Gluten Free Whisk Bliss from Shirley J

Gluten Free Whisk Bliss is a universal cooking base that makes seriously creamy sauces, cream soups and creamy-type ingredients for other recipes. It is free from trans fats, saturated fats, hydrogenated oils and MSG. It is also my new favorite kitchen ingredient.

I want to start this review with a warning: This review is for a product so amazing that it will sound like an advertisement. There, I said it. There is nothing that makes me happier than creamy sauces (on anything and everything), and this product delivers just that. I promise, Shirley J did send me the Gluten Free Whisk Bliss to try for free, but I am not obligated to write a good review and I am certainly not a paid spokesperson… Though, at this point I wouldn’t turn down the offer. I honestly adore this product. The other day I saw a post on Facebook asking what gluten free product I would most like to have a lifetime supply of and, I have to say, Gluten Free Whisk Bliss wins, hands down! You could just stop reading here and order the product for yourself, but I have plenty more gushing to do...

Thai Kitchen Rice Noodle Carts

 There’s another product review on the table today, my friends. This time it is the noodle cart style

entrees from Thai Kitchen. You may have tried some of the dry noodle soup offerings from Thai Kitchen - What we refer to in our house as "gluten free ramen”. The noodle cart meals are a little different, though.

Bella Lucia Gluten Free Pizzelles: Anise Flavor

I have not had a pizzelle in so long that I forgot they existed. It was pretty exciting to see them waiting for me on the shelf after Poj went shopping this week. D.D. couldn't wait to tear into the package since she had never tried this type of cookie before and was completely unfamiliar with anise. I tried to tell her that it was the same flavor as black licorice, but she's been gluten free for so long she barely knows what licorice is. Oh well, one more chance to educate her tastebuds, right?

Rudi's Gluten Free Tortillas

Rudi's has gotten into the gluten free tortilla game, and they obviously know how to play. There are three different flavors, and each one is pretty special. D.D. and I attacked these like a couple of vultures and made sure to thoroughly test them... for you, of course.

Katz Gluten Free Vanilla Rugelech

Katz Gluten Free has released a new flavor of Rugelech! As I'm sure you guessed from the title to this post, the new flavor is vanilla :) I'm sure I must have mentioned how vanilla obsessed I am in past posts so you can imagine my excitement over this new snacking option.

Katz is doing a Winter Grand Prize Giveaway to help roll out this new product. The Grand Prize is a huge box filled with one each of the Katz goodies. To enter the drawing (winner will be chosen on Jan. 3, 2011) follow this link to the Katz Page :)

One more thing before we move on to the review stuff: Katz has also supplied GFPR with a free sample pack to give to one lucky winner! To enter, just read this post and leave a comment. A winner will be chosen at random from all available entries on Monday, January 10, 2011. Now on to the review!

Gluten Free Bisquick

I'm sure that I'm not the only person on a gluten free diet that did backflips of excitement when I first heard that gluten free Bisquick was coming our way. (Figurative backflips, of course, I am not nearly that athletic.)After all, I am one of the newly gluten free, only two years. I remember vividly how easy meals used to be. I could eat anything, anywhere. For some reason Bisquick seemed like a return of this freedom and normalcy.

It took awhile to reach my local stores after being released. I was worried that it would be hard to find, or that I might not be able to find it at all. Thank goodness for MyBlogSpark! They offered to send me some to try and I was backflipping once again. Not only did they send me the gluten free Bisquick, but an entire prize pack to go with it. You may have guessed, Bisquick and MyBlogSpark have also provided one to give away! Look for details at the bottom of this post :) For now, on to the review!

Katz Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I think I have eaten enough gluten free chocolate chip cookies to be considered a connoisseur (who hasn’t. right?). That didn’t mean that I was any less happy to pull the chocolate chip cookies out of the Katz Gluten Free goody box :)

Katz Gluten Free Marble Cake

Ease of Use

It should be super easy to eat Katz Gluten Free Marble Cake, and after the first serving it is :) When you first open the package, though, you ought to have a hammer and chisel, an exacto knife and some scissors handy. Okay, I am over-dramatizing, but this is some good packaging. The cake is baked in a paper liner (like muffins). Then it is wrapped in plastic and placed in a plastic snap-lid box, which is then wrapped in more plastic. This product does not get my green award, but it sure is air tight and fresh!

Katz Gluten Free Honey Muffins

Regular GFPR readers will know that my daughter D.D. and I do most of our reviews together. We like to share each new food and talk about the flavors and textures we like (and don’t like). Both of our opinions put together make up the reviews that you see here... But not today. I have to confess that I did a mean mom thing and practically hid the Katz Gluten Free Honey Muffins from D.D. I shared everything else in the box with her, but kind of counted these as a personal indulgence :)

She was pretty confused when she was digging through the cabinet and found that half of the muffins were missing. She turned to me and said, “When did we get these?”

I tell you, it was one of those rare parent-child role reversal moments. I got the guilty look of a cornered child and said nonchalantly, “Oh, those? They came in the box that Katz sent us.” At which point she sighed deeply and asked if she could have “at least one”. Of course I relented. Shame on me for trying to be selfish, right? It’s just that these muffins are perfect to go with my morning coffee, or afternoon smoothie, or whatever.... I’ll let the review itself tell the rest of why these gluten free muffins are a perfect mommy treat.

Kellog's Strawberry Slam Yogos

The gluten free product review for today is another pick from Mr. Man. As usual, Mr. Man's menu items should have their ingredients labels double and triple checked before purchasing in case the ingredients change after posting. Yogos Bits are made by Kellog's, who says on their site that Yogos are manufactured gluten free and may be suitable for a gluten free diet. To me, that is legal-speak for, "If you get sick, please don't blame us." :)

I, personally am wickedly sensitive to contamination in any form and have never had an issue with eating Yogos Bits. D.D. and I eat them all the time- and enjoy them every time!

Dinty Moore Beef Stew

Mr. Man has picked a great gluten free product to review today. Dinty Moore Beef Stew (made by Hormel) has been a staple in my house for as long as I can remember. I love soups and stews and always stock my pantry with a few cans for my lazy nights. In the gluten eating days I had two favorites, but one of them didn’t survive the gluten free purge. I can’t even tell you how excited I was when I saw that Dinty Moore Beef Stew had gone gluten free before I did! Even better, it is labeled gluten free right on the can! In fact, on a perusal of their website, I found that this scrumptious meal contains none of the major allergens. You can find this beef stew in the soup isle of just about any grocery store. Read on to find out why you should.

Contes Cheese Ravioli

I ate gluten free cheese ravioli this week! This is exciting for me because I've been ravioli-less for over two years. I didn't even know they made gluten free ravioli until Poj surprised me with it this week. As a longtime fan of stuffed pasta, I cannot tell you how happy it made me that he found Contes Cheese Ravioli. It is frozen, so you will find it in the freezer case where you buy your gluten free goodies.

Caramel Apple On-the-Go Bars from Enjoy Life

Caramel Apple On-the-Go Bars from Enjoy Life are up for review today. Back in the gluten eating days we loved cereal bars and Newton bars, but I didn't see many of those options when we started our gluten free adventure. D.D. and I were excited last time we went to the store and really looked to see how many gluten free snack bar options there are now. As official snack addicts, we take this stuff seriously (well, as seriously as we take anything...)

WOW Chocolate Brownies

It is no secret that my house is full of chocolate lovers. As such, there are few things we appreciate more than a great brownie. Brownies are that happy place where fudge meets cake and everyone can rejoice in the pure yumminess of it all. This week, my husband handed me a package of gluten free chocolate brownies from WOW Baking Company that blew the top off of any other brownie I have ever had. Seriously, these things are so good that I kept them next to my desk so I could grab one whenever.

Schar Ciabatta Parbaked Rolls

A couple weeks ago, D.D. and I had a shopping day. She needed some new summer clothes and we needed some time together. We had a very strict budget (and she's a ten-year-old tomboy) so we decided to hit the thrift stores rather than the trendy shops. Well, thanks to superior bargain sniffing skills, we came in way under budget. Somehow we ended up at the grocery store with the surplus... Yes, we are big enough food geeks to spend the extra money in a grocery store.

We had a lot of fun! There were so many treats on the shelves that I hadn't seen yet that we spent an hour making choices. Surprisingly, I have not been disappointed by any of them, including today's gluten free product review: Schar Ciabatta Rolls.

Regular readers of GFPR will probably have noticed that I don't do many bread reviews. This is because I am a total bread snob and most gluten free bread is not so great. I get nervous whenever it comes to trying new gluten free bread, and I avoid it. Occasionally, though, I have to branch out a bit and these rolls looked good! Besides, D.D. reminded me that it had been too long since we had made any Ultimo Egg Sammiches- and you need good, sturdy rolls for that.   

Glutino Pretzels

Gluten free snacks! Is there anything better than crunchy, munchy snacks? Not for me! Today, I offer for your product reviewing pleasure: Glutino gluten free pretzels. These babies come in three flavors: twists, sticks and sesame- all are equally happy :)

Tandoor Chef

I have been away for a long time! My dad had surgery on his knee a few weeks ago and I have been spending a lot of time at "The Ranch" with him. I loved the time, even though it kept me away from GFPR. Good news is, I ate a lot of food so I have a lot of reviews coming up :)

The gluten free product review for today is one that was fun for me to explore. Tandoor Chef sent me several of their gluten free frozen entrees to try (Disclaimer guy says: Although this product was sent to me, I was under no obligation to give a review- good or otherwise...) Not all of the products that Tandoor Chef makes are gluten free, so make sure to check the label and ingredients before you buy. (Tandoor Chef makes this easy by labeling each product with gluten free, vegan, medium spiced, etc. on the front of the box.)

I have never had much experience with Indian Cuisine so I was a bit nervous about venturing into unknown territory. D.D. loves anything that involves chicken, so she jumped right in. We both ended up enjoying the experience. We sat at the table together dipping bread in the sauce of two of the gluten free frozen entrees and discussing everything from complex spicy flavors to life in general. As for the food itself, well, read on:

Tefflecake Mix from Be Free Bakers

Te gluten free product review for today comes from a local bakery just getting it's start. Be Free Bakers tries hard to blur the lines between health food and tasty treats. Tefflecake Mix is a good representation of this goal.

Tefflecakes get their name from the teff flour that is used to make them. They are actually whole grain pancakes with a super cute name.

Ease of Use

Making the Tefflecakes was an adventure for my daughter and I. The directions were not as clear as I would have liked.

For instance, the directions called for 2-3 eggs. We debated for awhile whether two or three would be better. In the end, we decided to use two eggs (should've gone for three).

It took a couple more debates and a little finagling, but we managed to produce a usable batter.

Appearance

Once mixed, the Tefflecake batter was thick and dark brown. After they were cooked, the Tefflecakes themselves were a deep chocolate brown. They looked thick and fluffy.

Taste and Texture

Tefflecakes turned out to be worth the work. They were light, fluffy, sweet and delicious. They had a whole grain flavor and texture that I have been missing.

We used vanilla soy milk to make the batter. That, combined with the vanilla extract called for created a heavenly smell.

Versatility

There is plenty of room in the directions themselves to make different kinds of Tefflecakes. Other than that, I would need to experiment more before stating all of the things that Tefflecake Mix can be used for.

Overall Value

You can order Tefflecake Mix from Be Free Bakers online for $8. The mix will make about 30 pancakes.

Rating

I enjoyed my Tefflecakes. They were a refreshing change of pace :)

Gluten Free Life Muffins

Muffins!! Yay! I love muffins, but good gluten free muffins are hard to find! Either they are muffin-cicles that could double as hockey pucks once thawed or they are so sweet and sugary that I might as well be eating cake. This is not to say that there aren't great recipes out there, just that they are few and far between.

Well, Gluten Free Life, a great local (ish) bakery has supplied the inspiration for this gluten free product review. They offer four different flavors of muffins and since I got to try them all, they are all taken into account for this review. The flavors are Apple Pie, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Chip and Blueberry.

Ease of Use

The wrappers on Gluten Free Life Muffins are pretty well sealed, but that is definitely the biggest challenge here. You might want to make sure to have a plate or napkin handy as a crumb catcher.

Appearance

In the package, all four flavors of Gluten Free Life Muffins look the same. They are a normal size that I remember from my youth (as opposed to the gigantor size that is common today). They are light brown in color and have a coating on top that appears at first glance to be sugar.

Taste and Texture

Gluten Free Life Muffins are so moist and delicious! They even impressed my gluten eating dad who is not big on gluten free food. They are crumbly, but just the way any muffin should be. There is no dryness in site!

The only failing here is that there are not many chunks. There were only a few pieces of fruit and chocolate in each. The muffin itself makes up for it though. I really enjoyed eating them!

Versatility

As a prebaked gluten free muffin, there is not a whole lot of versatility. They would lend themselves well to a lot of different toppings, jam, cream cheese, butter- but they don't require anything. They are perfect to eat as is.

Overall Value

Each 4 oz. muffin from Gluten Free Life costs $2.79. They are a bit pricey. The major selling point here, aside from the fact that they taste fantastic, is the use of all natural ingredients. They are made from sorghum flour and sweetened with organic cane juice. This is pretty rare when you consider that a good majority of gluten free goodies have no nutrition to them at all due to the use of sugar and rice flour. The nutrition factor has a way (in my mind) of balancing out the price a bit.

Rating

I will definitely eat Gluten Free Life Muffins again, and I recommend that that everyone should try them at least once.

Create a Bug Fruit Snacks from Betty Crocker

This week's gluten free product review takes me back to childhood and the simple things in life. In order to properly try Create-a-Bug fruit snacks I had no choice but to open a few packages and play with them. My daughter made some pretty silly looking creatures and had a lot of fun.

Ease of Use

Open package, eat. You can take as much time creating between step one and step two as you want.

Appearance

Betty Crocker Create-a-Bug fruit snacks come in a variety of shapes and colors. There are heads, wings and bodies in colors ranging from yellow to electric blue. Admittedly, it is hard to tell what some of the pieces are, but that made it more fun in the long run. With those pieces we had to use our imaginations and come up with uses. Thus, a head became feet and wings became fins.

Taste and Texture

Create-a-Bug pieces come in strawberry, orange, cherry and grape flavors, at least that's what it says on the box. I'm convinced there is more flavor than listed though. The bright blue ones are downright tangy and I couldn't attach a certain fruit flavor to them. They are all very good though.

As for texture, I love it! To quote the little one, "These are the good kind." Fruit snack connoisseur that she is, I must defer to her judgment. These are not the jelly-like fruit snacks that are like gummy bears. They are the softer, chewier versions. They have a bit of a bite to them.

Versatility

Art projects and ice cream toppings come to mind.

Overall Value

No gluten free pricing here, folks. A ten pack of these fruity cuties will run under three dollars.

Rating

These really are fun. I recommend you pick up a box.

*Note: From now until November 14, 2009, you can enter in a giveaway to win your own box of Create a Bug Fruit Snacks from Betty Crocker along with a lot of other great stuff!