Be Free For Me Blog

It that time of year again when I start digging out those recipes for my homemade stews & soups.

But often time I don’t have the time (or the patience!) to make homemade stocks.  That is when I reach for Kitchen Basic Stocks.

Found in most “mainstream” supermarkets alongside those gluteneous stocks and soups, Kitchen Basics products are all tested to be free of most allergens – including milk, egg, peanut, gluten, soy, tree nut and corn. (Note: all the products are also fish and shellfish free, with the exception of the Seafood and Clam Stocks – which are clearly marked).  They also do not autolyze, hydrolyze, or add or produce any MSG.

Just like the name implies, these broths are basic kitchen stocks I would make myself, if only I had the time, energy and effort during my busy dinnertime hour. I also like the convenient 8-ounce single serve containers, especially when cooking up a recipe that needs a cup or less of chicken, beef or seafood stock.

All these basic, simple and trouble-free reasons are why this week’s BeFreeForMe Favorite Friday goes to Kitchen Basics Stocks!

Soups on!

Summer is over and my beloved herb garden is gone. How I miss the fresh basil chopped and sprinkled over mozzarella and my sassy cilantro that spices up my homemade salsa.

I could go out and buy myself a bunch of herbs from the local grocers produce department, but most times I don’t need such a huge bunch of herbs. And those herbs in the tiny plastic containers are priced so high and they wither and droop before I can use them up.

This is why I was thrilled to discover Daregal Fresh Frozen Chopped Herbs – a gluten and (common) allergen-free product from France, but purchased right here in the states at my local grocer. No chopping, no waste, washed and ready-to-use, Daregal herbs allow you the fresh taste of real herbs year round.

And because they are stored in the freezer, it is easy to have fresh herbs like basil, cilantro and parsley at your fingertips in a snap, which is essential for a gluten and allergen-free foodie like me that loves to cook up meals bursting with fresh flavors.

Daregal Fresh Frozen Herbs also comes in an easy-to-use shaker packaging that fits snuggly in my freezer door shelf; and with the 3 year shelf-life I don’t hesitate to pick-up one of each flavor.

So to all my family and friends that are reading this blog posting… next time you’re helping out in my kitchen and I ask you to grab something off the spice rack… try looking in the freezer door!

This week when I was running out the door for a “big” day jammed packed with meetings, blogs to write and things to do, I was in need of a fast, hot and healthy breakfast to get me on the right track.

That was when I remembered I had picked up a CedarLane Egg White Omelette. After just popping it in the microwave for just 3 minutes, I had what I was craving… and needed… a tasty breakfast that I would have cooked-up myself if I only had the time.

These omelettes are made with egg whites stuffed with uncured turkey bacon, potatoes, bell pepper, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Delicious!

As well as being gluten-free, this fast and easy breakfast is also low in cholesterol. All these reasons are why CedarLane Turkey Bacon,Vegetable & Cheese Egg White Omelettes are this week’s BeFreeForMe’s Friday Favorite! Thanks CedarLane for getting crazy, but important, days going on a great start!

October is Halloween time… and that means time for candy too!

This week’s Friday Favorite is one of my favorite types of candy… Gummi Bears!

These fun little guys are also gluten-free, as well as peanut-free (Haribo products are manufactured in facilities that do not handle peanuts) and casein-free too. For more info, check out all of the allergen info about Haribo candy.

Gummi Bears made by Haribo are also the “original” Gummi Bear. Hans Riegel started Haribo Confectionary in the 1920’s and developed the world-famous Gold-Bear product in 1967.

Haribo Gummi Bears come in five flavors: orange (orange); strawberry (green); lemon (yellow), raspberry (red) and my all-time favorite… pineapple (colorless).

Sweet squishy candy fun makes Haribo’s Gummi Gold-Bears this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

Some Gluten-Free cookies can be ho-hum. Tasteless, not worth the calories, and let’s face it… a true disappointment.

Funny how one cookie can make a gluten free gal like me smile (or should I say Glow!) from ear-to-ear. The cookie I am speaking of? Glow Gluten Free Ginger Snaps, this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com.

Full of fresh, spicy ginger and with just the right sweetness, this cookie is one of my favorites for dipping into my afternoon tea. Baked with natural and organic ingredients in a certified gluten free bakery, these cookies will never, ever again have you pining for the glutenous and dairy-full cookies you once knew.

I love the Glow Gluten Free website too. Clicking and reading through the pages almost makes you feel… dare I say it… Happy to be gluten-free! Just like their cookies, the website is snappy, fun, fresh and tasty.

Jill, the founder of Glow Gluten Free is a fellow celiac, along with her daughter, Stella. Her diagnosis prompted her to seek out the most perfect and scrumptious gluten-free cookie recipe she could bake-up. That is how Glow Gluten-Free was founded. I love entrepreneurial stories like this.

And with her positive spirit instead of making lemonade out of lemons; Jill made cookies out of garbanzo beans! Gotta love it!

Cheers, Jill! And Congratulations on being chosen as this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com.

For many a donut may be a go-to breakfast. But for a lot of celiacs, including myself, Van’s waffles are the go-to breakfast staple of choice. Made of whole grains, flavored with fruit juice, full of flavor, and light & fluffy Van’s are a sure hit with kids and adults alike.

What I love the most about Van’s is the way they think beyond the basic waffle by offering tons of gluten-free varieties. Any waffle house would be jealous of their line-up.

Blueberry, Apple Cinnamon, Buckwheat, the basic Totally Natural, Flax and the kid-sized (or for me, snack-sized) Minis please anyone on a gluten-free diet. Important to note is that all these waffles are dairy & egg free too.

My favorite? The Totally Natural waffle smeared with a healthy glob of fresh blueberry preserves. To me this breakfast is my delicious, healthy and of course, gluten-free substitute to a not-so- missed jelly donut.

When I first saw these crackers my first thought was, “What the heck is a tellicherry?”

Well, my friends, according to spicehouse.com tellicherries, which come from the Malabar Coast of India, are whole extra-large black peppercorns that are left on the vine longer so they develop a deep, rich flavor. They are also considered the finest pepper in the world.

These tellicherrries (I just love that word!) are most definitely what gives the R.W. Garcia 5 Seed Crackers, there flavorful punch.

Made of organic corn, and certified not to contain any GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) or trans-fats these spicy little crunchy gluten-free crackers will surprise your taste-buds and tackle your senses. Whoever said gluten-free eating was bland, has not tried these crackers yet.

And at 140 calories per serving, I can eat them for a crunchy side with a salad or by the handful for a snack.

Give them a try, and give your taste buds a peppery and flavorful treat!

This week’s Friday Favorite goes to a product that is SO tasty, yet SO free of the things that many of us can’t eat!

SO Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt is just what the name says… yogurt made out of Coconut Milk. Besides being delicious and certified gluten-free it is also dairy, lactose, soy, cholesterol & Trans fat free. Plus, as an added bonus it is vegan and contains pre- and probiotics – perfect for digestive health.

I tried So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt in the vanilla flavor and just loved it. It was creamy, dreamy, and just a perfect substitute for regular yogurt in the morning. But don’t let me mislead… this yogurt could also easily become one of my go-to mid-afternoon snacks or decadent desserts. It also comes in Blueberry and Passionate Mango flavors too.  I can’t wait to try those next.

The SO Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt is this week’s BeFreeForMe Friday Favorite for being so wonderfully tasty, creamy and dee-licious without all the allergens! Cheers!

The La Cantina, a family owned Italian restaurant located in Framingham, Massachusetts, was one of my favorite restaurants to visit before going gluten-free several years ago.

The folks over at La Cantina believe in “true Italian cooking” which shines through in all of their menu items. Dishes that include fresh vegetables and meats; antipastos topped with homemade salad dressing; and their signature pasta dishes that feature the best ingredients tossed with hearty and hefty portions of pasta.

Unfortunately after my celiac diagnosis, I nicknamed “La Cantina” to “La Can’t Eat It”.

But last Saturday, as I was doing a drive by (would this be considered stalking my favorite restaurants of the past?) I saw a huge “Gluten-Free Menu Available” on their front sign.

A celiac dream come true.

I happily ran walked in, grabbed a seat, and asked the waitress for the gluten-free menu. She immediately advised me that they had just switched brands of gluten-free pasta and the new one “really, really, really tastes like the regular pasta – but isn’t”.

If there was a bubble that popped over my head that mimicked what I was thinking it would have read, “Yeah right… I’m just happy to be sitting here. Quit teasing me, Miss Real Pasta.”

But when the dish arrived, the penne “looked” like real penne. It wasn’t sticky, it wasn’t pale, it wasn’t one big glob of pasta. But remembering the comment Miss Real Pasta made I decided to give it a try it. So I took just one tiny bite – and instantly I knew that this was not gluten-free pasta.

Thoughts of a piece of penne pasta making me sick for days ran rampant through my noodle.

So I called Miss Real Pasta over and asked her to double-check with the chef to make sure that I was served the gluten-free pasta. She did – and informed me it was indeed gluten-free. (Note: I even asked her if she checked with the chef that actually put the pasta in the water to cook, since I was still skeptical.)

Feeling a little bit leery about being able to really enjoy the meal (I’m sure many of you know the way I was feeling here), I called Miss Real Pasta back over yet again and asked her if she could tell me the brand of pasta “since it tasted so good, I want to see if I could find it for myself at the supermarket.”

As I was asking her this another bubble could have been floating over my head with the words, “I am positive that you people have confused organic or all-natural pasta with gluten-free pasta. This is a trick question and will confirm my suspicion of you serving me glutenized pasta”.

But… lo-and-behold I was wrong. I discovered that this “miracle-that-tastes-like-the-real-thing” pasta was Heartland Gluten-Free Pasta. A new gluten-free pasta that has been toted as “matching the color, texture and flavor of traditional pasta – an industry first.” After doing some research, and finding an article about this new pasta, I found out that Heartland Gluten-Free Pasta comes in spaghetti, penne and fusilli shapes and owes its real pasta taste to a unique yellow corn/white rice blend.

This pasta is unbelievable. SO good! When I was eating it I had NO inkling that this pasta was gluten-free.

Oh… and I almost forgot… besides finding Heartland Gluten-Free Pasta (which is also dairy-free too) at La Cantina Restaurant in Framingham, Massachusetts, you can also find it at Wal-Marts.

Heartland Gluten-Free Pasta is this week’s BeFreeForMe Friday Favorite for making gluten-free pasta that, spoken like Miss Real Pasta, “really, really, really tastes like the regular pasta – but isn’t”. Honestly and truthfully…. no need to triple check.

I love Kame Rice Crackers since they’re so very versatile.

They seem to work with everything… from sweet to savory. I even have my non-gluten free friends hooked on these crackers.

I love them as a part of a quick mini-meal-on-the-go or a quick snack. Spread them with peanut butter, dip them in hummus, slather them with fresh preserves or use them as a scoop for fresh salsa. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks – Kame Rice Crackers fits the bill.

I also like the way these crackers note right on the package that they are gluten-free. I have been fooled many times into almost buying other brands of rice crackers thinking that they have to be gluten-free… after all they are Rice Crackers? Right? Wrong! Examine some of these other brand’s labels a bit closer, and you’ll see that often time one of the ingredients is WHEAT! Ughh!

Kame Rice Crackers comes in many flavors including Original, Sesame, Seaweed and my new favorite… Wasabi!

Not being fooled, duped or tricked into eating gluten; having a gluten-free cracker I can count and a crispy, great taste are all the wonderful reasons why Kame Rice Crackers are this weeks Friday Favorite!