Be Free For Me Blog

Great as a marinade, a dipping sauce or brush on during grilling, Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbeque Sauce is a sweet addition to any gluten-free grilling feast!

Sweet, thick and with a kick, Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbeque Sauce comes in several varieties, including: Sweet Baby Ray’s Original, Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar, Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet ’n Spicy, Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet Vidalia Onion Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Chipotle; and my favorite,

And just to let you BBQ lovers all know… I called the Sweet Baby ray headquarters today and they assured me that all of the retail varieties of Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbeque Sauces ARE gluten-free! (The modified food starch is derived from corn).

All these sweet reasons are why this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com goes to Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbeque Sauce. So slather it, dip it, baste it, dunk it… and make sure to enjoy the sticky sweetness of an ole’ fashioned barbeque… gluten-free style!

I discovered these phenomenal Sun Cups last Fall at the Natural Products Expo in Boston, and it was love at first bite.

These Reese-Peanut-Butter-Cup-Like candies are made with Sunflower Butter, instead of Peanut Butter…  and are to die for. These rich and creamy Sun Cups are also nut-free (peanut & tree nut) and gluten-free too. These delights are made with melt in your mouth chocolate and are also organic.

Sun Cups come in Milk and Dark Chocolate, and are perfect for Valentine’s Day. They come two cups in a package… just right for sharing with your love.

Rich, creamy and melt in your mouth goodness are some reason this week’s BeFreeForMe’s Friday Favorite goes to peanut-free and gluten-free Sun Cups!

Where to buy? Check out the following link:
Sun Cups, Sunflower Butter with Milk Chocolate, 1.5-Ounce Packages (Pack of 20)

There are a lot of frozen gluten free pizzas out there that are good – but they all seem to be the same old bland everyday flavors: 3-Cheese, Pepperoni, Vegetable.

Ho-hum.

That is why my eyes perked up and my taste buds got going when I saw Glutino’s Gluten-Free Chicken Pizza with BBQ Sauce in my grocers freezer last month.

Made with a crispy (can you say “tastes like the real deal?”) brown rice crust, this pizza is crowded with tasty pieces of white chicken meat, mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses and a smoky, yet sweet, BBQ sauce and spices. I was impressed with the abundance of toppings.

Another bonus this pizza is not only packed with calcium, and is a good source of Vitamin A and iron.

I also find it super important to note that this individual sized pizza is a nice sized portion that fills you up. Plus, the serving portion on the package is realistic: it says that one pizza is one serving… which made me smile since it meant I could enjoy the whole entire pie… all by myself… for just 310 calories!

Any way you slice it – variety, flavor, and being able to eat a whole delicious gluten-free pizza for a little over 300 calories are some of the reasons why this week’s BeFreeForMe Friday Favorite goes out to Glutino Food’s Chicken Pizza with BBQ Sauce!

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!

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.

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.

One of my favorite memories as a little girl was visiting my “Mom” (Grandmother) & Grandpa Green in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The summer days were hot, steamy and sticky and the highlight of the day was “Pony Boy”, the ice cream man that came by in his cart, pulled by a pony, providing Popsicles to all of us anxious and enthusiastic kids that were patiently waiting, quarter in hand, for his musical entrance on mid-summer night evenings.

The grand entrance of Pony Boy could never be compared today to the opening of my side-by-side freezer after dinner. But when I reach in for an Edy’s Fruit Bar, it sure does come close.

Let’s face it. Simple “frozen delicacies on a wooden stick” bring back fun summer memories. So simple, yet so emotionally powerful.

And Edy’s Fruit Bars are basically, in a frozen memory nutshell, the Popsicle for the big-girl.

Gluten-free, nut-free and only 80 calories per bar, my favorite is the new Pineapple Fruit Bar. Juicy, packed with tiny bits of pineapple and just enough of an after-dinner dessert to satisfy, but not make me feel guilty, Edy’s Pineapple Fruit Bars are my go-to summer favorite.

A fantastic mid-summer dessert, only 80 calories, and the ability to bring back some of the best memories of my life are the reasons why this week’s Friday Favorite goes to Edy’s Fruit Bars… even if they aren’t delivered by Pony-Boy.

Once again, Lindsey from BeFreeForMe offices whipped up an unbelievable dish that is full of vegetables and flavor, and is free of most major allergens.

This dish is prepared with A Taste of Thai Straight Cut Rice Noodles. These noodles are authentic Thai style and inspired noodles, which are so quick and easy to prepare.

Lindsey’s recipe, Warm Asian Noodle Salad, was a hit with my friends that I hosted tonight for a birthday dinner. The dish is packed with veggies and requires no boiling to cook the noodles. Absolutely perfect on a hot summer night.

The Taste of Thai Rice Noodles are a perfect way to prepare many Asian, Thai or vegetarian dishes. A must have for any gluten free pantry.

All these reasons are why this week’s BeFreeForMe Friday Favorite goes to A taste of Thai Rice Noodles!

Last month, as I was wearily making my rounds down one of the last aisles of a natural food show I walked into one of the most amazing snacks of all times: Bhuja Snack Mixes.

Bhuja made my walk down aisle #2305 a walk down the spicy side.

A multigrain snack that’s 100% natural, gluten-free and no trans fats this snack must be tried. But be forewarned… you may unintentionally eat a whole bag in one sitting.

My favorite is the Nut Mix. A spicy, exotic blend of crunchy gluten-free multigrain noodles, crispy peas, peanuts, cashews, almonds… all blended together with flavorful and unforgettable spices.

Bhuja is one of those snacks you have to try for yourself. Go for a walk down the spicy side and try for yourself.

Fiber, Fiber, Fiber. Everyone needs their fiber! But many people, especially those with celiac disease, on a gluten free diet, or those with other various food allergies, understand that getting the minerals, vitamins, protein and fiber your body needs can be real tough.

That is why I am pleased to announce the Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe this week is Hodgson Mill’s Milled Flax Seed.

Flax seeds are a fantastic and versatile way to get a daily dose of fiber. Plus they are gluten and allergen free, all natural, and contain no sugar, cholesterol, trans fat or salt.

I like to stir a couple of tablespoon into my yogurt or blend some into a fruity smoothie, for a filling and satisfying breakfast or mid-day snack.

And according to the folks at Hodgson Mills, flax seeds can also be used as a fat substitute in most recipes. Generally, 3 tablespoons of milled flax seed can replace 1 tablespoon of fat or oil. Also, 1 tablespoon of milled flax seeds, mixed with 3 tablespoons of water can replace 1 egg.

Nutritious, fiber-filled and so very versatile are the reasons why Hodgson Mill’s Milled Flax Seeds get this week’s Friday Favorite honors.

Fiber up!