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Review: Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Pizza

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 7 Comments

It was only last week that I learned that Trader Joe’s is now making a frozen gluten-free pizza. I was really excited to hear this, as I have been really happy with some of their other store brand gluten-free products.  When I knew I was going to be close to one of the two Trader Joe’s stores in the Columbus area, I made time to swing by and pick up some of my favorite products and the new gluten-free pizza.

Trader Joe’s 3 Cheese Pizza with fresh Roma Tomatoes is the perfect food to have on hand for busy nights or lazy weekend afternoons.  The preparation time is less than 30 minutes, including the time recommended to let the pizza sit at room temperature before it goes into the oven.

IMG_3432The back of the box says the serving sizes is 1/2 of the pizza, but Jon easily consumed it in one sitting.  The pizza has a great flavor, though the crust could be a little crispier.  I have a feeling that the crust could have been improved by baking the pizza directly on the oven rack, as the box suggests.  These pizzas have quickly become one of my favorite Trader Joe’s products to keep on hand.

Doesn’t that look amazing?  The gluten-free pizzas are priced at $4.99/each, which is a little less than some of the other gluten-free pizzas of comparable size on the market.

Have you tried Trader Joe’s 3 Cheese gluten-free Pizza?  What did you think?

Review: KIND Healthy Grains Clusters

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 4 Comments

Do you like granola?  If so, be on the lookout for the new KIND Healthy Grains Clusters.  The KIND clusters (aka granola) first debuted on the market back in February of this year, but I had not had a chance to sample them until just this past week.  I received complimentary samples of the Dark Chocolate & Cranberry Clusters and Peanut Butter Whole Grain Clusters.

The Healthy Grains Clusters come in a variety of six different flavors:

Dark Chocolate & Cranberry – Ingredients : Whole grains (gluten-free oats, brown rice, millet, gluten-free oat flour, amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa), evaporated cane juice, dark chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin), canola oil, chicory root fiber, cranberries, sugar, molasses, sea salt, Vitamin E (D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), sunflower oil.

Peanut Butter Whole Grain – Ingredients : Whole grains (gluten-free oats, brown rice, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa), evaporated cane juice, peanut butter, soy crisp (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, calcium carbonate), peanuts, whey protein, canola oil, sea salt, Vitamin E (D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate).

Vanilla Blueberry with Flax Seeds – Ingredients : Whole grains (gluten-free oats, brown rice, gluten-free oat flour, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, quinoa), evaporated cane juice, flax seeds, chicory root fiber, canola oil, vanilla extract, molasses, blueberry puree, apple puree, plum puree, apple juice, glycerine, sea salt, Vitamin E (D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), citrus fiber, citrus pectin.

Cinnamon Oats with Flax Seeds – Ingredients : Whole grains (gluten-free oats, brown rice, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, quinoa), evaporated cane juice, flax seeds, chicory root fiber, canola oil, molasses, cinnamon, sea salt, Vitamin E (D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate).

Maple Nut with Chia & Quinoa – Ingredients : Whole grains (gluten-free oats, brown rice, gluten-free oat flour, amaranth, millet, quinoa, buckwheat), evaporated cane juice, canola oil, chicory root fiber, walnuts, chia seeds, maple syrup, molasses, natural maple flavor, sea salt, Vitamin E (D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate).

Oats & Honey with Toasted Coconut – Ingredients : Whole grains (gluten-free oats, brown rice, millet, gluten-free oat flour, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa), evaporated cane juice, coconut, honey, canola oil, chicory root fiber, sesame seeds, molasses, sea salt, Vitamin E (D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate).

IMG_2853Both the Dark Chocolate & Cranberry and Peanut Butter Whole Grain Clusters had a wonderful flavor & texture.  There were indeed clusters of yummy goodness in each bag.  I would have liked to have seen bigger pieces of dried cranberry in the Dark Chocolate Cranberry, but that is probably because I am a sucker for dried fruit.  The Peanut Butter Whole Grain not only had nice size clusters, but peanuts throughout.  If you made me choose a favorite I would go with the Peanut Butter Whole Grain. (Bet you didn’t see that coming with my love for chocolate, huh?)  I love eating the clusters straight from the bag, but they also taste great mixed in with Greek yogurt and over ice cream.

KIND Snacks are free from gluten and are manufactured in a dedicated gluten-free facility:

1. Are KIND Healthy Snacks gluten-free?
Our products are tested for gluten and meet FDA’s proposed requirement of 20ppm (0.002%) of gluten. Our manufacturing plant is dedicated gluten-free and has a strict allergen control program.

The Health Grains Clusters are available online for $5.33/pouch (MSRP $5.99) or in select stores across the US.

Have you tried the new KIND Healthy Grains Clusters?  If so, which variety?

*The products mentioned in this blog post were sent to me free of charge for review purposes.  The thoughts and opinions stated here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything.

Review: Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks

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

Boy, I used to love mozzarella sticks as an appetizer in restaurants before I started the gluten-free diet.  I have yet to find a restaurant that serves them gluten-free and I haven’t attempted to make them from scratch, though I am sure I probably could.  On my weekly shopping trip to Earth Fare, I saw a sale on Health is Wealth Mozzarella Sticks ($3.00 on sale), so I picked up a box.  I knew Jon would be thrilled to see this find!

There are 12 small mozzarella sticks in this box.  Imagine a piece of string cheese cut in half – that is roughly the size of each stick.  I followed the directions on the box for cooking in the oven, as that is the recommended method.  My mozzarella sticks didn’t quite turn out like the ones on the box.IMG_2427

Umm….it seems like the cheese escaped!  I am not sure what I could have done differently to prevent this.  You know the saying “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”?  Well, insert that saying here.  These mozzarella sticks were phenomenal!  They tasted great on their own and even better dipped in marinara sauce!  Jon is begging me to go back to Earth Fare to buy some more of the sticks while they are still on sale.

Health is Wealth:

When we first began our all natural food business in 1977, we at Health is Wealth Foods made a promise that we hold to even today:  That every product we made would always be all natural and made with only the finest ingredients that we would be proud to serve our own families.  That every product we made would be free from artificial colors, flavors, or any preservatives, always.  That we would always remain a family company sharing our products with your family.  These values to produce only clean healthy products is truly what we are about.  All of our products are made with only one thing in mind:  your Health and Wellness.

Because we all know that NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR HEALTH, and that HEALTH IS WEALTH.

In addition to the Mozzarella Sticks, Health is Wealth also makes gluten-free Chicken Nuggets, Sprouted Grains Burgers and Chicken Free Nuggets.  The products can be found in stores across the US and online.

Have you tried these Mozzarella Sticks?  Did you have the same problem as I did with baking them?

Review: Angry Orchard Hard Cider

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

The dog days of summer have arrived. I find myself looking for ways to cool down and what better way than with an ice-cold Angry Orchard hard cider?

Blending Italian culinary apples from the Alpine foothills with French bittersweet apples from Normandy, Angry Orchard cider makers have crafted the perfect flavor profiles through a lengthy fermentation process, including wood-aging for optimal complexity and balance.  Unlike ordinary apples, bittersweet apples are described as “angry” because of the tart and tannic characteristics they impart.  Culinary apples produce a fruit with a juicy, ripe apple character that, when combined with the bittersweet apples, results in an exceptional blend that contributes to the complex flavor profile of each Angry Orchard cider style.

The apple crop is harvested at the peak of flavor and ripeness.  Because every crop has its own personality, Angry Orchard cider makers taste every batch of juice, blending varieties to achieve the signature Angry Orchard flavor.

“The apples in Angry Orchard are not ordinary apples that you would buy in the grocery store,” Sipes explains.  “Our cider apples are grown specifically for cider-making to ensure only the best quality apples make it into every barrel of Angry Orchard.”

According to research from SymphonyIRI, hard cider sales grew 27 percent in 2011, making cider one of the fastest-growing alcoholic beverage categories in the U.S. Angry Orchard was released earlier this year in New England, Colorado, Maryland and New York.  As a result of the overwhelmingly positive response, it is hitting shelves nationwide this month. Angry Orchard Crisp Apple is already the best-selling cider package in the northeast states where it is available.

There are three varieties of Angry Orchard hard cider:

Apple Ginger – (5.0%ABV), combines the ideal blend of fresh Nigerian ginger and apples for a sweet, yet slightly tart taste, distinct ginger aroma and warm finish; and for those looking for a traditional European cider.

Crisp Apple – (5.0% ABV), balances natural apple sweetness with a subtle dryness for a hard to resist crisp and refreshing, fruit-forward taste.

Traditional Dry – (5.5%ABV), made in the style of English draft ciders, imparts bittersweet and slightly spicy flavors with a bright apple aroma. Its dry body makes mouths pucker and look forward to another sip.

I sampled all three of these ciders much in the way that one would sample wine at a wine tasting.  I poured a small glass of each cider and began my sampling.  I sampled the Traditional Dry first.  It reminded me a lot of some of the other ciders that I have tried and yes, it does make the mouth pucker!  The Crisp Apple was next.  This cider reminded me of the perfect Granny Smith apple!  I loved the flavor and I couldn’t help but go back for another sip.  The Apple Ginger was the most unique of the three samples.  It has a very distinct ginger undertone along with a tart taste.  This cider would be perfect for pairing with a Thai or Chinese meal.  My favorite of the three samples is the Crisp Apple!  There is a really cool recipe page full of creative ideas using the Angry Orchard ciders.

Angry Orchard hard cider is now available in the US in 6-packs with a suggested retail price of $8.99.   The cider is also available on draft in select restaurants throughout the US.  To find the closest retailer or restaurant near you, check out the “Find the Orchard” page on the website.

Have you tried Angry Orchard hard cider?  If so, what did you think?

Review: King Arthur Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 3 Comments

King Arthur launched their line of gluten-free baking mixes in 2010. I was pleased to hear that they now have a yellow cake mix joining the gluten-free line-up!

The new yellow cake mix is not only gluten-free, but free of the top 8 allergens as well.  Read below for the press release:

King Arthur Flour Adds Award Winning Yellow Cake to Premium Line of gluten-free Baking Mixes

May 8, 2012 – Norwich, Vt. – King Arthur Flour has expanded its line of premium gluten-free baking mixes with a new, much-anticipated gluten-free Yellow Cake Mix. The new mix, which is free of not only gluten but the top eight allergens, is available now in grocery stores nationwide and on kingarthurflour.com. It is also a sofi Silver Finalist, a recognition given by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade for outstanding innovation in specialty foods.

“Our new gluten-free Yellow Cake Mix is held to the same high standards we apply to all of our products in terms of flavor and texture and, like the rest of our gluten-free line, also reflects the highest standards of gluten- and allergen-free certification,” says King Arthur Flour Marketing Director Tom Payne. “Customers have enthusiastically praised our other gluten-free mixes and have been asking for a yellow cake mix since we launched the line two years ago. Now that we’ve perfected the formula, we’re confident consumers will enjoy our new gluten-free Yellow Cake Mix just as much as they’ve enjoyed our other products.”

King Arthur Flour’s gluten-free baking mixes are the only major brand to be third-party certified by the gluten-free Certification Organization, with standards twice as stringent as those set by the Food and Drug Administration. In addition, they are produced in a dedicated allergen-free facility, guaranteed to be free of the top eight most common food allergens. They are also certified Kosher by the Chicago Rabbinical Council.

King Arthur Flour’s gluten-free Yellow Cake Mix is available in grocery stores nationwide at a suggested retail price of $5.99. The mix can be used for layer cakes or cupcakes, and with variations (found at kingarthurflour.com) can be turned into specialties ranging from pineapple upside-down cake to gingerbread.

King Arthur Flour is America’s oldest flour company and a premier baking resource. A variety of King Arthur’s unbleached flours and baking mixes is sold in supermarkets nationwide, with a complete selection of high-quality baking ingredients, mixes and tools available through King Arthur Flour – the Baker’s Catalogue and at kingarthurflour.com. King Arthur Flour’s fundamental mission is to be the highest-quality product, education and information resource for, and inspiration to, bakers worldwide. More information and a roundup of King Arthur Flour’s baking resources are available at kingarthurflour.com/flours. King Arthur Flour is a 100% employee-owned company.

IMG_1939Since Jon was coming home from hockey camp for the weekend, I took the opportunity to make some cupcakes so he could take some back with him.  I love that the King Arthur yellow cake mix makes 24 cupcakes, as opposed to 12, leaving some here for the rest of us, too!  The mix was easy to prepare calling for room temperature butter and milk, 4 eggs and oil.  I chose to frost the cupcakes with Betty Crocker’s Caramel Frosting (marked gluten-free).  The yellow cake mix package label and ingredient list can be viewed here.

I sat down with a cupcake for dessert and couldn’t believe how moist and flavorful they were!  Even my non-gluten-free daughter has fallen in love with these cupcakes!  The caramel icing was a nice compliment to the yellow cake mix – the combination almost tasted like butterscotch!  Jon was thrilled to have a nice, sweet treat to enjoy when he arrived home from camp – so much so that there weren’t enough for him to take back with him!

Have you tried King Arthur’s yellow cake mix?  What about the other King Arthur mixes? King Arthur has a nice collection of gluten-free recipes on their website.