Tiramisu Cupcakes from Brody's Bakery

I was very pleased a couple weeks ago when I discovered Brody's Bakery, which is local here in Kansas City. I was even more pleased when I found out they have tiramisu! I haven't had tiramisu since I went gluten free and have really missed it. Not only can I order tiramisu, but I can have tiramisu cupcakes as well. This is fun for me because I love single serve things (like cupcakes).

Brody's Bakery is a vegan bakery and makes many yummy gluten free items as well. This means that I can have my tiramisu cupcakes and eat them too, without the upset that comes with too much dairy :)

Ease of Use

The wrappers practically peel themselves off of these goodies. It makes me feel good to know that they want me to eat them as bad as I do.

Appearance

White frosting, mini chocolate chips, a sprinkle of cocoa powder in a zebra print paper- very fun! If you cut a tiramisu cupcake in half you can see the marble effect of all the flavor inside. Overall, I'd say the appearance is almost as good as the taste.




Taste and Texture

I am not a vegan, therefore I had no idea what to expect from a vegan gluten free cupcake (especially one as ambitious as a tiramisu cupcake) It was amazing! Very moist inside without any hint of sogginess. it was firm to hold, yet soft and melty to eat. And so good! The flavors blend perfectly, making it fun to eat from the first to the last bite.

Overall Value

You can order a dozen of Brody's Bakery Tiramisu Cupcakes for $14. They are well worth it.

Rating

My daughter and I loved these cupcakes so much that we actually sang a song when she ate the last one. It was to the tune of The Last Unicorn and loudly showed our sadness about not having any more.

Dei Fratelli Pasta Sauce

I know today is St. Patrick's Day, but I don't have anything green for you. The color for today is red! The color of romance, danger... and lycopene. The product for today carries a bit of the first two and an extraordinary amount of the third. For those of you that are not familiar with lycopene, you should know that it is the substance that makes tomatoes red and cares for your healthy heart.

What does this have to do with Dei Fratelli Pasta Sauce? Well, a lot. There are quite a few pasta sauces out there that are gluten free, but not like this! Dei Fratelli loves their tomatoes, and it shows from the first bite to the last. If I can help my heart beat and enjoy food like this, I'm a happy woman.

Ease of Use

Dei Fratelli Pasta Sauce comes in a jar. It is easy to heat and serve, or add to any recipe.

Appearance

Jars are not high on my list of artistic treasures, but this one impressed me. I immediately felt like I had to have wine and some crusty bread to complete any pasta meal that had sauce from a jar like this.

The sauce itself had chunks of tomatoes. They were irregular, these were not your typical diced tomatoes made into a sauce. There was also a plethora of herbs and spices to tempt my eyes.





Taste and Texture

The flavor of Dei Fratelli Pasta Sauce is rich and bold, while being slightly tangy and sweet at the same time. It was a little spicy, but nothing overpowering. The texture is perfect to pair with any pasta dish. It was chunky enough to stand up to short pastas, but not so much that it would overpower spaghetti. The best part was that it tasted so fresh! It was like I had made it myself out of my garden (which I do not have due to the act that I am "gardening deficient). The little one was not as pleased with the sauce as I was- It was too spicy for her (but then, she has a very sensitive tongue).

Overall Value

A four pack of Dei Fratelli Pasta Sauce runs about $15.99 on their site. Not a bad price considering it would make an easy and impressive dinner for company.

Rating

I recommend Dei Fratelli Pasta Sauce to anyone who is not a ten year old girl with a tender tongue :)

Boulder Canyon Rice and Adzuki Bean Chips

Boulder Canyon Rice and Adzuki Bean Chips are the focus for today on GFPR. A friend grabbed them for me at the store where she works, and I'm so glad she did! I had never heard of Adzuki Beans before, but apparently they come with some hefty nutritional benefits in the area of fiber and minerals. Yay! Another healthy snack food! This review is for the Sun dried Tomato with Basil flavor, but I hear there's more out there.

Ease of Use

These bags are locked up tight! We had to get the sissors out to open it. I'm okay with that, it just means the food inside is nice and fresh, right?

Appearance

Boulder Canyon Rice and Adzuki Bean Chips are very pretty. Yes, I know, pretty chips? It is true, however. Each chip has an obvious appearance of  texture and flavor. They are bright red with hints of green that let you know there is actual basil there, not just a hint.








Taste and Texture

Sun dried Tomato with Basil is not the only flavor happening here. There is also a spiciness that makes your mouth take notice.  The texture is light and crisp, but not at all hard. The combination of flavor and texture in this bag will ensure that the chips are gone before you know it.

Versatility

Eat many and often.

Overall Value

One dollar and 99 cents! Yep, two bucks a bag!

Rating

These crispy littles snack bites are nothing less than spectacular!

Allen's Seasoned Green Beans and Potatoes

Normally, I don't focus on canned vegetables for GFPR since most of them are naturally gluten free, but I'm very skeptical of cans that say "seasoned".  I tend to avoid those in the grocery store and go for the ones with labels I don't have to study. I decided to review Allen's Seasoned Green Beans and Potatoes because they shouldn't be passed over so lightly.

I'm all about convenience. Now, I love to cook, but there are days when I have had a hectic work schedule or have worked with our horses all day and I'm just too tired to do anything. I have a full pantry of ingredients for meals, but I also have what I call the "just in case" shelf. This is the place where I keep the stuff that takes no effort, but I can still feed it to my daughter and claim to be a health concious mother. The shelf found a new addition this week with Allen's Seasoned Green Beans and Potatoes.

We love green beans at my house. Usually I add onions and bacon bits to boost the flavor. Now, Allen's has taken care of all that for me! Well, not the bacon, but I didn't miss it. Enough of my babbling, on to the review:

Ease of Use

Open the can, heat and serve, that's it.

Appearance

The green beans are very green, and they're the plump kind. The potatoes vary in size and are a tan color. There are plenty of onions in the mix too, which makes me very happy.

Taste and Texture

I was very impressed with both the flavor and texture of Allen's Seasoned Green Beans and Potatoes. I kind of expected this to be an experiment that went awry. I could tell that my daughter did too. She took the first bite before me, and after that she treated each potato piece as a little treasure in her garden of green beans :)

The green beans had the perfect texture and the flavor was delicious. There are relatively few potato pieces. The potatoes took on the flavor of the green beans, like they do in veggie soup. The texture of the potatoes was very good, though, not mushy at all.

Versatility

Allen's Seasoned Green Beans and Potatoes would be a great add-in to soups and casseroles.

Overall Value

You can buy a case (24 cans) of Allen's Seasoned Green Beans and Potatoes on their website for $24. That's only a dollar a can. Also, it is important to note that the cans are the 15oz. size.

Rating

Definitely Recommended.