Wow! What a what weekend! Imagine 800,000 square feet of all the finest organic foods and beauty products on the open market! There were lots of tired feet, to be sure! I spent most of my time at XO Baking Co’s booth – handing out samples of their new products; Pancake and Waffle Mix, Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Frosting mixes, and Vanilla Cake and Vanilla Frosting mixes. They have also come out with a finished product: ginger, chocolate and vanilla snaps! You will soon be able to buy these delicious – I mean, D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. new mixes and products. I’ll talk more about XO Baking Co as I conclude…
My main focus for Expo West 2012 was Gluten Free – no surprise there. And this year, with the sheer amount of gluten free vendors (over 125) it was clear that it isn’t a trend anymore as it was at Expo West 2011. Gluten Free is here to stay and only getting stronger. I spoke with Cynthia of The Gluten Intolerance Group and she mentioned that over 100 of these vendors are certified gluten free (GFCO). Here is a sampling of some of the seasoned and new gluten free vendors on the block:
Rudi’s - is coming out with an absolutely delightful sorghum and brown rice based tortilla wraps about 6 inches in diameter. They were serving up tasty (and spicy!) wraps with pulled chicken and a black bean and corn mixture.
Dr. Schar – will soon have a graham cracker to add to their line of products. YES, an absolutely great rendition of the graham cracker as we knew and loved pre-celiac!
San-J - I don’t know about you but I like a nice savory meal with San-J products from time to time. A highlight for me is San-J’s Orange Sauce…try it with veggies or your favorite protein.
Crunchmaster -A favorite, go-to cracker for me with 4 flavors; original, rosemary and olive, roasted garlic and toasted onion. Well worth trying if you haven’t already!
Mary’s Gone Crackers - Always deliciously healthy! Love MGC’s, pretzel sticks and cracker crumbs and really great idea of showcasing a chocolate fountain to pair pretzel sticks! It gives new meaning to what one can do with a GF pretzel stick!
Canyon Bakehouse - Have you tried Canyon Bakehouse products yet? If not, you are missing out! Their line of bread, buns, and muffins are great – and most uniquely they have a delicious focaccia bread! Try it, if you haven’t already!
Ian’s Natural Foods - For the mom’s out there, Ian’s has an allergy friendly line for children. From animal cookies, to bread crumbs including breaded fish and chicken, your children will be in for a treat.
King Arthur Flour - I was brought up on King Arthur Flour – the gluten containing flour. In 2010 KAF came out with their own gluten free line of mixes. Their mixes include; bread, brownies, pancakes, pizza, cookies, muffins, chocolate and yellow cake and of course, their flour.
Arnel’s - Arnel’s was new to me and perhaps to you as well. Arnel is a sweet woman. She has her own line of bread, pancake and pie crust mixes – all made from her all purpose flour. She uses organic whole grains in her bread mixes that besides being gluten free they are also soy, dairy and corn free.
Bold Organics - This pizza is a WINNER! Made with all organic ingredients; even the discerning palate would not know it is a gluten free, dairy free pizza. Bold in flavor (hence the name), thin crust, non-GMO and for meat lovers they even have a pizza with nitrate-free meats. Oh! And Bold Organics is a NY pizza company. Besides Italy — who makes better pizza?!?
Golden Platter - I certainly walked by this booth a lot during lunch hour and they deserve a ‘silver platter’ for this delicious gluten free chicken nugget. Their line also consists of chicken patties and chicken tenders. Job well done!
Manini’s - For the commercial and home baker, Manini’s has a delicious line of bread mixes and pasta mixes as well as fresh pasta. I had the pleasure of trying their bread at the show and LOVE the flavor – they use all organic ancient grains and are certified gluten free. If you haven’t tried baking bread, do so, Manini’s makes it easy!
Hillary’s - So sorry I didn’t find these veggie burgers earlier in the show. Texture was great, flavorful and spiced just right. I like the Adzuki burger best! They use non-GMO products. They are gluten, soy, dairy, corn, egg, nut and yeast FREE.
I have saved the BEST for last. XO Baking Co is clearly my all-around best choice for a sweet treat. XO uses organic coconut flour and premium cassava flour as the base for their all purpose flour. And – there is no sugar added to the AP flour! What’s so good about all of these products is the taste and texture. One would never know it is a gluten free product. Seen and heard at Expo West this year were many reactions over and over again. One such comment after sampling; ‘not all gluten free food is created equal’. Their original line consists of brownies, chocolate chip cookies, double chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, corn bread, gingersnap cookies. All of these items can be purchased on Amazon or on their website. This year they have added 5 new products that will be ready for purchase in the Spring - pancake and waffle mix, chocolate cake and frosting mixes, vanilla cake and frosting mixes and 3 finished cookies aptly named ginger, chocolate and vanilla snaps…my mouth is watering!
