Boston Gluten-free Bakery Review: Delicious Cupcakes From Glutenus Minimus

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Rach Sebell

Glutenus MinimusDo you ever see gluten-free cupcakes in stores and wonder if you should buy them? I am lucky because lots of friends show up with gluten-free treats to share that they find around the city. I don’t buy a lot of sweets when I am out but I do welcome them when they appear. Last week I received a nice email from a woman at Glutenous Minimus, a local Boston bakery, asking me if I would like to sample some of their cupcakes. I had seen glutenous minimus products around the city at stores like bloc 11 but had only tried their muffins. I was very excited at the opportunity to sample their cupcakes in exchange for a review.

I setup a time to pick the cupcakes up at Sweet, located in Harvard Square. This seemed like a great idea since I live in Central, but of course it was another late night at the office and suddenly I had to bolt out of the office to make it there on time, only to realize that I was on a bike with a back pack. This did not bode well for cupcake transport. Fortunately, to my surprise, the cupcakes come in little plastic packaging with all the ingredients clearly labeled, so I didn’t have to worry about contamination, nor crushing. Score a first point for Glutenous Minimus and their fabulous packaging. And for putting two cupcakes into each cupcake package, after all, if you are going to eat a cupcake, you should share it with a friend. I arrived home to find 4 cupcakes, perfectly transported by bike in a back page, over pot holes and through hot weather. Awesome!

Now it was time to sample the cupcakes. If you read my blog, you know that I don’t do non-chocolate desserts. But of course I am always making exceptions, like when I want to be polite to Tal’s mom who has made a gluten-free dessert or in the case of a sample that I am writing a review. I was presented with two options, Lemon and Chocolate. What was a girl to do…? Find a knife and try each!

Glutenous Minimus Lemon Cupcake

Glutenus Minimus Gluten-free CupcakeI clearly need to stop saying that dessert always has to have chocolate. I was wrong. To my surprise, I liked the gluten-free lemon cupcake better. It was so refreshing and delicious on a hot summer night. The creamy lemon butter cream frosting was lightly tart and smooth with little sparkling sprinkles. The frosting was so thick, I was expecting the cupcake to crumble under it’s weight but it held together like a pro. The folks and Glutenous Minimus also do a great job of enhancing the cake with a subtle lemon flavor. Score two points for these gluten-free cupcakes, one for a delicious cupcake that makes you ask if they are really store bought and another point for convincing me that non-chocolate desserts are tasty!

Glutenous Minimus Chocolate Cupcake

Glutenus Minimus Gluten-free CupcakeNow don’t get me wrong, non-chocolate desserts are great but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water, chocolate is still awesome and awesome this gluten-free chocolate cupcake is. Creamy chocolate frosting with cute little blue sprinkles. They really make a fabulous butter cream frosting. It is thick and full of flavor without being overly sweet. You really feel like you are being treated to decadence. Also, the cake itself is a rich delicious chocolaty cupcake that is moist but not dense.

You really can’t go wrong with a Glutenous Minimus purchase. Take a trip over to one of Sweet’s four locations to try one of these fabulous gluten-free cupcakes.  Sweet sources their cupcakes from the Glutenus Minimus bakery, however, they are available at all 4 of Sweet’s prime locations, delivered fresh on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. You can purchase these cupcakes in (Lemon, Vanilla, Chocolate and Red Velvet). Owner Courtney Forrester sought out the perfect partner in providing gluten-free cupcakes on top of the regular Sweet Daily and Seasonal selections because she wanted to offer a tasty snack for all of her customers, without the worry of dietary restrictions and contamination. Sweet decided to partner with the Glutenus Minimus brand because they are a dedicated gluten-free bakery, as opposed to other places that have gluten-free and regular offerings, to avoid any potential contamination.

Pick up a cupcake for a fun person treat, or a larger order if you are having a party. This is also a fabulous resource for friends of gluten-free people if you are afraid of baking for us.

Have you tried Glutenous Minimus’s baked good? Share with us your favorites in the comments below.

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Start Summer With Rudi’s Gluten-Free Summer Camp Scholarship Contest

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Rach Sebell

The idea of overnight camp for gluten-free kids can seem tricky and even scary for parents.  How can you ensure they will be healthy for 4-8 weeks? Will their counselors understand that they need to eat gluten-free three meals a day? Well, you don’t need a gluten-free summer camp to keep your kids safe. Not only are there camps that understand gluten-free diets, your child can enter for a chance to win a scholarship this summer!

Every kid should have a chance to go to summer camp, and every parent should feel good knowing they’ll be safe there. That’s why Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery is awarding 10 kids with one-week scholarships, including travel expenses, to a gluten-free summer camp of their choice. Rudi’s is asking kids to share – in 200 words or less – what it would mean to them to attend a week-long gluten-free summer camp. Parents can help their kids but Rudi’s really wants to hear from the campers! Be sure to enter your gluten-free kiddos into the “Rudi’s Happy Camper Scholarship Contest” here: https://www.facebook.com/rudisglutenfreebakery/app_141479812701657. Winners will be notified directly and announced on the Facebook application on June 10th.

Oh and as a bonus, Rudi’s is giving away special, BPA-free water bottles to the first 250 entries. There are still some left so be sure to enter soon! (there’s an image on our app you could pull if you want for this)






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Calorie-licious Betty Crocker Gluten-free Cake Mix Meets Heath Bar

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Rach Sebell

Gluten-free Toffee Heath Bar CupcakesAfter years of making everything from scratch, it is hard to train myself to be ok using a product like the Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Cake Mix and other boxed products. Is it cheating if your guests enjoy the treat? I go back and forth on this quandary.

In my last post, I talked about avoiding burn-out. Burn-out comes from trying to be perfect every moment. Are you less perfect if you make treats from a box? Is it a slippery slope, today I bake from a box, tomorrow I am buying Whole Foods’ Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies, throwing them in a paper bag and passing them off as homemade? No joke, my grandmother used to do this with Milano’s

What does homemade mean to you? For me, it means taking the time to put love and care into the food that I prepare for the people in my life. It is whipping up a batch of brownies to bring to the office at the end of a long week, or throwing together pizza with friends and watching a movie. It is cracking eggs, mixing butter and flour and dipping my fingers into chocolaty batter. It is the whole house smelling like warm deliciousness. So by this definition, a cake mix is not cheating as long as you are honest when asked.

As I have begun to embrace and test out gluten-free packaged products, one thing that I have noticed is that they are much sweeter then what I usually bake from scratch.  The Betty Crocker Gluten-free Cake Mix was really delicious providing a dense, moist, rich chocolaty cupcake. Note, this was not my experience with their chocolate chip cookies. Ace, my mom, made them for me and I thought they were overly chewy and way too sweet. So if you are looking to bake gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, stick to a homemade batch.

Now the creative part. Since I was easing the baking process with the cake mix assistance, I decided to get creative with some fun toppings. I HATE confectioner sugar, it turns me into a very unpleasant person as I spike in sugar and then crash with a splitting headache. So what to do about frosting? I chose a lovely thick and creamy ganache recipe I had used before. Easy to whip up with just two ingredients – dark chocolate and whipping cream! Then for the finish, broken up Heath Bar candy pieces. The result were a calorie-licious success.

Betty Crocker Gluten-free Cake Mix With Heath Bar Cupcakes:

  • 1 box of chocolate Betty Crocker Gluten-free Cake Mix (see ingredients on box)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 oz dark chocolate chips
  • 1 bag of Heath Bar Toffee  brand candy smashed into pieces

Follow the Betty Crocker Gluten-free Cake Mix as directed on the box. While the cupcakes bake, in a sauce pan, heat 1 cup of heavy cream over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in 8 oz of dark chocolate bits. Whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool. Frost the completely cooled cupcakes with ganache. Place the candy in a plastic bag and seal. Smash the candy into pieces with a mallet or rolling pin. Then sprinkle the cupcakes with broken pieces of toffee heath bar. Serve and enjoy!

Interested in other gluten-free cupcake recipes? Check out my gluten-free cookie’s and cream cupcakes and gluten-free chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes.

Do you have a favorite gluten-free cupcake? Please share in the comments below.






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Simple Gluten-free Dinner – Kimchi, Mango, Eggs and Rice Bowl

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Rach Sebell

Simple Gluten-free DinnerDespite being done with grad school and now living a 2 mile walk to work, I have still spent the better part of this year stressed about preparing simple gluten-free dinners. Maybe it was adjusting to cooking for one, trying to learn how to share a kitchen with a roommate, or just still being on the go a lot since I am gravitate to a life of being busy. What ever the reason, I have found cooking to be a labor and stress this year when I used to find it full of joy and creativity.

Yesterday I read a great article “Avoiding Burnout.” In it, start-up veteran Andrew Dumont talks about the simple steps he takes to balance his life of busy work and trying to maintain sanity. I really took this to heart.   At lunch today, I was discussing the article with ,my co-workers who also spend most of their days in the crazy rush of life balancing an intense work-life at a cambridge based software company, family, friends, pets, and still want to make time for the things they love – paddle boarding, yoga, art, home brewing, rowing, running, cooking, reading and more.

My friend Marc was particularly insightful pointing out that he wants to make time for the things that he loves but in making time for them, not turn them into an obligation. So true! To look at my calendar is to see a sea of commitments that blur into an vertigo of anxiety. I tried color coding Google Calendar into fun and work but all I see is obligations. So I have to remember what it means to enjoy the things I am making time for. Last night I took an important step, I blew off yoga to go for a long walk with Tal and Puck the Dog. It was windy and cold and wonderful. Our friend joined us by the end and by the end of the night I was falling asleep in mid sentence I had had such a fun night. And yes, I even managed to have a fabulous gluten-free dinner at Amsterdam Falafel!

So this month I am making a commitment to myself and to those I care about to avoid Rach burnout! It begins by not over programming my life and that means not planning all my meals to be cooked on Sunday. Yes I respect people who find this to be a healthy approach that helps them prioritize nutrition, but for me, it is just un-fun and miserable. Eating the same thing day after day is just miserable for me.

So what does this have to do with a simple gluten-free dinner of kimchi, mango, eggs and rice? The idea is enjoying food and living in the moment.  I live biking distance from 4 major grocery stores. There is no need for me to buy all of my groceries in one day a week. Sidenote, when I do, I create so much more waste trying to plan for 7 days. Instead, I have been thinking for 2 days at a time. At the end of the week there are random items which provide a great opportunity for some creative simple gluten-free dinners.

Recipe – Kimchi, Mango, Eggs and Rice

  •  1 Bottle of your favorite Kimchi
  • 2 Cage free eggs
  • Sliced Mango
  • Brown rice
  • Soy sauce or Braggs
  • Sesame seeds or chia seeds
  • Sauteed spinach (optional)
  • Sriracha sauce
  • Sliced green onions

Cook brown rice according to directions. Scramble the eggs and cook in a pan. Slice the mango into thin strips. Combine the mango, rice, kimchi and eggs in a bowl. Season with the remaining ingredients to taste. Have leftovers, heat gently for lunch the next day.

What is your favorite simple gluten-free dinner?






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Fake Gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies…Surprise The Answer is Rice!

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Rach Sebell

Gluten-free Wild Rice, Chocolate and Walnut Cookie There isn’t a lot that I miss from my gluten eating days, but oatmeal raisin and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I do. While some celiac’s eat oats, I don’t. I get sick every time. I love gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, but sometimes I want the hearty oatmeal taste. A friend shared a recipe with me for wild rice and dried cranberry cookies. I decided to get experimental and create my own. The results were incredibly tasty. I created two versions, one with raisins, the other with chocolate. While I don’t usually eat dessert that doesn’t contain chocolate, I loved them both.

Fake Gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

  • 1.5  cups cooked wild rice (make sure it is barley free)
  • 3/4 cups brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1 stick butter
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbl chia seed
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

If making wild rice raisin cookies omit the chocolate chips and vanilla and instead add:

  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp all spice
  • 1 cup raisins

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2: Pulse the wild rice in food processor until it is chopped to the consistency of steal cut oats.

Step 3: Cream butter and honey in an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in egg (and vanilla if using it)

Step 4: Combine flours, baking soda, chia seeds and salt in a separate bowl. (and spices if using them)

Step 5: Add flour mixture, and beat until smooth. Add the wild rice, chocolate or raisins, and walnuts.

Step 6: Drop 2 tablespoon rounds of dough  on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes until cookies are browned. Cool and enjoy with a nice glass of almond milk!

 

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