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Saturday, February 11th, 2012

Mr. Ritt’s Mixes

Over thirty years ago, Mr. Ritt opened a bakery in Philadelphia that would later become a gluten-free establishment and gain a dedicated fan base among the gluten-free community. It’s no surprise that after closing his bakery’s doors, Mr. Ritt was met with the demands of his enthusiastic customers who couldn’t do without his tasty creations. Lucky for us, in response to their feedback, he developed a variety of mixes, which can now be conveniently ordered online. We had the opportunity to test some of these mixes, and we were quite satisfied.

Mr. Ritt makes a wide assortment of gluten-free mixes, allowing the gluten-free community to make all sorts of baked goods, from cookies and cakes to baguettes, pizza crust, and hamburger buns. The mixes are excellent, with great flavor, versatility, and quality ingredients.

The All-Purpose Buckwheat Flour Blend is a high-fiber and high-protein mix. This one is ideal for baked goods with a flavor that’s stronger than chocolate chip cookies, according to Mr. Ritt’s website. Pizza and Italian lovers can use the Multipurpose Italian Bread and Pizza Crust Mix, which is not only gluten-free but also egg- and dairy-free.  This mix is good for hamburger and hotdog buns as well as pizza crust.

Waffle-lovers, rejoice! Mr. Ritt’s Buttermilk Waffle Mix can be used for not only waffles, which were the mainstay of Mr. Ritt’s bakery for years, but also pancakes and even a tempura mix.

If you’re a fan of soft pretzels, as I am, you’ll love the Quinoa Bread and Pretzel Mix, a delicious mix that’s not only free of gluten, egg, and dairy, but made with quinoa flour, rich in protein and fiber. As far as I know, it’s the only soft pretzel mix celiacs can make at home!

Mr. Ritt has used his impressive experience to enable us to reproduce his cherished goods in our kitchen with versatile, nutritious, and delicious mixes. What’s more, Mr. Ritt says more are coming. I highly recommend his products for your gluten-free baking needs!

 

Miranda Jade

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

k.m.

 

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Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

Bacon Candy

I like bacon, and I like candy, so I gave this recipe a try, and boy, was it delicious! Kids will love this gluten-free treat, for sure.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. bacon

Brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Slice bacon into 1-in.strips and coat with brown sugar.

3. Bake at 350 degrees on a broiler pan for approx. 15 mins., turning once.

4. Cool and store in an airtight container.

 

Miranda Jade

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

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Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Gluten-Free Streusel Topping

The gluten-free version of this classic topping is easy and delicious. Top your favorite desserts with it for a new, scrumptious twist!

INGREDIENTS

½ c firmly packed brown sugar

½ c quick-cooking GF oats

1/3 c GF flour mix

6 tbsp butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, and flour.

2. Stir in melted butter.

 

Miranda Jade

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

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Thursday, January 12th, 2012

Gluten-Free Poppy Seed Bread Rolls- Using Better Batter

Make these to enjoy with dinner tonight—but be careful not to fill up on them! Grab your bread roll fast–they quickly disappear from the table!

 

INGREDIENTS

2 c Better Batter Gluten Free Flour

1 tsp salt

1/3 c sugar (sugar may be added to taste)

4 eggs

1.5 c milk, milk substitute, or water

poppy seeds, to taste

1 egg-white

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 1 or two cookie sheets or muffin top tins.

2. In an electric mixer, beat the flour, salt, 4 eggs, sugar and milk or water on high speed for 7-10 minutes. This should produce a batter with the consistency of soft butter-cream icing.

3. Working quickly, spoon this mixture by ½-cup portions onto prepared cookie sheets or muffin top tins. Wet hands and gently smooth and flatten mounds to a width of 3-4 inches and a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

(Note: If you desire a soft edge to the bun, as with store-bought buns, use a cookie sheet and place mounds so that they touch slightly when flattened. For a crisper crust on all surfaces of the bun, use a muffin top tin or do not allow buns to touch on cookie sheet.)

4. Mix together 1 egg white with a little water and the poppy seeds until well-combined. (I like a heavy amount of poppy seeds.) Brush mixture onto the dough.

5. If desired spray with cooking spray – this will improve the finished appearance and texture of the cooked bun.

6. Place in hot oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.

7. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

 

Miranda Jade

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

 

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Thursday, January 5th, 2012

GF Delicious Chicken Salad with Paprika Sandwiches

What a delicious lunch or snack, high in protein and oh-so-satisfying! Yes, it is simple, but I use only the Vegenaise, and it just is the right condiment for this one, for those of us who are gluten- and dairy-free.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken breast halves

1 c VEGENAISE mayonnaise

1 tbsp paprika

¼ tbsp cayenne

2 tsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Char-grill chicken breast halves quickly and then bake in 350-degree oven for about 30-40 mins.

2. Chop chicken up into fine or large pieces, according to preference.

3. In a bowl, mix 1 c mayonnaise, 1 tbsp paprika, ¼ tbsp (or to taste) cayenne pepper, and 2 tsp olive oil.

4. Mix up and save extra for another meal.

5. Add mayo to create your desired consistency.

6. Serve on GF toast or as a salad.

 

Miranda Jade

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

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Saturday, December 31st, 2011

Riega Foods Product Review


Riega Foods has four new amazing cheese sauces I had to share with you. Kids and adults alike love them. Not only are they tested to ensure they contain less than 20 ppm of gluten, but they come in four flavors and in easy-to-make packs: Yellow Cheddar, White Cheddar, Pepper Jack, and Alfredo.

Each individual pack makes a delicious cheese sauce for your meal. A delicious sauce, as we all know, depends on its thickness and flavor. To make a thick, creamy cheese sauce without lumps, without it tasting dry, and without it tasting like rice flour can be a challenge for many gluten-free cooks. Most good cheese sauces have wheat thickeners in them. For us celiacs, those days of gluten-containing sauces are long gone, but taste and texture are NOT, thanks to Riega Foods. They make cheese sauces that taste amazing and with a thickness that coats your dishes perfectly. We really love them.

One of my testers made a unique chicken alfredo dish with blackened chicken using the Alfredo Cheese Sauce. She followed the easy directions and was thrilled with the outcome. She reported that although the pack looked small, it yielded a lot of sauce. Just one pack of the Alfredo Cheese Sauce covered enough to feed herself, her husband, and their two hungry, grown boys.

Another test was to sprinkle the White Cheddar Cheese Sauce on top of popcorn. It was gobbled up quickly before we even had a chance to take notes. We all loved the light flavor, and it complemented the popcorn perfectly.

Gluten-free “cheese-oholics,” this is the product you’ve been waiting for. The Yellow Cheddar is perfect for homemade macaroni and cheese. Each cheese sauce is packaged individually for one meal so it makes for easy storage.

I have to admit, I was skeptical. Is this going to be another pack we add water to with a “compromised” flavor for us celiacs? I wondered. NO, it was not. It truly went beyond our expectations, and we are highly recommending it to anyone who enjoys a true cheesy flavor.

One last note: there are a number of ways to use these packs. I always welcome your ideas to share with my readers. So do try them out and send in your recipes too.

 

Tina Turbin

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

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Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Gluten-Free Super Yummy Unique Banana Bread

Here is another option which my testers and I have been playing with and cannot eat enough of. Sometimes the recipe is just so darn good, there is none left to share with others until the next batch. This was one of them!

INGREDIENTS

4 cups gluten-free flour mix

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tbsp baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup light agave

1/2 cup honey

2 cups VERY, VERY ripe bananas– that is the key to this recipe!!!!

1 cup milk or 1 cup rice or almond milk

1 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil

4 eggs

(Optional: 1-2 chopped nuts of your choice– walnuts are delicious)

 

DIRECTIONS

Very simple and yet DELICIOUS to make. Use VERY, very ripe bananas for this recipe.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all your dry ingredients together in one larger bowl. Mix well. Leave out the nuts.

3. Mix all your wet ingredients in another bowl.

4. Fold the wet into the dry until very well mixed. Once it is well mixed you may add your nuts (optional) by also folding in. Do not overbeat.

5. Evenly oil your two bread pans or glass cooking dishes with vegetable oil or coconut oil.

6. Pour equal amounts into each baking dish.

7. Garnish with nuts if you prefer.

8. Place in the center of your oven and bake 20 minutes. You may need to bake a bit longer; it will all depend on your oven and baking dishes.

9. Test doneness by touching the top and it will gently spring back and be soft, and not “wet” in the middle. It is not necessary to do the knife test on this recipe.

Enjoy alone, with melted butter or even almond butter. Yummy!

 

Tina Turbin

www.GlutenFreehelp.info

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Saturday, December 17th, 2011

Macro Life Naturals – Review

I had the wonderful opportunity to test a few of Macro Life Naturals Products, the Macro Greens and the Miracle Reds and 3 incredible bars they now offer.

I am celiac. Let me clarify,  I am a highly (and I mean highly) sensitive to “greens”celiac- such as barley grass and wheat grass, so please do read on and get a new take on this very topic and my new view as of this recent testing.

First of all I have a wonderful team in Los Angeles and Florida that assisted me through this particular testing. I wanted feedback and I wanted it from all people, with all sorts of particular body needs or not.  So, this was quite a unique company to review as we elicited a number of kids and athletes to really put it to the test.

Let’s dive a little into Macro Life first. A caring mom, Sylvia Ortiz wanted to help her son loose some weight and out of this desire resulted in the original Macro Greens.  Her son lost 35 pounds, dropped down to 12 % body fat and then Sylvia lost 60 pounds as well.  Since that time Macro Greens® was named the most successful product ever in retail sales over a five-week period at Whole Foods chain markets. Wow!

The owners profess that Macro Greens is non-allergenic, nutrient-rich and will optimize the body’s pH and  surpasses the nutrition of five servings of fruits and vegetables. They also state that if used daily one will experience increased energy, weight loss, increased mental clarity, balanced blood sugar, strengthened immune system and improved digestion. So that was worth testing out for sure. Read on and let’s see what we discovered on a one on one basis here in LA and FL.

Miracle Reds® (a delicious red powder) is stated as being the a superfruit anti-aging blend providing immense antioxidant protection. They go on to share that it will locate and diminish unstable free radicals that damage healthy cells and cause premature aging. Now I am all for that! It has some of my favorite fruits: Goji, Pomegranate, Acai, and Mangosteen.

They also had us test their 3 bars: Macro Green Chocolate and Cinnamon Bar, Miracle Reds Berri Berri Bar and Macro Green Apple Lemon Ginger Bar. Let me just say now that everyone (yes everyone) who tested these found them to be absolutely scrumptious. Of course there are always those that prefer chocolate over fruit or fruit over chocolate (me) but that was the only side comment was, if they had to choose. But they don’t so they loved them all. They are a quick boost of energy, loaded with the greens or the reds, great fiber (which we celiacs NEED) and some protein to top it off. Kids of all ages loved the bars. The athletes (I am speaking triathletes and marathon runners) felt they were a  perfect after train smack or even a mid day snack. Two of the men said they would start buying them now without a doubt.

Ok, so now let’s look at the Macro Green testing:

Tina, this was the best before training boost of anti oxidants I have ever had.” – One of my athlete testers

I can not say enough positive things about both the powders, Macro Greens and Miracle Reds. My husband drank it before heading off to work and he felt much better all day long. I gave it to my kids after school with their snack and they “DRANK IT” and I actually noticed they fell asleep better each eve. I used it  in my water during my work-out and I did not get the wiped out feeling I always get after heavy cardio”- Mother of two celiac kids

I can say that I loved the taste and did not get the terrible troubles I usually get from Barley. I loved knowing I was getting a load of nutrients without having to pop a load of pills. I actually cut down on my minerals. I can overall say it felt like CLEAN food. I can say that if I drank the Macro Greens every day I started to get tummy distress but as I initially said I am HIGHLY sensitive to barley grass. Some celiacs are. So I cut back. I also made some grain-free, gluten-free cookies with the greens. We call them Macro Cookies. I am not sure if heating them destroys any or All of the benefits so I made them in the dehydrator as another test. We call these Raw Macro Cookies

Now let’s discuss these delicious Miracle Reds. Let me share a very special story. One lady was just out of the hospital and was under a lot of stress and lacked decent nutrition before entering. She had little money and little after care. We delivered the reds in single serving packets to her for her ease in taking them. She was told she would be in bed a good 2 weeks healing. After 8 days on the Miracle reds she called me to tell me she felt life like again, for the first time in ages.

I also had several moms and dads call me with all sorts of stories exclaiming how pleased they were with the flavor, the benefits and ease in taking them etc. It was a winner!

The Miracle Reds and Macro Greens come in single serving packs as well as canisters of 30, 10 and a 2 ounce container to test without a big commitment.

According to the owners Miracle Reds® and Macro Greens® are among the most popular whole food supplements currently sold at most supermarkets and specialty health food locations we all know and shop at. After conducting this test, I can see why!

I really am very pleased to have been able to have tested this company’s products and the extremely positive outcome. I am also more pleased to say that this company is one of the finest we have tested in the past two years as far as supplements. These products are top quality, care and consideration for the public’s health and well being.

Please do yourself a favor and try them out: http://www.macrolifenaturals.com/

Tina Turbin

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

k.m.

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Thursday, December 15th, 2011

Gluten Free Apple Pie with Crumble Topping

This was contributed by Brenna Jensen, who writes, “I have made this pie so often; the crust is great as posted in the recipe, but I’ve also used it to make pumpkin and berry pie as well. Enjoy!” Thanks, Brenna!

INGREDIENTS

Pastry Crust

(makes two crusts)

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mills All Purpose Gluten Free Flour, Avail at Kroger & online)
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (Bob’s Red Mills)
8 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
1 tablespoon gluten-free vanilla extract (Available online at the Gluten Free Pantry)

Apple Filling

7 medium apples, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced. Use mildly sweet to tart very crisp apple (such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cortlands)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Crumble Topping

3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup gluten-free flour (See above)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup butter, chilled & cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS

Pastry Crust

1. In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, xanthan gum and cornstarch.

2. Then add the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

3. Remove dough from bowl and knead and fold on a surface dusted with GF flour until well well combined.

4. Divide into two pieces and wrap in plastic wrap, place one in the refrigerator to chill and place the other in the freezer for later use.

5. Go ahead and make Apple Filling while the Pastry Crust is chilling.

6. After approx 20 minutes, remove dough from refrigerator and roll into a ball.

7. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly GF floured surface until it is the thickness of a normal pie crust.

8. Place crust in a 9 inch glass pie dish that is lightly sprayed with non stick spray.

9. Using a fork poke a bunch of holes in the sides and bottom of the crust.

Apple Filling Instructions

10. In a large bowl mix apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

11. Set aside and let the juices mix.

Crumble Topping Instructions

12. In a small bowl mix together brown sugar, GF flour and nutmeg.

13. Next mix in the chilled butter and cut it in with a fork or other tool until you have a course crumbly mixture.

Assembling your Pie

14. Preheat oven to 400°F.

15. Spoon apples into your pie crust, mounding in the middle and pouring the sugary juices over top.

16. Sprinkle your Crumble Topping all over the top (use it all).

17. Use tin foil to cover edges of crust as it will burn easily.

18. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, topping will be lightly browned and filling will be bubbly.

19. Let cool for at least an hour before serving.

Yum!

Contributed by Brenna Jensen

 

Tina Turbin

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

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Saturday, December 10th, 2011

Food Review: Namaste Foods

 

Namaste Foods, L.L.C. prides itself on the concept and purpose of nourishing the body with good food, which in turn nourishes the mind and spirit. I think celiac and gluten-sensitive individuals can agree that this statement is true.

With my testers in Florida and L.A. licking their lips in satisfaction over their Namaste Chocolate Cake Mix outcomes, we had to try another adaptation, the black bottom cupcakes. Our adapted gluten-free black bottom cupcakes are filled with a delicious cream cheese middle, which blends into the entire cupcake through the baking process, making a truly decadent and moist cupcake overflowing on the top. For those of you who enjoy “muffin tops,” you’ll be pleased to know that you get both a whopping top and the cupcake in these desserts. We opted to use honey instead of the sugar called for in the Namaste recipe, and our topping was slightly altered as well. Just perfect!

The Chocolate Cake Mix really tastes exactly like the old gluten-laden chocolate cake mix we’ve all long forgotten and is a perfect mix for any of your cake or cupcake needs. Any frosting just adds to the delight, as you would expect.

We also tested the Taco Pasta, which comes with a premade mix of noodles. We followed the directions precisely yet added chopped tomatoes, chili pepper, and chicken breast as well as cilantro, fresh lemon juice, and a topping of cheddar cheese. It was delicious. It was a good, easy family meal that took less than 15 minutes to prepare.

Namaste offers 18 varieties of pasta and baking mixes, 8 of which are sugar-free and kosher. The owner, Daphne Taylor, has gone the extra step to ensure they are made in a facility that is gluten-, wheat-, potato-, soy-, corn-, dairy-, nut-, peanut- and cashew-free. She also ensures all ingredients are not genetically modified.

Namaste can sit on family tables that serve kids with multiple food allergies. We were pleased to know so many families are supporting Namaste with the results of happy, pain-free, symptom-free children.

Namaste products can be found in many health food stores and are easy to order online at www.NamasteFoods.com. Their site offers many additional recipes, as their mixes are really quite versatile.

With a single mom’s dream and vision, the help of support groups, recognition by health food stores, and word of mouth, Namaste is now run by 14 women from their own homes to its continued growth and success.

We really like their vision, their purpose, and their delicious mixes!

Tina Turbin

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

k.m.

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  • Tina Turbin

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    Tina Turbin became extremely interested and involved in the subjects of gluten free, gluten sensitive and celiac disease a number of years ago as a result of...

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