When I moved to Chicago, I felt like other than having a zillion runners, it did not seem like the bastion of health. I never expected to find healthy, creative, organic foods. In the past seven years, things have changed. Now, I feel like I am finding new local businesses all of the time that promote healthy eating and wellness. Recently, I was introduced to a new Chicagoland area company that I LOVE: Red Wall Kitchen.
When Daily Candy ran a story on Red Wall Kitchen, several people emailed it to me to check it out. It said:
A cronut, a doscuit, and a cruffin walk into a bar.
The bartender has a heart attack.
Unhealthy eating is no joke. Which is why we’re jazzed about Red Wall Kitchen, a new company that wants to redefine your snack schema.
From her crimson kitchen, owner and Elmhurst resident Emily Harris-Woerle renders sugar, white flour, corn syrup, and other icky ingredients useless in the face of tahini, apples, bananas, dates, quinoa, and oats.
We nearly shouted from the rooftops after biting into the moistest lemon-cranberry quinoa breakfast block, packed with hearty seeds, organic squash, applesauce, and almond meal. The cocoa variety, which gets sweetness from date sugar and maple syrup, is equally delectable.
RWK’s donuts — made with oat, almond, and garbanzo bean flour — steal the show (we loved the cinnamon ones).
If there were one word for f^$#!@& delicious, we’d use it.
For more information and to order, go to redwallkitchen.com. Delivery to Chicago is $5.
I checked out the Red Wall Kitchen website and learned that all of the products are: nutrient dense, dairy and egg free, gluten free and naturally sweetened. They make four types of products: Quinoa Breakfast Blocks, Oat Based Donuts, Muffin Bites and Spice of Life Seeds. The Quinoa Breakfast Blocks seem perfect for runners and active folks like me!
I emailed them and learned from Emily that she had a bike accident that coincided with the Daily Candy email. A few weeks later, she let me know that they were going to be at Dose Market. So, I went over to meet her and did a little interview and bought one of everything!
I asked Emily how she decided to start this business. Formerly a graphic designer (no wonder they have such a cute logo), Emily told me that she loved to cook and she started to create healthy versions of recipes she liked. She started sneaking fruits and vegetables in everywhere. Like me, she did an elimination diet and discovered a bunch of food sensitivities. Instead of eating bland foods, she experimented with a variety of recipes and came up with the products she offers now. Her mom works with her in her eponymous red-walled kitchen. They sell from their home and at several Chicagoland Farmer’s Markets. They also deliver in the Chicagoland area for only $5.
At Dose, they had most of their flavors available. I got one of each of the Quinoa Breakfast Blocks: Cocoa, Carrot Cake and Lemon Cranberry. I got one each of the of the Oat Baked Donuts: Chocolate, Cinnamon and Ginger Molasses. I got some Pumpkin Muffin Bites, too.
The Quinoa Breakfast Blocks and the Oat Baked Donuts are AWESOME. They have so much flavor. You know they are healthy because you can see and taste the ingredients. The Quinoa Breakfast Blocks are filling and so delicious. I love the Carrot Cake, especially, and the Cocoa is also really delicious. The Lemon Cranberry has a light and refreshing flavor and is great for breakfast. They are all filling and not too sweet. The donuts were AMAZING. I can’t pick a favorite. The Muffin Bites are dense and filling and not sweet and cake-y like traditional muffins.
I liked these so much that I made a date with my friend, Karen, in Elmhurst to get some more at the Farmer’s Market. Karen loved them, too! Currently, they deliver in the Chicagoland area, but hopefully that will expand! You can keep up with Red Wall Kitchen via their newsletter, Facebook and Twitter.
Have you found any awesome new vendors in your neck of the woods?