Betty Crocker Gluten Free All Purpose Rice Flour Blend

Betty Crocker has worked hard for years to be the go-to company for baking mixes. A few years ago, they also decided to take care of us gluten free folks by adding a whole line of gluten free mixes. I have tried and reviewed most of them, and have been fairly impressed so far. Well, now Betty Crocker has extended their gluten free offerings with a new sugar cookie mix and an all purpose rice flour blend. I was most surprised to see the rice flour blend. After all, what’s left after gluten free Bisquik? A lot, apparently :)

I am a member of MyBlogSpark, and have enjoyed this for years since they give me a heads-up about all sorts of new products. When they sent me the email letting me know about this new Betty Crocker Gluten Free All Purpose Rice Flour Blend, you know I had to try it!

Katz Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Time again for a goody out of the Katz Gluten Free box! I’m not sure what I can say in introduction for this one besides chocolate and cupcake- yeah, D.D. was stoked :)

Katz Gluten Free Cinnamon Rugelech

Part of the fun of doing gluten free product reviews is all the new food that D.D. and I get to try. We are creatures of habit and if it weren’t for GFPR we would probably stick to the same stuff all the time. I love variety, and I love adventure. GFPR has given us an excuse to explore and have little adventures everyday.

Katz Gluten Free Rugeleh turned out to be a tasty adventure for both of us. If you can believe it, I actually had to talk my sugar-monster into tasting the rugeleh.

“A cross between a cookie and a cinnamon roll?!” she asked skeptically, “If you say so, Mom.”

I thought the hesitation a bit strange, but when it comes to food we all have our hang ups, right? She did taste them, and then kept tasting. I cut her off after four :)

Deli International Gluten Free Pizza

It’s frozen pizza time again. D.D. can’t get enough of the stuff. She actually picked this one from the store herself and was very excited to bring it home to me. I think part of the excitement was due to the fact that frozen pizza in our house has become synonymous with family movie night. Whatever her motivation, I heard little else from the moment she got home from the grocery store but how excited she was about her “real gluten free boxed pizza”. (So cute!)

Excitement is contagious, I suppose. I was even more excited when I saw that the Deli International Gluten Free Pizza she had picked came with the CSA (Celiac Sprue Association) Seal of Recognition. I got glutened a little while ago, so it was nice to have that extra bit of security in the gluten free status of dinner. As for the pizza itself, well, read on...

Glutino Penne Alfredo

This week, when my husband brought home a new gluten free product to try, D.D. and I were both stoked. This new product moment just may be our favorite time of the week. When Poj says, "Oh yeah, I picked up something new for you to try." D.D. and I both rush to read the box and exclaim over the contents and wonder what new experience is in store. (I have mentioned that we're total food geeks, right?)

This time the product was Glutino Penne Alfredo. It was a gluten free frozen T.V. dinner that boasted alfredo sauce on brown rice penne. We LOVE alfredo! And, it was from Glutino, a gluten free company that has provided many hours of food happiness in the past. Which is why I'm a little sad about today's review of Glutino Penne Alfredo. To be honest, I considered not writing it, but I started GFPR to do honest reviews- So here goes...

Gluten Free Houston Sandwich Rolls/Hamburger Buns

For our gluten free product review today, we're going back to gluten free breads. More to the point, gluten free rolls :) These rolls from Gluten Free Houston can be used for just about anything. Three out of the four that got sent to my house were commandeered by my daughter to make mega-egg sammiches. It takes quite a bun to stand up to the sausage, bacon egg and cheese sandwiches that D.D. loves, so this was a great test.

Ease of Use

These gluten free buns are not split when you get them. They cut cleanly and easily with any kind of serrated knife. The cut is not so clean with a butter knife, however, as evidenced by the amount of crumbs left behind when D.D. tried.

Appearance

Gluten Free Houston does not skimp on the portion sizes when it comes to their gluten free rolls. The buns are large enough to make an impressive sammich.





Taste and Texture

The first thing I should point out about these gluten free rolls is the smell. Right out of the package they have a fresh baked smell, with not a hint of strangeness.

They taste great! The flavor is very fresh and tasty. It is also versatile enough to compliment any type of sandwich. The only issue that I had was that they are dry. Not a crumbly, grainy type of dry (which is common) but more like a day-old baguette. On the other hand, it is probably the texture that makes these gluten free rolls so spread friendly. The bread doesn't absorb moisture the way that a lot of gluten free breads do. The lack of sogginess makes for a better sandwich experience overall.

Versatility

I could not even begin to list all of the possible uses for these gluten free rolls! The flavor is such that they are good for anything you can imagine needing gluten free bread for.

Overall Value

You can get a 4-pack of Gluten Free Houston Hamburger Buns for $6.95. I wouldn't call this a bargain price, but it's not completely extravagant either. The value of this product fits into my "sometime indulgence" category.

Rating

Gluten free Hamburger Buns/Sandwich Rolls from Gluten Free Houston come recommended by both D.D. and I. 

Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate

Since doing the review for Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil, I’ve been exploring more and more with coconut products. They have natural health benefits that are pretty amazing! The latest product I tried was Coconut Cream Concentrate. It’s some interesting stuff! I’m excited to do this gluten free product review, and to share the recipe I developed while testing this product.

Ease of Use

When I received the jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate, it was below freezing outside. The cream had separated from the oil, which made the jar look pretty, but create a challenge of use. I heated the entire jar, stirring as I went, to combine the oil and cream again. It didn’t take long, but it is one extra step to keep in mind for your first use.

After the Coconut Cream Concentrate was combined and in liquid form (thick liquid) it was easy to use. You just measure and pour it into whatever you are mixing it into.

Appearance

Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate is thick and creamy. It has an off-white color and mostly smooth texture. When it is warm it pours out of the jar easily. When it is cold it is more solid and needs to be scooped or warmed for pouring.

Taste and Texture

It tastes thick and creamy too! The flavor is very rich. It tastes like unsweetened coconut, a pretty complex flavor. It fills your mouth and stays there (but not in the unpleasant greasy way). The texture is mostly smooth, though it does offer more texture than a pure liquid would.

Versatility

There are a ton of uses for Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate. It can be used in both savory and sweet recipes. There are a lot of recipes for it on the Tropical Traditions recipe page, and even more in their Virgin Coconut Oil Book. I used the Veloute Base for Non-Dairy Cream Soups from the book and made a delicious Tomato soup. I tried other recipes as well, but the soup was my favorite. I was amazed at how thick and creamy it was, while being gluten free and dairy free.

Overall Value

A 32 oz. jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate retails for $19.95. It’s pricey, but worthwhile to keep on hand for the versatility.

Rating

I recommend Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate. This is especially true for people who want to make great gluten free and dairy free cream soups!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Ener-G White Rice Loaf

There are just not enough gluten free bread reviews here. After today, I'm not sure how many more I'm willing to do:)

As far as gluten free products go, bread is one of the most wanted and most despised. In an effort to get a wide range for my gluten free product reviews, I took the plunge and ventured into the bread basket. See how the Ener-G White Rice Loaf did against the criteria.

Ease of Use

It is very easy to use Ener-G White Rice Loaf, once you get it out of the package. This bread is sealed air tight. Not such a bad thing!

Appearance

It looks like other loaves of gluten free bread. Like a smaller, perfectly shaped version of a regular bread loaf. It has a smooth textured appearance.

Taste and Texture

This bread is dry, crumbly and virtually flavorless. The texture is somewhat like a dry sponge. It is much better toasted, but you still need to add a lot of butter to get a good flavor. On a lighter note, it did have slight hints of sourdough flavor, which I like.

Versatility

Bread is infinitely versatile. This bread would be good for making croutons or using as bread crumbs.

Overall Value

A loaf of 12 slices costs about $5.50. It is priced comparably to other gluten free breads.

Rating

I will not buy Ener-G White Rice Loaf again. With all of the great new gluten free products out there, I am looking to spend my money on something else.