My Favorite Bear Creek Soup

In a previous post I mentioned a website that sells gluten free soup mixes.  One of those soup mixes is Bear Creek Tortilla Soup and it's one of my favorites. 
I usually add some gluten free chicken and a package of frozen mexican style vegetables.  If I'm feeling really brave I stir in some medium hot salsa.  Sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top with some corn chips and it makes a really great dinner! 
The package doesn't say gluten free on it, however, the company chose to remove gluten from several of their soup mixes a couple of years back.  The Tortilla Soup Mix does contain soy though.
Just remember to always check and recheck ingredients in your favorite mixes because companies are always redoing their recipes and changing ingredients. 
Here is the website for the soup mixes once again.
http://www.soupsonline.com/c-62-gluten-free.aspx
There are several pages of gluten free soup options from several different companies. 

Next on my list of gluten free items to try is polenta.  I saw a roll of this at Wally World the other day and I think it would make a great tamale pie with meat and cheese on top.  I might try that next week.

Till then have a great day and God bless!

Really Great Rice Noodles and A Website for Gluten Free Soup Mixes

I really craved oriental a few nights ago so I got out a package of John Soules chicken (it's gluten free), some cashews, some gluten free soy sauce, veggies to stir fry and a box of Thai Kitchen Thai Peanut Noodle Kit.  Gluten free rice noodles in a really great sauce.  I got everything at my local Wal-Mart.
La Choy Soy Sauce is listed as gluten free at Celiac.com although there are comments about how it tastes.  I think it works really well with my oriental recipes.  Also Bragg makes an alternative to soy sauce that is supposed to taste really good.  I haven't had an opportunity to try it yet. 

http://www.soupsonline.com/c-62-gluten-free.aspx

Soups On Line is a website that sells packaged mixes for soups and gravy mixes.  There is a whole bunch of soup mixes that are gluten free and I have tried a couple.  Bear Creek makes a really good Tortilla Soup Mix.  It's worth checking out.

I'm still looking for the perfect gluten free pizza crust.  If anyone has any ideas, let me know.  Till then take care and God Bless!

Mike's Hard Lemonade, Salsa and Aldi's

I don't drink often...but....there is an occasion or two when I enjoy something alcoholic, which brings me to a huge question.  Is Mike's Hard Lemonade really gluten free?  Their website says their products are gluten free and have been tested thoroughly.  This is great but I can't get past the barley malt beverage label on the bottle.  When I first found out I was a Celiac, there was a huge list of no-nos and barley malt was on the list.  Supposedly the distilling process gets rid of the nasty gluten in the alcohol.  Not sure I totally believe this but I am thinking I will research this a little more before making an absolute yes or no judgement.

The first photo above is of a restaurant/cafe in Springfield Missouri.  I love restaurants that advertise gluten free menu options.  And the food is really good. 

 The second photo is salsa that has gluten free on the label.  And it is also really tasty with a reasonable price which is always good!                                                        

Last but not least, I missed a call on my cellphone today.  It was the supplier of Bremer products for Aldi's.  They are changing the labeling on their rib patties (remember they were the folks that had gluten free on the label right underneath the ingredients list which included wheat starch).  I am fairly certain that the gluten free part will be removed from the packaging.  They are also sending me a refund check for my original purchase. 

Life as a Celiac is interesting and challenging but living gluten free is possible with effort and perseverance.  So eat well and eat gluten free and most importantly of all, God Bless!

Bob's Red Mill Chocolate Cake Mix and Pillsbury Frosting MMMMmmmmm!

I emailed Aldi's a few days ago regarding their faux pas on their Bremer Rib Patties.  They replied promptly that they had forwarded the information to their supplier who should call me within 7 days.  Their 7 days is about up.  To say that I am being a little more careful when I shop there is an understatement.  Anything that says gluten free at their store is being scrutinized by me a little bit more thoroughly than before.  When something says gluten free on the package and then shows wheat as an ingredient, well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that's just wrong!
On to a product I trust just a little more to be gluten free....Bob's Red Mill Chocolate Cake Mix.  http://www.bobsredmill.com/Gluten-Free

This is their website.  And they have quite a nice selection of gluten free mixes.  Which brings me to my newest favorite mix....Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix by Bob's Red Mill.  I have to say it is probably the best gluten free dessert I have had in a long time.  The photo I took doesn't do the cake justice.  It was my first attempt at a cake roll.  It's more of a cake ovally flattish thingy.  BUT my family had no clue it was gluten free.  They cheerfully ate the moist chocolate cake with Pillsbury Coconut Pecan Icing in the middle and homemade chocolate icing on the outside without any idea it was gluten free.  And yes, the Coconut Pecan Icing by Pillsbury is gluten free.  Finally success!  I'm not sure I will attempt a cake roll again but I am certain I will use this mix again, maybe a layer cake or something like that. The cost is about four dollars for the mix and makes two round layers or a 13 x 9 sheet cake. 

Now if I can just find the perfect pizza crust....

Till next time, eat well, eat gluten free and God Bless!

Gluten Free or Not! Really!

First I need to apologize.  A product that I mentioned as gluten free may not be.  But, really, who would put "gluten free" underneath "contains soy, wheat, milk"?  I don't remember wheat listed on the box I originally brought home but maybe I missed it.  Sometimes I'm in a hurry and if a product says "gluten free" on the package I don't check ingredients. 
I will email Aldi's.  Maybe they don't realize the importance of what "gluten free" means to those of us with Celiac's. 
In the meantime, I hate to say this, but read the ingredients.

List of Heinz Gluten Free Products and Arrowhead Mills Pizza Crust

Here is the link to a list of gluten free products by the Heinz company including the Jack Daniels Barbecue sauce I am so fond of. 
http://www.heinz.com/glutenfree/products.html
It's interesting that some of the products are considered gluten free in the United States but not in other countries and vice versa.  They explain that before they list the products.  There are quite a few listed including Delimex Tamales and Taquitos which I had never checked out before. 

I also finally tried the Arrowhead Mills Pizza Crust Mix.  However, I didn't follow the directions correctly.  My bad!  Still the crust was pretty good.  It was a thicker crust, which my son loved, but my daughter was not too crazy about it.  It was still crispy on the bottom and had a good taste so we'll probably try it again.  Next time I'll pay more attention to the baking instructions. 

Lastly, someone recommended a website for gluten free items. 
http://www.vitacost.com/
I haven't ordered anything from this online store but I did a quick search for gluten free and the search engine pulled up over 1,000 items.  A lot of these items were on sale too. 

Take care and till next time, God bless!

Schar Gluten Free Products Coupon

Besides shopping at Aldi's for a lot of my groceries, I also use coupons when I can at Wally World and the grocery store.  There is a coupon at coupons.com at this very moment for a dollar off any Schar Gluten Free Product.  It expires 5/31/12.  I have never tried their products but their website looks interesting.
http://www.schar.com/us/
They have bread and pastas.  Worth checking out anyway.
Also Udi's Gluten Free Products has a coupon available on their website for a dollar off. This is the link for that.
http://udisglutenfree.com/special-offers/
Also Canyon Bakehouse has a dollar off coupon on their website if you will like them on facebook.
http://canyonbakehouse.com/

I have tried both Udi's and Canyon Bakehouse breads.  Udi's hamburger buns and Canyon Bakehouse's sliced bread.  I liked both. 

I am sure there are more coupons out there for gluten free products.  So I'll keep looking.