Try bodacious burgers during National Burger Month

The Oakland Press printed an article about National Burger Month.

Any one burger sounds lovely, but expensive; check out the list.

But even if you can't afford a $15-$20 pound burger, all is not lost.

You can meet or exceed these burgers at home, with some expert help.

Permit me to point you in the direction of two of my favorite Food Network stars: Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay.

Both have serious burger "street cred." Bobby has hosted a grilling show on Food Network for a number of years. Featured on the Food Network site is a slideshow of Bobby's best burgers with links to the recipes ... and each one is a bit different.

Rachael's cookbooks and her magazine "Every Day with Rachael Ray" are full of great burger options, including healthier choices such as white chicken or turkey meat burgers.

One of the things she does well is to change up the size of her burgers; I love her appetizer-like takes on burgers. Check out this video for an example:
Mini Chipotle Burgers

Yes, I call Rachael and Bobby by their first names. That's because they've spent a lot of time in my living room and inspire me. I know good food, well-cooked, better than most restaurant food is obtainable in part due to watching their shows.

And Bobby, I don't squish my burgers down anymore to keep them from being too high in the center. I use your little trick of putting an indentation in the burger's center so when it puffs up, it's at the same level as the rest of the burger. Thanks for the tip!

Kudos to Whole Foods

 I was working out of town and staying at a friend's house. I did not have the constant Internet access I'm used to, and, unfortunately, the blog got short shrift. But I'm back!

And now for some news!

According to Enrivonmental Working Group (EWG), Whole Foods Market is the first national grocery chain that will require all genetically-engineered foods on its shelves to be labeled by 2018! Yes, even if only one ingredient in it is genetically engineered, it has to be listed. It's a great decision and I'm happy Whole Foods Market is taking action. I just wonder why the goal is five years from now. What do you think?

Review: Winning Gluten-Free Bread and Baked Goods

I miss breakfast biscuit sandwiches on the run. And I had about despaired of having a decent biscuit I didn't have to make myself. Well, if I can manage it; it's not something I've tried. 

And I still had yet to find a gluten-free bread I could eat with just butter without it first being toasted. That has changed.

Last weekend, I went to Ann Arbor, hitting both Hiller's Market and Whole Foods Market. I looked anxiously through the baked goods for great bread and/or biscuits and hit the jackpot. 

Rumi's Passion, a gluten-free bakery based in Plymouth, MI, is among the breads featured in Hiller's frozen gluten-free section. Finally, bread that's edible without toasting! It tastes like a cross between challah and Italian bread and makes fabulous sandwiches and bread "pizza."

A second time purchase was the Katz Bakery's gluten-free Chocolate Rugelech, another Hiller's purchase. Liberally spiced with cinnamon, it's good straight out of the box, but I prefer it warmed up for about 15 seconds.

I also tried Udi's Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls. They aren't Cinnabons, but few things are. They are quite acceptable, though a little less pliable than, say, the frosted cinnamon rolls you bake yourself in the oven.

Don't try the cinnamon rolls without using part of the frosting packet, because without it, they are not very sweet at all. With a light drizzle, though, they're quite acceptable. Not only that, but I think they'd make a rather decadent bread pudding.


Udi's Ancient Grains Omega Flax and Fiber Gluten-Free Bread, a Whole Foods purchase, is my preferred sandwich bread. Truthfully, I haven't tried it untoasted, but I like my sandwiches toasted anyway. Another bread I really enjoy is Rudi's Cinnamon Raisin Bread, which I generally buy at Kroger (it's in with the frozen natural foods). I toast it, though.  

Udi's White and Multigrain sandwich breads also are pretty good, and, on average, a dollar a loaf cheaper than Rudi's breads.

Last but not least, there are the gluten-free cheddar biscuits from Whole Foods' GlutenFree Bakehouse®. They're great alone and are probably my favorite of all these bready items; I think I'll be making a breakfast sandwich with them soon. I ate two in one sitting!

These items range in price from $5.29 to $7.99, comparable to goods in a regular bakery. They're mostly found frozen, though Whole Foods apparently does enough volume that I found three types of the Rudi's bread on a shelf adjacent to the bakery. 

If you aren't inclined to have the time, energy, or patience to buy and mix several flours to make your own bread or treats, all of these are good options.

Product Review: Arrowhead Mills and Bob's Red Mill: A Tale of Three Cereals

I've been trying a number of new products since I started my gluten-free journey. 

It is working. I've had overall less sinus/allergy problems and lost some weight without really counting calories. That and incorporating more exercise are the next step for me. 

I truly enjoyed Arrowhead Mills Maple Buckwheat Flakes: They stay a bit crunchy, even if you let them sit while you're getting coffee ready, etc. I also think they'd be a great substitute to crush and put on meat to "oven fry." (Usually, you would use something like Kellogg's Corn Flakes; however, that has barley in it, which is a no-no on a gluten-free diet.)

I wasn't quite as thrilled with the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Steel-Cut Oats. I cooked the oats for the amount of time specified on the package and they were still too crunchy for my taste (it states on the package not to microwave them, either, which is my usual modus operandi for making oatmeal ... what can I say: I'm impatient). I think they would be better cooked 10-20 minutes, versus the 10-12 minutes listed on the package. 

The reason I haven't tried that yet is because I have Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Rolled Oats. I did cook it in the microwave. It was done in about half the three-minute time given on the package. A caveat: cover and microwave the bowl in 30-second increments to avoid the overflow of oats I had. What was left, I really liked. I covered it but "nuked" for a minute 30 seconds, hence the oozing out of oats.

I hope these reviews are helpful to you and want to note that, in my area of Southeast Michigan, these products are at Whole Foods Market, Walmart and Kroger.

Gluten-Free Me, and 'Wheat Belly' Review

Everywhere I look or listen lately, there is someone, somewhere, who's going gluten-free. Celebrities and regular people alike, including the nice lady I met last year at Big Lots who works at the local YMCA.

My doctor and I discussed the idea due to my (rather vicious) allergies. They're at their peak now, when the goldenrod is in bloom (darned plants). She thinks it might help and I decided to give it a shot for three weeks.

Starting tomorrow, I am embarking upon "the great gluten-free experiment." As I have done extensive research and recipe trolling, I more or less know what I can eat.

I've also read Wheat Belly, by William Davis, M.D. which is a very scary read in some respects. But it also gives hope that people who do get the uber-processed wheat out of their systems, wheat that doesn't even resemble that of 50 years ago, will regain their health. 

The book goes into very technical (and exhaustive) detail that means you'll really have to focus, particularly if you haven't taken science in 25 or more years. If you can wade through it, though, you see the point. Dr. Davis has

used this plan with significant success to better the lives of his patients.

I don't agree with everything in it (for example, suggesting it's best to have no bacon at all), but, for someone struggling with either metabolic syndrome, a pre-diabetic condition or diabetes, it might just be what the doctor ordered. It can be purchased through Amazon or Barnes and Noble, as either a print or e-book.

If you know of a great gluten-free recipe you'd like me to try, please post it (or its URL) below.  I'm going to try and report on at least one recipe a week while I'm checking this out.

Product Review: In Praise of LÄRABAR, Post Cocoa Mole

I was sunk when my favorite LÄRABAR disappeared. I even went so far as to look up how to make my own Cocoa Mole bars, but so far I haven't done so. However, if you want to give it a shot, try these blog links: 

• Three More Big Bites 
• Frugal By Choice, Cheap by Necessity 
• Penniless Parenting 
•  52 Kitchen Adventures

Still, as time went on, I found other favorites, Banana Bread and Pecan Pie among them. (Both taste quite a bit like their sugar-laden counterparts.)

Whatever flavor you choose, I have learned it's best to only eat half a bar at once, unless you're using it as a meal replacement. (They're quite dense.)

One thing you can do is make your LÄRABARS into bite-sized treats. Roll them into tiny spheres and serve as a dainty appetizer to accompany savory cheese and crackers or various types of cheese cubes along with a veggie tray.

I think LÄRABARS are one of the best "healthy" desserts around, other than fresh fruit. Why? Because most of them are made solely of fruit, seasonings and nuts. If you hide the wrappers, your guests may mistake them for a fancy sweet truffle.

I usually buy them at Kroger, though you can buy them in bulk at Amazon as well.

It's Time for Fairs

Ah, fair and festival food: The vendors can and do try to put anything possible on a stick. Or fry it. 

Not exactly healthy. But in moderation, they can be enjoyed. And make sure to share that elephant ear with at least two other people!

Let me know if you find others, however, I've seen a few exceptions to the rule of unhealthy fair food, such as:

• Smoothies, if you get a small size 
• Tandoori-style chicken on a stick
• Chicken gyros
• Occasional dinner specials in the 4-H food tent