Mac and Cheese, Please

We are well aware of the perils of heavily processed foods, but as busy Americans (who are sometimes lazy), we occasionally eat said products.
Lately we've experimented with different packaged mac and cheese, below are our observations.

Ancient Harvest QUINOA Organic Gluten Free Supergrain Mac & Cheese: Really Good, it had a very nice al dente texture, but wasn't dry, the cheese was tasty too.
*Organic, No Trans Fat, Corn/Quinoa Blend

Annie's Gluten Free Rice Pasta and Cheddar: Okay, much like Kraft's (non GF) Mac & Cheese, but the pasta was a bit "softer".
*No Artificial Flavors, Synthetic Colors of Preservatives; Cheese from Cows not Treated with the Growth Hormone rBST

Sam Mills Yellow Cheddar Mac & Cheese:  Okay, Mary enjoyed the flavor and texture of this, while it wasn't my favorite.
*GMO Free Pasta

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Rice Pasta & Cheddar: Review coming soon! It's in our cupboard, but we haven't eaten it yet.
*Vegetarian

Asian Asian Bunny

When we first started eating Gluten-Free a friend asked us about pastas and I listed a few that we had tried, but couldn't remember the exact name of one of them. I remembered that it was an "Asian-sounding" name and that there were bunnies on the package. Our friend jokingly said "Asian Asian Bunny" and that name has stuck in our household.

Tinkyada is one of our favorite Gluten-Free pastas. We have tried both the white and brown rice pastas in an variety of shapes, and loved them all.

The packaging says it all: "Good Consistent Texture, Not Mushy"
Some of the first Gluten-Free pastas we tried didn't quite have that smooth "pasta texture", nor did they hold up throughout our meal -they sometimes clump and break apart.  Tinkyada is just the opposite. It holds up throughout the meal, even when reheating (which is a big plus in our household, hello leftovers!)
I love to use this pasta for my favorite dish, Shrimp Scampi.  The secret to a successful Shrimp Scampi dish is to let the pasta marinate with the meal in the pan so it absorbs a lot of the liquid.

Another dish I like to use this pasta with is Mac and Cheese.  It doesn't dry out like other pastas and Tinkyada is perfect because it (practically) can't be over cooked.

Hayley's Mac and Cheese

The color of the pasta may not match those of traditional pasta, but even if your eyes aren't convinced, your mouth will be happy!

"Green's" Eyed Monster

Green's Amber Ale

Green's Amber Ale from Belgium

Green's Discovery Amber Ale was developed in collaboration with the respected DeProef Brewery, in Lochristi, Belgium after their founder was diagnosed with celiac disease. This beer is made from millet, sorghum, rice, and buckwheat, as well as classic hop varieties. They are fermented with a traditional Belgian yeast strain and bottle-conditioned. The body has a deep brownish or prune like color with dark reddish highlights coming through a very murky haze. Lighter carbonation. Medium body. Good fruity and raisin taste with some subtle caramel and fig. It has a moderate bitter taste. This has a decent satisfying body that isn’t as thin and acidic as gluten-free beers often are. I purchased this at a Whole Foods in NYC on our way home (back to where you have to buy beer by the case.) It is a bit on the pricey side but it does the trick when I want a beer to taste like beer.  

Hayley's thoughts on Green's Amber Ale, "Ew, this taste like beer."

Guilty by "Omission"

Omission Pale Ale

Omission Gluten-Free Pale Ale

Omission Beer is the gluten-removed brand from Widmer Brothers Brewing. The Oregon brewery has been a staple in the craft industry for a long time. The Omission brand currently has three offerings: a lager, a pale ale, and an IPA. Unlike other beer companies that brew with non-gluten grains like sorghum, Omission brews the traditional gluten-containing ingredients and then an enzyme called Brewers Clarex is added to the beer to break the bonds of the gluten protein chains. Each contains fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten, which is the FDA standard for labeling a product to be safe for persons with gluten allergies. Each batch is sent to independent laboratory testing to verify gluten content. 

Their Pale Ale contains 5.8 percent alcohol by volume. The body has a rustic orange, translucent quality, with a medium sense of effervesce. The smell is quite simple. Light sweet caramel malt with a light zesty hop aroma. Little floral, but mainly some pine, and an earthy quality. It has a pretty light caramel flavor, just lightly sweet and rather light on the hops. The hops up front have a little floral and grassy quality, and finishes with a bitter grassy touch slash zingy spice. 

Overall I found this to be a drinkable pale, drinks like a lighter beer than it is and doesn't taste like other Gluten Free beers I have experienced, I would certainly buy this again.  I would recommend Omission Pale Ale to any easy going beer drinker; gluten intolerant or not. It's a worthy beer for anyones glass and a tip of the hat to the brewers who figured out a way of removing the gluten. 

Hayley's thoughts on Omission Pale Ale, "Bleh! This really taste like beer, you must love it." (And I do love it!)