I was recently contacted by the Marketing Manager at Grainful, a company manufacturing "certified gluten-free all-natural frozen entrees and shelf-stable dinner kits made with steel cut oats as the base". As a Registered Dietitian in private practice I take finding new, quality products that I can recommend to my clients very serious. Before I can recommend anything promoted to me, it must first go through my "RD litmus test". And trust me, not everything that graces my office will pass!
My first instinct is to immediately flip a package over and look at the ingredient list. Is this weird? I was shocked! The ingredient list for their Tomato Risotto consisted of just 4 ingredients..... 100% Whole Grain Steel Cut Oats (Gluten Free), Tomato Powder, Tomatoes, Salt, Granulated Garlic. For a frozen side dish?!? I had to give this a try. I decided to pair the grain with the crab cakes I have been craving. Best. Decision. Ever. The risotto was full of restaurant-quality flavor and gave my meal the whole grain boost it was missing. Hubby approved! Another product perk was the suggested serving recommendations on how to make the side a full blown vegetarian and gluten free meal....in 20 minutes!
If you are looking for a Dietitian approved frozen meal (and there are few!), I would highly recommend Grainful. The Unstuffed Pepper just might find its way into my lunch bag tomorrow.