Be Free For Me Blog

If you haven’t tried the new gluten-free pizza yet at Uno Chicago Grill, here is a good reason to check it out…  From May 25 through 31 Uno is hosting a Dough Rai$er to benefit the American Celiac Disease Alliance!

If you are interested in participating in this Dough Rai$er, go to http://www.unos.com/ACDA and secure a voucher that you can bring to your local Uno location. 20% (yes folks – TWENTY PERCENT!) of sales generated from those who participate will support the ACDA cause!

Another good reason to make a stop at Uno is the debut of their new Veggie Gluten-free Pizza, which now complements the Gluten-Free Cheese and the Pepperoni Pizza offered.

I love the Unos pizza, and thank them for being so pro-active in the celiac community!  Three Cheers for Uno Chicago Grill!

Gluten-FREE Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix vs. Gluten-FULL Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

The third and final round of the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Challenge, where gluten-eating friends and family compared the new Betty Crocker gluten-free baking mixes against the traditional gluten-filled Betty Crocker comparable mixes, is the taste-test for the CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

I was really excited to try these since I am a real cookies and milk kind of gal. I prefer the simpler of sweet treats. For me no fuss, quick, easy to prepare… and no fork required is a plus!
The results of the taste-test are as follows:

 – The Gluten-FREE cookies were just as moist and chewy as the Gluten-FULL ones.
– The sweetness and flavor were almost identical.
– The Gluten-FREE cookies were thinner and “spread out” more during baking… which resulted in a thinner, not as “cakey” cookie. I actually liked this!
– The only downfall with the Gluten-FREE version is that it did not have as many chocolate chips as the Gluten-FULL kind. (Adding more on your own may be a solution?)

As an added bonus, the Gluten-FREE cookies stayed “moister” longer than the Gluten-FULL type. A couple of days later the Gluten-FREE cookies were still soft, chewy and just as yummy as right-out-of-the-oven!

The ingredients needed to make the Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies were: 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla, 2 eggs and 5 tablespoons butter (Note: there are instructions on the General Mills website explaining how to make the brownies if you want to substitute the butter). The package ingredients do include soy and milk.

Now that I am wrapping up my final Betty Crocker Gluten Free Challenge, I want to thank those “smart cookies” over at General Mills. I lift my cookie-crumbed-filled glass of milk up high and toast you on a job well done…“Let Them Eat Cake!”

Gluten-FREE Cake Mixes vs. Gluten-FULL Super Moist Cake Mixes

The second round of the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Challenge, where gluten-eating friends and family compared the new Betty Crocker gluten-free baking mixes against the traditional gluten-filled Betty Crocker comparable mixes, is the taste-test for the CAKE MIXES!

There are two types of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mixes: Devil’s Food and Yellow. Since cupcakes are more fun – I decided to go that route, rather than a sheet or layered cake. After all, this was a fun day!

Thanks to Betty and her gang over at General Mills, walking down the baking aisle at your local grocer will soon become a cakewalk. Easy, effortless, readily available… and according to their website, affordable. If you see someone skipping down the baking aisle at your local grocer this summer, you can place a bet they’re on a gluten-free diet.

But – How do the gluten-free cake mixes compare in taste?

Let’s first start with the Devil’s Food:

The taste-testers could find “little to no” difference in the taste, texture (and look once they became un-blindfolded) between the gluten-FREE vs. gluten-FULL Devil’s Food Cake Mixes. Both were describe as being “chocolaty” and “moist”. No difference at all between the two. Good news for the gluten-free version!

I liked the gluten-free Devil’s Food Cake Mix.  I think it tastes just like a chocolate cupcake should… sweet, chocolaty, moist, and soft. Perfect! Easy to make too.

The ingredients needed to make the gluten-free Devil’s Food Cake were: ½ teaspoon gluten-free vanilla, 2 eggs and 5 tablespoons butter (Note: there are instructions on the General Mills website explaining how to make the brownies if you want to substitute the butter) and 1 cup of low-fat buttermilk or low-fat yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farm). The package ingredients do include soy.

I think next time I may try to use vanilla low-fat yogurt – since the plain low-fat yogurt can be hard to track down in the dairy case – and I was forced to buy a huge container of it.

Next, let’s move onto the Yellow Cake Mix:

The taste-testers could find little to no difference in the look of the gluten-FREE vs. gluten-FULL Yellow Cake Mixes. However, they thought that the Gluten-FREE mix was not as “sweet” as the Gluten-FULL mix. They also thought that the gluten-FREE cupcake was crispier around the edges, which some thought was a good thing.

I personally loved the gluten-free Yellow Cake Mix! I think it tasted perfect… fluffy, a touch of vanilla, and just the perfect sweetness. I liked the crispy outside and spongy inside.

The ingredients needed to make the gluten-free Yellow Cake were: 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla, 2 eggs,  ½ cup butter and ½ cup of milk.  The package ingredients do include soy.

The gluten-free kids that tried these cupcakes LOVED them! Birthday parties will be a lot sweeter this summer when these mixes are available… =)

Basically, I think that General Mills takes the cake on these two Gluten-free Baking Mixes. Good Job!

Additional Notes:
All of the General Mills Gluten Free Dessert Mixes are made in a gluten free processing facility.

Gluten-FREE Chocolate Brownie Mix vs. Gluten-FULL Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix

The first round of the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Challenge is about to begin! In this challenge,  gluten-eating friends and family compared the new Betty Crocker gluten-FREE baking mixes against the traditional gluten-FILLED Betty Crocker comparable mixes. The first taste-test is for the BROWNIES!

First, let’s get one thing out of the way:  The picture on the box does these splendid pieces of gluten-free dark chocolaty, chewy squares of joy no justice! I would call the picture on the box a “beige-y” – not a “brownie”. Know how the pictures of food on packaging (with the words “serving suggestion” in ultra-small print) usually looks way better than the food in real life? Well, the opposite rings true here. For proof, see the pictures of the actual gluten-free brownies in this post.

The gluten-free mix actually has tiny little chocolate chips in it, which makes the brownies extra decadent and chewy. The ingredients needed to make the gluten-free brownies were: 2 eggs and 7 tablespoons butter (Note: there are instructions on the General Mills website explaining how to make the brownies if you want to substitute the butter). The package ingredients do include soy and milk.

And the RESULTS: ALL of the taste testers preferred the gluten-free version over the “cakier”, “harder” and “less chocolaty” traditional gluten-filled mix!

Some of the comments about the gluten-free brownies included:

* “A much more chocolaty taste”
* “Chewy!”
* “Excellent!”
* “This one is better… way better. This is the one with the gluten, right?” (Note: WRONG! How about THAT comment!)
When I told all the participants that the one they ALL liked by a long-shot was the gluten-free brownie they couldn’t believe it, and even questioned if I mixed up the two!

In summary: The new Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Brownie is a keeper! Phenomenal! Line up now for the anticipated summer arrival!
 

Additional Notes:

Many of you have emailed me asking if I knew why General Mills decided to take this leap of gluten-free faith and develop a whole line of gluten free baking mixes. The truth is that they have a few employees that are on a gluten-free diet, and according to General Mills, “Their experiences opened our eyes to the challenges families face following the diet. It’s hard to be different, especially when it affects sweet moments with friends and family. No one wants to miss sharing a birthday cake or see their child have to turn down a homemade cookie from a buddy after a game.”

I say “Cheers!” and “Second’s please!” to that! =)

When I first heard, I thought it was too good to be true. The behemoth of food companies, General Mills, was coming out with a new line of gluten-free baking mixes. Too good to be true. I needed to see it to believe it.

So, I called a good friend in the food industry that was able to get me boxes of the four gluten free varieties: brownie mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, yellow cake mix and devil’s food cake mix. 

When the FedEx driver showed up at the office door I practically pounced on him.

I ripped open the box, and literally just stopped and stared.

To hold in my hands baking mixes that said “Betty Crocker” and “Gluten free” together – right on the same box – blew me away.

Blew me away.

Sure I’ve seen gluten-free baking mixes before. But this is big news. General Mills, yes folks – General Mills, one of the world’s largest food companies that has products in over 100 countries and owns not only Betty Crocker, but other well-known brands such as Pillsbury, Bisquick, Green Giant and Cheerios has noticed us celiacs. It makes me giddy. It makes me beam.

It makes gluten-free mainstream.

And here’s the best part. The products are phenomenal too! “Moist”, “chewy” and “super chocolaty” are some of the adjectives used to describe them.

To make things engaging, I decided to have a taste test. I recruited some gluten-eating friends & family, blindfolded them and had them try both the Gluten Free Betty Crocker Mixes along with the traditional gluten-filled Betty Crocker comparable mixes.

Very interesting outcomes! Check back for the taste test results of the “Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Challenge” in my next few blog postings.

Oh, and also, Mr. FedEx Man – I apologize for almost knockin’ you down in my sheer excitment. To make it up to you, I’ll have some really good gluten-free goodies for you tomorrow.

What a great plug for gluten-free items & awareness on the Celebrity Apprentice tonight! Team Kotu and Athena had the task of coming up with a new meal and marketing plan for Schwan’s, a company that delivers meals “right to your door with no muss or fuss, making ‘convenient’ seem like an understatement”.

Well, Team Athena (members include: Melissa Rivers – TV Host/Produce, Jesse James – Entrepreneur/TV Host, Annie Duke – Poker Champion, and Brande Roderich – Playboy Playmate) won with the GLUTEN-FREE Triple Play Turkey Meatballs!

When Donald announced the challenge at the start of the show, I thought to myself, “I would market a gluten and allergen-free meal”. Then, before I knew it Annie Duke starts talking about developing a gluten-free dinner! I actually jumped up clapping!

The presentation Team Athena made to the executives at Schwan’s was good, but I thought it needed a bit of a marketing tune-up (and that’s coming from a Gluten-free Marketing Foodie) – but they got the point across about gluten-free being one of the fastest growing segments, and even chatted up wheat/ gluten-intolerances and celiac disease!

Check out the Schwan’s website to see about the Celebrity Apprentice episode and also info on the gluten-free meal – including how to order it.

Oh, and by the way, Mr. Trump and executives at Schwan’s… I think this idea is more than a triple play… the name may have to be changed to “Homerun Turkey Meatballs.

Just two cents coming from a Gluten-free Marketing Foodie.