Tagliattelle -Gluten Free Noodles - Schar does it again!

My love affair continues with Schar pasta. I remember the first day we met. It was spaghetti. Love at first bite. I had been desperately missing my almost daily bowl of spaghetti and could not convince myself to love the gluten free rice pastas as much as everyone else did. I know there are some great ones, but nothing compares to Schar.

Then recently, I found Taliatelle, they're latest pasta to hit our stores. Truth be told, I have know idea what kind of pasta that is supposed to be. Here in the U.S., everything that looks like a flat noodle is, well, a "noodle."

These "noodles" are short (not long), but actually look just like the picture. They're almost translucent until they're fully cooked. Takes about 8 minutes to boil up a pot of these pasta treats.

Bravo!

(not a paid-for ad!)

p.s. Lauren - they sell it at Sprouts!

Pacific Natural Foods - Gluten Free Soups!

Casseroles are back!  The only one they haven't made yet that I need would be similar to "Cream of Golden Mushroom."  I have tried a lot of gluten free cream of mushroom soups over the last six years and had basically given up on my all old-time favorite family casseroles (or "hot dish" if you're from the frozen tundra of the north!).  

These are condensed, ORGANIC, and absolutely delicious.  I've been going casserole crazy since I found them.  The biggest surprise was the FLAVOR and that they really stand alone. 

Note: The cream of mushroom soup actually has mushroom pieces in it and doesn't look at all like the picture on the box. Maybe they thought it photographed poorly, but it's BETTER than any gluten-full cream of mushroom soup that you've ever tried. Did I mention it's ORGANIC? 

If I had a rating system on my blog, you'd see five stars here!

Breakfast on Day 2 of Gluten Free Culinary Adventures in San Francisco

I was in the beautiful city of San Francisco for a food conference over the weekend. I made a faux pa or two on the first day of this glorious event. a) waking up late  b) forgetting that I'm not "in Kansas anymore" and that coffee and gluten free breakfasts were not going to be readily available. 

The good news? Coffee WAS readily available. It just meant I had to hurry through the getting ready process so I could go downstairs, fly through registration and then find the nearest coffee pot and tap a vein.

The bad news?  Gluten-full muffins, toast, granola and bagels were everywhere. And a tiny, little bowl of fruit. (I should have set my alarm for earlier!)  

I did manage to find the Athenos Greek Yogurt vendor. I enjoyed it so much I've actually been scouring my local SoCal grocery stores for it. No luck yet.

Day 2 of my food blogging convention presented the same quandary as Day 1: What to eat for breakfast? 

There are just some days when I'm traveling that I want more than fruit and/or eggs for breakfast. Yes. It's a carb craving!  

Thankfully, I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to host this delicious party that morning, sponsored by none other than Udi's! 

I decided to exercise my fledgling new "fancy camera" photography techniques that I learned while I set up a "gluten free breakfast bar" for myself and other hungry gluten free convention guests.

(Note that the light for the muffin picture above is "10 o'clock" light. It is a technique I learned from my first food photography tutorial by www.whiteonrice.com. They rocked.)

I would like to have this kind of gluten free breakfast bar every morning!    (Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins, Bagels, four varieties of granola and two types of gluten free bread. Not pictured - my favorite Lemon Muffins)

Kraft Athenos Greek Yogurt - Gluten Free

One of the vendors at the BlogHer Food '10 conference I attended two weeks ago in San Francisco was Athenos.  I was desperate for something gluten free on the first morning of the conference and was feeling quite fortunate that Athenos was there. 

I was not previously a huge fan of plain Greek-style yogurt because of the tart flavor, but I had to have something to eat as lunch was hours away.

Right before the first presentation, I quickly grabbed one of the Athenos containers (after they assured me that they were gluten free) and ran off to find a seat.  

Much to my surprise, it was delicious. I don't just mean it was good because I was hungry; it was so good that I had it for lunch and again twice the next day.  I especially liked the fact that it was smooth and creamy, and that the blueberries were separate.

After some research once I got home, I learned that the product is a new line from Kraft. Hopefully you will see it in your neighborhood soon!

Udi's for Foodies!

On the first day of the wonderful food conference I was attending in San Francisco, there was nothing labeled gluten free for breakfast - although there was a lot of fruit.  I was starving and definitely needed more than fruit and my regular pot of coffee.

They made the announcement during breakfast that they would provide a separate small gluten free buffet at lunch. Terrific!!  I couldn't wait for lunch as a $26 room service cheeseburger (no bun) seemed a bit steep of a sacrifice. A big shout out and THANK YOU to BlogHer for making the extra effort for gluten free food.

The gluten free buffet table had a lot of the naturally gluten free food items, which of course are also very healthy...fish, salad, vegetables and a great minestrone soup. But no bread, muffins or rolls anywhere in sight. The food they provided was a great start, but it's obvious that mainstream folks still really struggle with gluten free breads and muffins.  For which, I was very happy to have bought some Udi's bread right before I left.  I ended up making a prosciutto and lettuce sandwich and happily enjoyed the lunchtime guest speaker.

Udi's Takes Flight! Gluten Free and on the road again!

Have Udi's, will travel!  You know what I love about flying Virgin America airlines? They have wifi, they free movies, funky purple lighting, comfy seats, great flight attendants, champagne and yummy foods that are actually marked gluten free. Okay. They didn't HAVE the Udi's bread...I brought it with me as I always do. But, hey, Virgin America, if you're reading this, I highly recommend adding it to your repertoire. (p.s. Please bring back the mint for the mojitos)

It wasn't that long ago where I'd end up starving on travel because there wasn't anything I could eat. Or, as in the picture above, you could get spreadable cheese, sausages, jelly, jams etc...but I could never eat the crackers. So, what to do with all the fixin's and NO bread?

Then came Udi's. And I can't help but RAVE about the fact that I can take a loaf of their gluten free bread right out of the freezer, stick in my carry-on bag and then eat at will throughout the trip. I don't even need to heat it or toast it (although it's super toasted, too!).  I'm not sure how they made their bread so different from all of the other gluten free breads, but it doesn't crumble and it stays shelf-stable for days. 

I probably waited more than a year to try this bread when it had been recommended to me numerous times, and as with a lot of my RAVE products, I'm sorry I waited so long. However, I have it now and am so thankful for their line of gluten free breads, muffins and granola (which I still need to try) that all make my life just that much easier!

Click HERE to find Udi's products and get a coupon!

Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal - The Organic Healthy Gluten Free "Rice Krispie"

So, this isn't the first product I didn't try right away when I really should have.  I had given up on finding a "Rice Krispie" that was gluten free. (Yes, Rice Krispies contain gluten - it's the malt. Bummer, I know.)  I have been making the "Rice Krispie" treats with Cocoa or Fruity Pebbles. 

However, this cereal is even better!!! It's organic, low fat and low in sugar. Note that Erewhon also makes a "Wheat Free Crispy Brown Rice" that is NOT the same as their Gluten Free Crispy Brown Rice.

This is sold in a lot of stores and I can't believe I waited so long to try them. They're a perfect replacement and I challenge anyone to tell me they notice the difference when poured into a bowl. In fact, the picture above doesn't look as "real" as they do in person.

They have become a staple in our house and my son asks for them every morning. 

They are AMAZING!

Nutritional info: