Jovial :: Organic, Gluten-Free Pasta & Cookies {Giveaway, 3 Winners! Ends 8/27}

I received complimentary product for review purposes. All opinions are 100% my own.

Jovial is a family-owned company that goes beyond just organic, and seeks out the purest in plant varieties for their ingredients. The result is a revival of ancient and heirloom varieties of food, including the rediscovery of the ancient grain Einkorn, nature's original wheat. It's incredibly exciting to see a company pave the way for the future of agriculture, and have it be a company that also supports small-scale farmers in Italy, and is deeply committed to sustainability. From seed to table, Jovial cares.

Although Jovial is well-known for their Einkhorn products, they also have an entire line of gluten-free products which include organic brown rice pastas, organic cookies, organic tomatoes and organic olive oil. Jovial sent me a few of their Certified Organic, Certified Gluten-Free products to try with my family.

These are Jovial's Gluten-Free Fig Fruit Filled Organic Cookies. I'm so happy to see a prepackaged organic cookie that has genuinely good ingredients. In fact, I bought the Chocolate Cream Filled ones at Whole Foods Market last week and even my hubby was impressed! Not too sweet, and completely satisfying. They don't make me feel gross after eating either!

I brought these to the beach on our recent vacation, and I couldn't help but snap a photo of the inside. These round, two-bite cookies are soft inside yet have a slightly harder shell on the outside. The cookie flavor is reminiscent of a shortbread, but with a chewy fig filling. Finally, a gluten-free fig cookie!

Jovial's gluten-free organic cookies are baked in small batches by Italian artisan bakers in Italy. On the issue of quality ingredients, Jovial is all about transparency and full disclosure. For instance, in these cookies their eggs are from hens that are pasture-raised on a small countryside farm. Their salt is from prehistoric salt deposits (not the fake stuff on most store shelves!), and their palm fruit oil is produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way.

Jovial's brand new Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made from three ancient varieties of 100% Italian organic olives. The natural processing of this olive oil lends the final product it's beautiful flavor and purity. I also received Organic Brown Rice Tagliatelle and Organic Brown Rice Lasagna to try.
 
Both pastas are authentically crafted by Tuscany's finest pasta artisans. We tried the Tagliatelle with just a classic marinara sauce and parmesan cheese and it was fabulous. With just organic brown rice flour and organic eggs, you can't get more pure ingredients than that in a traditional egg pasta.

Now, I've officially be gluten-free for over a year now (14 months to be exact!). I'll be honest, I still feel deprived sometimes, especially since I'm really not a creative cook. I'm missing my beloved sourdough bread, but even more so, homemade dishes like lasagna. The organic no-boil lasagna from Jovial has been a real treat, so much so that I've ordered a couple boxes to make it again very soon!

Here's how it turned out! The lasagna recipe on the box is great, but instead of using Jovial's crushed tomatoes (that I didn't have at the time) I just used 3 jars of diced tomatoes that I mashed up myself. There was no special preparation with the gluten-free lasagna noodles required, just layer and bake! It turned out wonderful, and absolutely delicious. No one, and I really mean it, would ever know they were eating lasagna noodles made with organic brown rice instead of wheat!

Jovial has kept the environment in mind with their packaging. The pasta cartons contain 80% recycled materials and are 100% recyclable. The window on the lasagna carton and the inner bag that contains the tagliatelle are made out of FSC wood pulp and are certified home compostable.

I'm so thrilled I found Jovial, and even more that I can buy their foods locally! Whether you're gluten-free or can enjoy the ancient grain Einkhorn, I know you'll be just as impressed with Jovial as I am.

Find a retail store that carries Jovial products HERE, or you can shop online at Jovial's store.

Win It!

THREE winners will receive a $25 Gift Certificate to spend at Jovial!

Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter!

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