Let’s face it. Good gluten-free tortillas are hard to come by. Not only are there very few options, but the options we do have provide challenges. Memories of soft flour tortillas are but a distant memory for those of us who have lived gluten free for more than a few years. But those memories are soft and sweet, aren’t they? Don’t get me wrong. I’m very thankful for brown rice tortillas, but they do not behave at all like flour tortillas. They are tough, thick, and difficult to maneuver. They break easily and completely disintegrate when they come in contact with moisture. Wraps crack, burritos ooze, and pinwheels are just not even an option.

Until now.

Would you believe that these tortillas are gluten free?

They are thin like flour tortillas.

They bend like flour tortillas.

But they are completely gluten free.

And they come in plain, fiesta, and spinach flavors.

The spinach tortilla wrapped perfectly around my egg salad.

Most gluten-free wraps fall apart after the first bite.

But these pass The Bite Test.

And The Squeeze Test.

But what about with a juicy filling like Pam’s Easy Chicken Tacos?

Chicken slow cooked in salsa provided the perfect test of durability. Served both taco and burrito style, this Fiesta Tortilla held up despite the moistness of the filling.

Not only can these tortillas bend without breaking, they can roll.

Tightly.

A perfect almond butter and jelly snack.

I think we have pinwheels in our future!

So who makes these gluten-free wonder tortillas?

Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery now makes three types of gluten-free tortillas, which are also dairy free and nut free.  Rudi’s Plain Tortillas, Fiesta Tortillas, and Spinach Tortillas are equally delicious. I can’t even choose a favorite, and for this picky cat that’s saying a lot.

Readers, dish!

• Have you tried Rudi’s Gluten-Free Tortillas?
• Have you found a gluten-free tortilla that you love?
• What is the hardest filling to wrap in a gluten-free tortilla?

(Disclaimer:  I have no connection to nor was I paid by Rudi’s Bakery. I did receive complimentary samples sent for me to taste and review. I do not give positive reviews just because the product was free but will always give my honest opinion.)

Happy Friday!  I have a Friday’s Find and a bonus recipe!!  I’ve enjoyed Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice for years.  In fact, it was the first gluten-free cereal I found that actually tasted like cereal instead of sand.  Most crispy rice cereals contain barley malt, so it’s a pleasure to find one that is gluten free and tastes delicious.

I’m a big supporter of Attune Foods, because their products are made with “simple, pure ingredients that help you feel your best everyday”.  You can see my past reviews here of their Corn Flakes and Probiotic Chocolate Bars.

But this post is all about the Crispies!  Recently I had a chance to sample two of the other cereals — Rice Twice and Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice!  Do you remember the days of Cocoa Pebbles?  No, me neither (winkie face), but these are so much better.  And so much better for you.

The short list of ingredients in even the sweet, chocolately cereal doesn’t prohibit me from enjoying this treat cereal.

Ingredients:  organic brown rice, organic evaporated cane juice, organic brown rice syrup, organic cocoa powder (processed with alkali), natural flavors, organic caramel color, sea salt, organic cocoa butter.

As soon as I opened the box and munched on the first handful, I knew that I had to make rice crispy treats.  Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats.  But in keeping with Attune Food’s philosophy, and my own personal quest to make yummy things just a little bit healthier, I had to toss out a few traditional rice crispy treat ingredients including the marshmallows. Especially the marshmallows.

Are you still here, my friendly felines?  Yes, you can make Rice Crispy Treats without corn syrup-drenched marshmallows!  See?

And you can do it with ingredients that you believe in.  Just start with the Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal of your choice and add in these simple ingredients:  SunButter, agave nectar, and flaxseed meal maybe even a touch of cinnamon.  This simple recipe worked beautifully with all three Crispy Rice products.

Just mix the ingredients together by hand and press them into muffin tins.

I loved this recipe with Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal.  But if you’re looking for a treat that will knock your socks off, I’d make these with the Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Cereal!  Pure decadence without the junk.

Ooh, and one more thing.  To top it off, add a dollop of Sunbutter.

Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Treats

by Heather

Ingredients: 

• ½ c. SunButter
• ¾ c. agave nectar
• 4 c. Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
• 1/3 c. flaxseed meal
• ½ tsp. cinnamon

Directions: 

1. Prepare 12 muffin tins by lightly greasing them with coconut oil.

2. Heat SunButter and agave nectar in a large saucepan on low.  Stir until lumps have melted and set aside to cool.

3.  In a medium bowl, mix Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Cereal and flaxseed meal.

4.  Fold the crispy rice mixture into the SunButter mixture until combined.

5.  Scoop into muffin tins and press with the back of a spatula.

6.  Let cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

7.  Pop out of the muffin tins and serve with a dollop of SunButter on top.

Yields 12 treats

If your local grocers don’t carry Erewhon Cereals, you can order them through Amazon right here:

• Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
• Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
• Rice Twice Cereal
• Erewhon Corn Flakes Cereal

Readers, dish!

• Have you tried Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereals?
• Which one is your favorite?
• When is the last time you had a Rice Crispy Treat?

I stopped my weekly Friday’s Find posts, because I was having a difficult time finding products that met my standards for a healthy, gluten-free diet.  Gluten-free junk food is no longer something that I get excited about.  But today’s Friday’s Find really gets me meowing, because finally there’s a company that creates baking mixes that taste great and fuel the body well.

Jill Motew, founder of Zema’s Madhouse Foods, has developed a line of ancient grain, gluten-free baking mixes that have more than caught the attention of this gluten-free cat. They have me laser-pointer mesmerized.  Currently, Zema has 4 baking mixes available online, and it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be finding these mixes at a market near you.

I had an opportunity to sample Zema’s Rosemary-Millet Focaccia & Pizza Crust Mix, and I pounced on it.  I was happy to review it because they use ancient grains and superfoods. (Insert superhero music of choice here.  Mine is always this.)  Plus, all of the mixes are vegan, sugar-free, and gluten-free.

I was prepared to go wild and design an amazing pizza for you that featured Zema’s pizza crust, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Zema’s Tomato Herb Focaccia recipe which is printed on the back of the package.  So I followed the focaccia recipe precisely, and this is what emerged from my oven.

I’m so glad that I followed the directions (which is not one of my strong suits).  The intricacies of the crust are so unique that I’m relieved that I didn’t ruin it by smothering it with a nut cheese and overpowering the flavor with olives and artichokes.  The sturdy, chewy crust had a mildly sweet taste, possibly from the millet flour.  The substantial crust would definitely support heftier toppings, but I’d go easy on the layering as the bread flavors hold their own.

What’s in Zema’s Rosemary-Millet Focaccia & Pizza Crust Mix?  And why is it so great? Just look at the seeds in the whole grain flours.

I’ve sampled and reviewed a lot of gluten-free mixes, but I’ve never found one as nutritionally sound as this one.  Here are some of the benefits of the ingredients:

• Millet Flour - one of the most easily digestible ancient grains and a great natural source of protein B-vitamins and minerals
• Sorghum Flour - a high protein, gluten-free flour with a wheat-like taste that’s high in soluble fiber
• Quinoa Flakes - one of my go-to protein sources because it’s a high quality, complete protein
• Flaxseed Meal – an incredible plant-based source of alpha-linolenic acid, which converts to heart-protective Omega-3 fatty acid. It contains fiber which promotes intestinal health and is a rich source of lignans which are phytoestrogens thought to protect against breast, prostate, and colon cancers.
• Chia Seeds – the superfood that fueled me through my marathon training because of its concentrated energy and nutrition.  They were the featured ingredient of my Raw Energy Gel.  They contain even more Omega-3 fatty acids than flaxseeds, reduce inflammation, and decrease risks for cardiovascular disease.
• Hemp Seeds – contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life.  Wow!  That’s why I sprinkle them on almost everything!  But have you ever had focaccia bread with hemp seeds?  If not, you’re missing out.

Bottom line?  This is a delicious crust that has my full support.  Worth ordering online until they appear in your local market?  Definitely.  Here are the three other mixes that Zema currently offers:

• Gluten-Free Cinnamon-Oatmeal Apple Muffin Mix
• Gluten-Free Seeded Multigrain Pancake & Waffle Mix
• Gluten-Free Cocoa Teff Pancake & Waffle Mix

• Have you tried any Zema products?  What did you think?
• Do you use gluten-free mixes?
• What makes a gluten-free mix work for you?
• What’s your latest gluten-free find?

(Disclaimer:  I have no connection to nor was I paid by Zema’s Madhouse Foods. I did receive a complimentary sample sent for me to taste and review. I do not give positive reviews just because the product was free but will always give my honest opinion.)

One of my greatest finds at the Gluten and Allergen-Free Expo in Chicago was Way Better Snacks.  I had the privilege of eating lunch with some food bloggers and Linda of Way Better. Linda grabbed my attention with the single word “sprouted”.  You know my love of sprouting.  Imagine my excitement when I learned that there were chips that I could purchase that were made from sprouted seeds and grains!

I explained the value of eating sprouted grains and seeds in this post.  But as a summary, when you eat sprouts, you are eating live food.  Live food has more nutrients.

Not only did Way Better Snacks make it to my Top 5 Healthy Finds at the Expo, but they have since found themselves a permanent place on my grocery list and my pantry shelf.

These snacks are amazing.  Not only are they crazy good for you, but they are simply delicious. They are WAY better than any other chips around.  Seriously.

Simply Unbeatable Blues

I no longer purchase other brands of blue corn chips, because these live up to their name. Unbeatable.  The unsalted version, Naked Blues (cute), is delicious too.  I love that you can see the sprouted seeds in every chip.  These chips contain:  Organic Sprouted Flax Seeds, Organic Sprouted Quinoa, Organic Sprouted Daikon Radish Seeds, Organic Sprouted Chia Seeds, and Sprouted Broccoli Seeds.

Way Better Snacks has 4 other flavors to tempt your taste buds.  Take a look at the wholesome ingredients in each one as well as my favorite ways to enjoy them.

Simply Beyond Black Bean

These are packed with sprouted goodness: Organic Sprouted Black Beans, Organic Sprouted Flax Seeds, and Organic Sprouted Quinoa.

We think that the Black Bean Tortilla Chips pair well with my Easy Guacamole.

Simply Sunny Multigrain Tortilla Chips

These are definitely one of my favorites.  Who doesn’t want a sunny snack that’s so incredibly good for you?  They are delicious with Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus and salsa.

Just look at these sunny ingredients:  Stone Ground Corn, High Oleic Sunflower Oil and/or Safflower Oil, Organic Sprouted Flax Seeds, Organic Sprouted Quinoa, Organic Sprouted Brown Rice Flour, Organic Sprouted Daikon Radish Seeds, Organic Sprouted Chia Seeds, Sprouted Broccoli Seeds, and Pure Sea Salt.

Simply Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

I love sweet potato chips, but they tend to be on the greasy side.  Simply Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips don’t leave you feeling greasy.  In fact, they aren’t greasy at all.  They feel more like a thick baked chip or a thin cracker.

There are just 6 ingredients in these simply sensational chips:  Stone Ground Corn, High Oleic Sunflower Oil and/or Safflower Oil, Sweet Potato, Organic Sprouted Quinoa, Organic Sprouted Chia Seeds, and Pure Sea Salt.

My favorite way to eat these?

Right out of the bag.

They also make cute little Sunflower Seed Hummus sandwiches.

Simply So Sweet Chili Tortilla Chips

These take me back to they days when Doritos were in my weekly vocabulary.  Way Better Snacks have dusted the sprouted nutrients with a delicious sweet and spicy seasoning that will start your taste buds dancing.

Again, the seasoning is created from very simple ingredients: Raw Cane Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Pure Sea Salt, Native Potato Starch, Onion, Garlic, and Cayenne Pepper.

Here are three additional reasons these chips are Way Better.

1.  Each serving has 190 – 420mg of healthy Omega 3 essential fatty acids.

2.  The broccoli and radish seeds contain sulphoraphane glucosinolate, the natural antioxidant found in broccoli.

3.  Each serving contains a whopping 17 grams of whole grains!

If you love chips, try Way Better Snacks.  I think you’ll agree that they’re a Way Better option!

(Disclaimer:  I have no connection to nor was I paid by Way Better Snacks. I did receive complimentary samples sent for me to taste and review. I do not give positive reviews just because the product was free but will always give my honest opinion.)

Readers, dish!

• Have you tried Way Better Snacks?
• What is your favorite flavor?
• Where have you found them?
• What is your favorite healthy prepackaged snack?