Review: Against the Grain Bagels

OK, I'll admit it. My hubby and I are total suckers for gluten-free products that look good. That's why, the first time we checked out Paradise Natural Foods on Western Ave, we acted like kids in a candy store in front of the freezer. There were all sorts of yummy-looking gluten free foods, including frozen bagels made by a company called Against the Grain Gourmet.

The bagels were slightly smaller than the huge bagels you can find in bakeries, but they were a decent size and looked really appetizing. We brought them home, nuked and toasted the bagels according to the directions on the package, and dug in!

Now, at first glance I have to say we were dismayed - the inside of each bagel looked like a crater! There was a lot of empty, hollow space inside the bagel. Still, the bagels smelled good, so we shrugged it off and spread fresh butter on the bagels. And I have to say, they were absolutely delicious. I thought the consistency was more like a croissant than a bagel, but the bagels just melt in your mouth.

Given the consistency of the bagels, one bagel by itself probably isn't enough for breakfast. I'd suggest making sure you have fresh fruit or something to go along with it, though my hubby is very content making breakfast out of two bagels! (He also has an enviably fast metabolism). We were very happy with the discovery of these bagels - they're not going to hit the spot if you're craving Bruegger's, but they're extremely good nonetheless. In fact, I couldn't review the first package we bought because my hubby polished them off so fast!

According to the Against the Grain Gourmet website, the company makes several other products, including rolls, baquettes, and pizza/pizza dough. We haven't noticed other products in health food stores, but we're certainly keeping an eye out. According to their website, Against the Grain Gourmet products can be found in the following Capital Region locations:

• Dean's Natural Foods, Albany
• Green Grocer, Clifton Park
  
• Honest Weight Food Co-Op, Albany
• It's Only Natural, LLC, Albany
• It's not on their website but I've bought their bagels at Paradise Natural Foods

Happy breakfasting!

Review: Enjoy Life Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

The last time I placed an order of gluten free goods online, I decided to add Enjoy Life's cinnamon raisin gluten free bagels to my cart. I hadn't tried anything from their brand before, but they certainly looked good and had decent reviews overall. My hubby has never liked cream cheese, but he used to love cinnamon raisin bagels with butter, so I figured this would be a nice treat.

They came and were much smaller than I imagined. I know Bruegger's bagels are quite large and more than one serving size per bagel, but I wasn't expecting something quite this small. Still, the package gave off a very pleasant cinnamon smell so I figured it was still promising. We stuck them in the freezer as recommended until the weekend, when we toasted them and added butter.

Well... I'm trying to be as polite as possible here, but they tasted - and had the consistency - of a big, thick piece of cardboard. One bite was all that we needed to realize these bagels were not good at all - I gave the puggle a piece of the bagel to see if even she'd eat the bagels. She took it, played with it for a little bit, grudgingly ate it, and then gave me a dirty look like I did something incredibly mean to her. Keep in mind, our puggle suffers from Coprophagia, so that's saying something.

All in all, we threw out the rest of the package, considered the whole experience a $6 lesson, and decided that, until we hear reputable evidence otherwise, Enjoy Life is brand to avoid.

The puggles rating: 0 paws. Enjoy Life? Anything but!