June 2014 Love It, Like, It, Leave It
Love It
Breton crackers - I LOVE these crackers. Seriously. Since I heard almost a year ago that Breton was coming out with gluten free crackers, I've been looking for them ever since. Then during Memorial Day weekend, I found them during a short shopping trip with my step-mom. It was like finding the Holy Grail. I think there was some literal jumping up and down in the supermarket.
My Kroger carries their Garlic and Herb and there wasn't even a second thought in buying them. And once I tried them there was much rejoicing. They were just amazing. I'm amazed I had the will power not to devour the whole box in one setting. My husband even enjoyed them more than the regular Breton crackers.
I found the original with flax Breton crackers the following week, and you better believe I scooped those up as well. They were tasty, but the Garlic and Herb are a definite love.
Banana Ice Cream - This isn't a product, but a recipe for "One Ingredient Ice Cream." This is found on TheKitchn.com. I have been reading about it online, and was skeptical. One day I had a terrible sore throat, and when I have sinus issues dairy only makes things worse. So, being a bit adventurous and craving something cold, I thought I would try it. So with frozen bananas on hand, I tossed them in my food processor with some peanut butter and cocoa powder. AND FELL IN LOVE. I've made it three more times since, even using it to make ice cream sandwiches and another time stirring in peanuts and marshmallows to make homemade rocky road ice cream for Father's Day. If you've heard about this but had been skeptical to try it, you don't need to be skeptical. It really is awesome.
Snip Chips Cheezy Herb Truffle- While I like safe gluten free baked goods like any celiac, I really get excited about new and unconventional foods. I love kale chips, flavored and dry-toasted chickpeas, and these new Snip Chips.
The Snip Chips are made from parsnips. These shaved and baked parsnip chips are healthy, flavorful and just delicious. I was lucky enough to win these from Wonderfully Raw through a Twitter giveaway. So grateful and loved that the whole bag was less than 200 calories. Would definitely be buying these again if I find them in a store. They would make a great vegetable snack for a road trip!
Like It
Detroit Zen Center raw brownie - I tried this raw brownie while at the Eastern Market in Detroit. Trying new gluten free things at the Farmer's Market can be an iffy situation. I must sound like an detective interrogating a suspect when I talk to companies that start offering gluten free items. But after talking to the men at this stand, I felt pretty safe trying their product.
This raw "brownie" has no grains and is made with dates and nuts. It actually reminds me of a LaraBar, but locally made. Pretty cool. If you're shopping at the Eastern Market, give them a try.
Lemon Pie Macaroons - These are what I originally won from Wonderfully Raw. Their line of raw macaroons is what their company originally started making. When I won, they let me pick my choice of flavors. I love lemon bars, so I picked the Lemon Pie Macaroons.
But when you like a certain thing so much, it's dangerous to pick something like it. I really like lemon. I wish that I would have picked a different flavor, as there are many other great flavors to choose from.
The only reason that I "liked" these instead of "loved" these is that I'm picky about my lemon flavored products. The consistency was great and the coconut in these were flaky. If I find the other flavors in the store, I will definitely try them again.
Cranberry Butter from Brownwood Farms- I don't usually buy fancy jams. And in all honesty, I didn't buy this either. It was given to me for free at the end of a gluten free expo. It's good to have connections. :)
While this made a good and interesting PB& J, it as AMAZING on a sandwich with roasted turkey breast deli meat. If Thanksgiving is your favorite holiday because of the joy of leftover turkey and cranberry sauce, you don't have to wait until Thanksgiving anymore. And an added plus is that this is a Michigan Made product!
I was also given a jar of their pumpkin butter, which is waiting longingly in my cupboard for me to try it. Maybe next month!
Leave It
Clif Mojo Bars- I tried the Wild Blueberry Almond and Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond bars. While they were tasty, I noticed at the store that there are Mojo bars that are not gluten free. Because of that, I'm going to place these in the Leave It category. There are so many bars out there that are made in dedicated gluten free facilities, not to mention more nutrition. (I recently tried the Gluten Free Bar, which makes a great cranberry bar. Plus they are Michigan Made!)
Zehnder's Sandwich bread - There are lots of companies and bakeries that are preparing gluten free items. Zehnder's restaurant in Frankenmuth is one of them. Recently one of their representatives came to our celiac support group meeting and gave us cookie and bread samples. On top of that they even gave us certificates for a "family" discount. I've had many of their sweet goods WHICH ARE AMAZING! But a girl needs to live on more than gluten free dessert alone. So, I bought a loaf of their sandwich bread. This was heavy, dense, and very crumbly.
So if you're stopping at the downstairs shop at Zehnder's, I would tell you to pass on the sandwich bread. Instead, pick up their Rocky Road bars or their biscuits.Labels: product review
