Product Review: Cybele's FREE-to-EAT Oatmeal Raisin Gluten-Free Cookies

Product: Cybele's FREE-to-EAT™ Oatmeal Raisin Vegan & Gluten-Free Cookies

I bought a box of these cookies at my local Food Lion grocery store a few weeks ago. I bought it on a shopping trip to replenish my desk drawer at work. I always try to keep a few gluten-free options in my desk for that inevitable 3 pm snack attack!

I was excited to find Cybele's cookies in my local grocery store. We don't exactly live in a gluten-free abundant area, so whenever I find a new snack that fits my dietary criteria it's fun to give it a try.

My first thought about these cookies was the box was quite small (which really isn't that unusual for gluten-free baked goods). It has about 12-13 cookies in it and suggests 2 cookies per serving. The box of cookies cost $4.59, which in my experience really isn't too bad a price for gluten-free products. This means the cookies were about .38 a piece.

Nutritional Info: 

• Calories: 110 (for two)
• Total Fat: 4 grams
• Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
• Sodium: 85 milligrams
• Total Carbohydrates: 20 grams
• Dietary Fiber: 1 gram
• Sugars: 11 grams
• Protein: 1 gram

Ingredients:  Gluten-Free Oats, Raisins, Brown Sugar, Organic Palm Oil Shortening, Gluten-Free Flour (Brown Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Flour), Evaporated Cane Juice, Water, Fructose, Golden Flaxseed, Brown Rice Syrup, Grap Juice, Rice Dextrin, Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Xanthan Gum, Sea Salt, Sunflower Lecithin, Cinnamon.

I have to tell you that when I tried the cookies, I wasn't sure what to expect. MOST packaged gluten-free cookies are very hard and crisp... which generally I don't mind. I like a crisp texture now more than I did in my pre-gf days... however it's nice to find a soft cookie.

THESE cookies were truly fabulous! 

They were soft and chewy! The texture was really good for a packaged cookie! The cookies were perfectly moist and the raisins, big and delicious. I felt like the company didn't skimp out on the fruit, which was nice. You had a bite of raisin with nearly every bite! You can taste just a hint of cinnamon in each cookie and they were definitely sweet, but not overly sweet.

I love that Cybele created this recipe using oats and flaxseed, along with being dairy-free AND egg-free! Quite a feat for a GOOD gluten-free cookie! These cookies are ideal for kids with food allergies because they are "top 8" free, so no peanuts, dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, tree nuts, fish, or shellfish. SO a great option to take to school functions and for weekly lunches! They are also baked in a dedicated gluten-free facility so you can rest assured they are free from cross-contamination!

If you wanted too, I think you could easily microwave the cookies for about 5 seconds to give them a warm, "fresh - out - of - the - oven" flavor.

They were really pretty cookies and they looked homemade, not like a store-bought cookie.

I will definitely buy these cookies again, I think they would be great to have at home in the back of the cabinet for a time when you have unexpected company and need a nice dessert!

GLG Disclosure: 

I purchased these cookies on my own dime because I wanted to try them out. I was not compensated or given free product by Cybele's FREE-to-EAT Inc or asked to do a review.  

The opinions and photography in this post are completely my own.

Review: Pillsbury Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Pillsbury contacted me several weeks ago about working with their new promotional campaign for their brand new line of gluten-free baking doughs. To be honest, at first I was slightly hesitant. I know many of my readers prefer to make things from scratch. And generally I do too... 

BUT the longer I've been gluten-free, I've realized the more I long for shortcuts. Not all the time, but for those times when company's coming over unexpectedly, or when you just want a chocolate chip cookie! Shortcuts can be really helpful and when you're gluten-free they are not always readily available. So I agreed to participate in the paid campaign. This is my first compensated review and I can tell you, that no matter what I agree to review, the food will be reviewed with utmost honesty and integrity.

Also once I have reviewed all three products, I will have a baking set & Pillsbury product giveaway, sponsored by Pillsbury. So stay tuned!

So last week I received the 3 Pillsbury gluten-free doughs in the mail.  It's been a busy week and I wasn't sure when I was going to get a chance to try them. If you've been reading this blog very long you know my husband Michael loves chocolate chip cookies. Today I thought I'd give them a whirl.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the plastic container of dough is how much it actually looked like MY cookie dough! Same color, similar consistency. I do recommend taking the dough out of the fridge and allowing it to come to room temperature before baking. It's much easier to handle that way.

The dough was very easy to work with and we got right around 2 dozen small cookies (about 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie). We baked them for around 11 minutes and allowed them to cool on the parchment paper for several minutes before trying them.

Really, I was skeptical. I honestly didn't expect these cookies to be ANYWHERE near as good as my homemade cookies. But in spite of my reservations, I really liked them. I mean I really liked them! I went back and looked at the ingredients and told Michael that I thought they must have borrowed MY gluten-free cookie recipe! The cookies are really good. Michael really liked them too (although he would NOT say they were better than mine... I think he was just being nice though! lol)

The cookies end up being a bit more greasy than the cookies made from my homemade dough, but I absolutely would not hesitate going out and buying this Pillsbury gluten-free chocolate chip cookie dough.

Charlie was really intrigued by the aroma of the cookies as they came out of the oven... I had to stop him from climbing on the table a few times.

**************
UPDATED: 8/7/2013, 10pm
Jenny G. a reader on facebook requested the ingredient list on the cookies, which I meant to include in the post.

Ingredients: Brown Sugar, Rice Flour, Semisweet Chocolate Chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural flavor), Water, Palm Oil, Canola Oil, Sugar, Corn Starch, Modified Potato Starch, Contains 2% or Less of: Eggs, Modified Tapioca Starch, Salt, Baking Soda, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavor.

CONTAINS: EGG AND SOY; MAY CONTAIN MILK INGREDIENTS.
***************

So overall, I'm really impressed with these cookies. They are crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. They are soft and have a chewy crumb. They were honestly much better than I thought they would be. And I kinda hate to admit they were just about as good as my homemade version. A neighbor stopped by to drop off a dish while these cookies were baking and she loved them too. She even took a few home with her... and she's not even gluten-free!

Pros:

• Easy to make, you don't have to add ANY additional ingredients
• Resealable container, which makes the dough easy to save for later, you can easily just make a few at time, if desired. 
• Tastes great! DOES NOT "taste" gluten-free!
• Would be great for parents to make with kids, super easy to assemble and bake. 
• Perfect for travel or to make when visiting friends or family. Easy to suggest to friends & family to have for you when you come to visit. 

Cons:

• A bit more greasy than homemade gluten-free chocolate chip cookies
• High sugar/starch/calorie content -- but this is generally the case with just about any gluten-free processed sweet treat

Good job Pillsbury!

GLG Disclosure: 

Full disclosure: this article is financially supported by Pillsbury®.

The product samples and product stock photos were also provided by Pillsbury. 

However, the opinions in this post are completely my own.

Book Giveaway: I'm a Celiac's "Gluten Free Family Approved Recipes"

Enchilada Casserole page 50, from Pam Jordan's "Gluten Free Family Approved Recipes" 

I am a simple cook. I love shows like "Chopped" and "Cupcake Wars" and "Masterchef"... but honestly I'd never want to compete in them. Because my cooking isn't gourmet, it isn't fancy, it's just good food for hungry bellies.

And that's what I love about Pam Jordan's lovely little cookbook called, "Gluten Free Family Approved Recipes." This wonderful cookbook has over 50 recipes that Pam uses regularly in her home. They are a mix of completely homemade simple meals and meals that use gluten-free shortcuts like Italian dressing mix, taco seasoning, etc... Another awesome thing about Pam's book... it has a slow cooker chapter! And I'm kinda partial to slow cooker recipes! :-P

Every single recipe has been shared and enjoyed at her family table with three hungry kids and her husband.

"One Dish Wonder" pg. 41 from Pan Jordan's "Gluten Free Family Approved Recipes" 

So far I've tried the "One Dish Wonder" on page 41, a really awesome chicken meal that shows you how to make the main dish + 2 sides in one casserole dish. I loved this meal. Pam shows you how to cook all three parts of the meal in one dish by making them side by side with different seasonings. I actually just layered the dish because I was short on chicken. But the flavors in this meal are spot on! Pam called for GF Italian dressing seasoning, but I didn't have any... so I used half a package of dry Ranch dressing mix instead and it was AWESOME! I can't believe I've never thought to use the flavors of a dressing mix in a casserole. We loved this!

We also tried the Enchilada Casserole on page 50 (see the top picture in this post). It uses jarred gluten-free enchilada sauce (I had never used it before! YUM!), corn tortillas, and ground beef (we used ground turkey since that's what I had on hand). This was a really good casserole. Michael said it was like a "Mexican" lasagna and that's what I thought too. We will definitely be making this again.

Pam's book is a real bargain. As a matter of fact, you can buy it for your kindle right now for only $3.99 from Amazon. A STEAL for an entire book of tested recipes that really work the first time you try them! The next recipe on my list to try is the Pear Cobbler. Pears are my favorite fruit and I've never thought to try them in a cobbler, so I know that will be absolutely delicious!

Would you like to win a print copy of Pam's awesome book? 

Here's how: 

The Giveaway Nittygritty:

• 1 brand new printed copy of Pam Jordan's cookbook, "Gluten Free Family Approved Recipes"  
• This giveaway is open to everyone. 
• One entry per person.
• Enter by leaving a comment below on this post AND please include a way for me to contact you -- your email address preferably.
• The giveaway begins July 25, 2013 and ends on July 29, 2013  at 11:00 pm eastern daylight savings time.
• No purchase is necessary.  Odds of winning are based on the number of entries.  
• The winners will be randomly chosen and will be contacted by email.  The winners will have 24 hours to respond.  If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be randomly chosen.

GLG Disclosure: 

Pam sent me a free printed copy of her book to review, if I chose to do so. This is not a sponsored post and I did not receive monetary compensation. The opinions in this post are completely my own. The giveaway copy of the printed book will be provided by Pam Jordan. 

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes (A Master Baking Mix Recipe)

One of the best recipes that I've shared over the years is my Gluten-Free Master Baking Mix. I created it in 2008 before Gluten-Free Bisquick was available. It's the same concept, but my homemade version is a bit more versatile than the store-bought brand. The homemade Master Baking Mix works really well in a huge variety of recipes because it already has shortening in the mix, along with protein from blanched almond meal. The mix also has ground flax seeds in it for additional fiber and omega 3 fatty acids.

Along with biscuits, pancakes, cookies, and muffins... it also turns out you can make a really good cupcake! These cupcakes are SO easy to whip up with the master baking mix. It literally takes less than five minutes to mix them together and pour them into cupcake liners!

Have a last minute school birthday party? Need a quick dessert? These cupcakes are the perfect solution. They are a basic yellow cupcake which means you can really personalize them by adding your favorite flavorings or spices. Feel free to frost these cupcakes with your favorite kind of homemade or store-bought gluten-free frosting. (Pillsbury brand frostings are gluten-free and are great to have on hand for dessert emergencies!) You can also just leave these little cakes plain jane and eat them as is! That's actually how we enjoyed them.

This recipe is a sneak preview for my NEW cookbook coming out in October 2013, "The Everything Gluten-Free Baking Cookbook." There will be an ENTIRE chapter devoted to recipes using my popular Master Baking Mix! 

Gluten-Free Master Baking Mix Vanilla Cupcakes
free of gluten/dairy/casein/soy
created by Carrie of Gingerlemongirl.com
printer-friendly recipe

Yields: 12 cupcakes or 1 (8-inch) single layer cake

Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups Carrie's Gluten-Free Master Baking Mix
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup  1/4 cup light-tasting olive oil or canola oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Gluten-free frosting, if desired (store-bought or homemade --> use almond milk and spectrum palm shortening for a super easy version)

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Lightly spritz non-stick cooking spray into each liner and set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together baking mix and white sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add milk, olive oil, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until you have a lump-free cake batter. Fill each paper liner ¾ full with cake batter. Bake cupcakes for 12-15 minutes until light, golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Gluten-Free Book Review: The Everything Guide to Gluten-Free Living

This is another book review I've been meaning to share with you for months! My good friend Jeanine Friesen, creator and author of "The Baking Beauties" a wonderful Canadian gluten-free food blog, has written a brand new book called, "The Everything Guide to Living Gluten-Free."

(...and I know I'm biased, but I'm thrilled this book is published by Adams Media, the publishers I work with as well and who also published my gluten-free slow cooker cookbook!) 

In the very beginning of the book Jeanine states, "...a gluten-free life isn't all about loss and restrictions. It is also about variety and abundance and finding new ways to enjoy your life."  THIS is why I love Jeanine. She believes in being positive and finding the best possible outcome even when you're diagnosed with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity or a wheat allergy. This book will give you an incredibly positive outlook on life gluten-free.

Complete with chapters on why people go gluten-free, an in-depth look at Celiac disease, and what gluten is and ALL the places it can be found. Jeanine's guide will give you tips and hints for every aspect of going gluten-free. There is an entire chapter on starting a gluten-free diet. How to organize and stock your kitchen gluten-free. How to go shopping gluten-free. How to eat out and travel gluten-free. If you want a complete all-in-one guide, Jeanine's book is the best resource for your gluten-free lifestyle!

And then on top of all that, Jeanine also includes 100 incredible recipes for starting a gluten-free diet. Recipes such as:

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
• Cheesiest Macaroni and Cheese
• Baked Chicken Fingers
• Lean Beef Stroganoff
• Waldorf-Inspired Quinoa Salad
• Baked Mexican Rice Casserole
• Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits
• Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Fluffy Raspberry Frosting

So do those sound good? I thought so! Jeanine's new book is NOW available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and probably your favorite online retailer! Please check out her new book, buy a copy, and please please please leave her a review once you've picked one up! 

Seriously, "The Everything Guide To Living Gluten-Free" is one of the best resources to have on hand if you are gluten-free. I hope to donate a few copies of this to my local library very soon! 

What's the most important tip you could give to someone who is newly gluten-free? 

Please share your thoughts in the comments below! 

Dr. Drew, you owe the celiac community and Jennifer Esposito a BIG apology!

Today's post actually is being shared with permission of Nikki Everett and her daughter Erin. Please make sure to read through the end of the post and then visit the change.org site to help 11 year old Erin ask Dr. Drew for a well deserved apology to the celiac community. 

To see Nikki's original article about this issue please visit her Charlotte, NC ROCK gluten-free support group website! 

Nikki & her daughter Erin

Hi Everyone,

If you have not seen the interview with Dr. Drew and Jennifer Esposito which took place 11/27/12, it has caused quite a stir in the community. The misinformation and total mishandling of celiac disease and leaky gut syndrome, not to mention Jennifer Esposito's claims of illnesses, was unacceptable.

Erin, my daughter, was so angry from watching it, she has written the following to send to Dr. Drew's show:

***************

Dear Dr. Drew,

Hi, I am an 11 year old girl that watched your show and hope to help you with your knowledge of celiac disease. First of all, not everyone has diarrhea, there is also constipation with celiac disease. They have to take your blood in tests or an endoscopy to diagnose celiac. Celiac disease is not a disorder it is a disease. When you called it only a disorder, that hurt my feelings because I am a celiac and I know what its like. It seemed like you have no clue what other kids and families go through when they find out they have it.

I was sick for many years but no one knew what was wrong. We went to doctor after doctor. They tried to tell me it was all in my head! On Halloween night, when I was seven years old and I went trick or treating,
I came home and was so sick to my stomach. I was throwing up all night long with my mom by my side. That same week I went to the doctors because I wouldn't eat anything and lost four pounds. My doctor did the same thing you did - example; "I think she has constipation nothing more, that would solve the hurting of the stomach." It kept on getting worse. My mom demanded that they do an endoscopy. They did and found out
I had Celiac Disease.

Mom started a R.O.C.K group. It stands for Raising Our Celiac Kids. One time when the kids and I were at one of our meetings, another girl came up to mom and said that she hadn't ever been able to eat a cake at a party in years. All the mothers were tearing up and mom felt joy in her heart. You see, we face people not believing our disease is as serious as it is all the time.

Please take the time to learn more about celiac disease and gluten free living, so you don't make anyone else as sad as your show made me. We need people like you to educate others and spread awareness about this horrible illness. No one should feel ashamed of this disease.

Thank you for reading!

Sincerely,
Erin R. Everett

***************

We will be sending it in today and ask that you help us by signing and sharing the petition we have made on Change.org
http://www.change.org/petitions/dr-drew-show-on-headline-news-we-would-like-a-public-apology-to-the-celiac-disease-community

Let's stand together and let mainstream media know that they cannot discount the seriousness of this disease because so many still suffer needlessly
and struggle to get diagnosis.

Thank you,
Nikki Everett

Director of Event Coordination
ECHO Event Solutions
Gluten Sensitivity Seminars, LLC
Founder ROCK (Raising Our Celiac Kids), Charlotte, N.C.

Please take a look at our GF/AF Expo Press page to see
what kind of exposure our vendors and presenters get from participating
in our events at www.gfexpopress.blogspot.com/

Book Review: Adam's Gluten-Free Surprise by Debbie Simpson

Title: Adam's Gluten Free Surprise
Written and Illustrated by: Debbie Simpson
Copyright: 2012

Back in early May (or who knows, it could have been April!) I approached Debbie Simpson, a mom in our Yahoo Gluten-Free Recipe Swap Group, for a copy of her new gluten-free children's book. She sweetly agreed to send me a copy and as soon as I saw the illustrations I knew this was going to be a great book! 

I meant to write a review for it several months ago, but life became a little topsy turvy and I'm just now getting back into writing posts that are way behind schedule!! But honestly I think this is great timing for Adam's Gluten-Free Surprise, because it's the perfect book to share with school-age children! 

Adam is a young boy who is just headed back to school. He found out the previous year that he had celiac disease and he has been getting used to a new diet and eating foods that don't hurt his tummy. This book shares Adam's experience in this new classroom with his teacher Mrs. Brown as she learns about celiac disease. Mrs. Brown learns that celiac is a very special disease that requires her to take extra precautions whenever the class plans on eating a snack or having food along with a lesson. 

This book has charming illustrations that kids and adults will both love! The story is clearly written in language that will be meaningful to all who read and listen to it. Also, I love how relate-able the characters are and how creatively the story is shared. 

This book is extremely warm, encouraging, and helpful for both children, teachers, and parents alike. Celiac disease, food allergies, and/or having food sensitivies can be a huge learning curve for all the people who interact with your children. Having this book to share could be a huge help to explain what celiac disease is, how to safely prepare food for those who eat gluten-free, and how to educate others about the gluten-free lifestyle. 

My favorite thing about this book is the truly positive outlook that Debbie shares with gluten-free kids and parents. She wants parents and children to know that while there is a lot to learn, it's not a hard process and kids are extremely adaptive to changes if you face them with a positive attitude. 

You can find Debbie's newly redesigned book on Amazon for a steal right now at only $9.56!! If you prefer ebooks, you can get the kindle version for $3.99! 

Please check out Debbie's great book, read it to your kids, and share it with teachers. I plan on purchasing a copy to donate to my local public library! Thank you for a truly inspiring and positive book for children about celiac disease Debbie! 

R.O.C.K. Highlights: How To Be A Gluten Free Kid

Designed by Jennifer Yandle

A few months ago Shirley of Gluten Free Easily started sharing online reports about each meeting of her local gluten free support group. I thought it might be a neat idea to do something similar here on my blog. I think it will be an interesting contrast to see the different topics and ideas shared at another type of gluten free support group.

I started my local gluten free support group in January 2010. It took six months for me to have the courage and enough people to put together a meeting, but we did it! We had 6 people at our first meeting and that included myself, my husband, and my fearless mother-in-law! Our first meeting focused on local gluten free resources and restaurants who could cater to a gluten free diet. We began having monthly meetings and eventually added what we call "coffee breaks" several times a month. The coffee breaks were more informal times just to get together and chat, have coffee, and talk about all things gluten free in our area.

As the group has morphed and changed over the past two years we now have bi-monthly meetings and once-a-month coffee breaks. We now have about 25 active members who come to our meetings and over 45 members we connect with locally through email and facebook. Recently our group became affiliated with Danna Korn's R.O.C.K. (raising our celiac kids) support group. I chose for our group to join this organization over other national groups because the premise of the group 1) is to have a positive attitude towards being gluten free! Life is good! And even though being gluten free can be a challenge, it doesn't have to be a sad or negative experience! I love Danna's philosophy on this!

Secondly, this organization will meet the needs of many in our area who are raising gluten free kids! I felt there was a primary need for us to make sure that kids felt included and welcomed in our gluten free support group!

"Mommy, What is Celiac Disease" by Katie Chalmers

The focus of our ROCK Party last Saturday was How to Be a Gluten Free Kid! We really felt like we needed an introductory meeting to truly welcome parents and kids into our local group since we became a ROCK group. This meeting was simple and straightforward. Two members of our group Erin P. and Nancy C. helped me to plan out this meeting. We decided to have games out for children, have a local face painter to paint faces and hands (she kindly volunteered to come and help us for free!), and have lots of delicious gluten free food and snacks for the kids.

Barrett's Unusual Ice Cream Party By Michelle King

To begin the meeting I just shared new announcements, introduced myself, and then welcomed people to try all the delicious gluten free foods we had available.

The focus of the meeting was the reading of two children's books: "Mommy, What is Celiac Disease" by Katie Chalmers and "Barrett's Unusual Ice-Cream Party" by Michelle King.

After reading the stories to the children (and parents) in our group we spoke with author Katie Chalmers through a SKYPE interview. Mrs. Chalmers answered questions for our parents especially regarding how to handle kids being gluten free in school and how to inform other parents and teachers. She shared with us why she wrote the book, lunches she made for her children, how she handled going out to eat etc...She was a delightful person to speak with!

The rest of our meeting was a laid back question and answer session among the adults of the group, while the children played with balloons, games, and enjoyed the gluten free food that was shared.

GF Grilled chicken nuggets from Chick Fil A

Erin P. asked our local Harris Teeter (a grocery store which sells many gluten free foods for us!) to donate helium-filled balloons for our kids. Nancy C. & her husband Merle spoke with a manager at our local Chick Fil A, who volunteered to send a huge tray of gluten-free grilled chicken nuggets to our group. (Many, MANY thanks to our local Chick Fil A! We love you guys! We often meet at our local Chick Fil A for our monthly coffee breaks because the kids can play and we can all eat safe gluten free grilled chicken, waffle fries (dedicated fryer!), fruit, and salads!)

Gluten Free KIND Snack Bars! YUM!

Primarily for the blog, I was contacted by KIND Snacks, Inc. and Gallo Lea Organics of Asheville NC if I would like to try samples of their gluten free food. We shared these foods with our group and they were a HUGE hit!

We were sent 4 different varieties of the KIND bars to try, along with a cute giveaway package that included KIND gluten free granola and different varieties of the bars! We used this as a door prize for parents! KIND Healthy Snacks was founded in 2003 and all of their bar varieties are gluten free! They contain all natural ingredients that you can actually see in each bar and can easily pronounce! The philosophy of the KIND Snacks company is that they choose healthy, tasty, convenient, wholesome, economically sustainable, and socially impactful products to share with consumers.

These bars were a hit with the kids and adults of our group. We gave away tons of samples of the bars and included them in goody bags that we gave to our kids.

Gluten Free Homemade Pizza Kits from Gallo Lea Organics -- Great for your pantry!

Gallo Lea Organics out of Asheville, NC (love working with local companies!) sent us 3 pizza kits to use at our gluten free support group! I went to the church early (where we meet) to make the pizzas before the meeting. I didn't realize how FAST and easy these pizzas would be to make! It literally good less than 30 minutes to put these pizzas together and bake them! The mix uses all natural gluten free ingredients with whole grains, NO gums, yeast, salt, and citrus acid (vitamin C) to help preserve it. All you do is mix the dry ingredients with warm water, pat out onto a pan lined with the parchment paper (that's included in the kit) and bake. You prebake the crust for about 5-10 minutes and then add toppings (the sauce is included!) and bake for another 5-8 minutes until the toppings are heated through. That's it! Safe, delicious, gluten free pizza is served in less than 30 minutes! I made one pizza with regular cheese, one with cheese & gluten free pepporoni, and one with daiya vegan cheese (I had to eat pizza too! lol).

Seriously easy to make and our group really loved the flavor of the crust! One member mentioned that he thought it tasted similarly to a "whole wheat" pizza crust. All the kids ate the pizza and loved it! I'll never forget the reaction of one of our newest members, a young boy with a wheat allergy. When it was time to eat he came up to the food table and I told him he could eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING on the table. His little face just lit up with sheer delight that there were no restrictions at this table! It was a wonderful moment I'll never forget! We had absolutely NO pizza leftovers! All the ingredients are organic and you can purchase the mix directly from Gallo Lea's website.

Michael's Favorite (Gluten Free & Dairy Free) Chocolate Chip Cookies

Several of our members made gluten-free snacks to share with everyone! I made my husband's favorite chocolate chip cookies. Erin P. made gluten free cake pops using my gluten free yellow cake mix. She put them on lollypop sticks, covered them in melted white chocolate and sprinkles and placed them decoratively in a pink basket! Super cute! Nancy C. made her favorite chex snack mix and gluten free banana bread. I also brought fresh fruit (apples & grapes) to remind kids about naturally gluten free, super healthy food choices!

Here are the recipes Nancy used that she shared with our group: 

In place of flour, Nancy uses her own gluten free flour mix for the flour in this recipe:
2 cups white rice flour + 1 cup sorghum flour + 1/3 cup tapioca starch/flour
Then add 2 teaspoons xanthan gum and you're all set. 

My husband Michael made goody bags for all the kids. He placed a KIND bar in each bag along with popular gluten free candies such as Tootsie Rolls, Starburst, and Jolly Ranchers.

This turned out to be one of my favorite gluten free support group meetings we've ever had! We had both children and adults really having fun, laughing, enjoying gluten free pizza and grilled nuggets. Sharing stories, talking, and just feeling good about being gluten free! And honestly, I think that's what a support group is all about! Our ROCK party in July will hopefully be a gluten free cookout at a local ballpark. I'll be sure to share all the details with you about how we put that together and how well it goes!

MANY, MANY thanks to the vendors and children's book authors who provided their products and materials for our May ROCK Party! We had a great time and loved these products!

GLG Disclosure: 

The companies and authors listed in the above post provided samples of their products and books for the purpose of providing a review, if I chose to do so. 

This is not a sponsored post and I did not receive compensation. 

The opinions in this post are my own and those of my local gluten free support group. 

Seriously Easy Gluten Free, Vegan Pizza Crust Recipe

GF, vegan, gum-free pizza dough just pressed out.

Sometimes you just come up with a recipe that works the first time and you have to share!! This was one of those recipes. Ever since The (Not-So) Gluten Free Pizza Crust Debate (awesome article Alta!) regarding Domino's pizza started last week... I've been a little obsessed with pizza. Honesty, I don't make a lot of pizza. A lot gluten free pizza recipes I've tried over the years are a bit complicated and have a lot of ingredients... and these days I just don't have time for complicated. 

If it's got more than 5 ingredients, I just haven't been too interested in trying it lately. So after hearing about Domino's gluten free crust, trying Domino's gluten free crust and then being sick for two full days from the "gluten free crust" (yep... I got sick), I decided no more Domino's. 

I needed a recipe for QUICK pizza at home. I personally cannot use corn tortillas as a base because corn doesn't agree with me. So what else could I use... 

Hubs had regular cheese, I had daiya cheese.

I started remembering recipes for quick pizzas I had seen lately: Alta's Easy Quinoa Pizza, Socca Pizza, Gluten Free Day's Quinoa Pizza, Almond Flour Pizza, etc... I liked different aspects of each of these pizzas... but I wanted something super easy I could put together in just a few minutes. 

This weekend my gluten free support group had our May meeting. We had a meeting geared towards kids so we made pizza! GalloLea Organics of Asheville, NC sent me samples of their amazing pizza crust kits. I was so intrigued with their gluten free crust mix. All you had to do was mix the dry ingredients with water, pat out on a pan and bake. That's what I wanted to do. (PS... if you want an awesome pizza crust kit that you don't have to make and that you can keep in the pantry, BUY the GalloLea Organics kits! We LOVED those pizzas!) 

Par-baked crust! It's darker due to the teff & quinoa flours.

I wanted to use quinoa flour for the pizza because it's very high in both protein and fiber. Quinoa is also slightly lower in carbohydrates than other gluten free flour options, so it's a better option for my pizza cravings! I thought I had a bag of quinoa flour in the pantry, but realized all I had was regular quinoa. So I used my vitamix! I love my vitamix... I added the quinoa in small batches to the vitamix and ground it into flour. It worked perfectly! To make the pizza completely grain free (as quinoa is technically a seed) use all quinoa flour or add almond flour in place of the teff.

Easy Gluten Free, Vegan Pizza Crust Recipe
free of gluten, soy, dairy/casein, gums, eggs
adapted from Gluten Free Day's Quinoa Pizza
printer-friendly version
makes one 12" thin-crust pizza

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup teff flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon rapid rise or bread machine yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/2 cup warm water (+ additional if necessary)
1 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together quinoa flour, teff flour, salt, yeast, and sugar. Pour warm water into the dry ingredients and stir together with a fork. Stir together until a ball of dough forms. If a half cup of water is not enough to create a stiff ball of dough, add 1 tbsp. of additional warm water at a time until you have a ball of dough. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Prepare topping while dough is resting. When ready to pre-bake crust pour 1 tbsp. olive oil onto the parchment paper and spread over paper into about a 12" circle. Place ball of dough onto the oiled parchment paper. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the ball of dough and pat out with your hands into about a 12" circle as seen in pictures above. Remove plastic wrap and place pizza crust into the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven. Add desired toppings and bake for an additional 10 minutes until toppings are heated through and cheese or cheese-substitute is melted.

Enjoy!! :-)

Our fav toppings: 'shrooms, green peppers, pepperoni

Book Review: Barrett's Unusual Ice Cream Party by Michelle L. King

Barrett's Unusual Ice Cream Party
Written By: Michelle King
Published by Tate Publishing
Release Date: April 17th, 2012


I love children's books. I always have. My parents read to me constantly as a child and I was probably happier reading and looking through the pictures of a children's book than I was any other time.

When I started a gluten free support group a few years ago, I didn't realize that the biggest reason many people would join our group was due to the fact that their children had celiac disease. How do you explain to a child that they can't eat an entire food group anymore? They can't have pizza with their friends. They can't eat school lunch anymore. They can't have cupcakes or pancakes or their favorite mustard sandwich, as one sweet little girl named Madelyn used to say in our support group.

This is why we need children's books. GOOD children's books. Books that speak to children on their level, yet don't speak down to them. Books that empower children and help them understand their bodies and why they have to eat a very special diet.

The book I'm sharing with you today is called "Barrett's Unusual Ice Cream Party" and it's one of those really GOOD books! It's a small book with a great story about a little boy named Barrett who has celiac disease. Barrett has to take his own lunch to school. He has to tell other children about certain foods, "That will make me sick." And some days he gets really frustrated because the other children don't understand.

Barrett gets so frustrated that he tells his mom he doesn't want to go to school anymore. He is sad that other children in his class get birthday parties with cupcakes that have colored sprinkles and he can't have any. It's just not fair.

One day, Barrett goes to school and there's a new kid in class. The teacher introduces him and Barrett learns that this little boy cannot eat dairy products. Suddenly Barrett realizes he is not alone. He talks to the new boy and they share their stories and when it's time for a special ice cream party in class, fun things start to happen!

I love this book because the story is so realistic and so many children with food allergies and/or sensitivities will completely understand what Barrett is going through. It will help them learn they are not alone and that there are other kids who have to follow special diets too.

Uniquely, this book also includes several very special recipes that you can make with your gluten free & dairy free kids! I highly recommend this debut book, written by Michelle L. King. The book has just recently become available on Amazon.com. What I also love is that with the purchase of the book you also receive a special eLIVE coupon code, allowing you to download a FREE copy of the audio version of this book!

"Mommy, What is Celiac Disease?" -- book review & giveaway

I heard about this lovely little book when it was published last year on September 9, 2010. There are many celiac kids in our local community and quite a few in our gluten free support group. Yet as a group leader, I had absolutely no materials to help them understand celiac disease. 

Honestly, needing a helpful celiac children's book didn't even cross my mind until a friend (with a celiac daughter) asked me to speak to her local Girl Scout troop a few weeks ago.

(Speaking of which, please sign this online petition to encourage the powers that be of the Girl Scouts to create an allergen free/ gluten free cookie to sell, instead of making celiac girls sell cookies they cannot even eat!) 

The first (and only) resource I thought of was Katie's beautiful book called, "Mommy, What is Celiac Disease?" And I needed a copy ASAP! After doing some initial research I was completely shocked at how few books there currently are that explain celiac disease and the gluten free diet to children.

I quickly contacted Katie and she generously agreed to send me a copy, along with a copy to giveaway to my readers!

Katie's book is perfect for the fall season! With beautiful colors and a simple, understandable story... Katie shares how she helps her daughter understand what celiac disease is. I love Katie's positive outlook on celiac disease and how she helps her daughter understand that life will be just as good as it was before, that they simply have to change some of the foods that they used to eat.

Using language and pictures that children will appreciate and understand -- the story shares simple questions and answers about what celiac disease is, how it affects a child's body, and how doctors and families can treat the disease with diet.

I've read the book twice now and I love the joy it shares. As adults, we often get frustrated or bogged down by the challenges of celiac disease, but we don't think about how blessed we are to be able to make our bodies healthy by simply choosing the right foods.

Katie's sweet story is wonderful to read and I look forward to sharing it with my nephew Christopher when I see him next to help him understand why I have to follow a gluten free diet.

Would you like a copy of this book? Simply leave me a comment here on the blog and tell me who you would share this story with! You have until midnight, Thursday October 6th to enter a comment to win!

And meanwhile if you'd like to buy a copy, Katie offers the books at a discount through her website, where they are actually cheaper than if you were to order them through Amazon! This book would be perfect for school libraries, doctor's offices, gluten free support groups, and just for spreading celiac awareness in general!