Envirokids Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs

Envirokids Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Finding cereal that doesn't have gluten in it is either excessively hard or terrifically easy as it's usually something that would be completely obvious as far as gluten content (Puffed Wheat) or it's something that has nothing to do with wheat at all (Corn Flakes). 

But either way it's usually worth reading the ingredients on the side of the box because even the most innocent looking cereal could be a virtual minefield of dangerous gluten filled pellets.

For anyone who has a hankering for a peanut butter flavored cereal, finding one without wheat or gluten is generally impossible unless you happen to visit the organic aisle where the Envirokids cereals hang out. There are a number of flavors of cereal made by this company and it's fairly easy to find a flavor that will appeal to someone's varied tastes.

Envirokids Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

And for the peanut butter flavor, this company has really done its homework on how to create a cereal that tastes just like candy yet has enough items of interest printed on the box to make you think that it's good for you since it's organic, gluten free and feeds endangered pandas (no joke, apparently some of the profits go to endangered animals so you have no choice but to think the company is awesome).

Envirokids Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

For the nutritional content, the organic angle is certainly a plus and the calories and fat don't seem to be anything to scream over. It might be a tad high for children, but assuming we can trust what the doctors say and peanut butter has healthy fat in it, a bowl of this cereal isn't going to put a dent in anyone's diet.

As far as the basic taste of a peanut butter flavored cereal, Peanut Butter Panda Puffs hit all the right notes and should make you think you're eating a bowl of peanut butter flavored Cap'N Crunch. But honestly, Envirokids is better. They actually feed pandas. And you can't really compete with that even if you've got a jaunty pirate hat and an entire cereal named after you.

But overall, this cereal is terrific because it does exactly what it needs to in a cereal and offers a great breakfast to someone who can't eat gluten, but who doesn't want to feel like they're missing out on anything cool because they can't eat peanut butter flavored cereal that comes out of a box with a pirate on it.

Envirokids Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Envirokids Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs Report Card

What's Tasty:

The whole bowl. Really. This stuff tastes good. And as far as cereal goes, it does tend to have a great consistency when put into milk. It doesn't stay rock solid, but it won't melt either after the milk is poured in. Overall a great, quick breakfast.

What Could be Better:

It's probably worth mentioning that the price on this cereal is a little higher than what you might pay with a regular cereal. Although honestly, regular cereal these days seems to be sky high anyway and one of the additional pluses for this cereal is that it's organic. So overall the price is a very minor consideration since if you caught it on sale, you could likely get it for not much more than the standard wheat-filled stuff.

Glutino Gluten Free Dream Cookies

Glutino Gluten Free Dream Cookies
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Offering joy sleeve by sleeve for the past hundred years, Oreos are a classic comfort food that generations of kids have grown up around, dipping them gleefully in milk and going into delirious sugar comas.

Over the years there have been many significant developments in the world of Oreos from cookies that have twice the amount of stuffing to Oreos that are dipped in chocolate like a cone from Dairy Queen.

The food trucks at your local fair have even come up with a delicacy involving the Fry Daddy and Oreos. Because the only thing that an Oreo is missing is being dipped in a deep fryer, right?

For those of us who are considerate of our cholesterol levels and are looking for an Oreo type of cookie that isn't filled with gluten, one option is a box of Glutino Gluten Free Dream Cookies, which look suspiciously like Oreos in their design and might lead one to think that heaven has indeed arrived.

Glutino Gluten Free Dream Cookies
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

But the reality of these cookies is not quite like a dream. Sure, they look like Oreos, but they are definitely impostors!

The signature taste of an Oreo is something that is likely almost impossible to fully imitate with the limited ingredients available to a gluten-free bakery and while Glutino has certainly done well with the basic taste of some of their other foods, these cookies definitely fall victim to issues of tasting a little stale when they've clearly just been opened.

In addition, the cream-filled center of these cookies is a tad bit gritty and isn't as smooth as what one might find in an actual Oreo. And this is confusing since they have almost as much fat as regular Oreos with six grams for two Dream cookies versus seven grams for two Oreos (bet you didn't know that a handful of Oreos or Dream cookies would offer you an entire day's supply of fat, did you?)

Overall, these cookies should taste a lot smoother for the amount of calories and fat they pack since if someone is going to have to deal with such high calorie content, the food should at least be unforgettable. Like a fresh Oreo dipped in a crisp glass of milk.

Glutino Gluten Free Dream Cookies
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Glutino Gluten Free Dream Cookies Report Card

The Good Stuff:

If you were on a desert island and you needed some dessert to forget your troubles, these cookies might do the job. Or perhaps you could tie them together with palm fronds and use them as a life raft to get off the island.

What they Forgot:

While this cookie is clearly supposed to make you think of an Oreo, the taste is just not there. There are definitely other cookies on the market you might want to consider. If you want a better chocolate experience and must resign yourself to eating gluten free options, try Kinnikinnick Foods KinniKritters Chocolate Animal Cookies as they are quite delicious and you won't feel like you're sacrificing your cholesterol level and good taste by eating a handful.

Asian Authentics Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken

Asian Authentics Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

There are some foods out there that don't seem like they'd have any connection to wheat or gluten, but Americanized Chinese food is not one of those foods. Whether you're eating at a restaurant that offers Thai food, Chinese food or any sort of food connected to something Asian, there is likely going to be wheat in absolutely every dish. Seriously. 

Every single dish. 

And why? Because every dish has soy sauce and soy sauce always has wheat. There are certainly methods for making soy sauce which don't use wheat, but there are exactly zero Chinese restaurants out there who don't pray to the flour gods every time they whip up a batch of soy sauce. 

This author has been to just about every Chinese (and Thai) themed restaurant in the greater Los Angeles area (okay, perhaps I'm exaggerating) and too often I've been stuck in a corner eating plain white rice or boring plain old noodles because absolutely every dish on the menu has wheat in it. 

Can you tell this is a sore subject for me?

Asian Authentics Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

And the process of finding gluten-free entrees for my favorite Chinese foods that don't otherwise taste like a freezer-burned Lean Cuisine has been quite a trial. There aren't exactly a lot of full meals to choose from that are specifically Chinese themed and are also gluten-free. It's likely possible to find gluten-free Chinese food at an authentic Chinese food restaurant, but those places have got some seriously scary entrees on their menus for anyone with a less exotic American palate.

Up for consideration here is a frozen entree called Asian Authentics Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken, which comes in a box that's clearly meant to remind one of a small box of left-over Chinese food that you find in the refrigerator the next day and pop into the microwave oven to nuke. And that's really all you have to do with this box. Unwrap the plastic and toss it in the microwave for a few minutes.

And while the box itself doesn't look as though it contains that much food, especially after you open it and realize it's not absolutely full, the amount overall is actually a satisfying amount of food and the caloric figures and other nutritional values are pretty respectable as long as you treat the box as though it was a full meal and not just an appetizer.

Asian Authentics Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Taste-wise, the entree isn't half bad either and is actually a little surprising as even though it's just a frozen nuke-and-serve, the dish does arrive out of the microwave looking tasty once it's put on a plate. Overall, there are a lot less tasty entrees out there that gluten-free seekers have had to put up with regarding Chinese food.

Asian Authentics Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Asian Authentics Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken Report Card

The Good Stuff:

Easy to make and a good-sized portion, this is a nice meal for lunch and is probably great to take along to work if you reside in an office all day and have to make use of the company microwave. It probably doesn't need any accompaniment and would likely survive just fine as a stand-alone dish. 

It's not going to knock your socks off and take your breath away, but the taste is good enough to recommend it to anyone who would like a bit of Chinese food.

Improvements to be Made:

This entree could use just a few more pieces of chicken. But just a few. It's not hilariously short on the amount of chicken needed to actually have "chicken" in the name without verging into the territory of false advertising, but it could use just a few more pieces. Perhaps two or three. Overall, not a lot to condemn regarding this gluten-free entree. You get what you expect.