I’d seen packaged dehydrated kale chips at Whole Foods for a minor king’s ransom. Nine dollars for a tiny little bag? I might as well buy gold leaves for my snacking pleasure. In fact, I think it might have been cheaper to buy those gold leaves. However, early in January I got an email from Rhythm Superfoods asking if I wanted to try and possibly review their gluten-free raw foods kale chips. Imagine my excitement at finding a company beating down my door offering me the chance to try not just one but three varieties. How cool was that! The next time I went to Whole Foods, I found Rhythm Kale chips available for a far more reasonable price, although they were still high enough I’d have to be really hungry for some healthy greens and very hard pressed to find the time to make my own. I waited with bated breath for my chips to arrive. When they did, I was very happy to dive into those little bags of yummy, dehydrated goodness and try them out.

First I tried the Kool Ranch. They were crispy, salty, and addictive. The only negative was a faint seaweed aftertaste. Even so, I went through this package faster than the others. In a weak moment I might buy them if I had a craving for ranch dressing flavor.

Next was Zesty Nacho. These were also crisp, with a red-peppery, hot flavor that lingered in the mouth, and a creamy, almost nutty undertone. I really liked these, although at first I wasn’t sure about the “zesty” part of it. The nutty undertone won me over in the end, though, and I’d probably be most likely to buy them again.

The Bombay Curry was the final flavor I tried. Like the others, they were crisp, and smelled like a powdery India spice bazaar. They had a cinnamon flavor on the tongue, that reminded me of a dry packaged curry with potatoes and spinach, and a grassy, dusty overtone. When I first tried them I enjoyed the flavors, but after a while they started to remind me of a packaged supermarket curry blend. They were my least favorite of the three, and I probably wouldn’t buy them again.

Because the sauce for the kale chips contains cashews, they are not suitable for those with nut allergies, but are otherwise pretty friendly for those with restricted diets, and are of course naturally gluten-free.

Soon there will be a Texas BBQ and Mango Habanero flavor. The BBQ flavor could be interesting if it isn’t too overpowering. Mango habanero doesn’t sound like something I would enjoy. However, the company plans on offering raw sweet potato chips in the future, which I think sound delightful.

Even at their new reduced price at around $6 (look for coupons) prepared kale chips are a bit pricey for me, but like most packaged raw foods they offer a lot more nutritional value than their cheaper processed cousins. The next time I get an urge for some kale chips and don’t have time to make my own, I just might buy one as a special, guilty pleasure.

Have you tried these chips? What did you think? And, what are your favorite raw foods products that can be purchased in a health food store? Tell me in the comments!

Some other Gluten-free Bloggers Review of Rhythm Kale Chips:
Gluten-free is Life
Gluten Free Fun
Gluten-free RD

The company responsible for these lovely ravioli packs is based in Benecia, California and called Pasta Prima. They have NO INFO about this awesome pasta on their web site, and I couldn’t find any articles about it, but it is labeled gluten-free in big print on the front. According to company representatives, “Pasta Prima Gluten Free Five Cheese Ravioli meets all of the requirements of the Gluten Free Certification Organization.” Yay! On a personal note, our family and my friend’s family tried it and didn’t have any reactions. I love that! This pasta was extremely yummy, and an amazingly good price for gluten-free pasta, so if you live in California you might check your local Costco refrigerator case. It was in the middle of all the other refrigerated ravioli and I almost missed it because I am so used to ignoring that section. Luckily my husband has sharp eyes!

I hope you are able to find it and enjoy it as much as we did. They are very easy to make- all you do is boil them in water for four minutes and add a sauce of choice. 18 month old Baby Yum thought it was the tastiest thing ever. And yes, in this photo, she is eating little squares of it with a fork. How she has grown! My husband said it tasted just like gluten ravioli. Unfortunately, and probably of no surprise to any of you, it does contain dairy and egg. I have yet to find any vegan ravioli that is not homemade, alas. This post was an impulsive last-minute thing, so I apologize for the lack of pretty pictures.

Funny story- My friend posted a picture of their baby enjoying this ravioli on Facebook. I thought it would be fun to take a picture of Baby Yum enjoying it for my personal Facebook page as well. Anyway, when she saw this picture on the computer, Baby Yum said “nom nom nom”, hopped down, climbed up in her booster seat, grabbed her bib and tried to put it on while saying “more, more.” How could I argue with that? The girl got another ravioli.

Other favorite gluten-free finds at my local Costco’s:
4 pound bags of TruRoots gluten-free quinoa
Tasty Bite Madras Lentils
Large packs of my favorite Chaokoh Coconut Milk (sans guar gum)
Lovely large containers of McCormick’s Turmeric, Coriander, and Sesame Seeds

Yes, our Costco has a certain international flair. I’m just excited that they are offering these gluten-free ravioli, and by publicizing them, I hope that they may decide to keep stocking them. You know you want some!

Breaking news: A Pasta Prima designer (bless her) shared in the comments that this pasta is available in ALL Northern California Costco locations. If you live somewhere else, request it from your local Costco and hopefully they will pick up this great product.

Note: 99.9% of the photos I use on my blog are mine. However, the above photo is a professional photo supplied by Pasta Prima. (The shame of not having a photo was too much for me, so I emailed them asking for it!)

PS I apologize that this post may not apply to my food-sensitive readers. As you may have noticed, we have expanded our diets to include dairy and eggs as Baby Yum has become able to tolerate them. It has been a huge relief that she did not develop allergies despite the severe case of allergic colitis that she had as an infant, and makes me feel very happy that I stuck it out and continued breastfeeding her. However, I promise that you will still find vegan and allergen-sensitive recipes on the Book of Yum in the future, so please bear with me!

Breaking News 6/27/2011:
Some Costco’s may not be currently carrying the Gluten-free Pasta Prima ravioli. However, it has been picked up Raley’s , Lucky, and Albertson’s stores in our area, so check to see if any of those stores are carrying it.

I was a little surprised when I found that the gluten-free flour tortilla was based in corn, with a helping hand from rice, potato flour, and cornstarch. This gives it a familiar flavor that isn’t all that different than a regular corn tortilla although the other ingredients undoubtedly make it easier to shape into a burrito. I microwaved the burrito as suggested (on medium for 1 1/2 minutes and then turned over for another 1 1/2 minutes) and gently shook it out of the package onto a plate.

The tortilla initially seems a bit soggy and then dries as it sits. It also gets some cracks which aren’t aesthetically appealing but the texture and taste is fine. I enjoyed the refried beans in the tortilla, and the rice had a strong presence in the burrito. I couldn’t identify the tofu much and wondered how much it really added to the burrito besides a higher protein count. Even though (organic) corn is listed on the front of the burrito as a defining element, it is one of the last items in the ingredient list and not terribly plentiful. There was way more rice than corn, just for reference. I have a feeling I would enjoy their bean and cheese burrito even more, and look forward to the day when I can try it again. However, this tortilla, at 177 calories with only 30 fat calories, makes a good light, protein concentrated snack, and i would eat it any time.. if it were available in my area and at a reasonable price. I haven’t found it in a local store, although I hear that Beehive in San Jose carries it. I don’t know how much it costs, though. I wouldn’t pay more than three dollars, and would prefer two, but this is probably unrealistic given that it is a specialty frozen food item. Even Amy’s doesn’t have anything offered below three dollars in the Bay area… (According to Glutenfreeda’s voice on Twitter, they retail at around $3.29- slightly high.) Regardless, this was a light gluten-free, vegetarian meal that I enjoyed and would eat again, given the opportunity, so if you have the chance, I would encourage you to try it! Once you try them, I’d love to hear what you thought in the comments. :)

*The company also sent me samples of their flavored instant gluten-free oatmeal. I haven’t dared oatmeal yet myself, but it looks intriguing!

Here’s my review of Glutenfreeda’s Frozen Gluten-free cookie dough

At a recent Celiac Bay Area potluck one of our members brought some yummy yellow cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting. It turned out she was one of the first in our area to score the new Betty Crocker mixes (at Nob Hill grocery, for you locals) and so she brought some cupcakes for the group to try. My non GF DH was extremely enthused and kept stealing them- and I thought they were pretty tasty as well. Later on I made some blueberry cupcakes with the mix, and I found that while the texture is good they really aren’t kidding about the vanilla. Add it or the mix is a tad bland. Nevertheless, with gluten-free cake texture is half the battle and my DH proclaimed them indistinguishable from the “real” thing. Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix on Amazon

We tried the Betty Crocker Gluten-free Devil’s Food Cake mix second, after we’d tried the yellow cake mix. As it happens, I don’t especially like chocolate cake, or devil’s food cake, and so it wasn’t especially exciting to me. The texture was good, though, and the DH seemed to enjoy it slathered in prepared chocolate frosting. I probably wouldn’t buy this again, but if you like chocolate cake or devil’s food cake… or chocolate cupcakes, this may be the mix for you. Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix on Amazon

The third Gluten-Free Betty Crocker mix we tried was the brownie mix. I’ve had my share of gluten-free brownie mixes in the past, from Gluten-Free pantry or Pamela’s, and I enjoyed them. This mix is equal to those specialty mixes, although it must be said that it is a very sweet mix. In fact, the first ingredient is sugar. We had no trouble polishing this batch off, and I would buy it again although I might not buy a whole case of it as I somehow don’t think that would be compatible with losing post-pregnancy inches. Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix on Amazon

The one gluten-free mix we couldn’t find at our local Nob hill was the Betty Crocker mix for chocolate chip cookies. Cookies are actually my favorite sweet- I prefer them by far to cake or cupcakes or even brownies, and so I was sad not to be able to try it. Luckily, the PR company representing Betty Crocker contacted me and offered me a sample pack of the four mixes and so I was able to get the mix after all. The DH mixed up the batch. One funny thing about these Betty Crocker mixes is that the DH has been more enthused/less intimidated by the package and so has been baking more with them than he ever had with regular gluten-free mixes. One more advantage to a mix offered by a mainstream company like Betty Crocker- family members may be more receptive and willing to mix it up for you (and them) to enjoy! The DH did make some grumbly comments about not really needing a mix for cookies- and I do see his point. After all, we’ve been happily making the recipe on the Tollhouse chocolate chip package for years just subbing rice flour or Betty Hagman’s gourmet blend for the flour (no xanthan gum needed). However, with that recipe you need to have chocolate chips on hand, and with a mix you can just add a few commonly held ingredients and have cookies anytime. I thought the cookies were excellent and just as good as our Tollhouse versions, if not better. The DH was slightly less enthused- but that didn’t stop him from gobbling them up! I would buy this mix again, although a case might be a bit too much temptation (and calories) for a new momma.
Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix on Amazon

The fun thing about these mixes, besides how easy it is to prepare them, is that you can use them for those traditional “box mix” recipes. There are some very fun recipes on the Betty Crocker web page using these mixes:

Bette Crocker Gluten-Free Mix Recipes
(including Banana Muffins, Brownie Ganache Torte with Raspberries, and Gluten-free Carrot Cake)

I’d like to host a contest at my blog over the next week- starting today, July 30th, and closing on August 6th. The winner will receive a Betty Crocker “Sweet Treats” prize pack that includes all four (4) samples of the dessert mixes, two (2) Free coupons for any of the varieties, a grocery tote bag, magnetic grocery list and pen. (Prize pack depicted above.) Unfortunately only US residents are eligible as Betty Crocker is not available in Canada or other international locations and this is a company sponsored contest. To enter, simply share the URL of your favorite (non-GF) recipe using a baking box mix (yellow cake, chocolate cake, brownie, or cookie mix) or type the recipe in the recipe in the comments below. Please share any credits. (Do not use any of the Bette Crocker recipes from their web site- the goal is to come up with some new options.) Ideally this would be an original recipe, but an old family favorite (credited to author) is welcome too. I will select one recipe to make in my kitchen, adapting for the Bette Crocker mixes, and the reader who submitted that recipe will then receive the Sweet Treats Prize Pack. To make it fair, I will read the recipes to my DH, who will choose the recipe that sounds the most appealing to him “blind” (without knowing who submitted them.) Looking forward to seeing your recipes!

Our contest is over, but Gluten-free Steve has a current thread of Betty Crocker GF Mix recipes – check them out and share your ideas!

I was recently contacted on Twitter by an enthusiastic representative of a company called Zeer.com about to release a gluten-free product database, and invited to a complimentary viewing of the site. The company offers “foodies” a variety of means to browse products by interest and gluten-free happens to be one of their most recent product categories. I’m not sure if “foodie” is really the appropriate title for their target market, as most foodies that I know are less excited about packaged, processed food and more interested in the potential of raw ingredients and international cooking techniques. But, since it sounds better than obsessive supermarket shopper, I guess we’ll have to allow them their tag-line.

This is a pay service, mind you, not a free one, so I think it should be held to a pretty high standard. At the stiff proposed fee of $14.95 a month, I would expect it to do your gluten-free shopping AND taxes, so let’s see how it measures up.

When you log into “Home” you see the following categories: Gluten Free Favorites, Popular Gluten Free Food (Random Category), Top Gluten Free Brands, and 89 click-through pages of New Gluten Free Products added this month. There is also a handy “Gluten Free Safety Status Key” with cute and easily recognizable icons that show you the gluten-free status of a product at a glance. Their safety categories include:

* Labeled as gluten free
* Appears to be gluten free
* May contain gluten
* Contains gluten

Some weird things- although categories of types of food (the favorites) are listed and seem reasonable, there are some issues with how things are categorized. Product organization needs some serious help. There are currently 244 products listed under cake, spread out over 12 pages. Fair enough, but what qualifies under this category? Apparently cake decorator sprinkles, Lundberg Lightly Salted Rice Cakes, donuts, and Barbie Edible Cake Decoration are all grouped under cake. Searching by “relevance” gets me cake sugar sprinkles at #1 and Marzipan at #2. Relevant to who, exactly? Not to knock cake sprinkles, but unless you’ve got a killer gluten-free cake UNDER the sugar sprinkles, that’s going to be one disappointed 5 year old at her birthday party. There should be a way to limit search by prepared CAKE (And I don’t mean mochi), CAKE dry mix, and cake accessories. And please, let’s leave the savory items out because when I think gooey gluten-free chocolate cake Lundberg’s dry cardboard fest is simply not going to work.

The beer section also needs more research. There must be at least eight genuine gluten-free beers on the market, and Zeer only lists two, with the rest of their meager selection dedicated to hard cider. I love hard cider, but is it a beer? Really? And where are the other players in the field, please.

There should also be a way to sort products by company name. The drop-down menu allows to sort by “Product Name” but this just gives me a page of the company’s stuff lowest on the alphabet. What if I hate Ener-g Foods but would really like to see all that Kinnikinnick has to offer? Why can’t I easily do this in their menu?

One other drawback to this site that I see immediately is that there is no way to find the product for purchase. I may be very excited by a product and now know almost everything about it after seeing it on this site- except for how on earth I can acquire it. Since this site seems most appropriate for those new to the gluten-free diet, I would have to think this would be a frustrating limitation. Contact info has an address or a phone number- but where is the company web page? Where is a link to a service like Amazon that can actually sell me the product directly? Yes, a gluten-free veteran will probably go straight to Amazon or search for the company web site themselves, but why doesn’t Zeer provide it easily for you? If it is due to concerns over seeming like a commercial site—it is already a pay site so I think hopes of seeming in it for the altruism is out. Let’s make this site more convenient for the user and perform a service from start to finish- from the research stage to the expansion of our diets in a meaningful way.

One other concern I have is that under “New Products” we see 617 Products have been added. This is very exciting. On closer look, it becomes less so. Skittles, lemonade, tomato sauce, and baby formula are some of the exciting new products added. Skittles might be worth a skip in heart rate, perhaps, if you go for that sort of thing, but many of the products are extremely obscure or of questionable gluten-free status (and thus, of questionable worth to the category). If a company has not been contacted to find out about cross contamination on the production lines, but the label looks ok, how is it helpful for me to see the product on their site?

In general, this is my question about Zeer.com’s gluten-free product database. Does this site really perform a valuable service for the gluten-free community and is it worth the cost? There are some things I do like about the site, so let me mention those now. One, every product on Zeer is shown with a current (hopefully) ingredient list and nutrition facts. I am a little nervous about those ingredient lists, as some mainstream companies literally change their label (and tweak ingredients) every time they run it, with the product sometimes containing wheat or sometimes containing corn depending on manufacturing cost. Companies often tell you to “look at the label” but if the label is online, how can the web site possibly keep up with or stay informed? But back to the positive- there IS an ingredient listing. Also, even more interestingly, certain key terms that may cause concern to the newly diagnosed gluten-free person are highlighted on that ingredient list. (Key terms include things like “Natural Flavorings” or “Maltodextrin”.) If you click on those terms then you are taken to an excellent explanation of the legal status of those terms in the United States, with a discussion of risk. From a cursory read, it seems that Zeer’s information is current with the position of most US Celiac Research Organizations and this feature alone is very valuable for breaking the code of label-reading on a gluten-free diet. Once you’ve explored the site a bit, you may have learned how to do it on your own, which is definitely a plus. There is also a feature which allows you to rate and review the product, a feature that will become helpful IF Zeer succeeds in getting a large customer base with product experience that writes reviews of those products. One additional positive is that the database can be searched not only by typed brand or product name, but also by UPC code. The latter seems unique to the Zeer service.

So is Zeer providing a needed service that is worth the cost of subscription? When I first heard about Zeer’s new gluten-free product database, to tell you the truth I wasn’t terribly interested in it. I am quite active in Celiac forums and in gluten-centric Twitter circles, and I spend a lot of time in health food stores checking out new products. I’ve also been eating gluten-free for thirty years and feel very comfortable reading labels. I don’t really need a tutorial in it (although I appreciate the feature), and currently it seems there are limitations to the number of new products Zeer could introduce to me that I’d find relevant. (Cake sprinkles don’t really cut it, unfortunately.) Companies like Amazon.com, Gluten Free Mall, and even Drugstore.com have extremely extensive gluten-free product listings and allow you to actually purchase the item in question. They’ve been around for longer than Zeer (which I believe is still in Beta testing), so their organizing features are somewhat more user-friendly. They also have a lot more customers, and thus many more relevant reviews of those products than Zeer can currently offer. And, most appealing of all, it is free to browse Amazon, and they don’t charge for information about the product. Granted, you may find that product has limited information- while established products should have current ingredients listed and even may have nutrition facts, they may not always immediately have that information. However, as we found recently, brand new products like the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix may not yet have ingredient information posted, which may be frustrating for those wondering if they can or can not have the product in question due to additional allergens. It remains to be seen if Zeer will be ahead of the curve and able to offer cutting edge information on new gluten-free products, although when I tried to do a search for Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie on Zeer, I got no results at all. (Cough Cough)

So, to conclude, I’m not sure that Zeer has much to offer the gluten-free community that goes beyond what one can get from existing services like Amazon. It seems to me they are trying to cash in on the fad of the “g-free diet” but without thinking enough about the quality (not quantity) of information they are offering. If they were to improve the organization of their product information and make this information more meaningful and useful to their subscribers, then perhaps I could recommend them more enthusiastically. However, with a big fat price tag of almost fifteen dollars a month, I don’t think it is worth it. I could buy an entire bulk box of gluten-free flours for fifteen dollars… or seven delicious gluten-free nutmeal cookies from Mariposa Bakery… or get a gluten-free pizza at a pizza joint once a month for that price. To my mind, it would have made more sense for Zeer to operate as a giant Amazon associate or similar and make their money off of companies selling their products, rather than billing the gluten-free client directly. Isn’t the gluten-free diet expensive enough?

This is just my opinion as a gluten-free veteran, used to digging for information in the trenches. What do you, my followers of the gluten-free lifestyle think? Are you in the market for a product review site like Zeer, and does it sound like it would be valuable to you personally? If so, why? Or if not, why not? Please tell me in the comments.

A gluten-free fellow blogger friend at Twitter commented on this issue, saying that Zeer isn’t necessary “when you have plenty of gluten-free bloggers reviewing products.” He had an excellent point, and happily, the conversation reminded me of an excellent gluten-free product review blog called Gluten-Free Food Reviews. Her site is a good example of what a quality review of a meaningful gluten-free product can offer the community, so I hope you will check it out. And, you don’t need your checkbook or Visa to peruse her site. ;)

For those who don’t mind paying a fee but find Zeer’s monthly fee a bit too stiff, you may want to check out the software available through Clan Thompson, a company that has offered gluten-free product software for years. Their software can be downloaded onto Windows, Palm OS, Mac OS X, iPhone, Pocket PC / Windows MobilePocket PC, or a BlackBerry. I haven’t used it myself but they definitely have a following.

Mariposa gluten-free Rye Round $4.95 (as of June ‘09)- This new product immediately piqued my interest with its lovely artisan shape and promising caraway flavoring. When I asked the bakers at mariposa which of the new loaves they recommended, they mentioned that the un-rye bread had been selling very well. It was also quite reasonably priced, for a bakery-made artisan loaf. But how did it taste? The first day I found it had nice texture and was great sliced with butter, and then after that I enjoyed it toasted in small sandwiches with baba ghanoush, tahini sauce and arugula. Of all the breads I’ve tried at Mariposa, this is definitely my favorite, and one I would purchase again.

I swooned when I saw this gorgeous lemon poppyseed muffin in the case. It was fluffy and light and seemed to defy gravity with its lovely top. The white icing added just the right delicate and lovely touch, and I was sold. I took it home and hoarded it for a day or so before finally trying it. I found the texture to be excellent, and I enjoyed the delicate flavors. The poppyseeds really popped- and the lemon was interesting without being cloying. I did find it to be sweet- and I tend not to eat sweet muffins very often, so I don’t know how often I would buy it, but I did enjoy it.

When I saw the beautiful White Cake Layer slices for $4.50 in the refrigerator case at Mariposa, I knew I had to have one. The sign advertised cream cheese frosting with raspberry filling, and the cake was also garnished generously with sliced, toasted almonds. Gorgeous! The DH and I shared a piece right there in the bakery. Our estimation? The cake texture was good, and the flavor was nice as well. The cream cheese frosting was thick, and a bit too sweet for my taste buds, and I wasn’t wild about the almonds in combination, but it was everything a white layer cake should be. I don’t think I would try that flavor again (although I confess a strong curiosity about the chocolate) but it was a satisfying and pleasant cake experience. Love that they are offering them in slices now!

I’ve raved about these nutmeal raisin cookies before, and my opinion hasn’t changed. This time I was able to snag about four to take home with me… which I kept in the bag and treasured for days. Of all the cookies at Mariposa (Chocolate chip and sugar cookie) I like the texture and flavor of the nutmeal raisin the best, and they are the only ones I buy regularly. Delicious!

I’d heard that changes were afoot at Mariposa, including some un-rye bread, new freezer cases, and of course gluten-free ravioli. When we got there I noticed immediately that they had expanded the non-Mariposa offerings into a small gluten-free grocery selection. They are now carrying DeBoles pasta, Tinkyada Pasta, Glutino snack bars (yuck), Mesa Sunrise, Bakery on Main, and Amazon Corn Flakes, and Pamela’s mixes, among many other things.

The freezer case was especially impressive, with offerings including bagels, cheese ravioli, butternut squash ravioli (GF DF NF), multi-grain bread, scones, baguettes, quiche in a pastry crust, rosemary rolls, and of course, pizza. I made sure to snag some of the gluten free cheese ravioli right away, although the price (10 pieces for $9) did give me serious pause. I know it is time intensive (trust me, or I’d make it more) but that is a pretty steep price for something I can make myself. But- luckily this blog gave me an excuse to try it at least once. I also bought the cheese quiche because I can’t resist a tasty looking crust that I didn’t have to make myself. And- last but not least, their poppyseed challah also went home with me. The DH and I of course had to have a slice of their gluten-free pizza, which in the past I’ve referred to as the best pizza on the West Coast.

I always love Mariposa’s all-vegetarian pizza, and it’s one of the things that brings me back time after time. They have an excellent crust and toppings are generally very creative and tasty. I have to admit, this time I was slightly disappointed. The crust was underdone, so it wasn’t as gorgeous and crispy as usual, and the toppings were… not quite as inspired as usual, being just cheese, tomato, peppers, and herbs. I hope that they can keep their creative juices flowing and impressing us with their fun toppings that set them apart from the rest- and also, make sure that the crust is baked long enough to really do it justice. I’ll order their pizza again, of course, but it was a little bit of a bummer this time around.

I took one of these quiche home and had it with a lovely arugula salad for dinner one night. Actually, it made several meals (but two of them were more like snacks). The crust was gorgeously browned and golden, but I found it slightly flat in flavor. I don’t know exactly what the ingredients are, but I don’t think it contains butter, and I miss that a little bit. The egg-cheese filling was pleasant, but I did want to add some kind of flavor element- I wish it had a vegetable, herb, or even more seasonings of salt and/or pepper. I loved being able to take the quiche home and bake it, and it is a very smart offering, in my opinion, that made this savory girl very happy. However, I probably wouldn’t get it again unless there was an option with the pow of additional (vegetarian) ingredients. You should definitely try it for yourself, though, and see what you think.

The challah at Mariposa ($6.50) is a thing of absolute beauty. I have never seen a gluten-free challah with gorgeous, glistening braids like this one. The poppy seed topping is also fantastic (and they have them without if you prefer). The challah came frozen, so I left it in the freezer for a few days and then took it out for breakfast. I cut off a piece of the loaf and microwaved it…. and then it was time for a taste test. I think because the bread is based in brown rice flour, it has a distinctive “brown” bread flavor, with a sweet, almost fruity element. I tried the first piece with butter. The texture was pleasant, and the flavor wasn’t bad, but for me the real strength of the bread is its beauty. It makes me proud to see where gluten-free bread has come since my diagnosis. However, I do have to say that I wasn’t wild about the flavor and found it rather sweet and bland. I tried it with cream cheese, and it was also pleasant, but I don’t think the flavor of this particular bread is my thing.
2/18/09 Update

*photos taken from experience in February- I just didn’t get around to posting about our trip, but this seemed like a good time to tell you about it!

I was delighted when I heard about Mariposa’s special gluten-free doughnut day celebrating Valentines Day. They don’t normally offer doughnuts, so it sounded really fun and different. Their pretty cake-style (not fried) doughnuts looked enticing and I went a little crazy, buying a whole box full. Unfortunately, when we actually tried them, both the DH and I were not that crazy about them. They were pretty heavy, not all that sweet, and tasted pretty firmly gluten-free. They didn’t pass the glutenoid taste test, and the DH stopped eating after the first bite or so. I nibbled at a few, but to tell you the truth, most ended up sitting in our refrigerator uneaten and finally ended up in the trash. I hate to say this, but I much prefer the mass marketed donuts produced by kinnikinnick. These aren’t a regular offering at Mariposa. If they are offered again, perhaps the recipe will be tweaked a bit. I don’t think we’ll be making it to doughnut day anytime soon, though.

Starting on Valentine’s Day (or perhaps prior to), Mariposa began offering chocolate, vanilla, black bottom, carrot cake & seasonal cupcakes made by Miglet’s Gluten-Free Cakery. ($2 each) For Valentine’s Day they had red velvet cupcakes that were bewitchingly sweet and as appealing to look at as they were to eat. I bought one carrot cake cupcake and one red velvet cupcake- in the interest of science, you understand. Both were tasty, but the cream cheese and other frosting was a bit sweet for my taste. They would be perfect for anyone with a strong sweet tooth, though- and I’ve never seen a cuter gluten-free cupcake. How great would it be to be able to bring home a box for a newly diagnosed child or family member? Now that they have a lovely refrigerated case, these cupcakes appear to be offered year round, and are a wonderful addition to the offerings at Mariposa.

I have to say, though, that my absolute favorite Valentine’s Day treat was the Valentine’s Day flourless chocolate cake. The DH bought it for me, but if I remember correctly it was either just under or over $10.00. It sounds like a lot- but it was a beautiful, toothsome looking creation. When I cut into it, I found it was my idea of a perfect, fudge-like cake without any heavy bread or cake bits to get in the way of my enjoyment of the cake. The ganache-type coating was delightful, and I’d definitely order it again.

To conclude- Since my last Mariposa report, there have been lots of additions to Mariposa’s gluten-free baked good lineup lately. On our last Sunday afternoon visit, I was very pleased to see a great deal of foot traffic into the bakery. I noticed visitors often picked up some gluten-free cereal or other groceries along with their gluten-free cookies or cake- and in this tough market, anything that contributes to the bakery’s success is a good thing. I think Mariposa has been very smart with their gradual expansion of bakery offerings, and I’m thrilled to see them offering more savory items to the Bay Area like ravioli and quiche. I look forward to seeing what they make next, and hope you will all consider visiting their location and supporting their efforts for the gluten-free community.

In my opinion, the real star products of Angeline’s Bakery are their gluten-free breads. Their best seller is their White Rice Sandwich Bread, but they also have an Orange Cinnamon Swirl Rice Bread, and a Brown Rice Millet Poppy Bread. Thank goodness Paul took pity on me, drooling as I was over those heavenly smelling cinnamon breads cooling by the door, and let me try a loaf. To my mind, this is their most unique and delightful product, and would be something I would be thrilled to see in national distribution. My picky glutenoid DH also gave a very big thumbs up to this flavorful, orange and cinnamon infused loaf, and we enjoyed it as morning toast and also in absolutely divine french toast. I would give it a 9/10 for flavor, texture, and overall yuminess, and would recommend it to anyone. I would even consider ordering a case of it, if I had the freezer space to store it. The white rice sandwich bread was good even two days after baking, and could almost be eaten untoasted. I did prefer it slightly toasted. It made an excellent sandwich bread and was nice eaten simply with butter or jam as well. If it were convenient to buy in a local market, I would occasionally pick one up to have on hand, although I do favor homemade gluten-free bread recipes. I would give it a 7/10, and the DH found it fine in sandwiches but not especially memorable. I have a feeling that I would have loved the brown rice bread, but unfortunately I was not able to try it. Its flavor combination of brown rice flour, millet, rice bran, poppy seeds sounds quite delicious and hearty. If anyone reading this has had the opportunity to try their brown rice bread, do share your impressions in the comments.

Angeline’s cinnamon toast with eggs, and Angeline’s white rice bread in tofu egg salad sandwiches and cream cheese, avocado, tomato basil sandwiches.

My second favorite product offered by Angeline’s is probably their gluten-free brownie. I like a very fudgey brownie, and while these brownies weren’t as fudgey and rich as Mariposa brownies (my absolute favorite gluten-free brownie), they were quite decadent and delicious. At $24 for 12, these brownies are about half the price of Mariposa Brownies, so if shipping costs weren’t a consideration, I would definitely consider buying some. If any of my local coffee shops carried them, I’m afraid I would definitely be eating more than is good for me. I would give them a 7.5/10.

Angeline’s has four beautiful varieties of gluten-free cookies, and it was a real treat to get to see these beauties cooling on a baking dish fresh out of the oven. They looked just as gorgeous as any gluten cookie. The DH and I were very excited to try them. Upon tasting, we found that our favorites were probably the chocolate chip cookie, followed by the peanut butter cookie. I enjoyed the snickerdoodle and the ginger cookie, and thought they all had a very nice texture, but I’m afraid they did not entirely pass the glutenoid test. The DH had a bite of each variety but said they tasted rather gluten-free. He especially did not care for the snickerdoodle, and commented about some “gluten-free” aftertaste. I thought he might have been objecting to the flavor of the baking powder, but he couldn’t identify it specifically. I would buy one of these cookies if I found it in a local coffee shop, but I probably wouldn’t personally order them in bulk.

I was very happy to try Angeline’s marionberry scone and very much enjoyed the fresh fruit element. I could taste the pure gluten-free rice flours, which happen to be flavors that I enjoy, but pleasant as it was to my taste buds, it was definitely not a baked good to win over reluctant glutenoids. I might pick one up with my coffee when I wanted a simple treat, but I wouldn’t order them in quantity.

You can order these products online and have them delivered to you through this online order form for Angeline’s GF Products

It is also possible if you live in or are visiting Portland, to order a case or so of their products and pick it up AT the bakery but you must give them as much lead time as possible, as they are very busy actually baking the products and it will take time for them to fill your order. (If you purchase through Fred Myer or other health food stores, as I understand it the product will have been frozen and possibly defrosted. You’ll get a much fresher product directly through the bakery.)

As their web site states,
“If you live in the Portland area and would like to pick up your retail order, call the Bakery to arrange for pickup (do not drop-in, please!) and the shipping coupon code. You will then place your order and pay for it online, without shipping cost.”
The Portland Bakery telephone number is: 503-236-2323

If you’re lucky enough to live near a health food store that carries their frozen bake products, you can try them as well. I haven’t tried them, but their Cheddar Chive Scones and Lemon Poppy Scones look quite intriguing and a little different than the competition. In general I’m not entirely sold on frozen cookie dough, which is the majority of their other offerings, as at least in the bay area, prices are often prohibitively high for what you get.. Usually homemade cookies are better and certainly a lot cheaper, but I will have to reserve judgment until I actually try their treats myself.

If you happen to be in Sisters, Oregon you can try to stop by their retail cafe location, but they do have a rather limited menu, so it might be just as effective to visit local Portland health food stores or make an order with the Portland gluten-free bakery.

Recipe using Gluten-Free Cinnamon Bread
For this post, I thought I’d share the french toast recipe I came up with on the road, using Angeline’s delicious gluten free orange cinnamon bread. I didn’t have any spices or things like vanilla, so I adapted around the ingredients in our RV pantry. The results were delicious and I hope you enjoy the recipe.

Gluten Free Honey Vanilla Cinnamon French Toast Recipe with Candied Walnuts Breakfast  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 2 eggs, beaten 1 or 2 tbsp. milk 1 tbsp. high quality vanilla yogurt with real vanilla 1 tsp. peach flavored honey (or other favorite flavored honey) 4 or more pieces of gluten-free cinnamon bread, such as Angeline’s Orange Cinnamon Bread butter for pan handful of walnuts more honey or brown sugar Directions Combine eggs, milk, yogurt and honey in a bowl and whisk until smooth. It may help to warm the honey slightly so that it dissolves. Put mixture in a suitable dish so that you can soak the bread in it, first soaking one side and then the other. Heat a little butter in a nonstick pan and gently pan fry the french toast. Turn when golden brown and remove from pan when both sides are browned to taste. In an empty space of the pan or a separate pan, heat a little butter and add your walnuts. Lightly toast them and drizzle with a little honey or sugar, turning. Be careful not to let them burn! Serve your french toast with butter and maple syrup if you like, although it will already be naturally sweet. Sprinkle with the caramelized walnuts and add some fresh fruit on the side. Enjoy!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1397 Added:  April 23, 2009 Last Modified:  April 23, 2009