Posts Tagged ‘Gluten-Free Desserts’

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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Gluten Free Cooking Expo is about to START!

That’s right! It’s that time of year again…the Gluten Free Cooking Expo and Vendor Fair is coming! Jen Cafferty is at it again! Attracting participants from all around the country and Canada, this great event teaches gluten-free dieters how to make delicious and healthy GF foods and more!

April 17th and 18th – The Wyndham Hotel, Lisle, Illinois

Some of the events to look forward are two days of GF cooking demonstrations by acclaimed authors, chefs, and nutritionists; printed recipes for you to refer; and learning how to prepare each dish (with taste-testing, too!). Admission to the vendor fair is included in your Expo registration, and Gourmet Gluten Free lunch is provided as well as a gift bag of gluten-free goodies.

 

To find out more and sign up, check out the link below!  For questions, contact Jen Cafferty at jen@gfreelife.com or 847-217-1317.   Some tables are still available for vendors if you’d like to sample or sell your products. http://gfreelife.com

Tina Turbin


Monday, March 1st, 2010

Gluten-Free Company – Uli Mana

 

Uli Mana is a successful company with nothing but positive energy in every handmade product, founded by single mom Theresa Green. My L.A. and Florida gluten-free test group and I had the wonderful opportunity to test these delectable little morsels of yum. Each and every product has the capability to tease one’s taste buds and offers a smooth taste. They are a delicious treat for anyone needing a gluten-free chocolate fix. Who doesn’t have one of those cravings now and then, especially us women! Sorry men, I don’t mean to leave you out of this but there are just those times of the month- “Hey honey, don’t you dare touch MY Uli Mana.”

Not to side track you, but take a peek at the video review of their company.

Theresa Green started her career with Nirvana Manna (renamed later Maca Manna) after expected success with a home recipe passed to a friend at the Natural Foods Expo 2005. Word spread, and she could only grow and expand to incorporating UliMana. Her made-up name is semi-Huna—a Polynesian and Hawaiian science practiced by the aboriginals of those regions. It means asking the goddess Uli, the “Goddess of Serenity,” for the blessings of life force, energy, and vibrant health—“mana.”

All the chocolates used are raw as well as all of her ingredients, offering the raw food community the opportunity to take advantage of the many health benefits of raw chocolate, which reduces blood pressure, contains antioxidants, relaxes muscles (due to the mineral content), and increases insulin activity.

Theresa’s initial products were all sweetened with raw honey, and she featured many Cacao mixes. Two years ago she developed new products as a result of introducing agave into her test kitchen. The result was new versions of truffles, such as Goji Cherry Truffles, Dark Cacao Truffles, and her to-die-for Truffle Butter.

The new truffles were an immediate hit. As Theresa explains, they were an “eat-now” food and did not require any mixing or processing by the consumer except the process of hand-to-the-mouth-and-enjoy. Sales soared.

The  manufacturing facility is generously supplied by Blue Ridge Food Ventures, founded by Advantage West, funded by the State of North Carolina to help business. She has access to storage space, a loading dock, shipping and receiving, and even legal and accounting advice. She credits much of her ease in the business’s evolution to the opportunities her state offers through this facility, stating she’s never needed to take out a loan or sell shares of the business.

With the incorporation of UliMana strategically placed on a positive astrological day, Theresa continues to hire only positive people with positive energy, and all products continue to be raw and made by hand. I asked her what we can expect in the coming future, and she openly said a rice syrup version of new delectables to cater to the needs of the macrobiotic consumer, who will be very pleased, she’s sure.

We testers are still raving about Uli Mana and all the handmade treats which passed our palates.

Tina Turbin

This food company is given a thumbs up and is HIGHLY recommended by my entire team here at www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

Don’t forget to look at this company’s video review.


Friday, February 12th, 2010

Winner of my Valentine’s Gluten-Free Giveaway!

 

 

Wow, Nicki Everett, the lucky winner of my Valentine’s Day “Gotta Eat Sweets” Giveaway is definitely in for a treat.  Many agree that Gotta Eat Sweets make incredible gluten-free products.  Click the following link to view my GlutenFreeHelp.info review/video of the company.

Nicki’s response to winning:

“Hi Tina, Winning this month’s www.GlutenFreeHelp.info  contest is an unexpected surprise indeed. Thank you for such a lovely and informative site, and such great contests you have every month. I look forward to recieving my Gotta Eat Sweets Valentine’s box! “


Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Gluten-Free Dessert- Calling all Mint Lovers

I have a new absolutely favorite dessert. I feel like I am in the snow and eating clean bright snow as this ice-cream touches my tongue. This magic is the Decadent Coconut Milk Mint ice-cream from Turtle Mountain. No casein and no dairy!

Tonight I was on my way back to my studio in the car, fighting no traffic as my husband and everyone else in the USA ( or so it seemed) was tucked behind the TV watching the SuperBowl. I stopped for a few necessities, such as a dessert to dive into before walking the puppies when I go there. I have tried Turtle Mountain’s Chocolate( delicious) and Vanilla, as this is what my husband always gets us. Tonight it was my choice. I never knew they had Mint! My hubby has been holding out on me. My oh my! How did they know MINT is my absolute favorite ( besides a delicious GF carrot cake with thick cream cheese frosting). I then stopped for a quick meeting with their manager at the Health Food store discussing a GF event I will do and then I had to stop at one other store for another necessity, not so glamorous as a dessert- for Swiffer Sweeper wipes. The puppies are forever tracking in dirt everywhere from the yard with a smile as if this is their job and I appreciate all their hard work.

Anyhow, I got home about 35 minutes after grabbing that little pint of yum- my mint ice-cream. I opened the top, I knew it would be slightly melted but what the heck. Ice-cream is good no matter what. Well, let me tell you, it was perfectly creamy, soft-serve style and the best darn ice-cream I have had in years. No dairy reaction ( all coconut milk) and no sugar shock. It was so minty and had this large very thin shavings of  curled chocolate all throughout. Oh my, I can not even describe the experience and I was not even hungry, so that gives it even a greater rating.

This is not a technical food review. This is a moment of bliss that I am still on a high from and had to run in to my studio and share this with you. Please do yourself a favor and take a moment for yourself one day and give this a try. Let me know what you think.

The company has a number of other types of ice-creams but this is by far the BEST one for any mint lover, like me.

Tina Turbin


Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Researching “Mind-Body” to Treat Celiac Disease

As you know, treating celiac disease with a gluten-free diet can  be quite a challenge, as even just the smallest exposure to gluten can cause damage to the small intestine and make us celiac quite sick.

With this in mind, Dr. Ali Keshavarzian, vice chairman of medicine and gastroenterologist at Rush University Medical Center, has been looking into the effectiveness of mind/body techniques in the treatment of celiac disease.

Celiac patients who are enrolled into the celiac disease and mind/body study at Rush will be randomly assigned to two course assignments for a period of eight weeks. If you’d like to find out more information about the study or to enroll, you can contact Dr. Sunana Sohi at 312-942-1551 or Sunana_Sohi@rush.edu.

Tina Turbin


Thursday, February 4th, 2010

GLuten-Free and Starbucks!

Good news ! We have gluten-free options at Starbucks.

When Starbucks announced the cancellation of their cake via Twitter this started a petition to bring back the cake. They listened and acted upon this petition and the many calls they received.

All of the gluten-free items they now have offer a longer shelf life. This they hope will  lead to less waste and less profit loss. For the full Starbucks gluten-free product list, check out Gluten-Free Philly’s post. There are nut free and dairy free options this time around too.

Starbucks has shared that after the discontinuation of their Valencia Orange cake the gluten-free consumers really expressed a desire for  more healthy snacks so they decided to accommodate this need. Yay Starbucks!

It’s is a smart move for Starbucks to accommodate gluten-free, vegan and organic minded consumers with these new food options. Many people will enjoy these products.

I have stopped at a few Starbucks to check them out. I have found ones that do not have the GF items yet. I was told they are getting them, the one in Texas airport told me that it has to do with the heightened security on getting new products in and the one in Clearwater, Florida at Barnes and Noble just did not have them delivered as of yet.

Let me know what you guys find out and if they have Oats or not as I know that Lucy’s ( above) does have oats, be it gf oats though. I still prefer to stay off the oats as much as I can.

ENJOY! Tina Turbin


Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Gluten-Free Book Review: Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet

Watch my video of the JK Gourmet food and book review by clicking here.

Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet is a cookbook offering a clarification to and simplification of the grain-free diet and its health benefits. It also clarifies some specific points regarding the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and offers some well-researched and documented history and evidence concerningthe diet.

Bestselling authors Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass met one day while on a trip to meet with then author Elaine Gottschall, creator of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and started talking recipes and food. They soon collaborated and found that their individual styles complimented each other perfectly.

Jodi says her style is simple and she’s a mom and on the other hand Janet is more scientific and a medical writer. They even like opposites. Jodi prefers family meals and recipes to serve her kids, while Jenny has a bit of a sweet tooth and loves ice cream—hence, the basis of a wonderful assortment to not only satisfy the palate, but an array to fill the many basic needs from breakfasts to dinners, desserts, and kitchen staples, all with a great homemade taste.

For anyone wanting to absorb the premise behind the SCD, this is the book for any reader. You are presented with just what you need to grasp the concepts. I, for one, now understand Elaine’s original book as a result of Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet’s well-written explanations.

The recipes produce without a doubt top-of-the-line, high-quality foods. (Try the cashew butter cookies—with almond flour!) They are packed with nutrition thanks to Jodi’s interests and loaded with “yum” thanks to Jenny.

Don’t forget to watch my video of the JK Gourmet food and book review by clicking here.

Please read more about JK Gourmet at http://www.glutenfreehelp.info/review-food/gluten-free-food-review-jk-gourmet/

Tina Turbin

 

Bestselling first book

Delicious recipes for healthy living

Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet by Jodi Bagers and Jenny Lass


Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread- Runner Up January 2010 Contest

Tina, Here’s my chocolate chip banana bread that never lasts long in my house.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

January Contest 2010 Runner Up

preheat 325 degrees

Combine 2 cups gluten free flour mix

(I usually use Bette Hagman’s GF
mix)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt in a medium size bowl

Add 3 mashed ripe bananas

3/4 cup oil

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix well with a wooden spoon

Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips

Pour into greased loaf pan, 3 mini loaf pans or 6 jumbo muffin cups.

Bake at 325 for 25-45 minutes (depending on the size you are making) until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes
out clean.

Missy Mutchnik- January 2010 Runner Up recipe


Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Irresistible GF Chocolate Frosting – Runner Up January 2010 Contest

Dear Tina, Thanks very much for offering this contest! My recipe entry is one your readers will never, ever forgive you for posting, because it’s just too good! I love Pamela’s Dark Chocolate Frosting Mix, but I wanted something even thicker and more sophisticated for a grown-up GF birthday cake.

 

 

January 2010 Contest Runner UP

Irresistible GF Chocolate Frosting

Time: 5 minutes

1/2 cup Pamela’s GF Chocolate Frosting mix
2 tablespoons Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa powder
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon (real) GF vanilla

Combine frosting mix and unsweetened cocoa. Beat in butter, water, and vanilla. This recipe will frost an 8” flourless chocolate torte perfectly. Hope you and yours enjoy it!

Thanks again very much & all best, Vanessa

© 2010 Vanessa Wright


Monday, January 25th, 2010

Gluten-Free and Dining in Chicago

Through my lovely sister-in-law Marsha , I had the pleasure of connecting up with Laura Hansen,  “Best of the Best Dining in Chicago”.  They met at an event and then dicussed gluten-free foods, lifestyle and eating and what do you know, the name Tina Turbin came up. The rest is history.

Laura contacted me to ask to do a review on me and my site and of course we  got into the conversation of celiac and gluten-free, some of my favorite subjects. I have a new friend who loves food as much as I do and she is a phenominal reviewer and writer on foods and restaurants. We have so much in common.

She previously reviewed Deerfield Bakery in the Schaumburg, Illinois and it just so happens that I just had a terrific conversation with Tim Schmitt, the owner and will be reviewing his products and 3 bakeries next month!

Laura wrote and published an article released today about me and my website  http://GlutenFreeHelp.info , the article is entitled  Entrepreneur spreads the word about wheat allergies.

You are even treated to my gluten-free flourless chocolate cake recipe!

Enjoy…I sure did,  Tina

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Tina Turbin

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Tina Turbin became extremely interested and involved in the subjects of gluten free, gluten sensitive and celiac disease a number of years ago as a result of...

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