From June 7th – June 15th, they are inviting foodies of all sorts to show off their most creative and delicious gluten-free wrap recipes.  The winner of the “Rudi’’s Gluten-Free Wrap Star Recipe Contest” will win a 3-month supply of Rudi’s Gluten-Free products + a “Kitchen Prize Pack!” (value of approximately $135 – see picture below). We’ll also award the “runner-up” recipe winner a 2-month supply of Rudi’s Gluten-Free products.

The rules to enter are simple and they are looking for creativity! All recipes must:

•             Feature Rudi’s Gluten-Free Tortillas

•             Be Original

•             Include a photo of the finished recipe

Check out the Rudi’s facebook contest today.

Gaslamp Popcorn began in the Historic Gaslamp District of San Diego in 1998.  Gaslamp Popcorn is made like it would have been in simpler times: in small batches with natural ingredients.  Popcorn, sugar, canola oil, and sea salt are the only ingredients in the kettle corn.  Simple and wonderful, that’s what Gaslamp’s made of.

Even the Authentic White Cheddar has very few ingredients, compared to most cheddar-flavored popcorn or chips.  It is absolutely covered in cheesy goodness.  It says “sprinkled with cheesy goodness” on the package, but don’t believe it, unless you understand how my son Braden “sprinkles” cheese on his pasta.  I think “lovingly smothered” is a better description.  And it tastes like real cheese because it IS real cheese.  Novel concept, huh?  ;)

You see that caramel decadence?

Let’s face it.  It’s candy.  It is covered in so much caramel.  I mean, that’s the way it’s supposed to be, right?  But this caramel has a little twist.  Its dance partner is cinnamon, and they go beautifully together.

For those of you who are snackaholics, be forewarned.  These are not dinky-sized bags.  You should probably pour some into a bowl before sitting down to snack.  It is so good, you’ll not want to stop eating it.  I can’t wait to see what new flavors Gaslamp will come up with next.

These products were sent to me on behalf of Gaslamp Popcorn, for the purpose of sampling and possible review.

I bet 90% of you are thinking “what in the heck is a spurtle?”

From Bob’s Red Mill:

Just what is a spurtle, anyway? A spurtle is a Scottish kitchen tool dating back to the 15th century. It’s a rod-like instrument that is traditionally used to stir porridge and prevent it from becoming lumpy. Tradition calls for using a spurtle only with your right hand and only in a clockwise direction-otherwise, you risk invoking evil spirits and bringing on bad luck.

Back in 2009, Bob’s Red Mill sent me a wooden spurtle to celebrate their win of the Golden Spurtle in Scotland.  I’m sad to say I’ve never used it before, but I definitely have a reason to now.

Bob’s Red Mill is holding its 3rd annual Spar for the Spurtle contest.  Three finalists will be flown to Portland, Oregon to compete in a live cook-off, and the winner gets a trip for two to Scotland to represent Bob’s Red Mill in the annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship.  In case you weren’t paying attention, that’s a trip to SCOTLAND!  Sign me up.

So what do you have to do?

Make a short (less than 3 minutes) video detailing your original porridge recipe using Bob’s Steel Cut Oats (and yes, they make gluten-free steel cut oats!).  Make sure you’ve followed the rules and have it posted before July 22nd (uploaded to YouTube, and submit through the Spar for the Spurtle entry page).

To encourage you to spar for the spurtle, Bob’s Red Mill is doing a giveaway here at Delightfully Gluten Free!

The first 5 people to create their video, upload it, and email me (delightfullyglutenfree AT gmail DOT com) the link will receive a gift pack from Bob’s Red Mill containing GF steel cut oats, GF pancake mix, GF brownie mix, and GF muesli!

So get started creating and videoing those recipes!  Wouldn’t it be awesome if the winner of the Spar for the Spurtle contest, the one who gets to go to Scotland and represent Bob’s Red Mill, used the gluten-free oats???

Now, obviously, this cake was extremely important to Carter. I usually like to go with what I know for parties, but I just couldn’t resist.

Did you know that carrot cake was “invented” during WWII because of the flour and sugar rationing? Yet these days, carrot cake is bursting with sugar and flour. Not so, in this cookbook.

I was a bit worried throughout, as it was one little thing after another. First, it calls for using a springform pan. Unfortunately, mine are in a box, on the bottom of a stack of boxes, at the back of a whole bunch of boxes. We’re a few weeks late (and counting) on our move.  Thankfully, I hadn’t packed my regular round cake pans yet, mostly because I just didn’t see them in the lower cupboard.

The carrot cake recipe in this cookbook is quite different because it is not packed with flour and sugar.  It has orange peel and ginger, two ingredients I’ve not often seen in any carrot cake.  It does require a moderate level of skill in the kitchen, as you must beat the egg whites stiff and fold them into the batter.  Not terribly difficult, but it can be frustrating if you don’t know what to do (don’t worry – most of the other recipes are much easier).  It does produce a wonderfully light cake, though.

On the carrot cake recipe, when it says use a springform pan, it means it.  Even though I had oiled the pan thoroughly, I still had to work an icing spatula under the cake to remove it from the pan.

I made a cream cheese frosting (which, for me, is more like a sweetened cream cheese and less like a frosting) for the cake.  I was bone tired, so, for decoration, I added a little sugar to the rest of the grated carrots and fashioned a “7″ on the top of the cake.  I expected strange looks, but everyone loved it.  In fact, the cake was such a hit that my mom has requested it for her birthday…next May and my brother requested I make one again very soon.  The ginger gave just a bit of a zing and the orange peel added a little extra dimension.  The cake was completely gone.

There are many recipes in The Big Book of Gluten-Free Recipes that I look forward to making, like Quinoa Angel Hair with Bolognese Sauce, Pull-Apart Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits, and Luscious Ricotta Griddle Cakes.

But for now, Happy Birthday to my little man!

To encourage you to shop at Kroger, MyBlog Spark is offering a $25 gift card to Kroger for one lucky reader.  To enter, just comment on this post about your favorite thing about Kroger (or if you’ve never been, then what you might expect to find).  For instance, our favorite things about Kroger are they usually have really great produce and there are little shopping carts perfect for small children to push.

This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only and will close at 9:00 p.m. central on Saturday, June 15, 2013.

The information and prize pack have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

My friend Monica turned me on to Boulder Canyon chips a few years ago, even getting me hooked on the hummus chips (and, at the time, I couldn’t stand hummus – these chips are sole reason I ever started eating hummus).

My absolute favorite Boulder Canyon chips are the Chipotle Cheese Adzuki bean chips.  My family has polished off a Costco-sized bag in a matter of hours before at a party.  The Natural Salt variety of the rice and adzuki bean chips is not quite what I expected.  A hint of cumin and chili flakes gives them just a bit of spice – not enough to scare people off, but enough to be different than your typical “plain” salted chips.

A couple of weeks ago, we used the Parmesan and Garlic potato chips to make baked mozzarella sticks and they were so good.  (Psst – I didn’t use any sort of flour or seasonings; just cheese sticks, egg, and potato chips.)  The potato chips stay on better if the pieces are really small, if you use a food processor, but the kids have fun smashing the chips into bits and that works fine, too.

To celebrate Boulder Canyon receiving their gluten-free certification, as well as the end of Celiac Awareness Month, they are offering a giveaway!  Three lucky winners will each receive 3 coupons for free Boulder Canyon products!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post.  Tell me something you love about chips!

This contest is open to U.S. addresses and will close at 9:00 p.m. central on Saturday, June 15, 2013.

Today, you can find quinoa everywhere.  It has made its way through the fancy restaurants into the mid-scale restaurants.  You can buy big bags at Costco or Sam’s for the same price as a tiny bag at the health food store 4 or 5 years ago.  The Regional Office for Latin America and The Carribbean at the United Nations has declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa.

Quinoa has arrived.

If you don’t know what quinoa is, you are missing out.  Quinoa was referred to as “the mother of all grains” by the Andean peoples of South America.  It is the only whole grain that is a complete source of protein, containing all nine essential amino acids (which, if you have forgotten from long ago classes, means your body doesn’t make them so you have to eat them to get them).  Incan warriors were powered by quinoa.

i heart keenwah sent me some samples of their Ginger Peanut quinoa clusters snacks.

Ginger Peanut reminds me of eating at a Thai Restaurant, because that’s one of the few places I’ve had ginger and peanut feature prominently together.  Sometimes, you get a little more ginger than others and get a bit of a zip.  :)  It has a little bit of a flavor reminiscent of sesame seeds, though there are none.  These are small, hard clusters, much like a nut cluster.  They are full of different forms of organic quinoa: whole grain quinoa, quinoa flakes, and quinoa crisps.  All natural, tasty and flavorful, as well as healthy.  I guess I’ll join the ranks and say “i heart keenwah”, too.

LUNA wants to help you practice healthy workplace snacking with the “Feed Your Strength…At Work!” Facebook contest.  Through June 30th, you can upload a picture of you and your coworkers and a little write-up about how you are making work a healthier, happier place, and you will be entered to win a vending machine for your workplace stocked with LUNA snacks, including the gluten-free protein bars.

Two new-to-me flavors of the LUNA protein bars are Chocolate and Chocolate Cherry.  The chocolate cherry is like a distant cousin to a cherry cordial – none of that crazy sweetness (or runny gooey stuff), but with both flavors melding and working together.  Sometimes the cherry flavor is stronger and sometimes the chocolate, and it changes as you chew.  This is a great bar to chew slowly and savor the differences in the flavors.

The Chocolate LUNA Protein Bar almost belongs in the candy aisle.  It’s sweet enough, chocolate enough, and full of nougat-y chewy goodness to satisfy a chocolate craving.  I almost feel slightly guilty for eating it.  :)For our Delightfully Gluten Free readers, LUNA is sponsoring a giveaway here, too.  One lucky winner will receive their flavor choice of 3 boxes of LUNA protein bars.  Yes, that’s 3 boxes of LUNA protein bars!

To enter the DGF giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post about what you do at work to be healthy.  For example, we teach physical education classes for undergraduates, and spend entire semesters exercising and talking about health, fitness, and nutrition.

This giveaway on Delightfully Gluten Free is open to U.S. addresses and will close at 9:00 p.m. central on Friday, June 14, 2013.

The LUNA facebook contest closes on June 30th.

Want to know about the other flavors?  Check out my previous LUNA protein bar review (from last May).  Enjoy!  :)

For those of you who love El’s Gluten-Free Medleys, you’ll be excited to know that their bagel chips now come as a stand-alone product.  They recently sent me some of the Cinnamon & Sugar Snaps bagel chips to try.

They really aren’t very sweet, despite the sugar part of the name(there’s definitely not sugar sitting on the bagel chips.  The molasses in the bagels gives a deeper taste to the cinnamon with a hint of the exotic.  These little snacks are completely crispy, free of the top 8 allergens, have 100 calories per serving (if you can put the bag down), and even have some fiber.

I’m having a hard time putting away the bag, even though I had plenty of dinner.  :)

El’s Snaps also come in Simply Sea Salt and Garlic & Herbs.

As for El herself, she is a wonderfully nice woman.  I met her in person at a gluten-free food fair awhile back and have seen her at a few since.  She makes me smile just being around her.

If you haven’t been introduced to the medleys, you can check out my original post and one on some different flavors.  You may find a new favorite snack.

Today, in our house, we have taken time to discuss Memorial Day, what it means, and who we honor.  Personally, we honor my uncle, who died in a war long before I was born.

Enjoy your gluten-free holiday, with a huge helping of gratitude.

From the Vietnam Memorial Wall