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Howdy from sunny Madison,

In honor of my upcoming "20 years as a Celiac" anniversary, I've decided to
compile a series of list of GF "bests."  Mind you, it was a terrible burden
to have to eat all of these cookies, waffles, and other goodies prior to
writing this list, but I'm willing to make the sacrifice.

The fact is that many of you are GF newbies, and you are lost in this vast
new wheatless world.  Unfortunately, many GF products would still be better
used as 1) drywall spackle, 2) hockey pucks, or 3) rat poison.  However,
there are diamonds in the rough, and there is hope...

Here is a list of a variety of "categories" and my favorites therein.  Mind
you, these are all opinions (but darn good ones, of course), and I have NO
financial interest in any of the companies or products mentioned.  I will try
to provide the company name and contact information.  I will also try to
provide some brief info. on the products, where applicable and helpful.

My "key" for the list is as follows:
H = bought at health food store
I = ordered on internet
C = ordered from catalogue.

Useful addresses:
www.glutino.com

I hope that this helps!
Happy eating,
Jessica in Madison, WI
UW-Microbiology Dept.
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1. Crackers
-Edward and Sons Brown Rice Snaps (H)
       These crackers are great for topping, and they don't crumble easily.
I like the Tamari Sesame flavor.

-Hol Grain Crackers Brown Rice Thins (H)
-Kay's Naturals Lemon-herb Protein Chips (H)
       -These are very low fat and high protein, but they will leave you with
fairly wicked breath (so bring some gum!).
-Dr. Schar Pizzerelli (H and I)
       -These really do have a pizza-like taste, so they would be great for
kids' snacks or lunches.

2. Cookies
-Dr. Schar Pepitas (H and I)
       These are probably my favorite pre-made chocolate chip cookies!  They
are fairly tiny, but packed full of a slightly nutty, rich chocolate flavor.
To be honest, all the cookies that Dr. Schar makes are good, but they are all
very pricey.

-Pamela's Lemon Shortbread (H)
       Very nice flavor, but oh-so-fattening!  Darn.

-Glutano Chocolate O's (I)
       These are the most "Oreo-esque" cookies that I've come across.  They
are also very tiny, so good for little fingers and little appetites.  Again,
pretty much all of Glutano's cookies are good.

-Glutafin Gluten-Free Biscuits (I)
       Oh, these are wondrous!  They taste just like how I remember Graham
crackers tasting.  Unfortunately they cost about $7 for a "tube" of cookies
(they are round and thin), but it's woth it.  I order them from glutino.com.

3. Bagels
-Glutino Raisin-Cinnamon or Natural Bagels (I)
       Hands-down, these are the best bagels out there for us!  They have
great flavor and texture, and are reasonably sized (about the size of a
Lender's Bagel or something).

4. English Muffins
-Glutino English Mufins (I)
       Again, Glutino comes out ahead.  These are great as English muffins,
but also work well for sandwiches.

5. Tortillas
-Glutino Corn Tortillas (I)
       After living in Mexico for a summer, I can safely say that these are
the closest to the "real" corn tortillas of Mexico.  They are best if you
brown them slightly in a pan beforehand (I recommend spraying them lightly
with a butter-flavored cooking spray like Mazola) and then load the fillings.
 Microwaving works okay, but makes them chewy.

6. Waffles
-Van's Apple Cinnamon Waffles (H and I)
       These are easy to find at just about any GF-carrying store, and they
are fairly cheap.  The apple cinnamons have a bit more flavor than the
regulars.  They tend to get "freezer burn" easily, and can be mushy when you
thaw them to eat (so you probably want to toast).

-Glutino Belgian Waffles (I)
       These are fabulously fattening and filling, but taste wonderful!  I
think that one fills me up all afternoon.  Unfortunately, there are only two
in a package, so you have to buy multiple packages, but it's worth it.

7. "Granola" bars
-Ener-G granola bars (I)
       These can be hard to track down on the internet (they are often sold
out), but they are worth it. They are very nutty and flavorful.

8. Pasta
-Mrs. Leeper's Rice Vegetable Twist (H)
       Can't get your kids to eat their veggies?  This pasta is packed with
spinach, carrots, and other veggies, but doesn't taste that way.  It's also
very good with just a pad of butter as a side dish.

-Pastariso Brown Rice Pasta (H)
       I'm a big fan of brown rice GF foods, as they are better for us (more
fiber!) and have a richer flavor.  This pasta is no exception, regardless of
its shape (fettuccini, etc.)

-Aproten Annellini (H, I, and C)
       This was the first pasta that I remember eating as a GF kid.  It is
tiny little "o's" and goes great as mac and cheese, spaghetti, or whatever
else.  You can get it from Ener-G foods or in stores.

-Pastariso Lasagna (H)
-Pastariso Fettuccini (H)
-Tinikyada Fettuccini (H)

9. Rolls
-Cybro's Rice Rolls (H)
       These rolls are wonderful, but tough to find.  The company is
Wisconsin-based so you can sometimes see them around here.  They are light
but flavorful, and work great as "mini" sandwiches.

10. Energy Bars
-ReBar (I)
       2 servings of veggies and 2 servings of fruit per bar, and they even
have a chocolatey coating.  You have to order these directly from the
company.  I think that it's rebar.com or something similar.

11. Pizza crusts
-Nature's Highlights Brown Rice Pizza Crust (H)
       These come two to a package, and are fairly small.  However, they are
light and crisp and can be baked very quickly.  They are also very low in
fat.

-Glutino Rice PIzza Crust (I)
       These taste the most like how pizza crusts usually "smell" to me (if
that makes sense!).  They are more chewy than the Nature's Highlights brand,
but about the same size.  They are very pricey, but worth it.

12. Soups
-Amy's Organic Cream of Tomato (H and I)
       I really only have one favorite soup, and this is it.  It is a
wonderful tomato flavor, and I eat it all of the time as a snack.  I find
that if you dip in some cheese-flavored rice cakes, it is a very filling, but
low fat lunch.

13. Breads
-Ener-G Tapioca Bread (H, I and C)
       This is still my favorite pre-made bread, because it has a light
flavor and doesn't crumble easily.  Generally I just use this bread rather
than make bread in a breadmaker or from a mix.

-Glutino Corn Baguettes (I)
       These are great for a "Subway"-type bread.  They are submarine
sandwich-shapes and have a good flavor.

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