One of the product samples from Mambo Sprouts still awaiting review was a box of Arrowhead Mills baking mix. This particular mix was for chocolate cupcake from their “Bake with Me” line. The idea behind this line is to get the whole family, especially children, involved in the gluten-free baking process.

Each box includes complete instructions, “fun” balloon cupcake liners, and dry ingredients. An egg, some water and a small amount of canola oil are the only additional ingredients required. The instructions are simple, only consisting of four easy steps. Each written step has the addition of something to say to the child assisting you. For example, step 1 is preheat the oven 350 degrees, above this step is red text that reads “Let’s preheat the oven so the cupcakes bake properly. I can’t wait to eat them with you”. I found these to be silly and unnecessary, though others may find it cute. The balloon liners being called fun also seemed silly to me, but they did come in handy as being one less thing to have to remember at the grocery store.

All the silly packaging and marketing aside the real value of this product is in its ingredients. Organic whole grain brown rice flour helps this product boast 11 whole grains per serving. Additional ingredients, such as a vitamin and mineral blend, make this product higher in iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Instead of sugar, organic evaporated cane juice and dried fruit powder replace less healthy sweeteners and flavors. These ingredients alone may not make it the most wholesome desert choice out there, but they do make this classic favorite dessert for kids a bit healthier.

So it has a healthier choice of ingredients and cute family oriented packaging, but how does it taste? The answer is pretty good. The cupcakes came out of the oven flawlessly. They were moist and did not fall apart even when the liner was pulled off. The cocoa flavor is strong but not overwhelming. Nor are they overwhelming sweet, so the addition of frosting makes them perfect instead of giving you sugar shock. Though the cupcakes look small, they are very dense and filling. My only complaint was the texture felt a tiny bit grainy compared to some of my favorite home made recipes. However, the convenience of this product paired with its healthier ingredients makes up for this flaw.

To learn more about this product as well as all other Arrowhead Mills gluten-free mixes visit www.arrowheadmills.com.

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Enter GFHP News and Updates. This post will be somewhat brief and will include a little bit of news along with a link if available so you can find out more.

GFHP News and Updates: August 2010

Happy 100th anniversary Blue Diamond Growers

Blue Diamond recently sent the NFCA information on their 100th anniversary along with some yummy almonds. To celebrate their centennial, they are introducing an extremely informative site that covers the history of Blue Diamond almonds over the past 100 years. AlmondHistory.com features archived photos, historical stories, almond processing and nutritional information, classic recipes and more.

A small portion of almonds contains high amounts of protein, fiber, monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, calcium and other important minerals, and phytochemicals that may help protect against many common diseases. In addition, thanks to Blue Diamond innovations, almond goodness is now available in a variety of products for those of us who have food restrictions. These products include Almond Breeze®, an almond-based beverage for the lactose-intolerant market, Nut-Thins®, a crispy cracker based on almond and rice for the gluten-free market, and Almond Butter.

Learn a bit more about the powerful almond and the inspiring success story of Blue Diamond by visiting AlmondHistory.com.

Clif introduces Gluten-Free Snack Bar: Clif C

Clif the makers of the well-known and very popular energy and snack bars, Clif Bars and Luna Bars, have released their first gluten-free Clif bar. Similar to all of Clif products, Clif C is made with all-natural, organic ingredients. The bar consists of a nut crust base, with a fruit spread topping. Clif C is currently available in four flavors, apple, blueberry, Raspberry, and cherry pomegranate. I have not tried these my self yet, but I am very curious about them and hope to post a review in the future.

Learn more about Clif C here.

Pro Cyclists Include Bakery On Main Gluten Free Granola in Their Recipe for Success

A July 16th news release from Bakery On Main announced that their Gluten Free Granolas in Nutty Cranberry Maple, Extreme Fruit & Nut and Apple Raisin Walnut, were selected for inclusion in the Garmin-Transitions US Cycling Team’s gluten free anti-inflammatory diet by the team chiropractor, Matthew Rabin. Though these delicious granola combinations were originally created to provide celiacs with a tasty, gluten free snack the founder Michael Smulders is happy to discover that non-celiacs will benefit from the nutritious ingredients and great taste. I am happy about this announcement as well. Gluten-free food that taste great and is good for you too is always good news!

Learn more about The Bakery on Main here.

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Last year I did a review of Pamela’s Products Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies. In that review I mentioned how Pamela’s Products is a proud sponsor of the NFCA’s and generously donates cupcake kits for our fabulous Gluten-Free Cupcake Parties. If you want to learn more about this fun and easy community fundraising activity visit our Cupcake Party page.

Among the many other GF products Mambo Sprouts sent my way was two bags of Pamela’s Products baking mixes, Baking and Pancake Mix and the Cornbread and Muffin Mix. Until this recent shipment my exposure to Pamela’s Products was limited to their delicious cookie selection, and of course, their easy to make cupcakes.

First impression of these baking mixes was pretty positive. Both come in nice sunny orange packaging. A pleasant combination of images, colors and fonts used on the packaging brings to mind a warm country kitchen, and begs you to open it to start baking. And that is exactly what I did.

I started with the Baking and Pancake Mix. The blend itself is very fine and primarily consists of a combination of rice flours and starches. Cultured Buttermilk and natural almond meal are also mixed in as welcome addition to the mix. On the package there are simple instruction for standard recipes including pancakes, waffles, muffins, cookies and crepes.

First I used the mix to make pancakes. This resulted in a batch of fluffy, moist pancakes.  Paired with a dab of butter and a splash of syrup, they were positively yummy. Feeling a bit adventurous I attempted crepes next. The batter held up to my poor cooking skills and the flavor was as tasty as the pancakes. I’d say the results of this mix were similar to those of a batch made from scratch but the complex and well blended flour mix make them a bit better and so much easier to make. Though I only made the pancakes and crepes I can easily imagine this mix performing equally well in a wide variety of recipes.

Next, I moved on to the Cornbread and Muffin Mix. This mix consists of a pleasant blend of semi sweet flours combined with organic corn meal. Together they work to make a perfect batch of cornbread. I was completely impressed at this mixes ability to stay moist. The flours blended the cornmeal give this mix a great flavor and texture and add to its versatility. In addition to Cornbread, this mix can be used for muffins, tart crust, sprinkled on the bottom of pizza crust (yummy), and anywhere else you would normally use a cornmeal and flour blend.

After trying out both of these baking mixes I am once again highly impressed at the quality of Pamela’s Products. To learn more about these great products or any of the Products Pamela’s offers visit www.pamelasproducts.com

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A while ago a box of very interesting products arrived at the NFCA’s office. The shipment contained flours and grains from Zocalo Gourmet.  Zocola is a small company that supplies gourmet cultural ingredients and foods to the U.S. In the case our shipment, Zocalo Gourmet provided Peruvian Heritage flours and grains.

Peru is home to a long list of very diverse and hardy plant life.  Among that list are highly nutritious grains, potatoes, and corns. Zocalo offers many of these healthy foods as whole or puffed grains, and as flours. Today’s review will focus on four of Zocalo Gourmets products, Kañiwa flour, Mesquite (Algarroba) Flour, Purple Corn Flour, and Sweet Potato Flour

Kañiwa (pronounced ka-nyi-wa) is very similar to quinoa.  It is packed with nutrition and is very high in protein. Zocalo offers Kañiwa as whole or puffed grain and as flour. When this mighty grain is puffed it can be served as cereal, or added to a granola mix. Whole or  toasted and ground into flour, Kañiwa’s, makes a wonderful addition to breads, muffins, cookies and more.  Because is such a potient grain it is best used when blended with other flours. The result of adding it to your mix is a product that has a more earthy flavor and texture with the additional bonus of all the nutrition Kañiwa grains contain.

Mequite Flour is made from the dried and milled pods of Algarroba trees. When included in a recipe, the MesquiteFlour imparts a sweet and slightly smoky flavor.  In recipes utilizing cinnamon, chocolate, caramel, or coffee, the Mesquite Flour enhances those flavors. This multipurpose flour can be used to add nutrition and a warm yet sweet flavor to cookies and pastries, or to spice up and sweeten protein drinks or energy bars.

Purple Corn is very similar to table corn except for its deep purple color.  The pigments that give this corn its rich dark purple are also high in antioxidants. Purple corn flour can be used in any recipe that normally calls for corn flour or corn meal. Use it to make breads, tortillas, pancakes, muffins, and cakes and those dishes will have the added benefit of amazing color and nutrition.

The sweet potato is an amazing source of fiber, vitamin A, iron, and calcium. Since Sweet Potato flour stays moist and has a smooth texture and semi sweet flavor it is a great ingredient to use  in gluten-free baking which often depends of potato flour to prevent gf baked goods from being to dry or grainy. Though this flour makes a great addition to baked goods, such as breads, cookies, muffins, pancakes and crepes, cakes, and doughnuts, it can also be used in soups, as a thickener for sauces and gravies, and in breading for fish.

In addition to being gluten-free Zocalo Gourmet’s offers these flavor and nutrition packed flours free of preservatives or additives, GMO, Trans Fat, Sugars, Nuts, Wheat, Soy, Casein, and Dairy. To find out more about these products as well as all the products Zocalo Gourmet offers visit www.zocalogourmet.com.  If  you like the idea of these products but are not exactly sure how to implement them or just want a few new ideas, visit Zocalo Gourmet’s Blog for useful recipes.

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It was love at first sight when I tried Jules’ Gluten-Free Flour. The recipe they provided for Beer Bread was absolutely delicious when I first took it out of the oven. It was light and fluffy and mouth watering and I wanted to cry because I hadn’t tasted bread that good in months. Being only 17, and having been diagnosed less than a year, the prospect of finding delicious bread in such little time seemed miraculous. I had no idea how to properly store my loaf, so I wrapped it in saran and a zip lock and prayed.

But alas, the loaf became dry and crumbly over the next several days and my excitement was short lived. Luckily, I still had faith in my 5 lb. bag of flour.

From then on, I used the Jules’ Gluten-Free Flour Mix for everything I baked. From lentil burgers to apple custard pie, it has never failed me, which is especially good considering that the recipes I use normally call for wheat flour. Yes, I think Jules’ Gluten-Free Flour Mix is the ultimate substitute for wheat flour. And though I haven’t used any Jules recipes since the Beer Bread, I do have faith in them. In fact, I plan to do a lot of my thanksgiving cooking from the “Jules’ 101 Thanksgiving” guide I downloaded from their website. Needless to say, I find myself evaluating my space in the kitchen as I get ready to ask my mother for the 20 lb. bag!

We have since contacted Jules and asked her about storing bread. She responded immediately urging me not to freeze or refrigerate the bread until I am ready to store the remainder of the loaf for breadcrumbs, stuffing or croutons. She explains that breads that use thin liquids (like beer and water) tend to dry out rather quickly. They are best freshly baked. She referred me to her Bread Making 101 e-booklet that includes two recipes using yoghurt, which Jules says “tend to stay moist for many days.”

I can’t wait to bake my next loaf!

For more great reviews and recipes visit Molly North’s blog.

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Today’s review is a yummy gluten-free product sure to satisfy a craving for chocolate. I recently received two sample boxes of Baba Joon’s Chocolate Chewies filled with five of their 11 available varieties. In addition to being flourless, they are also dairy free, contain no cholesterol or preservatives and are low in fat. So I was a bit skeptical at how chewy or chocolaty these little treats could actually be. I was once again pleasantly surprised at another gf product that was pretty tasty and turned out to be as they were advertised, chocolaty and chewy.

Each of the five varieties I tasted was moist and very brownie like. The chocolate flavor was noticeable, however not overwhelming. Nor were any of the varieties overly sweet. This is great for me since I’m not a huge fan of very sweet chocolate and prefer a more balanced desert, baked good or sweet treat. The additional ingredients in each Chewie, such as walnuts, apricot, coconut, etc. were not overwhelming either and worked very well with the brownie like texture of these treats. Also worth mentioning is that even though the ingredient list for all varieties of this product is very short and very simple theses little chewies taste complex and pretty well balanced.

If you would prefer to sample a few of these treats out before committing to a full purchase there is a great deal on free samples. All you pay is a modest shipping fee. To learn more about this product visit www.chocolatechewies.com.

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