Check it out! Our flax was featured as part of the Perfect Skin Diet on the Today Show. I’m not sure why they failed to mention that flax should be eaten ground, but it’s exciting anyway. Enjoy!
Flaxseed on Today Show

Last week the weather graced us with the beautiful sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. All this nice weather has been giving me cravings for crisp, fresh food. Falafel sandwiches are refreshing and a perfect fit for lunch on these warmer days. With lettuce, tomatoes and a creamy sauce of either tahini or tzatziki, these garbanzo patties fit right in.

We discovered a way to make this traditional Middle Eastern dish with ease by using our Garbanzo Bean Flour after a request from a customer for falafel. These falafel patties, which are gluten free as well, disappeared fast in the Bob’s Red Mill halls. We hope you enjoy them as well!

Falafel Patties created from Garbanzo Bean Flour

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly. Add the lemon juice and hot water to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes.

In a frying pan, heat oil on medium-high heat until hot. Add the falafel batter by the tablespoon and flatten slightly. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Place on paper towel to drain oil. Depending on the size of your frying pan, batter will need to be cooked in a couple batches. Makes 12 falafel patties.

This week has been a long one for our customer service team. They have been fielding extra phone calls and inquiries about the conspicious abscence of our website. I think they deserve a huge THANK YOU for all they do every day! The gals do a great job answering the hundreds of emails we get every week and answering questions about everything from baking bread to sprouting grains. Each of them is amazing and comes to work with a smile for everyone and a spring in their step. 

 

 

Crowds gathered to show support and raise funds for autism awareness.

On Sunday, April 19th, 11 Bob’s Red Mill employees along with their friends and family (making a total of 34 walkers) joined together to support the Autism Society of Oregon by participating in the ASO walk-a-thon. The walk-a-thon took place at Oaks Parkhere in Portland, Oregon on a beautiful, sunny day. Over 4,000 people walked to show their support for the ASO and raise money for their programs. The ASO has many beneficial programs that assist families living with autism, including everything from support groups for parents, Respite Care Programs to aid caregivers, and assistance with therapy and school programs for children on the autism spectrum.

The Bob's Red Mill Team

Bob’s Red Mill is proud to support the ASO and Autism Speaks and bring more awareness to autism spectrum disorder. As a team, we raised $1271 for their programs. If you are interested in helping support ASO or Autism Speaks, there are many ways to get involved. Visit the websites below for more information. We are sponsoring a walk in Portland with Autism Speaks in September. Watch for ways that you can get involved this fall!

This was our youngest walker, Josephine, all tuckered out from the sun.

Autism Society of Oregonwww.oregonautism.com

Autism Speaks:www.autismspeaks.org

 

 

We had some great entries in our impromptu photo contest. It was a lot of fun to read how people enjoy spending quality time outdoors and fuel their fun with Bob’s products. Here is just a snippet of the awesome entries we received. Clearly, we picked more than five winners- we picked seven because we got exactly seven entries. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest. Look for more fun contests coming soon!

Allison from Barre, Mass wrote to tell us that she enjoys a 2 mile hike every day and fuels it with one of the following: Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal, Creamy Brown Rice or Gluten Free Pancake Mix.

Allison from Barre, Mass.

Krista from McMinnville, OR wrote, “On a beautiful sunny day in Oregon, my sister and I love to spend time outdoors hiking at a park. We love the sun rays on our face, the songs of the birds, and seeing the green lush landscapes.”

Sisters Lisa and Krista from McMinnville, Oregon

Mike from Beaverton, OR sent us pictures of agility training with his dogs. Just love this photo!

Agility training for what we hope are Bob's Red Mill treats!

Gregory from Ridgeland, SC sent us a photo of the awesome cake he baked for Easter using our gluten free products. “It was so moist and my grandmother said it was the best Carrot Cake she’s ever had.”

"Best carrot cake ever..."

Tammy from Jamestown, NY wrote that her favorite outdoor activities are enjoying parks, the zoo and the botanical gardens with her kids, “All of these would not be possible without Bob’s Red Mill’s GF wonderful White Bread toasted with a little butter, cinnamon, and sugar to start the day out right.”  

Jennifer of Lombard, IL sent some of the best photos of her son enjoying our Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix. Jennifer put it very nicely and stated, “While the pics I took of my son enjoying your product out of the bowl before baked (that’s how good it is!) aren’t really pics of doing something out in some nice weather…they are however, what I would consider relaxing and make me happy…happy to cook something for my son that he CAN eat and loving the pure joy he gets out of licking the bowl!” Can’t get a better review than that!

Last, but certainly not least, Jean from Bellingham, WA sent this photo. I think it’s clear what she likes to do on her free time.

Jean from Bellingham, Washington

 

It’s Thursday afternoon and the weather is beautiful here in Portland. The kind of weather that makes you want to run outside and ride a bike, walk a dog, or plant a garden. While the weather may be lovely here, it might not be quite as nice in your little part of the world. No matter, we’re bringing a little sunshine your way with a contest. Here are the rules to particpate:

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job at Bob’s Red Mill is the diversity of projects with which I am tasked. On any given day, I might spend four hours proofreading, two hours writing, an hour photographing products and an hour surfing our little portion of the web. Some days, however, are filled with projects that I never would have dreamed I would get paid to do.

Over the last few weeks, I have been helping Bob prepare his presentation for Oregon State University‘s nutrition students. I have spent the last few days sprouting grains and beans and documenting their growth progress.

I was skeptical that our grains would not hold the same life that seeds purchased specifically for sprouting might. I was wrong. Check out what a little bit of water, darkness and warmth can do for these grains!

Day one: Skeptical that anything will sprout- from left to right, Kidney Beans, Wheat Berries, and Mung Beans.

Day two: after only 24 hours- look at the root formation! Clockwise from left: Kamut® Berry, Flageolet Bean, Mung Bean, Wheat Berry, Baby Lima Bean and Kidney Bean (middle).

Day six: Look at how big they’ve gotten in just a few days! From right to left, we have mung beans, wheat berries and kidney beans. You can clearly see the formation of wheat grass.

Brownies are a certain delight in any household. While trying to come up with new ways of using our Almond Meal Flour, we discovered it can make some great brownies. The bonus about this experiment is that we not only came across a wonderful tasting brownie, but it is gluten free as well!

Almond Brownies

½ cup Butter, melted
½ cup Cocoa Powder
1 cup Evaporated Cane Juice
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Tb Cornstarch
½ cup Almond Meal
½ tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square pan; set aside. Combine the melted butter and cocoa, stirring to combine. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Spread into the baking pan and bake 30 minutes.

Bob will be speaking at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon on April 17, 2009 at 3:30-4:30 pm. The presentation is free and open to the public. If you are in the area, I highly recommend stopping by and listening to his presentation. He’s a powerful speaker and will inspire you with his stories.

Over the last week I have been assisting Bob in preparation for an upcoming presentation at Oregon State University. For those of you have met Bob, you know that he is a veritable encyclopedia of whole grain information and could expound on this topic for hours on end. I have learned a lot in the years I have worked here and been inspired to change my eating habits for the better.