Gluten Free Food Reviews

Lately I feel like I have been on a roll- I have tried so many good products lately that I like! What a nice change from the gluten free products I have wasted my time and money on in the past.

Here we have another winning gluten free flour blend from Gluten Free Mama! The Gluten Free Mama herself sent me this 2 pound bag of this coconut flour blend to try in some of her recipes in her cookbook ( review coming soon!) Notice the bag of flour is almost gone . . . and for good reason . . . I really like it!

I used this gluten free flour blend to make cookies, treats and quick breads (chocolate chip cookies, brownies, coconut banana bread, and pumpkin bread.) I even dusted some tilapia with it for a quick pan seared meal! In all trials, this coconut flour blend worked beautifully. The coconut gave my gluten free baked products a slightly sweet and moist crumb with no coarseness. In my quick bread trials, my breads did not taste gluten free. At all. Even my super picky kids inhaled my baked goods made with this flour- and that speaks volumes since they shy away from most products that they know is gluten free.

Overall, this gluten free flour blends seems well balanced between the coconut flour and the rice flour and would be ideal for most dessert recipes.

Pros: produces smooth, light baked goods that do not taste gluten free

Cons: slightly sweet flavor in recipes that may not mesh with some recipes

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Ingredients: white rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, organic coconut flour, sweet rice flour

For purchasing information, please visit Gluten Free Mama’s website.

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if you are interested in reading my other Gluten Free Mama product reviews, click here.

Gluten Free Mama sent me her hefty 32 ounce gluten free pancake and waffle mix to try out. I must admit, this mix has some steep competition, since I have tried quite a few gluten free pancakes in my day.  And, oh do I love pancakes for breakfast!

This gluten free pancake & waffle mix is fairly easy to prepare- simply add eggs, oil, and your choice of milk ( soymilk, rice milk, nut milk or regular dairy milk- I used soy milk).  I  mixed this by hand, and found the batter to be very thick and sticky, almost like glue. I also had to mix really well, since the eggs and oil did not blend very easily into the pancake mix.

The packaging suggests cooking the pancakes in butter- this will result in a crispier edges. However, I experienced good results with gluten free cooking spray; the edges weren’t as crisp but it tasted the same.

Be aware when cooking these pancakes- they are very thick and hardly spread out at all. I even added an extra 1/3 cup soy milk to try and thin the batter, but it didn’t have much of an effect. These pancakes do not really bubble when ready for flipping- I watched for dry edges and that worked well for me. They also puffed up and looked more like a biscuit,  than a pancake. I was impressed that these gluten free pancakes cooked up so evenly, despite the thick batter. Nice.

The final cooked product was much different than I expected. It was moist, light, fluffy, and somewhat spongey. The texture also seemed quite “eggy”, as well. It actually reminded me of the puff pancakes my sister makes in a huge pan in the oven. At first, I admit, I didn’t care for the texture, the more the more I ate, the more the pancakes grew on me.

The flavor is actually really great- very mild and neutral, so you can add any topping or syrups without worry of a weird aftertaste or competing flavors.  These pancakes are also “stick to your ribs” good.  They are very filling!

I liked the resealable package- it was sturdy and easy to use.  Overall, these are tasty, filling pancakes for a great price.

Rating: 4 stars

Pros: light, mild taste; moist, doesn’t get soggy in syrup, good value

Cons: spongey, eggy texture maybe a turn off to some

Want to try this mix for yourself? Check out Gluten Free Mama’s website for more information.

Ingredients: white rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, sweet rice flour, almond meal, organic, evaporated cane sugar, aluminum free baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), xanthan gum, vanilla powder ( vanilla bean extractives, evaporated can juice, silica cellulose), sea salt

**Check our Gluten Free Mama’s blog for more recipes, tips and stories

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For more Gluten Free Mama product reviews, click HERE

For more gluten free pancake reviews, click HERE

Gluten Free Mama sent me her cookbook, flours and a mix to review. First of all, I noticed the packaging- the mom on the front and pretty green bag is just too cute!  But then I realized I felt a bit nervous. It is no secret I am not the best cook, especially when it comes to gluten free baking. I have tried and tried, with minimal success. I figured if this cookbook and flour blends would work for me, they would work for anyone. A 2 pound bag sells for $8.49 on her website.

I am still in the process of testing recipes from Gluten Free Mama’s cookbook ( watch for the review coming on October), but I have had to opportunity to make pizza crust and brownies with the Mama’s Almond Blend All Purpose Gluten Free Flour so far.

This flour is a blend of white rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, sweet rice flour and almond meal flour.  The first thing I noticed is that this blend provides 1 gram of fiber and 3 grams of protein per two ounce “serving.”  I liked this, because it the addition of almond offers fiber and protein that I wouldn’t get with using just a rice/tapioca blend. Nice.

This gluten free all purpose flour was perfect in my homemade brownies and pizza crust. I was shocked, since I have never made anything gluten free from scratch - more or less- that turned out so good.  My baked items were not gritty or crumbly and had a light but substantial flavor with a hint of almond.  They hardly tasted gluten free! This is a product I will experiment more with in the kitchen. Overall, I really like this flour blend so far and would definitely stock it in my own kitchen.

The only downfall to this gluten free flour blend is the packaging. The top of the plastic bag has a ziplock to help retain freshness. However, my ziplock won’t stay locked, so I have to store in a separate gallon ziplock bag for freshness and to prevent spills.  It really isn’t that big of a deal, but definitely worth mentioning.

Rating: 5 stars

Pros: versitile flour blend that is excellent in baked goods

Cons: Limited availability in stores, most will have to order online; faulty packaging; nutty almond flavor may not match well with all recipes

Ingredients: white rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, sweet rice flour, almond meal flour

To purchase, visit Gluten Free Mama’s website here.

If you wish, read my other all purpose gluten free flour reviews here.