You'll think they're OREO's too!

Product Name: KinniTOOS Chocolate Sandwich Creme Cookies

Manufacturer: Kinnikinnick
Overall Rating: 5.0
Company Website: http://consumer.kinnikinnick.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/consumer.home.html

Review: These cookies are truly fantastic! If you were an Oreo cookie lover, as I was, you will absolutely LOVE KinniTOOS Chocolate Sandwich Creme Cookies. They are so good, I can almost guarantee you will fall in love with them.

I have tried other gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies on the market, and, these cookies knock the socks off all of the rest. These cookies are super chocolaty, and have a soft but crisp texture. The creme filling is very true to its non-gluten-free counterpart, the Oreo.

Since my brother tends to be brutally honest about these things, I decided to test these out on him one evening that he was visiting. He said that they were really good, and if I hadn’t told him ahead of time, he would’ve thought that they were Oreos!

I think these are fairly priced in comparison to most other gluten-free products. I get them at Hannaford for about $5.19. If you shop around, you may be able to find them a little cheaper. But, I’m fine with paying $5.19 for these little delights! 

You can also use these for making chocolate cookie crusts for pies, cheesecakes, or any recipe that call for a cookie crust.

These cookies are also dairy-free, and nut-free too!

Red Bean Soup with Avocado Salsa

Yesterday was one of those cold, blustery winter days. You know, the kind that chills you to the bone, making you dream of being at home, snuggled under a blanket, near the fireplace? Yeah, that kind of cold winter day. So, with that said, I was in the mood for something warm and comforting for dinner. 

What to make? Soup! Soup always seems to be the perfect thing on a cold winter’s day. So, I decided to make my Red Bean Soup with Avocado Salsa. 

I love this soup recipe because it's really easy to make, I typically have most of the ingredients in my pantry, and it's filling enough to stand on its own as an entreé. I've been making this soup for a few years now. My husband is also a big fan, mostly because he loves the delicious avocado salsa that goes with it. The salsa is what really makes this soup sing! If I were you, I'd probably double the salsa recipe when you make this. My friends and family always want more than the single batch recipe makes! 
   
The overall taste of the soup itself will probably remind you a little bit of chili due to the red kidney beans and cumin. This soup is extremely good for you, which makes it even better! It is loaded with protein, fiber, and vegetables. The avocado salsa has good, heart-healthy fat and is a good source of potassium and vitamins C and K. And as if that weren’t good enough, it’s not only gluten-free, but dairy-free, nut-free, vegetarian, AND vegan! I know...right!?
 
Without further ado, here is the recipe. Let me know what you think after you make it! 
 

Soup Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
2 medium yellow onions, chopped coarsely 
2 cloves garlic, chopped 
2 teaspoons ground cumin   
3/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper (use more or less depending on your own taste) 
1 tablespoon paprika 
1 tablespoon tomato paste 
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
1 14 oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 40 oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
32 oz. organic vegetable broth 
salt and pepper, to taste

Avocado Salsa Ingredients: 
1 large or 2 medium avocados, cut into chunks 
1/4 medium red onion, chopped fine 
1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped fine 
Handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped  
Juice of 1 lime
 
Directions: Heat oil in stock pot, add onions and garlic to the pot and cook for about 4 minutes, or until onions and garlic are softened. Add the cumin, cayenne and paprika, cook 1 minute, stirring continuously. Add tomato paste and oregano, still stirring continuously for another minute. Add diced tomatoes, kidney beans and vegetable stock. Stir to combine. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. 

While the soup is cooking, make the Avocado Salsa. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Slice the avocado in a checkerboard pattern while still in its skin. Then take a spoon and scrape along the skin to remove the flesh. You should end up with chunks of avocado ready to use. 

Place diced avocado in a small bowl. Gently fold in red onion, jalapeño, cilantro and lime juice. Set aside.

Once the soup has cooked for 15-20 minutes, remove cover and remove from heat.

Let soup cool slightly, then puree with immersion blender or in batches in a blender, until smooth. Ladle soup into large soup bowls, spoon about 1/4 cup of avocado salsa in the middle of each bowl and serve.
 
Serves 6. 
Soup may be refrigerated for 7 days and reheated over medium heat; may be frozen for up to 1 month. Avocado salsa will keep in the refrigerator for a few days in a tightly sealed container.
 
This is a gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free and nut-free dish.

Adapted from The Complete Mexican, South American & Caribbean Cookbook by Jane Milton, Jenni Fleetwood and Marina Filippelli. London: Hermes House, 2005.

Monday's Featured Product from Jules™ Gluten Free

Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour  
Click Here for my complete review of this product.
Overall Rating: 4.5
Company Website: www.julesglutenfree.com/category-s/3.htm 

 

Pizza! Pizza! Pizzzzza!

Homemade Gluten Free Pizza never looked so good! And, it tastes good too!

This week on Gluten Free•dom NY, we’re talkin’ Pizza! One of my all-time favorite foods, and I’m guessing one of yours too. Back in my heyday, I was even called a “pizza snob!” My friends would come to me and ask where the best pizza places were in town, and I had all the answers.

That was all well and good until I was diagnosed and had to go GF! Then everything changed. Since then, it has been my mission to find a delicious local GF pizza. One that even non-GF people would want to eat. My quest for finding even a relatively good GF pizza has been rather disappointing, to say the least, over the past 3 years. 

 

During my first demoralizing month of having to go GF,  I heard that Pizzeria UNO had a GF pizza. At that time, they were one of the few that offered GF anything, so imagine my excitement. Maybe my pizza days weren’t over after all! (Insert the “wrong answer” buzzer here!) Well, when my “pizza” came, I remember nearly coming to tears with disappointment. The crust was just about inedible. I could barely pick it up without it falling apart. What a letdown. But that  didn’t stop me from trying others and continuing my mission to find the best!

Three years later, I can say that there are only two places that I would recommend. One is in this area, and the other one is on the state line of Nevada/California. In our area, there is Harvest and Hearth, located on Rte. 67 in Saratoga Springs. See my review of Harvest and Hearth at http://glutenfreedomny.blogspot.com/p/harvest-hearth.html. The other is Straw Hat Pizza, located in Harvey’s Hotel on the Nevada/California state line. 

Straw Hat Pizza is my favorite  so far. Put it this way, it was so good that I ate one whole pizza all by myself in one sitting. Then I went back the next day, and did it again! It’s really too bad this place is so far away from home. It’s a little too far to travel on a Friday night to get a pizza, and I’m guessing they probably won’t deliver. But I did some calling and eventually spoke with Straw Hat’s manager, and found out that they order their crust from Venice Bakery in California. You can check out all of their GF products online at http://www.venicebakery.com/info/Our-Products.html. I ordered their crusts online and had them shipped from California. They were still good, but not as good as getting it from Straw Hat Pizza itself, so I haven’t ordered them again. I figure I’ll just have to go back out there sometime and order another one.  If you’re in the area,  give them a try!

After lots of searching, coming up with only a few pizza shop choices that were noteworthy, I moved onto trying to make my own crusts, using recipes from other GF experts I found online. My favorite pizza crust recipe so far is from Jules Shepard, who makes Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour (this week’s featured product). Go to http://glutenfreedomny.blogspot.com/p/jules-gluten-free-all-purpose-flour.html for my full review on Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour.

 I must say this pizza comes out great. You can make the crust however you like, thicker or thin depending how far you spread the dough. This crust really browns up nicely, and has great texture and taste. The crust doesn’t have the “chew” that a normal wheat flour crust would have, but it’s still really good. My husband, who is not GF, was really impressed with this pizza overall. Every time I make it for myself, he always asks for a bite. He gives it the thumbs up!

So, you don’t have Jules Gluten Free™ Flour? Try your favorite GF all-purpose flour in place of hers in the recipe. It may be slightly different, but [using Jules™ has produced the best results for me so far. Like my mom always says, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!").


Click here for Jules™ Pizza Dough Recipe and start making delicious pizza tonight! 
(Although almost all of my recipes are family recipes, or truly adapted and changed by myself, this pizza dough recipe I use just as it was written. So, due to that reason and for copyright purposes, I have linked you directly to Jules'™ blog to get her pizza dough recipe instead of posting it directly on my site. Hey, you got to give credit, when credit is due!)

Welcome to Gluten Free•dom NY!

Thank you for joining me!
This is your source for Gluten Free (GF) products, recipes, restaurants, and resources for those living a GF lifestyle. Restaurants reviewed are mostly in the Upstate NY region, but also from other restaurants around the U.S. I've stumbled upon during my travels. You will also find out a little bit about me and why I've created this blog.
     Right now there is only one item per tab to get you started and to see where I'm going with this blog. I will be adding to this blog weekly, so make sure you SIGN UP to get updates by typing your email to the right where it says "Follow by Email." You will then get an email from "FeedBurner" asking you to confirm your subscription to this blog. That's where you hit confirm because you don't want to miss out on any of this. Please share this blog with your friends, family, co-workers, etc. and have them sign up by email as well. Even if they are not GF themselves, they may know others who are.
     I am very excited to begin this journey with you. Say good-bye to bland, tasteless GF food and hello to delicious, tasty bites of yummy goodness!
     I here then, share with you, my first recipe. Rice Pudding. YUM! I have also included it on my recipes page for easier reference in the future. Every recipe posted here on out will also be listed on the recipe page. Enjoy! 

Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is a dessert that is near and dear to my heart. It reminds me of my Grandfather "Poppy" as we called him growing up. Poppy came over to Ellis Island from Nicosia, Cyprus and was an accomplished Greek chef. 
     Growing up he used to come to visit my family, and while he was with us he always would cook up a storm. One of the things he made that I enjoyed most was his rice pudding. What made things even better was that because he was used to working in the restaurant all of his life, he only knew how to make very large quantities of things. I remember just eating bowlfuls after bowlfuls of rice pudding every day until it was gone. My mom would get annoyed by the astronomical amounts of rice pudding he would make, but I just kept smiling and eating.
     Poppy passed away when I was 14 and no one seems to have the recipe, which is a shame. I found this Rice Pudding recipe online and made some adaptations to it according to my own taste. Although it's not his recipe, it still brings me comfort and joy while allowing me to remember some wonderful times with my Grandfather. I'm sure it would bring him joy knowing I'm still making one of our favorite dishes years later. 

RICE PUDDING RECIPE:
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup Aborio Rice (Risotto Rice) or short grain white rice
1 3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups Milk divided (or milk substitute)*
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split and scrape inside seeds
1 Tbs. butter, salted
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg beaten, at room temp.

DIRECTIONS:
Bring water to a boil in saucepan with salt, stir rice in and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until rice is tender. About 20-25 minutes. Make sure you do not undercook the rice, it must be completely tender.

In a clean saucepan, combine cooked rice, butter, vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds, and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Cook over medium heat until it starts getting thick and creamy, then add sugar and mix thoroughly. Cook for about 15-20 minutes stirring frequently making sure you don't burn the pudding on the bottom. Once the pudding is fairly thick, take some of the hot pudding and add it to the beaten room temperature egg in a separate bowl to temper it mixing quickly for a few minutes.** Add the tempered egg to the saucepan with the remaining 1/2 cup of milk. Cook for about 5 more minutes or until desired thickness. Serve warm with cinnamon. Chill remaining pudding in fridge in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week. 

*I've used Unsweetened Coconut milk (in the milk carton, not the can kind) and 2% milk, both with positive results.
**Make sure you do not skip tempering the egg. If you do, you will get a scrambled egg in your pudding. 

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes by Erica G.