A Gluten Free Guide » Breakfast

A Gluten-Free Guide to Breakfast Cereal

A Gluten-Free Guide — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:32:07 +0000

When I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2004, I mourned the loss of many different gluten-ful foods. Cereal wasn’t part of my daily routine, but suddenly the idea of not being able to scoop out a handful of Cinnamon Life cereal and nibble on the sweet squares while reading a novel seemed like a tragic loss. I heard rumors that Fruity Pebbles were gluten-free, and while the ingredients seemed that way, there was also persistent internet chatter about contamination on the line where they are made.

I found a few gluten-free options along the way but I knew the tide was changing when General Mills reformulated almost the entire Chex line to be gluten-free. Now, in the latest issue of Real Simple magazine, they did a review of a slew of cereals and 4 of their top picks just happened to be gluten-free. With our options expanding, it becomes a question of what cereal do we WANT to eat rather than what cereal CAN we eat.

I received a few samples of note in the last few weeks. EnviroKidz has added to its gluten-free product list. This is the team behind one of my favorite gluten-free cereals that I discovered right after I was diagnosed, Gorilla Munch (similar to Kix if you haven’t tried them). Their new Leapin’ Lemurs cereal has a mix of peanut butter and chocolate. It’s not too rich though for a morning meal – if anything, they could have souped up the choco-peanuty goodness so I could have it for dessert.

Me & Goji is a customized cereal with loads of gluten-free options. They have one gluten-free base and so many gluten-free ingredients, the options are almost endless. They are going to great lengths to clean all of the lines between gluten and gluten-free runs, so I felt comfortable with their process. I must say, it may be the best cereal I have ever tasted. Here’s the catch – it’s a bit pricey by the time you pick all of your ingredients plus $5 shipping. According to their Web site, the average price of a mix is $12, the least expensive is $4.90 (plus shipping) and the most expensive is $56. One canister does give you a lot more cereal than a typical box from the grocery store, but it could still be a fun ‘special occasion’ buy.

Last, I sampled the latest from Erewhon Foods – they make gluten-free Brown Rice Cereals similar to Rice Krispies and some gluten-free corn and amaranth cereals. Their new Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Cereal and the Crispy Brown Rice with Mixed Berries are my favorites. For the recent dessert party I hosted (the occasion that called for my Strawberry Ricotta Poppyseed Tart) my friend Matt volunteered to make some gluten-free Rice “Crispy” Treats swirled with chocolate. Even with all of the ‘fancy’ desserts being served, the marshmallow, chocolatey treats were the first thing to go.

It’s exciting to have so many more options, I can’t wait to see what new products are in store for us.

You guys are getting spoiled with all of these giveaways, but I have another one for you. This time FIVE lucky readers will win. Leave a comment below with your favorite way to enjoy cereal (mixed in a dessert? as a dry snack? or the more typical way, in a bowl with milk?). Blog or tweet about this giveaway and link to this post and you can comment twice (be sure to put @yumcat in the tweet) which will increase your chance of winning. The five winners, selected randomly, will receive 3 boxes of the gluten-free Erewhon Cereals of their choice plus one Patagonia T-Shirt and a Erewhon Coupon Keeper with $1 off coupons. To enter, leave a comment by 6pm Eastern on Monday September 7^th, you must live in the U.S. to be eligible.

This giveaway is over – stay tuned for the next one!

Gluten-Free Products Giveaway – Cereal, Pretzels and More!

A Gluten-Free Guide — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 02:07:47 +0000

After a bit of a blogging break (real life gets in the way of sometimes), I am excited to announce another gluten-free guide giveaway. I recently received a sampler pack from Kay’s Naturals. They make a variety of gluten-free low-carb snacks. One of the challenges of managing Celiac and Diabetes are the varied and usually higher number of carbs in gluten-free versions of cereals and breads. I was excited to try Kay’s to see how they tasted and if they were actually lower-carb.

The results were mixed. I LOVED a few items – the cinnamon toast pretzels had a hint of sweet and a nice pretzel crunch. The white cheddar cheese Kruncheeze have a delicious cheddar flavor and are a satisfying snack. My favorite though was the French Vanilla Protein Cereal which is surprisingly low in carbs, holds up well in milk with great crunch and flavor that isn’t too sweet.

A few of their products were just ok (e.g. the apple cinnamon cereal) and a couple tasted like vegetables or what I imagine cat food to taste like – stay clear of the golden butter pretzels. As much as I like vegetables it wasn’t what I was looking for in a pretzel and though Cat is one of my nicknames, I don’t aspire to maintain a feline diet…

That said, I will be placing a big order of French Vanilla Protein Cereal and am pretty excited to have more options for plane/travel food since Kay’s Naturals come in individual serving packs.

Now to the good part – one lucky reader will receive their very own Kay’s Naturals sampler pack. Leave a comment below describing your favorite breakfast by Wednesday April 22, 2009 at 11:59 EDT. The winner will be selected at random from the entries.

Does anyone eat a savory breakfast like Mark Bittman? My favorite breakfast is soft scrambled eggs with fresh whole milk ricotta and truffle salt or a super healthy frittata (seriously I’d rather make that at home than pay for some fancy NYC brunch – yum)

Gluten-Free Products – Gluten-Free Corn Chex coming soon to a store near you!

A Gluten-Free Guide — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:51:22 +0000

I know you all were excited when Rice Chex was reformulated to be gluten-free – but the good news on mainstream gluten-free products just keeps on coming. Gluten-Free Corn Chex and Cinnamon Chex are coming soon. General Mills is still rolling out the gluten-free version. As of March 15th, their Web site still lists barley malt as an ingredient, so be sure to check for the updated box before making a purchase. [The gluten-free formulation replaces barley malt with brown sugar syrup.] And over on Gluten-Free Philly, the news continues – Gluten-Free Honey Nut Chex are available already in New Jersey. Strawberry Chex are already listed at gluten-free on the General Mills Web site. Check out Gluten-Free Post for more on the Gluten-Free Corn Chex.

Thanks to Cream Hill Estates’ Beth Armour for the tip – she’s looking forward to making Gluten-Free Nuts and Bolts mix soon. (I have a soft spot in my heart for Cream Hill Estates because I made my gluten-free Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies using Cream Hill Estates Gluten-Free Oats)

Have you made any other great gluten-free product finds lately?

Gluten-Free Recipes – Gluten-Free Baked Oatmeal Squares

A Gluten-Free Guide — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:22:15 +0000

While in my last post I was writing about summer, now a cold breeze has settled in Manhattan. So as I get braced for winter and the warm and comforting foods that come with that season, I want to share a perfect cozy breakfast recipe I learned in a Healthy Cooking Class. Because I knew Oatmeal Squares were on the menu for the class, I brought a box of gluten-free oatmeal and a gluten-free flour mix just in case. I spoke with the instructor before class and asked if I could be on the team to make that dish. With a little bit of planning I was able to eat everything in class just by replacing the regular oats in the one questionable recipe with the gluten-free ones.

This recipe is warm and toasty and provides more protein than a plain oatmeal preparation. It’s suitable for guests and yet easy to make – I highly recommend giving this one a try.

Gluten-Free Baked Oatmeal Squares Recipe (adapted from Eat Food Nutrition)

Serves 6-8 for breakfast

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
2 1/4 cups uncooked quick-cooking gluten-free oatmeal
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons ground Vietnamese cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups skim milk
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Optional: yogurt or fresh berries/fruit for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat 8-in square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray

In a large bowl, combine oats, sugar, cranberries, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. In medium bowl whisk together milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to large bowl with dry ingredients. Mix until well blended and pour into baking dish.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes until center is set and firm to the touch. (resist the temptation to stir during the baking process – it won’t set right, I learned the hard way…)

Remove from heat and let cool slightly before serving.

For an ‘eggy’ breakfast recipe try my Breakfast Frittata Recipe. To put the rest of those gluten-free oats to use, try my Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Recipe or Shauna’s Gluten-Free Granola Bar Recipe.

Keeping Your Houseguests Happy

A Gluten-Free Guide — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 22:45:00 +0000

I moved into an apartment all on my own last year. This helped me to finally get my antibodies down to normal “non-Celiac” levels. Well, I still live in Manhattan and have had a number of houseguests come visit the big Apple. When I was living in a “mixed” (gluten and non-gluten) kitchen, I would get gluten bread and cereal for my visitors. Now I want to keep my kitchen the gluten free haven that I have come to enjoy.

When one of my best friends came to visit from London last week, I wanted to make sure he had some breakfast options. (I knew he would be eating out for the rest of his meals.)

Apples, orange juice, string cheese, milk and eggs already stocked my fridge. To supplement those offerings I decided to get some gluten free cereal for him to snack on. While I was home at Christmas, I tried the Apple Cinnamon O’s from Glutino and was pleasantly surprised at how tasty they were. For Gareth, I picked up some Honey Nut O’s also from Glutino. They are light and sweet, with a great crunch even in milk. They passed the gluten-eater test; the box was finished in three days.

Not only do they taste great, they are surprisingly affordable. Regular name-brand cereals tend to cost $3-5/box. This box of gluten free cereal cost only $2.99. What a nice change from the usual “gluten free markup.”

I love to show my gluten eating friends and family how delicious it can be to eat gluten free.

Festive Frittata!

A Gluten-Free Guide — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:33:00 +0000

I had my first frittata when I was in Sicily, after graduating from college. The family I was staying with made a delicious version with ham and parmesan cheese as a main course for dinner.I didn’t make my own version until this year. I started experimenting with frittatas as a brunch dish after a Saturday workout. With the eggs as the basis you can create any version just by playing with the other ingredients. You can serve it with your favorite salsa or gluten free toast. Let your imagination (or your leftovers) inspire you!

Festive Gluten Free Frittata
Serves 4

8 eggs beaten lightly or 2 cups egg whites/egg substitute
2 roasted red peppers, broken into pieces
3/4 cup cauliflower, broken into small florets
3/4 cup broccoli, broken into small florets
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
½ shredded cheddar and mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Lightly spray oil in a large frying pan with an oven-safe handle. Par-cook the vegetables by sautéing them for 2-3 minutes on med-high heat. Add the eggs or egg substitute to the pan and reduce heat to low. Stir and add the salt and freshly ground pepper. Keep cooking until the eggs are set but the bottom and edges are not too brown.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove, sprinkle with cheese and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let sit for 2 minutes, cut and serve.

Be sure that the handle of the pan you use is oven safe. The other thing to be careful of is to always use a hot pad to hold the handle after pulling the pan out of the oven. (It sounds like a hard mistake to make, but after it’s been sitting on the stove you tend to forget how hot the handle still is.)