These are a few of my favorite (gluten free) things...

Several friends of mine have been trying the gluten free lifestyle lately.  In general, I like to make most of my food from scratch instead of buying products, however, I don't always have time to make bread, cookies, pasta, etc.  My favorite places to buy Gluten Free groceries are Trader Joe's, Hannaford's and Stop and Shop.  Trader Joe's having the best prices, Stop and Shop having the largest selection, and Hannaford's seems to fall somewhere in between. 

Here's a list of some of my favorite gluten free products by category.  I see it as a good way to get started with a few products that I personally think are pretty good. 

Baking Mix: I like the Pamelas Baking & Pancake Mix   I'm pretty happy with how the pancakes turn out and you can also use it for cookies.  Its a great way to make several gluten free things without having to buy or experiment with gluten free flours.  

Beer:  Redbridge by Budweiser

Bread:  I like Udi's bread - both the white and whole grain variety.  

Breadcrumbs:  Gillian's Italian Breadcrumbs 

Brownies and Cookies for Delivery:  Harvard Sweet Boutique.  They'll send you a box of delicious yumminess in the mail.  http://www.harvardsweetboutique.com.  Best gluten free brownies...ever...

Cakes in the Boston Area: Celia Cakes http://celiacakes.com/ Vita made the cake part of my zombie wedding cake - it was Red Velvet, and absolutely delicious! 
 
Cereal:  Nature's Path Vanilla Sunrise (I like to call in Vanilla Surprise) Super Yummy.  I also like to buy Chex- especially Honey Nut and Cinnamon.

Cookies:  Pamela's Extreme Chocolate Cookies, they are pretty tasty and you can crush them and use them in baking, such as for cheesecake crusts.  Pamelas Products 39439 Extreme Chocolate Simple Bites Gluten Free

Also Pamela's or MiDel's or Trader Joe's Ginger Snaps-  They are all pretty tasty and I haven't noticed a significant difference amongst them all.

Flour: I like Bobs Red Mill Sorghum Flour  - its very versatile - great for cooking and baking and has a nice flavor. 

Granola: Udis Granola and  Bakery On Main Granola Gluten Free . Both brands have a few great flavors. 

Mac and Cheese:  Its a tie between Trader Joe's Gluten Free Mac and Cheese and the Annie's White Cheddar Shells.  I guess it depends on if you prefer shells vs. elbows or orange vs. white cheese.

Pasta: I find that Bionaturae is the most versatile Bionaturae Organic Penne Rigate Pasta Gluten Free. However I'll also buy Schar's pasta and Tinkyada as well.


What else am I missing?  Drop me a comment if you have other good suggestions or have another type of product you'd like me to recommend.  :) 

An Easy Gluten Free Treat

Sometimes you just end up with too many over-ripe bananas.  This bread is easy to make on a weeknight and provides a week's worth of breakfast.  I bring this bread into work all the time and its always a hit.  Considering ingredients like bananas, brown rice flour and canola oil are much healthier than what you'd find in your typical muffin, why not treat yourself with a few chocolate chips? ;)

The recipe below was made using a loaf pan, alternatively you could turn it into muffins - just bake it for less time.  I've also successfully made it using the cake setting on my rice cooker. 

Fruit and Nut Bread

Flour mix (You can also substitute gluten free flour mix or your own mix of flours) 
2/3 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup canola oil

1/3 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

2 ripe bananas mashed
1 egg

1/3 cup chocolate chips

3 tablespoons apple sauce

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

butter for the pan

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Butter a 9X5X3 Loaf Pan
3. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix together the bananas, egg, and canola oil
4. In a sepate bowl mix flours together + xanthan gum
5. Add in the rest of wet ingredients
6. Add in dry ingredients except for nuts and chocolate chips

If using a hand mixer, turn off hand mixer and add nuts and chocolate chips with a large spoon, If using a stand mixer, turn stand mixer to low and add the nuts and chocolate chips.

Spoon into your loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.