I was recently given the opportunity to sample Udi’s Gluten-Free Granola.  We love topping a bowl of yogurt with granola for a healthy and quick snack.  While we don’t live gluten-free, we do have a few food allergies in the home and, well, I may as well admit it – I almost never turn down free food.  Especially healthy, delicious food!

I had already heard many wonderful things about Udi’s.  When my daughter was first diagnosed with several different food allergies, we had to avoid more ingredients than we do now.  I went to our local health food store for help in finding foods I could feed to her.  An employee tole me Udi’s is their best selling brand because of it’s taste and texture while still remaining gluten free.  In fact, when my aunt had to remove gluten from her diet, I picked up a loaf of Udi’s bread and she was absolutely in love with it!  We both agreed it was the only gluten-free bread either of us had tried that still tasted and looked like “real” bread.  So, I had no doubt Udi’s gluten-free granola would be just as satisfying.

The first thing I noticed about Udi’s granola is their packaging.  I love how simple they make it to easily identify which allergens each bag of granola does or does not contain.  Udi’s products contain no artificial ingredients and very few preservatives.

We received four flavors of Udi’s granola: Au Natural, Vanilla, Cranberry and Original.  The Au Natural was perfect for us because it did not contain egg or nuts.  I figured I should try to incorporate the granola in to something delicious since it was just the “plain” flavor.  As I was topping our parfaits, however, I put a pinch of the granola in my mouth to taste it and was surprised by the sweet, caramelized flavor and loved the crunch!  I knew right then the kids were going to LOVE this sweet, patriotic, healthy treat!  My 3 year old ate most of hers; my 8 year old ate ALL of his and then finished off the leftovers from my 3 year old.  They’re already asking when they can have this recipe again.  I’m thinking they’d make a great Fourth of July breakfast or dessert tradition!

Have you tried Udi’s Gluten-Free Granola yet?  You can find Udi’s Gluten Free Foods in 150 Walmart stores across the country.  To see if there is a Walmart near you that carries Udi’s, enter your zip code into their store locator: www.udisglutenfree.com/stores Once you have your Udi’s in hand, check out my recipe below!

Patriotic Parfaits featuring Udi’s Gluten-Free Granola

• Your choice of red, blue, and/or white fruits
• Your choice of yogurt (vanilla or pina colada are good choices for the white ‘stripes’ in this dish)
• Udi’s Gluten-Free Granola

Simply layer your red (and/or white) fruits and white yogurt to make your red and white stripes.  Top with blueberries and Udi’s Gluten-Free Granola.

You can mix and match fruits such as bananas, pineapple, watermelon, cherries, & raspberries to keep the red, white and blue theme while offering a variety of flavors.  You can also add the granola in between the layers through to add more crunch and flavor!  Enjoy!