Our Top 10 Gluten-Free Finds at Expo West

We ate our way through as many gluten-free products as we could get our hands on at last week’s Natural Products Expo West. (And yes, we do love our jobs.) In no particular order, here are our top 10 favorite gluten-free finds.

1. Cookies Con Amore Gluten-Free Linzer Cookies

Cookies Con Amore Easter BasketCookies Con Amore launched several new flavors of their “glutenetto” linzer cookies at Expo West, and a single bite of one convinced us that these cookies are indeed made with amore. With a short, buttery crumb surrounding a sweet-tart jam filling, Cookies Con Amore’s linzer tasted just like the wheat version of this classic cookie. We’d put them on our cookie tray any day.

2. Mr. Cheese-O’s

Mr. Cheese O's Gluten-Free Cheese Snacks

These salty, crunchy cheese snacks were so delicious, we’ve already priced a 18-bag case of them on Amazon. Then again, we’re not sure we can trust ourselves not to burn through an entire case of these addicting little snacks in a week. Made with quinoa, oat bran and brown rice, the “O’s” are corn free and made with real cheese. Available in four flavors: Sweet Chili, Original, Cheddar and Tuscan Herb.

3. Zemas Madhouse Sweet Potato Pancake Mix

Zemas Madhouse Sweet Potato Pancake Mix

We ate a lot of pancakes at Expo West, but the sweet potato pancakes made from a Zemas Madhouse mix stood out from the pack. These carrot-colored flapjacks were creamy, lush, and slightly sweet without being cloying.  We think they’d work as a sweet breakfast with whipped cream and powdered sugar or as a savory one with crumbled goat cheese and bacon.

4. Canyon Bakehouse Brownie Bites

Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Brownie Bites

This brand-new offering from Canyon Bakehouse elicited an “Oh. My. God.” from one of our editors. Fudgy brownie lovers will flip for these moist, oh-so-chocolaty mini-brownies. Expo West visitors got an exclusive first taste of this new product; look for them in stores and online starting May 1st.

5. Natural Decadence Herb Stuffing Mix

Natural Decadence Stuffing Mix

At Expo West, we ate cookies, crackers, muffins, bagels and pizza, but nothing brought us to our knees quite like Natural Decadence’s Herb Stuffing Mix. The warm, soft, savory stuffing brought back memories of our family Thanksgiving dinners, and one bite made us instantly forget we were crammed into a crowded convention center with 60,000 other people. Good news for multiple-allergy families: The stuffing is also egg, dairy, and nut free.

6. Surf Sweets Candies

Surf Sweet Jelly Beans

We fell hard for these organic, gluten-free and allergen-friendly candies at Expo West. While most gummy bears taste like vaguely fruit-flavored bits of rubber, Surf Sweets’ version actually tasted like fruit, with a pleasantly chewy (not rubbery) texture.  The gummy bears were a revelation, but the jelly beans stole the show: With their bright, not-too-sweet fruity flavors and perfect texture, we may never buy another brand of jelly beans again.

7. Wtrmln Wtr

Wtrmln Wtr at Expo West

This watermelon water, or “Wtrmln Wtr,” admittedly sounds like something out of a Portlandia sketch: Cold-pressed, never heated, no preservatives or sugar, made from hand-peeled watermelon. But as ridiculous as it may sound, this cool, crisp, watermelon-packed drink was wickedly refreshing—exactly what we needed during a long day of walking around in the hot California sun. On a beach trip or on a scorching summer day, we’re betting nothing would taste better.

8. Lucy’s Brownie Crisps

 

Lucy's Brownie Crisps

Are you the kind of person who snags the corner pieces of brownies to enjoy those crispy, chocolaty edges? Us too. That’s why we love Lucy’s new brownie crisps, which offer a crispy-crunchy take on the classic brownie. In addition to being gluten-free, the crisps are vegan and free from dairy, eggs, peanuts or tree nuts. We think they’d be divine crumbled over vanilla ice cream.

9. Love Grown Foods’ Mighty Flakes

Love Grown Foods Mighty Flakes

On the list of things we never would’ve thought of, bean-based flaked cereal has to be pretty close to the top. But Love Grown Foods’ Mighty Flakes, made with navy beans, lentils and garbanzo beans, were surprisingly good, with a hearty crunch and just the right amount of sweetness.

10. Russo’s Pizza

Russo's Gluten-Free Pizza

Gluten-free pizza options were everywhere at Expo West, and we ate everything from margherita pizzas to gluten-free bagel pizzas. Our favorite of the bunch? Russo’s Gluten-Free Mulberry Pizza, which was packed with four different types of meat and an abundance of mozzarella cheese. The crust was crispy, the toppings were plentiful, and we couldn’t help but smile as we ate a slice.

What We Saw and Ate at Expo West 2015

Gluten-Free Living spent last Friday and Saturday at Natural Products Expo West in sunny Anaheim, California. Our goal? Discover new trends, seek out the best new companies and find the very best gluten-free products for our readers.

Gluten-Free Living at Expo West

Since Expo West isn’t open to the public, it’s our job to be our readers’ eyes and ears on the ground. From Udi’s new rye bread to kombucha to cricket flour, here’s a taste of what we saw and ate at Expo.

The Arena at Expo West

New product launches

Several companies were launching new products at Expo, including gluten-free versions of popular childhood favorite Lance sandwich crackers.

lance-crackerslance-gf-crackers

We also got a first look at Udi’s new gluten-free rye bread and Canyon Bakehouse’s new line of gluten-free bagels.

Udi's new gluten-free rye bread
Udi’s new gluten-free rye bread.

Schar was serving their new gluten-free croissants fresh out of the oven along with piping-hot cups of coffee. We found the croissants’ buttery, crispy outer crust impressive, with exactly the right amount of richness: any more and it would have been too indulgent, any less and it wouldn’t have been a croissant. Don’t expect the same experience you’d find in Paris—Schar’s version does lack the airy, ultrathin flaky layers that mark a gluten-containing croissant—but the end result is truly commendable, especially when served straight from the oven.

Pizza and pancake takeover

We couldn’t move 10 feet at Expo without running into either a gluten-free pizza or a pancake. These two products both had a strong gluten-free showing at Expo, and we ended up sampling multigrain pancakes, sweet potato pancakes, pancakes from a box and pancakes from a pouch as well as frozen pizzas, flatbread pizzas and bagel pizzas.

batterworld

One standout was Batter World, which sells ready-made batter in resealable pouches. The batter is purchased frozen; once thawed, it keeps in the refrigerator for about a week. We think the ready-to-cook batter is perfect for getting kids in the kitchen, and the handy pour spout would make creating shaped pancakes a breeze. Be careful when shopping, however: Only one variety is gluten-free.

Bob’s Red Mill brings bevy of new products—and a band

Bob's Red Mill's band at Expo West
Bob and the Bob’s Red Mill Band

Of all the companies at Expo, no one put a smile on our face quite like Bob’s Red Mill. In addition to bringing a wealth of new products, Bob himself brought a big band to Expo and paraded around the convention center. After spending a few hours packed in a convention center with 60,000+ other attendees, dancing around with Bob’s band was a welcome respite from thrown elbows and long lines for the restroom.

 

bobs-red-mill
New Gluten-Free products from Bob’s Red Mill. The new coconut sugar is in the center, next to the whey protein.

On the food front, we’re most excited about Bob’s new coconut sugar. An official from the company that we spoke to said the sugar “tasted like butterscotch,” with no recognizable coconut flavor. We’re betting the sugar would taste amazing in a chewy, crispy-edged cookie, and we’re planning to buy a bag and start experimenting.

bob-gf-flour

The company also brought their new gluten-free baking flour to Expo, which the company said can be used as a straight substitute for all-purpose flour in recipes. Though it’s not ideal for bread recipes, it’s reportedly good for cakes, cookies, and other baked goods. We haven’t started experimenting with the new flour yet; if you have, let us know your experiences in the comments.

Beverages gone wild

When you attend Expo West, you talk. A lot. And you eat. A lot. And you walk around in the hot California sun. A lot.

So hydration can be an issue—but not this year, thanks to all the beverage offerings at the show.

By the end of the show, we had sampled kombucha, cherry juice, ginger beer, gac fruit juice tea, cold-brew coffee, watermelon water, matcha green tea, kefir, drinking vinegar and six different flavors of coconut water. In the upcoming months, we expect to see the beverage case at our local grocery and convenience stores make room for alternative beverage options.

Bean-based mania

Bean Stalks from Mediterranean SnacksHealthy, filling, protein-packed beans are making their way into an increasing number of products. Although we’ve seen our fair share of bean-based crackers and dips, Expo West brought a massive wave of new bean products. Mediterranean Snacks launched their new Bean Stalk snack line at the expo, while Love Grown Foods showed off their new bean-based cereal.

tolerant-pasta

One standout that we saw (but didn’t taste, unfortunately) was Tolerant’s line of bean-based pasta. We’re betting the black bean pasta in particular would make for a stunning bowl of pasta.

Jiminy cricket flour

The most unusual product we tried at Expo West? Exo protein bars made from cricket flour. They may not be for everyone, but hey, crickets are gluten-free…

photo

That’s not the end of our coverage of Expo West: Be sure to come back tomorrow to see our picks for our top 10 favorite gluten-free products.

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