Gluten Free Mom

Plentils by Enjoy Life - Surprisingly Satisfying and On Sale NOW

Just a quick post to share about a new product that I ran across Monday while shopping at my local PCC Natural Market and that happens to be  This Week's Gluten-Free Deal! from Gluten Free Saver.

 

The new product is Plentils by Enjoy Life Foods.  My kids saw the label and said "really mom, now you are serving us chips made of lentils," but I actually think these are a really good "better for you chip" and I sample a lot of products.

 

I have to admit from the start that I crave crunchy, salty snacks.  Before the word "gluten" became a regular part of my vocabulary, my husband was astounded by the fact that I did not like pizza and beer.  He thought I was crazy when I would order a salad while he ate pizza.  Of course, it was because the pizza and beer made me feel awful. 

But at the same time, I could down a bag of Lays chips in one sitting and it would not hurt my stomach.    Of course, now I know it was because the gluten in the pizza and beer were killing me and the chips, while not healthy, were at least gluten free.

I was at PCC on Monday walking down the salty section and spotted a foil bag containing a promising new salty snack that is made in a dedicated gluten free facility and free of the 8 most common allergens.  I had to try it.

I found Plentils very satisfying.  They are lighter and less greasy that a deep fried chip.  They are more like a Pop Chip than a Lays.  Because of this, they leave you feeling less greasy and bloated. 

They have a really nice flavor too - not so strong that you have to use a breath mint after eating them, but strong enough to satisfy that salty flavorful craving.

Even though they are light and crunchy, they held up well as a dipping chip.  I tried them with hummus and they held up great.

If you want to try them Sign Up for Gluten-Free Saver.  Membership is FREE and Plentils are this weeks Deal of the Week  -40% Off A Variety Pack of Enjoy Life Foods' Brand New Plentils!

 

Finally, don't kid yourself.  This is not health food!  Even a chip made from lentils is still a chip.  But definitely easier on the fat side of things than a traditional Lays chip.  Interesting that they have a much higher sodium content than Lays. 

The Nutrition Info for Plentils:

The Nutrition Info for Lays:

Gluten Free Watchdog warning re Food for Life Millet Bread & Brown Rice Tortillas

Someone asked me lately if I thought it was easier to eat gluten free now that it is becoming so popular and I honestly had to answer no.  The problem, of course, is in the labeling and the lack of any sort of regulation regarding what gluten free means.   Some companies are very thoughtful about labeling and testing, and even go so far as to be certified gluten free by the GFCO.  For a listed of certified gluten free products and companies click here.  Unfortunately, some simply do not take gluten free serious enough.

That is why I am so thankful for sites like  Tricia Thompson's new website, Gluten Free Watchdog.com.   Tricia Thompson is long-time gluten-free advocate, registered dietitian, and nutritional consultant.  You may recall her name from last year when she independently tested different types of "gluten free flour" and found that 32% of the naturally gluten-free grains and flours tested contained gluten in amounts greater than 20 parts per million.

Tricia has now founded Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC  to make state-of-the-art gluten-free food testing data available to all of us.  Gluten contamination can occur in the fields where food is grown, in the trucks and rail cars where food is transported, and in the processing and manufacturing plants where food is made ready for the consumer.   Gluten Free Watchdog independently tests products labeled gluten-free and makes the results available for a very small monthly subscription payment.

While the exact test results are only available to those who subscribe to the site, Tricia has shared product alerts when a certain product tests about 20 ppm.  Just recently, Gluten Free Watchdog  released a product alert that certain lots of   Food for Life Millet Bread & Brown Rice Tortillas tested above 20 parts per million of gluten!!   For complete results, including ppm gluten levels, please see www.glutenfreewatchdog.org.

I don't know about you, but we used to eat these pretty regularly!  In fact, I never just take a gluten free label at face value!  I always follow up with a call or email to the manufacturer to see if they test for gluten and to check on the risk for cross-contamination.  I looked in my old emails and found this from Food for Life:

From: jamie
Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2011 5:36 PM
To: info@foodforlife.com
Subject: Contact Us form submission

A new foodforlife.com contact form submission:
Requesting info about: 


How do you confirm the gluten free status of your tortillas - do
you use the standard of less than 20 ppm?  do you test to verify this
standard is met?

thanks!

And the reply I received:

 

On 4/7/11 3:54 PM, "Customer Relations" <info@foodforlife.com> wrote:

Yes it must be below 20 ppm and we do random testing of our products and
have not had any come above that standard.


Thank you,

Customer Relations

Phone: (951)-279-5090
Fax: (951)-279-1784
info@foodforlife.com

 

I also want to add that while it is great that Gluten Free Watchdog revealed these tests results,  most of the other products tested by Gluten Free Watchdog  have come in well below the limit of 20 ppm.  

I definitely feel that the $4.99 monthly subscription is worth it not only to find out which products to avoid, but also for that extra bit of confidence regarding which products to trust! 

 

Time to Order Your Gluten Free Gingerbread House Kit

Just put my order in for the Gluten Free Gingerbread House Kits!

 

I would love to have the time to make our gluten free gingerbread houses from scratch, but am so happy that I can actually just order them.  This will be our third year in a row of ordering them from A and J Bakery in Rhode Island.

 

 

A and J Bakery in Rhode Island makes allergy friendly Gingerbread House Kits. Each kit includes pre-baked pieces of a Gingerbread house, allergen free candy and non-edible decorations.  The kit is free of gluten, peanut, tree nut, soy, egg, sesame and dairy.  They are baked in a dedicated nut- and gluten-free facility.   They sell for $30.00.  

  Because they are gluten free, everyone can take a bit!  Some of our house had a bad case of termites last year!

I have absolutely no financial interest in this company, and I paid full retail price for our houses.  I am just so thankful for this easy solution to one of our Christmas traditions that I wanted to share it with you!

HALFPOPS - Another Gluten Free Snack Option

Have you heard about HALFPOPS yet?  I was lucky enough to receive a sample of this new snack item that is made right here in Woodinville, WA.

 

The name says it all - HALFPOPS are  half-popped popcorn with the same salty buttery taste of popcorn but crunchier and more filling.  Somewhat similar to Corn nuts but they taste much better and they are not as hard.

 

According to the co-founders Mike and Kevin they are able to make this uniquely half-popped popcorn because they  have a patented air-popping process that cooks the kernels just right. They spent three years perfecting their recipes on friends and family before launching HALFPOPS online and in Seattle-area grocery stores this summer. 

 

Best of all HALFPOPS are naturally gluten free and they are the only products made on the equipment, so there is no risk of cross contamination. They are also free of preservatives, artificial colorings, artificial flavors, hydrogenated oils or corn syrup.

 

You can find them at Top Foods and Metropolitan Markets in the Seattle area.  Or you can order online.  

As a special offer for my readers and for a limited time,  HALFPOS will take $5 off an order of $45 or more (2 cases of the two-ounce bags or 1 case of seven-ounce bags) if you use  the code GLUTEN FREE MOM on HALFPOP's online store. 

 

 

Mini Cheeseballs with Gluten Free Crunchmaster Crackers

Summer is over and I am back with ton of recipes to share, travel tips for Munich Germany and Paris, and a lot of new great GF products.

As a matter of fact, it seems as if there has been a gluten free explosion lately.  Gluten free food seems to be everywhere (not all of it safe unfortunately). 

To start the fall season, are you ooking for a quick snack to serve at the next football party?  Try these yummy cheese balls made with Crunchmaster 7 Ancient Grains Crackers.  They are super tasty and take just minutes to make. 

 

Mini Cheese Balls

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 heaping cup Crunchmaster 7 Ancient Grains Hint of Sea Salt Crackers

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups shredded)

2 heaping tablespoons mango chutney (if you do not have mango chutney on hand, try 2 tablespoons of Apricot preserves)

¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder

 

Place crackers in food processor and pulse several times until ground into coarse crumbs.  Pour the crumbs into a plate and wipe out the food processor.  Add the remaining ingredients to food processor and process until fully combined.  Roll tablespoonfuls of the cheese mixture into balls (a mini ice cream scoop works well) and then roll the balls into the cracker crumbs gently pressing the crumbs into the cheese.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Makes about 2 dozen, depending on size.

 

Rest assured that Crunchmaster crackers are certifed Gluten Free by Gluten Free Certificatoin Organization.  I have also seem them for sale at Costco.

Thanks Crunchmaster for sending me this free sample and for making a great cracker that we can eat without worry.