gluten free snacks

Okay, I have a confession to make before I get to the review of these delicious snack bars. When I first received these bars to review on the food blog, I took SCADS of pictures. I took them in their packaging, I took them out of their packaging. I took them alongside coffee (amazingly delicious with coffee), I took them on snack trays.

I photographed them in my kitchen and I even photographed them beside my flower bed, where I loved to snack away while working with my beloved zinnias.

Now… understand… I regularly write reviews on the food blog (as well as my other blogs), so photographing products, e-mailing the pictures to myself, saving, and posting them are as old hat to me as putting ice in my tea glass.

And yet….

For the first time in my life, I lost 95 percent of the pictures I took! I’m sick about this because this is a wonderful snack and one of the foods I’ve been sent that I was the most excited about.

I’ve checked and rechecked ,my iPhone, my iPad, and my e-mail.  Know what I came up with? TWO PICTURES – TWO, OUT OF PROBABLY THIRTY! And – it gets worse. The two I actually found? Basically the same picture – just different angles.

{Insert thirty screaming emojis right here.}

At any rate, I want to tell you all about these snack bars (the press release is published at the end of my review, so you can read even more about them).

The bars are available online (through Amazon) and come in these delicious varieties: Pistachio, Vanilla, and Cocoa Nibs. Being a chocoholic, I was completely prepared to favor the cocoa nibs like a favored child but the vanilla and pistachio bars said, “Not so fast, mom…”  Each of the three are just phenomenal and (as is the case with my three beautiful daughters), I couldn’t pick a favorite if I had to.

Tahini Flavor

I will point this out, in complete fairness and full disclosure – you need to like the flavor of tahini to appreciate these snack bars. There is more tahini flavor in these little guys than in any hummus I ever made or met. Given the name, this isn’t much of a surprise, is it? The flavor of cocoa nibs, vanilla, and pistachio is evident in each of the three varieties, but make no mistake about it, tahini is the star of the show and she does not allow you to forget this fact.

Think of Greta Garbo allowing any of her co-stars to steal her spotlight. Not happening.

{Review Continued Below… Beneath the second of the two remaining pics…. sigh}

While I feel absolutely SICK about the missing pictures, I do have to cut myself just a little bit of slack. One of my daughters was very, very sick this past summer and my mind was, understandably, elsewhere.  She had chronic diarrhea, nausea, pain, and (since she was unable to eat) was losing weight at an alarming rate. After many doctors, procedures, and even a scope, it was determined that she had a horrible case of gastritis and needed weeks of medication and recovery.  She spent nearly her entire summer sick and hurting while her mom (that’d be me) spent it worried sick.

I’m not using this as an excuse for the picture catastrophe (all I can figure is I e-mailed them to myself, deleted the pictures, and they never made it to my e-mail). I’m actually using this as a testimony to these bars. While Emily was recovering, the Tahini bars were often the one thing she could hold down – and they seemed to settle her stomach. I always attributed this to the simplicity of the product. They’re free of so many things that are difficult to digest and contain ingredients that are beautifully natural and easy to handle.

They, literally, were a God-send for her.

If they’re easy on someone’s digestive system that’s under complete FULL attack, they must be as good as they’re cracked up to be!

After I tried these delicious gluten-free bars, I researched the Absolutely Gluten-Free band – completely determined to buy everything they make. I was delighted to see that they make a great selection of gluten-free foods – and, yes, I have every intention of trying them all!

I hope you’ll visit their website and find these bars (Pistachio, Vanilla, and Cocoa Nibs) on Amazon or in your local stores, if you can find where they’re carried. These would be IDEAL for after-school snacks or treats for the office desk, lunch box treats, and handbag. For a while there, I had one in my purse at all times! 

Press Release:

NEW! SNACK BARS TAKE THE TAHINI CRAZE TO HEALTHY, DELICIOUS NEW HEIGHTS

Absolutely Gluten Free Introduces TahiniBAR, the Energy Bar Made From Sesame Seeds

Available in Three Exciting Varieties: Cocoa Nibs, Pistachio, and Vanilla

Absolutely Gluten Free, maker of all-natural crackers, flatbreads, and pizza that are both delicious and gluten-free, is taking on the energy bar category with the launch of TahiniBAR, a grab-and-go sesame seed snack that weighs in at only 100 calories. All varieties are certified OU Kosher and dairy-free.

TahiniBAR is leading the pack in many of today’s hottest food trends:

• Demand for authentic Mediterranean food, particularly seed-based spreads like hummus and tahini, is on the rise in the United States, with even more growth in the forecast.

•  The market for healthy portable snacks has seen dynamic growth; bars are more widely available and consumed on a more casual basis than ever before.

• The gluten-free movement continues to gain traction as shoppers become more mindful of diets that support health and wellness. In fact, more than 30% of Generation Z and Millennials say they are willing to pay a premium for gluten-free products.

• Finally, consumers are expecting intriguing new textures and flavors, and they want to indulge in ingredients like fruits, nuts, and chocolate.

Sesame seeds are truly one of the most ancient foods on earth. In fact, sesame plants are the oldest known plant species to be grown primarily for their seeds (pods) and oils rather than for their leaves, fruit or vegetables.

Health Benefits – Sesame seeds are an excellent source of copper, manganese, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, molybdenum, and selenium. These translate into a variety of health benefits including cholesterol-lowering phytosterols, heart health, improved blood pressure, hormone balance, as well as cancer fighting and fat burning properties. Sesame also helps boost nutrient absorption and energy levels, too.

TahiniBAR satisfies all of these demands in a novel new format. Like tahini and its decadent dessert cousin, halvah, the energy bars are made from all-natural roasted sesame seeds. Sesame seeds help boost energy levels and are a good source of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, Calcium, Iron, Zinc and potassium.  Much lower in calories than many other bars, this 100% gluten-free treat is available in three delectable varieties – Cocoa Nibs, Pistachio, and Vanilla – and sold in packs of 7 bars (4.4 oz.). The MSRP is $3.99 – $4.49 per 7- bar package.

Absolutely Gluten Free is headquartered in Bayonne, NJ, and currently has a line of gluten free flatbreads and crackers, Superseed Crunch, Blondies and cauliflower crusted pizza, among other items, available in stores nationwide.  Follow them on FB and Twitter @AbsolutelyGF and online at www.absolutelygf.com.