In case you haven’t guessed it by now I am a huge fan of Perdue’s chicken products. It’s a tough world out there following a gluten free diet, so any brand that makes our lives a little bit easier makes me smile. Not only do I buy Perdue’s chicken breasts and tenders for all of my from scratch cooking but I’m also very pleased with their gluten free line of breaded chicken tenders as well as select shortcuts. They are perfect when you’re crunched for time and match with so many of my go to, quick dinner recipes. I’d also like to mention that I think these products were among my favorite dinner items during my pregnancy. They saved me from touching the forbidden raw chicken and an hour or so of prep time. Interested in trying some of these out? Make sure you print this Perdue Shortcut Coupon today to save on your next purchase! May I recommend the honey or grilled varieties that you can try in my Pesto, Chicken, and Tomato Pizza, Crispy Chicken Cobb Wrap, or my latest and favorite recipe Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese Quesadilla.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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!
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
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/
In the gluten free world it’s quite difficult to find a good and safe bowl of soup. A major brand that reminds probably each one of us of a warm childhood memory is Campbell’s Soup. Unfortunately Campbell’s Soups, as similar to many soups in restaurants and at your local grocery store, contain wheat and are thus off limits to those that are gluten free. Sadly, I had to say goodbye to nice warm bowls of chicken noodle and tomato soup on those cold winter days until I came upon Pacific Soups. Pacific is a huge brand of organic products ranging from drinks to soups to broths of all kinds. One of my favorite products though is their Creamy Tomato soup which is deliciously gluten free. More than just the Creamy Tomato soup is gluten free though, they offer so many gluten free soups and other products so be sure to check out Pacific’s gluten free products. See something that you want to try? Maybe that fantastic Creamy Tomato soup, which has by the way turned into my daughter’s new favorite lunch? Print out this coupon here and save a little on your purchase!
Okay so I guess I’ve been bitten by the Chinese food bug lately. I blame Disney; ever since our trip a few months back and I enjoyed that fabulous Pan-Asian noodle dish at Kona Cafe, I’ve been craving Asian inspired cuisine like crazy. As I eluded to yesterday, when I’m not enjoying my homemade Chicken And Green Veggie Stir Fry at home, I’m getting my Chinese food fix at our local P.F. Chang’s. For those of you who haven’t been to a P.F. Chang’s, you absolutely must try it, their gluten free menu is fairly large and offers some very tasty Asian cuisine.
Now, anytime I venture out of the house to attempt a gluten free meal I feel incredibly nervous, with a bit of anxiety. It’s actually kind of sad to feel that way about having a night off from cooking and enjoying a meal out with your family, but unfortunately everywhere in the world is just not quite as prepared to offer entirely gluten free food causing myself to be glutened. Sadly I have been glutened before and it is an excruciating experience for me, so I never take eating out lightly at all. I usually only go to places that have had a great reputation as far as allergy free cooking is concerned, also they have phenomenal reviews from other gluten free diners, and finally that offer an impressive gluten free menu that truly demonstrates their desire to accommodate gluten free diners by not only offering a large variety but also items that include all of their parts and not just a plain piece of meat. That being said, it’s obvious that I’m extremely selective on our locations when we dine out, but hey I have to be.
Over the past few years, we’ve dined at P.F. Chang’s and will keep dining there as each and every experience that we’ve had has been nothing but impressive and enjoyable. Their staff is always extremely knowledgeable and they can accommodate not just gluten free folk, but allergies of all shapes and sizes, as even my dear nephew who has seemingly every food allergy under the sun has even successfully dined there without any reactions. You feel the love after just sitting down and taking a look at the menu and seeing their pretty large gluten free section, right there in the main menu, that’s right no separate menu for us! (Just a tip, if you have any other kind of food allergy, just request another menu that specifically addresses that allergy.)
While P.F. Chang’s menu is intended for items to be shared, for us we usually don’t do this since my dishes are gluten free and my husband usually prefers to order a seafood, non-gluten free item. So, ordering for me is pretty simple, I typically go with the gluten free Chicken Lettuce Wraps and a Beef and Broccoli entree. I’m a creature of habit I guess and usually order the same thing, but I know what I like and I’ve never really gone wrong with either one of these. While ordering, I usually remind the waiter of the severe gluten intolerance that I have again, even though I already did that when ordering my drinks, but it makes me feel better if I state it a few times, impressing upon the staff the dire consequences of a slip up.
Soon enough, my gluten free Chicken Lettuce Wraps arrive on a beautiful allergy plate with a logo and line circling around it; that’s right, P.F. Chang’s identifies allergy free dishes with a different plate from other diners, a great identifier for yourself when your dish is placed down in front of you. When my husband hasn’t ordered an appetizer for himself then we usually do share this one since it’s usually way too much for just myself to finish. However, his new favorite small plate, non-gluten free appetizer are the steamed pork dumplings, so when that’s the case then it’s leftover Chicken Lettuce Wraps for tomorrow’s lunch, which is fine by me!
Gluten Free Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Now, down to the taste of these wonderful wraps! They are DELICIOUS! Every single time I order them I love them more and more. Chicken, green onions, and water chestnuts smothered in a gluten free soy sauce and all scooped into a lettuce cup, it’s such a great bite of food and a perfect appetizer. While these are a total winner for us adults, not everyone at our table agreed though on this dish.
On our most recent visit to P.F. Chang’s, which has really only been my daughter’s second time there her entire year and a half of life, we decided to leave behind a dinner from home and give her some of our meals. First up, were the chicken lettuce wraps which after my little girl’s first bite produced some type of sour face and shiver. Let’s face it, I knew it was a gamble giving her Asian cuisine, especially a dish with all new flavors and textures, like ground chicken and water chestnuts. Thankfully though our waiter came to the rescue and brought out some fresh veggies for her to munch on, which she LOVES, and she actually happened to really enjoy my husband’s steamed pork dumplings too. So, while little one enjoyed her Daddy’s dish, Mommy actually was able to gobble down a few lettuce wraps uninterrupted!
A few minutes later and our entrees had arrived. My gluten free Beef and Broccoli looked just as tasty as always. A huge allergy free, logo lined plate was placed down in front of me and was filled with thin, bite size pieces of flank steak and broccoli florets all cooked with fresh ginger, green onions, garlic, and a beautiful sauce. I love everything in this dish, but the star for me is the sauce that flavors it all. The seared beef and broccoli are perfectly flavored thanks to it and I always leave wishing that I knew how to recreate such a spectacular dish. Although I love this dish, I rarely am able to finish it in the restaurant. So even better, I always have leftovers for the next day’s lunch or dinner and let me tell you the Beef and Broccoli reheats perfectly, tasting just like it did the day before.
Gluten Free Beef With Broccoli
Every single meal at P.F. Chang’s we’ve enjoyed, while all for the great food and even better company, others thanks to extra special memories like watching our little girl enjoy a different cuisine for the first time. It means so much to my family to be able to create memories like these and enjoy a meal together where all of us are eating dishes that are equally tasty and safe. So many thank yous go out to P.F. Chang’s for offering a restaurant that not just myself, but many other allergy diners too can sit down with their families and share in the enjoyment of dining out. If you have a local P.F. Chang’s near you, make sure you pay them a visit and check out their gluten free menu ahead of time to pick out your favorite dishes!
TIP: One of the perks that I love about P.F. Chang’s is that they offer lunch sized portions of their gluten free menu so you can enjoy their dishes at either meal. In fact, since we usually don’t share dishes, we’ve sometimes ordered lunch takeout on Saturday before 4 pm and have paid considerably less for plenty of food for dinner (not many leftovers, but certainly enough for dinner). Another feature that I love with P.F. Chang’s, is that they offer pretty good happy hour deals too. These typically run until 6 pm, I believe, and you can save a few dollars on their Chicken Lettuce Wraps, which happen to come in a gluten free version! Yay for saving a little bit of money while being gluten free!
After enjoying a good breakfast with Pooh and his friends, we headed straight over to Fantasyland to start our day. We visited Anna and Elsa at Princess Fairytale Hall, hopped on Cinderella’s Carousel, and road Winnie the Pooh’s ride; we then made our way over to Adventureland where we hopped on the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. After such a jam packed morning, little one fell asleep leaving Dan and I to wander around and figure out our lunch plans as the time was drawing near. We had yet to dine in the West Wing of Be Our Guest, so we decided to head over in that direction and catch an early lunch while little one rested her eyes.
We stood in line outside only for a short while and then followed along inside to order our meals at the kiosks. A chef was called for me to place my order which was pretty simple this time. I went with one of my favorite sandwiches there, the Carved Turkey Sandwich which had a dijon mayo and pommes frites along with it, each and every bite of which could be made gluten free. For dessert, the gluten free Lemon Raspberry Cream Puff as always.
After ordering, we headed to the West Wing to see if we could grab one of the few and coveted tables in there. Low and behold we had success, thanks to the earlier lunch time I’m guessing. Note to anyone with a sleeping baby though, when you plan on dining here for lunch be aware that there is thunder in the West Wing which can get quite loud at times, so much so it caused my little girl to stir each time. No worries though, she slept the entire time through lunch allowing some Mommy and Daddy time. While little girl slept, our meals were rolled out in their enchanted fashion and I was greeted by the familiar allergy flags placed in two beautifully put together sandwiches.
Gluten free Carved Turkey Sandwich, Dijon Mayo, and Pommes Frites at Be Our Guest.
I was so excited to dine here again for lunch, as for me, as far as Magic Kingdom lunches go, this location definitely falls in my top 3. This lunch was no different, a beautiful plate of gluten free food magically found me and we enjoyed a wonderfully tasty meal in an enchanting environment. Now, the turkey sandwich itself was put together on Udi’s bread I believe, and again, similar to the ham sandwich that I tried a few days prior, two gluten free sandwiches were given in place of the larger regular sandwich that others get. Sandwiched between gluten free slices of bread are large pieces of carved turkey with arugula on top. The turkey itself was moist and deliciously flavored, but my favorite is the gluten free dijon mayo that comes on the side!
Gluten free turkey sandwich with dijon mayo.
The dijon mayo is perfection and I just love adding it to both sandwiches and then dipping my pommes frites in whatever’s left. It complements the turkey perfectly and adds a tremendous amount of flavor to the sandwich as a whole. TIP: Ask for extra dijon mayo, you’ll definitely be happy that you did! As far as the pommes frites that come along with the sandwich, well those were delicious as always.
All in all, we just love having lunch at Be Our Guest. The environment is perfect, and the food is just that as well. From a gluten free perspective, you have so many unique options here, different really from anywhere else in Magic Kingdom. You absolutely must try Be Our Guest for both the experience and the delicious food that they offer. Take a peak at Be Our Guest’s lunch menu now to see what catches your eye, and I’m sure you’ll find many an item that you’re interested in trying. Let me know what gluten free dishes you enjoy when you visit Magic Kingdom’s Be Our Guest!
After enjoying a cool and dark lunch in the West Wing of Be Our Guest, our little girl awakened with an empty belly so we stopped at Pinnochio Village Haus to grab her a delicious bowl of mac and cheese, grapes, and apple sauce. She devoured her sized portion of the mac and cheese and apple sauce and we were off again to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at Magic Kingdom, including the Haunted Mansion, It’s A Small World, some of my husband’s favorites Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, and the new Festival of Fantasy Parade, which was amazing!
Shortly after the parade, we headed on out to Epcot to explore the butterfly exhibit courtesy of the Flower and Garden Festival before our dinner in England. In route to Epcot though our little girl drifted off into a short little nap, those monorails and boats work magic on her! So Dan and I admired the butterflies for her and then scooted over to England for our dinner reservation.
We were seated outside right next to the lake and had a perfect view of the World Showcase. The chef joined our table almost immediately after being seated and drink orders were taken. I ordered the Grilled New York Strip Steak (Contrary to my ordering on vacation, I do not usually order steak daily, however their chicken options were usually dressed in sauces that were not up my alley, so steak it was.). Seeing as the sauce that was supposed to accompany my steak had gluten in it, the chef agreed to put together some type of gluten free scampi like sauce to go with mine.
As we waited for our meals to arrive our little one began to move around and did not wake up in the best of moods; needless to say, in the midst of taming a toddler I blanked on pictures at the Rose and Crown Pub, sorry. Anyway, our meals arrived and we traded off gobbling down our dishes while occupying our little girl. My steak was perfectly well done and was topped with a delicious scampi like sauce! The chef truly did a fantastic job putting this one together for me so I didn’t have to have a dry steak. In fact, he even checked on me several times to make sure that the sauce was to my liking, such great customer service! For dessert, I was able to only get the fruit parfait off of the kids menu. By that point though, our little one had had it, so we took a few nibbles of our desserts and decided to head back to our home resort and enjoy some much needed pool time!
It was a fantastic day of gluten free food from a turkey sandwich and dijon mayo to a strip steak and flavorful scampi sauce. Each bite was just as delicious as the one before and the one after! I have to commend Disney’s Chefs, as most of them that I’ve ever spoken to have been incredibly flexible and willing to accommodate in any capacity that they are able. Thank you Disney Chefs for being incredibly creative and aiming to please all of your diners!
My Disney adventures are almost at an end so stay tuned for the last gluten free bites that I enjoyed at Animal Kingdom, Cinderella’s Castle, and all of the snacks inbetween!
Overcoming the previous day’s events, we were very excited as Day 4 rolled around with extra magic hours at Magic Kingdom. We were up and ready to go nice and early, little one seemed in much better sorts the next day after a full night of sleep and another dose of medicine in her. We were so excited to explore Magic Kingdom, which by far is one of our favorite parks and our little one’s as well.
Our morning was spent flying through the sky on Dumbo, boating through the world on Small World, meeting Cinderella and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall, spinning round and round on Alice’s Tea Cups, and soaring through Neverland on a pirate ship on Peter Pan. My precious little girl enjoyed each and every ride and experience, looking around and taking it all in, all with a smile on her face. Soon enough it was almost time for lunch and we decided to give Be Our Guest a whirl; while Dan waited in line for a bit before it opened, I took our little girl shopping through some of the fantastic Fantasyland stores. Finally, it was time to enter the castle and enjoy a delicious lunch in an even better location!
Ordering lunch at this location is super easy and convenient, using touch screen computers you can quickly enter what you’d like, scan your magic band, and you’re on your way to pick out a table of your choice throughout the restaurant. For ordering with food allergies, their system can show you options that are available without specific allergens, however I always prefer to speak one-on-one with a chef. As per my request, a chef came over as we were entering our order and reviewed my options with me. I wanted to give the Croque Monsieur sandwich a try which is carved ham, gruyere cheese, and bechamel sauce with pommes frites. The chef said I could certainly enjoy a gluten free version of this one, so I was super excited to give it a try! We quickly finished entering our order and picked a table in the Rose Room. This room is exquisitely decorated with tapestries and paintings of Belle and the Beast during their time at the castle. While we were taking in the beautiful scenery around us, our meals magically found us and were delivered via food carts.
Be Our Guest’s Gluten Free Croque Monsieur
What I happen to love about this restaurant is that instead of simply substituting the regular sandwich with one on much smaller gluten free bread, they actually give you two sandwiches to equal the size of the regular one. Also to indicate that you have an allergy order they stick these little allergy flags in your sandwich, which for me definitely gives me much needed reassurance that there was no mix up along the way.
Gluten free bread with carved ham and gruyere cheese at Be Our Guest
As far as the actual sandwich is considered it was pretty good. I loved the combination of the carved ham and gruyere cheese on the gluten free bread (which tastes and looks like Udi’s), but the downside is that it was pretty dry. The bechamel that was supposed to accompany the sandwich was missing so I assumed that it was a no go for the gluten free order (which wouldn’t be totally surprising, as many a sauce have gluten in it). Sadly, the chef didn’t indicate this ahead of time though when I was ordering, otherwise I probably would’ve requested some kind of sauce for the sandwich. Nonetheless, this sandwich was still delicious and a great departure from your typical options of burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, etc.. I have to also mention too that the pommes frites or french fries were delicious, just as Disney’s fries usually are. They were perfectly seasoned and so yummy!
Be Our Guest’s Gluten Free Lemon Raspberry Puff
As far as dessert, Be Our Guest offers a gluten free cream puff which I typically order when we dine here. The puff side of this dessert is delicious, perfectly light and doughy texture mimicking that of a regular cream puff. As far as the filling, the lemon cream was a bit too sweet and lemony for me, I’d probably prefer more of the traditional cream that you see in a cream puff. However, I do usually take a few bites mixed with the raspberry and whipped cream on top and it certainly is a wonderful, sweet finish to a meal. I have to say that I’m extremely grateful to Be Our Guest for creating and offering a gluten free pastry other than a packaged cookie or brownie. It definitely was a nice change from your typical gluten free dessert and a perfect finish to yet another great experience at Be Our Guest Restaurant!
Our morning in Epcot was filled with fun for all, from meeting some of little one’s favorite characters like Mickey and friends and Snow White to riding some of Epcot’s best rides. By lunch we were all famished and ready to give some place new a try. Dan and I love wine so we’ve been looking forward to giving Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar in Epcot’s Italy a try for quite awhile leading up to this trip, unfortunately I had a pretty bad sinus infection the week of our trip so the wine tasting didn’t quite happen except for one of my favorite glasses of wine. Food wise though I was very eager to test the waters and see how Tutto Gusto could lend itself to the gluten free diner.
Tutto Gusto’s menu is amazing, including a large variety of meats and cheeses, paninis, and tasting portions of some more diverse dishes. After being seated, I spoke with the chef and he recommended a pasta dish using their gluten free pasta, topping it with a roasted tomato sauce, burrata mozzarella cheese, and basil. I was a bit hesitant to order something so heavy for lunch but by then at Epcot we certainly had walked up a huge appetite. I simply couldn’t resist the deliciousness that he had described so I was on board for the Pomodoro pasta dish done gluten free. After I had placed my specialty order, my husband ordered the Tuscan Pork Ribs and we ordered the chicken fingers for my little girl to enjoy. While our order was being made, we couldn’t help but to look around and enjoy the authenticity of the wine cellar architecture.
Dan and myself have been incredibly fortunate to travel to Europe both on our honeymoon and another time after that visiting a number of places in Italy, Greece, and Spain. We fell in love with every Italian city we had spent time in, most notably Venice, Florence, Rome, and Naples (the Island of Capri). We hope to one day go back and bring our children there so they too can enjoy the beauty of one of our favorite countries but for now we relive our memories through pictures and visiting places like this. Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar reminded us of the small restaurants that we once had the pleasure of dining in in Venice and Florence. It was such a wonderful memory to relive but this time with our little girl by our side. We can’t wait to introduce her to our favorite country’s beauty in the years to come, but for now we love being able to walk her around the world thanks to Epcot’s World Showcase.
Soon enough our food was placed on our table and all of the sights and smells were incredibly overwhelming. It was love at first glance for me, I couldn’t wait to dive in and take my first bite of my Gluten Free Pasta Pomodoro.
Gluten free rice pasta topped with a tomato sauce, basil, and burrata mozzarella.
Presentation wise this dish was exquisite. The whole roasted tomatoes scattered throughout and the mound of burrata mozzarella cheese placed in the center made my mouth water. And I must say, the portion was huge. I’m not sure if this was typically a lunch size portion but it was incredibly large, more than enough for two to share.
Soft and creamy burrata mozzarella cheese.
Now onto the actual taste of this dish. The actual pasta component of the dish was very tasty and perfect in texture, not mushy in the slightest bit, just how gluten free pasta should be cooked. As far as the tomato sauce, I’m usually not a huge fan of tomato sauces but this one was very light and not overwhelming in the slightest bit. The burrata cheese was a smooth and creamy version of fresh mozzarella and was the perfect addition to the light tomato sauce and gluten free pasta. My first bite of pasta, tomato sauce, burrata cheese, and a smidgen of basil was pure heaven. The flavor combination was absolute perfection for my picky palate! I shared a bit with my husband when he had finished his Tuscan Pork Ribs and he too agreed that the gluten free dish was truly amazing! Thank you Tutto Gusto for such a filling and satisfying lunch, I can see many a gluten free lunch and dinner here in our future!
Gluten free Chocolate Panna Cotta topped with cherries.
While we were certainly all filled after our pasta, ribs, and chicken fingers, who could seriously resist the temptation of a Gluten Free Chocolate Panna Cotta topped with cherries? We just had to give it a try, so we ordered one and shared it between the three of us. My little one who had become especially picky with food on our vacation (more than likely because of her brewing ear infection, which I’ll tell you more about that scary experience in another post) absolutely loved this treat! It was light and fluffy, and not too sweet but with the addition of the cherries, it was a perfect ending to a wonderful lunch!
Just a few tips about Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar, you can’t use your dining plan here, however the experience and different food options were totally worth an out-of-pocket dining for us. Also, they do not take reservations which I kind of like so you can just spontaneously stop in and give it a try if you’re in the mood for that type of cuisine. Most of their dishes are either small plate or large enough to be shared which they indicate on their menu, if you’re unsure just ask your server. To take a look at their menu in its entirety just follow this link. I personally can’t wait to stop in here again and either order my beloved Pomodoro pasta dish or a gluten free non-pasta dish (fingers crossed)!
Stay tuned next week for more of my Disney dining likes and dislikes!
Our Disney adventure started out with an early morning flight, which is by far my least favorite activity of a vacation. Not only do I not love flying in general but the idea of being contained to a tiny little space with a highly active and mobile toddler is a bit intimidating too. With snacks, toys, and an ipad full of Disney Junior in hand though we were armed for the relatively short flight. All in all it wasn’t too bad; it was slightly hectic when little one left us a surprise in her diaper and required a change in the tiny tiny airplane bathroom but after some walking back and forth she passed out for a short nap until we landed in Orlando.
I don’t know about any of you but just stepping off of the plane in Orlando you get that magical feeling that Disney brings. After a short tram ride through the airport we were whisked away by Disney’s Magical Express to one of our favorite resorts, The Wilderness Lodge. The ride was filled with so much anticipation as our little one just sat in awe watching the bus tv as Mickey splashed across the screen. Only 30 minutes later and “we were home”. After checking in and leaving our carry-ons at the front desk, we were off to start Day 1 at the most magical place on Earth.
One of my favorite perks (and my daughter’s too) of staying at the Wilderness Lodge is the option to take a quick and scenic boat ride to get to the Magic Kingdom. Going with tradition, we headed over to Magic Kingdom first via the boat and a short 10 minute ride later we caught a glimpse of the castle for the first time. Just seeing the castle makes you feel like a kid again, filling you with so much excitement and anticipation. Soon enough we were docking right in front of the gates to Magic Kingdom and we couldn’t wait to unload and experience the magic.
Little one was a bit sleepy after a long commute earlier that morning but awake enough to point and scream with excitement at the all of the sights and sounds that filled Main Street. She just loved the hustle and bustle of it all, so much to see, hear, and smell for my little 1 1/2 year old. Her signature twinkle in her eyes grew ten sizes that day with her first gaze of the castle and the character show going on in front of it, a little expression I’ll never forget. We headed straight for Fantasyland to start our trip off with my little girl’s favorite ride, It’s A Small World. Even as an adult I love this ride too, but my little one just couldn’t take her eyes off of all of the dancing and singing dolls. She loved this one 9 months ago when we first took her to Disney, so much so I had an It’s A Small World inspired 1st birthday party for her! This time on this ride was filled with just as much amazement.
After riding through It’s A Small World, we headed over to Frontierland to get some lunch. Little one had a sandwich along with applesauce and fruit while Dan and I indulged in one of our all time favorite lunch options at Disney, and it’s gluten free! We love love love the Turkey Legs, you know those huge, smoked hunks of meat that look like they belong in a Flinstone’s episode. If you haven’t had one of these, I’m sure you’ve at least seen someone at some point walking around with one during one of your Disney trips. They are amazing and more amazing they are safe for those that are gluten free!
Smoked turkey legs courtesy of Frontierland in Magic Kingdom!
These smoked turkey legs are huge and make a perfectly filling lunch that is a little different then a burger or hot dog and fries. Each bite is filled with a juicy and smokey tasting piece of turkey that actually tastes a bit more like a ham with texture of turkey. My favorite part about these is that they are far from your traditional turkey that can be dry, these actually are incredibly juicy so make sure you arm yourself with plenty of napkins. I just love that these are safe for those that are gluten free and that both my husband and myself and one day little one can enjoy these together!
Smoked turkey legs at Magic Kingdom!
Just a heads up these turkey legs are messy and cannot be eaten in a pretty way so get ready to dive in and just enjoy the tastiness of this one! Also, they are a bit pricey, coming in at about $9 a piece, but are totally worth every penny. Like I said, these are huge and can certainly be shared if you don’t mind. Also, if you have a dining plan too this makes for a great quick service option! It counts as a quick service meal and you get one turkey leg, one drink, a bag of chips, and a pack of cookies which I believe equates to about a $20 meal, a great deal for a quick service option on the dining plan. We always use at least one or two quick service meals each at a turkey leg stand during our trips!
So next time you’re in Magic Kingdom, head over to Frontierland and check out their turkey legs! These are a delicious gluten free lunch option while in Disney and are actually available in several if not all of the parks! As always though, when you visit be sure to look at their allergy binder for any item that you want to try to check the ingredients as these can change.
It’s been quite a few years since I’ve been able to enjoy a soft, floury tortilla that was stuffed with my favorite salads and the forbidden gluten. As a pickier eater, salads and wraps used to be one of my go to meals at a number of restaurants. But as with many of my favorite dishes from years past, gluten was a main ingredient, now making them obsolete in my diet.
Although we’ve yet to reach the point where I can enjoy a wrap yet again at Red Robin or Saladworks, another amazing feat has been reached for the gluten free community by the release of Udi’s gluten free tortillas. Slowly but surely, some of my past cabinet staples are reemerging in a gluten free form. Each time I see a new gluten free product in the store, I first cross my fingers that this one will succeed and be consistently stocked, but then I feel overwhelmed with encouragement that the restrictions facing allergy and other dietary folk are beginning to break down. It’s amazing how the release of a simple gluten free product could be so overwhelming but it truly does fill you with complete and utter gratitude for those who are even attempting the task.
The addition of these tortillas back into my diet has expanded my lunch menu tremendously. For my first trial, I decided to recreate Red Robin’s Crispy Chicken Wrap. Using some basic ingredients that I always keep around, along with one of my other new favorite additions to the gluten free world, Perdue’s Simply Smart Gluten Free Breaded Chicken Strips, I created an amazing gluten free wrap that could certainly stand up to the gluten equivalent.
Ingredients:
Udi’s Large Tortillas
Romaine Lettuce
Blue Cheese Dressing (Wishbone is gluten free; I also enjoy Marie’s)
Tomatoes
Bacon (I like to use Hormel’s Real Bacon Bits)
Hardboiled Eggs
Breaded Chicken Strips (I love Perdue’s Simply Smart Gluten Free Chicken Strips (in the frozen section))
Amounts of these ingredients vary depending on how many wraps you are preparing and how much of each ingredient you like. I usually add equal parts of each. For one wrap for myself, I add about one handful of each ingredient, prepare salad mixture, and add accordingly to wrap. No worries if you have extra, you can always enjoy this as a salad on the side!
Crispy Chicken Cobb Wrap
Directions:
For my first wrap, I prepared enough ingredients to add about one handful of each to the wrap.
Preheat oven and prepare breaded chicken strips.
Additionally, add eggs to water and prepare hardboiled eggs.
While eggs and chicken are cooking, wash lettuce and tomatoes, chop into small bite size pieces, and add to a small mixing bowl.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of bacon to mixing bowl.
When eggs are ready, rinse with cold water so they’re cool enough to handle, chop, and add to other ingredients.
Similarly, when chicken has finished cooking, chop one or two strips into bite size pieces and combine with other ingredients.
Add several tablespoons of dressing, as much as desired, to ingredients and mix to coat all with dressing.
Wrap one tortilla with a damp paper towel and microwave for about 25 seconds to moisten and soften.
Remove paper towel and spoon salad mixture onto center of tortilla, making sure to not add too much and leave sides and top and bottom free for wrapping. Feel free to leave any extra to eat separately as a salad.
Turn up top and bottom and pull one side over to the other to wrap. Add toothpicks and cut wrap diagonally to enjoy!
Tortillas stuffed with Cobb salad!
Udi’s has certainly done me proud by producing such an outstanding product that I’ll be stocking in my refrigerator for years to come. To find these tortillas in a store near you, just use Udi’s tool here on their website. I hope you give these a try as soon as you can, you’ll be so glad that you did when you taste the gluten free love that Udi’s baked into these!
Sincerely,
Lindsay
Quick And Easy And Gluten Free Crispy Chicken Cobb Wraps
Blue Cheese Dressing (Wishbone is gluten free; I also enjoy Marie's)
Tomatoes
Bacon (I like to use Hormel's Real Bacon Bits)
Hardboiled Eggs
Breaded Chicken Strips (I love Perdue's Simply Smart Gluten Free Chicken Strips (in the frozen section))
Amounts of these ingredients vary depending on how many wraps you are preparing and how much of each ingredient you like. I usually add equal parts of each. For one wrap for myself, I add about one handful of each ingredient, prepare salad mixture, and add accordingly to wrap. No worries if you have extra, you can always enjoy this as a salad on the side!
Instructions
For my first wrap, I prepared enough ingredients to add about one handful of each to the wrap.
Preheat oven and prepare breaded chicken strips.
Additionally, add eggs to water and prepare hardboiled eggs.
While eggs and chicken are cooking, wash lettuce and tomatoes, chop into small bite size pieces, and add to a small mixing bowl.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of bacon to mixing bowl.
When eggs are ready, rinse with cold water so they're cool enough to handle, chop, and add to other ingredients.
Similarly, when chicken has finished cooking, chop one or two strips into bite size pieces and combine with other ingredients.
Add several tablespoons of dressing, as much as desired, to ingredients and mix to coat all with dressing.
Wrap one tortilla with a damp paper towel and microwave for about 25 seconds to moisten and soften.
Remove paper towel and spoon salad mixture onto center of tortilla, making sure to not add too much and leave sides and top and bottom free for wrapping. Feel free to leave any extra to eat separately as a salad.
Turn up top and bottom and pull one side over to the other to wrap. Add toothpicks and cut wrap diagonally to enjoy!
By Gluten Free Mom To Be
Gluten Free Mom To Be http://www.glutenfreemomtobe.com/
Flour tortilla wraps used to be one of my favorite lunches or dinners prior to going gluten free. In fact, in my college days I probably ate these at least a few times a week, mostly for lunch, stuffing them either with egg salad, grilled chicken, or a caesar salad. These were such a flexible and healthier option for a lunch or dinner. Flash forward two years and those days were long gone, as my once beloved flour tortillas, as suspected by the term flour, were chock full of gluten and strictly off limits in my new lifestyle.
Over the past few years of dining gluten free, I’ve tried a decent amount of tortillas, whether they were corn or brown rice. For me, these gluten free options were always a bit too strong in taste and brittle or rubbery in texture, unfortunately, just never fitting the bill of the soft and tender flour tortilla that could lend itself to so many different dishes. As a result, any dish involving tortillas has been absent from my gluten free diet for the past two years or so.
Thankfully, my hiatus from soft and tasty wraps has come to an end as I’ve recently discovered a wonderful contribution to the gluten free world! Udi’s has introduced the allergy free community to a gluten, dairy, soy, and nut free tortilla that both tastes and looks like the gluten filled version! Allergy free diners fitting into those categories will no longer have to abstain from tortilla consumption and drool over the soft and delicious tortillas teasing them at stores and restaurants.
Udi’s Flour Tortillas
They’ve produced tortillas that not only have a mild flavor that do not interrupt with the stuffings, but also a soft and tender product that reminds me of those delicious wraps that I used to enjoy only a few short years ago. Udi’s has put out two varieties of these tortillas, a large size selling in a 6 pack and a small size available in an 8 pack. Pricewise, these sell for about $4- $5, depending on store and size.
Crispy Chicken Cobb Wrap
Being a huge fan of Udi’s products, I couldn’t wait to give these a try and bring back one of my favorite lunch options. I must say, yet again Udi’s did not disappoint. They’ve managed to produce a gluten free tortilla that doesn’t compromise on its taste or structural integrity. They’re soft and flexible, perfect for wrapping, after a quick 30 second warm up in the microwave.
For my first taste test of these tortillas, I decided to bring back a long forgotten Red Robin’s favorite, the crispy chicken wrap. I threw together some cobb salad staples and my favorite crispy chicken, wrapped the mixture up in a tortilla, and eagerly took a bite. Delicious! To check out my recipe for my Quick and Easy Crispy Chicken Cobb Wrap, check out my post here. All I can say is thank you to Udi’s, I can see many gluten free wraps, quesadillas, and soft tacos back in my future.
