recipes

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 1 Comment

There are gluten-free options all over the place these days, even with online food ordering and delivery companies like Schwan’s. I have to admit that I was skeptical, but once I was reassured that all of their unbreaded meats and veggies are gluten-free, I felt a lot better. I received a couple of samples of the Boneless Skinless Grilled Chicken Breast and Alaskan Salmon to try out.

Both products arrived in boxes with individually wrapped servings on the inside and instructions on how to prepare the chicken/salmon on the outside. Both can be prepared from frozen, making them viable options when you forget to defrost dinner!  The chicken and salmon both tasted great! Make sure to read below for recipes to prepare using the chicken and salmon.

 

schickenGRILLED CHICKEN BREAST WITH AVOCADO LIME SALSA

Prep Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min | Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkg Guacamole (Schwan’s or homemade)
  • 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • 4 Unbreaded Chicken Breast Filets (502), thawed

Directions:

· Preheat grill to medium high heat.

· Dice avocado halves and toss with lime juice, tomatoes and cilantro.

· Grill chicken 16 to 18 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking time.

· Serve avocado salsa over chicken breast.

 

ssalmonGRILLED SALMON & PORTABELLA WITH VINAIGRETTE

Prep Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Serves 8

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 4 5″ diameter caps portabella mushrooms, cleaned
  • 6-8 pieces Alaskan Salmon (559), thawed
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

· In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, rice vinegar, sugar, salt and ground ginger until blended and oil is well-incorporated and emulsified.

· Reserve 1 cup of dressing; cover and refrigerate.

· Drizzle 1/4 cup of dressing on mushrooms. Grill mushrooms directly over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, turning several times.

· Season salmon with salt and pepper. Lightly brush salmon with remaining 1/4 cup of dressing to avoid sticking to grill grates. Grill salmon directly over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time.

· Slice portabella mushrooms into strips and place on serving plates as a bed for salmon. Top mushrooms with grilled salmon. Drizzle refrigerated dressing generously over salmon and mushrooms.

Have you tried any gluten-free food options from Schwan’s?  If so, please share your thoughts.