Stuffed Tomato Boats With A Kick

The cold weather is here to stay, bringing with it the longing for comfort food. I have created the recipe below, as part of the Hidden Valley Gluten Free Challenge. These Stuffed Tomato Boats With A Kick, are a great addition to any meal. They are also a perfect little snack, which will warm you right up.




Ingredients

• 1 boneless chicken breast
• 4 Roma tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 Cup Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch Dressing
• 1 Tbsp gluten free apple butter BBQ sauce
• 1/4 Cup crumbled, already cooked bacon
• 1/4 Cup diced green onion
• 1 Tsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup sour cream
• 1/3 Cup grated, Marble cheese
• Shredded lettuce to garnish

* Always read labels to ensure ingredients are gluten free



Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Heat 1 Tsp of Olive Oil in a pan, over medium heat. Add chicken to pan and cook each side for approximately 10 minutes. Chicken should no longer be pink. You can use a meat thermometer to ensure chicken has safely cooked to an internal temperature of 165F-170F.
3. Let chicken rest for about 5 minutes.
4. Place chicken in a bowl. Hold chicken steady with one fork and use another to pull or tear the chicken apart.
5. Add Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch, gluten free apple butter BBQ sauce, crumbled bacon and green onion to the shredded chicken. Stir ingredients together until well incorporated. Set aside.
6. Use a spoon to scoop out the pulp and juices of tomatoes. Fill tomatoes with chicken mixture and place on baking sheet.
7. Add cheese to top of the now filled tomatoes
8. Bake for 15 minutes. Tomato skins will be blistering slightly when done.
9. When tomatoes are finished baking, top each with a spoonful of sour cream. Place shredded lettuce (as little or as much as you like) on top to complete dish and serve.

Hidden Valley Ranch Products and other promotional consideration were received in exchange for providing the above recipe as part of a submission in a contest sponsored by Hidden Valley Ranch.

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.

Circulon Griddle - Review

I have a new favourite item in my kitchen. It's the Circulon Griddle! 

This innovative piece of equipment is part of the Prime Collection and replaces the clunky, and heavy griddle that I have dreaded using for years. It's amazing how something so sleek can provide a fair amount of cooking space! Think outside the box with with me - griddles are not just for breakfast. So far, I have enjoyed preparing grilled cheese, chicken and even homemade tortillas on the griddle. The meal options are endless.

Features:

The griddle is 9.8x17.7 inches

3-Layer Total Non-Stick System

Metal Utensil Safe

Removable Temperature Probe (ranges from 200F-440F)

PFOA, Lead and Cadmium Free

Hard Anodized Construction

What I Love:

The griddle has a non stick surface, so there is no need for oils and fats

It's extremely lightweight and takes up very little space 

Clean up is a breeze. Simply remove the power cord and the griddle can be immersed in water

There is a pour spout in a corner of the griddle, which provides an easy way to dispose of grease

The griddle heats quickly and evenly

Easily stored in cupboard

What I Don't Love:

The handles. Although stylish and functional, they become hot as the griddle heats up. I would suggest that the Circulon team add a silicon gripping to correct this issue.

Interested in getting a Circulon griddle of your own? It's available 

 exclusively at Canadian Tire for $69.99

You can follow Circulon via Twitter @CirculonCanada and Facebook here

*** I received a complimentary Circulon griddle in exchange for review. Opinions are my own.

The Art Of Ignorance

I'm sure you have heard about the Jennifer Lawrence debacle by now. If you haven't, well, she pretty much summed up gluten free as a new form of anorexia. Not cool and really ignorant.

Why is it that famous people feel the need to continually talk publicly about things which they are definitely not educated about?

I will tell you why.

The media does a fantastic job of glorifying gluten free as a trend. Rarely does anyone talk about Celiac. When they do, its nothing more than a fluff piece that overlooks the ugly side of this autoimmune disease. Those with the opportunity to educate the masses spend their time sensationalizing silliness and feeding people incorrect information. Many Doctors don't even really understand Celiac and many go about diagnosing it incorrectly.

As a result, the general public is pretty misguided about an already complex and misunderstood disease. This is why I don't entirely lay blame on J-Law and others like her. I'm sure she has received a fare share of backlash from our community. As a result, I hope she has become a little more educated on the matter at hand. 

If you are planning on reaching out to her via social media, remember to keep it respectful and insightful. 

Thornhill Farms - Review

I'm a snacker. Everyone knows it. Having to bring a "just in case there are no safe options" snack with me when I'm out, most likely plays a roll in it.

So when Thornhill Farms sent me some of their products for review, I was up for the challenge.

Rice Bites flavors 
Sea Salt

                                              Black Pepper

Sea Salt & Vinegar

Applewood Smokey BBQ Flavor

 Snack Cracker Thins flavors 

Sea Salt

Cheddar Cheese

Sour Cream & Onion

Lime & Black Pepper Flavour

I appreciate that both the Rice Bites and Cracker Thins are baked instead of fried. They are also certified Gluten Free, which lets face it, is AWESOME!

Thornhill Farms gets the flavours right, without overdoing it. I don't feel like I'm overindulging with these products. They are very light to eat and don't leave you feeling weighed down like other snacks do.

Overall these are great snacks. Bonus points for being able to munch on them in the car sans mess. If you have been on a long car ride with munchkins, you know exactly what I mean.

My personal favourite is the Apple Smokey BBQ Flavour Rice Bites! I could honestly down a whole bag myself. But I didn't. I shared with my lovely family who really enjoyed our little snack! This flavour in particular, would be great with a BBQ meal or picnic.


You can find Thornhill Farms Rice Bites and Snack Cracker Thins across Canada. They retail for a reasonable $3.49  and can be found at the locations below.

Quebec :  Tao
Maritimes : Sobeys

Ontario :  Bulk Barn and natural food stores

Western Canada: London Drugs and natural food stores

You can also order by the case, through Thornhill Farms directly (Canadian orders) or Better Batter (US orders)  here .

Happy Snacking!