When I first received the juice, I thought of lots of different ways to use it: sorbets, dressings, sauces, etc. And for some reason (fast and easy, perhaps?), the only way I’ve used it so far is in drinks. I’ve added it to lemonade, other juices, iced tea, even champagne. It added a nice flavor to all of them.

Then, I got this crazy idea to use it in a Cosmopolitan drink. I don’t even drink Cosmos. Anyway, I gave my husband some ideas on the ingredients, and he tried mixing a couple versions. I think we came up with a very yummy recipe. It’s really very good, and very blueberry, despite the red color. So, if you’re looking for a fruity, fun drink for happy hour or girl’s night out, give it a try.

Blue POM Cosmo Recipe

Ingredients:

2 oz. vodka, chilled
1 oz. Triple Sec
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 oz. POM Blueberry juice
Blueberries for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
2. Add a few ice cubes, cover and shake the cocktail.
3. Pour the cocktail, straining out the ice, into a martini glass.
4. If desired, garnish with a few blueberries.

Additional Notes:

• As you can see, I used blueberries for garnish. To keep the swizzle stick from falling out of the glass, put some blueberries on the end of the stick in the glass, too. Or, just lay it across the rim of the glass.

Notable Links:

• There are lots of good-looking recipes at POM Wonderful.
• The origins of the Cosmopolitan Cocktail, according to Wikipedia.
• Pomegranate-Blueberry Albacore Skewers recipe is posted at The Gluten-Free Hippie.
• Reindeer Antlers, an pomegranate alcoholic punch is posted at Gluten Free Easily.
• Recipes for Pomegranate Popsicles and Pomegranate Sorbet are at Gluten Free Gidget.
• POM Glazed Chicken Salad can be found at Gluten Free Expedition.
• Pork Chops with Pomegranate-Mushroom Sauce is posted at Gluten Free Works.
• Pomegranate Marinade for lamb and salmon can be found at Gluten Free Portland Oregon.

Can you believe I found four different brands of gluten-free animal cookies at one grocery store? Not a specialty market, but a large grocery store chain? I know that the gluten-free market has changed a lot over the past five years, but I was still surprised!

This summer, my grocery shopping habit changed a little. Rather than doing a big weekly shopping trip, I did two or three short trips during the week. While the kids were busy with sports and/or activities, I took advantage of the time by getting my shopping done at the closest grocery store. It was not always ideal because I often ended up paying a little more for certain items. But considering I didn’t have to argue, bribe, or referee the kids, I’d say it was a bargain!

The biggest benefit of my new shopping style was finding a large variety of gluten-free items that have found a place at so many different grocery stores. Our local Giant and Target stores have recently expanded their selection of gluten-free items. While Target’s prices seem to be very reasonable, the prices at Giant seem a little high. In spite of the higher costs, I couldn’t wait to try some new products.

And knowing that school will be starting soon, I bought all four boxes of animal cookies. I wanted to try them all side by side, to determine which one was best. I wish I could say there was a clear favorite, but after all family members added their input they turned out fairly even. Even so, they all have unique characteristics, so I hope this helps you find your favorite without having to buy all four. I’m sure you can find one that meets your needs for gluten-free preschool snacks, snacks for the toddlers, light treats to send with lunch, after-school snacks, study breaks…you get the idea.

Annie’s Gluten Free Cocoa & Vanilla Bunny Cookies

Well, let me start by saying these Bunny Cookies are MY favorites. Love, love, LOVE the chocolate flavor combined with the vanilla. They are similar to the popular Teddy Graham cookies (which are not gluten free). They have a nice crunch, but aren’t too crumbly. And, because of the small size, there aren’t a lot of broken ones in the box. The rest of the family liked these, too. And, won’t these be fun at Easter time? Ingredient notes: All natural – no additives or preservatives, but plenty of sugar (cane sugar). Also contains rice, corn, soy and tapioca flours. Made in a peanut-free and tree nut-free facility. (Complete list of ingredients and nutritional facts at Annies.com.)

Kinnikinnick KinniKritters Animal Cookies

These were my husband’s favorites, not that I expect him to take these to work with him. My son liked these and Ian’s cookies the best. And I have to say that I preferred these over Ian’s. K-Kritters have a nice crunchy texture without falling apart. Like the bunny cookies, there were few broken ones in the box. No overwhelming flavor, just lightly sweetened. Ingredient notes: Of all the cookies we tried, these were lowest in sugar: 2 grams per serving of 8 cookies. However, they do contain sugar, and really aren’t lacking in sweetness. Another interesting note was that they contain pea starch, pea protein and pea fibre. They also have potato starch, rice flour, tapioca starch and soy lecithin. “Produced in a gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, and tree-nut free facility. May contain traces of egg.” (Complete list of ingredients and nutritional facts at Kinnikinnick.com.)

EnviroKidz Organic Gluten-Free Animal Cookies

These Animal Cookies have been available to us for a while now. In fact, you can usually find them at most large chain grocery stores, often in the natural foods or organic sections of the store. They are my 5-year-old daughter’s favorite.  I think the texture is a little grainy, but it doesn’t seem to bother her. Even though it is labeled as Vanilla, these cookies do have a subtle cinnamon flavor that we like. On the down side, there are often lots of broken cookies in the box. Ingredient notes: all organic ingredients with evaporated can juice; rice, corn, and soy flours. “This product is third-party certified organic by Quality Assurance International (QAI).” (More product information at Naturespath.com.)

Ian’s Animal Cookies

These were my least favorite Animal Cookies. My husband and I both thought they tasted stale. They were a little hard and slightly chewy without being soft. However, my 7-yr-old son thought they were great. He likes the animal shapes. And, I would think that these would make good teething biscuits because they aren’t too crunchy to cut delicate gums. These are very similar to Mi-Del’s Gluten-Free Arrowroot Cookies, which we used to buy. But, we haven’t seen those in the stores for a while, and so haven’t tried them in a while either. Ingredient notes: Sweetened with organic dehydrated cane juice and honey. Contains corn, soy, potato, and rice flours. Also contains soy, egg, and butter (milk). “This product is manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts and wheat. This product is routinely tested using the ELISA method to gluten free standards as determined by the World Health Organization.”

So what will I be buying in the future? If I was ranking all the cookies above: Annie’s GF Bunny Cookies would win, with K-Kritters and EnviroKidz coming next. I probably won’t buy Ian’s again.  Anyone else have some opinions to share about these? Or, maybe you have tried some other brands I haven’t included here?

Notable Links:

• Annie’s is offering a Back to School Special of 15% discount now through Sept. 11, 2010 for Amazon orders. Use promotional code ANNIES55. And if you sign up for the Subscribe & Save Program, you get an additional 15% off. And, of course, if you have a Prime Membership with Amazon, you get free 2-Day shipping.
• For more gluten-free recipes and ideas, visit Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker.

My husband started a new job this summer that comes with a longer commute and fewer easily accessible options for gluten-free food. So, I’ve been trying to have lunches and snacks at home that he can easily take with him. I hadn’t tried Bakery on Main‘s granola products, yet. So, I was happy to get some samples in the mail to try. They sent me some granola bars and the Fiber Power granola to try.

I often hear from people starting on the gluten-free diet that they don’t get enough fiber from a gluten-free diet. (Well, that’s a whole other subject, that I won’t get into in this post.) If you happen to feel the same way, then the Fiber Power Granola may be the product for you. It contains gluten-free whole grain oats and 9 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup serving. My husband enjoyed the Fiber Power granola mixed in with yogurt.

The first thing that struck me about these products was their aroma. Each time I opened a package I was surprised they were so fragrant. True to its name, the Triple Berry Granola had a wonderful berry scent. The Maple Cranberry bars smelled of maple syrup, and the Extreme Trail Mix bars smelled like sunflower seeds. Maybe my nose was just sensitive on that day, but I was immediately drawn to the delicious smells.

The next thing I noticed were all the whole grains and seeds. Wow. Lots of sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, rice crisps, and cornflakes. All three bars are soft and chewy, not too crunchy, and have a light sweetness to them. I think the size is perfect, too. Not too much to ruin dinner, and easy to carry around in a briefcase, purse, or backpack. The dried cranberries in the Maple Cranberry bars and Trail Mix bars added a nice flavor and sweetness. The Extreme Trail Mix bars also had large pieces, if not whole, almonds, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts which added an extra crunch to the bars.

I let my kids give them a try, too. But, apparently the bars are not to their liking. I guess the flavors are a little too strong for them. Of the three, the Chocolate Peanut Butter one was the most palatable. If it weren’t for the chocolate chips, they probably would pass. OK, so the bars aren’t exactly kid-favorites. But, my husband and I were able to appreciate them for their taste, texture and natural goodness.

You should check out the Bakery on Main website for all the nutrition details, but I will mention a few things about the granola bars. Each one contains 170 calories with 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 11 grams of sugar. The granola bars are sweetened with rice syrup, honey and evaporated cane juice.

For more opinions on these and other Bakery on Main products check out these other recent reviews:

• Celiacs in the House
• The Gluten-Free Homemaker
• Gluten Free Gidget

the Next EXIT

This is a great book to have for road trips. As you are traveling on the Interstate highways, you can look ahead and see what restaurants and services are listed for each exit. McDonald’s aren’t hard to find at any random intersection, but Chik-fil-a, Outback, and P.F. Chang’s may be a little more difficult to find without this book. The book also lists gas, lodging, grocery and retail stores, rest areas, etc. and which side of the highway you will find them.

.

Triumph Dining Restaurant Guide

This book lists, by state, restaurants, bakeries and cafes that offer something gluten free to eat. It also has a list of gluten-free menu items from national chain restaurants. I found it very helpful when trying out eateries that I hadn’t been to before. I have the second edition, but have realized that I really need to get the current, fourth edition that I’m sure has a lot of updates in it.

So, start with the Next EXIT to see which restaurants will be at the intersection where you want to stop. Then, look in the Triumph Dining Restaurant Guide to see if it has menu information on the restaurants. Then you’ll know exactly where and when to stop to find gluten-free meals for everyone in the family. No need to worry about battery life or Internet connection. Just look through the books to find what you need.

Notable Links:

• Check out the page Eating Out for links to restaurants which provide information on their websites about eating gluten free in their establishments.
• Triumph Dining also has dining cards in various foreign languages (perfect for authentic ethnic restaurants) and a grocery guide for helping you find gluten-free food at the grocery stores.

Just wanted to share the good news: The Disney Princess chewable vitamins (Complete Multi-Vitamin and Mineral Supplement) are now gluten free. In the past, the princess vitamins we checked listed wheat starch in the ingredients, so we avoided them. But, when I saw them again last month, I decided to give it another try. Boy, was my daughter glad I checked them again! It says right on the label that there is no wheat and no gluten.

I took a picture of the label (posted below), in case there are other ingredients you avoid. But check out what isn’t in them: milk, lactose, gluten, wheat, yeast, shellfish, and sodium. That works for us! (Be sure to check the label before you buy them. There may still be some bottles on the shelves that contain wheat starch.)

My daughter loves to pick out the princess shape and color to have each morning with breakfast. She prefers the chewable vitamins over the gummie vitamins. However, if your child prefers the gummies, you can also purchase Disney Princess Gummies Vitamins. Last I checked, these were also gluten-free.

Notable Links:

• Celiac Family writes about Flintstones, Spider-Man Gummies, CVS brand, and more
• Celiac Family writes about Wegmans W-Kids chewables
• For information about the gluten content of other medications, check out www.glutenfreedrugs.com.

Some items to note: 1) Cadbury's Creme Eggs don't have gluten listed in their ingredients this year. Yay! 2) The original Reese's peanut butter eggs and even the small size do not have gluten in the ingredients. However, there is wheat flour in the the Reese's miniature candies that are foil-wrapped, including the mini Reester Bunnies. Boo!

I've done my best to make accurate updates, and will continue to do so as I find more this month. If you happen to find a mistake, or question the gluten safety of the candy, please add a comment below so everyone can read and benefit from the discussion. Thanks, and have a Happy Easter!]

So I’ve been shopping at our local discount and grocery stores for gluten-free Easter candy. You’ll find my list of Safe and Unsafe Candy below. My determination of “Safe Gluten-Free Candy” and “Unsafe Candy” is based solely on me reading package labels at the stores in my area. After each “unsafe” candy, I have noted why I chose to consider it unsafe. Whether it has gluten in the ingredients or the possibility of trace amounts due to cross-contamination,  you can decide for yourself. Please keep in mind that products do vary their packaging and labeling, so it’s always best if you read the labels yourself. However, I know sometimes that isn’t always possible, especially this time of year when our kids are going to community egg hunts. So, here’s what I found in our stores. I hope it helps and gives you peace of mind while you enjoy the “Safe” Easter candies.

Safe Gluten-Free Candy

Jelly Beans

• Gimbal’s Jelly Beans
• Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (including original and sour flavors)
• Just Born Jelly Beans (including original fruit flavored, licorice flavored (black), berry flavored, and spice flavored)
• Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans (including fruit smoothie flavors)
• Lifesaver Jellybeans
• Mike and Ike Jelly Beans
• Nerds Bumpy Jelly Beans (Wonka) (Be careful. This had cross-contamination warnings on the packages I found last year.)
• Russel Stover Pectin Jelly Beans
• Spree Jelly Beans (Cherry, Lemon and Green Apple)
• Starburst Jellybeans (original, tropical, and red fruits)
• SweeTart Jelly Beans (Be careful. This had cross-contamination warnings on the packages I found last year.)
• Teenee Beanee Jelly Beans (including Island Breeze, Americana Medley, and Country Retreat flavored packages)

Plastic Eggs Pre-filled with Candy

• Bee Flowers and Fairies Egg Hunt (includes Smarties, Super Bubble bubble gum, Taffy Werks, Jelly Bean Werks, and Lemonheads)
• Bee Sport Ball Eggs (includes Smarties, Super Bubble bubble gum, Taffy Werks, Jelly Bean Werks, and Lemonheads)
• Bee Noah’s Ark Easter Egg Hunt (includes Smarties, Super Bubble bubble gum, Taffy Werks, Jelly Bean Werks, and Lemonheads)
• Bug Collector Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Mmmm…Cupcakes Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Red Hots, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Peace and Love Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Red Hots, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Dress Up Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Farm Friends Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Game Time Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Glow in the Dark Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Red Hots, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Nighttime Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Outdoor Adventure Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Pet Shop Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Rainforest Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Speedster Cars Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Wonka Egg Hunt with a Golden Egg (includes Nerds, Laffy Taffy, and SweeTarts)
• Wonka Egg Hunt Zero Gravity (includes Nerds, Laffy Taffy, and SweeTarts)
• Wonka Egg Hunt Hard 2 Find (includes Nerds, Runts, and SweeTarts)

Other Easter Candy

• Almond Joy Eggs
• Andes Creme de Menthe Thins
• Brach’s Jelly Bean Nougats
• For Butterfinger candy, look under Nestle
• Cadbury Chocolate candy manufactured by the Hershey Company in the US. 1-800-468-1714
  • Cadbury Caramello Bunnies (as found Mar. 2009)
  • Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Bunny
  • Cadbury hollow milk chocolate egg filled with Cadbury mini-eggs — No gluten ingredients are listed, however “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients.
  • Cadbury mini-chocolate eggs – Royal Dark and Dairy Milk Chocolate — No gluten ingredients are listed, however “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients: [Milk chocolate ingredients: "milk chocolate (sugar; milk; chocolate; cocoa butter; lactose; soy lecithin; PGPR, emulsifier; artificial and natural flavors); sugar; contains 2% or less of: cornstarch; gum acacia; artificial color (yellow 6 lake; blue 2 lake; yellow 5; blue 2; red 40); ethyl vanillin artificial flavor."]
  • Cadbury Creme Eggs — This year, the regular and mini eggs I found did not have gluten listed in the ingredients. However, “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients. (Last year “Glucose (wheat)” was listed in the ingredients. Many Celiacs consider the glucose, even from wheat, to be gluten-free due to all the processing.)
  • Cadbury Caramel Eggs — This year, the regular and mini eggs I found did not have gluten listed in the ingredients. However, “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients. (Last year “Glucose (wheat)” was listed in the ingredients. Many Celiacs consider the glucose, even from wheat, to be gluten-free due to all the processing.)
  • Cadbury Orange Creme Eggs
• Carousel Bubble Gum Eggs
• Carousel Easter Egg Surprise Lollipops (as found Mar. 2009)
• Charms Blow Pops and Blow Pop Minis
• Cry Baby Eggs
• Dairy Good Easter bunnies (chocolate flavored, foil-wrapped)
• Dairy Good Easter eggs (chocolate eggs)
• Dairy Good Chocolate and White Chocolate Crosses
• Disney Princess plastic eggs with candy and stickers inside
• Dove Chocolate products are all gluten-free according to a message on their consumer line (1-800-551-0704).
  • Dove Chocolate Eggs (including milk chocolate, milk chocolate almond, peanut butter, and dark chocolate varieties)
  • Dove Fairy Bunny hollow milk chocolate
  • Dove Solid Chocolate Bunnies, milk chocolate Ingredients: milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, skim milk, milkfat, lactose, chocolate processed with alkali, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavors). Allergy Information: May contain peanuts.
  • Dove Solid Chocolate Bunnies, dark chocolate
  • Dove Truffle Eggs
• Dubble Bubble Eggs (egg-shaped bubble gum) and Speckled Bubble Gum
• Easter Bunny Egg-head family filled with Power Candy
• Farley’s Kiddie Mix includes Now & Laters, Jawbreakers, Super Bubble bubble gum, Tootsie Roll Midgees, Sassy Tarts and Smarties
• Florida Natural Healthy Treats fruit snacks eggs (as found Mar. 2009)
• Frankford Marshmallow Chicks and Bunnies
• Fun Dip (Wonka)
• Gimbal’s candies, all varieties (see allergen statement)
• Hershey’s chocolate candy
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bunnies, Springtime Flowers, and Crosses
  • Hershey’s milk chocolate hollow egg with candy-coated milk chocolate eggs inside
  • Hershey’s candy-coated milk chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate Speedy Bunny and Princess Bunny
  • Hershey’s milk chocolate hollow Bunny
  • Hershey’s milk chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Marshmallow Eggs
• Hershey’s Bliss chocolate candy
  • Hershey’s Bliss milk chocolate eggs with a meltaway center
  • Hershey’s Bliss dark chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Bliss Hollow Milk Chocolate Bunny
• Hershey’s Kisses
  • Hershey’s Kisses filled with Caramel
  • Hershey’s Kisses with Almond
• Lifesaver hard candies – Original and Pastels
• Lifesaver Eggsortment (including jellybeans, gummies and pops)
• Lifesaver Gummies – Original, and Bunnies and Eggs
• Lindt white and dark chocolate bunnies as well as Lindt Chocolate Carrots did not have any gluten listed in the ingredients, but are at risk of cross-contamination. (See Lindt listing below.)
• Melster Chocolate Flavored Marshmallow Bunnies
• M&M’s — original, peanut, Speck-tacular Eggs, and Bunny Mix
• Mounds Eggs (as found Mar. 2009)
• Nestle’s Nest Eggs (Nestle’s Crunch Nest Eggs are not gluten-free.)
• Nestle’s milk chocolate Nest Eggs
• Nestle’s creamy caramel Nest Eggs
• Nestle’s Butterfinger chocolate Nest Eggs
• Nestle’s Butterfinger Creme Eggs
• Palmer Holiday Candy see their website for gluten-free candy. One of our readers, Kristin, also noted in the comments that she found that the hollow chocolate bunnies that had hard candy eyes and other body parts often stated that they were “processed with wheat.” The ones that were simply chocolate and wrapped in foil didn’t have that statement.
  • Palmer’s Bunny Bites foil-wrapped eggs (includes both soft caramel and peanut butter flavors)
  • Palmer’s Baby Binks hollow milk chocolate bunny
  • Palmer’s Bunnyettes (milk chocolate)
  • Palmer’s Butter Cream Flavored eggs
  • Palmer’s Carrot Patch Pete (solid milk chocolate bunny)
  • Palmer’s Fudge Filled Big Ears (foil-wrapped bunnies with big ears)
  • Palmer’s Hollow Bunnies (milk flavored and milk chocolate flavored)
  • Palmer’s Little Beauty milk chocolate bunny
  • Palmer’s Milk Chocolate Flavored and premium milk chocolate eggs
  • Palmer’s Peanut Butter Filled  chocolate eggs
  • Palmer Poppin’ Rockin’ Egg (hollow egg filled with Pop Rocks)
  • Palmer’s Soft Caramel Cups
  • Palmer’s Super Sports Balls
  • Palmer’s Quax hollow milk flavored candy duck (“The Yummy Ducky”) — Be careful with this one. In one store, this statement was included on the boxes: “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter and other tree nuts.” In other stores, this statement was not on the boxes. Made in different facilities?
• Peeps (all shapes and colors) — “Gluten Free”
• Peeps milk chocolate covered marshmallow
• PEZ candy
• Pixy Stix Green Grass (Wonka)
• Giant Pixy Stix (Wonka)
• Pop Rocks in plastic egg
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate candy
  • Reese’s Easter Assortment Eggs (including peanut butter eggs, white peanut butter eggs, and miniatures) – This does not include the foil-wrapped mini eggs, which do have gluten.
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup miniatures
  • Reese’s Pieces Pastel Eggs
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs – large and small size, but not the foil-wrapped mini eggs (see Unsafe list below)
  • Reese’s Reester Bunny — large size only, but not the mini-sized (see Unsafe list below)
• Ring pops
• Sixlets
• Skittles eggs and fun-size
• Smarties candy rolls “Contain none of the following: gluten (from wheat, barley, oats and rye), milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, or soybeans.”
• Snickers mini’s
• Sour Patch Bunnies
• Starburst fruit chews – funsize
• Swedish Fish Eggs soft and chewy candy
• Sunny Seed Drops chocolate covered sunflower seeds
• Tootsie Rolls (including midgees and fruit rolls)
• Tootsie Pops
• Wonka Everlasting Gobstopper Eggbreakers
• Wonka Giant Pixy Stix
• Wonka Hoppin’ Nerds
• Wonka Runts Freckled Eggs
• York Peppermint Patties
• Zachary real chocolate Marshmallow Eggs
• Zachary solid milk chocolate Bunnies
• Zipperz Lollipops (as found Mar. 2009)

Unsafe Candy (may contain gluten)

Jelly Beans

• Brach’s Jelly Bird Eggs (includes classic, black, orchard fruit, and premium tiny jelly-bird eggs) — “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and/or soy protein.”
• Brach’s Hawaiian Punch Jelly Beans — “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and/or soy protein.”
• Sour Patch Jelly Beans — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, wheat, milk, soy, cashew nuts.”

Other Easter Candy

• Brach’s Chocolate Bunnies — “malt extract” is listed in the ingredients. “Manufactured on equipment that also manufactures products containing peanuts, tree nuts and wheat.”
• Child’s Play Easter Mix — “Packed on equipment that also manufactures products containing peanuts, tree nuts and wheat.” (as found Mar. 2009)
• Chick Feed sunflower seeds “May contain wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts.”
• Ferrero Rocher candy — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Frankford Cookies and Creme Eggs — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Frankford Crispy Eggs (milk chocolate flavored) — “malt extract, milk and soy” listed in ingredients. “Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Frankford solid milk chocolate bunny — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Galerie Edible Easter Grass (imported from Germany) — “May contain wheat.” on label
• Hershey’s miniatures — “malt” listed in ingredients. “Allergy Information: May contain wheat.”
• Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme eggs — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Kit Kat Bunny Ears and Kit Kat minis — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Lindt Chocolate — Lindt US website addresses the question of gluten with this note: “Unfortunately, at this time we cannot guarantee that Lindt chocolate is gluten free. Our white and extra dark (70% cocoa and above) chocolate products by nature do not contain barley malt. However, because they run on the same production lines as other products there is a chance of cross contamination.”
• Lindt Lindor Truffles Eggs — “malt powder” listed in ingredients
• Lindt Assorted Chocolates with smooth filling — “barley malt powder” listed in ingredients
• Lindt milk chocolate bunnies (Gold Bunny, wrapped in gold foil) — “barley malt extract” listed in ingredients
• Lindt Bugs & Bees — “wheat and barley malt powder” in the ingredients.
• Lindt mini eggs, mini lamb, lamb, and mini chicks — “barley malt powder” listed in ingredients
• Mayfair Kid’s Play basket stuffers (including Fuit Chews, Teaberry Gumballs, Spout Bubble Log, Atomic Fireballs, Super Bubble bubble gum, Easter Pops, Jawbreakers, Airheads, Lemonhead, and Smarties) — “Packed in a facility that processes peanuts, nuts, milk products, soy protein, wheat, eggs and sesame seeds.”
• Mighty Malts Speckled Malted Milk Eggs — “malted barley and wheat flour” are listed in the ingredients.
• Milky Way minis — “malted barley” in ingredients
• Milky Way Bunnies — surprisingly, no gluten was listed in the ingredients; “Allergy Information: May contain peanuts, tree nuts, egg and wheat.”
• Nestle Butterfinger Egg with pieces in chocolate (this does not include the foil-wrapped eggs or the fun-size butterfingers) — “Made on equipment that also processes nuts and wheat.”
• Nestle Crunch Nest Eggs — “Barley Malt” listed as an ingredient. “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, nuts and wheat.”
• PAAS eggs — “malt” listed in ingredients
• Palmer Holiday Candy see their website for gluten-free candy. One of our readers, Kristin, also noted in the comments that she found that the hollow chocolate bunnies that had hard candy eyes and other body parts often stated that they were “processed with wheat.” The ones that were simply chocolate and wrapped in foil didn’t have that statement.
  • Palmer’s Double Crisp chocolate candy (including Bunnies, Bunnyettes, Pops, Chick a Dees, Bunny Munny and Eggs) — “barley malt” listed in ingredients
  • Palmer’s Lil’ Crispy chocolate bunny — “malt” listed in ingredients. “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter, and tree nuts.”
  • Palmer’s My Little Bunny — “barley malt” listed in ingredients; “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter and tree nuts.”
  • Palmer’s Cookies ‘n Creme Eggs — “bleached wheat flour” is listed in ingredients. “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter, and tree nuts.”
  • Palmer’s Crispy Peanut Butter flavored eggs — “malt” listed in ingredients.
  • Palmer’s Eggbert Double Crisp — “Barley malt” listed in ingredients.
  • Palmer’s Quax hollow milk flavored candy duck (“The Yummy Ducky”) — Be careful with this one. In one store, this statement was included on the boxes: “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter and other tree nuts.” In other stores, this statement was not on the boxes. Made in different facilities?
• Peter Rabbit real milk chocolate bunny — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Peter Rabbit hollow milk chocolate bunny — “Manufactured on shared equipment that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, wheat and egg.”
• Reese’s milk chocolate and peanut butter eggs (mini eggs foil-wrapped individually) — “wheat flour” listed in the ingredients
• Reese’s mini-Reester Bunnies — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Russel Stover chocolate candy — With the exception of the jelly beans, every RS product I looked at had a similar statement of cross-contamination: “Products have been produced on shared equipment with peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and wheat.” Some of their products had additional allergens listed to those above.
• Snickers Eggs — “Allergy Information: May contain tree nuts, egg, and wheat.”
• Snickers Creme Sports Eggs — “Allergy Information: May contain tree nuts, egg, and wheat.”
• SpongeBob Squarepants Eggs plastic egg with sour candy and stickers — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds and wheat.”
• SpongeBob Squarepants gummy Krabby Patties — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds and wheat.”
• SweetTart Gummy Bunnies (Wonka) — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
• Trolli Gummi Bunnies — “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and/or soy protein.” (as found Mar. 2009)
• Twix — “Wheat Flour” listed in ingredients (as found Mar. 2009)
• Twizzlers candy
  • Twizzlers Tweeters — “wheat” listed as an ingredient (as found Mar. 2009)
  • Twizzlers Rainbow Twists — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
  • Twizted Strawberry Blast pull-n-peel candy — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
  • Twizzlers Strawberry Mini Bars — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
• Whitman’s Sampler — “Allergy Information: Products have been processed on shared equipment with tree nuts and wheat.”
• Whoppers Robin Eggs (includes mini-Robbin Eggs, too) — “barley malt and wheat flour” in ingredients
• Wonka’s eggs — “oat flour” listed as an ingredient; “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, nuts and wheat.”
• Wonka Easter Nerds Rope — “Made in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.”
• Wonka Mix-Ups (including SweeTart chews, Laffy Taffy, SweeTarts, and Nerds) “Made in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.”

.

Notable Links:

• More information about Jelly Belly candy.
• Information on allergen-free Easter candy can be found at Sure Foods Living.
• Gluten Free Is Life also has a list of Easter candy safe for the gluten-free diet.
• Check out the recipe for making Chocolate Eggs in a Cookie Basket.
• More gluten-free candy lists for Halloween Candy and Valentine Candy.

Attune says their chocolate bars are “packed with more beneficial probiotic cultures than yogurt (with less sugar than most brands), are low in calories (with 100 or fewer) and have calcium and fiber for better health on the go.” You’ll find more specifics on the nutritional content at the Attune Foods website.

I was told to put these into the refrigerator when I received them. They contain probiotics, so putting them into the refrigerator insures that the probiotics will stay alive and well. (“Un-refrigerated cultures begin to decline within a month.” is what it says on the box.) I did as I was told, but I was really excited to try them so I took one out and read the packaging. I know I was told that they were gluten free, but it was new to me and my habit is to read the labels. I was surprised and disappointed to see a cross-contamination warning about being made in a facility where wheat is processed. So, I put it back into the refrigerator and there it sat until I finally got around to asking the company about this.

I was very happy with their response: “We take the issue of cross-contamination very seriously…. Attune uses only gluten free ingredients in making their Probiotic chocolate bars, but as stated on the packaging, the bars are made on equipment that also processes wheat. At this time, we do not have the ability to manufacture our products in a gluten-free facility but want you to know that every batch of Attune bars is tested by an independent lab called Silliker to verify that the bars meet the gluten free standard of testing less than 5 parts per million of gluten.” Considering that the proposed standard to the FDA is 20 ppm, 5 ppm sounds good to me.

So, I decided to give them a try. They come in seven different flavors:  Dark Chocolate, Coffee Bean Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Dark Chocolate, Almond Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Crisp, Mint Chocolate and Blueberry Vanilla. I started with the dark chocolate and moved on from there.

How do they taste? Like a chocolate bar. I suggest before eating them, that you take them out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature first. Chocolate is always best at room temperature, don’t you think? They are like small, thin chocolate bars. Not exactly smooth and creamy chocolate, but yummy just the same. I saved the blueberry vanilla flavor for last. It, too, was very good. My only problem with these is that I want to eat more. But, I kept to one a day, and they were soon all gone.

Where do you find them? The email I received said they are kept in the refrigerated yogurt section of more than 3,000 retailers across the U.S. such as Safeway, Whole Foods, H-E-B, Hannaford, Wegmans, A&P, and Bristol Farms. I looked in the yogurt section at our local Wegmans week after week, but couldn’t find them. I should’ve asked for them at Customer Service, but always forgot to do that by the time I got around to the front of the store. It wasn’t until recently that I finally found them. They were in the refrigerated section within their Nature’s Marketplace area. Of course! Why didn’t I think of that sooner? They are being kept beside the organic yogurts and other allergen-free, dairy-type products. I had the option to buy one chocolate bar for 99 cents or buy a box of 7 for $6.69. I went for the box.

They only had one flavor to offer: Milk Chocolate Crisp. That was alright with me. Normally, I would choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate, but I actually enjoyed the Milk Chocolate Crisp best. It reminds me of a Hershey’s Krackel or a Nestle Crunch bar, both of which are not Gluten Free. Attune puts the rice crisps in the chocolate bars, but they are flavored with molasses instead of the gluten-containing barley malt. So now I can eat a crispy chocolate bar and feel like I’m doing my body good by eating probiotics, too. What a great find. I love having these for an afternoon snack. I pull one out of the refrigerator in the morning, and then have it after lunch when I’m feeling that afternoon slow-down. If you are having a hard time finding these at your local grocery store, you can also order them online at www.attunefoods.com.

Related Links

• Attune Foods website and nutrition information
• National Institute of Health talks about Probiotics
• Article at Celiac.com talks about live bacteria (probiotics) blocking the toxic effects of wheat.
• FDA (Food & Drug Administration) proposed rule for labeling gluten-free foods and standard to be set at 20 parts per million. And, for an easier read, check out the Q&A on the proposal.
• Europe’s FSA (Food Standard Agency) new ruling for the gluten content of gluten-free products to no more than 20 ppm.

With Valentine school parties coming up, I like to buy gluten-free candy for my kids to give to friends. But, I also try to be aware of what candy my kids are likely to be given by their friends and classmates. So I went to the local grocery stores and discount stores to read the candy labels. Now I’ve got a good idea of what candy my kids might get that they can actually eat. The lists below are based on reading the packages of valentine candy I found in various stores around our home.

Any candy I found with cross-contamination warnings in the allergy statements I have put in the “Unsafe” list below, whether it has gluten ingredients or not. So, if you do not avoid those candies, you might want to review that list for additional candy without gluten ingredients.

One of the candies I was surprised about this year was the small Reese’s peanut butter hearts. The package of individually, foil-wrapped hearts says they contain “wheat flour” in the ingredients. I was surprised because the Reese’s peanut butter hearts that are in the traditional orange packaging do not contain gluten. Just another reminder that we have to keep reading labels.

Gluten-Free (Safe) Candy and Treats

• Andes creme de menthe Valentine Sweet Heart Assortment
• Animal Planet fruit-flavored lollipops
• Baby Ruth
• Betty Crocker Valentine Fruit by the Foot – “Gluten Free”
• Bottle Caps (Wonka)
• Butterfinger hearts
• Charms Blow Pops and Valentine Pops
• Charms Zip-a-dee mini pops
• DeMets Turtles
• Disney Lollipop Rings (Flix Candy)
• Dove milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and caramel candy
• Dum-Dums lollipops “Gluten Free”
• Fun Dips (Wonka)
• Gobstopper Hearts (Wonka) (as found Feb. 2009)
• Galerie Candy Jewelry Making Kit
• Galerie Diamond Ring with candy treats
• Galerie Edible Gummy Eyeballs
• Hershey Bliss chocolates including milk chocolate with raspberry meltaway centers
• Hershey Kisses (includes milk chocolate, filled with caramel, cherry cordial creme, with almonds, Hugs, and Hugs raspberry)
• Hershey’s Pot of Gold truffles
• Hubba Bubba Max bubble gum, and bubble tape
• Jelly Belly conversation beans
• Jolly Rancher candy (including heart-shaped lollipops)
• Juicee Gummee Baby Bears (as found Feb. 2009)
• Laffy Taffy, small and long sticks (Wonka)
• Life Savers candy and lollipops
• Marvel lollipops (as found Feb. 2009)
• M&Ms – fun size and mini’s packages
• Nerds, boxes and ropes (Wonka) Beware of this one: I found one package (Wonka Mix-Ups with Nerds, Bottle Caps and Laffy Taffy) that said the Nerds were “Made in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.” All other packages of Nerds I found did not have this cross-contamination statement.
• Peeps marshmallow shapes, hearts and I?U – “Gluten Free”
• PEZ
• Pixy Stix (Wonka)
• Pop Rocks popping candy
• Reese’s peanut butter cups, miniatures, and peanut butter hearts (but not the individually, foil-wrapped small hearts)
• Reese’s Pieces
• Skittles “Gluten Free”
• Smarties Valentine Love Hearts candy rolls “Contains none of the following: gluten (from wheat, barley, oats and rye), milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts or soybeans.”
• Snickers fun-size and mini’s
• Starburst “Gluten Free”
• Sweetheart Conversation Hearts including chocolate flavored hearts, large hearts, Dazzled Tarts, Twilight Saga New Moon Forbidden Fruits heart packages, and heart bracelet packages (Necco) [Last year, I found some of these that had cross-contamination warnings. They could still be out there in discount stores.]
• 3 Musketeers cherry with dark chocolate mini’s
• Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops (including vanilla and cherry fruit rolls)
• Warheads
• York Peppermint Pattie Hearts

.

Unsafe Candy and Treats (may contain gluten)

• Any chocolate candy with crisps is likely to have wheat flour or barley malt, so check carefully.
  
• Air Heads “Manufactured in a facility that processes wheat flour.”
• Brach’s candy including conversation hearts “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and/or soy protein.”
• Bubblicious Bites “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, wheat and eggs.”
• Choxie chocolate candy “May contain tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and egg.”
• Crunch (Nestle) snack-size and hearts contains “barley malt“; “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, nuts and wheat.”
• Disney lollipops packaged with Valentine cards (including Tinkerbell and Toy Story characters) “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, wheat and egg products.”
• Disney Princesses Crispy Chocolaty Hearts contains “malt extract“; “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Dora and Diego Crispy Chocolaty Hearts contains “malt extract“; “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Ferrero Rocher contains “wheat flour.”
• Hershey’s Miniatures “May contain wheat.”
• Kit Kat contains “wheat flour“
• Lindt chocolate candy contains “barley malt powder“
• Littlest Pet Shop lollipops “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, wheat
• Love Duck with conversation heart candy (found at Target) “May contain milk, soy, peanut, tree nuts, wheat and egg.”
• Reese’s peanut butter filled chocolate hearts (this refers to the small, individually foil-wrapped hearts) Contains “wheat flour.”
• Russel Stover chocolates – Every package I found had a cross contamination warning, whether it had gluten or not in the ingredients.
• Spongebob Squarepants Crispy Chocolaty Hearts contains “malt extract“; “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”Spongebob Squarepants lollipops “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, wheat and egg products.”
• SweetTart Hearts (Wonka) “Made in a facility that also processes egg and wheat.”
• SweetTart Hearts Gummies contains “wheat“
• Transformer Crispy Chocolaty Hearts contains “malt extract“; “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Twix contains “wheat flour“
• Whoppers contain “barley malt and wheat flour” and egg products.”

Of course, I can’t possibly be prepared to know the gluten content for every candy my kids might get. So, if something new comes home with no ingredient label, I go to the Internet and try to look up the manufacturer online. Many will list the ingredients of their products online. But if you can’t find the list of ingredients, be sure to check out their FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) page. I often find that companies will address the gluten-free question there.

I hope this helps you make informed decisions about which candy celiacs can and can’t eat, but remember it’s always a good idea to read the labels for yourself. The package labeling can vary if the candies were packaged or manufactured in different facilities or on different dates. I am not an expert, simply a mom trying to make good gluten-free choices for my family. If you find any mistakes or revisions that need to be made to the list, please add the information in the comments form below so that other readers can benefit from your knowledge, too. Thanks!

For frozen pizzas, I have had good luck with Foods by George and Amy’s rice crust pizzas, but my favorite frozen pizza to buy is Glutino’s cheese pizza. It is a small, personal-size pizza to which we add toppings before baking.

And the pizza crust mixes I’ve tried? Chebe, Namaste, Schar Bread Mix, Bob’s Red Mill, and probably some others I can’t remember. If I had to pick my favorite mix, it would probably be Namaste. It has a great flavor and aroma, and is quick and easy to make. One package makes two large pizzas so we can eat one and freeze the other.

I’ve also made pizza crusts from scratch, most recently from Robert Landolfi’s Gluten Free Every Day Cookbook. It was a very good pizza crust. The only downside to the recipe is that there are so many ingredients, it takes longer than I want to spend on making a pizza. Remember when pizza was what you had on nights when you didn’t have the time and energy to cook?

Last week, I tried going to zPizza to try their gluten-free pizza, but was disappointed to find that the restaurant near us had been closed. I was very disappointed with the gluten-free pizza at Uno’s. I should probably give it another try, but the one I tried was cold, and fell apart when I tried to pick it up. So far, my favorite restaurant gf pizza is Godfathers found in the midwest.

Monday – White, Chicken Chili
Cooking up some chili made with chicken, white beans, chicken broth, etc. Serving with arepas.

Tuesday – Leftovers
I already have too many leftovers in the refrigerator. I think I’m going to have to start eating more leftovers for lunch.

Wednesday – McDonald’s
I’ve promised to take the kids to McDonald’s this week (though I can’t remember why). They always get a Happy Meal with a burger (served without a bun).

Thursday – Rice Bowls
I’ll be using slow-cooked Mexican chicken to top Cilantro Rice, black beans, and green chiles. I’ll garnish with shredded cheese and guacamole.

Friday – Pizza!
I think I’ll try a couple new gluten-free pizza crusts I found at Wegmans: Schar shelf-stable Pizza Crust and Nature’s Hilights frozen pizza crust.

Saturday – Saucy Shrimp
I’ll be making a recipe I got from the Bonefish Grill website. I’ll serve it with leftover Cilantro Rice.

Sunday – Leftovers
More leftovers to eat up.

Need more menu ideas?

• Laura at OrgJunkie.com hosts Menu Plan Monday every week. You’ll find links to hundreds of meal plans (not necessarily gluten-free) there.
• Or, check out some of my past menu plans.

1. Happy Tiffin – Have you seen these yet? My sister sent me one for my birthday this year. She said she thought it would be perfect for us to take our own gluten-free foods with us to food events: potlucks, school events, dinner parties, picnics, etc. She was right. We’ve used it while touring museums, to potlucks, and school events. She bought me the large one, which really holds a lot of food. If you are someone who likes to take food with you to parties so that you know it’s safe, you need to get one of these. Of course, it would be great to take lunch to work, too. Amazon carries similar containers with 2 and 3 tiers. Choose from a variety of shapes and sizes of To-Go Ware. For one like I have, go to Happy Tiffin where they also have new insulated bags to keep your Tiffin (and food) hot or cold.

2. Breadmaker with a gluten-free setting – I’ve considered getting this for myself, but haven’t quite committed to it, yet. I certainly think it would be nice to have. They can be expensive, but what really concerns me is the amount of counter space it would take up. I found three on Amazon that have gluten-free settings: Breadman 2-Pound Convection Breadmaker (on sale for $89); Cuisinart 2-Pound Convection Bread Maker (on sale for $129); Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine
(on sale for $190). Do you have a bread maker? What are your thoughts about them?

3. The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook – Written by Elana Amsterdam of Elana’s Pantry, this is one of the newest gluten-free cookbooks out this year. As the title suggests, it focuses on using almond flour instead of grain flours in the recipes. As a result, the recipes are low glycemic, low in cholesterol and dairy, and high in protein and fiber. If you are buying this for a friend, be aware that almond flour is not readily available in stores. Most people order almond flour online (Honeyville or Nuts Online).

4. Make It Fast, Cook It Slow – Another new cookbook out this fall was written by blog author Stephanie O’dea all about cooking using a slow-cooker, or Crock Pot. To get a sample of the recipes in this book, check out her website full of gluten-free slow-cooker meals. And, did I mention that all the recipes are gluten-free? New to the gluten-free diet? This book shows you that you can cook gluten-free for the whole family, even with a busy schedule!

5. Gluten Free Every Day – This cookbook came out earlier this year. Author and chef, Robert Landolphi, learned to cook gluten-free meals when his wife was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Just like the title says, these are foods to cook and eat everyday. Many of the recipes are familiar foods with a new twist. I’ve enjoyed all the recipes I’ve tried. Some of the recipes took more time than I have every night to cook, but the results were delicious.

6. BabyCakes – This is a fun cookbook of cupcakes and treats from Erin McKenna’s New York bakery where she produces all the goodies in her cookbook. The cookbook is not exclusively gluten-free, but a lot of the recipes are gluten free, as well as vegan and sugar-free. This book is also new out this year.

.

.

7. Gluten-Free Baking Classics – I originally bought this book because a friend recommended it for its pie crust recipe. The pie crust is amazingly wonderful, but it’s just the beginning. Author Annalise Roberts shares her great recipes for muffins, sweet breads, cookies, cakes, pies, bread, pizza crust, and more in this cookbook. I use the flour mix suggested in the book, and love to use it as an all-purpose gluten-free flour.

8. Bette Hagman’s The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods – Bette Hagman is well-respected for her many gluten-free cookbooks. She was one of the first to publish gluten-free cookbooks, and an inspiration for many other gluten-free cooks out there. The book has many great recipes, and tips for cooking with gluten-free flours.

.

.

9. Ratio – This is not a cook book. It doesn’t have recipes and doesn’t focus on gluten-free foods and flours either. Instead it tells you how to combine ingredients in the right ratios to end up with a good food product. It gives you the confidence to experiment and create your own recipes.

10. The G-Free Diet- The book written by Elisabeth Hasselbeck. It’s new this year, so your celiac friends may not have it yet. This is not a cookbook. It is a personal book written about living gluten-free, with personal experiences and tips on how to make your gf lifestyle easier to maintain.