Tropical Traditions Organic Hulled Millet

Since changing to a gluten free diet, I have been more aware of my nutritional needs. Before, I was one of those rare fast food junkies that always opted for the whole grain breads and chips in the stores. It was very depressing to me that going gluten free not only meant a lot of tasteless spongy food, but most of it was pure sugar as well.

I started exploring the food available to me in my new gluten free life (hence the gluten free product review blog) and have found some great stuff out there. Reading those labels began to take it's toll, though, and I knew I could do better than I ever had before to offer my family good nutrition. I began to study the other grains that were available to me. It was very encouraging to discover that there were a lot of whole grain, healthy options out there, even for people who can't eat wheat.

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when I received the bag of millet from Tropical Traditions to try. As stated, I've done the research and I know how healthy millet is, but buying a loaf of gluten free bread made of millet is a lot different than just eating the millet itself.

D.D. had a nervous reaction as well, "Mom, that's what I feed the birds!" I replied with, "Well, if it's good enough for them, then we may like it too." We swallowed our nerves and tried the most basic recipe for millet I could find. I'm glad we did! This was another learning experience that I am more than happy to share with all of you.

Ease of Use

Tropical Traditions Hulled Millet is pretty easy to prepare. It can be made on the stove, or in a crock pot or a host of other cooking options. The cooking methods and times are very similar to brown rice.

Appearance

These little grains are pretty! They have a pearly sheen with a tan color. I had to talk D.D. out of playing in the bag because they feel neat in your hands. Once cooked, the millet looked a lot like couscous.







Taste and Texture

The cooked millet from Tropical traditions had a nice bite to it. It was a little like brown rice, but with more texture due to the smaller grain size. It has a great mouth feel. The flavor was mild, but delicious. I was very pleasantly surprised by both the flavor and texture that this gluten free whole grain offered.

Versatility

Honestly, I'm going to say that this is the best part about the millet from Tropical Traditions. You can use it for anything! It can be used at breakfast as a hot cereal, at lunch as part of a salad and a side dish or main course for dinner. It can be mixed in to any dish to add texture and flavor, it would be a fantastic substitute for barley in soup... The list goes on! Those of you who are industrious enough in your kitchens to have a grain mill can even make your own whole grain millet flour.

Overall Value

My jaw just about hit the floor on this one- A five pound bag of organic, whole grain hulled millet from Tropical Traditions is only $8.88! Get a ten pound bag for $15.54. I get very excited about low prices and with this kind of versatility, this is a LOW price! (Not that I'm suggesting it should be raised :)

Rating

I love the stuff! I'm very glad I tried it and I can't wait to find many more uses for it.

The Giveaway

If you are familiar with Tropical Traditions or GFPR, I'm sure you saw this coming- Tropical Traditions will send one lucky reader a five pound bag of millet to try for themselves. Before we get into that, though, we have to see the legal stuff:

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. 

Back to the fun stuff! To enter to win a five pound bag of gluten free whole grain millet from Tropical Traditions, you must first use this link to sign up for their newsletter. After you've done that, come back here and celebrate the versatility of this product by leaving a comment telling me your best use for the millet. It can be a recipe, or just the name of a dish, but make it fun.

On Wednesday, April 28, 2010 D.D. is going to pick her five favorites from the list. Out of the top five, we will draw a random winner out of a hat. If you need a little inspiration, check out the recipe section of the Tropical Traditions site.

As usual, please make sure that there is a way to contact you within your comment. Good luck to all who enter!

This giveaway has been completed, Thank You!

Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread

I miss great bread, mostly because it is necessary for great sammiches.  Who doesn't love a BLT or a gooey grilled cheese?  These tasty hand meals are a right of all humanity, not just the gluten eating ones.  Therefore, it is my pleasure to do this review.  Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread is good enough that I "review" it quite often!  Let me tell you why:

Ease of Use

Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread comes frozen from the grocery store.  Once it's thawed, it is great to eat right out of the package.

Appearance

Udi's gluten free bread loaves are about half the size of "regular" loaves.  Each slice looks like a smaller version of wheat bread.  It has texture and color that make the tummy rumble.  It has just the right amount of holes in the crumb (interior) and the crust is a rich golden brown.  There is a light coating of white powder on the crust, but it doesn't interfere with the taste.

Taste and Texture

Unbelievable!  Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread is soft!  I have been eating these tasty slices right out of the bag (sans toppings even).  There is no need to toast it, though it does make delicious toast.  The texture is what you would expect from whole grain bread, hearty and nice to bite into. The crumb is soft and chewy and the crust is firm, but not hard.

The taste is wonderful.  There are no odd flavors to disguise with extra butter. 

Versatility

I would use this bread for just about anything.  It makes great french toast and sammiches (of any kind).  My only complaint is that I had to use extra cheese for my grilled cheese because the bread seemed to absorb some of it.  It dries out a little after the first four days or so, but then it is perfect for bread crumbs and croutons. 

Overall Value

Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread can be purchased online for (are you ready for this?) $5.00!  Unheard of!  It seems that the shipping would be a little steep to buy a loaf at a time, but they offer an 8-pack as well.  It is also pretty widely available at retail stores.

Rating

I cannot say enough good things about this product.  From the taste to the price, and even the packaging: I love it!