LiveGfree Southwest Veggie Stuffed Sandwich

I posted raved a few months ago about Aldi's gluten-free line and their Pepperoni Stuffed Sandwiches. The other variety of stuffed sandwiches offered is a vegetarian option - Southwest Veggie. The sandwich is stuffed with rice, black beans, corn, and tomatoes. It tastes As Good As Gluten, reminiscent of Southwest/Mexican flavors. The sandwich/crust is hearty due to 100% whole grain millet flour as the first ingredient.


Have you tried LiveGfree products from Aldi? What's your favorite?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

Cookie Dough Brownies with LiveGfree Brownie Mix

LiveGfree Brownie Mix from Aldi results in perfect gluten free brownies. The flavor of the brownies is rich - chocolaty and sweet. The texture of the brownies are moist and chewy, with crispy tops and edges.

I've enjoyed the brownies plain with a glass of milk, or topped with cookie dough. Both taste great. To top with cookie dough, I made this recipe for Healthy Cookie Dough Dip, without the M&M's.

What's your favorite brownie recipe?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

LiveGfree Cheese Ravioli

It's been at least 5 years since I have had ravioli. I haven't had ravioli since going gluten free. Actually, I take that back. I believe my mom made homemade gluten free ravioli once. They were either too difficult to make or they didn't turn out well, because we haven't had them since.

Side note, I grew up only knowing ravioli as toasted ravioli (which was invented in St. Louis). I literally had no idea real ravioli , or the original ravioli , was untoasted. :)

Now, back to Aldi's LiveGfree Cheese Ravioli . It's seriously amazing. The tomato sauce is sweet with a hint of basil. The cheese filling is creamy. The ravioli pasta is tender.

 

The ingredients blow me away, as the majority are real ingredients I would use. As I mentioned in my first review of Aldi's LiveGfree line, all of the ingredients in the Cheese Ravioli are ingredients I can pronounce and I know why they are in my food. This makes sense, because the back of the box says, "...each product has been sourced and made from the most premium quality gluten-free ingredients..." This is so true - tasty and wholesome. I can tell when I eat from Aldi's LiveGfree line that it's good, wholesome ingredients not crap like a lot of products, especially frozen foods (gluten and gluten free) are.

I literally snarfed this gluten free cheese ravioli down with a side of asparagus. Aldi's LiveGfree Cheese Ravioli passes the As Good As Gluten test with flying colors.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

Glutino Lemon Wafer Cookies

                         

Glutino's Lemon Wafer Cookies are As Good As Gluten. The flavor is perfectly balanced between citrusy lemon and sugary sweet. The texture is just like a regular wafer cook - crisp layers filled with creamy lemon filling. I've also tried Glutino's Chocolate Wafer Cookies, which didn't disappoint either.


What cookie do you miss from your pre-gluten-free days? 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

Van's Cinnamon Heaven Cereal

                                      

I was excited when I found Van's new gluten free cereal at Target two weeks ago. I immediately bought a box, hoping the taste would be reminiscent of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, yet healthier since it's made with five whole grains.

 

My first bite was disappointing. It tasted like five grain cereal with just a hint of cinnamon. While I'm glad it's not overloaded in sugar like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, I was hoping for more cinnamon flavor.

 

 

What cereal do you miss from your pre-gluten-free days? Hands-down, I miss Cheerios. Plain, regular Cheerios.

 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

Aldi LiveGfree Stuffed Sandwiches

I love Aldi! Over the past year, I've found a few gluten free items at Aldi that I enjoyed (brownie mix, baking mix, and pancakes) in addition to all of the naturally gluten free items they carry. I was ecstatic last week when I found out Aldi was testing an entire line of gluten free products called LiveGfree. My husband immediately went to the store for me and got 1-2 of almost everything they offer in the LiveGfree line. If the test is successful (fingers crossed it is), they'll keep the line of LiveGfree products.

I checked the ingredient labels on a few of the products and I was impressed. Gluten free items can be made with nutritious whole grains (i.e., brown rice, millet) or made with starches that offer little to no nutrition. I was impressed that the Brown Rice Spaghetti is made with brown rice and the first ingredient on the Stuffed Sandwiches is 100% whole grain millet flour. So, not only does Aldi offer an amazing line of gluten free products that is affordable, but at least some of the products are made with nutritious ingredients. As another bonus, the line includes two foods I've never seen gluten free before - ravioli and stuffed sandwiches. 

                                

The first product I tried is the Gluten Free Stuffed Sandwiches (aka hot pockets). I don't think I've ever had a regular hot pocket before...but, I'm in love with LiveGfree Stuffed Sandwiches.  The crust reminds me of my calzone dough. The crust is hearty (likely due to the 100% whole grain millet flour) and slightly sweet, filled with creamy mozzarella cheese, savory pepperoni, and tomato sauce with chunks of real tomato.

 

                            

Since I haven't had a regular hot pocket, I shared with my husband and he affirms LiveGfree Stuffed Sandwiches are As Good As Gluten. I'm elated, and can't wait to try the rest of the LiveGfree products we bought. Stayed tuned for more "My Pantry" reviews over the next month or two.

 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

Cauliflower Sauce Alfredo with Barilla Gluten Free Pasta

                                        

I recently tried Barilla Gluten Free Pasta in a homemade alfredo recipe. I made this Creamy Cauliflower Sauce, which turned out to be bland and in need of more flavor. I stirred in cooked chicken, mushrooms, and broccoli.

The Barilla Gluten Free Pasta, however, tastes As Good As Gluten. While it tastes great, it's made with a combination of corn and rice. Personally, I prefer Tinkyada Gluten Free Pasta which is made with brown rice and offers more nutrients than a corn/rice blend pasta.

Baked Lasagna Boats with Homemade Marinara Sauce and Schar Gluten-Free Baguettes

                       

Baked Lasagna Boats are easier than preparing lasagna and taste amazing. A crisp gluten free baguette is filled with the meaty sauce and cheesy layers typically found in lasagna. YUM!

I made this recipe with Schar Gluten-Free Baguettes, which crisp up in the oven. They have good flavor and texture of a real baguette.

Baked Lasagna BoatsAdapted from Taste of Home, 2014

Ingredients:
·1 gluten free baguette
·1 lb lean ground beef
·1 TBS garlic powder
·1 TBS Italian seasoning
·Salt and pepper
·1 cup homemade marinara sauce (see below)
·1 cup small curd cottage cheese
·½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
·¾ cup cheddar cheese, grated
·¾ cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Cut baguette half lengthwise in the center to within 1-inch of the bottom. Pull baguette sides apart to make a bread boat. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat; season with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, breaking up until no longer pink. Drain grease. Stir in marinara sauce.

In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, and half of mozzarella cheese.

Spoon meat sauce into baguette; top with cheese mixture. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella cheese; bake, uncovered, 3-5 minutes longer.


Homemade Marinara Sauce (Crockpot)
                               

After making this Homemade Marinara Sauce, I am never, ever going back to jarred marinara sauce. Homemade Marinara is healthier than jarred. It's slightly sweet and tastes delicious. It's rather effortless to make, since the crockpot does most of the work, and it freezes well.

 

Click here for recipe from Budget Bytes


Happy Easter!!

Udi's Cinnamon Rolls

                                    

I was disappointed in Udi's Cinnamon Rolls. I love almost all of Udi's products, but this one fell short. The cinnamon rolls were hard and dry, not moist like Udi's muffins that I love. The cinnamon flavor of the icing did help a little to save the dry and bland cinnamon rolls, but there were only two icing packets instead of four (and it's not convenient to save some icing for the next time).

Have you found a gluten-free cinnamon roll you like?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

Ginger Butternut Squash Bisque

                                          

I love butternut squash, and it's one of my favorite fall/winter foods to cook with. It's a diverse squash that I enjoy in both sweet and savory recipes.

This Ginger Butternut Squash Bisque is a sweet and filling vegetarian dish. Don't skip out one the toppings on this dish, as the flavors really come together with the peanut, toasted coconut, and cilantro sprinkled on top. Served on top of a bed of rice completely rounds out this bisque.


What's your favorite way to enjoy butternut squash?


Click here for recipe from Taste of Home

My Pantry: Udi's Lemon Streusel Muffins

                       

Udi's Lemon Streusel Muffins are moist and sweet with a light citrus flavor. I enjoy them soft and warm from the microwave with a glass of milk. The flavor is light, so one muffin fills me up but doesn't weigh my stomach down.

What's your favorite muffin - store bought or homemade?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

Udi's Three Cheese Pizza

 



Udi's Pizza Crusts are my favorite gluten free pizza crust. They are much easier than making homemade pizza dough and taste better than other pizza crusts I've tried. I've been using Udi's crusts for years to make a wide variety of pizzas. I recently found in my grocery store that Udi's sells frozen pizzas, so I bought the Three Cheese Pizza to try.

Udi’s Three Cheese Pizza tasted as I expected it to – a cheese pizza on Udi’s crust. While I could easily make this myself with an Udi's pizza crust and add my own toppings, sometimes it's nice to just unwrap a frozen pizza and through it in the oven.

 

 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

Udi's Maple Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Udi's sent me their Maple Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies this summer, but my husband and I anxiously waited until fall to try them as Maple Pecan seemed more of a fall flavor than a summer flavor. I smelled maple as soon as I opened the bag; definitely a fall/winter cookie to someone like me who defines seasons more on flavors than the weather.

With a strong maple and pecan flavor, these cookies are the perfect fall cookie. They are soft and moist, and just a tad bit crumbly. I wasn't sure how maple would pair with chocolate, but we found that maple and pecan flavors pair quite well with chocolate chips.

 

Disclaimer: Udi’s provided the product for me to review. However, my review and opinions written above are my own.

Udi's Millet-Chia Bread and Avocado-Hummus Cheese Panini

Udi's sent me their gluten free Millet-Chia Bread this past summer. I enjoyed this bread throughout the summer on a variety of sandwiches. The bread tastes just like all Udi's bread tastes - As Good As Gluten. The bread is heartier than Udi's White or Whole Grain sandwich bread since it has pieces of chia seeds baked in, but I really like it. I learned through experimentation that this bread complements savory sandwich varieties best - like the Avocado-Hummus Cheese Panini recipe below - and doesn't work so well with Nutella Stuffed French Toast (recipe coming later this week).

Now, onto the Avocado-Hummus Cheese Panini. This panini is fast to make, tastes great, and is a healthy and filling vegetarian lunch or dinner. Basil actually goes really well with avocado - who would known? I never would have thought of pairing basil with avocado, but the yummy outcome is fresh and fragrant.

 

Avocado-Hummus Cheese Panini
Adapted from Two Peas and their Pod

 

 

Ingredients:

·Half of an avocado

·3-5 sprigs of fresh basil, chopped

·Squirt of lime juice

·Salt and pepper to taste

·1 TBS roasted red pepper hummus

·2  slices of fresh mozzarella cheese

·2 slices of Udi’s gluten free sandwich bread

 

Directions:

Mash the avocado with basil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Assemble the sandwich by spreading the avocado mash on one piece of bread, hummus on the other piece of bread, and the cheese on top of the hummus. Place both sides of your sandwich together and cook on a non-stick panini press or George Foreman grill over medium heat for 4-6 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

 

Disclaimer: Udi’s provided the product for me to review. However, my review and opinions written above are my own. 

Tyson Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets with Honey Lime Mustard

 

As much as I prefer to cook from scratch, I occasionally need a quick lunch or dinner that doesn’t require me to do much cooking. Tyson Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets was just that a few weeks ago for a quick weekend lunch. While the chicken nuggets were cooking, I quickly whipped up homemade Honey Lime Mustard (recipe below) and a veggie to round out this meal.

I was excited when I heard Tyson was coming out with Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets and Chicken Strips. It took me awhile to find them in stores, but I eventually found the nuggets at Target in the Tyson frozen food section. Like most gluten free products, the chicken nuggets are substantially more expensive than the regular, gluten nuggets. I think I paid around $5.50 for a bag.

Despite the price, the good news is that Tyson’s Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets tasted As Good As Gluten. There’s not funky gluten free aftertaste and they taste just like a chicken nugget should – tender and juicy chicken surrounded by a crispy rice/corn breading. My husband ate them with me for lunch and said he couldn’t tell that they were gluten free. I prepared the nuggets in the oven; to avoid turning them, I used this tip from when I make GF Chicken Tenders - place the nuggets on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet to bake. This allows the heat to circulate so the nuggets are crisp on both sides.

The Homemade Honey Lime Mustard was a great complement to the Chicken Nuggets. It’s sweet and tangy, and literally is whisked together in a matter of minutes. The measurements in the recipe are estimates, as I put spoonfuls of the ingredients in a bowl, tasted, and revised until I got the flavor where I wanted it.

Honey Lime Mustard
Ingredients:
·2 TBS mayonnaise
·2 tsp honey
·1 TBS spicy brown mustard
·Splash of lime juice

Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust flavors accordingly.


Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

Udi's Gluten Free Tortillas

 

When Udi's sent me an awesome package of their gluten free foods to sample in June, I was excited to learn that Udi's had gluten-free four tortillas. I love corn tortillas, but definitely miss flour tortillas. I was super excited to try Udi's tortillas and had high expectations for them since all of the other products I've tried from Udi's taste As Good As Gluten.

Unfortunately, Udi's tortillas didn't meet my expectations. They crumbled as I tried to turn my Santa Fe Chicken into a burrito and as I tried to make a peanut butter-banana roll-up snack. You can see in the (bad) picture above that I'm holing my Santa Fe Chicken burrito together with toothpicks (I ended up eating it with a knife and fork). The good news is that the flavor tasted just like a flour tortilla should taste. Like other Udi's products, there was no funky gluten free aftertaste.

Someone please tell me that this is an anomaly. Someone please tell me that I somehow messed up the tortillas by freezing them and then thawing them in the fridge before I used them. I love and trust Udi's products so much, that I will be trying these again before I give up on them.


Disclaimer: Udi’s provided the product for me to review. However, my review and opinions written above are my own.

Udi's Gluten-Free "On-the-Go" Sampler

I'm in love with Udi's; they made my day once again when my husband texted me this picture letting me know another box of Udi's goodies arrived at our house! I was having a hectic day at work that day, and this picture instantly brightened my day. It's the little things in life that always do.

The theme of the Udi's sampler pack is "Gluten-Free and On-the-Go." I travel a lot, for business and pleasure. I'm a prepared travel, bringing gluten-free snacks from home and researching restaurants nearby before I leave. When I'm not traveling, I'm often on-the-go in my day-to-day life. I make time for seated meals, but I always snack in between meals to keep me going throughout the day. My snacks are typically when I'm on-the-go, usually in-between meetings at work or plans with friends and family on nights and weekends, so this sampler pack from Udi's fit my busy lifestyle perfectly!

Below is a recap with my honest opinions of all of the "on-the-go" gluten-free goodies Udi's sent me. I just got the package a week and a half ago, so I haven't had a chance to try everything yet. I'll post more over the next few months as I get a chance to try everything.

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread - White Sandwich and Cinnamon Raisin.

I've posted a lot of recipes and reviews of Udi's bread before. I absolutely love it - it tastes As Good As Gluten and I love all of the varieties. This summer I've been enjoying sandwiches as quick lunches or snacks on busy days. I have cucumbers out the wazoo in my garden, so I've been enjoying Cucumber and Herbed Cream Cheese sandwiches or Cucumber and Red Pepper Hummus sandwiches on Udi's White Sandwich bread. The Cinnamon Raisin bread is perfect for a quick snack or breakfast when toasted and buttered.

Gluten Free Muffins - Double Vanilla and Harvest Crunch

I first tried Udi's Double Vanilla Muffins when they sent them to me earlier this summer. They're sweet and I love incorporating them into dessert in place of pound cake. This is the first time I tried the Harvest Crunch Muffins. I grabbed one with a glass of milk for a fast, tasty, and nutritious breakfast after my morning workout before leaving for work. I prefer sweet muffins, so I wasn't sure if I was going to like these muffins. To my delight, the orange zest in the Harvest Crunch Muffins perfectly complements the cranberries, sweet potato, quinoa, and pepitas to give these savory muffins a touch of sweetness. I absolutely love these muffins!

 

Gluten Free Cookies & Brownies - Dark Chocolate Brownies, Maple Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Salted Caramel Cashew Cookies

I have a major sweet tooth, so I was so excited when I saw these cookies and brownies! I learned about the Brownies when Udi's sent them to me earlier this summer, but I didn't get around to trying them until now. As a self-proclaimed chocoholic sweet-tooth, I had high expectations for the Brownie Bites. Unfortunately, they fell flat. The brownies had good texture, but were dry and bitter. Maybe they are supposed to be bitter because they are dark chocolate? Don't get me wrong, they were still good and I had no problem finishing them crushed up in a bowl of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream! In fact, the Brownies were perfect in a bowl of ice cream.
 

I had no idea Udi's had shelf-stable cookies in such decadent flavors until they arrived in my sampler pack. I haven't gotten around to trying them yet, but I'm sure I will soon as my husband asks about them daily (and he's usually not too anxious to try gluten free goodies).

 

Gluten Free Granola - Vanilla Granola and Blueberry Cashew Clusters

This is the first time I tried Udi's granola products. The Vanilla Granola consists of crunchy almonds and oats flavored with sweet vanilla and wildflower honey. I love the Vanilla Granola with skim milk or almond milk for a quick breakfast. The Vanilla Granola is also an easy and tasty on-the-go snack by itself. The Blueberry Cashew Clusters are crunchy and sweet from honey and blueberries. They will definitely be packed in my carry-on later this week when I travel for work.

 

Gluten Free Granola Bars - Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Almond

I saw these granola bars online last month and couldn't wait to try them. I haven't had a chance to buy them yet, so I was super excited they showed up in my sampler pack. I've posted before that granola bars are my daily breakfast with a glass of milk as I commute during the workweek. I was hoping Udi's granola bars would be making their way into my breakfast rotation, but unfortunately only one variety will be. The Chocolate Chip Bar lacked sweetness and flavor, only had about 10 mini chocolate chips in it, and the texture was confusing - hard and crunchy in some bites but soft and chewy in others. The Cranberry Almond Bar was actually my favorite of the two. The texture was soft and chewy and the flavor was sweet with the cranberries. It will be a regular in my breakfast rotation.

 

Gluten Free Ancient Grain Crisps - Simply Sea Salt and Aged Cheddar

I tried the Aged Cheddar Crisps earlier this summer at my parents' house. The bag quickly disappeared because they are delicious. Definitely my new favorite 'chip.' They're crispy, crunchy, and loaded with cheddar cheese flavor. The Sea Salt Crisps are just as good as the Cheddar - crisp with a hint of sea salt flavor. While everything I tried is easy for on-the-go, these crisps are best for on-the-go snacking - easy, tasty, and not messy.

And if all this wasn't enough, Udi's threw in a cute reusable grocery bag and coupons for free products. Thank you Udi's for making the best gluten-free products out there (including plenty to fit a busy lifestyle) and allowing me to share them with my readers!

Disclaimer: Udi’s provided the product for me to review. However, my review and opinions written above are my own.

S’mores Dip with Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Graham Crackers

 

S’mores Dip is a quick way to enjoy the flavors of S’mores inside, without having to heat up the grill or make a fire. Beware – this dip is very addicting, so I only made it in small batches (the recipe below will serve 2). S’mores Dip is also very rich – which is rare for me to admit to as I have a major sweet tooth.

I enjoyed S’mores Dip with Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Graham Crackers. I bought a box of earlier this summer and have been taking a few here and there to cookouts and bonfires to enjoy S’mores. The flavor of Kinnikinnick’s gluten free graham crackers tastes similar to a regular graham cracker. However, they are thicker, harder, and drier than a regular graham cracker. I wouldn’t buy them on a regular basis, but they do come in handy when I’m in the mood for S’mores.

S’mores Dip
Slightly modified from Bakeaholic Mama

Ingredients:

·⅓ cup mini marshmallows
·¼ milk or dark chocolate chips
·Splash of milk
·4 gluten free graham crackers for dipping

Directions:

Place marshmallows, chocolate chips, and milk in a small microwave safe bowl. Heat on medium heat for 45 seconds, stirring halfway through. Stir until smooth and serve immediately with graham crackers.

Serves 2.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

Hummus Pizza

Hummus Pizza is my new favorite summer pizza. If these Mediterranean pizza toppings sound whacky, you can rest assured that it’s a tasty change from traditional Italian pizza toppings as my traditional-food-loving-husband said as I was preparing Hummus Pizza, “I was going to say ‘eww,’ but the last thing you made with hummus was pretty good.”  He was hesitant to try the pizza, but after a bite from one of my slices he asked for another bite and another before I stopped sharing and he got his own. Hummus Pizza tastes fresh, savory from the hummus and chicken, and a touch sweet from the fresh onions and basil from our garden.

Hummus Pizza

Ingredients:

·1 Udi’s Gluten Free Pizza Crust
·¾ cup red pepper hummus
·½ cup cooked grilled chicken, chopped

·½ small onion, chopped
·½ green pepper, chopped
·½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
·Handful of fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Spread hummus on top of pizza crust. Top with chicken, onion, pepper, and cheese. Sprinkle fresh basil on top. Cook for 10 minutes on a pizza stone, or until crust and cheese begins to brown.

Disclaimer: Udi’s provided the product for me to review. However, my review and opinions written above are my own.

Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I’ve written about  my love of Caprese a few times in the past (Caprese Skewers, Caprese Lasagna with Spicy Turkey Sausage, Caprese Pasta, and Caprese Pizza). My favorite cheese since childhood has been mozzarella; I think there’s no better way to enjoy it than with the fresh flavors of tomato and basil. It’s fresh and perfect for warm summer days. My new way to enjoy Caprese is as a grilled cheese sandwich. – it’s a great way to quickly enjoy some of the basil and tomatoes I have growing in the garden this summer.

Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Inspired by Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

·2 slices of Udi’s gluten free white sandwich bread
·1 TBS basil pesto
·2 slices fresh tomato
·1 slice of mozzarella cheese, or a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese
·Butter

Directions:

Assemble the sandwich by spreading the basil pesto on one piece of bread, top with tomato, cheese, and the second slice of bread. Butter both sides of the sandwiches and place in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip the sandwiches and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately.


Disclaimer: Udi’s provided the product for me to review. However, my review and opinions written above are my own.