Gluten Free Healthy Food

Just over two years ago, I compiled a review of the various gluten-free dessert products from Shabtai Gourmet, (aka, Cinderella Sweets Ltd.), of Woodmere New York. You can read my original detailed opinions at that link (here on my blog).

I think these are perhaps the best all around gluten-free cracker I have encountered thus far : the Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers - crunchy oven backed original multi-seed variety. And, I have tried quite a few different gluten-free crackers over the years including others that I certainly enjoy (e.g., Mary's Gone Crackers : those are good crunchy robust crackers in general, though they often taste slightly burnt to me for whatever reason and they crumble a bit more easily than these Crunchmasters).

I found these wonderful crackers at CostCo for 1/2 of what they cost in the local grocery store too: $6.99 for a box that contains two (2) 10-ounce bags (for a total of 20oz of crackers). Still a bit steep on a per-pound basis, but considering that this is HALF what they cost when purchased in much smaller boxes I have found elsewhere, they are a relative deal.

I have taste-tested these crackers with a variety of participating testers: gluten-free / Celiac persons and non-gluten-free persons alike. The opinions of my taste-testers were broadly similar in that everyone found the crackers to be quite hearty and full of flavor from the sesame seeds, flax, quinoa seeds, amaranth seeds, and a bit of tamari (the other core ingredients are brown-rice meal, some potato starch, safflower oil, and a bit of salt).

As the name "Crunchmaster" implies: these gluten-free snack crackers have a very nice crunch indeed! The non-gluten-free people testing the crackers did not find them to be lacking anything when compared to the "normal" (gluten-containing) crackers on the market. We have tried them served plain or with cheese, hummus, and a few other things -- the results were always appealing to the taste buds.

In addition to being crunchy and flavorful, the dairy-free/wheat-free/gluten-free crackers also boast a rather low sodium level (110mg / 15-crackers) coupled with 2grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, 280mg of Omega-3 per serving, and zero cholesterol; this makes them a rather "healthy" cracker option to consider. They are certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) and carry a clearly-displayed moniker to that effect. If you want to see more online, here is a link to the Crunchmaster Web-Site.

Bottom line: highly recommended, especially if you enjoy a good crisp and flavorful cracker that goes well with a variety of complementary spreads and toppings!

I found this gluten-free treat called a Chocolate-Covered Halvah bar at the local Rulli Brother's grocery store a few miles from here in Boardman, Ohio. I read the ingredients-label at the store the first day I spotted them, then came home, logged onto the web, and went to the Joyva Halvah website where I confirmed that the what should be gluten-free truly was (it is also dairy-free I believe). The next trip to the store resulted in a purchase and evaluation.

What interested me initially was that the core-ingredients were ones I tend to enjoy the tastes of: sesame and chocolate, and a bit of vanilla. The remaining ingredients are ones I would generally consider taste-inert: corn syrup, sugar, oil, and cocoa butter. I figured this could all make for an enjoyable treat; I figured wrong.

I did not care for the taste or texture of this gluten-free halvah. The bar, contrary to my initial presumptions, actually tasted rather greasy or something, and the oily nature of the bar overwhelmed both the chocolate and the sesame -- a feat I did not quite think possible when the first ingredient on the list was sesame. The texture was odd too. Next, the calories are immense for a 1.75 ounce bar: 340 calories! eek! Had it tasted great and had a nice texture, those calories would not have stopped me from consuming it all... but, as it stands, I found this product not worth eating in its entirety.

Maybe there are better gluten-free halvah products out there to be tried yet, or perhaps it is just an acquired taste or something. But, my initial impressions are that halvah is just not for me - gluten-free or not. Maybe you have tried some types and liked them? If so, great... if not, I can not personally recommend this as a gluten-free treat that I find enjoyable.

I posted a brief article back in March of 2009 here on the Gluten-Free Blog about the impending release of the General Mills reformulated Chex cereals that were publicized and labeled (quite clearly) as Gluten-Free, with same great taste as before GF. Since then, those products (which include Gluten-Free Corn Chex and Rice Chex, Gluten-Free Cinnamon Chex, Gluten-Free Strawberry Chex, and Gluten-Free Honey Nut Chex and even Chocolate Chex) have been released and are available in store.

But, there has been quite a controversy about whether these Chex products are truly "gluten-free" as advertised -- at least, there sure has been a lot of discussion alleging the presence of gluten in these new "gluten-free Chex" per the comments people have posted on my original blog entry over the past year; and, I have even received Emails detailing similar concerns and allegations that people have felt compelled to send out in wide-dispersal to myself and anyone else in the gluten-free community (in hopes we would post their GF disbelief on our sites apparently).

So, what to make of all this?

IS THERE Gluten still in Chex Cereals?
It is quite apparent that more than a few people think Chex cereals, regardless of their "gluten-free" emblazoned box-covers, are somehow "poisoned" with gluten -- perhaps there is something gluten-related going on here, or perhaps it is something else.

Why do I say this?

Well, my wife can eat all the gluten she wants (i.e., she does NOT have Celiac disease or anything), but yet she can not eat the Chex products because they have repeatedly caused her to experience all sorts of stomach / GI discomfort. I also found that, although I can tolerate some of the Chex cereals, if I eat them for any length of time, they cause me GI issues too.

Well, MY issues can be explained by potential gluten, but my WIFE's issues cannot. We started experimenting... and, given how simplistic the Rice Chex ingredients are (rice, sugar, salt, molasses, and Vitamin-E and BHT for preservatives, there was only one potential culprit besides (alleged) gluten contamination to investigate: BHT (the artificial preservative).

A Simple Experiment:
We tried a few other food items that are otherwise gluten-free but contain the preservative BHT, and have had the same issues with those other products as well.

So, this is ONLY a wild guess, but is it possible that what people, or at lease *some* people, are taking to be a "gluten reaction" is perhaps a reaction to the darn BHT companies use "to preserve freshness" in their products? I have found that MY body despises the stuff, and that my wife's body definitely disagrees with BHT as well (and she is NOT sensitive to gluten - she can eat as much normal wheat-based pasta and bread as she desires without any issue). This may or may not be what is to blame for what some are assuming to be a "gluten reaction", but no matter what, the chemical causes issues for my wife and I.

Bottom line:
I tend to try to deal with things in, as best as possible, a more scientific approach and not just draw conclusions, regardless of the fact that the obvious conclusion we Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free types would draw if we present with a reaction to a particular food: that there is potential gluten-contamination in that food (be it Chex or any other products that lead to a "reaction"). But, when a product is supposed to be gluten-free, I can not help wondering what exactly is going on. Without the rigor of scientifically valid double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, it really is hard to pinpoint, with exactitude, the true cause of some things.

Note: given the comments left on my prior blog about Gluten-Free Chex products, before arguing how you just "know" there is gluten in a product based on your body's reactions, I am not saying that you are wrong... I am just saying that true "proof" must be demonstrable in a more rigorous setting if that proof is to be taken as fact by everyone else. I have, on many occasions, suspected a particular item I consumed contained gluten, just based on symptoms I had following ingestion -- but, I have also, on multiple occasions, done my best to perform a "double-blind", or even triple-blind, on the same item (ESPECIALLY if it *should* be completely gluten-free), separating such experimentation by substantial periods of time, and even with the exact same box/can/jar/etc, with outcomes that have proven some things to be completely safe that I previously suspected as "contaminated". Sure, my sensitivity to gluten may vary over time, or vary when consumed items are combined differently with other dietary intake, or be explained by a multitude of other things, but my approach has worked rather well for me. I also will not put myself at risk of substantial harm doing such experiments either: if I have a really bad reaction to something and I know with reasonable certainty what the culprit is, it is gone for good.

In the end, the only thing that truly matters is making sure that what you choose to eat does not cause you harm. I personally want to know exactly what is to blame for any such harm, whenever it is possible.

Just my thoughts. m.

PS: sorry about the infrequency of my gluten-free blogs of recent. Things have become incredibly busy in my life, but that is yet another blog to come (hopefully soon - when I have time!)

I really like the flavors of Orange and Chocolate combined. And, thanks to my wife's latest gluten-free recipe creation, I have a new and delicious way to enjoy this favored taste combination: the Gluten-Free "Chocolate Orange-Juice Cheesecake"™, or "Chocolate Orange-Juice-Concentrate Cheesecake"™ (which would be more accurate)

This new cheesecake formula has moved the dessert into my "top 10 list" for now, and I have had the pleasure of enjoying two of these cakes in the past couple months - it is always good to double-test recipes before publishing (and, double-eat too!) I was hoping to share a more complimentary photo of the end-product, but my picture suffered a bit and does not really make the new cheesecake recipe look as good as it tastes; the piece cracked a bit getting it onto a plate... oh well. But, it is good enough to get the idea I hope:


I may be a bit biased about how great this Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange-Juice Cheesecake tastes, but I find it to be fabulous. Full of chocolate flavor, plenty smooth in texture, and a very sweet orange taste throughout too.

It reminds me a bit of a chocolate Tobler Orange (actually, I believe they changed the name of those to Terry's Chocolate Orange now - produced by Kraft foods), where chocolate combines wonderfully with the semi-pronounced taste of orange (from orange-oil). But, unlike those Terry's chocolate-oranges, this dessert does not get split into 20-segments resembling slices of an orange; in fact, if I had my way, it may only get split into 2 pieces... one for me, one for my wife :)

The recipe came about rather by accident: a lack of fresh oranges in the house made the move to frozen orange juice concentrate a move of desperation that resulted in taste sensation. In addition, it makes it much easier to make, since the need for fresh oranges has been removed. And, my wife made this recipe even easier by using standard chocolate-chips (so you do not need to worry about baker's chocolates and/or weighing chocolate). We hope you enjoy it!

Here is a link to the Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange-Juice Cheesecake Recipe on our website's recipe library. We're using an adapted crust from another one of our cheesecakes (from our cookbook), but any favorite crust should work fine. My preference for cheesecake crusts include ones featuring nut-meals, coconut, and the like. They are rather simplistic formulas, but very tasty.

And, though it should be obvious, this OJ Cheesecake is gluten-free and wheat-free, but not dairy-free. And, before anyone asks, I took the picture of the Orange a while back... it was not available for this recipe. It is actually what I believe to be a Satsuma-Mandarin-Orange that I got at Whole Foods, and I really liked how the leaves were still intact: made for a good photo.

Hey everyone, I do not know if any of you readers subscribe to Delight Gluten-Free Magazine, but if you do, watch out for a problem with the recipe printed on page 54, caled "Texas Bean Soup In A Jar". The recipe (accidentally) calls for barley pearls / pearl barley.

Now, I have not seen this issue personally, but a gluten-free friend of the family that did see it sent me an Email asking me to inform people to be mindful of the fact that barley does contain gluten and that the magazine is *wrong*. All of us longer-term Celiac and gluten-free diet types may well know this, but just in case anyone less familiar with the limitations of the diet decides to cook the soup for themselves or for another person that must remain gluten-free, it could lead to a less than optimal holiday season.

Our friend Sande contacted the magazine, and the following is the exact message she received back from Vanessa Maltin, the Food and Lifestyle Editor, who also said to feel free to share this information.

"I know---it happened because a designer added in her own recipe after the article content had gone through proofing. She has been terminated from the Delight Staff. Julie is putting together a blast to send out to all subscribers notifying people about it and will be posting it on the website. She had her baby Monday, so it has been incredibly frustrating trying to get it [the correction] posted on the web." (Julie is Julie Ann Luse, the Editor in Chief)

Hopefully none of you readers has accidentally included the forbidden Barley in any gluten-free soups or other recipes because of this. This type of situation just reinforces what I tell everyone: always be well informed, know your gluten-free diet constraints well, and proceed with caution (the latter part being more targeted to gluten-free foods and ingredients purchases; but, I guess it also applies to taking recipes for face-value too).

Thanks for the heads-up Sande!

Hey everyone, I do not know if any of you readers subscribe to Delight Gluten-Free Magazine, but if you do, watch out for a problem with the recipe printed on page 54, caled "Texas Bean Soup In A Jar". The recipe (accidentally) calls for barley pearls / pearl barley.

Now, I have not seen this issue personally, but a gluten-free friend of the family that did see it sent me an Email asking me to inform people to be mindful of the fact that barley does contain gluten and that the magazine is *wrong*. All of us longer-term Celiac and gluten-free diet types may well know this, but just in case anyone less familiar with the limitations of the diet decides to cook the soup for themselves or for another person that must remain gluten-free, it could lead to a less than optimal holiday season.

Our friend Sande contacted the magazine, and the following is the exact message she received back from Vanessa Maltin, the Food and Lifestyle Editor, who also said to feel free to share this information.

"I know---it happened because a designer added in her own recipe after the article content had gone through proofing. She has been terminated from the Delight Staff. Julie is putting together a blast to send out to all subscribers notifying people about it and will be posting it on the website. She had her baby Monday, so it has been incredibly frustrating trying to get it [the correction] posted on the web." (Julie is Julie Ann Luse, the Editor in Chief)

Hopefully none of you readers has accidentally included the forbidden Barley in any gluten-free soups or other recipes because of this. This type of situation just reinforces what I tell everyone: always be well informed, know your gluten-free diet constraints well, and proceed with caution (the latter part being more targeted to gluten-free foods and ingredients purchases; but, I guess it also applies to taking recipes for face-value too).

Thanks for the heads-up Sande!

The above pictures show a recent gluten-free cheesecake recipe we were experimenting with. This was to be a gluten-free peanut-butter-cup cheesecake of sorts (peanut butter cheesecake, with peanut-infused crust, all topped with a chocolate layer). Well, even though it *looks* rather good, it was just "OK", and needed some more fine tuning.

So, the question became: what to do with an entire cheesecake that does not meet the cut?

To begin with, I ate a fair amount of this cake myself. Like I said, it did not meet the cut for what I consider "top of the line" desserts, so the recipe will get tuned further before release to the public. But, it was not TOO bad,... it mainly suffered from texture issues, and was a bit thicker/springier than I wanted. It lacked some of the smoothness and creaminess that it should have had (I think there was too much peanut butter proportionately, and the next attempt should perhaps use part Marscapone cheese instead of all Cream Cheese - which is substantially thicker than the former).

But, I tired of this cake, and contemplated its removal from the house.

Perhaps the Mouse / Mice will like it?!
Instead of just pitching the cake into the compost, I decided to address a second issue of the moment (or season)... one that is an inevitability of country-living from what I have determined through conversations with everybody else living in a 20 mile radius here in the country: mice!

Well, it turns out that this time of year is especially prone to mice wanting to move into the house. When the farmers pick the crops and return the fields to nothing more than a bit of thatch, the mice seem compelled to seek refuge in some place a little more stable - and warmer - the closest human residence!

Trapping with Cheesecake
We use these really effective no-kill traps (we refuse to kill animals that are not of any threat to us). And, experimentation with baits had previously determined that the only thing more desirable than cheese was peanut-butter. So, how about a gluten-free peanut-butter-cup cheesecake instead?

The results are clear: mice prefer this cheesecake to all other bait by a factor of about 4 to 1. Seriously. They will ignore traps containing just cheese, and/or just peanut butter, and choose the mouse-bait recipe containing both of their favorite ingredients in one -- PB Cheesecake.

One of our catches:

Isn't it cute? The leaves around it should give a sense of scale... it is only about 2 inches long (tail excluded).

This one had very distinctive markings: those little tan patches on each side coupled with gray. Most mice have been either all gray or all tan, but this one was a hybrid. And, after release, it posed nicely for the picture, holding still for nearly a minute as I talked to it and told it not to return (I do no think my speech helped: I swear this SAME one showed up for "seconds" 2 days later). Oh well. I have a lot of cake for it to eat while I figure out where it gets in.

And Another...
We have also had these ultra-cute "Meadow Jumping Mice" (credit: picture borrowed from someone else online -- ours looked identical, but did not hold still for a photo):

These guys are SUPER TINY... barely 1-1.5" around when sitting like this. And, they "hop" around like little kangaroos. We see them hopping around outside the basement windows every so often, collecting grass and seeds (and, probably hauling that back into some nook of our house.). They might as well be a wild pygmy hamster or pygmy gerbil or whatever. Very, very similar. Too bad I got rid of the aquarium when we moved, or I would have been tempted to have one as a "pet".

Eradication continues...
I still have a lot of that gluten-free peanut-butter cheesecake recipe (attempt) in the fridge where it should last long enough for me to figure out where these little critters are entering the place from. Although they are cute and all, I wish I could just enter into a pact or accord with them whereby I deliver the cheesecake to some OUTSIDE location for their consumption, and they stay out of my house, instead of me needing to bait the no-kill traps that then force me to take them for a nice long walk out into the woods or field for release. But, such is... country living!

I almost always cook gluten-free pudding from scratch (chocolate pudding being my favorite) using the recipe right out of our cookbook. But, on occasion (like when going to the grocery store hungry!) the convenience of a pre-made chocolate pudding is appealing, and during the last trip to the store, I actually found this Kozy Shack brand gluten-free chocolate pudding that I gave in and purchased.

The deciding factors for the purchase: clearly labeled "gluten-free" on the back, and the ingredient list was not too far from "homemade" (the only difference being the addition of carrageenan; a thickener / gum). Aside from that, it is just what you might expect in a chocolate pudding recipe: milk, sugar, tapioca starch, cocoa, salt, and natural flavorings. I had other pudding options to look over in the store at the same time, and the "competition" (that lost out) all suffered from a variety of issues like not being labeled gluten-free, or being full of artificial stuff, or even more gums and thickeners, etc. Kozy Shack passed my first test, and now it just had to make it home for the taste-test...

Taste and Texture
This pudding is really, really good! The thickness/consistency is nearly perfect: it is not too thick (not over-gummed!), but instead it is in my opinion just right - the thickness that a good pudding should present with. Kozy Shack is definitely satisfying with a smooth and creamy texture, and plenty of chocolate flavor from ample amounts of cocoa. It tastes natural from start to finish - no chemical/artificial taste or aftertaste like some other puddings I have encountered in the past. This Kozy Shack chocolate pudding is quite similar to a homemade gluten-free chocolate pudding in both taste and texture, but without the effort of cooking yourself.

The container I found was 22-ounces in size, which is to yield about 6 servings of 1/2 cup each, and 140 calories each. Well, this is where my only problem comes in: I consider this container to be about two servings -- one for me, and one for my wife :) We both really loved the pudding, and it definitely did not last long. We could use the excuse of "getting our calcium and protein" in our gluten-free diet perhaps, but the fact is, it just really tasted great and made for a nice dessert / snack.

I give this Kozy Shack gluten-free dessert a definitely-positive recommendation. Now, I look forward to trying their OTHER desserts / snacks, which include tapioca pudding, flan, and some others - including sugar-free varieties and soy-pudding varieties (presumably targeting dairy-free diets). I checked the Kozy Shack web site to see what their gluten-statement is, and it says:

Is Kozy Shack gluten-free?

Kozy Shack puddings, flans, and gels are gluten-free.

I like being able to quickly locate that type of Celiac-friendly information, both on the web, and on the physical products... now I need to track down that flan of theirs to evaluate - and in two varieties! Yum!

There are plenty of times when my sweet tooth requires quick attention and I just do not feel like baking a gluten-free dessert from scratch to satisfy the "need" for a cookie, cake, or similar treat. When this situation arises (all too often), it is nice to have a few gluten-free snacks around that fit the bill -- like this Jennies Macaroon (carob variety).

In one word: SWEET!
This small 2-ounce cookie (which by the way is not quite photogenic as you can see below, as it resembles a mound or pile of some sort. lol), is just packed with sweetness from the honey contained in the recipe. In fact, there are 34-grams of sugar in this cookie, which is a bit extreme, but guaranteed to satisfy any sugar cravings you have (and, also why I quite often split this cookie into two separate servings).


But, sweetness aside, there is plenty of flavor from the coconut and carob to provide satisfaction too. The carob bears some similarity to chocolate, but yet has subtle differences; either way, it is a nice taste for me. And, this cookie is actually a "high fiber cookie" (in my opinion) thanks to all that coconut fiber, weighing in with a whopping 6-grams of dietary fiber per cookie too.

The product's gluten-free recipe is a simple one, as one would expect of a macaroon (certainly a homemade macaroon would have a similar recipe), with the ingredients label showing only these items in the formula: unsweetened sulfite-free coconut, honey, carob, and egg whites. Period. I always love such simplicity in commercial recipes and appreciate the attention to keeping the recipe free of any chemicals, preservatives, colors, or artificial anything. This is how a purchasable celiac-friendly snack should be!

I have found these gluten-free cookies at a couple local stores, but not widespread. So, there is always the official Jennies Macaroon official website where you can buy them -- including, this rather wonderful sounding order option of 144 macaroons at a time :) Wow! 144... a gross of cookies!? That would keep even me busy for a long, long time. The nice thing about buying in such large quantities is the ability to get that price-point below $1/cookie (the website lists 144 for $125), but then again, unless I have a lot of help eating them, it probably is not a bargain. Anyone nearby want to "go in on a gross" of macaroons with me? he he he

Bottom line: great product. Super sweet. Great taste (I also like the regular coconut macaroon variety, and I have not had a chance to try the dutch-chocolate version, but I suspect it is just fine). Semi-reasonable price for a convenient form of a gluten-free dessert when you do not have time to bake your own. Recommended.