Maxine’s Heavenly Cookies
Image courtesy of Maxine's Heavenly Cookies
Sometimes you just want a cookie.
There’s something about this portable treat that satisfies you no matter what your age.
My latest favorite is Maxine’s Heavenly. Of all the gluten-free cookie brands I’ve tried, they come the closest to homemade for me. This comes as no surprise. The company’s cookies are based on one of the founder’s mother Maxine’s original recipes, but the ingredients have been updated to reflect the modern desire for healthier options.
I’ve tried four varieties of Maxine’s Heavenly. Two were super-soft and moist: seasonally offered Pumpkin Pecan Spice and Chocolate Chocolate Chunk. Two were crispy: Cinnamon Speculoos Crunch and Chocolate Chip.
I liked them all. Each flavor was wholesome and satisfying. But my favorite was the Cinnamon Speculoos Crunch. You can really taste the cinnamon, and the cookies were satisfyingly crunchy with a distinctive snap.
Everyone can enjoy these flavorful oat-based cookies. They’re certified gluten free, low-glycemic, vegan, kosher, and non-GMO. Just sweet enough, these cookies use organic coconut nectar and coconut sugar in place of white sugar. These natural sweeteners add a caramel flavor that’s similar to but healthier than brown sugar. The soft variety of cookies also includes dates, which add richness, moistness, and flavor.
The Cinnamon Speculoos Crunch Cookies, along with the Chocolate Chip variety, are packaged in individually wrapped take-with-you pouches that contain two cookies—the perfect amount for a snack. Some of the other flavors are packaged in grab-and-go packs as well.
Maxine’s Heavenly offers plenty of traditional and modern varieties to try. Consider: Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, Snickerdoodle, Walnut Banana Bread, and Almond Chocolate Chunk.
There are two other seasonal flavors besides the Pumpkin Pecan Spice: Gingerbread and Chocolate Peppermint Candy Cane (which I will definitely have to try!).
Individual boxes are $6.99. Bundles of four are available for $29.99 with reduced shipping rates.
Spiced Apple Crisp
Filling
- 4 green apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into [q:1/2]-inch-thick slices
- [q:1 1/3] cup (split) Monk Fruit with Erythritol, Organic Powder
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- [q:1/2] tsp ground nutmeg
- [q:1/2] tsp salt
Topping
- [q:3/4] cup vegan butter, cut into cubes
- [q:1 1/2] cups Rolled Oats, Organic
- 1 cup flour
- [q:1/2] tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the filling, into an 8 x 8-inch pan, add all ingredients including [q:1/3] cup NOW Monk Fruit Sweetener and toss to combine.
- For the topping, into another bowl, add all ingredients including 1 cup NOW Monk Fruit Sweetener. Combine using a fork, until crumbly. Add topping to pan.
- Bake 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Pamela’s Pancake & Baking Mix
Photo 107114634 © Shaiith | Dreamstime.com
One of my favorite morning meals is pancakes. I don’t eat them as often as I’d like, but when I do I want them on my plate fast.
In the past, I’ve made pancakes from scratch. Being gluten free, this invariably involved finding and mixing a bunch of gluten-free flours and other ingredients. By the time I got everything together, I was ready to just have a bowl of cereal.
So I was very pleased to discover Pamela’s Pancake & Baking Mix. It’s quick and easy to make a batch of these gluten-free pancakes. All the recipe requires is the addition of an egg, some water, and a tablespoon of oil.
These pancakes have a soft and fluffy interior and a slight pleasantly nutty flavor. There was a delicate crisp on the outside of each, and they browned up beautifully.
I shared these with some people who do eat gluten, and they all agreed the pancakes had good consistency and were tasty. One of these individuals is very hard-to-please when it comes to trying anything gluten free, so I knew I’d found a mix everyone could enjoy.
Made from almond meal, brown and white rice flours, cultured buttermilk, and other gluten-free ingredients, a serving of two 4-inch pancakes contains 8 grams of whole grains. This product is Certified Gluten-Free and Kosher Dairy Certified OU-D. I really appreciate how there’s no added sugar in the mix.
Pamela’s has been in business since 1988. Their commitment to creating high-quality products for gluten-free consumers shows, and as they say, everything they make is crafted with love.
A 24-ounce bag of Pamela’s Pancake & Baking Mix retails on their website for $9.09. A 4-pound bag costs $18.99.
Slow-Cooker Maple-Pear Butter
- 2 lb ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
- [q:1⁄4] cup maple syrup
- Juice and grated zest of 1 organic lemon
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Place pears, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, cinnamon sticks, and [q:1⁄3] cup of water into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours, or until pears are very soft.
- Remove cinnamon sticks from slow cooker and discard. Using a slotted spoon, remove pears from slow cooker. Reserve cooking liquid.
- Purée pears in a food processor. Add cooking liquid as needed to create a thick and spreadable texture.
- Transfer pear butter into clean half-pint glass canning jars. Leave [q:1⁄2]-inch of headspace. With a clean towel, wipe jar rims and screw on canning lids.
- Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Cucumber Wakame Salad
- 2 medium unwaxed cucumbers, very thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp EDEN Wakame Flakes, soaked in cold water to cover for 10 minutes, drain and discard soaking water
- 1 tsp EDEN Sea Salt
- [q:1/4] cup EDEN Apple Cider Vinegar or EDEN Brown Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp organic maple syrup
- 1 tsp EDEN Sesame Oil, or Toasted Sesame Oil
- [q:1/2] tsp EDEN Shoyu Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp EDEN Black & Tan Gomasio, for garnish
- Soak wakame for ten minutes in cold water to cover. Drain water from wakame and discard.
- While soaking, place cucumbers and sea salt in bowl and mix well. Let sit 10 to 15 minutes. Drain water from cucumbers.
- Mix wakame and cucumbers together. Add vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, and shoyu. Toss to mix.
- Serve garnished with gomasio. Serve room temperature or chilled.
Snow Days Pizza Bites
Image courtesy of Snow Days
Being gluten free, one of the foods I miss most is pizza. There’s just something about the combination of tangy sauce, melty cheese, and a crisp yet tender crust. Sigh. Gluten-free crusts just aren’t the same.
When I heard about Snow Days Pizza Bites as a grain-free snack option, I thought, “Meh. How good can they be?” They come frozen, and, in my experience, freezer snacks can taste flat and stale.
I must amend my opinion! These adorable little bites are chock-full of filling.
There are four flavor options: two that are vegetarian (Veggie White Pizza and Cheese) and two that contain meat (Buffalo Chicken and Sausage).
My favorites were the Buffalo Chicken, which has a little kick of heat, and the Veggie White Pizza, which tasted tangy and has a blend of ricotta and mozzarella cheeses along with an assortment of veggies.
Depending on the flavor, they’re filled with 7 grams of protein per serving; grass-fed, free-range meat; and veggies such as bell peppers, onions, carrots, spinach, or sweet potatoes.
The crust is made from cassava flour and cassava starch, which comes from a root vegetable. I appreciated that the crust of each bite didn’t split or break apart, as many a gluten-free crust tends to do.
Snow Days Pizza Bites are USDA certified organic and have no preservatives, artificial ingredients, gluten, grains, or GMOs.
Put these little mini-empanada shaped bites into an air fryer, or bake them in a toaster or conventional oven for a snack or side dish.
A four-pack (one of each flavor) is $69.99. Two-pack options are also available for $39.99. Each pack has about 20 bites. This product is not cheap, but it tastes like real food—not junk.
Harvest Snaps Red Lentil Loops
Image courtesy of Harvest Snaps
Summer puts me in a snacking mood. Maybe it’s the sun, vacation days, no school—I’m not sure, but I love discovering new snack items.
My latest find is Harvest Snaps Baked Red Lentil Snacks Crunchy Loops.
There are three flavors in this family: Kick’N BBQ, Tangy Sweet Chili, and Sour Cream & Onion. I tried all three.
- The Kick’N BBQ was spicy and a little sweet.
- The Tangy Sweet Chili lived up to its name. It had tang, a little heat, and a kick of sweet spice.
- My favorite, though, was the Sour Cream & Onion. To me, these were better than potato chips of the same ilk. Mouth-wateringly tangy and deeply crunchy, these are good eating on their own, or alongside a bowl of soup or a sandwich.
Flavor aside, this is just a fun snack to eat. The product is baked into circular loops about one-inch in diameter. Addictively crunchy, they look like mini onion rings.
Sourced from high-quality, non-GMO red lentils, these flavored crisps are veggie based and certified gluten free, and they have no artificial flavorings or preservatives. One bag has 340 calories per serving and 10 grams of plant-based protein.
Found in the produce aisle of some supermarkets (there’s a store locator on their site), they can also be ordered online. The one drawback for me is the product contains canola oil. But I can’t complain about the flavor and fun factor of this snack. It’s there!
This Gourmet Marshmallow Is a No Brainer
Image courtesy of Max Sweets
During a recent road trip, I stumbled upon a store in Virginia that sells gluten-free cookies, crackers, pastas, pastries, and more.
To my surprise, I found a product I had never seen before: Know Brainer Max Mallow Burnt Caramel Marshmallows. I love a high-quality gourmet marshmallow. I was excited about this find, since eating conventional marshmallows makes me bloated and tired. I found the marshmallows to be soft and fluffy, and the burnt caramel flavor was pronounced and satisfying.
This brand is unique. It’s sweetened with a monk fruit sweetener blend of non-GMO erythritol and monk fruit extract as well as the sugar substitute xylitol*, so no sugar crash for me. These marshmallows also contain prebiotic fiber, MCT oil to fuel the body with healthy fat, and 5 grams of grass-fed hydrolyzed bovine collagen protein per serving.
Shari Leidich, founder of Max Sweets Know Brainer started the company after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). She yearned for a tasty and sweet handcrafted snack, so she came up with a sugar-free treat that would be healthy for her.
Some fans of the brand wish it were a less expensive product. (A bag of about 12 marshmallows retails for around $6, making each serving of about two marshmallows 99 cents.) The manufacturer acknowledges the product is more similar to a fiber or protein supplement that’s added to the diet, hence the higher cost.
I enjoyed the marshmallows as an occasional treat on my trip, which made the amount I paid more palatable. I found I could eat only two per serving anyway, since I’m sensitive to an overconsumption of sugar alcohols.
Sadly these marshmallows can’t be roasted over an open flame, so no s’mores. They can be melted for a sugar-free sauce or be used as a replacement for traditional sugar in some recipes.
The product is paleo, keto, gluten free, dairy free, and diabetic friendly, and there are zero net carbs. One serving has just 15 calories. Other flavors in the line include Mint Chip, Classic Vanilla, and Cinnamon Toast. There’s also currently a limited edition vegan release in Classic Vanilla.
*Please note that this item is NOT pet friendly as it contains xylitol, which can be extremely toxic to dogs.
Mushroom Polenta with Spaghetti Sauce
- [q:1 1/2] cups organic finely ground corn grits (polenta)
- 3 cups water, including reserved shiitake soaking water
- 1 pinch EDEN Sea Salt
- 1 cup EDEN Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms, soaked 10 minutes in warm water to cover
- 1 cup button mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
- 2 tsp EDEN Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 25 ounces EDEN Spaghetti Sauce, or Spaghetti Sauce - No Salt
- [q:1/4] tsp EDEN Dried Basil
- 2 tsp EDEN Safflower Oil, or Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for frying the polenta squares
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
- Bring the water (including mushroom soaking water) and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the polenta. Stir constantly until it begins to thicken. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Pour the polenta into a shallow lightly oiled glass baking dish and smooth out to about [q:1/2] inch thick. Refrigerate 1 hour or until the polenta is firm. Slice the polenta into squares or rectangles.
- To prepare the sauce, heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the garlic, onions, and mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the spaghetti sauce and basil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, pan fry the polenta.
- Oil a cast iron skillet or griddle with safflower oil and pan fry the slices on each side until golden and crisp. Place on a serving platter.
- Ladle the tomato sauce over the polenta when serving. Garnish with parsley.
Maple-Walnut Bars with Raisins
- [q:1 1/2] cup walnuts, chopped, divided
- 2 Tbsp maple sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 cup gluten-free flour blend
- [q:1/2] tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil, plus additional for oiling pan
- 3 large eggs
- [q:1/2] cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup raisins
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Oil an 8x8-inch baking dish with a small amount of avocado oil. In a food processor, process [q:1/2] cup of the walnuts, the maple sugar, flour, and the [q:1/2] teaspoon of salt until mixture is consistency of rough meal.
- Add the 3 tablespoons of avocado oil and 3 tablespoons of water. Blend mixture until it just clumps together. Press mixture into bottom of baking dish. Prick mixture all over with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes, until mixture turns golden around edges. Set crust aside. Keep oven on.
- Whisk eggs, maple syrup, vinegar, vanilla, and the pinch of salt.
- Stir remaining 1 cup of chopped walnuts and the raisins into maple syrup mixture. Spread walnut-raisin mixture over crust. Bake for 30 minutes, until center no longer jiggles when gently shaken. Cool completely. Cut into 9 squares.