Gluten-free products were everywhere at Natural Products Expo West this year, the largest show of its kind in the world. The Anaheim Convention Center is the host site and the building is huge, but this show fills it up with nearly 60,000 people and over 3500 booths, featuring all of the items that you typically buy in a natural food store. When I first started attending back in the late 90’s, there were only a handful of gluten-free companies. Today, there were more new gluten-free products and companies than ever before.
Bob's Red Mill is one of many companies offering gluten-free products.
Of course, our long-time favorites were there such as Bob’s Red Mill (see the photo), Edward & Sons, Ener-G Foods, GlutenFreeda, Glutino, Kinnickinnick, Mary’s Gone Crackers, Orgran, Pamela’s, and Schar who continue to bring us wonderful gluten-free foods. I’m grateful to these companies for all they do for our gluten-free community.
Bet I bet you want to hear about the new things I saw. Here is a sampling:
Both Rudi’s and Udi’s unveiled new hotdog buns and hamburger buns; Rudi’s has a new pizza crust as well. Udi’s has new bread flavors: Millet Chia and Omega Salba.
Canyon Bakehouse had delicious breads and rolls, plus Focaccia. Delicious by Nature offers a new Focaccia Bread Mix and Tomato-Basil Breadstick Mix. Suzie’s new crackers look like Ritz crackers.
Perhaps one of my favorite new gluten-free foods: Asian dumplings by Feel Good Foods. Everyone raved about them. They are sold in the freezer section in a box rather than a bag and I’m going to search them out at the natural food store.
Delicious soups by Kettle Cuisine keep me going through the huge convention center; another good soup is by Boulder Soup Works.
Really healthy crackers by Dr. In the Kitchen’s Flackers and Mediterranean Snack’s Lentil Crackers were a hit.
Many, many cookies: Purely Elizabeth, Glow, Cofarro’s Biscotti, and Pamela’s new little bars. Lara’s has a new Blueberry Muffin flavor and Purefit continues to bring us healthy power bars.
If you like baking mixes, search out Mina’s Purely Divine for a variety of baked items. Smart Delights offers a Lemon-Bar Mix.
Coconut was everywhere: in coconut water, coconut syrup, coconut sugar, coconut cooking spray, coconut shortening, coconut buttery spread, and on and on, including mixes by XO Baking.
I was delighted to see Spectrum’s shortening now available in butter flavor since I think that makes a better-flavored pie crust.
WholeSoy yogurt, one of my favorite brands, now has unsweetened plain yogurt which is especially nice for savory cooking. Wildwood has had an unsweetened plain yogurt for some time and I love using it instead of the sweetened variety which doesn’t work very well savory dishes.
I love baked kale chips (look for a recipe in my forthcoming 125 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes) but now you can buy them by Rhythm, in a variety of flavors.
Occasionally, I find the rare ingredient that I love to experiment with. This year, it is grapeseed flour by Assured Organics. My sample should arrive soon and I can’t wait to see how it performs.
Justin’s now offers peanut butter/chocolate chips and they are fabulous.
Whole grains such as quinoa showed up in chocolate bars by Alter Eco.
Pleasant-tasting energy drinks by Svelte were quite nice, especially the chocolate flavor.
Many of these new products won’t be on store shelves for a few months; others might be there the next time you go grocery shopping. But if you don’t see the item, ask the store manager about it. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to get a products on the shelf is our requests.
