GLOW Mango Curry Gingersnap Ice Cream Sammiches

I'm a blabbermouth. In school, without fail, my report cards came home with notes from teachers about how I was very bright but talkative to the point of being disruptive. My parents were mostly concerned with my grades and since those were always top notch, they never felt much need to squelch my social nature. I still talk. A lot. About everything. I have strong opinions and when I find something I like or something I dislike, people are going to hear about it.
I found something I like. I like it a lot. I think I might even LOVE it.

I found Glow Gluten Free cookies. They are not bland, or sandy or dry or earthy, or stick-in-your-teethy or off in any way whatsoever. I have tried a lot of gluten free cookies and I have not reviewed them here because one thing my parents did attempt to impart to me through my years of disruptive babbling was that if you don't have anything nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all. So there. Even the very best gluten-free cookies were still good GLUTEN-FREE cookies. These are just good cookies. I would even venture so far as to say these are some of the best packaged cookies I have EVER had. I have to hide them from my non-G-Free Sous Chef and he is a cookie aficionado.

Glow cookies come in four flavors: Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate Chip and Gingersnap. I have never been a fan of gingersnap cookies but I love Glow cookies so much that I was determined to eat every last morsel of every flavor. I decided that I needed something creamy and flavorful to balance out the spiciness of the ginger. I came up with the idea of making ice cream sandwiches using the gingersnaps and homemade mango curry ice cream. The result was catastrophically delicious. I must urge ALL of you out there to not only GET THEE TO LOCALI (or go online) AND BUY SOME GLOW COOKIES but also to MAKE THIS RECIPE ASAP!

Mango Curry Ice Cream Sandwiches

- 6 egg yolks
- 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- juice of one small lemon
- 2 tsp sweet yellow curry powder
- 2 1/2 cups mango puree (I used 10 very ripe Ataulfo Mexican mangoes)

Peel the mangoes then cut them into chunks and puree in blender or food processor until smooth.

Strain through mesh strainer if puree is lumpy or stringy. Set puree aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the yolks and sugar until smooth.

 Heat the cream in a saucepan to just below boiling.

Temper the eggs by whisking a cup of the hot cream VERY slowly into the egg mixture. Once you've brought them up to temperature, add the tempered eggs to the cream mixture.

Gently heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring often. The mixture will begin to thicken. Continue heating until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat immediately and whisk the mixture for a minute to stop the custard from cooking. Whisk in the curry powder. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a metal bowl set over an ice bath.

Stir in the vanilla and mango puree.

 Place the liquid, still in the ice bath into the refrigerator. When it's completely cold, pour it into ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions.

When the ice cream is ready, scoop into a plastic container and freeze for at least a few hours to harden.

Scoop one large scoop of ice cream onto a gingersnap and place another gingersnap on top. Smoosh slightly then place in a zipper freezer bag and freeze overnight (this softens the cookie just slightly and keeps the sandwich together better when you eat it.) Enjoy with a glass of ice cold milk, soy milk or almond milk. Cry from happiness.

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Review: Locali

 This weekend I had the supreme pleasure of finding a new hidden gem in the gluten clogged landscape that is Los Angeles. The gem is called Locali. Now I liked this place right off the bat - anything with "Cali" in it has to be good and if you break it into two words, it sounds like I am being discovered: "Lo, Callie!"

I came across this magical wonderland through Groupon. Groupon is a website/daily e-mail that offers coupons for things to do in LA and other cities (restaurants, events, discounts at stores, etc.) The way it works is that a certain number of people have to agree to buy it for it to be valid. If enough people sign up to purchase each day's Groupon, everyone who signed up for it gets it, if not enough people do, no one gets it. So far I have bought some awesome things at great discounts including massages and yoga and pilates classes. I also got a $30 gift certificate to Locali for $15. Sorry for the rambling infomercial-esque explanation but the great deal I got made me love Locali all the more.

When I got the Groupon e-mail I glanced at Locali's website and saw that they seemed to basically be a deli/cafe that offered gluten-free options. That was enough for me. I bought it and have been holding onto it for a few months. Locali isn't exactly in my neighborhood but that won't stop me from frequenting it in the future. When I finally hauled my butt over there, I was impressed as soon as I walked in the door.

It's a tiny place but it's packed to the brim with all kinds of goodies. Not just any goodies, gluten free goodies! Donuts! Cookies! Pizza Dough! Pasta!

 They even purvey vegan goodies for you crazy kids who go nuts for the daiya cheese and chia seeds! I was like a kid in a candy store. This place is not just some deli/cafe; it's a fully stocked haven for anyone with dietary restrictions. They even sell hooch! Gluten free hooch! My sous chef and I were not there for hooch though, we were there for lunch so we perused their lengthy sandwich/salad/soup menu and made our choices.

I got The Peaceful Warrior Sandwich (on G-FREE bread!!!) It was a herbed turkey sandwich with arugula, red bell pepper, swiss cheese, mango chutney and a curry spread. It was the bomb dot com.

MQ got a tuna salad wrap with some tasty balsamic dressing.

 We both picked crazy sodas from the massive beverage selection. 

I got some stawberry buttermilk(!) ice cream for dessert and MQ had an avocado vanilla ice pop from The Popshop (more about these in a future post. Love 'em.)

I also picked up some Glow Gluten Free cookies for the road. I had heard good things and couldn't wait to try them (they rocked my socks.)

We settled in at one of two alfresco tables in front of the store and dug into our meals. We were happy campers. That is probably an understatement for me.

I was giddy. The sandwich was phenomenal and I felt great knowing everything was organic and humanely raised (Food, Inc. has ruined me!) That fact means the prices are a bit steep but they aren't more than you would expect and with the Groupon deal, we made out like bandits.

I will wrap up this post by saying, my effusive review may leave some of you crafty readers smelling a rat but I swear that I have not been given any compensation in return for these words. I just get overly excited when I can share such a great discovery with people who I know will cherish it as much as I do. If you have any dietary restrictions or you just like really tasty, eco-conscious food: get thee to Locali! And please bring me back a sandwich. And some cookies. And doughnuts.

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Product Review: Mixes from the Heartland Microwave Brownies

 A couple of months ago I got an e-mail from a representative of a company called Mixes from the Heartland. They make and sell gluten-free mixes and wondered if I'd be willing to test some products. As a lover of all things free and gluten free, I was elated! I said I'd be happy to try their product and promptly sent them my address. I didn't hear anything back so I was surprised and thrilled when a big old box of gluten free goodies arrived on my doorstep about a week later. The box had a bunch of different mixes in it. I've tried the lime pound cake, roasted red pepper garlic dip and chicken noodle soup but my favorite item so far is the microwave brownie mix.

 Baking gluten free can be a real headache. If you want to bake from scratch you need lots of different flours, xanthan gum, scales and good, tried and true recipes. Even with those things there can be a lot of trial and error involved. Since I fancy myself more of a cook than I baker, I have been satisfied to use mixes and pre-mixed flours. There are many gluten free peeps out there who have embraced the garbanzo bean flour and almond meal but I am not there yet. For now, mixes that take minutes to prepare and turn out consistent results are my saviors. The one attempt I made at Gluten Free Girl's "David Leite's Chocolate Chip Cookie" adaptation ended up tasting like sodden grass clippings. I blamed the amaranth flour and gave up on trying to bake my own treats. That debacle just highlights how easy Mixes from the Heartland makes things for gluten free cooks like me.

 The microwave brownie mix required just butter, eggs, milk, a pyrex dish and the microwave. In no time I had steaming, soft, chocolaty brownies ready to top with ice cream and a little goats milk dulce de leche.

 I would certainly recommend this mix, especially for those new to the gluten free landscape. Sometimes a little comfort food can go a really long way.

Check out Mixes from the Heartland, they have a HUGE selection of tasty, safe and easy to make foods for Celiacs and those with gluten intolerance.

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