Ingredients:
Slice the mozzarella and tomatoes to approximately 1/2 inch slices. Add salt, pepper, and parsley to the olive oil and mix well. Arrange the mozzarella slices on a plate, place a tomato on each mozzarella, and drizzle the olive oil concoction over the the mozzarella and tomato bites.
*Use fresh parsley if available
Happy belated National Pretzel Day! Missed it by just a few days (but can you blame me? I have yet to find a calendar that has this holiday!), but thankfully I just made in time for National Pretzel Month. In addition to birthdays in my family, the start of spring, the return of Rita’s water ice, and the beginning to the oh-so-hellish end of the academic year, April marks the wonderful celebration of National Pretzel Month. As a fellow gluten-free foodie, I promise, there is much to celebrate when it comes to gluten-free pretzels.
Let me start with the classic pretzel twists and rods, Glutino and Snyder’s GF pretzels are my two favorite when it comes to old-fashioned pretzels. They’re great on their own, with some Sriracha hummus, or even to make those wacky little edible Halloween spiders that kids get weirdly excited about (you know, the ones made from two crackers as the body, 8 pretzels for the legs, raisins as eyes, and some peanut butter to hold it all together?). As for “dessert” pretzels or pretzels for those you with a mean sweet tooth, Glutino has great chocolate covered pretzels: chocolate fudge, yogurt, and peppermint yogurt– I whole-heartedly vouch for all three flavors! As for my most recent discovery, a new branch of the gluten-free pretzel family: warm n’ delicious of pretzels.
I don’t know this for a fact, but until I see anything that proves the contrary, I’m going to assume it to be fact. Tonya’s Kitchen GF Soft Pretzels are the only gluten-free soft pretzels I had ever seen, found, bought, or eaten. Ever. These scrumptious little savory treats are hand-twisted buttery delights! As a source a of validation, I can honestly say my mom thinks they are up to par with Auntie Anne’s soft pretzels. As for me, not having eaten a soft-pretzel in years (or even in lifetimes?), I don’t exactly recall what my expectations were– maybe hard or dry or discolored, or disfigured or simply lacking the original soft pretzel taste. But this, this exceeded any possible expectations I could have had. Possibly, or quite probably, my new favorite gluten-free product (huh, maybe that’s why this is the product of the month?). If you adore cute, little packets of salt to add to your liking and not ginormous and not minuscule but rather “normal” sized gluten-free food and you want to taste an out-of-this-world gluten-free soft world (a phenomenon I wouldn’t have believed existed until this month), then do yourself a favor and try Tonya’s GF soft pretzels! And if salty or savory foods aren’t your thing, Tonya’s Kitchen also has GF Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzels ! I haven’t tried them yet, but if y’all try it out first, please let me know how it is.
Until next year #nationalpretzelmonth!
Cheers!
Anika
And I seem to be starting a trend here. Well, what can I say? This summer may actually be busier than the school year! Anyways, I hope y’all are having a restful summer and are lying on a beach, making those tan lines more prominent, and doing some light summer reading! If you’re headed out to the shore or taking any road trips before the summer wraps up (only one month left… yikes!), snacks are essential. What’s convenient, mess-free, delicious, and healthy? Bars, bars, bars. From KIND bars to LUNA protein bars, they are my favorite on-the-go snack. However, this summer, I’ve discovered a new bar that is slowly but surely taking precedence over the others: Larabars.
Gluten-free. Pure. Simple. Whole foods. Raw. What else could you ask for? And did I mention they’re deliciously scrumptious? The flavors range from Cashew Cookie to Cherry Pie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough to Key Lime Pie. Each bar contains no more than nine ingredients. How they make these little bars of magical joy blows my mind! The four flavors listed above are some of my favorites as well as Chocolate Chip Brownie, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and Carrot Cake. Larabars are great as either midday snacks or pre workout fuel.
Comment below with your favorite bars or Larabar flavors!
Cheers,
Anika
Howdy! It’s been a pretty quiet month on the blog, but I’m excited to say that things are about to change! I have some big plans for this summer… And yes, they involve food and a kitchen! So anyways, as you can tell, I barely managed to squeeze in this month’s product of the month, but as I always say, better late than never, right? I’ve been wanting to try this product for awhile, but initially I couldn’t get my hands on it. As I awaited the day I would finally eat gluten-free goldfish, I had built pretty high expectations. And unfortunately, the product did not live up to my idealized standards.
I was expecting a gluten-free carbon copy of the much-loved, cheesy snack. Sadly, the snack didn’t smile back! Goldfish Puffs are essentially large, golden, fish-shaped Cheetos. They are nothing like the small, Cheez-It like goldfish. I suppose I should have realized they wouldn’t or rather couldn’t be the same because the packet indicated it was “baked” and they are titled Goldfish Puffs. If you enjoy Cheetos, you will definitely enjoy the light and airy snack with a big flavor. However, they are nothing like the original goldfish. Honestly, a closer gluten-free alternative would be Schar’s Cheese Bites- the only thing missing is the fun goldfish shape! Also, they have other flavors aside from Mega Cheese. The other two flavors are Cheddar Bacon and Buffalo Wing. Honestly, those artificial flavors don’t sound quite appetizing to me, but again, if you are adventurous with your Cheetos flavors, then heck, go for it!
So overall, this product left me with mixed feelings. As goldfish- they disappointed me because my expectations for one of my favorite childhood snacks were not met; however, as a snack- they are not half bad!
Any new gluten-free products on the market that you’ve tried? Comment below!
Cheers,
Anika
Hope everyone’s looking forward to a relaxing and rejuvenating spring break! That is, unless you’re a lucky college-folk who’s already taking advantage of the vacation. The winter months can be hard to push through with the overwhelming homework load, sports, and activities making for a hectic lifestyle. Not so long ago, I had been introduced to my new best friend: Larabars.
Until recently, I was undeniably a hard core KIND Bar and LUNA protein bar advocate. Now, don’t get me wrong. I still love my KIND Bars, especially anything with the scrumptious sweet and salty combination (Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew and Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt). And who can resist the dense, chocolately protein bar flavors that wholly satisfy your hunger?
However, Larabars are made of solely whole and natural ingredients. Each flavor contains no more than nine ingredients; it is simply just unsweetened fruits, nuts, and spices. Believe me, I know I sound like a corny ad for Larabars that’s singing its praises. But have you ever looked at the ingredients list on a typical cereal or protein bar? I bet there are ingredients on the label that you wouldn’t have ever heard of! On the contrary, in the Apple Pie Larabar, there are six simple (and understandable) ingredients: dates, almonds, unsweetened apples, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon. So far, I have only tried the Apple Pie, Cherry Pie (btw, Happy Pi Day!), Cashew Cookie, and Chocolate Chip Brownie. But I am looking forward to my next trip to Wegman’s (my go-to grocery store for GF items) to buy some new flavors. I have been eying the Carrot Cake flavor on Larabar’s website. The last time I ate carrot cake was before I was diagnosed with celiac!
Additionally, Larabar is affiliated with offshoot brands such as ALT, Jocalot and uber. Now, I can’t vouch for ALT and Jocalat as I have not gotten around to trying these bars. Although I do have a Lemon Poundcake ALT bar in my pantry just waiting to be tasted! Having said that, I can definitely attest to the delectable uber bars. I have so far eaten five of their eight flavors. Let me warn you, they are addicting! All uber bars have that irresistible sweet and salty combo. Out of the Banana Foster, Cherry Cobbler, Coconut Macaroon, Roasted Nut Roll, and Sticky Bun, I would say the Roasted Nut Roll and Coconut Macaroon are my top two favorites. But I am dying to try the new Dark Chocolate Peanut flavor.
Now that you’re drooling all over your keyboard wanting to try some Larabars, go ahead buy one or two (or a dozen)!
Cheers,
Anika
P.S. For any of you who may be worried that these bars are just too good to be true, I took this off Larabar’s website, “GLUTEN FREE/CELIACS LÄRABAR®, über®, Jŏcalat®, and ALT® bars are Gluten Free. They have no gluten-containing ingredients, and we have manufacturing controls in place to ensure that there are no cross-contact concerns. We also periodically verify our practices using Gliadin gluten testing.”
The Gluten-Free You 