Posts Tagged ‘desserts’



Gluten-free Product Reviews |Food Review 101 Gives The Pure Pantry Products a Thumbs-Up!

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

 

Product Review from Food Review 101

A while back, we reviewed The Pure Pantry company and their line of gluten-free baking mixes that you actually couldn’t even tell were gluten-free in the first place, which is why we decided to take a look at the other products in their line of gluten-free goodies. “Elizabeth Kaplan, founder and CEO of The Pure Pantry, is a trained teacher and chef. Her appreciation and passion for fine organic foods began at a young age…when Elizabeth was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2002, she was disappointed in the lack of healthy, good tasting, gluten-free products on the market”, which is why she decided to create her own line of gluten-free products that would not only satisfy her, but the masses as well. For this review, we’ll be looking at The Pure Pantry’s line of gluten-free baking mixes–Buckwheat Flax Pancake and Baking Mix, Old Fashioned Pancake and Baking Mix, Whole Grain Dark Chocolate Cake Mix, and their Organic All-Purpose Baking Mix–that we weren’t able to touch on in our first review of The Pure Pantry. For more information on The Pure Pantry, be sure to head to their very informative and aesthetically pleasing web-site. Also, don’t forget to check out the Food Review 101 Facebook page.

If you’ve read our previous reviews of The Pure Pantry, then you know that they have some pretty high standards to live up to, which is why we were really excited to write up our second review on their line of gluten-free baking mixes. The first mix we tried out was the Buckwheat Flax Pancake and Baking Mix, and we actually used the recipe on the back of the package to help guide us to making some really great pancakes. After we combined our mix, egg, milk, and some cooking oil, we headed for the hot stove to make up some gluten-free pancakes. Our pancakes actually turned out quite fluffy and very tasty, and if anyone would be hard-pressed to actually pick these gluten-free pancakes out of a pancake line-up. The best thing about these mixes though, is that you can actually use it for other recipes as well. The package offers up other recipes for waffles, crepes, and muffins, but if those aren’t enough for you, then head to the Pure Pantry web-site for additional ideas. Next, we tried using the Whole Grain Dark Chocolate Cake Mix, but instead of making a daunting chocolate cake, we used the cupcake recipe instead. After we combined our cake mix, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and hot water, we stuck it in the oven for 350F for 18 minutes. What came out of the oven was a very chocolaty and moist cupcake that would surely please anyone looking to get their chocolate fix. The texture was really great, oddly enough, but the cool thing about these cupcakes is that they’re made from a bunch of really cool flours– quinoa, brown rice, sorghum, and potato starch–that are a lot more beneficial than the standard flour found in other baking mixes. After we tried the first two mixes out, we headed for their Organic All Purpose Baking Mix, and followed their directions for making a gluten-free banana bread. After mixing and baking our bread, we were pleasantly surprised with the flavor and texture of this gluten-free bread. The flavor of this bread was nothing but pure banana, while the texture was soft and chewy like the banana bread we used to eat growing up. Lastly, we tried out the Organic Old Fashioned Pancake & Baking Mix, and this mix differed just a bit from the buckwheat and flax mix that we talked about first. This mix gave us a much more traditional pancake that a lot of people are more accustomed to, simply because it looked and tasted like a regular pancake that’s packed with gluten. For anyone searching to lower the amount of gluten in their diet, or anyone looking for a healthier pancake mix that will save them time in the morning, we highly recommend you give The Pure Pantry a try. Overall (4 out of 5).   Read More …

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Gluten-Free New Year’s Celebration!

Thursday, December 31st, 2009


By Elizabeth Kaplan

This year I am hosting a New Year’s Eve party with appetizers and desserts — and its all going to be gluten -free!

In year’s past I would create dishes that were both gluten-free and gluten-containing.  Nowadays, everything I make is gluten-free, and it is so much easier to entertain.  To be honest with you, no one ever misses the gluten.  I haven’t had one friend say, “Hey, where is my gluten!”

The reason I have gone this route is that my family is gluten-free:  I was diagnosed 6 years ago with celiac disease, and consequently I had my three children tested and they are also gluten-free.  My husband, who is extremely health conscious, does not need to be gluten-free but he goes along with it because, well, I am the cook so he doesn’t really have a choice.

This year for New Year’s Eve we are having over 8 families, kids and all.  So my menu is both kid-friendly and gluten-free-friendly.  Here is my menu with links to the recipes:

Appetizers:


Gluten-free Turkey Meatballs

Both kids and adults love these meatballs! You an either make the bbq sauce from scratch or purchase gluten-free BBQ sauce.  I often use Annie’s brand available at Whole Foods and other finer natural foods stores.


Chicken, Manchego and Pomegranate Polenta Squares

This is the MOST delicious appetizer.  Everyone loves it!   Again, you can use the same BBQ sauce is you make it from scratch or you can use a gluten-free purchased BBQ sauce.


Italian Salad with gluten-free croutons

Healthy and delicious!

Assorted gourmet cheeses served with grapes, green apples and Mary’s Gone Crackers gluten-free crackers, available at Whole Foods and other finer natural food stores.


Gluten-free Cheddar Biscuits

Top these with gluten-free chicken salad served with Dijon mustard and Major Grey’s Chutney!  This is a little sandwich type appetizer, filling and savory.

Desserts:


Gluten-free Chocolate Bourbon Pie
Mmmmm, this is so good served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!


Gluten-free Cranberry-Ginger Pound Cake

We love this for dessert and eat the left-overs in the morning with our coffee!

These recipes combine to make a fabulous, festive table: the colors and aromas will truly make for a delightful New Year’s Eve celebration!  Bon Appetit and Happy New Year!!!!!

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