Kim and Scott's Gluten Free Pretzel

From Jane Anderson at About.com we learn that Kim & Scott's Pretzels are offering a gluten free soft pretzel. Unfortunately, this is another one of those products that is produced in a facility that also produces gluten containing products. On the one hand, they seem to be highly aware of allergy sensitivities. On the other hand, they don't say that their gluten free pretzels have been tested.

Will I try them? Yes.

(Kim and Scott's on Twitter)

Gluten Free Items Found (and not purchased)

While wandering around Caputo's Market (on Twitter) in Plainfield last evening, I found a few gluten free items that were new to me. I purchased some (to be blogged later) and not others. Here are the ones I didn't buy (this time). Kudos to Caputo's for clear and easy to find shelf labels for gluten free items!

 I had never seen these Goya cookies. As perhaps you can tell from the photo, the box is a heavy duty cardboard. Really bizarre for a grocery item. Anyway, it was a huge box for $6 if I recall. A product of Spain I think. I'd hate to judge a cookie by its cover, but these didn't seem too appetizing to me.

 A lot of pepperoni claims to be gluten free, but there are very few pepperoni sticks that are labeled as gluten free. I was happy to see this stick from Boar's Head. Caputo's had a wide variety of Boar's Head meats, almost all of which were clearly marked as gluten free.

 There was a wide variety of meat products from Greenbridge Farm that were marked as gluten free. The picture is of some Black Forest Kielbasa.

Caputo's also had a full line of sausages from aidells (on Facebook).

More to come on the interesting items I bought...

Schar Working on US Facility

From their website:

"On January 25th, 2011, we officially started the construction of our first manufacturing facility in the United States. Beginning early next year, this state-of-the-art, dedicated gluten-free facility will play a key role in bringing you the best in gluten-free taste and nutrition. And you will see some great new products as well - like our new frozen breads, Hearty White and Hearty Grain."

I have tried some of Schar's products, but should really try out a few more. It seems like I see something new at the grocery store every few weeks.

I wonder if a domestic production facility will result in lower prices. Schar says the new facility will result in a wider product line. That's good!

Gluten Free Tax Deductions Decoded

This may be the best explanation of how to deduct the cost of gluten free food from your taxes. Thanks to the Gluten Free Cooking School blog for the great post. Excellent!

BUT, it's not really practical for me.

On a related point. It's funny. I have found myself NOT noticing the price of the specialty gluten free food that I buy. I simply don't look at the price tag at the grocery store. Now, I'm fortunate to have the means to stay on a gluten free diet without too much financial worry. But still, when I first adopted the gluten free diet, it became apparent that the grocery budget was going to expand instantly. And yes, it did. In my view, grocery shopping can be enough of a struggle without the added stress of examining prices. Essentially, I made the choice to buy the food I like and need. This means that I regularly pay $5 for a loaf of bread (a small loaf of bread!), $8 for a package of cookies, and $6 for ONE bottle of beer.

The upside is that I have found a lot of really good organic or all natural foods (because they typically contain fewer ingredients and are typically produced by smaller companies that can pay closer attention to dietary needs). The price of specialty gluten free foods is what makes it a great celebration among the gluten free community when a "main stream" product goes gluten free. For example, it was a huge deal when Chex cereal went gluten free. This meant that there was now a more affordable gluten free cereal option. $2 for a box of Chex versus typically double that for a specialty gluten free cereal.

GFOH - San-J Thai Peanut Sauce

GFOH is the on-going series of posts in which I present the gluten free products that are always on hand in my cupboards and fridge, thus, Gluten Free On Hand.

I always have a bottle of San-J Thai Peanut sauce on hand. It is gluten free and fantastic. There is nothing about the taste or flavor that would indicate that it is gluten free. It just takes like a great Thai sauce. It is very simple to use. I have used it in a wok. I have marinated with it. I have baked with it. And I have just poured it over chicken and rice, as pictured. It's so sad, I could probably eat this three times a week. I'm getting hungry just looking at this picture.

Are Wow Bakery GF Cookies Available in Chicagoland?

As far as I can remember I have not seen any products from Wow Baking company in my local stores. They look mighty tasty.  Now I'm on a mission...

New GF: Kohinoor Rice Treat

The "International Aisle" at the grocery store can be overwhelming some times. There are a lot of items that I've never eaten before and don't know if I can eat on a gluten free diet. Kohinoor Rice Treat,clearly labeled as gluten free, is a ready-to-eat rice pilaf that is easily prepared in the microwave. I would call this more of a side dish than a treat. We're not talking about a Rice Krispie treat here. This is a spicy rice side dish. I tried the Hyderabad Vegetable Pilaf. It had a complex flavor profile, including seasonings that you don't find in most packaged foods, like clove, cinnamon, bay leaf, large cardamon, mace, nutmeg, and saffron. No artificial flavors or preservatives! While the final product looks nothing like the photo on the packaging, the flavor was bold and satisfying. There are a few other flavors in the "Rice Treat" line and I'm looking forward to trying them all.

A New GF Soy Sauce!

Alison at Sure Foods Living blog has news of a new gluten free soy sauce from Kikkoman. I'll be looking for this in my local stores. I wonder how it will compare with the San-J Soy Sauce.