Gluten Free Food Reviews

Ahh, another quality Cali seasoning for your cooking enjoyment!

Cali Fine Foods Herb Medley Gourmet Seasoning Mix ( Mild spice) boasts versatility and claims to be ideal for dips, marinades, meats, vegetables, pasta and rice. There are even four recipes as well as servings suggestions on the back of the packaging. Very handy! I decided to use this .9 ounce mix to make oven baked seasoned potatoes.

This seasoning mix is, indeed, very mild. The aroma of the spices is pure and strong and seems to be high quality. The flavor reminded me of their Garlic Gusto seasoning, minus the strong garlic and black pepper. The flavor in this gluten free seasoning is a nice combination of onion and garlic subtly complimented by carrot, parsley and leek. Don’t be shy with this seasoning- because the flavor is so mild, I preferred to use the whole packet with my potatoes to get the full flavor of the gluten free spice blend.

Personally, I was not disappointed with this seasoning mix and felt this flavor blend best complimened vegetables and chicken. It is great for saving time in the kitchen when you want a home cooked meal with minimal fuss.

PROS: high quality spices and seasonings, nice blend to have on hand to save time in the kitchen

CONS: almost too mild, use the entire packet for full flavor

Rating: 4 stars

Click HERE to purchase this mix from glutenfree.com

Ingredients: Parsley, onion, garlic, carrot, leek, green pepper, sea salt, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, celery, fructose, black pepper, spices, citric acid.

More Cali Reviews:

Cali Foods Garlic Gusto Gourmet Seasoning Mix

Cali Foods Swet & Spicy BBQ Seasoning Mix

I used to avoid gluten free baking, and if I did, I always used a premade mix. It just seemed safer and more predictable because I felt frustrated when a recipe flopped. I felt like I wasted my time and high priced gluten free baking ingredients. As I branch out an become more brave, I now rely on premade flour blends in my cooking and baking, because allows me to experiment with a recipe without having to also experiment with my own flour blends (yet).

This Authentic Foods Multi-Blend All Purpose Flour costs $10.63 for a three pound bag, and is based from a flour blend in the book Cooking Gluten Free by Karen Robertson. The packaging says:

” This flour mix is called Wendy Wark’s Gluten Free Flour Mix. Multi-Rice Blend Gluten Free Flour is an all purpose flour mix that substitutes cup for cup. There is no need to add additional xanthan gum when making pancakes waffles, pie crust, or cookies. For cake and sweet bread recipes, add 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum per cup of flour mix.”

I tried this flour blend in cookies and fruit crisp desserts. I was actually impressed with how well this flour blend fared in my recipes. I substituted wheat flour with this gluten free flour blend cup for cup and make the recipes as originally created. Thanks to the xanthan gum, my baked goods had minimal crumbling and breakage. The texture of my cookies was almost indistinguishable from the original gluten containing recipe. The flavor was also wonderful and didn’t have a gluten free taste. Nice!

However I did discover that I had to reduce the baking time when using this gluten free flour blend, or my baked goods were dry, overdone, and not very tasty. Specifically, with my chocolate chip cookies ( as pictured above) I had to reduce baking time by 3 minutes, remove them from the oven appearing undercooked, and let them cool on the pan for best results. Ands as with most fresh baked gluten free goodies, baked goods used with this flour are best when eaten within 24-48 hours.

PROS: large 3 pound size, already contains xanthan gum, makes great cookies and desserts with, decent price

CONS: be careful to reduce baking time to prevent dry baked goods.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Want to try using this gluten free flour bend? Click the link below:

Authentic Foods Multi-Blend Gluten-Free Flour Mix- glutenfreemall.com

Ingredients: Rice flour, tapioca flour, cornstarch, potato flour

Mmmm, grilled gluten free BBQ chicken. Quick, easy and super yummy!

Cali Fine Foods sent me this .9 ounce gluten free BBQ mix seasoning packet to try. I was quite intrigued by this dry seasoning packet. When I think of barbecue, instead of a dry rub of spices, a saucy slathering on my meat of choice comes to mind compliments of the years I lived in Houston. But hey, I thought it would be interesting to give it a try.

I dutifully followed the directions on the back of the package. I rubbed my chicken breast with the seasonings, let it marinate in my fridge for 40 minutes, and then grilled it on my George Foreman grill. Yes, I know this is cheating a bit since I dind’t use my “real” outdoor grill. But, there is still snow on the ground in may part of Pennsylvania. Outdoor grilling was out of the question. My chicken grilled nicely and looked really good.

With this seasoning mix, I should have used more on my chicken. I only used a few teaspoons since it is categorized as “spicy hot” on the packaging and I have a sensitive palate. However, I was surprised that the flavor and heat tasted much milder than I anticipated, I suspect if I really coated the chicken the spiciness would have been kicked up a notch or two.

The flavor of this gluten free BBQ seasoning packet is quite pleasant. The chili pepper, garlic, and black pepper take center stage, complimented by a dash of cayenne. I believe the carrot, cinnamon and fructose should have added a sweet kick to the seasoning ( according to the name of the product), but I did not taste much sweetness. I think this is indicative of a delicately balanced blend of ingredients. Overall, this is a tasty blend of spices for a quick meal idea that could kick up flavor on a variety of meats or seafood.

PROS: easy to use, balanced blend of seasonings, enough seasoning for 2 lbs of chicken

CONS: be careful to fully coat the chicken for maximum flavor, plan for time to marinate

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Think you’d like to try this gluten free BBQ seasoning mix? Click the link below:

Cali Sweet & Spicy BBQ Mix from gluten free.com

Ingredients: Chili pepper, garlic, onion, black pepper, spices, celery, carrot, leek, green pepper, cumin, sea salt, fructose, tapioca starch, cayenne, brown rice flour, citric acid, cinnamon.

**Cali seasonings may also be purchased at califinefoods.com and glutenfreetradingcompany.com as well

Check out my other Cali reviews:

Cali Garlic Gusto Seasoning Mix

Cali Herb Medley Gourmet Seasoning Mix

OK, these noodles are just too much fun!

I picked up this 16 ounce bag of gluten free pasta noodles for a hearty spaghetti dish when my local supermarket was sold out of my favorite gluten free Tinkyada penne pasta.

Straight from the package, these noodles were a bit strange, almost like a loose wave- curvier than a gluten free spaghetti noodle but smoother than a spiral noodle.

After boiling for 11 minutes, the noodles became slightly thicker, but retained their wavy shape and overall length. These gluten free pasta noodles also appeared slightly textured. This seemed perfect for my hearty, meaty, stick to your ribs spaghetti sauce- the sauce clung to the noodles perfectly. Yum!

These gluten free noodles cook up perfectly soft and slightly chewy- not quite al dente, but definitely not soggy and squishy. I thought the texture was excellent as well- comparable to gluten noodle with no splitting or breaking.

The best part of these noodles: They tasted just as good as leftovers for my lunch the following day and my kids slurped them up, too. Perfect.

Overall, I really liked these noodles and plan to buy them again. Way to go Tinkyada- another great brown rice noodle product that my whole family enjoys.

Pros: great texture, mild flavor, pairs well with any sauce or pasta dish, no sogginess or splitting

Cons: noodles are a little longer than a standard penne noodle- may be an issue in some recipes

Rating: 5 stars

I want to try these fun noodles! Where can I buy them?

Click the link below:

Ingredients: Stone-Ground Brown Rice, Rice Bran and Water.

Ok, this isn’t a gluten free review, but one of my long time readers has teamed up for a great give-away she thought some of you (parents of teens) may be interested in.

Neena, at A Mom’s Life, in conjunction with ApplyWise is giving away a 12 pack college admission coaching program package valued at $299. WOW! Please check out her site for more information and to enter. She has a great blog  with great content from a tech-savvy mom that features allergy friendly foods and recipes, give-aways, product reviews, tech news and much more.

Click HERE to go there!

 I usually decline promo requests like these, but Neena, you are definitely the exception.

This April is my anniversary month.

In April I will be gluten free for two years- minus some cross contamination issues here and there (oops!). For 18 of those months, I did not eat any stir-fry, Asian influenced dishes, or marinades that required soy sauce. Why you may ask? This may sound silly. but I simply did not know that gluten free soy sauce existed. And oh did I love spicy Chinese food and stir-fry! When I realized that I could, in fact, still have my favorite dishes, I was SO excited! After I purchased my first bottle of gluten free soy sauce, I think I made stir fry four nights in a row- each a different version- spicy chicken, veggie, beef and broccoli- you name it, I made it. I was in heaven! It was the best $3.49 I ever spent.

I have had no problems with my gluten free soy sauce. I purchased the San-J Tamari organic soy sauce after my sisters wedding at a natural foods store back in December, and I have enjoyed it ever since. At first, I was unsure since the label only says “wheat free.” And as we all know, wheat free does not mean gluten free. However, on the label, it is specified that this gluten free soy sauce is made in a plant inspected by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization. That made me feel better.

I have successfully used this gluten free product in grilling marinades and stir-fry so far. This product is just another reason why I have discovered cooking and eating gluten free isn’t so bad after all.

Rating: 5 stars!!

Try this gluten free soy sauce for yourself! Just click on the link below:

San-J - Tamari Organic Soy Sauce
From: glutenfree.com Ingredients: water, organic soybeans, salt, organic alcohol ( to preserve freshness)

Wow. These gluten free seasonings sure pack a punch! Cali Fine Foods sent me this one ounce Garlic Gusto Gourmet Seasoning packet to try out. When I cut open the packet I was shocked at how strong and pure the seasonings smelled. You can tell it is high quality, and a little goes a long way. The packaging boasts that this gluten free seasoning may be used for dips, marinades, meats, vegetables, pasta, rice, and more. Eight serving suggestions are even printed on the back of the envelope. No doubt this seasoning is versatile.

I decided to use the Chicken Rice Soup recipe with the Garlic Gusto seasoning packet since it was a cold, dreary day. Soup and a hot loaf of gluten free french bread sounded really good for dinner.

The recipe was a breeze to make, and I only used half of the seasoning packet. Because the flavor was so overpowering, I think even using 25% of the seasoning packet would have been more appropriate for a balanced and flavorful. soup. I immediately noticed the strong garlic and black pepper flavor and it complimented the chicken and rice nicely. The more I tasted, I noticed subtle layers of flavors of “seasonings” that helped make my soup very tasty. Because the seasoning packet contains brown rice flour and tapioca starch, it thickened my chicken broth to provide a thick and hearty soup. Overall, this is a flavorful product that would compliment a variety of gluten free meals.

PROS: high quality spices, a little goes a long way, cheerful packaging

CONS: very strong aroma and flavor, be careful not to over season

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Where can I buy Cali Foods Garlic Gusto Seasonings?

Click HERE to purchase this gluten free seasoning product from glutenfree.com

Ingredients: Organic when available: garlic, opinion, celery, carrot, leek, green pepper, parsley, spices, sea salt, tapioca stratch, brown rice flour, black pepper, fructose, citric acid

*Cali seasoning mixes may also be pruchased at califinefoods.com and glutenfreetradingcompany.com

Check out my other Cali reviews:

Cali Sweet & Spicy BBQ Seasoning MixÂ

Cali Herb Medley Gourmet Seasoning MixÂ

I found myself in a fix for dinner. I was planning on making chicken tenders with my favorite coating, the Southern Homestyle corn flake crumbs. But, I was out. Oh no! So, I tried the Ener G bread crumbs, and prayed my picky kids would like them. My 10 ounce box of Ener G bread crumbs cost $2.99.

The bread crumbs appeared slightly yellow in color, mostly fine with larger pieces in texture, and coated my chicken easily. As I sauteed the chicken tenders, they created a crisp coating that wasn’t too thick and heavy.

The end result was great! The flavor was mild enough that you could easily add any spices or seasonings you wish, and the flavors would not compete. I added some garlic and parmesan cheese to my chicken coating, and it was so good, my kids inhaled them. THAT, is amazing. These gluten free bread crumbs are a good product that would work in a variety of recipes (chicken, baked mac & cheese topping etc).

Pros: Mostly fine texture, some larger bits; mild flavor, versatile, affordable price

Cons: Add your own seasonings for best results

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Where Can I Purchase these gluten free bread crumbs?

Click HERE for the Ener G website, or check your local natural foods store

Ingredients: Filtered Water, Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Safflower or Sunflower Oil, Pear Juice Concentrate, Yeast, Methylcellulose, Bamboo Fiber, Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose, Calcium Phosphate, Salt, Glucono Delta Lactone, Guar Gum, Hi Maize Corn Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Tapioca Syrup, Orange Citrus Fiber, Nulomoline (inverted sugar from cane or beet), Xanthan Gum.Enriched with Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Iron and Folic Acid.

Beth’s gluten-free all-purpose flour is a new product my local natural foods store. I was really excited to try it, because the Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour I used in my recipes was a bit too heavy and dense. I purchased this one pound box for $3.99.

I am still new to gluten free baking with a variety of flours- I just don’t have the patience or confidence ( yet!) to experiment and combine two, three, four or more flours in my baking and recipes. I want my recipes to turn out the first time! So for now, pre-blended gluten flour mixtures are what I usually use.

Beth’s gluten-free all-purpose flour mixture is made from white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, guar gum and salt. I liked the consistency of the gluten free flour mixture- it wasn’t too powdery and seemed easy to measure and handle.

I made the Nestle tollhouse cookie recipe, and substituted this flour blend cup for cup. I am one of those people that eats raw cookie dough (gasp!) and this cookie dough tasted wonderful with the gluten free flour blend! My children could not taste the difference, which is a big deal because they are experts at tasting rice flour, and usually don’t care for it.

YUM!

The final product was just as tasty- my family inhaled these cookies! They did not taste gluten free AT ALL! I also substituted Beth’s gluten free all-purpose flour in apple crisp, gravy, other varieties of cookies and sweet breads. I found the flavor to be great with limited graininess and minimal crumbling.

Overall, I really like this gluten free flour blend, and it is my favorite to date. It is not heavy and dense like the corn or bean based all purpose flour blends, but it is more substantial than straight rice flour. The only downside I found was that the box only contains three cups or so of the gluten free flour mixture. The mix is great if you need to substitute a few tablespoons of flour, or a half cup of gluten free flour here and there. However, if you like to bake and cook more, you will find the amount in the box insufficient.

PROS: easy to measure and handle, great in a variety of foods, affordable price

CONS: Each box only contains aprox. 3 cups- doesn’t go very far

Rating: 5 stars

Try this gluten free all purpose flour for yourself! Click below:

Gluten-Free Pantry - Beth’s All-Purpose Bkg Flour
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, guar gum, salt. May contain traces of soy.

Please be patient with me as I update the format of my site to make it more user friendly! When complete, my site will feature:

*Ability for you to read food and product reviews via product category or company: (example, read reviews about bread mixes or reviews of Bob’s Red Mill products)

*Restaurant reviews: Links to gluten free menus  and reviews of my gluten free dining experiences

*Community Building: Spotlighting and providing more links to new gluten free blogs and recipe sites

*Reviews and links to online gluten free shopping sites: Compare shipping time, prices, and product quality

*Spotlighting local bakeries and new product lines from gluten free start-up companies

*And more!

Anything else you want to see? What would be helpful? Please let me know- I’d love to hear from you!feel free to post a response or email me personally at glutenfreefoodreviews (at) gmail (dot) com

Cheers!

Karen