Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Favorite Products: October 2015

As October gracefully makes its final bow, it's a bittersweet time, because fall is finally giving way to winter. While I absolutely love both seasons, I will miss the golden afternoons and extra hours of daylight that signify autumn in Maryland.

This month, the four products that caught my eye definitely have a lot of variety, coming from brands both familiar and new to me. What all these products have in common, however, is that they not only taste good, but are good for you. Boosting health conscious attributes such as allergen-friendliness, non-GMO status, or a focus on real ingredients, each proves that eating well does not have to be a compromise.

Falafelicious Review

Update 12/28/15: Falafelicious has closed for the winter. Check their Facebook page for updates as to their spring reopening.

I am admittedly a huge fan of ethnic food and have been bummed out by a lack of accessible falafel-serving establishments in the Baltimore area. Since falling head over heels for the middle eastern delicacy earlier this year, falafel has become a staple of my diet in a pretty big way. 

With midterms keeping me on campus for the past few weeks, I have been itching to branch out and explore new restaurants in the Baltimore area. Luckily, a free Thursday afternoon, perfect fall weather, and the discovery of newly-opened Falalfelicious in Canton Crossing coincided to allow me to get off campus for a couple hours and break my restaurant review drought. As you soon will see, it was a perfect opportunity to mix it up and break my routine.

Paleo Pumpkin Pie Recipe

This time of year is my very favorite in terms of seasonal flavors. Pumpkin, apples, spices, and other fall-inspired flavors surround us and make the onset of winter weather a little less intimidating. 

Although I totally do not mind splurging on pumpkin pies from local bakeries, I definitely do not have the budget to buy them at the rate I wish I could.

Realizing that my only alternative was to learn how to make a pie for myself, off I headed to Amazon in search of a pie pan to add to my ever-increasing stock of cooking supplies. When I bake from a recipe, I like to lean towards paleo or grain-free ones, as it allows me to make recipes that have a lower sugar profile and higher protein profile. After some searching, I found a recipe that caught my eye, and decided to put it to the test.

Among Friends Baking Mixes Review and Flash Giveaway

This time of year is my favorite, as it signals the start to the season of festivity that lasts through the new year.

With Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the winter holidays coming up, cooler weather and a celebratory air brings a new-found appreciation for the simple pleasure of a fresh from the oven cookies. 

After falling in love with Among Friends' chocolate chip cookie mix at Expo East last month, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to check out some of their other offerings. Luckily, I came home with three mixes to put to the test in my dorm kitchen, and each had it's own unique taste that set it apart from the myriad of mixes I have encountered before.

Daiya Cheezy Mac Review

As a college student who cannot have gluten or dairy, I have had to miss out on one of the greatest indulgences of college life: macaroni and cheese.

While I certainly have found plenty of other delicious foods to fuel late night study sessions and finals week madness, there's truly no equal replacement for mac and cheese that I have found in my many years sans gluten and dairy. 

Luckily, the food wizards over at Daiya set out to prove to the world that a macaroni and cheese without "normal" noodles and "normal" cheese can be everything I have been craving and so much more. 

Without giving too much away, I can say that all three varieties of cheezy mac totally rocked my world and are definitely a must-have pantry item for kids of all ages (adults too)! 

Kite Hill Yogurt Review

My relationship with non-dairy yogurt has been rocky at best over the past several years. When I first realized that dairy products were problematic for me, yogurt was an essential part of my diet. I transitioned to lactose-free yogurt, which continued to make me sick, and later tried a variety of dairy-free varieties which were- to be perfectly honest- absolutely disgusting. 

Luckily, the geniuses over at Kite Hill have endeavored to change the dairy-free status quo by engineering products that are just as good (if not better) than their dairy-laden counterparts. I've fallen in love with their incredible cream cheeses (see that review here) and was super excited to hear that their latest product is almondmilk yogurt. Thrilled by finally spotting them at the Whole Foods in Columbia, MD a question lingered in my mind: could this really be the perfect non-dairy yogurt I've been waiting for? All I can say is read on dear readers, read on. 

Umami Global Bistro Review

Okay, I know my recent review line up has been very product heavy. With my academic workload piling up and the massive (but amazing) ordeal of Expo East over the last few weeks, I haven't had the time to check out the restaurants on my wish list. 

Luckily, my mom came to visit last week, which allowed me to enjoy 72 hours of temporary freedom, as together we crazily ran around the city to help me stock up at Costco, Whole Foods, and Wegmans, three stores that are harder to get to on my own. 

Although the visit was short, I made sure to budget enough time to check out Umami Global Bistro in Catonsville, a restaurant that's been on my radar for awhile now. Drawn in by their many gluten-free and vegan offerings, I admit that I had pretty high expectations, given my previous experience with other excellent ethnic restaurants. Without giving away too many spoilers, I can confirm that Umami totally met and exceeded every one of those expectations.