Thursday, August 19, 2010

Mmm ... Waffles.

Note: This is a food/product review, but I also discuss a soon-to-be-posted giveaway of Katz Gluten Free. Read on if you want. I talk about my love of waffles, after all. Enjoy!

I run several different blogs, and it's hard sometimes to figure out where exactly to post things like food giveaways and reviews. I typically rock my Gluten-Free Kosher Critic blog with all of the yumm GF and, well, kosher things I find, and I hope y'all will hop over and take a look because probably 7 out of 10 items that I review are good for the regular consuming public and not just for those of us who can't handle gluten. In fact, I'd venture to say that all of the food I review is tasty for just about anyone, not to mention healthier (gluten-free products tend to have less *stuff* in them).

I'm going to be throwing up a giveaway from Katz Gluten Free, purveyors of goodies like gluten-free rugelach and cupcakes and challah rolls (yes, they have oat challah rolls now!), which, to be honest, is a good giveaway for anyone because the products can easily be frozen and kept in your freezer until you get that "Oh, by the way, I'm gluten free" email from your Shabbos guest. So stay tuned for that giveaway, which, likely, will be cross-posted here because of my wider viewership here.

What I do want to write about, however, is waffles and maple syrup. Every morning I wake up, throw some Van's Gluten Free Waffles or French Toast into the toaster oven, put together some yogurt, and then douse my waffles or french toast in some syrup. Now, traditionally I use Cary's Sugar Free Syrup, which, at a quarter cup, runs only 30 calories, 0 sugars, and 0 basically everything else. But then you look at the ingredients: "Water, sorbitol, cellulose gum, natural and artificial maple flavor, salt, aspartame, citric acid, caramel color, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (As preservatives), acesulfame potassium. Phenylketonutics: Contains Phenylalanine."
I kind of want to chug from this jug. 

Yikes. That's a lot of *stuff* to be in something as simple as syrup, even at 30 calories, which makes it a good pairing with my somewhat high-calorie waffles.

Today, I received in the mail from the kind folks that make Log Cabin Maple Syrup a jug (no, seriously, it's in a little jug) of their new, all-natural syrup (which happens to be gluten free). It arrived just as I was throwing some Van's GF Apple Cinnamon Waffles in the oven, so I thought I'd give it a go. Now, my eyes nearly popped out while reading the nutritional information: 210 calories and 35 grams of sugar in a quarter cup! Yikes! But, wait a second. This product has no high fructose corn syrup, no fake sugars, no fat, and no preservatives (so be sure to put it in the fridge after opening). That means there's a balance, right?

Stuff versus all-natural.

I don't think I'll be eating the Log Cabin Maple Syrup every day at breakfast, but I will tell you this: It tastes amazing. I think I forgot what real maple syrup tastes like, I haven't eaten it in so long. It's sweet and creamy and absolutely tasty. Log Cabin has been making syrup for 120 years, so it makes sense that they know exactly what they're doing! I look forward to using this syrup in cooking, and I tend to use maple syrup a lot (mmm, sweet potatoes and butternut squash).

So, like all things, there will be balance. Me, Log Cabin, and Cary's. One big, happy, syruped family!