Nature's Path Organic WholeO's

In keeping with the importance of breakfast, the Gluten Free Product Review for today is Nature's Path Organic WholeO's. This is a new whole grain gluten free cold cereal that is made from corn and rice. The box tells me it is "sweetened with just the right amount of pomegranate juice".

Ease of Use

As far as gluten free cold cereals go, the use of Nature's Path Organic WholeO's is, well, exactly like all the others. Pour in bowl, add milk, enjoy. Though adding the extra step of drizzling a little bit of honey is not a bad idea either.

Appearance

This may be the only time in my life that this has ever happened, but Nature's Path Organic WholeO's really do look exactly like the picture on the box. They are golden O's with a bubbled texture. They even look crispy, and have a slight sheen that promises good things to come.

Taste and Texture

Nature's Path Organic WholeO's are light and crispy. Their texture is much more like Cap'n Crunch (without the sugar coating) than Cheerios. They have a light texture and are fun to eat. They even hold up well in the milk bath.

Versatility

Gluten free cold cereal is not the most versatile thing in the world. You can cover it with milk, snack on it dry or crunch it up as a topping. Either way, this stuff is pretty good.

Overall Value

Nature's Path Organic WholeO's cost $4.59 a box. This is still more pricey than most regular cereals, but pretty comparable to other gluten free cold cereals. It is very nutricious and more "grown up" than a lot of the choices available. I would call it a pretty good value.

Rating

This cereal is tasty and healthy, a great combination. If you are a fan of cereal, this one definitely deserves checking out.

Now Gluten Free Baking Mix

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As such, it's really important to choose the right foods to make this meal worth waking up early for. Today's Gluten Free Product Review is Now Gluten Free Baking Mix. Now, I realize that a good baking mix can be used for lots of things, but in my house it generally goes to the all important cause of pancakes and waffles.

Ease of Use

Now Gluten Free Baking Mix comes in a bag without a resealable top. The bag has a large panel describing the nutritional benefits of the mix (which are numerous) but no instructions for its use. There is a small suggestion that consumers visit the website for recipes using this mix.

Upon visiting the website, I found more information about nutritional benefits, but had to look around a bit to find the recipes I needed. It was a little more involved than I had hoped for, but workable.

Appearance

I made pancakes and waffles from the Now Gluten Free Baking Mix (it was a BIG breakfast). Both rose up nicely and had an appetizing golden brown appearance.

Taste and Texture

The finished product had a smooth and soft texture. The taste was a bit strange to me, almost minty. My family didn't identify the taste as minty, necessarily, but agreed that there was definitely an odd flavor.

Versatility

Now Gluten Free Baking Mix is extremely versatile. On their site you can find recipes for all sorts of baked goods, from cakes and muffins to pancakes. It is also very good for you. It's made from brown rice flour and has the benefits of flax seed. It would be an asset to a healthy diet.

Overall Value

I found Now Gluten Free Baking Mix online for $4.99 a bag. This is a pretty good price! The bag is fairly large by gluten free standards and claims to contain 17 servings.

Rating

I was not fond of the flavor of this mix, or the lack of instructions for its use. Because no amount of value, versatility or even nutrition can outweigh taste, I cannot (regretfully) recommend this product.

Ener-G Gourmet Crackers

Ener-G Gourmet Crackers are the subject for this Gluten Free Product Review. As an avid snacker and dipper, I am always on the lookout for great gluten free crackers. This little box boasts gluten free, egg free, wheat free, milk free, lactose free, low saturated fat and no cholesterol. Seems like they've covered most allergies and nutritional needs, but how much room does that leave for taste?

Ease of Use

I would feel bad skipping this category completely, seeing as how I'm the one that came up with the criteria in the first place, but it seems unnecessary. These crackers can be enjoyed in three easy steps:

1. Open the box.
2. Open the cellophane packet.
3. Eat

Appearance

Ener-G Gourmet Crackers are large and golden brown. You can tell by looking at them that they are layered and possibly flakey. They have a good thickness and the uneven bubbled texture that all the best baked goods carry.

Taste and Texture

These crackers are really good! I was a bit surprised at how satisfying they were. They have the flakey, buttery texture of a Ritz with more of a Saltine flavor. They remind me of the "gourmet" crackers I used to buy before I went gluten free.

Versatility

Ener-G Gourmet Crackers are as versatile as any good crackers should be. They are perfect for quick blood sugar boosts and easy lunches. They're great soup dippers and munch well with salads.

Overall Value

Ener-G Gourmet Crackers sell for $4.65 a box on their website, but I've found them much cheaper in stores. There are approximately 18 large crackers per box, which lasts longer than you may think. They are well worth the money to keep them on hand.

Rating

These gluten free crackers are tasty, versatile and fun to munch. I love them!

Mrs. Leeper’s Creamy Tuna

The gluten free product review for today is Mrs. Leeper’s Creamy Tuna. In the grand tradition of boxed dinners, Mrs. Leeper’s has produced a gluten free tuna casserole made with corn pasta. It’s recognizable orange box can be easily found in most stores. The box is labeled “Mrs. Leeper’s Since 1927” which made me curious what this company started out as, since there was no such thing as gluten free boxed dinners in 1927. I moved on from my curiosity pretty quickly, though, and just made the dinner. How did it stack up? Find out below.

Ease Of Use

This gluten free tuna casserole is really no different to make than any other boxed dinner. I was pleasantly surprised to find that aside from the pasta and seasonings included in the box, all I needed to add was water, butter, tuna and milk.

There was absolutely no rocket science necessary here, I just threw everything in a pan, cooked it and ate it. As a fan of super quick and easy meals for busy nights this made me very happy. I had dinner on the table in 20 minutes, which is almost unheard of for a gluten free diet.

Appearance

Gluten free tuna casserole looks exactly the same as regular tuna casserole, whether it is a gluten free boxed dinner or not. It’s true, I’ve tested this theory. Mrs. Leeper’s Creamy Tuna is no exception to the rule. It looks like noodles completely submerged in a creamy sauce. This being one of my favorite food combinations, it looked good to me.

Taste and Texture

I was very surprised when I bit into Mrs. Leeper’s Creamy Tuna for the first time. Sitting down to do a gluten free product review is always a bit dangerous because some products carry what my husband refers to as “that gluten free funk”. Not so with Mrs. Leeper’s Creamy Tuna. It really was just yummy, creamy, noodly goodness.

No product is perfect, however, so I do have to say that I found the sauce to be a touch too salty. Not so much that I wouldn’t eat it again, just enough to notice. Also, corn pasta is a picky creature. If you overcook it, you’ll have creamy tuna mush (which is about as appetizing as it sounds).

Versatility

I almost blew past this category thinking, “how versatile can a gluten free boxed dinner be?” Well, if you’re thinking that, then you’re making the same mistake I almost did. When taken down to it’s basics, Mrs. Leeper’s Creamy Tuna is just noodles and cream sauce. That leaves a lot of room for creativity.

You can add any kind of meat, poultry, fish or cheese to completely change the flavor profile. Frozen vegetables can stretch the portions of this gluten free boxed dinner to make room for one more. You can even put a buttery crumb topping on it and bake it for something a little more fancy. My favorite: Add frozen peas and shredded carrot while cooking and top with shredded Colby Jack cheese.

Overall Value

Mrs. Leeper’s Creamy Tuna sells in most stores for about $2.79. It is enough to feed my whole family and even the gluten eating members of my household like it.

Considering the small amount of time it takes to prepare and the equally small price tag, I would say this product has a fantastic overall value.

Rating

I give this product my highest rating, which is rare since I’m kind of picky. It scored well in all five categories of my rating criteria and has become a staple in my house for those nights when I’m exhausted but still need to eat.

Gluten Free Pantry French Bread and Pizza Mix

For my first gluten free review, I chose Gluten Free Pantry French Bread and Pizza Mix. The packaging concept for this product is pretty and easily recognizable. It conveys the idea of an old fashioned bakery on a tree lined street. Good deal. Read on to see how it did on each point of the rating criteria. (For more on the rating criteria, scroll to the bottom.)

Ease of Use
Upon opening the the box, I found a cellophane package of white powder and a packet of yeast. (In one box there was also an extra recipe card) I was touched that they included the yeast for me. I read through the directions and noticed that I needed six other ingredients and a mixer to make this happen. I gathered my materials and got started.

I tried both the french bread and pizza crust instructions (with different packages) and got very different results.

For the bread, I opted for the oven method (because I have no idea what my bread machine manufacturer's instructions for gluten free baking are). I got everything mixed, let it rise, brushed it with beaten egg and was ready to go.

The pizza crust was something completely different. After it was mixed, the dough was of such a strange and sticky consistency that I couldn't come close to spreading it in the pan. It stuck to my utensils, my fingers, everything except the greased pan. In the end, I only managed to get it into a rough impression of a circle with various depths.

Appearance

After both the pizza and the bread were baked it was hard to believe they had both started with the same product. The bread was a beautiful golden brown color with a crusty rounded top. The pizza (sigh) was less appetizing to look at. It was misshapen and unevenly cooked with a pale (almost) ring of crust. Of course we ate it anyway!

Taste and Texture

Both the bread and the pizza crust had a dry and crumbly texture, fairly typical of gluten free products. But I was surprised at how bland the flavor was, especially considering how many ingredients I had to add.

The bread was great for sandwiches with strong flavors, though I recommend you use a fork. The pizza crust (double sigh) was undercooked in spots and did not hold up the toppings at all. Definitely not a grab and go food.

Versatility

Since my initial use of this product I have tried many other things with it. I have found it to be very versatile as a bread and roll base. The bland flavor makes it perfect to add herbs, garlic, cinnamon and sugar, spices or anything else that strikes your fancy. This mix will take on the flavor of anything you add and create a lot of different gluten free products.

Overall Value

Online, Gluten Free Pantry French Bread and Pizza Mix retails for $5.99 per box plus shipping and handling. It yields one large loaf of bread or about a dozen rolls. Price wise, I'd say that it is very comparable to other products of it's kind.

Rating

I would recommend this product as a gluten free bread mix due to it's extreme versatility and overall characteristics.

I would not recommend this product as a pizza crust due to the fact that the texture of the dough makes it near impossible to work with.

The First Post

I wanted to open this blog with an invitation. I have a long list of products that are currently in review and should begin posting them here soon. I want to invite anyone who wants to request a gluten free product review to leave a comment so I can add it to my list.

Thanks! See ya soon.