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Review: Still Riding Pizza Crusts

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

Have you heard of Still Riding Pizza before?  You may or may not have.  You won’t find Still Riding Pizza in a store but in restaurants around the country! Still Riding Pizza supplies pizza crusts, bread crumbs & pasta to many restaurants.  One popular restaurant that you may recognize is Mellow Mushroom.

While I did know that Mellow Mushroom didn’t make their crust in-house, I was not aware that Still Riding supplied their crusts.  Still Riding Pizza also made bread crumbs and pasta for restaurants around the country.  There is a list of locations where their products are served right on their website.  You can either input your zip code information or scroll down to see locations across the country.  Not only is this resource a great way to find gluten-free dining close by to where you live, but also to see if there are any restaurants to visit while you are traveling.

Want to experience Still Riding Pizza or pasta at home?  No worries, the products can be ordered right from their website.  The crusts come in 9 or 12 inches and in single or multi-packs.  There are specific, simple instructions that should be followed for preparing the crusts. It is important to note that the shipping & handling is included in the price listed.

Read a little more about Still Riding Pizza below:

Maybe it’s the fun and convenience you miss. Maybe you’ve felt left out at birthday parties, sleepovers and movie nights too.
Maybe you are tired of having to convince yourself that the gluten-free pizza that is out there “really isn’t so bad.”
Well, your pizza problems are over. We have developed a delicious, authentic, New York style, par-baked crust that is entirely gluten-free. When we partner with your local restaurant or pizzeria, the result is a delicious and safe solution for Celiacs and others who avoid wheat and gluten, but still want to eat real pizza.

Because we are gluten-free ourselves, we know that selling a GF pizza crust to restaurants is a larger task than just being a supplier:

  • We educate the restaurant how to do this safely and successfully. We have a proven method and set-up and can train anyone who is willing.
  • Our product is made in a 100% gluten-free facility built by us and used only for this purpose. This takes the risk of preparation out of the hands of the restaurant.
  • Much of the marketing of this product is done in non-traditional channels, and we have a proven program that works. We are part of the GF community, and know who they are and what they want.

The Still Riding Pizza crust ingredients:

  • Bean Flour
  • Rice Flour
  • Tapioca Flour and Starch
  • Xanthan Gum
  • Salt
  • Yeast
  • Egg
  • Cider Vinegar
  • Sugar
  • Canola Oil
  • Calcium Propionate

Still Riding Pizza is also on Facebook and Twitter.  Make sure to follow them to keep up on the newest locations & product information.

I love that the crusts are available to order online.  This is a great option for those with little time and picky kids.  Additionally, should you want to make sure your child has options when the school has a pizza party or he or she wants to have friends over and want to be just like everyone else, this is a wonderful option!

Have you had a chance to try Still Riding Pizza crusts or other products?  If so, what did you think?

Review: Rudi’s Gluten-Free Buns

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

New gluten-free buns are hitting the market this year just in time for the summer grilling season.  I had the opportunity to sample Rudi’s Gluten-Free Buns recently and I was thrilled! I couldn’t wait to try them out with one of my favorite burger fillers – Sunshine Burgers!

These buns were every bit as good as I thought they would be! Unfortunately, I only got one because Jon managed to eat the other 3 within 24 hours.  He obviously loved them!  He used 2 of them to make his own version of a “Subway” sub on a bun and the other for a burger.  I kept these buns in the freezer to keep them fresh.  When it comes time to eat, they can be defrosted at room temperature or in the microwave for 10 seconds or more, as needed.

I lightly toasted the bun because that is how I prefer mine.  They hold up well to toppings and didn’t crumble, which we all know can be a problem with gluten-free bread products.  Even Jon didn’t have any issues and we all know that 15-year-old boys don’t tend to follow instructions (I mean that in the most loving way possible).

One of the best things about Rudi’s, other than their great-tasting products, is their certification as gluten-free:

Our Gluten-Free Certification

Our passion is baking better bread and we’ve been doing it since 1976, giving us extensive baking experience to help create gluten-free breads that taste, look and feel like the real bread. Our master bakers worked with gluten-free experts and consumers for more than 15 months to get our formulas to taste like real bread.

As an added step to making sure we’re baking products that are safe and do not contain gluten, Rudi’s gluten-free breads are certified gluten-free and carry the recognizable gluten-free Certification Organization (GFCO) GF Symbol.  GFCO provides a uniform system, using strict standards to certify a product gluten-free and enables people to easily identify GF foods with confidence.  These standards are confirmed by field inspections in order to achieve heightened consumer confidence and safety. You can learn more at: https://gfco.org.

Although we do not have a dedicated gluten-free facility, we do have a segregated, separate manufacturing approach. We bake our gluten-free breads on separate, dedicated equipment and on separate production days. You can feel assured our gluten-free products never come into contact with something used to make a product containing gluten. As part of our manufacturing process, we also do the following:

  • Our organic and gluten-free equipment is color-coded for easy segregation
  • Our gluten-free breads are baked only after our facility has gone through an extensive, full day clean-up process
  • All incoming ingredients are tested and certified to be gluten-free
  • As part of our gluten-free certification, every batch of our gluten-free bread is tested and must test below <10 ppm of gluten for distribution
  • We also send product to an outside lab to validate our test results and ensure we have less than 10 ppm of gluten

Rudi’s gluten-free Buns & Bread can be found in stores across the US and online. I just heard new information this week about Rudi’s gluten-free Bread being available at certain Costco locations for $6.89 for a package of 2 loaves.   Click here for a $1.00 off coupon for Rudi’s gluten-free Bread.  A quick note on the new products from Rudi’s:

A quick note on the new Rudi’s gluten-free hamburger buns, hot dog rolls, and pizza crusts:  We sell primarily to natural food distributors who in turn sell to natural and conventional food stores.  This process can take some time and we update our store list reguarly.

What have you been using for gluten-free buns up until this point?  Were you going without?

Gluten-Free Hot Dog Round-up

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

The first time I read the word wheat on a pack of hot dogs, I was shocked. I was sure that people on celiac online forums were mistaken about American summertime food containing gluten. But they, in fact, were right on the money. After reading wheat on about three brands of hot dogs at the store, I left without any at all.

So much has changed since that happened, including many hot dog brands removing gluten (in the form of wheat) and adding gluten-free to their labels. One of the most famous of all the brands to make the conversion is Nathan’s franks. Most of their options went gluten-free in the Fall of 2009 and had hit stores across the nation by the spring of 2010.

Since it will soon be time to brush off our patio grills (at least in the South), I’m excited to have several options to choose from at my corner grocery store. Before late 2009, if I wanted to buy hotdogs that were labeled gluten-free, I had to drive 14 miles to Whole Foods to do so. In addition to Nathan’s brand, there are many other gluten-free hot dogs out there. The below list is not comprehensive, but the companies listed below label their gluten-free items as such. At least, they did so at the last check. Always check the labels every time you purchase a processed food item to make sure the ingredients are all gluten-free.

  • Applegate Farms
  • Wellshire Farms
  • Trader Joe’s Brand
  • Shelton’s
  • Jennie-O

Always check the label carefully when buying anything – especially something like hot dogs. Not all gluten-free hot dogs are labeled as such which is why I like supporting the companies that label their safe options as such. I can do a quick check of all the ingredients and if they meet my other criteria, I’m good to go.

So many things that used to contain gluten (in the form of wheat) as a filler do not anymore. It’s a wonderful thing for all of us that companies started paying attention to what consumers want. Sometimes I’ll notice when browsing at the grocery store that wheat is not listed in a product that is previously in, and the next thing I know, the item is labeled gluten-free. I just love it when that happens – even if it‘s not a product I’m interested in buying.

The reality is that wheat was used as a filler in tons of things where a nonstop allergen ingredient could do the trick instead. The list of people avoiding wheat and/or gluten is growing each year it seems and let’s face it, we are all benefiting from that trend.

*Sure Foods Living has a great list of gluten and dairy-free hot dogs and sausages.

Zatarain’s Certified Gluten-Free Rice Mixes

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 5 Comments

Did you know that Zatarain’s offers a wide variety of gluten-free products?  I just read that 75% of their rice mixes are labeled “gluten-free” and have been certified to be gluten-free by the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP).  Additionally, these gluten-free rice mixes also carry the NFCA (National Foundation for Celiac Awareness) symbol.  This is great news!

Here are the gluten-free mixes:

  • Mild Jambalaya Mix
  • Jambalaya Mix
  • Dirty Rice Mix
  • Dirty Brown Rice Mix
  • Spanish Rice
  • Yellow Rice
  • Reduced Sodium Jambalaya Mix
  • Reduced Sodium Dirty Rice Mix
  • Spicy Jambalaya Mix
  • Garden Vegetable Rice Mix
  • Garlic Butter Flavored Rice Mix
  • Wild Brown Rice Mix
  • Rice Pudding Mix
  • Jambalaya Mix with Cheese
  • Black-Eyed Peas & Rice
  • Caribbean Rice Mix

Make sure to check out Zatarain’s gluten-free recipe box, which shares new ways to jazz up your meals using their gluten-free mixes.  We used to use Zatarain’s Dirty Rice mix long before we started the gluten-free diet.  Believe it or not, that was one of the only things my picky little Hannah would eat as a 1-year-old!  She loved that stuff!  Coincidentally, she won’t eat it now.  After browsing through the recipes, the Carnival Jambalaya caught my eye.  Check it out below:

Carinval Jambalaya

*Recipe courtesy of Zatarain’s

Makes 12 (1-cup) servings.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 cups water
  • 1/4 cup oil (optional)
  • 2 packages ZATARAIN’S® Jambalaya Mix, Original
  • 1 pound gluten-free boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1 pound gluten-free smoked sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions (optional)

Directions

1. Bring water and oil to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in Rice Mixes, chicken, and sausage; return to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until rice is tender.

2. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.

Tips

Variation: Two cups of cubed cooked ham and/or 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and halved crosswise, may be added to the rice mixture after 10 minutes of cooking time. Continue as directed.

While not everyone can eat or chooses to eat processed foods, it is nice that many mainstream companies are taking notice of the gluten-free diet, making strides in labeling their products, and helping to spread awareness about Celiac Disease.  Zatarain’s has a page that can be viewed here about Celiac Disease & the gluten-free diet.  Have you tried any of Zatarain’s rice mixes? Do you have a favorite?  **As always, please make sure to read the label of any product you purchase.  Some boxes that are older may still contain gluten.  The gluten-free boxes will be clearly marked.

Review: Wolfgang Puck Gluten-Free Soups

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

Soup is such a comforting food. I don’t eat soup often, but will often save it for those days when I feel like I need a hug or comforting in some way.  It is unfortunate that a lot of prepared/canned soups have gluten in them as a thickener.  Wolfgang Puck offers several varieties that are free of gluten.  I have to be honest that I was not aware of this until I was contacted to see if I would be interested in reviewing a few of the gluten-free soups.  I was eager to see how they tasted, as I have tried a variety of other gluten-free soups on the market.

Wolfgang Puck is going to be changing several of the soups & stock recipes over the next few months to be gluten-free and that claim will be stated on the product so that it is simple to know which of the products are gluten-free.  The broths have always been gluten-free, though they will now also carry the “gluten-free” claim on the label.  The following products are currently gluten-free:

  • All organic broths – beef, free range chicken & vegetable
  • All Natural Roasted Chicken Stock
  • Free Range Chicken with White & Wild Rice Soup
  • Signature Tortilla Soup
  • Tomato Basil Bisque
  • Black Bean Soup
  • Hearty Vegetable Lentil Soup

All of the soups are certified USDA organic and are made with the finest all natural ingredients.  I was curious what precautions  are taken to ensure the gluten-free products are safe, so I checked out the Soup FAQ.  This is what I found:

What is the process that Wolfgang Puck uses to ensure products are gluten-free?

We analyze gluten-free products to ensure compliance with our strict gluten-free standards at the time of initial production. We perform ongoing testing on finished products on a frequency of at least once every six months to assure continued compliance with our gluten-free policy.

Why are only some of the Wolfgang Puck products gluten-free?

Wolfgang Puck’s primary concern is the safety of our consumers. All of our recipes are hand crafted, which explains why some products contain food starches and others do not. Many of our products share manufacturing processes and equipment with gluten containing ingredients and products. For this reason, Wolfgang Puck has decided not to label gluten-free on products where we could not ensure compliance with our strict gluten-free standards.

I was able to sample the Tomato Basil Bisque and the Free Range Chicken with White & Wild Rice soups.  Both were outstanding!  If I was served these and didn’t know that they came from a can, I would have never been able to guess that they had.  They were both perfectly seasoned and not overly salty.  One of my pet peeves about canned soups is that if I can find a gluten-free version, they are often too salty or high in sodium for my liking.  The chicken soup was full of chunks of chicken and a good amount of rice in a broth that really did taste like it had been homemade.  The bisque was perfectly thickened and had chunks of tomato throughout.  My favorite way to eat soup is with a small salad & a toasted Udi’s gluten-free Bagel spread with avocado & sea salt.  Heaven on a day when I need some comfort.

Wolfgang Puck Soups are available to purchase online at Amazon or Buy The Case. Most grocery stores across the U.S. should also be carrying the soups. If not, make sure to ask them to carry your favorite variety.  Click here for a $1.00 off coupon for Wolfgang Puck Soups.