Gluten-Free Products I Love

Alright, this isn't exactly a recipe, but I think it's time to mention some gluten-free products I love.  When I first went gluten-free I found that some gluten-free items I bought were terrible. I went without substitutes for a long time, preferring to eat a burger with no bun for example, rather than eat bread products so hard it was hard to bite into them.  It would've been nice to know at the time which products were actually decent.

After a few years without gluten though, I've managed to find a number of packaged items that I actually like.  They're not all easy to find, but you can order alot of them online if they aren't in your local store.  Here are those items that really stand out as great gluten-free products:

Bagels and Buns:
Glutino: Premium Sesame Bagels
Molly B's: Sandwich Buns

Of the various bread products I've tried, these two are by far the best.  I would recommend toasting any gluten-free bread that you buy, including these.  These two come closest to the real thing in my opinion.

Breakfast Cereal:
Nature's Path: Crunchy Maple Sunrise or Mesa Sunrise

Nature's Path Cereals are all pretty fantastic, but these two are my absolute faves.  Mesa Sunrise is a tasty cornflake-like cereal, and contains amaranth and flax.  I'm sure it's the healthier one of the two.  I base this assumption on the sweet candy-like yumminess of Crunchy Maple Sunrise, which I consider more of a splurge.

Cake Mixes:
Namaste: Blondies
Pamela's: Classic Vanilla Cake Mix

There is a recipe for carrot cake on the Pamela's mix which turned out great.

Crackers:
Mary's Gone Crackers: Original Seed or Herb

So yummy!  One of the best crackers ever, and even people who eat gluten agree.  Made from seeds, they have a nutty flavor.

Crispbread:
Le Pain des Fleurs: Buckwheat or Quinoa

These crispbreads are one of my most recent finds.  They may be hard to get in North America, as they are made in France, but I did find them in a store in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.  Excellent for spreads.  I like them with hummus and sliced cucumber!

Instant Meals:
Amy's: Indian Palak Paneer

Pasta:
Annie's: Gluten Free Rice Pasta and Cheddar

Annie's Rice Pasta comes in a box like Kraft Dinner, and makes for easy comfort food.

Rizopia 100% Rice Pasta: Organic Wild Rice Radiatore, Organic Brown Rice Fantasia or Organic Brown Rice Fusilli
Tinkyada: Organic Brown Rice Lasagna Noodles

Rice pastas can get gooey, sticky or pasty, although there are plenty of good ones out there too.  I really love the small Rizopia pastas I've listed, because they have a nice texture and hold sauces well.  The radiatore is my favourite.  The Fantasia noodles are made of various shapes and might be fun for gluten-free kids.

The Tinkyada noodles were an amazing find for making lasagna.  Although they do require cooking before you assemble your lasagna, they are firm and hold together well.  We fed our lasagna to gluten eaters and they loved it.

Pizza:
Kinnikinnick: Personal Size Pizza Crusts

These crusts can be used for homemade pizzas or garlic cheese bread.  Found in the freezer and easy to use.  I love the cornmeal dusted on the bottom.

Snacks:
Glutino Wafers: Lemon or Chocolate
Mary's Gone Crackers: Sticks and Twigs in Curry Flavour

Soup:
Amy's: Lentil, or Medium Chili

Amy's products can be found pretty easily in health food stores and many grocery stores.  If you like lentil soup you might even find it at Costco.  I found it there packaged in an 8-pack with Minestrone, which has gluten, so you can give those to the gluten eaters in your life.  Even if you give the cans of Minestrone to the food bank, you'll still save money.

Waffles:
Nature's Path: Buckwheat Wildberry or Mesa Sunrise

Of course there are other decent products out there; I haven't tried them all.  These products though, are a great start if you're looking for convenient foods that taste good.

Oatmeal with Currants and Agave Syrup

Oatmeal is something I gave up when I became gluten free, because they say some of them have gluten.  My naturopath said the way to remember what to avoid was to by the word BROW: barley, rye, oats and wheat.  I have been very pleased to start eating some gluten free oats though.  It seems that the issue with oats is that they can be cross-contaminated by barley, rye or wheat.  These folks seem to have some info on this: http://www.glutenfreeoats.com/

Another great find I have had lately is agave syrup.  Agave is used to produce a sweetner that tastes very similar to honey, but is low on the glycemic index.  Some say that it is a better choice for diabetics because it doesn't affect their blood sugar the same way as other sugars.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup gluten free oats, cooked according to package
1 tsp agave syrup
a handful of dried currants or raisins
rice, almond or soy milk

Cook oats according to package.  Serve immediately, topped with syrup, dried fruit and dairy-free milk.  Very filling and delicious.

Fish and Sauteed Greens for Breakfast

So here it is, my first published recipe.  I am a pretty new cook, mostly motivated by my desire to get healthy in a natural way.  The thing is though, I LOVE tasty food.  I also crave variety, as my partner has helped me to notice.  I like all types of food, but I limit certain foods due to sensitivities.

This recipe was born from a desire to incorporate more dairy-free, calcium rich foods into my diet.  Both sardines and spinach are good sources of calcium, and they're cheap and easy to store.  I usually keep frozen spinach on hand, but fresh spinach is great too.  If you don't have either on hand I've found frozen mixed veggies to be great in it as well.  I've also substituted leftover fish for the sardines.  Salmon and rainbow trout are both fantastic.

Also, a note on the spices.  Powdered or flakes of kelp can be found in health food stores, and is a good thing to use in combination with sea salt, as it provides iodine that is usually found in standard iodized table salt.

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of frozen spinach (or other mixed veggies if preferred)
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 can of sardines
1 tsp olive oil
A few dashes each of turmeric, cumin, chili powder, kelp
Sea salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped (optional) 
1 lemon wedge (optional)

Saute garlic, spinach and onion in oil.  Drain sardines.  Place desired amount of cooked veggies in bowl, and using a fork, mash sardines with veggies.  Add turmeric, cumin, chili powder, kelp, salt and pepper to taste, and mix again.  Use fresh squeezed lemon for added flavour if desired.  Enjoy!

Serves 2.