gluten-free food reviews

Stouffer’s Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese…. Delicious!

April 30, 2022 By Joi Sigers

Stouffer’s Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese

While it’s no big secret that homemade macaroni and cheese is superior to anything out of a box (if, that is, the cook is good at what they do), many times you simply want a fast, easy, simple way to add macaroni and cheese to your day. It’s times like these, I’m thankful for quite a few really good gluten-free macaroni and cheese brands on the market. When it comes to box varieties, Annie’s (Amazon link) and Kraft (Amazon link) make outstanding gluten-free macaroni and cheese.

I recently saw something in the frozen food aisle that jumped out at me… it jumped with such precision that it landed right in my cart… Stouffer’s Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese. I have to admit, while I was anxious to try it, I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it is. Another brand (one that makes MANY outstanding frozen gluten-free products) has a gluten-free macaroni and cheese on the market and it is ghastly.

I’m very pleased to say that Stouffer’s Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese isn’t the least bit ghastly – what it is is extraordinary. I have already bought more. They make for a delicious (and quick and easy) side for just about anything.

I’ve been known to simply slice a tomato and have this macaroni and cheese as my entire lunch. When a co-star is this good, it slides over from the role of side, right into the spotlight.

A Greta Garbo move if I ever saw one.

If you’re unable to find this deliciousness in your local supermarket (or Wal-Mart, Target…), you might check Amazon. They carry so many grocery products these days, they may just have it.

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Oatmeal: Individual Servings are Delicious and Crazy Convenient

September 3, 2021 By Joi Sigers

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Individual Oatmeal

Have you seen the Individual Servings of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oatmeal (Amazon link)? I bought this one a few days ago in the store and am already planning to go back for more. I searched for them online and have found that (in spite of my store only having one variety), there are actually several different varieties.

The Blueberry and Hazelnut one is definitely one I’ll buy again (and again and again and again), but I’m also very anxious to try the classic, the Brown Sugar & Maple, and the Apple and Cinnamon.

I was really excited to try this gluten-free oatmeal when I saw it at the store because I buy SO many Bob’s Red Mill products that I’m more than aware of how excellent the brand is. Honestly, if I see a new product from them that’s gluten-free, I simply buy it without a second thought.

It doesn’t get any simpler or faster to enjoy a serving of gluten-free oatmeal than these individual serving containers – simply add hot water… right to the container, let sit for 3 minutes and enjoy.

Crazy convenient!

You can find Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oatmeal (Amazon link) on Amazon. This link leads you to the page for Brown Sugar & Maple but the other options are listed.

Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten Free Coconut Crisp Cookies

May 11, 2020 By Joi Sigers

Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten Free Coconut Crisp Cookies

I haven’t been very active on the food blog (or any of my blogs for that matter) lately. My computer crashed and crashed hard a while back and, on top of that, I have been so affected by the pandemic that (truth be told) I allowed everything to get me out of my regular routine. While my family, thanks be to God, hasn’t been personally touched by the Coronavirus, the fact that so many other families have been touched and often tormented by it has shaken me to my core. For better or worse, I am an insanely empathetic person and don’t just feel other’s pain.. I FEEL it.

I decided a few weeks ago to stop reading every news story and stop visiting personally (through social media) with every person who has suffered a loss. I made the decision to pray for them but not to read every single thing going on. It’s keeping me sane.

Ironic thing is, just when I made this decision and decide to get back into my normal routine – my computer checked out on me!

2020 has a real attitude, doesn’t it?

Back to “Normal”ish

If you’ve read my food blog before or know me, personally, you know that Cookie Monster is my spirit animal. I love cookies… I live for cookies. They’re one of my favorite things to bake and eat! So I decided to jump back into the food blog with a review of some extra, extra wonderful cookies I just discovered: Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten Free Coconut Crisp Cookies (link to the cookies on Amazon). I had never seen them on store shelves before, but recently saw them at my favorite grocery store in the “cheap” bin.

If I’d ever seen them before, there wouldn’t be any of them left to go in the bargain aisle – I’d have bought them all!

These cookies are absolutely outstanding. They have such a distinctive and delicious taste of coconut (one of my favorite flavors), while giving an extraordinary crunch – something, as a dunker, I appreciate in a cookie. While these cookies were (past tense, we ate them all) fantastic right out of the bag, they were Heavenly with coffee as well.

These cookies are available on Amazon (gluten-free as well as the original) and I couldn’t recommend them more highly. I just noticed that there is also a Tate’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip (Amazon link) cookie and I am pretty much beside myself.

This human Cookie Monster feels like it’s Christmas morning.

I hope and pray that you and your loved ones are well and safe. I’m thinking of you and praying for you. I hope you will, now – more than ever, find the things that bring you joy and embrace them every chance you get. For me, that’s family (including my cats!), cookies, and old movies.

Stay positive and stay safe. We will get through this! ~ Joi

Tate’s Coconut Crisp Gluten-Free Cookies with Coffee

Review: Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks

July 21, 2018 By Joi Sigers

Some people are snackers and some aren’t. Some love to pass through the kitchen and grab a handful of something crunchy and salty (or soft and sweet) before heading to the den for some quality time with the TV.

Personally, I can’t imagine not being a snacker. Seriously… don’t the non-snackers know what they’re missing?!

I’m not just a snacker, I’m a snacker’s snacker. Top in the business. I could go pro. Funny thing is, I don’t eat a lot at one sitting or swipe a lot in one passing…. but I enjoy the heck out of what I do nibble on.

I came across something exciting in Target last week – come to think of it, I always come across something exciting in Target…. like in every aisle, to be precise. This time, I happened to be in the potato chip and popcorn aisle (of course I was). A bag of Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks caught my eye. If you have to eat gluten-free, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say the magic words, gluten-free, jump out from a mile away.

It’s like the verbal equivalent of Popeye’s spinach or Cookie Monster’s cookies.

Naturally, a bag went straight into my cart – right between a gorgeous new set of bright kitchen towels (personal obsession) and cat food (another obsession… cats, not the food).

I may or may not have sampled them before I even got out of the parking lot. The first thing I noticed was how similar they look and feel (and smell… Heavenly!) to regular pretzel sticks.

Anyone who doesn’t have to eat gluten-free may not realize this, but finding legitimate substitutions for the “real deal” is tough, tough, tough.

I’ve had other gluten-free pretzels and pretzel sticks that, while tasty, looked more like cookies and tasted more like hard bread. Snyder’s of Hanover has hit the nail on the head with these gluten-free pretzels. They’re excellent.

While I’m excited to have these beauties for snacking, I’m even more excited to have them for other reasons. Each holiday (and often on birthdays), I make chocolate-covered pretzels and pretzel sticks. The gluten-free varieties have never played quite as well as the regular pretzels I remember from my salty past. Since these look, feel, and taste like the real McCoy, I can’t wait to take them for a dip in chocolate and white chocolate.

I also look forward to using them in Chex Mix for the holidays, I’m also over the moon excited about an old favorite, Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Again, other gluten-free pretzels on the market just don’t lend themselves to this type of dish. Snyder’s of Hanover’s Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks will be perfect and I CANNOT wait to make this favorite from the past a favorite of the present again.

Check your favorite store for a bag – you’re going to love them as much as I do. They’re also available on Amazon (Amazon link) – easiest way to shop known to man or womankind!

Easy Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Green Lentil (No Boil!) Noodles

September 6, 2017 By Joi Sigers

Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Noodles

Gluten-free lasagna just got easier and healthier – and if you love lasagna like Garfield the cat and I do, this is the kind of good news you’ve been waiting for.

Explore Cuisine makes a wonderful line of gluten-free pastas that will change your entire pasta game. They’re delicious – dare I say far more delicious than they sound like they’d be. I mean, let’s be serious, even those of us who love vegetables to distraction would be a little skeptical about Green Lentil Lasagna Noodles. I know I was! When I first used them to make lasagna, I was half-tempted to make one with traditional gluten-free noodles too, you know… just – in – case.

I didn’t take this crazy precautionary step and it turns out I didn’t need to. These noodles have a really wonderful, understated flavor that couldn’t work more beautifully with tomato sauces if it had to.

Not only are these noodles gluten-free and delicious, they don’t have to be boiled before building your lasagna. I am so over the process of handling limp HOT lasagna noodles, so that’s a dream come true for me and my hands.

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Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagna on AmazonAbout Explore Cuisine:

Explore Cuisine products are vegan, organic, gluten-free, and kosher, ensuring your health and igniting your taste buds! For example, our delicious bean pastas contain nearly 20-25 grams of protein per serving and are low in carbs and sodium while simultaneously containing a high fiber content. With Explore Cuisine, you’ll experience the incomparable taste of pasta with all the benefits of nutritious beans! Read More…

There is a wonderful recipe for Vegetable Lasagna on Explore Cuisine’s blog – just click the link to check it out. It’s out of this world – fresh and delicious.

The first lasagna I made with these noodles was, however, my “go to” lasagna I’ve been making for 112 years. The recipe is below and, thanks to these no-boil noodles, it couldn’t be easier.

A Few Notes:

If you use a pasta sauce that already contains garlic – leave the garlic out of the recipe. The same is true of one with bell peppers, or onions.
You can add a small (drained) can of sliced mushrooms in with the onion and bell pepper.
I like my lasagna extra saucy, but if you prefer your lasagna a little more “traditional,” only use one jar of pasta sauce instead of 1-1/2.
Always check pasta sauce for the gluten-free label. Some actually are not gluten-free. Always, always check.