Silver Hills Bakery Gluten-Free Bread Review

Silver Hills Bakery Gluten Free Chia / Flax Breads

Finally, GUM-FREE Gluten-Free commercial Bread options!

I have rarely eaten bread in recent years for the simple reason that nearly all commercial gluten-free breads contain various gums and thickening/binding agents that my GI tract dislikes — e.g., Xanthan Gum, Carageenan, Guar Gum, and so forth.  But, finally, I found a brand of gluten-free bread that is organic and contains no added gums and has an enjoyable taste and texture: Silver Hills Bakery!

Silver Hills Bakery Bread (courtesy of SilverHillsBakery.com website)

Gluten-Free Silver Hills Bread : Taste, Texture, Nutrtion

I have thus far tried the "Gluten-Free Chia Chia" and "Gluten-Free Omega Flax" Silver Hills Bakery varieties, and I like them both.  These breads are available frozen, Each slice of bread has 5g of fiber, 1g of fat and only 70 calories (12-13g net carbs), but I must note here that a "slice" of bread is not like a full-sized slice of bread that the masses of gluten-eaters get in a loaf of commercial bread: these are rather small slices that measure only 2.5 inches wide x 2.75 inches tall by 3/8-inch thick (17 slices per loaf, 20-ounce loaf in total).  It is thus a rather dense bread, and not a "fluffy" or "airy" bread like most commercial gluten-laden breads.

As with most gluten-free breads, I prefer mine toasted, as pictured here.

Silver Hills Bakery Gluten-Free Bread

Silver Hills Bakery Gluten-Free Bread

As I said, the bread is quite dense, but will get a nice crunch to the crust when toasted like this.  As such, it holds up nice when I eat it with a bit of olive-oil on it, or peanut-butter, or even my egg-salad.   I have tried the bread un-toasted, but I prefer the texture that toasting brings to the equation.

The non-GMO vegan gluten-free Chia Chia ingredients are: Water, organic whole sorghum, organic whole ground chia seeds, organic cane sugar, organic whole psyllium husks, yeast, organic rice flour, organic vinegar, sea salt; the gluten-free Omega Flax non-GMO vegan ingredients are: Water, organic whole sorghum, organic whole ground chia seeds, organic cane sugar, organic brown flax seeds, organic whole psyllium husks, yeast, organic rice flour, organic vinegar, sea salt.

These ingredients produce a predictable pleasant taste as imparted by the underlying core grains used in each.  Sorghum prevails as the prominent taste, but the yeast and vinegar bring forth a bit more complexity in the flavor and results in a nice balance.  Again, my preference for toasting comes into play with regards to taste, since the sugars will caramelize a bit during the toasting and further develop the overall flavor combination in a good way.

I'd say that Silver Hills has done a nice job with their gluten-free breads, especially given the fact they have taken the bold step of doing bread "right" (my opinion at least) by omitting the all-to-common gums and additives so many gluten-free breads contain.  They have created these wheat-free, vegan, gluten-free breads while remaining true baking like "homemade" and using the basic organic grains and ingredients I am looking for in a bread.  I enjoy this, and I hope others will too.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free and wheat-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

Gluten-Free Mug-Cake Review : Shirly J brand Chocolate Brownie MugCake

"Shirley J" (brand) Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Mug-Cake Review

[by Kate — guest gluten-free blog author] (minor edits by Mike)

Shirley J brand Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Mug Cake

Overall Impression

Overall I recommend the mug cake, specifically the Chocolate Brownie Mug Cake, mix from Shirley J.

The cake is quick, it's so easy, requires no specialized equipment (except a microwave) and little to no skill to make. Even those of you who hate cooking and baking or who fear you're no good at it can make this gluten-free mug cake from Shirley J with great ease and great results. Seriously. A great, single-portion cake in a little over a minute. What's not to like about that?

I also think it's a boon to those of you out there who don't have celiac disease yourselves, but who have family or friends that do. You'll really make your family member / friend/ co-worker with celiac a happy camper if you can make or gift them their own individual, GF cake so that they can enjoy dessert along with everybody else!

Shirly J Mug Cake (gift kit)

Pros

So fast, so easy: Takes only about two minutes to open the package, whisk in the water and add the chocolate chips. Cooks in 90 seconds in the microwave.

Low energy requirements: Requires only 90 seconds in the microwave versus much longer baking time in a conventional oven. This is especially nice if you're in a hot climate and are paying to cool your home -- turning the oven on is always painful in that situation.

No special equipment required: All you need is the mix, additional chocolate chips, a fork, water, a tablespoon, a microwave, and microwaveable mug. These are all very common household items, even for people without full or well equipped kitchens (like college students).

Taste and texture: The gluten-free cake is very moist and the chocolate flavor is there.

Versatility: The flavor profile of the mix could easily be slightly varied with a dash of vanilla, cinnamon, orange oil, or espresso powder. You could also probably easily add walnuts or pecans, marshmallows, or coconut to the mix in small proportions. You can also serve the cake with frosting, ice cream, or whipped cream. Or, you can do like me and eat it with a big mug -- yes another mug -- of almond milk.

Individual Portioning: Individual portioning makes it easy to satisfy your sweet tooth without getting sucked into eating or getting rid of a multi-portion sized cake. Great

Gift Idea: The gluten-free mugging kit, which includes a microwaveable mug and 1 pack of mug-cake costs around $15. The mugging kit would make a great gift for a GF friend, co-worker, or relative and is in a good price range for moderate to low-cost gifting.

Cons

Additional Ingredients: 1/4 cup chocolate chips called for by mix is NOT included (be sure to choose a "safe" / gluten-free brand of chips).

Texture: Nice and moist, but has a grainier mouth-feel than a traditional cake. The same is true of almond-flour based cakes and some others using non-traditional flours. This is really a mild "con," as the texture is merely slightly different rather than poor or unappetizing.

Cost: If you buy 1 packet of Shirley J's gluten-free mug cake the mix runs you about $3. The more economical way to buy is to purchase a 5-pack of a single flavor for $12.95.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of wheat-free, gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

Hail Merry Gluten-Free Miracle Tart Review : Fantastic! (and Costco has them)

Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Indulgence

Seriously Good Chocolate Mini-Tarts with Ingredients done Right!

We were out at Costco today and came across these fantastic little "Hail Merry" (brand) "Miracle Tart" Chocolate Minis, and I can tell you they are fantastic because within minutes of getting home, I had opened the package and sampled one.  They are simply superb!  At room temperature (served per suggestion), the centers are just buttery smooth and creamy, and there is a deep rich chocolate flavor with a hint of almond and coconut that comes through the chocolate. But, it is definitely chocolate and will satisfy a serious chocolate craving.

I admire the fact that the company has created these delicious tarts using ingredients that include just organic maple syrup, Fair Trade dark cocoa, natural raw almond flour, organic extra virgin coconut oil, and sea salt.  That's it.  Nothing else.  Thank you Hail Merry, since I constantly bypass similar dessert offerings by companies that add all sorts of preservatives, gums, and other junk I refuse to eat.  Hail Merry has done this right and with the right ingredients!

I added a few fresh raspberries to the equation (also from Costco today), and the combination was also excellent! (as pictured)

Also of note: a single tart has only 90 calories! (if you can limit your chocolate desires to one at a time)

Get them at Costco Wholesale in 2013

Hopefully Costco will continue to stock these. We discovered them today in the chilled foods aisles, and I was excited to see that not only are they a delicious chocolate gluten-free dessert, but thanks to Costco's bulk-buying and packaging, the price was reasonable enough to consider. I have seen these types of things at other stores (e.g., Whole Foods, etc.), but I refuse to pay $2.00 per tart and such!

Luckily, Costco made this delicious treat affordable with the price for a package of 12 gluten-free mini-tarts being $8.99 (or, 75 cents per tart!) Now that is more like it! Above this price, I will just make my own. I certainly appreciate being able to go to Costco and pickup a nice decadent chocolate treat instead of having to make it myself, so I sure hope they continue to carry these and keep the price reasonable enough that I don't simply walk past them.

Sadly, I took a look at the pricing on the Hail Merry website and about fell over.  They sell a 12-pack of larger (3 ounce) tarts (thus, 36 ounce total) for ... get ready... 100 DOLLARS (which does apparently include overnight shipping)!  But still,...OUCH!!!  That works out to the equivalent price of $2.77 per ounce (vs. 92-cents per ounce for these mini-tarts at Costco) : or, 3 TIMES THE PRICE TO PURCHASED DIRECT online vs buying at Costco.  So, please Costco, give this company a continued distribution channel that will make these gluten-free dessert treats an affordable luxury for the masses of gluten-free, wheat-free, vegan, and Celiac Disease crowd.  thank you!

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

Sugar Free Diet? Sucralose (aka, Splenda®) may still impact your Blood-Sugar and Insulin Levels

Sucralose (aka, Splenda®) / sugar-substitutes may alter blood-sugar response

Sugar-Free Diets using artificial-sweeteners may still impact blood glucose and insulin levels

I was just reading about a new small study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis where study results showed that a popular artificial sweetener (Sucralose, or Splenda® by its common brand name) can modify how the body handles sugar. This is certainly worth further research, as many of us using sugar-alternative for calorie-reduction or an otherwise sugar-free-diet may be making assumptions about the products, and their potential impact on our blood-glucose and/or insulin levels, that may turn out to not be 100% correct.

I think the first thing to mention of note about this study was the size of the study: it was a VERY small study group and involved only 17 persons, and the participants were severely obese.  But, the evidence obtained from it sure looks to alter the conventional wisdom that this sugar-substitute (sucralose) is completely incapable of affecting our blood-sugar and/or insulin levels or response curves.  As quoted from the article I read:

"When study participants drank sucralose, their blood sugar peaked at a higher level than when they drank only water before consuming glucose," [...]. "Insulin levels also rose about 20 percent higher. So the artificial sweetener was related to an enhanced blood insulin and glucose response."

That is indeed of interest.  Like the authors later noted, such response makes one consider the progressive nature of Type-2 diabetes and how when we routinely secrete more insulin, we can become resistant to its effects, thus leading us down the path to type 2 diabetes.  That is a bit scary.  But, I still have to believe products like sucralose are going to slow that march toward Type-2 as compared to ingesting the usual sugars: glucose, sucrose, fructose, etc.

I have used Splenda® in various baked products over the years, and more recently I tend to use stevia-based sweeteners.  And, when it comes to stevia, I personally use a LOT of it in my daily life (generally pure powdered stevia and/or PureVia® brand sweeter), from my morning home-made low-sugar greek-yogurt creations to my no-added-sugar smoothies to many other things.  All of these products are certainly wonderful options for people that want to reduce sugar (and/or carbohydrates in general) in their baked goods or other sweetened foods -- gluten-free or otherwise.  I have some gluten-free recipes where I rely almost entirely on such artificial sweeteners (including my own "low-carb cheesecakes" that I still need to post the recipes for on my library), and I have to believe recipes using these sugar-replacers are still much better at attenuating blood-sugar response when consuming the resulting foods (as compared to if I had used conventional high-sugar sweeteners like white sugar, brown sugar, and so forth).

I would personally like to see larger-scale studies done on sucralose as well as other favored sugar-substitutes like: stevia / Reb-a / rebaudiana, Eryithritol (pretty common in conjunction with stevia - e.g., Truvía® brand sweeter uses this combo), and Xylitol too.  I have done my own research over the years, by way of reading available published scholarly material on stevia and eryithritol, and I currently feel they are most likely going to have little if any affect on blood sugar, but I sure wouldn't mind wide-scale studies that confirm this.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

Medical Bills in the USA

American Medical Bills: Out of Control

Time Magazine Explores the Issue in Depth

We can only hope never to need healthcare treatment in the USA beyond whatever our insurance we may be lucky enough to have at the time will cover. Luckily, years ago when I first encountered Celiac Disease as a result of many visits to the ER, various doctor visits, and a wide variety of medical tests and procedures, I was fortunate enough to have health insurance that picked up the majority of the cost!

After reading the new Feb-20-2013 Time Magazine cover story titled "Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us", I feel more fortunate than ever!  WOW!  That very detailed (10 pages, 24000 words) article about the out-of-control health-care pricing practices in the USA made me think about how something as "simple" as diagnosing Celiac Disease, gluten-intolerance, or a food allergy could bankrupt many people.

Figuring out I had a dietary condition that manifested itself through all sorts of strange symptoms required me to undergo more tests and procedures than I care to remember.  Perhaps that is the first obvious issue: doctors had not even considered CD when contemplating my symptoms.  So, over the period of a year or more came the various GI tests, scans, cardiac monitoring, blood tests for all sorts of thing (of course, none were for gluten-antibodies), and so on.  And, I knew all that testing must be expensive, but I was lucky: my health-insurance covered most everything aside from some rather reasonable co-pays at the time.

Since then, I have become much more knowledgeable about the actual charges hospitals and practitioners assess, especially upon those that can least afford them: people without health insurance and not eligible for Medicare/Medicaid.  Those unfortunate people that can least afford the bills will be the ones to get slapped with an insanely-high rather arbitrary "list price" for every little service, supply, procedure, etc the hospital / practitioners provide, according to the "chargemaster" (the name for a hospital’s internal price list).

With this knowledge in hand, and as reinforced by this new and very good Time Magazine article on the subject, I realize that the various exams, diagnostic procedures, and "treatments" I endured while trying to simply figure out what was wrong with me (due to Celiac Disease as I now know) would cost a fortune if I had to pay per the "chargemaster" (list price) pricing!!  WOW!  Read the article and you will start to understand how close everyone in the USA is to being bankrupted by the roll of the medical dice.

For now, unless you have access to Medicare or great private Health Insurance, you are just one sickness away from bankruptcy.  Thinking about how something like Celiac Disease -- which is nothing you can "prevent" -- may ensnare you in this medical-billing financial hellhole should be enough to really make us all stand up and say: enough is enough!  But, that apparently is not going to happen until this rather obvious USA health-care "bubble" bursts completely.  So, you best eat well, exercise a lot, stay in the best shape you can, and hope that all this preventive action you undertake is not instantly rendered nearly pointless (from a financial sense at least) by something as simple as an unavoidable condition or disease not of your making.

To that end, I am adhering to a strict gluten-free diet, exercising regularly, and doing my best to avoid the USA "medical system" if at all possible.  I have tried to become as educated as possible and rather familiar with medical terminology, common conditions, and relevant symptoms too... all in hope that I can rely on my own judgement to help identify conditions and avoid unnecessary treatments, doctor visits, and so forth.  There is a wealth of freely available information to help us now (though, one has to "filter" what is out there for legitimacy, especially online), and there are all sorts of somewhat affordable home medical-tech for simple biometrics monitoring (e.g., blood pressure, blood sugar, diet tracking, etc).

I hope to never encounter the "chargemaster" hell, or any medical billing hell, as described in that Time article!  I am too young for Medicare and must contemplate the fact that I will need to somehow afford and maintain (generous) private health insurance between now and Medicare-eligibility-age, all while medical costs and medical-insurance costs are spiraling out of control in the USA.  The obvious solution is to simply have Medicare eligibility start at age zero (birth) for all, but then how dare we join the ranks of every single other developed country in the world that will not let their citizens go bankrupt over insane healthcare pricing?  So, read the Time article and decide if this "free market" is delivering anything that resembles the benefits of a "free market" and decide if you can afford to ever be without (very generous) health-insurance in the USA -- and read why "generous" means more insurance than you are likely to have.


Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

Gluten-Free Recipe for Vegetarian "Hot Wings" (tastes like chicken?)

Gluten-Free Vegetarian "Hot Wings" (click for larger view); photo by Kate

Cauliflower "Hot Wing" and Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

[by Kate — guest gluten-free blog author] 

A tasty alternative to Chicken Hot Wings ("Buffalo Wings") :
now Gluten Free, Vegetarian, and Low Carb

[mike's intro]: Kate has created yet another delicious gluten-free diet recipe that is bound to be interesting to anyone that is vegetarian but yet gets cravings for things from the pre-vegetarian days: in this instance, the subject of such cravings would be Buffalo-style chicken "hot wings".  

Kate tackles the task of satisfying such cravings using a combination of low-carb, gluten-free, flavor-packed ingredients that should help quell those desires for chicken hot wings with an innovative alternative.  Enjoy! [m] 

Vegetarian, Low-Carb, Gluten-Free "Buffalo-Style Wings"; photo by Kate

I have been a vegetarian for a long, long time. And, I have my Dad to thank for this--ever swift to point out inconsistencies between what people profess and how they behave. My Dad, relatively early in my life, pointed out the disconnect between the way I vocalized my responsibilities toward animals and my actual behavior--namely, my propensity to eat them. And, though it was a struggle early on to change eating habits, my vegetarianism has persisted into adulthood and I don't imagine ever giving it up.

If anything, I'm thankful for my vegetarianism: it has made me creative. I sort of have to be creative, because there are meaty things that I crave--foods that I used to enjoy very much--that I like the challenge of making anew. I try to re-create them in vegetarian form. And, this post is about one such attempt to re-create a beloved meat dish, the hot wing, to fit my vegetarian lifestyle. And, it was a successful attempt!

Blending the hot wing sauce, blue cheese dressing, and celery traditional to the hot wing meal, my Cauliflower "Hot Wing" and Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing is an amazingly satisfying nod to the beloved hot wings of my carnivorous past.

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower, 1 head chopped into florets 
• Hot Wing Sauce (I used a mix of Paula Deen's mild and hot hot wing sauces***); approx 1 cup 
• Approx. 1/3 cup Garbanzo Bean Flour (I use Bob's Red Mill brand) 
• Approx. 1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast (I use Bob's Red Mill brand) 
• Pepper, to taste 
• Smoked Sea Salt, to taste 
• Liquid Smoke, a dash or to taste 
• Baby Spinach 
• Celery, chopped 
• Tomato, chopped (use to taste) 
• Red Onion, diced (use to taste) 
• Carrot, shredded (use to taste) 
• Avocado, sliced (use to taste) 
• Yogurt-based Blue Cheese Dressing 
• Queso Fresco, cubed (optional)

*** Paula Deen's wing sauces do not list wheat in their ingredients lists. However, they are not clearly labeled Gluten Free. If you have celiac disease or a strong wheat intolerance than you may consider searching out a brand that explicitly labels their hot wing sauce Gluten Free.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.; prepare baking sheet with aluminum foil. 
2. Clean and chop cauliflower into florets. Dip cauliflower into hot wing sauce combined with liquid smoke. 
3. Coat dipped cauliflower in mixture of garbanzo bean flour, nutritional yeast, pepper and smoked sea salt. 
4. Place on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. followed by an additional 3-5 minutes on broil. 
5. Meanwhile, assemble salad fixings, including: spinach; tomato; celery; carrot; avocado; red onion; queso fresco (optional); Blue Cheese dressing 
6. Remove Cauliflower "Hot Wings" from oven. Let cool a few minutes before tossing in leftover hot sauce and placing on top of salad. 
7. Serve & enjoy!

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

Gluten-Free Product Review: Lucy's Holiday Cookies

Lucy's Holiday Gluten-Free Cookies Review

Stocking Stuffers for Celiac and GF-dieters, the easy way.

[by Kate — guest gluten-free blog author] 

Odds are that the Gluten Free friend, family member, or coworker on your Christmas/ Holiday list was not so naughty this year as to earn him or herself a nice big, hunk of coal. But, for anyone not super familiar with Gluten Free eating, finding the perfect GF stocking stuffer or small gift could pose a bit of a challenge. So much of a challenge, in fact, that coal might start to look like a decent solution. Okay! Maybe that's a stretch...

Over the years the Gluten Free market has become increasingly populated with pre-made food items that are both tasty and pretty affordable. They still, typically, cost a little more than their wheat-containing counterparts but there are a lot of options out there nowadays that won't break the bank.

Tasty pre-made Gluten Free baked goods, like cookies, are more readily available now than when my father went on the Gluten Free diet about 8 years ago. In fact, companies like Lucy's are even developing Gluten Free baked goods geared toward the holidays, including their new "Holiday Sugars" and "Chocolate Merry Mint" cookies.

Overall Impression

The cookies were fine. The holiday sugar cookie tasted more or less identical to their normal sugar cookie, it seems to vary mainly by way of holiday re-packaging and marketing. The chocolate mint cookie was the better of the two and is apparently actually produced as a special holiday-only flavor.

In general, I'd describe them both as crunchy though perhaps a bit silty on the tongue. But, I think they're decent (for pre-made GF cookies) and if I had to live completely within a gluten-free diet and/or within the restrictions a host of other allergies may impose, I'd definitely be happy eating them.  Not having any particular restrictions aside from being vegetarian (I can eat "normal" - non gluten-free foods if I choose to), I can honestly locate pre-made cookies I would rather eat instead.  Depending on your skill in the kitchen and time you have available, you can probably create overall better fresh homemade gluten-free cookies.  But, in a pinch, these should do just fine.

Diet Considerations

Both of Lucy's Holiday Cookie varieties satisfy an impressive range of common dietary restrictions; they are:

• Gluten Free
• Peanut Free
• Tree-Nut Free
• Dairy Free
• Egg Free
• Trans-Fat Free
• Kosher
• Cholesterol Free
• All Natural

In other words, whether you're searching for a small item as a gift or stocking stuffer for someone who is Gluten Free, Vegan, allergic to nuts, or lactose intolerant, these cookies have you covered!

Lucy's elimination of these allergens does not only speak to their interest in individuals practicing a range of specialty diets, it speaks to the company's awareness of an issue plaguing many Gluten Free eaters--a large number of the Gluten Free population, in addition to not tolerating wheat products, suffer a host of other food allergies and sensitivities. For the individuals with Gluten Free eating requirements and additional food allergies to boot, safe pre-made foods are hard to find, and Lucy'sis one of the companies that caters to them.

Lucy's commitment to their Gluten Free and Allergen afflicted client base is readily signaled on their website, which prominently displays their Gluten Free certification, their dedicated production facilities, and the list of allergens the company has made its reputation on excluding from its products. In addition, the website provides a page of Food Allergy Resources including links to support groups and information for persons with Celiac Disease or food allergies.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available