Best Gluten-Free Products 2017

Going gluten-free (GF, yo) has never been so delicious.

If you haven't experimented with how different foods make you feel, look or act and you think all bodies are the same, act the same and react the same, this article is probably not for you. Just move along with your "gluten-free is a fad" thinking. We can still be friends. Really.

If, like me, you've found that curbing intake of gluten makes you feel better, or you have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance, then this article is for you!

When I eat gluten, I shortly thereafter feel tired, my face breaks out in little dry patches and my system gets, let's just say, messed up. Am I sensitive or allergic or making it up in my head? Who cares. I like the energy I have when I don't eat it. So I have tried a lot of GF versions of products normally made with wheat. Some are downright terrible. Many are okay but not worth repurchase.
Some really stand out. Those are the ones that deserve a shout out.

Without further ado, below is my shortlist of go-to GF basics:

canyon bakehouse bread

Canyon Bakehouse breads. The best GF bread, hands down. It's the closest thing to normal bread you will find—and it's really close. Buy it fresh at Target (preferred) or frozen at Wegman's. I love the white and the multi-grain is also excellent. We keep ours in the fridge and use within a week. It is great for a grilled cheese sandwich. It holds up in the lunchbox with my son's favorite chocolate almond better spread (surprisingly not unhealthy). Canyon Bakehouse also makes focaccia, buns and more, to wonderful acclaim, but I have yet to try those because our lame stores carry a very limited selection.

pamela's baking & pancake mix

Pamela's pancake mix. We tried a lot of flours and mixes and Pamela's is by far the best. (If you're interested, Bob's Red Mill was the absolute worst. I actually took it back to the grocery store, it was that bad.) Pamela's pancakes are a little more dense than fluffy. But they are not heavy. The texture is normal and the flavor is all pancake. Of course, my kids douse enough natural maple syrup on them that they can't taste the pancake anyway! It's available in a 24-ounce size, which makes about 34 four-inch pancakes. It also comes in a 4-pound bag. We use this same mix to make delicious waffles, which are easy to freeze for use during the week. This mix is also designed for muffins and cakes, though I have not used it for those recipes yet.

bionaturae spaghetti

Bionaturae pasta. Pasta is delicious and when you have kids with a busy schedule, it's a fast and filling dinner. Even though we have tried some very bad GF pastas, I did not give up. Thankfully, I found Bionaturae spaghetti. These noodles are so good, my husband asked me if it was really gluten-free. Fooled him! It may be the combination of rice, potato and soy flours that makes it better than others. We don't eat a lot of soy, but this at least is organic soy flour, so I make that concession. Pasta made with only rice flour has a terrible texture and does not hold up in pasta salads at all. It gets hard and crumbles. Corn pasta is a less expensive substitute (Wegman's brand), however Bionaturae is our hands-down favorite. 

evol chicken tikki masala

Evol Chicken Tikki Masala and Fire Grilled Steak bowl. We all try not to buy processed, convenience foods. But let's not pretend it's not great to open the freezer, grab a boxed meal and microwave it for a quick and healthy lunch or dinner. While they violate my "ideal" of avoiding the microwave, particularly in a plastic container, I make an exception for these delicious quickies. I am super weird about meat in general and I've never had a bad piece of chicken or steak from Evol. The serving size is on the small side, but they are filling, taste fresh and have no fake ingredients. I usually buy them at Target, and they are often on sale. If you're wimpy about spices, start with the Fire Grilled Steak bowl because the Tikki Masala is spicier.

jilz crackerz

Jilz Original Crackerz. If you like a crunchy, hearty, peppery cracker, you will love Jilz. These gems are packed with nutrition, Paleo-compliant and filling. I found them on Thrive.com but they are also available on Amazon now. Not inexpensive, but definitely a high-quality snack. I've only tried the Original; Jilz also offers Tuscan and Mediterranean and the reviews are excellent for all three flavors. They would pair well with almost any cheese and definitely a glass of red wine.

kinnikinnick cinnamon sugar donuts

Kinnikinnick donuts. I haven't seen many GF donut options, but Kinnikinnick's are very good, worth an occasional splurge. We have tried the cinnamon sugar and the chocolate coated and both cake-style donuts are delicious. You'll find them in the freezer section. A quick pop in the microwave and they are good to go. I also recently saw that Stonewall Kitchen has a dry mix that gets excellent reviews, so I am going to put it on my list to try (along with buying a donut pan).

Against The Grain rolls and baguettes. Against The Grain came up with a unique way to solve the dryness often found in GF breads—add cheese. As long as you're a dairy-eating person, you will find this to be ingenious. Their baguettes and dinner rolls come frozen. After thawing them for about 30 minutes, I pop them in the toaster oven. Out comes a crusty, chewy, delicious bread that is awesome for dips and cheese plates. It is crumbly on the outside, for sure. But the flavor and the texture when it first comes out of the heat is just perfect. Against The Grain Gourmet also makes a pizzas, bagels, pitas, and a 100% plant-based chocolate chip cookie that I have yet to try. I love that they are against not only grain, but also fillers, binders and gums.

Capellos Grain Free Lasagna Sheets. You will never know these are made with almond flour and eggs. I mean, seriously, these make the best lasagna. Use your normal recipe but layer these sheets instead of normal pasta and prepare to be amazed. I will warn you, their products are a little pricey. I buy them in the freezer section of the natural foods area at Wegman's. Capellos also makes cookie dough and pizzas. People love this brand and for good reason.

Do you agree with my picks? What are your favorites? Please share. That's how I found Canyon Bakehouse—thank you very much, Liz!

Review: Metropolitan Gourmet Gluten-Free Garlic Croutons

My first review following two whirlwind days at EXPO East comes from a company I didn't set out to see. So glad I stopped to chat.

My go-to healthy dinner used to be a chicken Caesar salad but when I went gluten-free, I found myself missing the crunch. And fell out of the habit. 

Among the gems at the show, I found my way to Metropolitan Gourmet, purveyors of gluten-free croutons and bread crumbs. Jerry kindly gave me a sample of their new garlic croutons and a box to take home. 

I must really have been missing croutons in my life. After an eight-hour day on my feet and a 90-minute drive home, I took one look at a piece of grilled chicken left over from the kids' dinner and chopped up a chicken Caesar salad...because I had croutons! 

Chicken caesar salad with Metropolitan Gourmet Gluten-Free Garlic Croutons.

I always have Parmesan cheese on hand but it was lucky that my favorite yogurt-based Caesar dressing and fresh romaine also happened to be in my fridge. Voilá! 

It was delicious. MG's GF croutons were fresh, crunchy, flavorful and just the right size (thankfully not those giant ones that don't easily break and are too big to eat politely). 

In addition to being gluten-free and non-GMO certified, the products are soy-free, corn-free, dairy-free and egg-free. Their goal is simple ingredients and great taste. Mission accomplished. 

I'm looking forward to baking with the bread crumbs and trying Metropolitan Gourmet croutons to make GF stuffing for the holidays. Yum!

You can purchase them on their website under the Retail tab. Check out the recipes while you're there, too!

Review: EVOL Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese (GF) — Ah-mazing.

Admit it, sometimes you need to grab food that is pre-made. All the best planning in the world cannot predict life's little surprises (or laziness). My friends, I have a great option for you. I mean, that is if you eat dairy and love small doses of comfort food.

I spied EVOL Smoked Gouda Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese at Target in the frozen aisle and just had to try it. I am a complete sucker for mac and cheese. And making it from scratch with GF pasta is a crapshoot. It seems that most pasta I try ends up with a less-than-ideal consistency. 

Now, by the LOVE of EVOL (see that?), I can pop a single-serving of bliss into the microwave (or oven if you prefer) and 4 minutes later have a quick meal. A cheesy, tasty, perfect lunch or snack. 

Here's how they describe it on their site: "Gluten-free elbow noodles, caramelized onions and chives—All combined with an insanely tasty smoked gouda cheese sauce." Accurate.

Like bacon? You're in luck. They make Gluten-Free Uncured Bacon Mac & Cheese touted as "Gluten-free elbow noodles, crispy uncured bacon and peas—All combined with an insanely tasty cheddar cheese sauce." Again, deliciously on the mark.

This company is pretty awesome...as evidenced by their mission statement: 








Try some of their frozen entrees, quesadillas, pastas, burritos...and come back to tell me if you're as in evol as I am!

Review: Against the Grain Original Baguette—ooh la la!

I've been mostly gluten-free (GF) now for more than a year. It's been a great change for me, however, I do love French bread and miss it with my fromage, vin and olives. I have tried a number of homemade, pre-made and packaged GF breads and have been routinely disappointed—dry, tasteless and many times so bad I was at a loss for mots.

Against the Grain Original Baguette

Ever optimistic, I ponied up beaucoup d'argent for a bag of two Original Baguettes from Against the Grain at my local Giant, bracing for buyer's remorse yet again.

Friends, I was NOT disappointed. I was ecstatic, elated, overjoyed. Seriously, if you have been GF for any period of time and not found a single go-to GF bread that you can splurge on, you will understand. These baguettes are frozen, which is usually the precursor to dry, falling-apart nastiness.

But not with Against the Grain. These baguettes are crunchy on the outside with a light and chewy inside that is vaguely sweet. I've used it as garlic bread, and I've eaten it plain. I love that I can pull a frozen loaf out of the freezer, microwave it and toast it—and voila! Delicious GF French bread in minutes.

Go out and buy it right now. You will not be disappointed. Plus, I want to make sure it never gets discontinued!

Review: Mr. Milkman Delivery Service

Delivery time!

Folks, my dad's friend told me to check out Mr. Milkman and, when I did, I could not contain my excitement! 

You know all the local and organic agriculture in and around Central PA? Well, imagine being able to pick and choose from many purveyors with dozens of products and have them show up on your porch in a few days. This is your new reality, my friends. 

We tried Mr. Milkman and here are some of my thoughts:

1. At my request, they made a special delivery for our first order on Thursday, though our usual day will be Tuesday. Very accommodating.
2. Dan, one of the owners, pulled up in this adorable truck and personally loaded our goodies into a cooler waiting on the porch. He was very nice, apologizing for accidentally giving my peanut butter ice cream to another customer and making up for it with two containers (rocky road and chocolate covered strawberry).
3. My order: 2 dozen eggs from Nature's Yolk; pint of peanut butter ice cream, quart of buttermilk and quart of cream line whole milk from Trickling Springs Creamery; homemade 1-pound tub of FarmFriend natural butter; two pork chops (pastured); and one container of Pequea Valley Natural Yogurt (vanilla).
4. The delivery area is huge! You Philly people and suburbanites can participate, too.
5. If you have never had cream line milk, you are in for a rich treat. Timmy was not a fan, but Alex and I LOVED it in our morning coffee.
6. Soy-free eggs are available. A little pricey but an excellent option for the many people avoiding soy these days.
7. Other products: homemade sauerkraut, artisan cheese, honey, raw milk, gluten-free baked goods, Charles Chips and much more local meat.
8. The ice cream was decadent, super delicious, but the label indicated a lot more ingredients than I expected from homemade ice cream. 
9. The delivery fee of $4 is more than fair. The prices are in line with what you'd pay anywhere for products of the same quality that are probably less fresh.
10. All in all, we are ordering again. Love getting fresh milk in glass containers (no waste!) and knowing where our food is grown.

Try Mr. Milkman and come back to tell me what you thought, too!

Review: Tate's Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

As many of you know, I am trying to eat less gluten. I find that I feel less tired in the afternoon and a gluten-free (GF) protocol is suggested for anyone with migraines or autoimmune issues. Plus, I find it easier to maintain a healthy weight when I cut out a lot of empty carbs. 

The reason I cut out a lot of carbs when I am eating GF is that most GF breads, cookies, etc., are really not very tasty. If you are lucky enough to have a local GF bakery, you may find a bread you like. The only downside is that it doesn't keep long and tends to go bad before we finish it. 

One notable exception: Tate's Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies. I found these at Wegman's and thought the packaging looked so tempting I had to try them. 

I was in for a pleasant surprise. If you like thin, crispy, buttery chocolate chip cookies, you will love these. I think they are as good as any homemade chocolate chip cookie, GF or otherwise.  

Give them a try: A 3-pack on Amazon is just a few days from your door. :)

Gluten-Free Cookies Can Be Delicious!

First, I should ask my babysitter to write this post instead of taking credit for it, but since she's away at camp this week, I will do the honor.

My older son is following a diet free of dairy, gluten and soy. This is my super active, super skinny, super tall son who loves sweets. Fortunately, he also loves fruits and vegetables and doesn't seem to mind this diet at all. In fact, he loves to tell me something has gluten in it just so he doesn't have to eat it. Clever little beast.

But I digress. My cookie monster will eat boxes of cookies a day if we let him. Not only is this a lot of empty calories (again, not entirely an issue; he eats a lot of healthy stuff, too), but the cost of these cookies is pretty notable. The best brand for his particular diet is Enjoy Life. They have a nice selection of soft and hard cookies that taste good but a box is anywhere from $4-$5. For 12 cookies.

That gets my value hackles up and also I really don't like to rely on processed treats. I mean, I buy granola bars and whatnot because I don't have time to make everything from scratch, but I don't like it. Enter the babysitter.

I buy gluten-free baking mix and dairy/soy/gluten-free chocolate chips and ask her to bake cookies with the boys. They love to be helpers. She texts me the first day: "What do I use instead of butter?" Legitimate question. I run through my pantry in my mind and come up with coconut oil, applesauce and ghee. To Google I go. I don't find anything conclusive but tell her to try an equal substitution with half coconut oil and half applesauce.

Those were the best chocolate chip cookies ever! Soft and flavorful. Not buttery but not bland and not coconutty either. Since that first batch, we have experimented with different mixes. It's hard to buy just the all-purpose gluten-free flour because then you have to find xanthum gum and baking powder/soda (I never remember which) and it's just more complicated than having a "baking mix." The Arrowhead Mills mix pictured here works well. Not inexpensive, though. We use the Enjoy Life chocolate chips, because they are soy-free and that's hard to find.

I'm going to suggest that she try the next batch with half or all ghee to see if that delicious butter flavor will be worth the cost increase. Speaking of which, if I add up the ingredients, it's probably close to breakeven with the store-bought cookies, maybe a little less. But they are homemade and there is less waste—and the boys get baking lessons to boot.