Aleia's Gluten Free Introduces a New Cookie!

Aleia's Oatmeal & Golden Raisin Cookie is Here!

Aleia's is ready to launch a new product to market; Aleia's Gluten Free Oatmeal & Golden Raisin Cookies.

The same great qualities you have come to love about  Aleia's products: our all natural ingredients, our handmade quality, the fact that they are made with no preservatives, they are certified gluten-free, kosher, and their delicious taste will all be found in our newest classic cookie: Aleia's Oatmeal & Golden Raisin.

Our oats are certified gluten-free! I am sure many of you have read up on all the controversy surrounding this grain but the bottom line is that numbers don't lie - I am referring to the R5 ELISA test that many gluten-free oat manufactures rely on to prove that there is no gluten proteins within their oats. Someone very wise once said, "Liars always figure, but figures never lie!"

The reason we decided to create this cookie was because of the availability of certified gluten free oats, the benefits of the oat grain in adding fiber to a gluten free diet, and the fact that it is our VP of Sales' favorite cookie!

So it is with great pleasure that we provide a Gluten Free Oatmeal & Golden Raising cookie to the public! Please stay tuned - next week we will be giving away 6 bags to all our lucky followers on Twitter and Facebook who answer our creative questions.

Panzanella Salad! Not your typical Salad!

Have you ever tried a Panzanella Salad?

FYI, I did not even know what it was before I asked Kim, our creator, to help me post a recipe for a spring inspired, crouton utilizing, health/funky salad for our blog. This distinctive Italian dish needs a lesson in being gluten-free; deemed a "bread salad" for its hearty base, our delicious version substitutes the bread with Aleia's Gluten Free Croutons, thus providing a gluten-free foundation for our Panzanella Salad.

Prep time: 15 min.
Inactive Prep Time: 30 min.
Skill Level Needed: Easy!
Serves: 12

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 bag of Aleia's Gluten Free Croutons 12 oz. (we make two varieties a Classic and a Parmesan)
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into one inch pieces
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and cut into one inch pieces
1/2 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
10 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

For the Vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, yellow pepper, red onion, and basil. Add the croutons and toss with the vinaigrette. Allow the salad to sit for about a half and hour - this will allow your flavors to party in your bowl and get all blended up! Give the salad one more mix before serving.

If you give this recipe a try and send us a picture and we will be happy to post it! Send your pictures to aleias@sbcglobal.net - put Panzanella Salad in the subject line.

Aleia's Supports Gluten Intolerance Group of Harrisburg, PA

Aleia's wants to move West in 2010! We recently connected with a fantastic woman in PA. Her name is Kristin Crump and she is an active member of the GIG (Gluten Intolerance Group) in Harrisburg PA. After tweeting and e-mailing for a few week, we offered Kristin a sample kit for her to taste, try, and give her feedback on our products. Kristin was just the woman for the job; she began networking with us and connecting us with the GIG group in Harrisburg. In the "Gluten Free For Life" Winter 2010, Volume 9 No. 1 edition Kristin wrote a product review for our Snickerdoodle Cookies! Here is what she wrote:

In case our scan of Kristin's article isn't as easy to read as we would have liked, let's do her article justice by re-typing it here for all of you to read.

"While visiting New York, I came across Aleia's Snickerdoodle Cookies in Whole Foods. So far, I've found them to the best gluten-free snickerdoodle I have tried. They are crisp but not hard and have a slight chewiness to them. They taste just like a regular snickerdoodle and go well with a nice cup of tea. There are 18 medium-large sized cookies in a bag for about $9.95 and they can be found online through Simpson & Vail at http://www.svtea.com/New-Food/products/139. There are other flavors available as well such as: Chocolate Chip, Almond Horn, Chocolate Coconut Macaroon, Ginger Snap, Peanut Butter and Coconut Macaroons.

Aleia's is expanding their distribution and is currently in talks with Garden Spot Distributors so hopefully they products will be available through the GIG gluten-free co-op soon! They have an amazing Italian bread crumbs product not yet available online that I hope will be online or available to us in Pennsylvania soon!

Aleia's is a gluten-free bakery based in Connecticut and all items are gluten-free, all natural, kosher certified and are manufactured in a gluten-free environment. There are no preservatives either, and they last seven months!

If you are traveling, you can also visit their website (www.aleias.com) to find locations of stores who offer their products."
-Kristin Crump

Earlier this month, Kristin helped host a Celiac 101 meeting at a Giant Supermarket location in PA. The group, GIG of Harrisburg PA, meets every month or so for different events and at this event they (all attendees) were all able to taste and try our Chocolate Chip and Almond Horn Cookies! Thank you Kristin Crump, GIG of Harrisburg, Giant Supermarkets and all those celiacs out there for buying and enjoying our products, and for YOUR SUPPORT!

A Review of our Products from a 6th Grader's Perspective

We always enjoy taste testing our products. This is the best way to find out the real scoop! So, we took the time to reach out to one of our toughest judges, FAMILY!

Sara Stanton is a cousin, and an eleven year old aspiring writer. We thought it would be a great idea to support her dreams while getting a 6th grader's honest opinion on our products. Her mission was to take her know-how of gluten and everything she knows to be delicious and yummy, and give us her opinions on an variety of Aleia's Gluten Free products.

Products to Review:

Plain Bread Crumbs

Parmesan Croutons

Peanut Butter Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Almond Horn Cookies

The Rating System:

1=Not So Good 2= Okay 3=Good 4=Very Good 5=Amazing

Plain Bread Crumbs: The breadcrumbs were a delight to try. They would make a very good topping for chicken, salad, pork chops, and even more probably. They even would taste good on their own, but I don't recommend doing that. So I have given these remarkable breadcrumbs a 4.

Parmesan Croutons: The Parmesan Croutons would tie a good salad together with a taste that will spark your tongue. This would be a good choice with anyone with a love for Parmesan and croutons. The rating that I have given these a 4.

Peanut Butter Cookies: The Peanut Butter Cookies have a strong peanut buttery taste to them, with a good stream of sugar on it. It will make the day of someone who loves peanut butter, as for me it wasn't my favorite. Also I'm really not a the peanut butter type anyway. So I give it a 3.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Chocolate Chip Cookie is a good crunchy, enjoyable cookie. The chocolate will melt away in your mouth as you chew in delight. That is the very reason I award this cookie with a 4.

Snickerdoodle Cookies: The Snickerdoodles have a strong, sweet taste. A couple of pinches of cinnamon make the Snickerdoodles come together to make the perfect combination for anyone that loves cinnamon and sugar. This is why I have given the wonderful cookie a 5.

Almond Horn Cookies: The Almond Horn cookie was a good, but very sweet cookie. The crunchiest almonds are found near the top. The almonds themselves have a sweet affect on people. I think anyone who loves sweet, crunchy, with almonds on top will defiantly enjoy the one of-a-kind Almond Horns. This is exactly why I have given them a perfect 4.

Thank you Sara for your detailed descriptions, opinions, and scores on Aleia's Gluten Free products. We are so happy that you felt our Snickerdoodles deserved a 5 (Amazing)! We may need your taste buds again someday soon!

The Only (and Best) Gluten Free Stuffing Mixes on the Market!

It is that time of the year again. Sales reports on last year's numbers are floating around the bakery's production floor. There is increased ordering of raw materials. Extra recipe cards and labels are stacked high in anticipation. This could only mean one thing... It is STUFFING SEASON at Aleia's!

I had the pleasure of joining the Aleia's team this time last year. So, with a year of wisdom and experience under my belt I am ready to spread the word on THE ONLY GLUTEN FREE STUFFING MIX on the market today! Orders have already started to be delivered! Look for both varieties -  Aleia's Plain Stuffing Mix and Aleia's Savory Stuffing Mix at a favorite retail store near you! Not sure where to find us?  Look on our website,   http://www.aleias.com/, for retail locations and online sources!

Here are two delicious ways of turning our gluten free stuffing mixes into your family's favorite holiday stuffing!

Gluten Free Savory Stuffing

Oven Baked Stuffing
Ingredients:
1 bag (12oz) Aleia’s Gluten Free Savory Stuffing
½ onion medium dice (about ½ cup)
2 ribs celery medium dice (about 1 cup)
1 large carrot medium dice (about ½ cup)
6 tablespoons of butter
2 cups gluten free chicken stock

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. In a large skillet pan, medium
heat, melt butter, add onions, celery and carrots.
Sauté until vegetables are tender. Add stock, bring
to a boil then remove the pan from the heat. Place
stuffing mix into a large bowl, pour mixture from
pan over stuffing. Toss lightly until well mixed. Spoon
the mixture into a greased casserole dish. Cover
with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until hot. For a crispy
top, remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional
10 minutes.

Serves 6

Gluten Free Plain Stuffing

Oven Baked Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 bag (12oz) Aleia’s Gluten Free Plain Stuffing

½ onion medium dice (about ½ cup)

2 ribs celery medium dice (about 1 cup)

1 large carrot medium dice (about ½ cup)

6 tablespoons of butter

2 cups gluten free chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

Heat oven to 350˚F. In a large skillet pan, medium

heat, melt butter, add onions, celery, carrots, salt

and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are tender. Add stock,

bring to a boil then remove the pan from the heat. Place

stuffing mix into a large bowl, pour mixture from

pan over stuffing. Toss lightly until well mixed. Spoon

the mixture into a greased casserole dish. Cover

with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until hot. For a crispy

top, remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional

10 minutes.

Serves 6

Make it even more delicious!

Savory Herb Stuffing: add 1 teaspoon dried thyme
leaves and 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves

Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing: add 1 cup sliced mushrooms to the vegetables during cooking. Stir ½ pound cooked and crumbled gluten free sausage into the mixture

Cranberry and Pecan Stuffing: Stir 1/2 cup each of dried cranberries and chopped pecans into the mixture

Buy Our Cookies Online!

BREAKING NEWS!

You can NOW buy our cookies online!
Aleia's Gluten Free and Simspon & Vail have partnered to bring you our entire line of delicious, all natural, gluten-free cookies!

Visit their website
http://www.svtea.com/New-Food/products/139/

 and contact them here!
http://www.svtea.com/contactus.asp

A Gluten Free Labor Day Weekend!

This weekend we traveled to Tiverton, RI to visit one of our fantastic customers and help her celebrate her two-year anniversary! The name of her specialty store is Healthy Haven, and it is just that, a haven of specialty  foods for people with food allergies and intolerances.

Although the celebration was small, with about 60 visitors throughout the day and it was a blast! We truly enjoy talking with our customers and with people who have either never tried our products or are loyal customers that can now put a face to the Aleia's brand.

Some other vendors that we met there were the creators of Little Bay Baking Co. We purchased two of their mixes and cannot wait to bake them up with a few friends that are gluten free and casein free.

We also had the pleasure of meeting the Nut Lady. She makes fantastic gourmet almonds, walnuts and pecans that are baked to perfection! A great treat on any salad or just by themselves.

Our wonderful day ended with a treat from Kathy...lunch at Alice's Diner  in Fall River, Massachusets. Open for breakfast and lunch, Alice's also offers its customers, gluten free options.  Thank you Kathy for being such a gracious host and for having us at this great event!