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Celiac.com 09/09/2023 - We get a lot of questions about foods and food products. We've recently gotten a bunch about fruit snacks and roll ups. Are fruit snacks and rollups gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease? Some are and some are not. Here's a rundown and a handy list brands of gluten-free fruit snacks and rollups. BEAR BEAR Real Fruit Snacks, Rolls and Yo-Yos are gluten-free. Apple-Pear Mango Apple-Pear Raspberry Apple-Pear Strawberry Fruit Minis Real Fruit Yo-Yos Strawberry Lemon Betty Crocker Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups Fruit Snacks Reduced Sugar Crazy Colors Fred Meyer Fred Meyer Fruit Roll Ups Gluten Free Fruit Snacks Strawberry Sensation Tropical Tie-Dye Blue Raspberry Kroger Kroger Fruit Roll Ups Gluten Free Tropical Tie Die Fruit Flavored Snacks Wegmans Wegmans Fruit Roll-Ups Fruit Flavored Snacks Strawberry Sensation Berry Berry Cool Welch's Welch's Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit Snacks are gluten-free. Welch’s FAQs, they clearly state their gluten-free nature and are labeled gluten-free. Remember, ingredients and formulations can change, so read labels carefully and avoid gluten ingredients. Have we missed a favorite brand of gluten-free fruit rollups? Be sure to share it in the comments below.

When I first put an orange flavored TruJoy Organic Original Fruit Chew in my mouth and began chewing, I soon noticed an intense explosion of orange flavor. It reminded me a bit of the Starburst candies that I used to eat as a child—but instead of containing corn syrup and artificial junk—these chews are organic and contain real fruit juice and cane sugar. The texture and chewiness was great, and it seemed to last forever. Other flavors in the package included strawberry, cherry and lemon, and each of them was just as wonderful and intense as the orange. I also got a bag of TruJoy Organic Choco Chews, and again, when I put one in my mouth and chewed it I was brought back to an old favorite of mine called a Tootsie Roll, but like the Organic Fruit Chews, the Organic Choco Chews use only organic and natural ingredients, and you can really tell the difference. Another think I like about this company is that they are a member of “1% For The Planet,” and donate a minimum of 1% of their revenue to organizations that support environmental causes. If you like healthier versions of some of your favorite candies, and like companies that contribute to the environment, TruJoy chews are a perfect fit. For more info visit their site

Celiac.com 03/25/2022 - We love summer! It awakens us to sunshine, family picnics, pool parties, longer days, beautiful nights— and easier gluten-free dining. Many people literally move the kitchen outdoors to their grill. Meals are simpler to prepare and can center on small plates and finger foods. At The Gluten-Free Cooking School in Phoenix, AZ, we enjoy creating easy and fun snacks to make our lives easier. Last year Whole Foods Market in Arizona welcomed us to give a gluten-free lecture series and food demonstrations in their stores. The following recipes were created for a summer class. They were so well received; we decided to share some of them with you, our friends. Grab your sunscreen and shades, make a couple of these appetizers and let the pool party begin! Fruit Fruit is nutritious, fun to dress up and easy to eat. Some fruits, such as apples and pears are best prepared at the last minute unless they are in a sauce—lime or lemon juice to help prevent them from turning brown. Apples: Dip wedges in pure maple syrup or gluten-free Rice Syrup, then dip in a combination of finely chopped nuts and raisins. Bananas: Slice a peeled banana lengthwise. Spread Nutella chocolate spread on both cut sides and stuff miniature marshmallow and raisins or nuts between the two slices. Mellon Wrapped in Prosciutto or ham: An elegant appetizer or finger food doesn’t get much easier than this. Simply slice any papaya, muskmelon, cantaloupe or mango into thin slices (peel and remove seeds first), then wrap thin strips of Prosciutto around the center of the slice. Apricots: Cut a fresh apricot in half, remove the seed and fill it with a gluten-free blue cheese or cottage cheese, then sprinkle with parsley leaves. Vegetables Like fruits, vegetables are highly versatile and healthy. Due to their heartiness, many of the vegetable appetizers or finger foods may be prepared ahead and will not suffer from browning or wilting, unless left in the Arizona heat, of course. Use vegetables as scoopers for any spread or as a ‘carrier’ for decorative and tasty no-cook-no-bake fillings. Vegetable fillings do not always have to fill up the entire piece of vegetable. Use a high contrast colored filling for extra appeal. Endive Leaves with beets are particularly beautiful. Cut endive leaves from their base, rinse and dry. Place a layer of canned or jarred beets toward the base of each endive leaf. Add a green delicate sprout for contrast. Pipe Cream Cheese thinned with milk and put into the endive leaves. Add a thin slice of freshly cut apple along the side of the cream cheese. Sprinkle with finely cut chives. Cherry Tomatoes: Choose cherry tomatoes that still have a little green stem attached. Cut a ‘hat’ off and scoop out the insides with a small melon ball scooper. Fill the cherry tomato with a spread by scooping the spread into the cherry or piping it in with a decorative tip pastry bag. Skewers Purchase mozzarella balls or cut mozzarella into chunks the size of cherry tomatoes. Remove stems from the tomatoes. Make a marinade of two parts extra virgin olive oil and one part red wine vinegar with a dash of lime juice, salt and pepper. Place mozzarella and tomatoes in the marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Skewer mozzarella balls and the cherry tomatoes. Arrange on plate and garnish with basil. Make small melon balls from a firm cantaloupe and put on a skewer. For added zip, marinate melon balls in 1/3 cup Cointreau and 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves prior to skewering. No Cook No Bake Appetizer: Gluten-Free Cracker Pie Ingredients: 1 cup of finely crushed gluten-free crackers of your choice 3 Tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil 2 cups of sour cream or tofu 1⁄2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives 1⁄2 cup finely chopped celery 1⁄2 cup finely chopped green pepper 1⁄2 cup finely chopped onion 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce Directions: Mix cracker crumbs with melted butter and press half into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Set remaining crumbs aside. In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, olives, celery, green pepper, onion, lemon juice, salt, Worcestershire sauce, a teaspoon of paprika and dash of Tabasco sauce. Spread sour cream mixture over cracker crumb base; smooth top. Sprinkle remaining half of cracker crumbs evenly over the top. Press in gently. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours for flavors to blend. May be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Before serving, remove sides of spring form pan. Place pie on serving platter and decorate top with alternating strips of pimiento and green pepper. Place slices of green and black olives around top edge. Surround the pie with curly lettuce. Cut into pie-shaped wedges and serve. Serves 10 - 15 depending on the size of the cut.

Celiac.com 10/21/2021 - If you're looking for a great way to have some spooky and delicious gluten-free treat fun this Halloween, these creepy fruit eyeballs are the way to go. They are tasty, super simple to make, and eye-catchingly delightful to serve. You can use them in cocktails or serve in a bowl as a spooky Halloween season fruit snack. They're highly versatile, as you can substitute a wide range of fruit for the cherries. Get creative and have fun! Ingredients: ¼ cup strawberry jam 1 (11 ounce) can lychees, drained 8 ounces canned maraschino cherries, or fresh blueberries or even red or purple grapes toothpicks Directions: Spoon a little bit of strawberry jam into the hole of each lychee. Place a cherry or blueberry in the hole and secure with a toothpick. Smear additional jam about as desired for effect. Place in a bowl or on a shallow plate to serve. Enjoy the shrieks of delight.

Celiac.com 02/26/2021 - Sometimes nothing can beat simplicity, and let's face it, too many foods have too many ingredients. There is probably a direct correlation between the number of ingredients in a food, and whether or not it's considered to be junk food—the more ingredients, the more likely it's junk. That's it. is a company that has taken this concept to heart, and has followed the “KIS” principle—keep it simple! So much so, in fact, that each of their bars contains only fruit and active cultures (bacillus coagulans), and that's it! I love each bar's texture. They're all gluten-free of course, and are soft to bite and chew, and they won't stick to your teeth. Their Blueberry Probiotic Fruit Bar contains only blueberries, dates and cultures, and that's it. There are no added sugars or preservatives in any of their bars, and this bar has a rich blueberry flavor with a hint of dates. Likewise their Mango Probiotic Fruit Bar contains only mangoes and cultures, and if you love mangoes as much I do, this one will quickly become your best friend. Their Fig Probiotic Fruit Bar contains only figs and cultures, and anyone who loves figs will get hooked on it—it's outstanding! Their Banana Probiotic Fruit bar contains only bananas and cultures, and this one is mandatory for anyone who love bananas! In addition to their full-sized Probiotic Fruit Bars with prebiotics and probiotics, That's it. also makes a line of Mini Fruit Bars that you can find at retailers like Costco, which includes the following wonderful flavors: Apples + Blueberries Apples + Mangoes Apples + Strawberries Visit their site for more info.

I've been trying to will the coming of warm springtime weather by baking foods I'll want on my next picnic. No matter that my kids and I eat them on a tablecloth spread out on the living room floor ... our hearts are in the great outdoors! Whether you're picnicing indoors or out, these filling snack bars will be a treat everyone will enjoy. Using a hodgepodge mix of dried fruits I have had on hand, I have made this recipe several times with differing ingredients. Feel free to substitute with whatever dried fruits and or nuts you have on hand -- the base recipe remains the same -- although I recommend at least using figs in this recipe, as they are high in fiber and minerals like potassium, calcium and iron, and their crunchy sweetness is unmistakable throughout. Be sure to let the bars cool before you cut them, and if you have any extra crumbs left behind from cutting the bars, save them to sprinkle on top of yogurt or use as a granola-like breakfast cereal with milk. Any way you prefer, these nutritious gluten and dairy-free bars are sure to be a hit! Ingredients: 1 cup butter or non-dairy alternative like Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or Shortening Sticks (room temperature) 1 cup light brown sugar 1/3 cup granulated cane sugar 2 large eggs 2 tsp. gluten-free vanilla extract ½ tsp. gluten-free almond extract ½ tsp. salt ¾ tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 2 cups Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour™ * 2 Tbs. flaxseed meal 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 1 cup dried tart cherries or cranberries 1 cup chopped dried figs ½ cup golden raisins or dried blueberries ½ cup chopped dried dates, apricots, or other dried fruit (optional) Directions: (*Note - This recipe calls for Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour™ which may be made at home according to directions found in my books, Nearly Normal Cooking for Gluten-Free Eating and The First Year: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free, as well as in various media links on my website. It produces amazing results in all your gluten-free baking!) Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a jelly roll pan (approximately 15" x 10") or cookie sheet with raised edges by wrapping foil over the top of the pan and greasing the foil-wrapped pan with cooking spray, shortening or butter. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening with the sugars, beating until the dough is light and fluffy. Gradually add in the vanilla and almond extracts and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour™, baking soda, flax seed meal, cinnamon and salt. Slowly beat this dry mixture into the first large bowl, mixing until incorporated. Chop the dried fruit and nuts and stir into the dough. Spread the thick dough evenly across the prepared pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool fully before cutting or removing. Cut horizontally and vertically (like a window pane) to form brownie-sized bars and remove carefully to a plate. Enjoy!

Celiac.com 03/08/2016 - I bake frequently using a variety of flours. This, gluten-free paleo bread with dried fruit and pecans is a recipe I devised when trying to create a sweeter bread with virtually no grains. That's right, no grains! I used almond butter in place of the majority of the flours which makes this paleo bread extremely hearty. It pairs very well with an afternoon tea or with some free-range scrambled eggs for a nourishing breakfast. Bread is one item that many people find hard to give up. Oprah also talks about how much she loves her bread! I don't feel anyone should have to give up flavor. I enjoy working up recipes that are tasty and healthy so we can all enjoy them while living a long healthy life. A truly high quality of life. I incorporated fresh (or home-roasted) nuts and dried fruit into my recipe but you can omit them if preferred. My celiac and paleo family enjoy every bite, including the nuts and fruit surprises in each and every bite. Children love the heartiness of this. The sooner flavors and textures are introduced to a child at the proper age, the more they can get accustomed to a variety as well as the multitude of nutrients in a recipe like this. I hope you enjoy! Ingredients: ¾ cup almond butter, mixed well 4 large eggs (room temp) ¼ cup tapioca flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon cider vinegar ¼ cup dried blueberries (sugar-free) ½ cup raisins (I used ¼ cup Golden and ¼ cup Thompson Seedless Raisins) ½ cup cranberries (I find it hard to locate sugar-free) Coconut oil for greasing pan Directions: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place rack in center of oven. Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil or oil of choice. In one bowl add the almond butter and eggs. Whip on low and then medium and then high, getting a really frothy thick mix. Lower the speed and add 1 teaspoon cider vinegar. Increase speed a few more seconds. In a second bowl combine the tapioca flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Sift well. Add the second bowl with the dry ingredients to the first bowl with wet ingredients, folding in and mixing (do not over mix). Add in blueberries, raisins and cranberries. Pour into greased loaf pan and spread evenly. Optional: For a sweeter breakfast bread, I will add 3 tablespoons sugar-free raspberry preserves. Swirl in gently along the top of the bread creating a marbled effect. Immediately place in oven and bake for 25 minutes. Turn the baking pan around and bake for another 25 minutes. Test bread by placing a clean knife in center of loaf. If it comes out clean, it is done. If knife does not come out clean, turn down oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 5-15 minutes more, checking frequently with the knife test. Take out when moist but not wet – Paleo breads will continue to “bake” outside the oven. Homemade baked Paleo breads always taste better the next day as opposed to fresh “wheat” bread hot out of the oven–interesting! Let cool then remove from pan. NOTE: This bread freezes well.

Celiac.com 06/29/2019 (originally published 07/12/2010) - We all grew up hearing the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” As it turns out, this saying is based in truth. Eating more fruit really does make us healthier. Fresh fruits provide many benefits. Most fruits act as a natural laxative because they contain roughage and fiber. They are bursting with vitamins and minerals and are very low in sodium. The various bright colors of fruits are pigments called phytonutrients, which are extremely potent antioxidants and help protect your body against cancer-causing free radicals. Some fruits (tart cherries and apples especially) help reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The USDA recommends four to five servings of fruit per day. Whew! That’s a lot. Few of us manage to consume that much. There are supplements on the market, but you don’t get the same nutritional value as when you eat the fruit itself. And natural fruit is a great source of energy to keep you going throughout the day. To gain the most benefit from eating fruit, it’s best to eat a wide variety. Now, you can find almost any fruit you like all year long… But is it wise to buy that fruit? In America, strawberries ripen in the spring, watermelons in late summer. But the grocery store shelves have these items throughout the year because they are imported. More and more, food experts are advising us not to buy imported fruits and vegetables. Many of the countries where we get our fruits have very lax rules and regulations governing food production. Only a minuscule percentage of the imported shipments are inspected. Mike Doyle, director of The University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety says, “The FDA doesn’t have enough resources or control over this situation presently.” In an average month, the FDA detains about 850 shipments of imported foods for issues ranging from filth, to unsafe food coloring, to contamination with pesticides, to salmonella. And that’s with just 1.3% of the imports inspected. As for the other 98.7%, it’s simply not inspected, much less detained, and goes directly into our food supply. A safer approach is to buy U.S. grown fruits when they are in season… and something good is always in season. Instead of getting the exotic fruits (lychee and star fruit come from S.E. Asia), find new ways to incorporate the more familiar, home-grown fruits into your diet. For breakfast, your options are many. If you like pancakes, add mashed banana, shredded apples, or pureed pumpkin (which is technically a vegetable) to the batter. Do you have muffins or sweet breads with your eggs? When making the batter, stir in shredded or mashed fruits, raisins, dried cranberries, or even crushed pineapple. Make a smoothie with blueberries, strawberries, bananas and milk. Broil peach halves with a little cinnamon to have with breakfast. Whether you’re having a cold cereal or a bowl of hot cereal, add berries or sliced bananas. At lunch time, add pineapple tidbits to chicken salad or fold fruit into cottage cheese or yogurt. If you’re making a PB&J sandwich, add sliced bananas. Shred an apple into your coleslaw. Mid-afternoon, when you crave something to cut the hunger pangs, grab a piece of fresh fruit. Other choices include making a trail mix of mixed nuts and mixed dried fruits, eating a small container of applesauce, or dipping fresh fruit slices into a cream cheese dip or peanut butter. When you make the salad for dinner, use spring mix field greens and add sliced kiwi, berries, diced peaches or nectarines, mandarin oranges, melon balls, or whatever fruits are in season. Stuff pork tenderloin with dried apricots and prunes. Add grapes or orange slices to your baked chicken. Bake fish with lemon slices and serve topped with a fruit salsa. Top servings of ham with grilled pineapple slices. Add apples or dried cranberries to your yam dishes. Make pear sauce (same as applesauce but using pears instead of apples) as a side dish. Finally, don’t forget to incorporate fruit when it’s time for dessert. If you’re baking cookies, fold in raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dates and substitute applesauce for some of the butter called for in the recipe, or make banana cookies. Add thinly sliced peaches, apples, bananas, or blueberries or raisins to bread pudding. Stuff apples with a little brown sugar, raisins, and a drizzle of honey and bake. Kids love baked bananas—slice the banana in half, spread with peanut butter, honey and a sprinkling of chocolate chips; wrap in foil and bake. Top ice cream or a slice of gluten-free cake with strawberries or a fresh cherry topping. In the summer, make a fresh fruit bowl of assorted melons; add toasted coconut and toss with apricot nectar. Or put fresh fruit in a blender, add a little fruit juice, then freeze in cups for homemade popsicles. Gluten-Free Tropical Fruit Shake The recipe below is from the Gluten-free Low Carb 10-Day Menu. Ingredients: 1 ripe nectarine, pealed and pitted 2 tablespoons frozen pina colada mix (non alcoholic) 1/2 banana, frozen 4 strawberries, frozen 6 ice cubes 1-1/4 cups cold water Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Yield: 1 serving.

Mix together: 1 cup plain Yogurt 2 tablespoons cinnamon 1/3 cup Agave Nectar 1 cup walnuts Cube 2 each of Pink Lady and Granny Smith Apples Mix together with yogurt topping. Delicious!