Gluten Free Healthy Food

Husband says, “These have an interesting texture.” … WOT! WOT’S WRONG? He says, “They’re really good.” … H’okay, then! I’m not into cooked sweet things much these days (RAW FOODIE ALERT!), but my husband tells me these are blog-worthy.

Orgran gluten-free plain flour mix results in a texture that is somewhere between most gluten-free things & wheat flour things… thus interesting! The peanut oil gives these biscuits a pleasant roasted taste, too… Obviously these biscuits are not part of a weight-loss programme, but they can be used as part of a tasty vegan snacking programme.

& I used agave to sweeten instead of processed sugar, hooray. You could also use maple syrup if you are from a certain part of the world where that stuff is abundant & cheap…!

Makes: HEAPS.
Gluten-free, sugar-free, soy-free.

Dry ingredients:
2 cups gluten-free plain flour mix (eg. Orgran)
½ cup muesli (I used our homemade mix of buckwheat, nuts, puffed grains, seeds, etc)
½ cup chunky almond meal (or very finely chopped almonds) (leftovers from making raw treats!)
1 cup dark choc chips or other semisweet vegan choc chips… or cacao nibs!
¼ cup shredded coconut
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda

Wet ingredients:
½ cup peanut oil
½ cup (dark) agave nectar
¼ cup water
3 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof/parchment paper.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, stirring together with a wire whisk.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add all wet ingredients, and stir together.
4. Take roughly 1 tablespoon blobs of mix, roll into a ball & flatten into cookie shape on the paper. Smooth edges on the cookies to prevent crumbling (but only if crumbs bother you! I think crumbs are a great part of the cookie experience, ha).
5. Bake on the centre shelf of your oven for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
6. Store in an airtight container in the fridge (or they freeze ok, too).

Notes:
If peanut oil is too scary-fat for you – but it smells so good baking, oh boy, & makes a nice, brown coloured cookie rarer to gluten-free baking – use coconut oil instead (which would go well with the shredded coconut!), or an unscented oil like sunflower.

Filed under: biscuits, cookies, desserts, sweet things

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).

As you might have noticed, Baby Yum has been keeping me extremely busy lately. So busy that there have been fewer posts here at the Book of Yum, but I still post at least once a week. With less posting and Baby Yum’s allergies, you might think that I haven’t been cooking much- but it couldn’t be further from the truth! With Baby Yum’s allergies improved I’ve incorporated more foods into my diet, including sorghum. I’m a little bit in love with sorghum, actually- and have a host of new recipes I’m dying to share with you all. Let me start by introducing a wonderful, gluten-free vegan cookie recipe inspired by our own Karina, the Gluten-free Goddess and her vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’m sure as written, this recipe would make you swoon. But unfortunately, I can’t use most of the listed flours (yet) and although I could eat chocolate chip cookies on a daily- make that hourly- basis, the chocolate seems to make Baby Yum hyper. So I took this recipe as a jumping off point to come up with my own yummy vegan millet-coconut flour cookies that evoke the raisin-rich goodness of an oatmeal cookie… without the oatmeal. I think you’ll enjoy these coconut treasures. They earned a big thumbs up from my traditional gluten-eating Father, who enjoyed his with some honey-sweetened herbal tea. The hardest part was sharing! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Tell me about your own inspired cookie experiments in the comments!

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.

[by Mike] Let me begin by saying: this stuff is simply awesome!

I have had many a "trail mix" over the years, but this product is a cut above to say the least. It is fabulous, satisfying, and made with high-quality ingredients. For me, it is trail-mix nirvana.

Mareblu Naturals Blueberry Pomegranate Gluten-Free Trail Mix Crunch is all natural, oven-roasted (slow dry roasted) ingredients that include Almonds, Cashews, and Pistachios, with a lightly-glazed coating derived from evaporated cane juice and rice syrup, with some blueberries, pomegranate, sea salt, and natural flavors that all come together in trail mix perfection!

This is a very hearty mix - as the close-up picture below makes clear (click for more detail) - lots of nuts forming the bulk of the trail mix chunks. And, those chunks carry with them a great overall flavor of blueberry and pomegranate that is present with every crunch, and enjoyable without being overbearing.



I find the balance of flavors nearly perfect, and this gluten-free snack food lives up to Mareblu Naturals claim that they wanted to "create a perfect bite-size snack that was healthy yet didn't sacrifice great taste". Indeed! They certainly did meet that goal.

The product is Peanut-free, contains zero trans fats, is gluten-free, vegan, wheat-free, Kosher, Cholesterol-Free, Dairy-free, and is made here in the USA! That last item of interest (made in the USA) sold me over a competing brand that was also at Costco at the same time, as the other one was from China, and I just do not believe the gluten-free status of some of those products given all the other notable issues with quality control in Chinese food products over the past few years. So, the Mareblu is the perfect choice for me on many levels.

We found this nice 20oz resealable bag of Mareblu Naturals Blueberry Pomegranate Gluten-Free Trail Mix Crunch at Costco for $8.99, which is substantially less than anywhere else I could find the trail mix online when I started looking around. In fact, it was less than half the price that most places want (including Amazon.com and their dealers), as they show a "list price" there of nearly $25.00... a price to which I say, "yeah, right!"; meaning, I would not pay that even though it is a fantastic product.

NOTE --> here is a money-saving tip: if you do not have a CostCo nearby, you can order Mareblu products directly from the Mareblu Naturals website for about the best online prices I could find. Plus, they have ALL the varieties available there, as you would expect. Shipping is reasonable (in fact, it says it is FREE over $50.00 orders) too. E.g., this bag of BB/Pomegranate is $11.99 direct vs. $8.99 at Costco.

I find the $8.99 price at Costco reasonable (as well as the not too much higher prices on the Mareblu web site) given the high-quality, hearty ingredients. I would certainly not pay that for a generic bag of "trail mix" that is just a bunch of raisins and M&Ms and peanuts; but, this Mareblu product is anything but generic - it is a quality snack food (or a dinner in a hurry - lol) that satisfies with substantial ingredients chosen to complement each other well and deliver some low-sugar, high-protein, great taste when you want it.

Mareblu Naturals makes a wide range of snacks and trail mix products in addition to this Gluten-Free Blueberry Pomegranate version, though I have yet to try them since Costco only had this one variety currently (note to Costco: get some more flavors!). The back of the bag lists varieties (visible on tehir website) like Almond, Almond Coconut, Cashew, Cashew Coconut, Pistachio, Pecan Cinnamon, Cranberry Pomegranate Trail Mix, Acai Blueberry Trail Mix, and a couple featuring my favorite thing - CHOCOLATE - like, Dark Chocolate Cashew Crunch and Dark Chocolate Almond Crunch. And , until Costco gets more, I just ordered a few other varieties online to try them out -- now I just have to be patient while they ship to me! Given the wonderful impression this Gluten-Free Trail Mix made on me, I expect similarly high-quality and delicious results in their other products, and look forward to trying them.

Everything about Mareblu Naturals Blueberry Pomegranate Gluten-Free Trail Mix Crunch said "high quality and attention to great taste, texture, and even health" as I consumed it, and it gets an emphatic thumbs-up rating from me, my wife, my parents, Nick (who seems permanently distracted lately and may not be writing further reviews for me), and Nick's father. We ALL loved this product. The only down-side: we find it difficult not to consume an entire bag in no time once we open it... this is some really great, and nearly addictive, trail mix!

Gluten-Free Cookies!
Bring 'em on!

I continue my gluten-free and wheat-free product review series today with something we can all enjoy: gluten-free cookies.

[by Nick - guest gluten-free blog author]

Well, today Mike had cookies on the mind, and he has asked me to write another review using my own recent non-gluten-free eating experience to compare another gluten-free food to what I would expect from the "real thing".

I’m sure you folks out there have enjoyed a cookie or two in your time - - I know I have. Now, when you hear the word ‘cookie’ you’re probably thinking of your favorite cookie that you enjoyed growing up as a kid. Well, I can tell you that what we’ll be talking about today here on the ol’ gluten-free blog is your basic short bread cookie, but of course it’s gluten-free.

Today's blog is dedicated to the Schar gluten-free shortbread cookie and my opinion of it and how it stacks up (here is a picture of a few on a small plate - click to get a nice large version of the product if you want).

Mike turned me onto the brand Schar, which makes a wonderful gluten free cookie that has the look and feel of a ‘Lorna Doone’, but without all the calories. But we must remember that it isn’t called a cookie for nothing. These cookie treats are made with corn flour, sugar and vegetable oils (palm, coconut and canola), as well as eggs, honey and artificial flavors. But, I would like to add that when you compare the ingredients and fat content to your average, every-day cookie in the snack aisle, these little gluten-free buggers are much healthier than their competition (they have rather low sugar and fat grams per serving) and the Schar shortbread cookie is a wonderful alternative for snack time in your wheat-free / gluten-free household.

So, how do they taste?

Well . . . . . . for starters, when I chomped down on one of these puppies, the texture was crisp and the immediate hint of honey was picked up by my taste buds on the tip of my tongue. Since butter is not used in this cookie, there is a distinct difference between this gluten free cookie, and counterparts containing butter, but one thing is for certain,... and that is there is plenty of flavor.

The aftertaste is quite pleasant too, and Mike and I have both agreed that there is a hint of vanilla that lingers soon after the last bite. As far as the sugar content is concerned, it’s relatively lower compared to other non GF cookies, with the Schar product weighing in at only 5 grams per serving; with a "serving" being 4 cookies (28g). Not too bad. Try getting that in your Oreos. Uh, not!

Now, the one thing I’m not too impressed with is the price. A little 7 oz. bag of these gluten-free cookies cost close to a whopping $5.00 USD. Now, you can imagine why it pays to bake your own gluten-free cookies and desserts: it’s cheaper and you can – with practice – get the recipe exactly to your liking. Of course, this is a good part of why Mike and his wife created their gluten-free desserts recipes and cookbook - to help themselves and others who have the time and desire to bake their own treats do so, and save some cash in the process. But, the simple fact is, there is not always the time (or desire) to slave over a stove when you just want (or "need") a quick gluten-free cookie fix; so, store-bought cookies like this Schar Shortbread come in handy in a pinch.

The Verdict
I would conclude that these cookies are pretty tasty and go great with a glass of milk or a good English tea, but they definitely are a bit expensive (which I am quickly learning is common with gluten-free foods and diet items). So, the verdict is in and for all of us out there that have Celiac disease, are living on a gluten free diet, or for us that are just looking for a slightly healthier alternative to our buttery cookies, snacks and desserts, the Schar shortbread cookie won’t necessarily hit you in the waistline but it will definitely hit your tastebuds in a good way while hitting the old wallet up for some more cash.

At a recent Celiac Bay Area potluck one of our members brought some yummy yellow cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting. It turned out she was one of the first in our area to score the new Betty Crocker mixes (at Nob Hill grocery, for you locals) and so she brought some cupcakes for the group to try. My non GF DH was extremely enthused and kept stealing them- and I thought they were pretty tasty as well. Later on I made some blueberry cupcakes with the mix, and I found that while the texture is good they really aren’t kidding about the vanilla. Add it or the mix is a tad bland. Nevertheless, with gluten-free cake texture is half the battle and my DH proclaimed them indistinguishable from the “real” thing. Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix on Amazon

We tried the Betty Crocker Gluten-free Devil’s Food Cake mix second, after we’d tried the yellow cake mix. As it happens, I don’t especially like chocolate cake, or devil’s food cake, and so it wasn’t especially exciting to me. The texture was good, though, and the DH seemed to enjoy it slathered in prepared chocolate frosting. I probably wouldn’t buy this again, but if you like chocolate cake or devil’s food cake… or chocolate cupcakes, this may be the mix for you. Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix on Amazon

The third Gluten-Free Betty Crocker mix we tried was the brownie mix. I’ve had my share of gluten-free brownie mixes in the past, from Gluten-Free pantry or Pamela’s, and I enjoyed them. This mix is equal to those specialty mixes, although it must be said that it is a very sweet mix. In fact, the first ingredient is sugar. We had no trouble polishing this batch off, and I would buy it again although I might not buy a whole case of it as I somehow don’t think that would be compatible with losing post-pregnancy inches. Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix on Amazon

The one gluten-free mix we couldn’t find at our local Nob hill was the Betty Crocker mix for chocolate chip cookies. Cookies are actually my favorite sweet- I prefer them by far to cake or cupcakes or even brownies, and so I was sad not to be able to try it. Luckily, the PR company representing Betty Crocker contacted me and offered me a sample pack of the four mixes and so I was able to get the mix after all. The DH mixed up the batch. One funny thing about these Betty Crocker mixes is that the DH has been more enthused/less intimidated by the package and so has been baking more with them than he ever had with regular gluten-free mixes. One more advantage to a mix offered by a mainstream company like Betty Crocker- family members may be more receptive and willing to mix it up for you (and them) to enjoy! The DH did make some grumbly comments about not really needing a mix for cookies- and I do see his point. After all, we’ve been happily making the recipe on the Tollhouse chocolate chip package for years just subbing rice flour or Betty Hagman’s gourmet blend for the flour (no xanthan gum needed). However, with that recipe you need to have chocolate chips on hand, and with a mix you can just add a few commonly held ingredients and have cookies anytime. I thought the cookies were excellent and just as good as our Tollhouse versions, if not better. The DH was slightly less enthused- but that didn’t stop him from gobbling them up! I would buy this mix again, although a case might be a bit too much temptation (and calories) for a new momma.
Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix on Amazon

The fun thing about these mixes, besides how easy it is to prepare them, is that you can use them for those traditional “box mix” recipes. There are some very fun recipes on the Betty Crocker web page using these mixes:

Bette Crocker Gluten-Free Mix Recipes
(including Banana Muffins, Brownie Ganache Torte with Raspberries, and Gluten-free Carrot Cake)

I’d like to host a contest at my blog over the next week- starting today, July 30th, and closing on August 6th. The winner will receive a Betty Crocker “Sweet Treats” prize pack that includes all four (4) samples of the dessert mixes, two (2) Free coupons for any of the varieties, a grocery tote bag, magnetic grocery list and pen. (Prize pack depicted above.) Unfortunately only US residents are eligible as Betty Crocker is not available in Canada or other international locations and this is a company sponsored contest. To enter, simply share the URL of your favorite (non-GF) recipe using a baking box mix (yellow cake, chocolate cake, brownie, or cookie mix) or type the recipe in the recipe in the comments below. Please share any credits. (Do not use any of the Bette Crocker recipes from their web site- the goal is to come up with some new options.) Ideally this would be an original recipe, but an old family favorite (credited to author) is welcome too. I will select one recipe to make in my kitchen, adapting for the Bette Crocker mixes, and the reader who submitted that recipe will then receive the Sweet Treats Prize Pack. To make it fair, I will read the recipes to my DH, who will choose the recipe that sounds the most appealing to him “blind” (without knowing who submitted them.) Looking forward to seeing your recipes!

At a recent Celiac Bay Area potluck one of our members brought some yummy yellow cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting. It turned out she was one of the first in our area to score the new Betty Crocker mixes (at Nob Hill grocery, for you locals) and so she brought some cupcakes for the group to try. My non GF DH was extremely enthused and kept stealing them- and I thought they were pretty tasty as well. Later on I made some blueberry cupcakes with the mix, and I found that while the texture is good they really aren’t kidding about the vanilla. Add it or the mix is a tad bland. Nevertheless, with gluten-free cake texture is half the battle and my DH proclaimed them indistinguishable from the “real” thing. Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix on Amazon

We tried the Betty Crocker Gluten-free Devil’s Food Cake mix second, after we’d tried the yellow cake mix. As it happens, I don’t especially like chocolate cake, or devil’s food cake, and so it wasn’t especially exciting to me. The texture was good, though, and the DH seemed to enjoy it slathered in prepared chocolate frosting. I probably wouldn’t buy this again, but if you like chocolate cake or devil’s food cake… or chocolate cupcakes, this may be the mix for you. Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix on Amazon

The third Gluten-Free Betty Crocker mix we tried was the brownie mix. I’ve had my share of gluten-free brownie mixes in the past, from Gluten-Free pantry or Pamela’s, and I enjoyed them. This mix is equal to those specialty mixes, although it must be said that it is a very sweet mix. In fact, the first ingredient is sugar. We had no trouble polishing this batch off, and I would buy it again although I might not buy a whole case of it as I somehow don’t think that would be compatible with losing post-pregnancy inches. Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix on Amazon

The one gluten-free mix we couldn’t find at our local Nob hill was the Betty Crocker mix for chocolate chip cookies. Cookies are actually my favorite sweet- I prefer them by far to cake or cupcakes or even brownies, and so I was sad not to be able to try it. Luckily, the PR company representing Betty Crocker contacted me and offered me a sample pack of the four mixes and so I was able to get the mix after all. The DH mixed up the batch. One funny thing about these Betty Crocker mixes is that the DH has been more enthused/less intimidated by the package and so has been baking more with them than he ever had with regular gluten-free mixes. One more advantage to a mix offered by a mainstream company like Betty Crocker- family members may be more receptive and willing to mix it up for you (and them) to enjoy! The DH did make some grumbly comments about not really needing a mix for cookies- and I do see his point. After all, we’ve been happily making the recipe on the Tollhouse chocolate chip package for years just subbing rice flour or Betty Hagman’s gourmet blend for the flour (no xanthan gum needed). However, with that recipe you need to have chocolate chips on hand, and with a mix you can just add a few commonly held ingredients and have cookies anytime. I thought the cookies were excellent and just as good as our Tollhouse versions, if not better. The DH was slightly less enthused- but that didn’t stop him from gobbling them up! I would buy this mix again, although a case might be a bit too much temptation (and calories) for a new momma.
Buy Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix on Amazon

The fun thing about these mixes, besides how easy it is to prepare them, is that you can use them for those traditional “box mix” recipes. There are some very fun recipes on the Betty Crocker web page using these mixes:

Bette Crocker Gluten-Free Mix Recipes
(including Banana Muffins, Brownie Ganache Torte with Raspberries, and Gluten-free Carrot Cake)

I’d like to host a contest at my blog over the next week- starting today, July 30th, and closing on August 6th. The winner will receive a Betty Crocker “Sweet Treats” prize pack that includes all four (4) samples of the dessert mixes, two (2) Free coupons for any of the varieties, a grocery tote bag, magnetic grocery list and pen. (Prize pack depicted above.) Unfortunately only US residents are eligible as Betty Crocker is not available in Canada or other international locations and this is a company sponsored contest. To enter, simply share the URL of your favorite (non-GF) recipe using a baking box mix (yellow cake, chocolate cake, brownie, or cookie mix) or type the recipe in the recipe in the comments below. Please share any credits. (Do not use any of the Bette Crocker recipes from their web site- the goal is to come up with some new options.) Ideally this would be an original recipe, but an old family favorite (credited to author) is welcome too. I will select one recipe to make in my kitchen, adapting for the Bette Crocker mixes, and the reader who submitted that recipe will then receive the Sweet Treats Prize Pack. To make it fair, I will read the recipes to my DH, who will choose the recipe that sounds the most appealing to him “blind” (without knowing who submitted them.) Looking forward to seeing your recipes!