Gluten-Free Review: Viva la Campagna! (con pancakes!)

The coast ranges of Central Oregon don't really have much in common with the coast ranges of Italy's Campagna. More maples and pines, not so many olives and cedars. But we found Campagna Gourmet's delectable Olive and Sundried Tomato Pesto at a country farm stand on the main road from Salem (not Salerno) to Pacific City, and snagged a jar for beach picnicking.

... Which we totally forgot to do. As I was putting away some of the last bits from the wedding trip (read: The "Where the heck are we going to put this?!" boxes) I spied the jar, along with a Hot Pepper Jelly (from the same company) we picked up at the same time.

Pestos are usually loaded with Parmesan cheese, so finding a vegan pesto is always a bonus. The texture is spot-on. It has a smooth yet coarse mouth feel, with just the right amount of oiliness, and little flavor bursts from the herbs.

As a spread, though, the richness of the sundried tomatoes and the oily delight of the olives is overwhelmed by the salt content. Unfortunately, it's just too salty. What this product is perfectly suited for is blending; it would be an exquisite base for puttanesca sauce, or folded into hummous for a flavor boost.

I love savoury pancakes, and the pesto makes a perfect addition (as well as a garnish). Normally my savoury pancakes are full of veggies in varying combinations, but in the interest of letting the pesto take the spotlight, I've simply added some fresh tomatoes and chopped sweet onions. I used amaranth and millet from my bulk grain jars, coarse-milled just before cooking in my coffee grinder for maximum freshness! :)

The pesto adds an intense depth to these rustic cakes, set off by the sweetness of the onions and tomatoes. The kale, with its dark, bitter overtones, is the perfect complement.


Campagna Pancakes

2/3 cup millet flour
2/3 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1 1/4 cups unsweetened soymilk
1/4 cup Campagna Olive and Sundried Tomato Pesto
2 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced (into little half-moons)
1/4 sweet onion, chopped
1 small bunch of basil, chopped

Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Fold in soymilk and mix thoroughly. Then, add Campagna (I just like saying it - say it with me now: Caaampaagnaaa) Pesto, tomatoes, basil, and chopped onion.

Dip a 1/4 cup measure into the batter and pour into a large frying pan over medium heat (about three per batch). Cook on one side until the bubbles pop and batter doesn't sink back in.

When the down side arrives at a nice dark golden brown, flip! When the second side reaches the same color, go ahead and take 'em out. Next round...

Be sure to serve them hot and crispy, as they lose that nice texture after sitting a while. If you must let them stand, try putting them on a wire grate rather than a platter.

Garnish with chiffonaded basil, a dollop of the pesto and some simple kale (below). Makes about 18 pancakes.

Simple Kale

1/4 sweet onion, chopped
6 kale leaves, stemmed & chopped
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying

In a pan, warm oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until golden. Toss in kale leaves, lemon juice and vinegar, and saute for about a minute, just until the kale brightens in color. Transfer to a bowl to prevent overcooking.

Gluten-Free Review: Veggie Chips!

This is the first of a new series of posts that I'll be doing here, reviewing gluten-free vegan products for your eating pleasure!

We just got back from the Natural Products Expo (in Disneylicious Anaheim, CA), where we wandered through a gigantic convention center packed full of items ranging from organic food to eco-friendly fashion. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to share some of my favorite foodie finds, and give you the scoop on some of the best new gluten-free products.

For our first food foray, we'll be starting with a nibble:

Veggie Chips from Good Health Natural Products

I was rather surprised by the little snack-bag that Jeremy had found for me. I hadn't managed to find their booth myself, and after seeing so many aisles of gluten-heavy vegan meats, breads, and cookies, I cast a suspicious eye on this dainty bag of inviting vegetables. I wasn't expecting much, to be honest, because most "vegetable chips" have either wheat flour or whey protein*, but after reading the label and finding neither hide nor hair of said ingredients, I popped the bag open.

As you can see in the picture, the chips come in three flavours (with their respective colours): plain potato, tomato, and spinach. I tried the potato first, and was quite pleased - crisp, crunchy, and not heavy at all. It's airy enough that it didn't stick in my teeth (like most chips do). Next was the tomato flavour, which was tasty, but a bit too subtle (I'm a tomato fiend). Finally, the spinach. Ding! Just enough spinach to be pronounced without being overpowering. I think I could eat a whole full-size bag of the spinach chips in one sitting.

I would definitely recommend these if you like chips but don't like feeling weighed-down or greasy afterward. Watch out for the Veggie Stix though: they have wheat starch, unfortunately.

*I just have a quick thought I'd like to touch on. Why is it that companies feel the need to sneak dairy products into things like chips? I can understand if they're cheese-flavoured, but why flavors like salsa or barbeque that don't actually contain dairy? I was going through the Veggie Chip company's product list, and it really blindsided me to find whey and buttermilk in their "Chilean Lime" potato chips with avocado oil, and almost all of their polenta chips had either buttermilk or wheat. However, if their other gluten-free vegan products are anything like the Veggie Chips, then I won't hesitate to try them too! They do have a pretty decent range of GF vegan chips and popcorn. :)