Prompt: Favorite Products

[runpunkrun]

Fresh, frozen, boxed, or canned. It's that thing that replaces a product you can't eat—GF flour tortillas, GF cookies, GF beer, GF cake mix, GF crackers, GF pizza—and makes life easier for you.

Slide on into the comments and tell us about something that's always on your shopping list, or share a recipe that you like to use with a specific gluten-free product.

We're an international group, so not all these things will be available in all markets, but don't let that stop you from sharing. I'm always interested in what it's like to be gluten free—and what kind of products are available—in other parts of the world.

Comments

[goddess47]

The hubby likes Glutino pretzels... he likes the little twists, but any are decent.

They're nicely crunchy and come in a couple of different sized bags.

Another vote for Glutino pretzels

[jesse_the_k]

...unlike the others available to me, they're actually crispy.

[lunabee34]

Yes! I was actually coming here to comment about them. I actually prefer them to gluteny pretzels and so does my family. They are so much crispier.

[spikedluv]

I am not a pretzel fan, but I became one when I tried the Glutino ones! I like the taste and texture so much better than regular pretzels!

[lunabee34]

I love Vans Crackers; really tasty.

Really like the Nature Valley gluten free protein bars; same with the Epic gluten free protein bars. I like the Think Thin ones okay enough to buy and eat them. LOL

I like the Rao's Marinara; that's our go-to spaghetti sauce.

All the Ken's salad dressings are gluten free, and they're really good.

Chex cereal, favorite the cinnamon chex.

And now you can tell I have a five year old because Fruit Roll-Ups are gluten free and awesome!

Charms blow pops (I would normally never eat such a thing, but I've been watching Guardian and I got a hankering for a sucker LOL)

Lay's plain potato chips

Jolly Time popcorn (there's several kinds, but I get the 100 cal per bag kind)

[runpunkrun]

I yearned for Fruit Roll-Ups as a kid, but my mom would never buy them. Maybe now's my chance.

[spikedluv]

I was so excited when I found out that Ken's brand was GF!

Chex cereals being GF means I can still make my Chex mix! *g*

[unicornduke]

I just found it the other day, so I think it's relatively new: Udi's Delicious Multi-Grain Sandwich Bread. I don't normally buy their stuff but this is pretty decent bread as far as these things go.

I think they are a east coast company but I might be wrong, but Snyder's of Hanover has great hard pretzels. They are a regular pretzel company and decided they were going to make gluten free pretzels and they did a pretty good job! I can't always find the gluten free pretzels in the store.

Edit: All USA available companies

I also love Almond Mills, Farmhouse Cheddar Crackers. They are the closest thing to cheese-its that I've found and I can eat a whole box in no time.

[runpunkrun]

Ooh, I used to love Cheeze-Its, great to know there's a good GF option.

[ironymaiden]

+1 for the Snyder's GF pretzels. They're good enough that my RPG group can't tell the difference.

the simple and the savory

[harmonic_tabby]

Simple Mills Farmhouse Cheddar remind me of Cheez-It: that's what you're referencing yes?? and they are nicely flavored and crunchy. A little spendy like most commercial offerings but the family can eat actual Cheez-It so I don't feel badly for 'em.

I also really like several offerings from Crunchmaster (and checking their website offers new flavors I haven't tried yet but will be ordering shortly. How can I resist something called Brownie Thins?? clearly I can't.) I found the applewood smoked bbq a bit too strongly flavored but the cracker itself was excellent. Maybe the powdering machine was having an off day, I don't know; but I serve the roasted garlic multigrain to my entire gluten-eating family and they've never noticed the crackers are gluten free. My husband doesn't care for the garlic aspect but he thinks the cracker is fine.

I can recommend Canyon Bakehouse. I've ordered bread and the BAGELS. Udi's everything inside bagels are slightly better with 'crunch' when toasted but they are both very good and I highly recommend both.

and I love almost anything Udi's. I do much of my gluten free shopping on line. I have mobility issues and send my husband to the grocery store so I really enjoy the convenience of internet browsing. He brings home the very specific things I ask him to but I can ask for anything Udi's he finds and be pleased with the results.

I also favor Pamela's. I use the baking mix for making muffins and pancakes as well as the coffee cake from the back of the package that I must beat the family off with a ruler to have any for myself. All the cookies I've tried are excellent and the graham crackers are next on my list to sample.

Epic Meat Bars

[runpunkrun]

I love Epic Meat Bars because they have a lot of protein and are very filling. They're certified GF and paleo friendly, and the ones I've eaten are also dairy free and soy free. They're nicely shrink wrapped, aren't too hard to get into, and travel well. My favorite is the Bison Bacon Cranberry bar. It has a light smoky flavor--calling it "bacon" is an oversell--and the cranberries add a little hit of sweetness and provide some texture. Because these aren't jerky. The bison bar in particular has a soft, tender texture that's very easy to chew. I've never gotten any gnarly bits in one of these bars.

I've tried three or four of these and I like the bison bar the best because it's lower in fat and salt than the other Epic bars, which are still very tasty, like the Wild Boar Bacon bar, which has more fat in it, and the Venison Sea Salt & Pepper bar, which was uncomfortably salty for me. But that might be exactly what you're looking for. They also come in a bunch of different flavors/meats that I haven't tried, including salmon, turkey, chicken, lamb, and beef.

These do cost some dollars, but when I need to EAT something and don't have the utensils to actually make that happen, they're an easy choice.

Re: Epic Meat Bars

[panisdead]

I think I have tried all the bird-based flavors, and I like the Chicken Sriracha bar the best.

The salmon bar I only finished because it is technically food.

Re: Epic Meat Bars

[lunabee34]

I like the Epic meat bars, too. They're really good. I tried the beef jerky logs in the bag and then didn't those again when I realized you're suppposed to eat the whole bag within like two or three days of opening it, so I only get the individually wrapped ones now.

[celli]

Amy's Gluten Free Burritos! My favorite breakfast.

[runpunkrun]

Smart! A quick Google tells me they even have a soy-free/dairy-free version!

[ironymaiden]

Tanka Bars - GF meat energy bars, made on the Pine Ridge Reservation. It's so nice to eat preserved meat that's lower in sodium. (I'm sure you all know to watch out for gluten in beef jerky.)

[runpunkrun]

Heeeey, they even have a buffalo cranberry bar that Amazon says is "Certified Gluten-Free, nitrites-free, MSG-free, hormone-free, dairy-free, soy-free and low-fat." I think I've seen these in my local natural food store. I'll have to try one!

[rydra_wong]

Doves Farm red lentil penne, Explore edamame and mung bean fettucine.

I can eat gluten and I still buyt these for preference (good flavour and I run better on higher protein).

[runpunkrun]

Mung bean pasta! That's a new one for me. Though I don't know why I'm surprised. We're making pasta out of everything these days.

[j00j]

I, a person who can eat gluten, enjoy:
- Mary's Gone Crackers. Perfectly good with cheese, interestingly seedy.
- Corn based pasta. We can eat corn and usually prefer this in Italian style pastas, saving the rice pasta for more rice based cuisines.
- Brazi Bites-- these are those Brazilian cheese bread things you can get at a Brazilian steakhouse; they are as far as I know naturally gluten free. This brand definitely is. Great with soup or anything you might want a cheesy bready accompaniment to.

cheese bread things

[harmonic_tabby]

I will recommend Chebe.

I have several boxes of the original cheese bread mix in the cupboard at all times for a quick dinner roll to serve with whatever comes out of the crockpot. Brazilian cheese bread inspired and made of manioc, the standard recipe on the box does call for eggs but someone could probably experiment with substitutes if necessary. I make twelve rolls that fit my baking sheet perfectly.

I've never tried the cinnamon roll mix. The pizza crust/pizza was not a success in my kitchen but it wasn't inedible. I only made it once and didn't want to expend the energy to tweak my prepping.

how sweet it is!

[harmonic_tabby]

Luna Bars and Clif Bars, too. Luna Bars are gluten free (and several other things free that I don't need to worry about) and some Clif Bars are too. Read the Clif labels. I love the white chocolate macadamia bars of either brand and my daughter-in-law favors the lemonzest.

I mentioned Pamela's cookies elsewhere but I must mention the figgies & jammies in particular. I know unicornduke just posted a fig newton recipe but if you aren't a baking type you can feast on Pamela's figgies & jammies.

Glutino's. Chocolate vanilla creme cookies and milk chocolate wafers taste just like the ones from my childhood memories, and the pretzel twists are a treat.

Namaste chocolate cake mix. Just added this to my regular shopping list and it's another I need to get out the ruler for. Poking the grandkids so hubby and I get a least a slice from each baking...maybe I shouldn't use the cream cheese frosting mix on it??

And lastly, since it's the season I checked and Cadbury creme eggs are gluten-free. Maybe I'll hit up the grandkids easter baskets, heehee.

Pamela's Ginger Snapz SimpleBites Mini Cookies

[runpunkrun]

Chiming in to say that Pamela's Ginger Snapz SimpleBites Mini Cookies were a favorite of mine. They're seriously gingery in a way that will set your mouth on fire, but in a good way. They are hard as heck, though, so be prepared. And they don't contain milk or soy ingredients, either.

Grain-free Crispbreads from Le Pain des Fleurs

[jesse_the_k]

“The bread of flours” is a French company which makes fantastic crackers. My favorite are buckwheat, which contain simply buckwheat, tiny bit of sugar, and salt—c’est tout! These 10 by 5 cm rectangles are big enough and sturdy enough to make cheese toasties, as well as peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

I’ve convinced myself they taste like Rye Krisp (actually they taste like air, but the structure is key).

Le Pain des Fleurs (site en français) also make coconut, corn, quinoa, rice, chestnut, and more flavors. I found them at a Hy-Vee, and got my reliable unionized supermarket to stock them.

http://riegafoods.com/le-pain-des-fleurs is their US importer

Re: Grain-free Crispbreads from Le Pain des Fleurs

[runpunkrun]

But do they have the texture of Rye Krisp? Aka stale roofing shingle?

Mi-Del Ginger Snaps and Pie Crusts

[jesse_the_k]

...were the first store-bought cookie worth eating, when I went GF 15 years ago.

Their GF Ginger Snaps are just the right balance between snappy and crumbly, and are perfect for tea dunking.

Their shelf stable ginger snap pie crust makes a marvelous embrace for cheesecake, pumpkin, and any other custard-adjacent pie.

[mlravenwrites]

I still mourn the discontinuation of the best GF beer ever*-- Dogfishhead Tweason'ale. My husband, the gluten beer lover, said it was good beer, period, without the gluten-free modifier! I've yet to find a decent replacement :(

(*in my limited northeast US experience)

[runpunkrun]

Aw, that's a bummer, but at least you have an excuse to try lots of new beers. :D

[esteefee]

These right here, omg: https://www.theinspiredcookie.com/shop/brownie-bliss
Gluten-free, vegan brownie bars. SO FREAKING GOOD I CAN'T. Just cakey enough, but hold together so perfectly, totally chocolately, not too sweet. Yummmm. They sell them at my favorite coffee place (Philz) and I get one with a fresh brewed cup on my way to pottery. :)))

[runpunkrun]

That sounds perfect. :D

[spikedluv]

For frozen pizza, we've discovered that Freschetta has the best GF crust. Only the four cheese and pepperoni are available in our area, but a check of their website shows that they also make a spinach and roasted mushroom & tuscan style chicken, which both sound awesome!

[runpunkrun]

This is very good information to have!