Gluten Free Reviewer Grocery

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Gluten Free Noodles: Kajino Buckwheat Soba Noodles

PRODUCT NAME:                   Buckwheat Soba Noodles

COMPANY NAME:                  Kajino

COST:                                    $6.99

SIZE:                                      8 oz

COST PER OZ:                       $0.87

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:     Unknown

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      N/A

ORGANIC:                              No

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      N/A

VEGAN:                                 Yes

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:       Unknown

LOCATION OF FACILITY:       JAPAN

SHELF LIFE:                          1 year +

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
When I first discovered my gluten intolerance I was admittedly disappointed, but I thought to myself:

“Oh well, at least I still have buckwheat soba.”

WRONG.

99% of Buckwheat soba is indeed chock full of regular wheat. The noodles tend to have a blend of buckwheat (no gluten) and wheat (a whole lot of gluten) - thus making them un-digestible to me and, ostensibly, all of you.

There are a few gluten free noodles out there but they are very expensive and mostly, you must order from abroad to get the real goods. Today’s noodles indeed come from the soba wonderworld that is Japan and while this fact incurred its own difficulties (no English anywhere on the package, to start!) the experience was definitely a worthwhile endeavor.

So, because there were no cooking instructions in the language that I speak on the package I had to do a bit of research on how exactly to cook these. Apparently there is a ton of specificity around the “right’ way to make soba. Here is what I found:

The Japanese do not stir fry these noodles a la chow mein, in fact they tend to eat all their noodles wet. Soba is often in hot soup, or covered in a wet sauce and quickly slurped up. Traditional Cooking Instructions for Japanese Noodles involves a bold combination of boiling and cold water, vacillating the noodles between the two up to three times. There is no exact set right amount of times to go from boiling to cold to boiling again and one must periodically check the noodles for done-ness. You check them by cutting the noodle in half. If the center of the noodle strand is white and the outside is darker, the noodles are not done. When the center of the noodle is the same color as the outside, and the noodles are firm yet tender to the bite they are done. Rinse Japanese noodles under cold water to prevent clumping.

The noodles do tend to stick together, but adding a little peanut oil helps. I personally ate my noodles clumped together, because I sort of like that kind of thing. (It reminds me of my super all - American macaroni and cheese love affair as a kid perhaps?)

Taste:
On to the taste. Like any pasta, there isn’t exactly supposed to be a super stand out flavor to buckwheat soba noodles. The texture is really the major factor of enjoyability for most noodles and these puppies turned out just lovely in terms of texture. I followed the cooking rules above and added a bit of stir fried cabbage and miso broth to the mix and I was delighted at how authentically delicious this simple dish turned out to be. The slight flavor of the buckwheat is nutty and toothsome. It soaked up the miso and left the real flavor up to the seasonings.

Unfortunately, the only English I did see was that my single sized serving (which actually was fairly small) packed in 350 calories. While that is not a huge amount for the whole meal, it is a bit more carbohydrate calories then I tend to put into one meal. Every once in awhile I don’t mind the indulgence but I was surprised that it seemed to have a lot more calories than any other gluten free pasta I’ve tried.

Labeling:
Labeling of this soba was in Japanese , so I could not read it. It is my preference to have the label be in English but I guess I can’t exactly say that the labeling was “bad” just because I couldn’t understand it.

Packaging:
This product was wrapped in a sealed plastic wrapping. It was quite sufficient for the freshness of the product.

Reader’s Reviews:
Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:         4
Taste:             4
Value:             3
OVERALL:     3.7

Reviewed by Lacy D.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Gluten Free Raw Macaroons: Food on Purpose Choco Roonies

PRODUCT NAME:                   Food On Purpose

COMPANY NAME:                  Choco-roonies

COST:                                    $6.50

SIZE:                                      3 oz

COST PER OZ:                       $2.16

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:     NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      NA

ORGANIC:                              YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      USDA Organic

VEGAN:                                 YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:       Unknown

LOCATION OF FACILITY:       Santa Fe, NM

SHELF LIFE:                          1 year +

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:

Taste:
Food On Purpose is a newer company, one that was constructed by a woman working to create sweet treats to support her cleanse and a gourmet food brand consultant. Paired together, they are making delicious and delectable snacks with a focus on both health and satisfaction. The product up for review today is a wonderful example of this company’s healthy treats.

I’ve said it before- I am not exactly a sweet treat  or snack type of person.  Food On Purpose’s Choco-roonies manages to over ride this fact and bring me a treat without all the unhealthy baggage of most snack foods. These palatable little gifts to my mouth not only impressed me, they *delighted* me- with none of the guilt that normal desserts can produce.

To start: these puppies are made from from Raw Cacao and organic Raw Coconut. They are dense, satisfying and perfectly rich with pure chocolate decadence. The product is Raw, Organic, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan and a SUPERFood. This food is not only tasty, it is fuel.

Like many staples of my diet, the ingredient list in this treat is extremely short (Maca and coconut oil were the only ingredients not already mentioned) but the taste of the sum of its parts is so much more. In fact, it is completely divine. The blend of cacao, maca and coconut creates a beautifully nuanced flavor that hits the tongue in tiers of deliciousness. There is complexity in each bite and as you chew you delve further and further into the bursts of each taste experience.

Building on the deliciousness of the taste, is the excitement of the texture. The amalgamation of coconut oil and dried coconut gives way to incredible windows of textural decadence. I could not pick a more perfect combo of creamy and rough to dip in chocolate. Each morsel is tiny, and I am glad for that fact! One bite was truly enough to last me a good long while

Sadly, there is not nutrition information with this product. As much as I know the ingredients are healthy and love the taste, it really irks me when companies leave this out! I am a calorie watcher, through and through so not knowing drives me a little bit nuts

Labeling:
Labelling of this product was insufficient, in my opinion. Nutrition facts are a must!


Packaging:
Packaging for this product was a thick plastic ziploc style bag,  which I deem to be quite sufficient for the freshness of the product. I am, however, surprised that such a health focused company doesn’t have more environmentally friendly packaging.

Reader’s Reviews:
Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:         5
Taste:             5
Value:            3
OVERALL:      4.3

Reviewed  by Lacy D.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Gluten Free and Raw Cereal: Two Moms in the Raw Grain Free Cereal

PRODUCT NAME:                  Grain Free Cereal

COMPANY NAME:                  Two Moms in the Raw

COST:                                    $ 9.99

SIZE:                                      14 oz

COST PER OZ:                       $0.71

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:     Yes

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      GF Gluten Free

ORGANIC:                              Yes

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      USDA Organic

VEGAN:                                  Yes

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:       Unknown

LOCATION OF FACILITY:       Boulder County, CO

SHELF LIFE:                          1 year +

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
This seemingly innocuous product is about the strangest thing I have ever reviewed. The mishmash of thoughts and feelings (both positive and negative!) I had when trying it really surprised me. Two Moms in the Raw have brought us a very unique product with this Grain Free cereal and eating it was basically like going on a magical journey of disparate and confusing thoughts and feelings. I can’t wait to tell you the story.

First, the company… Two Moms in the Raw is a small company started by- wait for it- two moms! These two moms just so happen to be super health conscious and thus all of their products (which includes granola and nut bars, crackers, truffles and a grain free cereal) are exclusively Organic, Kosher, Gluten Free, Vegan, and handmade. The company was mostly local for a spell of time but when Starbucks picked up one of their seed bars to distribute they began to be more ubiquitous among the higher echelon of grocery shops that I like to call the health food store. Despite the big time success, the company seems to remain down to earth, as demonstrated by the bold placement of the office phone number on the home page of their website and the encouragement to call with any thoughts or feelings on the products any time.

Taste:
When first handed this cereal to review I wasn’t sure how to feel. The look of it, to be frank, was a dead ringer for beef jerky and calling it a “cereal” seemed simply absurd. From the appearance alone I could tell that that the product was dense (each small bite sized piece contained Organic Sunflower Seeds, raisins, banana, coconut, apples, date, fig, chia seeds, almonds, walnuts, and cinnamon- a very reasonable and healthy list of ingredients certainly, but not exactly a short one!) and I was surprised by the heft of the bag. There was no way in hell that this naturally seemed like a cereal (it was much more like a drier and thicker energy bar cut into small pieces) but I was willing to give it a shot. I dove in.

As the first bite entered my mouth I was mildly horrified. The texture of this cereal is really something to contend with and chewing through it was not a task that was simple or easy in any regard. The thick brick sat unflexibly on my tongue and I decided it was time to get this over with as I set my teeth to work. I was decidedly displeased.

As I chewed through this food that I honestly thought was terrible, I actually started to like it. Weirdly, as it softened, the gross and terrible chunk gave way to a very tasty flavor. The banana and the fig were highlighted in the flavor notes (unfortunately, the cinnamon, date, almonds, coconut, and chia were mostly undetectable) and after just a few pieces my snacking urge was satiated. I found myself sitting, confused about what I had to say about this cereal. Did I hate it or did I actually think it was kind of awesome? I decided to let time tell.

As the week crept on, I kept my bag of grain free cereal on hand. Through the days, I found my paw dipping into the package time and time and time again. In class and hungry without wanting to make crunching sounds? This snack is great. Running out the door before dinner and wanting to take the edge of an already mounting hunger? Boy, is this cereal the product for you.

Ultimately, I like the product. It has the quality of a ClifBar without the commitment of eating the whole thing. Because it is incredibly dense, just a few bites are really all you need.  It is not overly sweet or salty. Although I never ever felt compelled to pour it into a bowl and pour milk on top of it, I could totally see how the liquid would soften the cereal up to make the texture less jarring. All this being said, the cereal is just weird. I have never claimed to be normal and so I don’t mind that fact, but it is something to keep in mind.

Calorically, this food is on the higher end of the spectrum for a cereal. ½ cup packs 250 calories and 17 grams of fat. There are 6 grams of protein. Although this is a lot of calories for a small volume of food, my analysis is that I probably wouldn’t even be able to finish ½ cup of this stuff in one sitting. I imagine one serving size would keep you full for quite some time, and 250 calories for an entire meal is not bad at all. Plus all the fats included are wonderfully healthy! Give it a shot! I think you might be surprised by this product - (I know I was).

Labeling:
Labelling of this product was clear and concise. The nutrition facts and certifications were clearly marked on the wrapper.


Packaging:
Packaging for this product was a thick plastic ziploc style bag,  which I deem to be quite sufficient for the freshness of the product. I am, however, surprised that such a health focused company doesn’t have more environmentally friendly packaging.

Reader’s Reviews:
Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:        2
Taste:            4
Value:           3
OVERALL:     3

Reviewed by Lacy D.