The power of muffins

Photo/GlutenFreeGarden State

Garden Lites and Nickelodeon have teamed up to launch a new product line geared toward kids.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Power Muffins and the SpongeBob SquarePants Chocolate Krabby Square Muffins are, like other Garden Lites products, chock-full of vegetables. Mixed with lesser quantities of other ingredients, they are moist, delicious treats.

I've been extolling appreciation for Garden Lites products since September, when we first discovered these wonderful muffins and souffles at the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo in Secaucus. At the time, the Garden Lites staff had only prototypes of the boxes that would eventually hold the kid-friendly items. Based on what we learned then and have tasted of the "regular" products, we happily agreed to put the child-size snacks to a taste test.

We assembled a panel of three children for this review. I'll call them Anna, Bryn and Caitlin.

GFGS Community Calendar: February 2015

As a service to our regular readers and the Celiac community at large, Gluten Free Garden State has started an ongoing list of upcoming events of interest. We will feature local happenings, as well as national events open to the public. The calendar will appear on the second Sunday of each month. Links will be posted to Facebook and Twitter using the hashtages #2ndSundaySked and #savetheceliacdate.

Enjoy!

In the Garden State

Tuesday, Feb. 17: Northern New Jersey Celiac Support Group meetup, 7 p.m., Dorothy B. Kraft Center, 15 Essex Rd., Paramus.

Sunday, March 1: CSA (Celiac Sprue Association) Southern New Jersey Chapter #9 meeting, 2 p.m. at Hope Church, 700 Cooper Rd., Voorhees. New members welcome. Visit the group's website for more information.

Paradise with a gluten-free bun

Image/Cheeseburger in Paradise

Cheeseburger in Paradise, the small chain of burger joints owned by musician Jimmy Buffett, announced yesterday a new "gluten-friendly" menu. And, yes, it includes buns!

A word of caution: The restaurants, including its Secaucus location, are not certified as "gluten-free" by any of the organizations that do so. The menu states that the company is taking "careful precautions" to maintain the gluten-free nature of the ingredients it uses and that the chefs and managers strive to avoid exposure to potential "allergens," it does cannot guarantee there won't be cross-contamination and suggests customers use their own judgement in consuming products. If you're comfortable with that, read on ...

Super Bowl Pick'ins II

Photo/GFGardenState

Potato skins are a fan favorite for football viewing.

We've been making a homemade version for years that's lower in fat and calories than what's typically served at the local watering hole. They're not fried and can be made with lighter ingredients. They're also very easy to prepare, and you can make as many or as few as your party requires.

You'll need large baking potatoes, shredded cheddar cheese or cheese mixture, bacon, sour cream and optional chives, which should be diced.

Super Bowl Pick'ins I

Photo/GFGardenState

Everyone has their own Super Bowl traditions, even if its to simply do nothing. One thing we all do, however, is enjoy food seemingly tailor-made for football viewing.

On our Super Bowl table is homemade mozzarella sticks.

For starters, I measure almost nothing. Cooking isn't the exact science that baking requires. It's much more of an art form that allows the chef to create to his or her individual taste. However, there is a process.

To make these mozzarella sticks, you'll need a block of, well, mozzarella cheese, gluten-free bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, eggs, gluten-free flour, olive oil and marinara sauce (or gravy) for optional dipping. 

A Pizza Hut take-out

Photo/GFGardenState

Pizza Hut launched its gluten-free initiative earlier this week, and days later, I had my first opportunity try a pie.

My experience was pleasantly surprising, yet not over-the-moon satisfying. Quite frankly, I had low expectations going in. Having not eaten at Pizza Hut in many years, I was happy to discover a decent product that was better than a typical pizza chain of the corporate kind.

Bakery fills a North Jersey need

A 100% gluten-free bakery recently opened in North Jersey, and it appears to be a hit with customers.

Isaura Bakery in Hawthorne is generally believed to be the first of its kind in Passaic County. It also serves a celiac clientele in Bergen County, which currently lacks a fully gluten-free bakery of its own.

Although we have yet to visit Isaura Bakery, multiple online and word-of-mouth reviews are positive. We're hearing good things about many of the items prepared on site, including cakes, cookies, breads, pastries and tarts.