Pregnancy Cravings Satisfied With The Best Gluten Free Treats: Donuts, Bagels, & Sweets Galore Archives - Page 2 of 4

February 19, 2015

Schar Gluten Free Chocolate-Dipped Cookies Are Pure Bliss

After a number of years living gluten free and trying countless gluten free products, I usually tend to steer away from pre-packaged cookies since my past has taught me that the higher price and ease of convenience doesn’t necessarily guarantee a better tasting product than homemade. Since my early days living gluten free though, times have changed and more and more fantastic gluten free products are appearing on the shelves and certainly warrant a taste test. Being a gluten free blogger I’m more than happy to oblige and give these products a test run and share the good, run out and buy immediately products, and also the bad, not worth the extra money items, with all of my fellow gluten free folks.

In my gluten free phase of life, I can definitely say that Schar has become one of my favorite brands, most of the time loving every bite from their line but some of the time hating their break apart $5.99 loaf of bread. Despite their low points though, I have been and will always be a Schar follower, after all no brand is perfect, and am willing try any and all of their products that pop onto the shelves. I’ve dabbled mostly in their bread products and crackers with an occasional sweet endeavor, but not too long ago Baby #2 gave me an extra push to dive into the sweets side of the shelf again. One of the first boxes of cookies that caught my eye were their Gluten Free, Wheat Free Chocolate-Dipped Cookies. The picture drew me in immediately and before I knew it the box of cookies had jumped into my cart, okay or maybe I was so excited I hurriedly shoveled them in!

Schar Gluten Free Chocolate- Dipped Cookies

I’m happy to report that Schar’s Chocolate-Dipped Cookies were for me love at first sight and then bite. They were just divine, very reminiscent of my mom’s favorite Milano cookies that she used to let us try from time to time. When I say these remind me of a Milano cookie I mean in every way possible from texture to taste; the crisp sweet cookie has just the right amount of a perfect chocolate bottom and could fool any non-gluten free eater any day. Pair these cookies with a cold glass of milk or Silk and you’re in for a few minutes of pure bliss. My only wish is that there were more in a package because this mommy-to-be surely couldn’t stop at eating just one!

In the gluten free world, it’s not incredibly shocking to have to search high and low for your favorite items and then spend more on your groceries than a non-gluten free shopper. Gluten free living is work but I’m happy to report that I was able to pick up a 5.5 oz box of these cookies for about $4 at my local Shop Rite. They were a tad bit pricey but for a specialty cookie and one that tastes as good as this one the price is more than worth it and is comparable to a package of Milano cookies, in price and delight. So treat yourself and pick up a box of these amazing Schar cookies, and maybe an extra too to send over to this expecting mommy because I’m all out!

Sincerely,

Lindsay (20 weeks)

February 10, 2015

Start You And Your Baby’s Day With A Glass Of Gluten Free Naked Juice Smoothie

Now that I have a little bit of my appetite back I’m craving tons of things, and true to form both sweet and salty. I’ve always been somebody that loves a salty bite after a sweet or vice versa and pregnant me I guess is no different. I certainly have been craving some fun snacks from my beloved pickles or cheddar and sour cream potato chips to a good bowl of ice cream. Besides the obvious treats, I also can’t get enough of fresh fruit and salads galore. Since fresh fruit can be very very pricey at this time of year in my neck of the woods I on occasion enjoy a fresh fruit salad but I also turn to juices or smoothies. I used to love making these fresh and mixing in some veggies here and there, but until produce prices come down a bit and I get a little more energy to make them on my own again, I rely on delicious fruit smoothie substitutions like this one by Naked.

Naked offers tons of different smoothie options from all fruit to fruit and veggie and most are gluten free. They have a perfectly thick and smooth smoothie texture and are packed full of nutritious goodness. I pair a half of a glass of smoothie in the morning with either a sweet breakfast treat or toast or a bagel, keeping my growing belly full for just a bit longer than usual. I’ve only tried a few of the fruit flavors but my favorite so far is the strawberry banana which is conveniently marked gluten free. Check out more on this smoothie option and all of the rest of their Naked Fruit Juices. But I should probably note that there is some confusion on gluten free labeling for these juices.

According to Naked, there are only a few varieties that they do not recommend to you if you’re gluten free and by my inspection it appears to be because of the presence of barley or wheat. However, some of the varieties like the strawberry banana are marked gluten free while others whose ingredients appear fine are not. I was in mid drink of a glass of the mango juice smoothie and noticed the labeling difference and called customer service for an explanation on the discrepancy. Unfortunately, the information I received was less than helpful and I was told to review the ingredients with my doctor. Now I should mention that regardless of whether an item is marked gluten free or not, I personally always review the ingredients for my own reassurance; that being said, prior to the instruction to just read the label, I knew already that the ingredients were okay on the mango juice but I wasn’t sure why some were marked gluten free and others were not, i.e. because of cross contamination or something like that. After a few more minutes going over cross contamination and differences in labeling I was no closer to any clarification but was directed again to read the ingredients on the label carefully and even told that maybe Naked was starting to label those kinds that were gluten free.

Despite the confusion on the juice labeling, by reading the ingredient labels I have never had an issue with any of the varieties I’ve tried. But for now, I’ll be purchasing those that are labeled gluten free for my own reassurance so I can enjoy every last drop!

Sincerely,

Lindsay (19 weeks)

January 20, 2015

Gluten Free Ravioli By Pastosa Coming Right Up!

There’s no denying that gluten free or not I’ve always been and always will be a true pasta loving Italian. Sure these days I indulge in those of the gluten free variety, but I fondly remember years past of cheese filled homemade pastas that were always my favorite and never failed to hit the spot. Sadly, it’s been too long since I’ve enjoyed butter slathered ravioli, tortellini, and manicotti, but I’m happy to share that I’ve finally found a gluten free substitute worthy of an Italian’s stamp of approval.

Pastosa has brought us a fantastic gluten free substitute that looks, feels, and tastes just like the “real” thing. For about $10, you can get a 16 ounce package of frozen, large gluten free cheese ravioli. To give you an idea of how many servings you’d get out of one package, I usually can make at least 3-4 dinners for myself from one (with about 4-5 raviolis each). And when you want to enjoy this Italian staple, just boil some water, pop some in, and gently boil them for about 8 to 10 minutes and soon enough it’s time to serve and enjoy!

ravioli (3) — Pastosa Gluten Free Cheese Ravioli

Now I personally like to enjoy my gluten free cheese ravioli with just some melted butter or a very light sauce of that nature, I just love the flavor that butter adds to the pasta itself as well as the delicious ricotta filling inside. But believe me, any sauce option that you choose will marry perfectly with Pastosa’s gluten free ravioli, they’re just that delicious. The pasta itself cooks up perfectly al dente each time, never turning to mush. Meanwhile the filling nestled inside is a flavorful combination of creamy ricotta, romano cheese, and parsley. My favorite part is when you cut your ravioli open and the melted butter meets the filling for the first time and just absorbs right into it, absolutely delicious!

Pastosa's Gluten Free Ravioli stuffed with a perfect ricotta mixture. — Pastosa’s Gluten Free Cheese Ravioli stuffed with a perfect ricotta mixture.

Since going gluten free, I’ve learned that unfortunately finding great gluten free products like these gluten free ravioli can sometimes be a difficult process and may not always be readily available at your grocery store. For many products I’ve had to dig around to find them either online, at different grocery stores, or at my local health food store, not very much fun or convenient or cheap but worth it in the long run to uncover quality gluten free food. These Italian delights I stumbled upon on a trip to a local Italian market where I was purchasing some fresh raviolis for the rest of my family and I truly couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw these in the freezer case. As with many gluten free products, they weren’t horribly cheap but for an occasional dinner, and as I said several dinners for myself, they were totally worth it. Since my venture to the Italian market, I’ve since learned that you can pick these up on Pastosa’s website if you can’t find them in the store so no worries if you haven’t seen them for yourself because you can certainly join in the fun and enjoy them too.

Living gluten free isn’t always as easy as your weekly trip to the grocery store, but don’t be afraid to dig a little in other places, especially online, you might just find a hidden gem like these raviolis that will soon become a family favorite and worth every extra second you took to discover them!

Sincerely,

Lindsay (16 weeks)

January 8, 2015

A Picky Pregnancy Palette Will Love These Dannon Light & Fit Protein Shakes That Are Gluten Free

I’ve always loved smoothies and juices but when my picky pregnancy palette and lack of energy to actually make them came around, my smoothie and juice making, among many other culinary exploits, went on the back burner. Without my oh so favorite smoothies, I’ve had a really hard time so far this pregnancy eating nutritiously or eating period and gaining weight. So lately I’ve been on a mission to track down some gluten free foods/drinks that’ll not only please my palette but also pack a huge punch on the nutritious end. Sounds like fun to add some new gluten free items to my normal everyday diet but eating has become more of a job lately so off to work I go.

So the credit for this find actually needs to be given to my husband Dan. On a trip to BJs he was on a mission to uncover protein packed, gluten free marked foods that would suit his pregnant wife’s needs, no easy task but my Dan is a brave soul that’s for sure. First on his list was to find a potential replacement for my smoothies/juices and that he did. Who would’ve thought that Dannon made yogurt shakes that were perfect in texture and packed full of vitamins and protein, not to mention are beautifully marked “certified gluten free.”

Gluten Free Dannon Light & Fit Protein Shake

These shakes are a great alternative to a homemade smoothie and come in a couple of different flavors including strawberry, mixed berry, banana, and vanilla. At BJs, we snagged a super size pack of the shakes all in strawberry so I haven’t tried the other flavors but the strawberry flavor certainly gets my vote. On top of their delicious taste and smooth and creamy texture, they’re packed with 12 g of protein and 5 g of fiber, making them a perfect addition to my pregnancy gluten free diet. To check out these shakes in all of their deliciousness and find them in a local store near you, check out Dannon’s site and pick out your favorite flavor and location.

These tasty shakes and smoothies have slowly become a permanent part of my breakfast and I couldn’t be happier to report that so far no food aversion has developed to these, fingers crossed. For now, I’ll enjoy their addition to my daily diet and keep hoping that they help restore some of that energy that I miss so much.

Cheers to a less picky 2nd trimester!

Sincerely,

Lindsay (14 weeks)

December 10, 2014

Udi’s Dark Chocolate Brownie Bites: Chocolate With Chocolate Chips And Soft And Chewy, Can’t Get Much Better Than That!

Christmas came early for the Gluten Free Mom To Be with two fantastic deliveries from Udi’s yesterday! The first was a huge box of frozen samples that were all completely new to me, but the second was a holiday gluten free goodie box from their #EatDrinkBeMerry holiday campaign. Among the amazing treats were their Double Vanilla Muffins, Soft and Chewy Snicker Doodle Cookies, Steel Cut Oats with Currants, Flax, and Chia, and finally their Soft and Chewy Dark Chocolate Brownie Bites. Being a chocolate girl, my eyes immediately were drawn to the chocolate brownies, especially the words soft and chewy across their label, two my favorite food adjectives. Without any hesitation, the brownies were first up on the sample list and barely survived another minute without being opened. After popping open the carton, I finally caught a glimpse and whiff of the deliciousness of Udi’s brownie bites. If anyone remembers those white individual sized bags of muffin looking brownie bites by Entenmanns these look and taste exactly like them, from what I remember at least; keep in mind it’s probably been a good 15 years since I’d actually tasted one of them but nonetheless a girl never forgets brownie bites. These Udi’s bites look like miniature muffins, wrapped with a cupcake/muffin wrapper with chocolate chips poking through the top. Now, you’re probably wondering if they hold up to their description of being soft and chewy, just like an actual brownie. Ready to find out? Well, I have fantastic news to report! These gluten free chocolate brownie bites are everything that they’re described to be. They’re filled with just the right amount of chocolate, but most importantly they’re perfectly soft and chewy just as promised. Many a gluten free product that I’ve tasted over the years seems to fall short in the texture department, usually being rock hard or crumbling at your touch, far from what they actually should feel like. Udi’s brownie bites, even though their presentation may resemble a miniature cupcake, have succeeded in giving us a chewy brownie that’s perfection, no cake texture here. You certainly get what’s promised on the package and your taste buds will not be disappointed. The only downside with these fantastic gluten free brownie bites is that you will definitely not be able to stop at one, not really a downside I know. These are a perfect premade snack for anyone gluten free, especially when you’re on the go. I’m all for baking brownies and cookies from scratch or at least from a box but I’m certainly not one to pass up the convenient and equally as delicious alternative of a premade snack. Udi’s brownie bites are just that, and I can see myself bringing along this convenient little carton to many a day trip or even vacation to Disney World, when I can find them in my local store at least. Sadly I haven’t spotted these in any of my local grocery stores but fingers crossed that they pop up soon!

Make sure you keep an eye out for these adorable little bites and snatch them up when you see them so you always have a sweet treat on hand! After all, what’s better than a bunch of adorable little brownies nestled snugly in your cabinet?

Sincerely,

Lindsay

November 12, 2014

Ever See A Gluten Free Soft Pretzel? I Have And I’ve Been Lucky Enough To Taste One Too Thanks To Tonya’s Gluten Free Kitchen

Do you remember those huge soft pretzels that you could grab in long sticks at amusement parks or maybe those fun Mickey faces in Disney World? They are a distant but very fond memory for me as these were always my favorite snack when we went on vacation or a day trip. A little bit of salt topped with a little yellow mustard and I was good to go to enjoy the deliciousness of the doughy snack. With all of that chewiness though came a whole lot of gluten which meant one very sick girl.

So, when I went gluten free, like many gluten filled eats and treats, soft pretzels too got the heave-ho and have been missing from my diet for a number of years. I’ve always kept my fingers crossed that I might one day see them in a grocery store next to the Super Pretzels or maybe even at an amusement park, very optimistic I know. I honestly never thought that finding a gluten free, soft and chewy pretzel would be as tough as it actually has been; I mean it literally has been like searching for a unicorn. Until now that is! I finally caught wind of Tonya’s Gluten Free Kitchen who makes three kinds of gluten free soft pretzels including original regular size, original pretzel bites, and cinnamon sugar! I was so excited when they offered to send me a few samples and after just one bite I immediately headed to my local grocery stores to scout out where these might be available. I’m lucky enough to be able to snag these at a small allergy free shop by me but also at Wegmans, I’m still hoping that my Shop Rite 5 minutes away will catch on one of these days too. But no worries, if you can’t find these at a local store you won’t miss out because you can buy them here on Tonya’s website. And by the way, these are that good that I immediately stocked up on a few boxes to enjoy in the months to come. Okay, so now onto the actual pretzel itself in all of its gluten free glory. Not sure if you remember these but I used to enjoy Super Pretzels frozen soft pretzels at home from time to time. Tonya’s Gluten Free Kitchen match these in every way. After using water to add some salt or leaving them plain, all you do is microwave for under 1 minute and voila you have a soft, gluten free pretzel to enjoy. The size of these beauties is exactly how big a regular frozen pretzel would be, good news especially since everything gluten free seems to be miniature in size but big in price. And texture and taste wise, Tonya’s gluten free pretzels are a perfect, chewy pretzel that have that amazing doughy texture after just a short microwave. You can top them with the salt that’s provided or leave them plain if you prefer. And feel free to be creative with your dipping sauces on the side. I’m a plain girl when it comes to pretzels, I like to just dip them in a little bit of yellow mustard, but with or without the mustard these are perfection. I for one am so glad that Tonya’s has added these back into my life, now if only Disney World could come out with a Mickey shaped gluten free pretzel, then we would be good to go. A girl can dream can’t she?!?! So for the last piece of the gluten free soft pretzel puzzle, the cost. These aren’t the cheapest of snacks to enjoy but to be fair not many gluten free premade snacks are. I usually can get these for about $8.99 a box, regardless of the variety, and in a box you get 6 original size pretzels or the number of pretzel bites that’s equivalent to that. Do I wish the price was a tad bit cheaper than about $1.50 a pretzel? Sure, but as with everything in our world, gluten free items are by nature more expensive and the more special and unique an item is the more pricey it can be. Tonya’s Gluten Free Kitchen is a strictly gluten free business who is single handedly spearheading the addition of gluten free pretzels into our world. With growing support, their popularity will hopefully grow too, adding them into more and more mainstream grocery stores eventually making their products more affordable. Until then, this hard working, gluten free mommy will continue to treat herself to these gluten free delicacies while also supporting the pioneers of our gluten free community

Congratulations Tonya’s Gluten Free Kitchen! You’ve done a fabulous job and I for one am so grateful for your hard work and tasty product!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

November 5, 2014

There’s Only 3 More Weeks Until Thanksgiving, Make Sure You Get Your Katz Pies Soon!

It’s hard to believe but we are only 3 weeks away from Thanksgiving. Time has literally flown by, as it always does this time of year. It seems like once October rolls around, the weeks pass so quickly, probably because the last few months of the year are loaded with birthdays and holidays in our family. November alone holds the birthdays of 3 family members and 2 friends along with Thanksgiving of course, and shortly after follows December with three more family birthdays, including my precious little angel’s, one friend’s birthday, and my favorite holiday of the year. I always feel like we’re bouncing from one party or event to another but to be honest, I just love all of the time that we spend with family that we don’t necessarily get to see everyday which is exactly why Thanksgiving ranks in my top 3 favorite holidays.

Every year about this time, the holiday decorations start rolling out in stores, Christmas music pops on here and there, and Christmas shopping commences, and I just love every bit of it. What I’m not a huge fan of though is all of the holiday dinner commercials flashing on the tv which are a constant reminder of the two big family dinners that are looming ahead of me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the family part, it’s the dinner part that worries me. Not all of my family always remembers or understands my gluten free diet so the dishes they bring are always in question but my parents, and in recent years my mother-in-law and her husband, have always been the best at accommodating, taking a lot of the worry out of at least a couple of the main dishes.

My love of cooking has definitely grown over the years, so I’m always more than happy to contribute a few dishes to the meal, especially ones that are gluten free, and when I can dairy free and egg free for my nephew to enjoy too. I always like to add a few of our family’s savory favorites that have become traditions over the years and then add in a dessert here and there. The past few years, my go to for pre-made gluten free sweets has been Katz Gluten Free. They’ve consistently delivered some fantastic items that certainly do the gluten free world justice. When I first noticed that they offer pies, I was shocked since I hadn’t seen many if any pre-made gluten free pies out there, but then I instantly thought of Thanksgiving, my dad’s favorite pie holiday, where he rolls out at least three huge, mouthwatering (non-gluten free) pies. While I’ve dabbled in gluten free pie making over the years, on a holiday like Thanksgiving where I’m also making a number of other dishes, the cost and time spent make purchasing a pre-made pie more and more appealing. So before Thanksgiving comes around this year, I wanted to give Katz’s gluten free pie a try, but if it’s anything like their other items, I knew my Thanksgiving order would soon follow. So, Katz offers a couple different varieties of gluten free pie, which also happen to be free of dairy, nut, and soy too, including apple, cherry, and blueberry. I’ve always loved blueberry pies so I figured that would be a good one to try out. Price wise, each of these pies come in a 6″ size that runs about $7.99, but remember Katz offers promotions all of the time so keep an eye out over the coming weeks for a holiday pie deal. If you need something a bit larger than a 6″/personal pie, you can either order two 6″ varieties or they also offer the apple pie in an 8″ size for $12.99. If you want to check out all of Katz Gluten Free’s pie varieties, head over to their cake/pie section on their site. Once you decide what varieties of pie you’d like to go with, go ahead and order away, but not before you peruse the rest of their site just to be sure that there’s nothing else that you might like to try for the holiday season. Gluten free sprinkle cookies anyone? Once your order is placed, it’ll be no time until it arrives; I always get my orders really quickly from Katz, but keep in mind I am relatively close to them geographically, but nonetheless I’ve always received my orders in a timely fashion. When your pies do arrive, make sure you make room in your freezer to pop these in and save them for Thanksgiving, or at least try to. To enjoy, since these pies are pre-baked, all you have to do is thaw them in the refrigerator and if you’d like, warm them for 15 minutes in the oven, which does add the homemade, pie baking smell to your house that’s very appealing this time of year.

And finally, you’re probably wondering what these pies taste like. Okay, I think I’ve kept you in suspense long enough to tell you that these are DELICIOUS! The blueberry pie filling that I tried wasn’t too sweet but was just right with blueberries scattered throughout, while the crust, well that was just perfection. The gluten free pie crust was crispy and was softened just enough by the filling, but by no stretch did it do the signature crumble apart that so many gluten free products do. Katz’s gluten free pie tasted so homey, just like my dad’s homemade pies but without the gluten. I’m certainly adding these to my holiday shopping list, and I highly suggest that you do too. Let me know what kind you end up getting and what you think! Enjoy!

Note: No pretty pie picture unfortunately because my dear husband promptly dropped the wrapped pie flat on the ground before I even had a chance to bake it, so even though the pie was still edible and delicious just the same, it didn’t look so pretty at that point. There’s always next time.

Sincerely,

Lindsay

October 20, 2014

What’s The Verdict On Freschetta’s Gluten Free Pizza?

As Fall has rolled in, so has the season of colds, flus, and apparently millions of new kinds of viruses too. Unfortunately my little family, freshly vaccinated for the flu I’d like to add, passed around one of those bugs for a week. Little one and my husband seemed to shake theirs but I haven’t been so lucky. Just so happens that I have a lovely case of pneumonia from that nasty bug. Such a downer, especially seeing as Fall is one of my favorite seasons with all of the fun festivals and activities that my little one would just love. So despite the beautiful crisp Fall air that rolled in this past weekend in the Northeast, I spent the majority of it inside trying to get better.

Along with a sicky Mommy, come mediocre half home-cooked meals and lots of indoor play time. As far as play time is considered, little one has been a real trooper, but I can certainly tell her patience is beginning to wear thin so I’m going to have to be pretty creative with this week’s indoor activities since I’m still under the weather. Food wise though, she’s always my biggest fan so we haven’t had too many disagreements on my quick meal choices. A few weeks ago, while we were at BJs picking up some family sized items, I spotted a two pack of the Freschetta gluten free pizzas for only $13.99, a great deal compared to the single pie price of $10.99 at Shop Rite. At that price I was sold, so we grabbed one package and stashed them in the freezer for a rainy day. Well, with me being so down and out lately I decided to whip out these pizzas and give them a try. Any meal that would save me a half hour on my feat of prep was a winner in my book, so it was pizza night over the weekend for our family.

A Freschetta Gluten Free Pizza with thin crust and lots of cheese and sauce.

After about 15 minutes of cooking, the pizzas were ready and boy did they smell delicious! First, I have to mention how big they are. These pizzas are easily the same full size of any other frozen pizza out there, a huge change from the other frozen, premade gluten free pizzas that are available only in a personal pan size. Now onto the pizza itself. The crust is super thin, soft and chewy in the middle and browned and crispy on the outside. And the sauce and cheese that tops it all is perfectly tasty, just as good as a pie from a restaurant I must say. Overall, this pizza is phenomenal! I still prefer making my own pizzas but for the price for the two pack and how delicious these are, it certainly does make me think twice.

I highly recommend snagging these Gluten Free Freschetta Pizzas! And if you can, grab them in a family size pack from your local BJs, Costco, or Sams Club to save yourself some money. Great job Freschetta and thank you for your fantastically tasty contribution to the gluten free community!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

August 20, 2014

A Breakfast Or A Dessert? These Gluten Free Powdered Custard Donuts Can Be Either!

I’ll be honest, most of the time during my pregnancy being gluten free wasn’t too difficult. Of course there were plenty of moments where I couldn’t seem to get a specific craving out of my head and couldn’t necessarily satisfy it either but that was to be expected. There were also plenty of moments that my cravings were completely doable and were for things that I could eat in a second. Like everyone else’s pregnancies though mine was no different, scattered throughout there were cravings for non-gluten free items that, no matter what I would do, just wouldn’t disappear. Two in particular stand out at the moment, bagels and donuts, both of which were extremely off limits in my diet. (more…)

July 24, 2014

Gluten Free Chicken, Broccoli, And Cheese Quesadillas Using Udi’s Large Tortillas

Okay, so I received some samples of Udi’s new tortillas not too long ago and absolutely fell in love with them. I’ve been itching to get my hands on another package since then but haven’t had any luck finding them in my local grocery stores. Thankfully, I was wandering with little girl through one of my local health food stores the other day and spotted them, in all their gluten free glory, sitting in the freezer case. Since finding them was somewhat of a needle in a haystack scenario, I decided to snag a few packages while I had them in front of me, especially since they could be kept in the freezer for quite awhile. At $4.19 a piece they weren’t too terribly priced, but thankfully I remembered that I had Udi’s coupons sitting at the bottom of my diaper bag waiting for a moment like this to be used. And voila! Only ten minutes later and I’d saved $5 on four packages of gluten free Udi’s tortillas that were now nestled snugly in my backseat next to my little girl. Finding my favorite gluten free tortillas and saving some money on them too was a huge success for this mommy, ah the little things in life that’ll make you smile!

Well anyway, now with four packages in hand, I couldn’t wait to try out some new ways to enjoy these perfect gluten free tortillas. While I love using them to make wraps, especially my Crispy Chicken Cobb Wrap, I was really in the mood to do something warm, maybe either a panini or quesadilla. Seeing as I already had all of the ingredients for my type of quesadilla, we found a winner. Okay, so my type of quesadilla isn’t a traditional spicy version but rather it’s the perfect combo of ingredients for the Gluten Free Mom To Be. I just love the flavor and texture combination of the melted cheddar jack cheese, diced chicken, and chopped broccoli all enveloped in toasted tortillas. These are so delicious and make my mouth water just thinking about them.

Ingredients:

1 Package Large Udi’s Tortillas
1 cup diced, grilled chicken (I used 1 9 oz boxes Perdue Shortcuts.)
1 8 oz bag shredded cheddar jack cheese
1 cup chopped broccoli
Butter to cook quesadilla (I used Smart Balance.)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Out of each Udi’s Large Tortilla package you’ll get 3 quesadillas so you’ll be repeating each of these steps three times.
Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of each tortilla, making sure you cover the entire side of the tortilla.

Quesadilla — Udi’s large tortilla with one side buttered for cooking.

Warm up skillet at medium heat.
Add your first buttered tortilla to a warmed skillet, butter side down. Next few steps involve assembling the quesadilla which I do in the skillet. It’s much easier to quickly and carefully assemble the quesadilla in the skillet than trying to move the assembled quesadilla from plate to skillet (this gets quite messy).
To the top, spread a thin layer of shredded cheddar jack cheese (I’d say about 1/4 cup).

lkjsldfj — Add buttered tortilla to a warmed skillet, followed by a thin layer of shredded cheese.

Add about 1/3 cup diced chicken on top of cheese layer. When I’m in a rush, I use Perdue Shortcuts, either grilled or honey flavored. They’re so simple and easy to use and taste fantastic in this dish.
Next, add about 1/3 cup chopped broccoli across chicken and cheese, making sure to spread evenly.

khlh — Layer diced chicken and chopped broccoli on top of tortilla and cheese.

Toss a little more shredded cheese on top of the fillings, just to help the second tortilla stick.
Season fillings with a little salt and pepper if you wish and then top them with the second tortilla, butter side facing up.
After only about 2-3 minutes of cooking on first side, using a spatula, carefully lift the bottom layer up to make sure it’s golden brown.
Once the bottom tortilla has turned golden brown, using a large spatula carefully flip the quesadilla over so the uncooked, buttered tortilla is now face down on the skillet and the browned tortilla is face up.

khkjh — Carefully flip your quesadilla so the cooked side is up and uncooked buttered tortilla is down on the skillet.

After an additional 2-3 minutes cooking on the second side, carefully scoop out quesadilla and add it to a plate.
Using a pizza cutter, cut your quesadilla into as many slices as you prefer.
Repeat assembly and cooking steps for remaining tortillas and you’ll end up with three large portions of delicious and gluten free chicken, cheese, and broccoli quesadillas!

ljlkj — Yummy! It’s making my mouth water just looking at this picture.

These quesadillas are a quick and tasty dinner, lunch, or even appetizer for a dinner party! They’re a different take on your traditional zesty quesadillas and satisfy even the pickiest diners. If you have non-gluten free diners in your family just split this recipe between gluten free and non-gluten free tortillas. For our family, I prepared one gluten free quesadilla for myself and two non-gluten free quesadillas for my husband and daughter. As always be careful of cross contamination, but what I like to do is prep all of the ingredients first and then make my gluten free quesadilla before I even take out the non-gluten free tortillas. Also, a little tip about minimizing your dirty dishes, just reuse your skillet between quesadillas. I make mine first so I don’t share a cook top, which is a big cross contamination no no, and then assemble and make the regular quesadillas in the same skillet afterwards.

So grab your favorite gluten free tortillas, I highly recommend Udi’s brand, and put these quesadillas together as soon as possible! I for one am so glad that I came upon these tortillas, as they’re by far the best gluten free tortillas that I’ve yet to experience. I certainly can see many a gluten free wrap and quesadilla in my future, especially during a future pregnancy. What a great pregnancy snack or meal!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

Gluten Free Chicken, Broccoli, And Cheese Quesadillas

2014-07-24 07:48:19

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Ingredients

1 Package Large Udi's Tortillas
1 cup diced, grilled chicken (I used 1 9 oz boxes Perdue Shortcuts.)
1 8 oz bag shredded cheddar jack cheese
1 cup chopped broccoli
Butter to cook quesadilla (I used Smart Balance.)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Out of each Udi's Large Tortilla package you'll get 3 quesadillas so you'll be repeating each of these steps three times.
Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of each tortilla, making sure you cover the entire side of the tortilla.
Warm up skillet at medium heat.
Add your first buttered tortilla to a warmed skillet, butter side down. Next few steps involve assembling the quesadilla which I do in the skillet. It's much easier to quickly and carefully assemble the quesadilla in the skillet than trying to move the assembled quesadilla from plate to skillet (this gets quite messy).
To the skillet tortilla, spread a thin layer of shredded cheddar jack cheese (I'd say about 1/4 cup).
Add about 1/3 cup diced chicken on top of cheese layer. When I'm in a rush, I use Perdue Shortcuts, either grilled or honey flavored. They're so simple and easy to use and taste fantastic in this dish.
Next, add about 1/3 cup chopped broccoli across chicken and cheese, making sure to spread evenly.
Toss a little more shredded cheese on top of the fillings, just to help the second tortilla stick.
Season fillings with a little salt and pepper if you wish and then top them with the second tortilla, butter side facing up.
After only about 2-3 minutes of cooking on first side, using a spatula, carefully lift the bottom layer up to make sure it's golden brown.
Once the bottom tortilla has turned golden brown, using a large spatula carefully flip the quesadilla over so the uncooked, buttered tortilla is now face down on the skillet and the browned tortilla is face up.
After an additional 2-3 minutes cooking on the second side, carefully scoop out quesadilla and add it to a plate.
Using a pizza cutter, cut your quesadilla into as many slices as you'd like.
Repeat assembly and cooking steps for remaining tortillas and you'll end up with three portions of delicious and gluten free chicken, cheese, and broccoli quesadillas!

By Gluten Free Mom To Be

Gluten Free Mom To Be http://www.glutenfreemomtobe.com/