The producers of our favorite Garden Lites Veggie Soufflés have introduced new Veggie Muffins: a fluffy carrot muffin and a deep chocolate zucchini muffin.

The all natural Veggie Muffins line is made of 1/3 fresh vegetables. Each muffin is shrink-wrapped for easy portability. Just let the frozen muffins defrost naturally or heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds; you’ll have an extremely moist treat that’s right-sized (not super-sized) at 120 calories per muffin (3 Weight Watchers points).

The recipe contains eggs, but is dairy free, gluten free, nut free and soy free. The line is certified kosher by Star-K.

This moist carrot muffin is a great 120- calorie treat. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Pair Veggie Muffins with coffee or tea for quick breakfast, tuck in with your lunch or for a healthful snack. You can keep them in the office freezer—although you’ll have to disguise them so co-workers don’t polish them off.

While the muffins don’t have as much veggie content as the larger-portion souffles, each muffin is made from 1/3 fresh vegetables and comprises not quite one daily serving of vegetables. But hey, they’re muffins!

The yummy muffins are available at select Costco locations and other retailers. Check the store locator for the store nearest you.

The four-pack will retail for around $4.99, and the Costco 14-pack is a bargain at $9.99.

Garden Lites calls itself “the delicious vegetable company.” We agree.

For more information, visit GardenLites.com.

A frozen banana (or your favorite fruit) goes into the machine, banana soft serves comes out in a minute. Photo © Corinna Gissemann | Fotolia.

Are you an ice cream addict but want to give up those refined sugar calories and carbs? Do you want to add more fruit to your diet?

Now, you can make your own 100% fruit soft serve “sorbet” without added sugar, thanks to the Yonanas Frozen Treat Maker.

Yonanas almost instantly transforms your favorite fruits—banana, berries, mango, pineapple, the whole fruit department—into a silky-smooth frozen confection.

The frozen fruit—pre-frozen or frozen by you—goes into the chute (see the photo in the full review). It emerges as thick, creamy soft serve-like “sorbet.”

The compact Yonanas machine is well worth the cost (list $49.99) and the space. It’s not only easy to make, it’s easy to clean the machine. Everything but the motor portion goes right into the dishwasher.

Get yourself a Yonanas machine: You deserve it!

And, you may become more popular as people begin to invite themselves over for some Yonanas. Tell them to BYOFF: bring your own frozen fruit.

Read the full review.

Find more of our favorite frozen desserts and recipes.

Get a Yonanas Frozen Treat Maker. You deserve it! Photo courtesy Yonanas.

Cabot Cheddar labeled “Lactose Free.” Photo
by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

The other day, at a social gathering, one twentysomething guest turned down a Godiva liqueur-spiked milkshake, announcing he was lactose intolerant.

“So am I,” said another guest. “Me too,” chimed a third. “And cheese was my favorite food.”

We can develop lactose intolerance at an early age: After being weaned, roughly 70% of the world’s children begin to lose the ability to make lactase, the enzyme which breaks down lactose in the intestine. This lack of lactase causes lactose intolerance. Much of it is undiagnosed, brushed off as a generic stomach ache.

Today’s tip is for anyone who may have noticed some type of digestive upset after eating cheese.

Most cheeses are 98% lactose free, but the 2% that remains can cause severe digestive problems.

There’s good news here, though: Most aged, hard cheeses are naturally lactose free, including the popular and versatile Cheddar. You might not be able to enjoy fresh goat cheese, Brie and mozzarella without side effects. But don’t lament what you can’t have: Rejoice in what you can have.

That list starts with Cheddar. In the cheese-making process, the whey, where most of the lactose resides, is drained from the curd in the milk. With hard, aged cheeses like Cheddar, the remaining 2% of the lactose is consumed in the aging process.

Since most people don’t realize this, Cabot Cheese, a Cheddar specialist, has been labeling one of its products as “Lactose Free.” That’s like labeling olive oil “Cholesterol Free,” but it’s part of the education process for the majority of people, who just don’t know.

Other cheeses to try: Colby, Swiss, Parmesan or other hard grating cheeses such as Asiago, Grana Padano and Pecorino Romano.

Note, however, that people who have zero lactase activity (are completely lactose intolerant) may not be able to eat any kind of dairy product unless it has undergone an extra step in production: a specific enzymatic process that predigests all the lactose into galactose and glucose. Green Valley makes excellent lactose-free yogurt and sour cream. More products like this are coming onto the market, but be prepared to pay a bit more for the extra time and effort required.

Do you like cottage cheese? It can range from 0 to 4 grams of lactose per half cup. You can contact the producer to see where a particular brand ranks; or you can try different brands to see which you tolerate.

Like American cheese on your burger? Switch to Cheddar or Swiss: A 1.5-ounce slice of processed American cheese can contain up to 6 grams of lactose!

LACTOSE IS HIDING IN YOUR FAVORITE FOODS

While you might expect to find milk derivatives in processed foods such as blue cheese dressing, cocoa mixes, cream soups and frostings, you may find them in unexpected places.

It’s used in breads, candies, cold cuts, cookies, dry cereals, frozen breaded fish and chicken, hot dogs and—surprise—packets of sugar substitutes, where it is used to bulk up the packets. The spoonable versions—what you’d sprinkle on cereal—have even more of it.

Beyond giveaways such as buttermilk, cream, half and half and milk, words to look for and avoid:

 
Read the labels carefully.

Hard grating cheeses are lactose free. Enjoy! Photo by Yin Yang | IST.

Here’s a collection of lactose education materials from the National Dairy Council.

Find more of our favorite cheeses—including lactose-free cheeses—in our Cheese Section.

People who are diagnosed with a food allergy have to give up some favorite foods or turn to less-than-tasty substitutes. But enough Americans are diagnosed with allergies that businesses are rising to the occasion to make good-tasting alternatives.

Often, allergen-free products are made because a family member develops the condition. In one of the more ironic situations, the Coffins, a Montana farm family that has been dairying for generations, had to remove all dairy products from the diets of mom and the kids.

After trying the less-than-satisfactory alternatives the family began to create their own substitutes, tasty enough that everyone—including the non-allergic—could enjoy. The WayFare line of puddings, cheese spreads (regular, Mexican and smoked, our favorite) and sour cream was the happy result. Ice cream is currently under development.

The “secret” ingredient in the line is certified gluten-free, whole grain oatmeal. In the course of using oatmeal to replace the body of milk, the products also became cholesterol free and vegan.

The line is 100% dairy-free, soy free, cholesterol free, trans-fats free and non-GMO. The products are certified kosher by Star-K.

WayFare lactose-free puddings. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

So how do they taste?

The butterscotch and chocolate fare well; the vanilla, to us, doesn’t have significant vanilla flavor and works better as a hard sauce or creamy topping.

There’s a store locator on WayFareFoods.com, and information for retailers who want to amp up their lactose free foods.

FOOD ALLERGY FACTS

There’s an economic opportunity in products that address food allergies. Anheuser-Busch makes a gluten-free beer, the Girl Scouts sell three varieties of milk-free (lactose-free) cookies and General Mills reformulated Rice Chex earlier this year to be gluten-free. Kellogg’s makes its Pop-Tarts in nut-free factories. If vodka is your drink of choice, look for products distilled from non-grains, such as grapes and potatoes.

An estimated 12 million people in the U.S. have food allergies; 2 million more have celiac disease, a potentially deadly form of gluten allergy.

Medical experts don’t know why the number of people with food allergies is increasing. Theories include reduced contact with germs, exposure to certain environmental pollutants and, in the case of peanut allergies, the way peanuts are processed and at what point they are introduced into a person’s diet. Much research is needed; there is very little of it, even though allergic reaction to food causes about 30,000 emergency room visits and 150 to 200 fatalities each year.

Statistics from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) reveal that in the U.S.:

 
So read the labels, and look for more good food coming from allergen-free manufacturers.

With the increased consumer interest in gluten-free products, we find ourselves tasting more of them. Our rule of thumb with any special-diet product is: It’s got to be so good that anyone would enjoy it, and not notice that it’s meant for people on a restricted diet.

Last week our Top Pick was My Dad’s gluten-free cookies. Now we have two new items to add to our gluten-free roster: delicious pizzas.

Frozen Gluten-Free Pizzas From Bold Organics

The Bold Organics pizza line is not just gluten-free: It’s milk-free (no lactose, casein or whey), egg-free, peanut- and treenut-free.

It not only tastes like conventional pizza; it’s better than many of the other frozen choices in the supermarket, even the ones made with traditional wheat and dairy.

All of the flavor, none of the gluten (or other
allergens). Photo courtesy Bold Organics.

These are individual pies, approximately eight inches in diameter. The number of servings is listed as two—for two five-year-olds, perhaps, but you’ll know that when you see the size of the box. Just count on one pizza per adult.

 
These tasty pizzas are available in four different flavors:

 
Bold Organics pizzas retail from $6.99 to $10.29. They’re being rolled out at retail locations around the country this month, with representation in Whole Foods and increased presence overall expected later this year. See the company website to view a store locator.

The line is certified by Organic Certifiers, the Non GMO Project and the Celiac Sprue Association.

Put your favorite toppings on a great
gluten-free crust. Photo courtesy
KingArthurFlour.com.

Fresh Gluten-Free Pizza Crusts

If you want the crust only, we highly recommend the ones made by Mozzarelli’s. These are the same folks who make My Dad’s gluten-free cookies.

Mozzarelli’s is a gourmet pizza emporium in New York City. Conventional and gluten-free pizzas are available. We’ve been there and really enjoyed it.

The crust is made from rice flour, corn starch, potato starch, potato flour and tapioca flour. Unlike Bold Organics, it does contain nonfat dry milk and eggs, so it’s not a vegan product.

It is, however, delicious. Each crust comes in a disposable/recyclable pan.

The company also sells Better Crumbs, gluten-free bread crumbs.
 
Pizza Party Idea

Ask each guest to bring a different topping to share. Then set up a pizza-making table and let guests create their own combinations before you pop the pizzas into the oven.

The makers of Good Karma Lactose-Free Creamers deserve good karma.

The new, all-natural line of dairy-free, lactose-free, soy-free, kosher-certified creamers is delicious. And most people won’t be able to tell the difference from conventional creamers.

Vegans and the ever-increasing community of lactose-intolerant people can rejoice. If you’re cutting down on sugar, you can rejoice, too: There’s none in the Original flavor, proving that you can create something excellent without refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

Also available in French Vanilla and Hazelnut, the creamers arrive just in time for the holiday season. You can serve a flavored creamer that fits in with virtually any food regimen. (Calories/tablespoon: 20 for Original, 30 for flavors.)

A boon for vegans and the lactose-intolerant. Photo courtesy Good Karma Foods.

The creamers are available in supermarkets and in Walmart stores nationwide. The 32-ounce containers are very affordable: a MSRP of $2.64 for Original and $3.37 for the two flavors. The line is certified kosher by OU.

Learn more at GoodKarmaFoods.com. If you “like” Good Karma on Facebook, you can enter to win a nifty Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Maker, a brewer for serious coffee lovers. We tried it at Williams-Sonoma and would like to win one ourselves.

The company also supports sustainable agriculture. Good karma, indeed!

Can’t have milk in your coffee? Try SOY GO.

One of our staff was recently diagnosed with lactose intolerance.

She switched to lactose-free milk and so did the rest of our office (no sense having multiple cartons of milk, and lactose-free tastes the same as regular milk).

However, she found herself out of luck at many restaurants. She tried bringing soymilk in Tetra Pak cartons (think juice boxes) with her, but found it wasteful to use just a couple of tablespoons and toss the remainder.

Instead of learning to like black coffee, she took a tip from our vegan photographer and discovered SOY GO, a creamer made from soy powder—the soy equivalent of Coffee Mate.

 
There are 10 calories per packet. Each packet also contains one gram of fiber and one gram of protein. Packets are designed to “cream” a mug with 8 to 10 ounces of coffee.

If you can’t find it locally (try health food stores and Whole Foods), you can buy it online.

Donut-shaped ice cream novelties are just
one delight in the Clemmy’s line. Photo by
Jaclyn Nussbaum | THE NIBBLE.

For people with lactose intolerance, there are still plenty of dairy options: lactose-free milk, yogurt, sour cream and cream cheese.

But what about ice cream?

Unless they’ve already discovered Clemmy’s, those with lactose intolerance have had to stick with sorbet for a frozen treat.

Clemmy’s hits the trifecta: lactose-free, sugar-free and gluten-free. It’s a real find, with nine popular flavors in pints plus ice cream novelties (shown in the photo).

Clemmy’s is also the only sugar-free ice cream on the market. There are plenty of No Sugar Added ice creams, but they still contain small amounts of sugar that exists naturally in the milk and other ingredients. Clemmy’s removes every last bit.

If you avoid smoothies because you have a bit of lactose intolerance, there’s an easy solution:

Make your smoothie with soy-based yogurt! You’ll be more than happy with this easy substitution.

(If you typically get abdominal pain within 30 minutes to two hours after eating any dairy-based product, don’t blame it on the sour cream [or whatever]—get tested for lactose intolerance.

If you’ve never made a smoothie, watch this video to see how easy it is. You’ll wonder why you haven’t made one sooner. The Blueberry Banana Smoothie in this recipe uses frozen blueberries, fresh banana, plain yogurt, honey, vanilla extract and ice. Just pop the ingredients into a blender and press Liquefy: Out comes the smoothie!

Recipe Tips

 
Let us know your favorite fruit combinations.

More yummy smoothie recipes, which add egg whites for a protein boost.

There’s a plethora of lactose-free milk options in supermarkets, since more and more Americans are being diagnosed with lactose intolerance. (If you have digestive upsets after consuming milk products, take this quiz, then see your healthcare provider.)

But what about yogurt, kefir and sour cream? Conventional supermarkets don’t carry lactose-free versions.

Fortunately, natural food stores are more obliging. We discovered a lactose-free, low fat yogurt and kefir line from Green Valley, and it’s delicious by any standard. You won’t notice any difference between this and regular yogurt and kefir.

Made from organic ingredients, these lactose-free dairy foods let us enjoy all we want with no negative effects. Packed with protein, calcium and a proprietary blend of ten live & active cultures, they’re a great find.

Delicious lactose-free yogurt and
kefir. Photo courtesy Green Valley Organics.

The line is certified kosher by K-ORC, The Orthodox Rabbinical Council of San Francisco.

The low fat yogurt is available in 6-ounce cups of Blueberry, Honey, Plain, Strawberry and Vanilla flavors, and 24-ounce containers of Honey and Plain. The kefir flavors include Blueberry-Pom-Açaí and Plain. Sour cream is packaged in 12-ounce containers.