Reviews

Sunday

Mini Donuts: Gluten Free & Homemade




I made the above yummy donuts with my Babycakes mini donut maker. I followed a recipe from Mini Donuts: 100 Bite-Sized Donut Recipes to Sweeten Your "Hole" Day, by Jessica Segarra. The recipe I worked with is called "Nutella Mini Donut".

I simply swapped out the regular flour for a gluten free one. In this case, I used President's Choice Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend. 

Overall, I was really quite happy with how these little donuts turned out! Even the gluten eaters in my family enjoyed them. So much so, that they have been requesting that I make more!









Wednesday

Crispy Minis Now Certified Gluten Free



Quaker Oats sent me a lovely "mini moment" care pack to announce that Crispy Minis are now certified gluten free. This means that they have met the strict criteria set forth by the  Gluten-Free Certification Program, which is endorsed by the Canadian Celiac Association. This is great news for the 30 percent of Canadians living with Celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity!



I appreciate how clear and noticeable the gluten-free label is on the front of the package. Anyone with special dietary needs knows how time-consuming label checking can be. This seal of approval ensures safety while making shopping easier.




“The demand for safe and reliable gluten free snacks is growing,” says Paul Valder, President of the Allergen Control Group, owners of the GFCP. “By displaying the GFCP endorsed trademark, Crispy Minis rice chips provides consumers with a trusted and easily identifiable source of safe, gluten free products.”





Of the 10 gluten-free flavors to choose from, I sampled BBQ, Cheddar, and Ketchup. I'm not much of a BBQ snack fan, but I did really enjoy the Ketchup and Cheddar minis. Two classic not-to-be-missed flavors if you ask me.



My 1st grader seems to be a huge fan of the Cheddar flavour. These snacks are also perfect for the lunch box as they are packed full of flavour, without the junkiness. 

Overall, I am a fan of the product. It's great for light snacking and perfect for on-the-go munchies.




Which Crispy Minis flavour will you take a mini moment with?



Crispy Minis rice chips are available at grocery retailers across Canada in 10 Gluten Free flavours:


– Quaker Crispy Minis Cheddar rice chips


– Quaker Crispy Minis BBQ rice chips


– Quaker Crispy Minis Ketchup rice chips


– Quaker Crispy Minis Butter Popcorn rice chips


– Quaker Crispy Minis Dill Pickle rice chips


– Quaker Crispy Minis Salt & Vinegar rice chips


– Quaker Crispy Minis Sea Salt & Lime rice chips


– Quaker Crispy Minis Sweet Chili rice chips


– Quaker Crispy Minis Caramel Kettle Corn rice chips


– Quaker Crispy Minis Sour Cream & Onion rice chips



Tuesday

Review: Simply... Gluten-Free Quick Meals



The title Simply... Gluten-Free Quick Meals says it all. It avoids the over complicated route that that many gluten-free cookbooks take. You will find that it is filled with simple gluten-free meals, which are easy enough for even a novice to conquer.

Something that caught my eye right away was the practical way in wich the book is organized. Most of the recipes are sorted into meals. This is a major time saver as you don't have to flip through pages and pages to find recipes which pair together. 



* I was provided with a complimentary copy of Simply...Gluten-Free Quick Meals for review purposes.


  • Each menu contains a quick cook strategy to ensure you get the entire meal on the table together.
  • Weekday dinners that can be prepared in 30 minutes
  • Single dish recipes which take 15 minutes or less to prepare
  • Holiday meals
  • Basic recipes for gluten-free flour blends, biscuit, pancake mixes and spice mixtures
  • Tips for stocking your gluten-free pantry



All-American Meat Loaf  Dinner


I have tried several recipes from the cookbook so far. The family favourite has been The All-American Meat Loaf Dinner. The mini meat loaves were really easy to make. I did omit the Worcestershire sauce as it's not something we normally have in our pantry. I was super impressed with how moist the meat loaves were! The recipe suggests using a muffin pan which has been sprayed with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray. I'm going to pass on that next time around and just bake the mini meat loaves on a sheet pan. Even with the cooking spray, I found the muffin pan was difficult to get the meat loaves out of in one piece.

One of my favourite things about any cookbook is the pictures. A must in my opinion. They help you envision how the final product should turn out. This is especially helpful when tackling an unfamiliar recipe. Simply Gluten-Free Quick Meals has 16 pages of pictures. While the photos are beautiful, I did find them to be a bit of an afterthought. They are lumped together in the middle of the book which was a little frustrating at times. I would prefer to see the photos at the beginning of each recipe or menu.

Overall, this cookbook was a hit in my house. We love that it is full of hearty meals that don't require a lot of fuss to make. It's also full of familiar family favorites with a nice twist. We are a busy family. Work, school and assorted family activities often leave us in a time crunch. I appreciated how quick these down to earth meals could be put on the table. 



Saturday

JK Gourmet - Review

Recently, I received a package of items to review from JK Gourmet which is  a Canadian company that was started in 2001. They are devoted to making all natural foods which taste as good as they are healthy. Visit their website to view the impressive variety of products available.

Fig & Apricot Granola





I love that this granola is completely grain free! That's right, no oats either. Just nuts, seeds, dried fruit and honey. It offers the perfect amount of crunch and is sweet without being too sweet. I found the granola to be really hearty and a fantastic way to liven up a salad. It's also quite filling on its own. I can see this granola being a great addition to a variety of recipes.



Fig & Apricot Granola


GG Bites




These are pretty great. Again, JK Gourmet does an excellent job of providing a sweet product without going overboard. I really enjoy how crunchy these are. As I am a snacker, GG Bites are great as they are quite filling. They remind me of something you would eat to refuel while hiking or camping.



GG Bites


Almond & Cherry Chocolate




As a self-proclaimed lover of chocolate, this really hit the mark. There is something really special about dark chocolate and fruit. This particular chocolate is sweetened with honey and has almonds and cherries in it. It looks quite pretty right out of the package. I nibbled a wee bit right away (couldn't help myself) then did as the directions suggested - I cut it into chunks and placed in the fridge. The result was even better. This is the only item which I did not offer to share with anyone. Can you really blame me though?  It's that good, I promise you.


Almond & Cherry Chocolate


Overall, I think that JK Gourmet is really on to something. All three items were great. They filled the need for sweet, without being excessive. That is a total plus in my opinion. Anything that can be indulgent and healthy is golden!

You can find these items in both the USA and Canada. If you live near or will be visiting Toronto, you can also place a pick up order here.


Sunday

Promise Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins - Review

Promise Gluten Free sent me a Free Product Coupon so I could review one of their products. I chose the Double Chocolate muffins. Because, let's face it - CHOCOLATE.






I was super impressed with how moist and flavourful these muffins are! Promise Gluten Free provides chocolaty goodness without the dense grittiness, that is all too often part of Gluten Free baked goods. Muffin number two remained in the package for a mere 24 hours before I devoured that as well. Safe to say I am a fan!







I think it would be a wonderful advantage to see single packages of these muffins available for purchase at Tim Hortons locations across Canada. How cool and convenient would that be?! If Dunkin Donuts can sell pre-packaged gluten free donuts and muffins in America, I'll bet there is nothing stopping Timmie's from doing the same, here. Especially so when there is a fantastic product, like this to team up with.



The Double Chocolate muffins are sold two to a pack, for $3.99  and can be found at Metro stores. Not sure if your store carries the Promise Gluten Free line? Check out their store locator.



For more information on all things Promise Gluten Free, visit their Facebook page here and give them a follow on Twitter: @PromiseGF




I am looking forward to exploring the rest of the product line. Have YOU tried Promise Gluten Free? If you have, feel free to comment with your thoughts.





Disclosure

This policy is valid from 23 February 2013

This is a personal blog written and edited by me. All opinions are that of my own. I am not a healthcare professional or an expert. All information presented in this blog is purely that of my own experience and or opinion. Please consult a medical professional before making any changes to your diet.

I write this blog as a hobby that I am passionate about. From time to time, I may receive monetary compensation for a sponsored post. I only work with brands that I trust and would use in my own home.

This blog accepts complimentary products for review. The opinions I have of a product will never be swayed by a company sending me an item(s) for free. I take into consideration the opinion of family members who are gluten-free due to Celiac Disease and I also value the opinions of non-gluten free family members. Taste is a matter of personal opinion so please use your own discretion and don't take my opinion as a gold standard.

Any ingredient or gluten-free claims should be verified with the restaurant/manufacturer as things can and do change.

For questions about this blog, please contact: sandra@glutenfreedoll.com

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