Does someone you love have a dairy allergy or lactose intolerance?  Do you have a vegan Valentine?  Discover Enjoy life Boom-Choco-Boom bars! Boom-Choco-Boom bars are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, nut free and vegan.  Best of all, they taste great!   In addition to the dark chocolate bars, they also make rice “milk” chocolate bars.  Our favorite is the “milk” chocolate with crispy rice. We’re so happy a trusted company like Enjoy life took on the daunting task of making allergen-free chocolate, allowing us to be able to offer a variety of treats for special dietary needs.  Happy Valentines Day from the gang at Meadowsweet Market/juniperfoods!

There are many options when choosing gluten free/casein free thickeners to use in sauces, gravies, and baking.  This series of articles will discuss a variety of choices and Meadowsweet would like to invite you to join in the discussion by posting comments about what has worked in your kitchen.  We’d like to talk about arrowroot first because it is a popular product and works very well in recipes that are both gluten and casein free.  In fact, my research shows that it does NOT work well with dairy (for milk-based gravies, you’ll want to choose different thickeners which we’ll discuss in later articles).

Arrowroot is derived from the roots of a tropical plant. Since it is less gritty than rice flour, some cooks use it exclusively to  replace the flour that recipes require. Many people also prefer to use it as a thickener over cornstarch because it blends better with the flavors of recipes.  Note that when used as a cornstarch replacement, you will need to use more arrowroot.

It appears that arrowroot’s best use may be in baking when it is combined with other flours.  Add it to baked goods with gluten-free flours like buckwheat to help bind the flour. Try Arrowroot for something different today!

Holiday baking for multiple food allergies can be a real challenge.  In addition, people who are diagnosed with Celiac disease are often told to avoid dairy products for a period of time until the villi in their intestines heal.  But you don’t need to forgo traditional holiday treats like pies just because you are avoiding dairy,  as well as gluten.  At Meadowsweet Market, we are always on the lookout for great tasting allergy-friendly foods.  And we actually TRY as many of our products as possible to test their quality.

For instance, if you stopped into the Holiday Allergen-Free Food Fest this year you know that Patty baked pumpkin pie using the Cause You’re Special Homestyle Pie Crust Mix.  It turned out really well!  This crust had a really good texture and was moist and flavorful.  It also happens to be free of wheat, gluten, casein, egg, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts!  Patty said that it was easy to make, and the customers I talked to agreed that it tasted great! It is made from simple, natural ingredients and you can use egg substitute instead of egg, if you prefer.  One package makes two pie crusts so there is plenty to enjoy.

And remember, when you find products that work really well, you get a 20% discount on case orders at Meadowsweet Market or online at juniperfoods.com!  Happy holiday baking!

Don’t let the name mislead you, buckwheat is a gluten-free grain. Kaia Foods Buckwheat Granola is gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and raw.  Yes, raw. The ingredients have never been heated above 118 degrees. In addition, the grains and nuts have been sprouted, a common practice in raw foods preparation, to release more of the nutrients.  The granola is made from the simplest of ingredients:  buckwheat, walnuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, ground flax seeds, and dried fruits and seasonings. And that’s all.

But the best thing about the granola is the taste! These cereals have a totally unique flavor, and a very hearty crunch.  This is NOT a granola that gets mushy in milk.  In fact, I like it best as a snack right out of the bag, especially the incredible, chocolate Cocoa Bliss flavor. Lately I have been serving the Dates & Spices granola with sliced peaches and organic half & half.  Of course, it is no longer vegan or raw this way, but for those of us omnivores, it’s a real treat!  The half & half is thinner than cream, and soaks into the cereal better to soften it up a little.  That’s one thing I will caution you about Kaia granola; it is not for people who have recently had dental work!  But if you love a good granola, try a sample of Kaia raw granola at Meadowsweet Market today. All three flavors, Cocoa Bliss, Dates & Spices, and Raisin Cinnamon, are also available here at juniperfoods.  Kaia Foods donates 1% of their sales to the Hunger Project and the United Nations World Food Program.  For more info and links, visit www.kaiafoods.com.

Risotto is a traditional Italian rice dish. Often thought of as “restaurant food,” risotto has made its way to the home kitchen. Lundberg, makers of quality eco-farmed grains, makes it easier to prepare with delicious, lowfat Risotto mixes.
I was a little intimidated to try making Risotto because I heard it was a rather difficult dish to prepare, so this new mix sounded perfect for me to try. It doesn’t take long to saute the rice, so keep an eye on it.  Then simply add the liquid ingredients to the handy spice packet, and voila! You have prepared a rice side dish that is out of the ordinary. Risotto is a tender, fairly sweet rice that complements chicken very well.
Many people on gluten-free diets feel they can only eat “plain” rice for fear that the flavorings in mixes will contain gluten. Lundberg Risotto mixes are both gluten free and flavorful. I made the Cheddar Broccoli Risotto with grilled chicken for a casserole, and paired the Creamy Parmesan with a gluten-free breaded chicken and marinara (topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese), which was a real hit.

 Try these mixes for tasty rice side dishes that you will remember!  Lundberg Risotto mixes are available at Meadowsweet Market and juniperfoods.

I was so excited to see the new book Ani’s Raw Food Desserts on the shelves at Meadowsweet Market. Raw desserts are perfect for summer because they use fresh fruits and even veggies to create truly delicious treats that are much healthier, lighter, and have less calories than traditional desserts. I tried the Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake recipe. If you are intimidated by raw foods because you think they are time consuming  or difficult to prepare, I’ll say right now that this recipe only took about 15 minutes. I halved the recipe and used my smaller food chopper, so clean-up was also a breeze. The dates and walnuts clumped together at first, but I just molded them by hand into the round cake shape I wanted. I used organic, raw, blue agave nectar for the first time and was very impressed.  It is better and more flavorful than the vegetable glycerin that I usually use.  I will note that I think this dessert definitely benefits from a couple of hours sitting in the fridge firming up.  The texture is better and it plates better after cooling.  Presentation is important when it comes to raw food.  That said, I thought the Frosting for the Ganache Fudge Cake  Frosting was incredible straight out of the food processor . Very sweet with a good texture and filling without being heavy, I will certainly be making this recipe again.  I may try using soaked raisins as an economical alternative to medjool dates.  I’m hooked on the Agave nectar, but you may try using raw honey in it’s place.  Raw recipes are really fun to experiment with.  Try something different this summer, go raw!

As we continue to celebrate heart health month at Meadowsweet Market, heart healthy supplements abound. The traditional Midwestern US winter supplement of Cod Liver Oil remains a smart choice for heart health all year round. Cod Liver Oil provides omega-3 fatty acids that help support healthy cholesterol levels. In addition, Cod Liver Oil naturally contains vitamin D3. It’s like getting two great winter supplements in one bottle!

Still, for many people, the mention of Cod Liver Oil brings up childhood memories of terrible tasting liquids. We like to recommend Carlson Cod Liver Oil for these folks. This is not you grandmother’s Cod Liver Oil. It has a pleasant natural lemon flavor and the serving size is just one teaspoon per day. It is also offered in capsule form.

With all the buzz about omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D3 in the news, consider choosing one easy to take supplement that will provide you with both. Your heart will thank you for it!

Carlson Norweigen Cod Liver Oil is on sale this month at Meadowsweet Market,  click here to see our Sales Flyer for great deals on other heart healthy supplements.

Stan and Gladys Friesen really know how to turn lemons into lemonade. Stan was working on an ethanol fuel recipe in the Friesens’ Mountain Lake, Minnesota kitchen when the corn he was working with suddenly exploded! The result of the ethanol experiment gone awry is Gladcorn, a crunchy corn snack that is a cross between corn nuts and popcorn. The flavor of this unique corn snack is so good that in one bite, you are hooked. Gladcorn is gluten free, dairy free, and peanut free. It makes a great on the go allergen-free snack. If you like crunchy foods, Gladcorn delivers a truly healthy crunch and is a great alternative to heavily processed corn snacks made with hydrogenated oils.

Meadowsweet customers have voted, and the results are in for our first-ever gluten-free bread contest!  As part of our Gluten-Free day celebration,  Meadowsweet Market asked our customers to taste and vote for their favorite gluten-free breads.  We had such a large amount of samples for people to try that we divided the contest into categories. The categories were determined by type of flours used in the breads. In the Brown-Rice-flour category, our freezer section breads proved to be the most popular. The Kinnikinnick brand edged out Food for Life to take the prize as most tasty Brown-Rice-flour bread, according to our customers. The frozen Kinnikinnick bread was also the clear winner in the Tapioca-flour category, receiving over twice as many votes as the Ener-G brand varieties. The White-Rice-flour category was the largest, with the Cause You’re Special bread mix being voted the winner.

Thanks to all who voted!

In my quest to find something to put on my cereal and in smoothies, I have tried probably around 20 different dairy alternatives. Years ago, soy was the only choice, but I have also tried different brands of rice, hemp and oatmilk products. After years of trial and error, Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Original Unsweetened Almond Milk is the BEST all purpose milk substitute I have found. Made from almonds, this product is free of lactose and is casein free (it is ALSO gluten free). It has a subtle taste of almonds and better consistency than other almond milk products I have tried. It is very smooth. With less fat per serving, it is thinner than cows’ milk but still has a slightly creamy taste. I tried it because it was the first milk substitute product I found that had no added sugar. Cows’ milk itself contains around 9 grams sugar per serving. Almond Breeze Original Unsweetened contains 0 grams sugar and is a low glycemic index food. Almonds are packed with nutrition, and Almond Breeze contains 20% of the RDA of Calcium, and 25% Vitamin D. Best of all, it has only 40 calories per serving, less than half the calories of a glass of skim milk.

My only request for the improvement of this product is to use certified organic almonds and offer an organic Almond Breeze product. I still use a thicker soymilk creamer in my coffee, but for everything else, I use BD original Unsweetened Almond Milk and sometimes have a glass of it on its own, the true testament to any milk alternative product! Let me know what YOU think of this product.