Udi's Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza Review

Udi's Pepperoni Pizza Review

Udi’s is beyond a doubt one of the biggest names out there specializing in prepackaged gluten free foods.  I frequently turn to their bread when I don’t have the time to bake.  Beyond their many varieties of bread, Udi’s also produces muffins, bagels, cookies, granola and other goodies.  I typically don’t purchase the sweet treats since it’s just so easy to whip up gluten free goodies at a fraction of the cost.  Several years ago Udi’s introduced pizza crusts to their line then later added frozen pizza to the mix.  I’ve seen both Margherita and Pepperoni pizzas at my local Shoprite.  I’m not sure whether or not there may be other varieties out there.     

This review focuses on their Pepperoni pizza.  At my local south Philly store the pizza will set you back $7.99 which is pretty pricey for a 10 ounce pie.  In all fairness however the higher price is par for the course with gluten free products.  The size of the pizza is a little disappointing measuring about 8 ½ inches in diameter which is slightly smaller than an average sized dinner plate.  The serving size is listed as ½ the pizza and clocks in at 350 calories.  I’ll tell you right now, I’d be starving if I ate half this pie as a meal.  If I were you, I’d think of this as more of a personal pizza.

I prepared it according to the package instructions as you can see in the video below but found it to be too soggy to remove from the oven so I tacked on another 3 minutes to the bake time.  If I were to buy the pizza again I’d tack 5 minutes to the bake time because I love a crispier pizza.  I ate half to pie and gave the other half to my 12 year old daughter to review.  She loved everything about it but the size.  As a frame of reference, she also likes Ellios.  You can check out her reactions first hand at the end of the review video below.  I thought that she would be more a little more critical since she's not gluten free and frequently goes out for "real" pizza with relatives.  Her only real criticism was the size. 

My main criticism was the fact that the cooking instructions left me with a soggy pie.  It's a minor complaint that is easily fixed with a few extra minutes in the oven.  The overall taste was pretty good for a frozen pizza.  The pepperoni was a little salty but not overwhelming.  The product matched the cover of the box pretty closely.  Of course I wish the pizza was bigger or the price was lower or dare I say both.  Since my hubby passed away last year, raising a daughter on own has left me on a tighter food budget than I might like.  Most of us are struggling a little in today’s economy.  At this point in my life, I just don’t have the luxury of spending $8.00 on a pizza of this size when I could buy the ingredients to make homemade gluten free pizza that’s even better at a far lower price.  If you've got the money to spend or lack the time to make your own pizza, I’d recommend this as a good alternative to satisfy you cravings without much effort. 

Review Video:

  

Cheesy Black Pepper Kale Chips

Cheesy Black Pepper Kale Chips

Do you need a healthy alternative to the calorie laden chips that tempt your taste buds in the snack isle of your super market?  Kale chips are the answer.  They’re highly nutritious, crispy, little chips that even the kids will love.  The only drawback is how pricey they are.  At my local Shoprite a 2.5 oz container is $7.99 which is way out of range for my snacking budget right now.  And at the health food stores, the prices can soar even higher.  But when you make them yourself, they’re not only considerably cheaper; they also taste better because they’re fresh.  Plus you can tailor the seasonings to suit your own tastes.   And of course they’re easy to make too. 

Cheesy Black Pepper Kale Chips

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 14 min

Ingredients

• 1 lb kale
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
• sea salt to taste

Video Tutorial

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (or 175 °C)
2. Wash and dry the kale then remove the stems and tear into bite sized pieces.
3. Add the kale to a large bowl and drizzle on the olive oil.
4. Add the nutritional yeast, black pepper and salt and thoroughly massage the oil and spices into the kae leaves until they are all coated and shiny.
5. Divide the kale evenly onto two baking sheets lined with parchment  and bake them with one pan on the top middle rack and one on the bottom middle rack for 8 minutes then rotate the pans and bake them for another 6 and then they should be done.  

Skillet Apple Roasted Chicken with Veggies

Skillet Apple Roasted Chicken with Veggies

This Apple Roasted Chicken with Veggies is a seriously simple one skillet meal the whole family will love.  What do you do with your leftover sparkling cider?  Inevitably every time I have a party in which wine or champagne will be served, my daughter begs me to pick up some sparkling cider so that she can feel important too.  She drinks a glass or two and then I’m left with a half bottle of cider that by the next day is starting to seriously go flat.  And that’s where this one pot meal comes in.  In my opinion, the flavor of chicken is greatly improved in the presence of some acidity.  In the summer I often make  chicken recipes that are infused with the flavors of citrus.  But when the temperatures plummet I like to turn to tart apples to cut through the richness of the chicken.  The apples and cider in this recipe sort are like the cranberries against the Thanksgiving turkey.  And the whole thing couldn't be simpler to throw together.      

Skillet Apple Roasted Chicken with Veggies

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time:  min

Ingredients for the Chicken

• 3-4 lb whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried tarragon
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ½ cups sparkling cider or apple juice

Ingredients for the Vegetables

• 3 red skin potatoes (cut into large pieces)
• 2 carrots (peeled & cut into large pieces)
• 1 onion (peeled & cut into wedges)
• 1 granny smith apple (cut into wedges)
• 2 cloves of garlic (peeled and sliced)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried tarragon
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp of butter, to finish the sauce

Video Tutorial

Instructions

1. In a large bowl toss the chopped vegetables together with the olive oil and spices and set it aside.
2. Just prior to prepping the chicken, preheat the oven to 400°F (or 205 °C) and heat a 12 inch cast iron skillet over a medium heat.
3. Heavily season both the interior and exterior of the chicken with the dried spices, the tie the feet together and tuck the wings back.
4. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the preheated skillet then add the seasoned veggies and push them towards the edges of the pan to make room for the chicken.
5. Nestle the chicken into the empty space then pour in the sparkling cider, drizzle on some olive oil to help it brown and bake it for about 1 ½ hours or until the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F  (or 75 °C).
6. When the skillet comes out of the oven, add some fresh herbs if you want and I lift the chicken out of the skillet onto a serving plate to rest for a few minutes.  
7. In the meantime, add a little butter to the veggies and gently stir until the sauce achieves a glossy consistency.  

Notes:  For a larger chicken be sure to increase the cooking time to ensure that the chicken is thoroughly cooked.   

Cranberry Orange Scones

Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Scones

These Cranberry Orange Scones are the perfect way to show someone you love them this Valentine’s Day.  Although cranberries are not the first thing that comes to mind for this heartfelt holiday, I think that they can be quite fitting for the occasion.  The tart cranberries play nicely against the citrusy orange glaze in a way that mirrors love brilliantly.  For the most part, each bite is sweetened nicely with the citrusy glaze but you won’t get far into this culinary journey without running across those tart little cranberries to keep things interesting.  And who hasn’t experienced the ups and downs of love?  

This year Valentine’s Day is particularly hard for me.  My hubby passed away last May in a shockingly unexpected fashion.  I was 45 at the time and even with him being 10 years my senior; I would have never guessed that last Valentine’s Day would be the very last one we’d share together.  

This year, I’ll leave it to someone else to make the sweet strawberry confections or decadent chocolate treats.  They all feel too sweet for me right now.  It’s still so hard to deal with.  And watching my little girl grow up without him is heart retching.  Cranberries just feel right to me this year.  Who knows what the future holds.  Each day that I’m lucky enough to wake up, I’m hopeful that sweeter tomorrows are on the horizon.       

Cranberry Orange Scones

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 14-16 min

Ingredients

• 1 cup of fresh cranberries (rinsed, dried and cut into quarters)
• ½ tsp orange zest
• 2/3 cup sugar & 2 tbsp divided
• 2 ¼ cups gluten free self-rising flour (or gluten free Bisquick) & 1 tbsp divided
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 8 tbsp. cold diced butter

Ingredients for the Glaze

• 1 cup of confectioner's sugar
• 1-2 tbsp orange juice
• ½ tsp orange zest

 

Video Tutorial

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (or 218 °C)
2. Stir the sliced cranberries together with 1 tablespoon of gluten free flour, 2 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp of orange zest.
3. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and heavy cream together. 
4. In a large bowl stir together the self-rising flour and sugar then cut the butter into the flour until you have a texture resembling coarse crumbs.
5. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until the dough is almost combined then stir in the berries to get them evenly dispersed.
6. Lightly dust the surface of your table or a wooden cutting board with a little more flour and turn the dough out onto your work surface. 
7. Use floured hands to pat it into a disc about an inch high and 8-9 inches in diameter then using a large chef’s knife cut it into 8 - 10 equal slices.
8. Use a spatula or the edge of a chef’s knife to transfer the wedges onto a silicone mat or parchment lined baking sheet and bake them for 12-14  minutes or until they’re golden brown around the edges.
9. Let them cool on the pan for 1 or 2 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
10. To make the glaze combine ¾ of a cup of confectioner’s sugar with the zest of an orange and about a tablespoon of orange juice then stir until you have a consistency you can drizzle.  Load it into a plastic bag and snip off a tiny corner to make a homemade piping bag and once the scones have cooled, drizzle over the glaze then allow it to dry before serving.

Notes:  

1. You could use half and half or milk in place of the heavy cream but the level of decadence won’t be quite the same.

Penne with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese

Penne with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese

If you saw my last video then you’re probably expecting this post.  In that video I made prosciutto wrapped stuffed dates for a Super Bowl party.  The problem is that the dates in that video weren't actually the ones served at the party.  Video production takes time.  And I made those stuffed dates at least a week before the Super Bowl so I had plenty leftovers to work with.  

Rather than eating all those leftovers as-is, I found myself trying to come up with creative ways to enjoy them for lunch.  The first day I threw a bunch on a beautiful salad with mixed bitter greens.  The second day I simply toasted an Udi’s bagel and sandwiched in about 3 or 4 of those little beauties with a drizzle of honey.  But on the third day things got even more out of hand.  And when I say “out of hand” I’m referring to the caloric disaster this luxurious lunch turned out to be.  And alter I'd been so diligent in my attempts to try to adopt a healthier eating plan since the debauchery of the holidays.  Anne bows her head in shame.

This penne with prosciutto is bathed in heavy cream, butter, goat cheese and walnuts with a piquant bite from the cracked black pepper.  It's a delicious delight with deleterious effects on my diet.  Oh well, there’s always tomorrow to get back on track.            

Penne with Prosciutto Goat Cheese and Dates

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ingredients

• 3–4 leftover prosciutto wrapped stuffed dates
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ cup half and half or heavy cream
• 3 oz penne
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper corns
• salt

Video Tutorial

Instructions

1. Deconstruct about 3 or 4 of the prosciutto wrapped stuffed dates by unwrapping the prosciutto then chopping it into bite sized pieces.  
2. On another plate chop up the dates that were stuffed with soft goat cheese and walnuts.
3. Put a pot of water on to boil and once it reaches that boil, drop in some salt and about 3 ounces of penne.
4. In a medium skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter then toss in the chopped prosciutto and sauté it for about 2 minutes or until it’s crispy then remove it from the pan. 
5. Add the chopped dates and goat cheese then add about ½ cup of half and half or cream and stir continuously until the cheese melts. 
6. Add the cooked pasta and toss in about half the crispy prosciutto and stir until it’s all combined. 
7. When you plate the dish add some coarse cracked black pepper and the rest of the crispy prosciutto and serve.

Notes:                                                                                                                         

The dates were wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with dates and walnuts.  The video can be found here.