Chocolate Hazelnut Spread || Part Deux

Remember that one time I made some dairy free chocolate hazelnut spread, then made that crazy time consuming nutella crepe cake?!

How could you forget right. 

Well, you could probably forget quite easily because you weren't the one who spent a hundred years flipping crepes. 

But I will never forget.

Chewy Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I've been staring at this page for a good twenty minutes trying to think of something clever to right here in this post, but the truth of it is that is is too hot, my mind is focused on the two episodes of American Horror Story I have left to watch and I am currently using all my internal power not to go make a large pre-dinner snack of tacos.

I can't think right when I'm hot and hungry and in the middle of a Netflix coma.

I just cannot.

Paleo German Chocolate Cake

Last Sunday was my birthday! 

It was super low key because the weekend before we were in San Francisco, and in my old age I don't really care too much about my birthday anymore.

It's just an excuse to eat cake, really.

A cake that everyone on restrictive diets could eat, which meant a cake without cane sugar, dairy gluten or grains.

And yes, I make my own birthday cakes. I enjoy doing it, and have the excuse to make it however I want because it's my day and I can do whatever I want.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Frozen Yogurt Pie

There are quite a few things that I have missed since going dairy free. 

For me, eliminating dairy was waaaay harder then the gluten. Partially, because dairy doesn't give me as extreme of side effects, and because there just is no worth while substitute for ooey gooey cheese.

I miss you so much cheese.

I often sit and contemplate the existence of cheese, ice cream and other delicious dairy products in my life. Should I just do it anyway? It will taste so good. Worth it or not?

My brain is obviously filled with very deep philosophical thoughts.

Gluten Free Ginger Bread Men

In the last week, the house has been covered in sparkly little lights, filled with Christmas crafts, and swallowed up in what was supposed to be the storm of the century. So what does one need to do when the weather is finally cold and wet and the inside is full of holiday spirit.

Bake.

Food Find Friday // Enjoy Life Seed & Fruit

Heeeyyy. 

Is Friday, and you know what that means! Another food review!

Todays spotlight shines on to (drumroll please) Enjoy Life Foods Seed and Fruit mix. woop-woop.

If you'll recall, I reviewed this particular set of snackable items back in 2012. Enjoy Life has since rebranded their packaging, and here I am once again. You can go ahead and click here for the original review.

Because the recipe remains the same, I am going to focus on some exciting things you can do with the Seed and Fruit mix. Other then shove it in your face by the handful that is.

Gluten Free Black and White Cookies

I have never been to New York.
There was a time in high school were my plan/wishful thinking was to go to NYU and enter the Clive Davis music program and live happily ever after as a fancy music person. Then my dad decided to open a recording studio (read:mid-life crisis) and I was forced to move on to new better dreams. Its not cool if your dads doing it. That and I, for the last ten years have had a new master life plan every week. Its really quite a talent, dreaming up different lives...is there a career hidden in that somewhere? 

Easy Homemade Gluten Free PopTarts

Once upon a time, Carina and her brain wanted to eat her favorite pizza, of which requires a bag of Gluten Free Mama's pizza crust. This pizza mix you see, is the best that Carina and her brain have found so far in the world, between both pre made and homemade recipes. So, because that mix could no longer be found anywhere in the county; Carina and her brain decided to order a box full off of the internet. However, Carina forgot to use her brain when she placed the order, and instead ended up with a box full of Mama's Gluten Free Pie Crust mix. There was a lot of tears and rude words exchanged between Carina and her brain when this was discovered. 

But all was made right when a new, correct order was placed for the needed supplies.

The only problem was that Carina was now left with several bags of pie crust mix, and therefore needed something to do with them. (and by problem, I don't really mean a problem)

And here we are, with the first recipe to come out of this not so tragic mistake.

Homemade gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, pop tarts. 

Flourless Pecan Chews

When I first was diagnosed with Celiac, I was just starting a new job in the healthcare industry that was located right next door to our towns local health food store. It was quite convenient for me, having my store a few feet away. I would often pick up a little something-something for lunch, and was able to get my grocery shopping done after work without having to drive anywhere. There was that one time that I set off the offices alarm, and every store patron next store came to gawk at me-but thats a story for another day.

During my time working in that area, I would often stop by to get a little treat from the bakery. While they had an assortment of baked goods, some gluten free and some not- my favorite treat has always been the pecan chew. A cookie with the perfect balance of crunch/chew and sweet/salty. They also have a chocolate chew, which is just as delectable but far less special. You can find those anywhere. Near the end of my time in that occupation, this store moved into a bigger location which happens to be closer to my home. So it all worked out quite well for me. What doesn't work for me, is that it recently got bought out by Whole Foods, and no longer carries half of the things that I need. And the layout is all wonky now, so if they do have what I need, I have no idea where to find it.

Gluten Free Apple Crumble

Thanksgiving is tomorrow!! Yippe-i-o!

I am so ready to eat some yummy food, watch the parade, and eat more food.

You with me on that one? 

After stuffing your pie hole with savory, heavy foods, it eventually becomes to stuff that hole with actual pie.

And by pie, I mean a crustless crumble, because who needs more carbs after all that?

Not that I wouldn't love more carbs in my system, but mostly likely my gut won't appreciate it very much.

Like the rest of this weeks post, there is not much of an actual recipe involved with this apple crumble.

Slice and peel up some apples, add a little sugar (maple or brown!) and top off with a flour/butter mixture.

Ta da! Apple crumble.

For four ramekins of apple crumble, here is what I measured out:

3 red apple, peeled and sliced

2 tblsp maple sugar

toss together lightly, and lay in ramekin.

For crumble:

3/4 cup GF flour

4 tblsp DF butter, melted
1 1/2 tblsp maple sugar

Fork in melted butter to flour until lumps formed.

Enjoy!

and a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Amy's Organic Gluten Free Brownies // and a change of tune

Oh hey guys, Hows it goin'?

Its been awhile, I know-I stink.

But, I'm back from that impromptu hiatus, and ready to share some more food finds.

I had a mighty overage of foods to review over the summer, and between a wedding, a funeral, sickness, and a new job I have slacked on posting them.

So this week, I will finish up those that I'm sitting on, then I will move onto some new exciting recipes. So fresh and new, that I'm not even sure what they are gonna be yet. But the holidays are coming up my dears, and you can bet I will have some festive foods for ya'll.

To start off, I want to bring you all back to this post.

In trying Amy's Organic chocolate cake, I decided it was gross.

I tried to be nice-ish about it, but it was almost completely inedible.

But, the kind people at Amy's were sure that their product was better then I thought, and they decided to send me a fresh box, strait from the kitchen.

And guys, I'm gonna have to eat my words on this one.

It was good. 

It was dense, and sweet and full of chocolate goodness.

Still slightly grainy, but it did not have that gross bitter taste that the first one did.

Along with a chocolate cake, Amy's also sent me their new gluten free brownies.

These brownies are not dairy free, which is a little sad; but they are delicious, so thats not so sad.

My best description, the first thought that came to my mind when I bit into a square, was that it tasted like hot cocoa.

Hot cocoa, in a brownie form.

Who doesn't want that?!

But for reals guys, they are good stuff.

Heres eight hundred pictures to prove it:

Is it weird that I like taking pictures of food so much?

Because its basically my favorite photo subject. Did I ever tell you about the time I wanted to be a professional food stylist? Well I did, and then came this blog. And then came two long months of neglecting this blog.

Sorry about that.

Check out more of Amy's Organic Gluten Free products here.

Have you tried any of Amy's products? Which ones, what did you think about it?

*I'm also thinking that this blog needs a little revamping again. Is it wrong to go in to full fledge construction mode, when you have a zillion other things to do, and absolutely no time to waste on doing so? I think not.

:)

{While the products reviewed today, were provided for testing; no monetary compensation was provided. All opinions and photos are entirely mine, without further influence.}

Gluten free Chocolate Pancakes

I did something the other day, that I really shouldn't have.

I made cake, and tried to disguise it as a meal.

Then I put chocolate sauce and strawberries on top, and called it breakfast.

Although, if you wanna get all technical and stuff; I actually ate it for dinner.

Thats better isn't it?

But in seriousness, if you want some chocolate cake, but don't want to wait for it to cook forever.

Or if you want a super special breakfast, 

these pancakes are for you.

Go make them, right now.

Here's the recipe, so you can :)

Enjoy!

Pamela's Products Review

Back in the day, when I first started on this gluten free journey, there were only a select few GF brands.  I would wander around the local health food store, which was the only store that carried anything gluten free; and search for those two little words on every package I passed. It was a bit exciting those first couple of shopping trips, trying to spot foods I could eat and buying them all up. Amongst these select food items, where Pamela's Products. I pretty sure actually, that it was the only gluten free flour variety that was available to me at that time. Back then, the products they had in their stock were a small variety of flour mixes, and prepackaged cookies. 

In fact, the Pamela's chocolate cake mix, was the first gluten free chocolate cake I ever ate. Look at me getting all nostalgic over here.

While there are so many other gluten free brands these days, I still can always count on Pamela's Products to provide me with a delicious product. I can also always count on eating an entire bag of mini chocolate chip cookies in one sitting. I try not to buy those anymore.

Because of my deep appreciation to this brand, I was thrilled to receive a package of products to test out for all of you.

The products I will be reviewing today are: Chunky Chocolate Chip cookie, Oat Chocolate Chip Coconut Whenever Bars, Artisan Flour Blend, and the Baking and Pancake mix.

Lets start with the cookies, because you should always start with cookies.

{And don't mind the sad little cookie in the window there, this photo was taken in the middle of a heat wave-thus the melted chips are the fault of my lack of air conditioning, not the manufacturer.}

Cookies are one of the greatest inventions in human history. Thats a fact.

Of all gluten free products, I get most excited over new cookie brands as I pass them in the grocery aisles. And believe me when I say, not all cookies are good. I have had plenty of bad cookies in my time, but this is not one of them.

These chocolate chunk cookies are soft, melt-in-your mouth circles of deliciousness. The cookie is not too sweet, but is filled with large chocolate chunks that are just as mouth melting as the cookie. I mean, it was not just the heat wave that made those chunks so soft. This whole cookie is like a fresh out of the oven experience. 

I may have eaten them for dinner once last week. Maybe.

The other days where reserved for popsicle dinners. 

Heat waves make me eat super healthy.

The next product I tried, were the new-ish Whenever Bars.

This is a product that I have never tried before as they are fairly new and because they have oats.

As most Celiacs do, my stomach struggles with eating oats. I did give in last week to trying some oat filled cookies, with out too much of a problem; so I figured I could go ahead and try these bars without pain and suffering.

And sure enough, no problemo! I'm starting to think maybe this oat problem was all in my head...

The bars I tried, where the chocolate chip coconut. I will advise, if you are not a coconut fan-this flavor is not for you. Go for one of the other three flavors, because this bar is very coconutty. I however do not mind coconut, so this bar was just fine for me :)

What I especially like about these bars is that they have some many different textures going on. Its foremost a soft, almost bread like bar; then there are bits of coconut, oats, and chocolate chips mixed throughout. The bars have a very slight sweetness that makes it delicious, but not too dessert like.

I will definitely be trying the other flavors in the future, as long as the oats and my stomach keep behaving themselves

Next up where the baking mixes; the tried and true Baking and Pancake mix, and the new Artisan cup-for-cup blend.

The cool part of the new Artisan flour blend, is that it is designed to fill in -cup-for-cup- with wheat flour. Meaning, a cup of this flour equals a cup of regular gluten filled flour in a recipe. Which is kind of a big deal if you've ever made a recipe that didn't work out for numerous times until you reached the proper flour adjustment. Its a pain in the behind.

The flour blend also had guar gum blended in, so there is no need to put in an additive such as xanthan gum.

I was really excited about this new flour. I have not tried it yet, and just knew that it would make my life that much easier. 

 *And this is where the downer side comes in, and it is not the flours fault-but purely user error.*

I am used to gluten free flours. I no longer know what the proper texture of wheat filled goods looks like. So my friends, my experience with this flour--meaning the recipes I tried to create with it-where a bust. Again, no fault of the flour. 

The first thing I made with this flour, where some soft pretzels. A snack that I have been craving recently, and a recipe that I wanted to put up on here.

They were a complete failure. 

They started out good though^^^

I have had a hard time making certain breads in the past with GF dough, due to the incredibly sticky texture they have. This dough was smooth and soft, and only slightly sticky. Perfect to work with.

The problem with this recipe,  I believe came in the par-boiling stage of creation; where you boil the pretzels slightly in a water/baking soda mixture before baking. What I ended up with, where pretzels that tasted like pure baking soda. Completely inedible. Although, my nephew did eat an entire one yesterday. I am starting to think that his taste buds can't be trusted...

Next, I attempted to make some monkey bread with this flour. It was good, but a little bit too dry. Which may have been due to the fact that they were completely vegan. But add some icing, and they are perfect!

I am going to keep playing around with this flour some more, and try it in some tried-and-true recipes. I am not giving up on this flour, and I do believe that it will be great; I just have to readjust my baking brain a little bit.

The finer points of this flour though, despite the tragic recipes it was in; it has a great texture, not grainy at all, and no odd flavors. I can definitely see this flour being my new go to in the future and I would for sure recommend it to any newly gluten free bakers.

Last but not least, the Baking and Pancake mix.

It worked out fabulously. 

What do you make with a pancake mix, thats not so cliche and obvious?

Chocolate Pancakes my friends. 

Yep, I did.

Besides that fact that they are chocolate, these little flapjacks are probably the best pancakes ever.

The flour mix is smooth, and moist without any gritty texture or yucky flavors. It contains baking soda and xanthan gum, to save you a couple steps, but it also contains some dairy. I did not have a problem with the dairy, due to the small amount I ate-but those who are highly sensitive should avoid this product.

Which may be hard, when this is staring you in the face.

Go here for a chocolate pancake recipe!

To see more products from Pamela's, and to try some great recipes; click here.
You can also use their handy-dandy allergen chart, to see what products are right for your personal diet.

Enjoy!

(Disclaimer: While the product tested today was provided for review, no monetary compensation was given in exchange for this post. All opinions on this site are my own, without further influence.)

Amy's Organic Kitchen Review

Time for another food find review!! 

You are all jumping in your seats, I can tell. (insert winky face here)

Today I am discussing some products, for your tasting pleasure, from Amy's Organic Kitchen.

If you've ever been to a grocery store in the last several years, you've probably seen these products.

I know for a fact, that every store in my town carries at least one of Amy's products.

While this brand has like a million different products, not all of them are gluten free; so make sure you check before you buy. I have made that mistake before. Even though its so clearly labeled gluten free in big bold letters on the front, the non-gluten free items are not labeled "not gluten free", thus I have come home with inedible items several times. Such is the life of the nonobservant.

Actually, I am really quite observant-I just unintentionally pick and choose what I am going to pay attention to. 

Now you know.

I had the opportunity this week to try three of Amy's Gluten free products.

I tried black bean chili, GF/DF Mac and cheese, and GF/DF chocolate cake.

Let's start with the chili:

This particular chili that I tried, was the Low-Fat Black Bean. This flavor is labeled as medium spice, which I chose over the spicy spice for some unknown reason. I always convince myself in stores that I don't like what I like. I have seriously deep conversations in my head sometimes, battling out a ongoing pro/con list. End of the day, I thought spicy would be too spicy, and medium would be just right.

 I was sorta right.

The chili was great, it really was. Nice flavor with a hint of spice, good texture to the beans and the sauce. {nothing worse than chili thats super mushy, or in a sauce thats too liquid--this guy didn't break either of those rules.}

I just found myself wishing for a little more spice. Thats just me though. Overall, this is a great can o' beans. Most likely I will buy the spicier flavor next time, and most likely at that time I will be craving this particular chili. There is no winning with myself.

Moving on...

Chocolate cake. Gluten free, dairy free, vegan. What's in it anyway?

This cake, as the majority of Amy's products do; comes in the freezer section. This entails, as you can only imagine, that the cake is frozen. To unfreeze it, you have to thaw it out in the fridge. To make it easy: I just threw it in the fridge after buying it until I was ready to eat it. (the next day)

Now, I don't know if it was my thawing technique or what-but I did not really enjoy this cake.

It looks beautiful, and appears super moist and chocolatey. It was moist, and it was chocolatey, but it was also incredibly grainy, bitter, and crumbly. The chocolate flavor was there, but not nearly enough.

To dress it up a little, I topped it with some strawberries and homemade coconut whipped cream. You know the super easy recipe thats all over pinterest, that all you have to do is chill a can of coconut cream, whip it up, and your set with whipped cream that tastes just like the real deal? It doesn't. It's gross. Between the gritty cake, and the nasty coconut cream; I left this dessert pretty disappointed.

Now that all said, A few days later while discussing this cake with my mother; she pulled out a fully frozen piece of cake and ate it. She loved it. I was shocked, so I tasted some. It was not all that bad, much better than it had been thawed. A few more days later, my nephew was over and graced by the presence of gluten and dairy full cupcakes, that he couldn't eat. So I pulled out a piece of that chocolate cake for him (again fully frozen) and he loved it.

Moral of the story: this cake is good when frozen, and its also a super convenient item to have on hand for emergencies. 

What emergency involves eating cake? I bet you can figure that out. (insert winky face)

For the main course of this review, I tried out the gluten free, dairy free, soy free Mac n' cheeze.

This product you really have to pay attention to at the store; Amy's has a billion different Mac n' cheese varieties. Regular, low sodium, gluten free, gluten and dairy free, lactose free, and whatever else they have.

This macaroni dish though, is what makes me excited about life. A gluten free product that is also dairy free, and doesn't have soy?! Unthinkable, is what that is.

I loved this dish. It tasted just like macaroni and cheese should: creamy, cheesy, soft, smooth and yummy. The sauce does leave kind of a slimy feeling in your mouth, but it didn't bother me much.

Definitely home comfort at its finest.

At the end of the day, I enjoy Amy's products. In addition to these three, I have also tried some burritos,  freezer meals, soups, and pizza. Most of them where tried back in the beginnings of my Celiac journey, before I avoided dairy, corn and soy--so not all of them are free of all that bizness. 

Amy's website however, has a really convenient allergen search on their website, here. 

This pizza by the way, which I haven't had in a very long time, is super scrumptious.

Enjoy!

{Disclaimer: While the products tested today where provided for review, no monetary compensation was exchanged for this post. All opinions are mine without further influence.}