Namaste Gluten Free Product Reviews and PRIZE GIVEAWAY

Would you like to receive a prize pack from Namaste Foods? If you win, you’ll receive a Namaste Foods reusable grocery tote bag filled with a variety of goodies including some Namaste Gluten Free products!


Please read these product reviews then follow the instructions to enter the giveaway.

Namaste Foods makes gluten-free mixes in a dedicated facility free of: gluten, wheat, soy, corn, potato, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, and casein.

For this product review, I received two products from Namaste Foods to try and review. I am not being paid or otherwise compensated for this review.

Both products were evaluated by my family of four which consists of two gluten-eaters and two of us following a gluten free diet.

First we tried Namaste Gluten Free Pasta Pisavera.

The package included a bag of multi-colored rotini (spiral) shaped gluten-free pasta and a bag of seasoning. The instructions called for the addition of 3 tablespoons of oil.

I cooked the pasta as directed in boiling, salted water. After 8 minutes, I drained the cooked pasta in a colander but did not rinse as per the instructions. I heated the oil in the pan and stirred in the contents of the seasoning packet and the cooked pasta.  Very quick and easy!

The pasta itself had a nice texture and was very good. We all felt that the seasoning was good, but there was too much seasoning for the amount of pasta. If I were to make it again, I would start with 2/3 of the seasoning, then taste and add more if necessary.

Overall, it kind of tasted like pizza without cheese. My daughter wants to try it again with less seasoning and the addition of parmesan cheese.

For dessert I prepared the Namaste Gluten Free Spice Cake Mix.

There were baking instructions to make two 9” layers, or one 9” x 13” cake, or cupcakes.




In addition to the spice cake mix, I needed to add 3 eggs, ¾ cup water, and 2/3 cup oil.

After mixing well, I poured the batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish and baked according to the directions on the bag.

The finished cake was moist, dense and had a nice texture.

However, it had a bit too much spice for our tastes. There were instructions on the bag for variations including applesauce cake and carrot cake. With the addition of apples and applesauce to thin out the overall spice level, I think this would be a much better cake.

The carrot cake version looked good too. The addition of carrots, raisins and nuts, and a thick cream cheese icing would balance the overall spiciness of this mix and would probably produce a delicious carrot cake.

I topped the spice cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting, which  reduced the overall spiciness of the dessert, and everyone enjoyed this delicious treat.

I was impressed by the fact that the Namaste Gluten Free Pasta Pisavera made 4 servings, and the Namaste Gluten Free Spice Cake Mix could make a two-layer cake or a 9 x 13 inch cake. Some gluten free mixes don’t make very much, and I appreciated having mixes that made enough for our family of four.

I received this cost comparison from Namaste:

To enter the Namaste Foods product giveaway, please do any or all of the following:

1. Go to the Namaste Foods website to look at their products, and comment here about a product or products you might like to try. (counts as one entry)

2. Tweet about this giveaway to your Twitter followers referring them to this post. Then leave a comment to let me know. (counts as one entry - up to one per day)

3. “Follow” this blog and comment to let me know you are following. (counts as one entry)


This giveaway will remain open through April 5, 2011. I will then choose the winner using a random number generator. Oh, and one more thing, this prize pack can only be shipped to the United States or Canada.

Thank you!

Cindy

UPDATE (4/6/11):  Based on the random number generator, Cheryl F. is the winner!  Congratulations, Cheryl!


Linked to In Good Cents Take-a-Chance Tuesday and The Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wednesday.  Also posted at The Lucky Ladybug.