Back in the Saddle with Mozzarella “crusted” Salmon, Spinach and Rice

So, internet… it’s been awhile huh? Let’s start of with a list of things that happened while I was gone shall we?

1.) The Robot Uprising occurred and we’re all human slaves to our evil robot overlords.
(It didn’t really, I hope that I didn’t freak anyone out with that)
2.) Memorial Day happened and Bo and I went to Pittsburg (where there are g-free things).
3.) Bo and I went to a wedding in Cincinnati and met Jared from the Subway commercials. No… I’m not lying to you.
4.) My birthday happened. I’m… some age.
5.) Father’s day happened and my brother paid $.50 so I could ride a mechanical horse.
6.) July 4th and fireworks happened.
7.) I almost lost my gallbladder (but then I didn’t…because I found it… get it?!).
8.) I became healthier. 

So, I’ve been busy (and lazy) but life has been pretty good to me in general (and I hope it’s been good to all of you). I mean there was that one weekend where Bo was out of town and searing pain in my abdomen sent me to the ER all day but you know. I’m not REALLY complaining as the result was me eating healthier and actually starting to exercise (something I haven’t done in…. a long time).

For a few weeks I was placed on a strict Low Fat diet until yesterday my Doc said “Nah eff that go eat what you want.” Ok ok, he didn’t actually say that but he said I didn’t have to be on a strict LF diet, and with someone of my size and existing dietary restrictions that might not be the best lest I waste away. I’ve kinda kept it up though, being more cautious about the foods I’m eating, jogging/walking more, drinking water and sassy water… but I digress.

I’m also cooking more. Which means more recipes for you all. So… you should thank my gall bladder for nearly failing people! It got me back on this horse. Tonight’s dinner was a fun little thing that I sort of located on Pinterest. For those of you NOT familiar with Pinterest stay far away from it because it’s as addictive as cocaine (if cocaine were a website that you waste many hours looking at and ‘pinning’ things on). Anyway, I was looking for something fun to do with salmon,found something, and then brutally dissected it and made my own thing… which I present to you now:

It’s mozzarella “crusted” salmon over lemon spinach and rice! Yay!

So, the original recipe found here calls for a parmesan roasted salmon and I am lazy, poor, and trying not to make all my organs fail within the next 5 years. So I gripped up some reduced fat shredded mozzarella that I had laying about and a glass casserole dish with tinfoil and went to town.

Hi Ho Siiiilver! Awaaaay!!

Ps. Sorry about the weird spacing! I… have no idea what’s going on with that.

Quick Update From the Sheep

Hey All!

Long time no see (read?)! I hope you’ve all been well and dandy. I personally have been thrown into a busy period where I’ve had very little time. As always, I apologize but I am back for a quick little update before I write a longer glowing re-review post of Mompops!

Bo and I have been gearing up for that little shindig we were talking about through last year, as well as other various life-things that have happened that have been keeping us both busy. We have found a fantastic caterer in Smokein’ Dudes and I had the first delicious Gluten-Free smoked wings and other BBQ that I’ve had in eons. They’re very careful and brilliant with letting you know what is and isn’t gluten-free and everything is DELISH!  We also had one of the most fun afternoons in a while when we hung out with our photographers for an afternoon.

Jillian McGrath Photography is one of the finest husband and wife photography couples in the history of ever. We spoke with them for 3 hours one afternoon before we even booked them about comics, zombies, running in heels, Star Wars and other things. It was love at first conversation. If you’d like to see some of their work feel free to click on this link. Or Like them on Facebook. 

After our wonderful afternoon romp and photo session around Philly, we were all famished. We decided on El Vez because they are not only G-free friendly but also vegan friendly. I had the Huarache de Hongos which has mushrooms (my fave), garlic and spinach on a kind of corn tortilla (but not)  and it was delish. I was tempted to have one of their fabulous Blood Orange Margaritas but stuck with a soda instead. I highly recommend El Vez not only because their food is awesome but because they are very much willing to work with you to craft a meal to what you can eat. Some things can’t be changed, but if they can change it to suit your dietary needs they will. The only thing I can recommend is to make a reservation before you go on a weekend evening because they fill up fast.

Post dinner we all decided that we needed some sweet things and what better place to go for a massive array of Vegan and Gluten-free baked goods? Sweet Freedom of course! Located on 16th and South they’re a wonderful allergen free vegan bakery that is so quaint and wonderful it’ll make your head spin. I managed to pick up 2 Magic bars, 2 Samoa cupcakes and 2 chocolate chip cookie sandwiches filled with vanilla icing. They’re all delicious, and as has been the issue as of late, I’ve eaten them all before I could snap a proper picture. Have a photo of their cupcakes from my office’s founder’s day last year.

The Magic bars and the cookie sandwiches were fantastic and I ate both of mine between Saturday and Sunday. The cupcakes were also good, though they were a little dry and heavy, they got better when I hit the chocolate center. All in all Sweet Freedom is a great place to go for gluten-free/vegan baking when you’re around the city.

Really, I suppose I could/should stop there. I have several reviews I have for, you guessed it, more cookies (as well as popsicles, and crackers). I will try to be a little more on top of posting but we see how well that’s worked out so far.

Until next time…. have a photo of Periphery (an awesome prog-metal band that blew the roof off of the Troc last night).

Cupcake Battle Royal: Dia Doce’s Sweet Battle to the Top

It’s tuesday night and I’m sitting on my couch watching TV with Bo. Normally we watch Top Gear or something but tonight we came across something that we do not normally watch. Cupcake Wars on Food Network. Why are we watching this you ask? Well it’s simple! Our dear friends at DiaDoce (you may remember them from this glowing review of them I wrote for here awhile back) were contestants!

I was honored enough to be graced with an invitation to the viewing party that was held this past Sunday and what an event it was! The party was held at a bar called The Office and the entire place was filled with family and friends there to show support. While we were there we had drinks and food and merriment and whenever Thais came on the multiple screens scattered throughout the restaurant we all cheered, hooted and hollered.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Cupcake Wars, the show pits 4 teams against one another and puts them through a series of competitions eliminating one after the other until only one team remains. This episode had the teams doing things for the 100th birthday of the Girl Scouts and it was quite a competition.

The fun part (aside from the whole affair in general) was that as the competitions progressed, miniature versions of the cupcakes were brought out for people to try. The very first cupcake that was brought out was a gluten-free/vegan and all around allergy friendly cupcake that represented thin mints. Spoiler: It was DELISH and very much captured the essence of the Thin Mint. As someone who has not had a thin mint in over 4 years now it made me very happy (however, I must be fair in saying everything that DiaDoce creates makes me happy so… yeah). Bo, who is also watching intently, has even expressed heavy interest in that particular cupcake (looks like I might have a special order for the next East Goshen Farmer’s Market run) to the point where he almost seems to have reverted to being a kid in his excitement.

I won’t ruin the rest of the episode for those of you who haven’t seen it yet (what am I saying… yes I am! THEY WON!!! But you should still watch to see how!). Let’s just say we here at G-free Sheep are SO proud to know the wonderful peeps at DiaDoce and couldn’t be happier for them. Their quality, creativity, consideration for people of all dietary types (and kindness in general) are what place them high above the rest in our minds and we are happy to patron them and call them our friends. Seriously, I had contacted Thais on my way to the event to say I’d been lost knowing that the likelihood of her being able to answer was slim. However, even with a full restaurant of people there for her she not only answered, but directed me to the bar, and insisted that I call her back if I was still lost 5 minutes later (but thank goodness I was not). It really was not only a relief to know that I wouldn’t be lost forever to the wilds of Malvern, PA but that even with the excitement and craziness of the event she was kind enough and fantastic enough to make sure I got there okay.

Again, we are SO happy for them! Congrats to Thais and Andrea and the rest of the crew of DiaDoce for your achievements! We are so happy for you and could not be prouder!

If you are interested in seeing the big green truck parked outside your office or at your event please feel free to contact them, tweet them, or like them on Facebook (you should probably just like them on Facebook anyway. They give updates as to where they’ll be for the day and the flavors they’re carrying). If you’re in the West Chester area you can find them around the University and the East Goshen Farmer’s Market (the next one is held 3/22) and if you STILL can’t get enough of them (which would be totally understandable because we can’t get enough of them) you can watch them tomorrow on Good Day on Fox at 9:20!

Until Next Time!

An Entertaining Piece of Celiac Awareness

So, as I lay here in all of my laziness on a Saturday morning I come across this gem on twitter. For some of you who are gluten-free this has been out for about two months and making the rounds (but come on, it was a little too good not to share).

I really appreciate it when I stumble onto these kinds of things. I mean, sure, it’s a little self-serving because some people who eat normally may not get it so it’s almost like a little inside joke (if we’re talking slightly more dark depressing humor where people have illnesses that only they really understand the intricacies of said illness). But it’s also good to get it out there to those non-gf-folk so that they might learn just a little more about what we deal with. And you can’t say it’s not catchy as all get out. Much thanks to the guys at Royal Empire Productions for not only the chuckles but spreading the word.

Hope you enjoy! I’ll be back later. Today probably even. If attempting to create the next strip in a webcomic doesn’t take over my life as it has been lately.

ALSO:  Please be sure to watch Food Network’s Cupcake Wars THIS SUNDAY (3/11) as our dear cupcake-tacular friends at DiaDoce will be on it! We’ll provide a post all about the faboosh events surrounding that on Monday (so you know you’ll hear from me then at least) therefore you need to check back!

Until Next Time!

Happy New Year!

Hey all. It’s been awhile for sure. But I am back now. Happy New Year(s), yeah that’s right both of them! The one we celebrated in the beginning of the month as well as the Year of the Dragon that we just came into. I’m not really going to apologize for not posting… because I did that too many times in previous posts.

What I will do is give you the top 5 excuses as to why I wasn’t posting for the past bit. Ready? And GO!

1.) The Holidays – pretty much one food coma crazed run-around fest after another.
2.) Wedding Prep – I’ve started doing all the DiY crap that is pretty much the worst idea I think I’ve ever had….
3.) I’m Lazy – Sad but true. For a good chunk of the time I was away sitting on my couch eating and watching Top Gear reruns and Portlandia season 1 or starting a small 2 panel Star Wars based web comic seemed like a better use of my time than typing here.
4.) Lack of Cooking/Recipies/Reviews/ I forgot – Yep. I was lacking these because due to the holidays and laziness I would just repeat recipes that have already made it on here… or turkey sandwiches with Rudi’s Gluten Free Bread. And really… who needs a post about those?
5.) Lack of Confidence – Unfortunately even I suffer from the wonderful whispering demons who ask me ‘Do you honestly think people want to read what you type? Why bother?’ I’ve currently managed to kick those freeloaders to the curb for now with the ‘I don’t even care’ mentality.

But hey! I’m back here now with a few good posts up my sleeve! How exciting right!? For now, have a photo of some things you missed out on because of my laziness absence.

Looks delish right? What’s better is that it’s all Gluten-Free! I KNOW!  The left is g-free pasta alla vodka from Maggiano’s Little Italy. Place is kickin’! We went for a combo of Bo’s Birthday and our Anniversary which, until this upcoming year, fell the day before Bo’s birthday. It was awesome and heats up well the next day. To be honest though it can’t really compare to Pasta Pomodoro’s version of it though. This place has a post to itself coming let me tell you because it’s fantastic. The gluten – free tiramisu in the top right is from there. The last two times I went I got a tiramisu and a cannoli for dessert and I’m not even ashamed to admit it. The lower right is an experiment in the s’more pie recipe from Serious Eats. It turned out interesting… that’s all I have to say. So yeah… that’s just some of the stuff you missed. Jealous right? I know I am.

Also, something else happened while we were all away…

I waltzed into my Genaurdi’s a little while back (that’s right…waltzed. Don’t judge me…) to snag some ingredients for dinner when I walked down one of the snack aisles I found these little gems! Handy huh? They’ve got them for a bunch of things like ‘low cholesterol/sodium’ ‘organic’ ‘gluten free’ and they have the ability to stack multiples on one little tag. Makes my life so much easier I love it. The great thing is I’m also not relegated to the gluten-free aisle. If they have things spread out about the store that I can eat I know about it now thanks to these little guys! Good job Genaurdi’s! Other super markets…. get on it!

One quick thing before I get going… because I have tons and tons of paper squares to continue cutting out. Don’t ask. A lovely lady Emma (Emily) emailed me a link to her website. It’s DietSpotlight.com. On the chance that you forget or loose this post don’t fret! The link can be found on our Links page! I personally am not a dieter, or a person who exercises, or a person who eats particularly healthy… but in the event that there are readers out there who are interested in emerging diets and diet trends, this site is it for you!

Alright! So there you have it! We’re back…more than we were! And for our first real post of 2012 we’ll probably either cover macaroni and cheese, meatballs, both or cereals! It’ll be a surprise I’m sure. Until next time!

Quick No Flour Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey all! Apparently between the time I last posted and now winter has happened. No joke, it snowed last weekend, when it was still October (like several inches worth not just a dusting). Since then it’s been nothing but hot chocolate and warm comfort meals. My most favorite and simple thing to make are my no-flour PB choco-chip cookies. I’ve already made them twice this week and i haven’t gotten tired of them yet and best of all… you wouldn’t even know they’re G-free. I know this because ‘normal’ eaters have said so after trying them.

~ 8oz of creamy peanut butter (be sure to check the ingredients for gross things) they have tiny jars that are like 9oz so that would do just fine.
~ 1 cup of light brown sugar. Note: I just got a small box of the brand in the yellow and white box and that got me through 3 batches of these.
~ 1 egg
~ 1 bag Semisweet chocolate chips

These cookies are one of the two types I’ve made so far that can maintain the perfect exterior crispy to interior chewy ratio that I adore. They also do a terrific job absorbing milk. It should be noted that if there is a little too much peanut butter the cookies will be a little softer so, if you like squishy cookies… that’s how you do it.

And now that my work here is done the rest of this weekend will be spent relaxing and no doubt eating (it really is what I do when winter gets here). I’ll be sure to make something a bit more interesting this week now that I’m also not ailing from what my friends and I have lovingly dubbed ‘Strep-face’. It was not fun. I would not recommend it.

Fish Fry: Gluten-Free Beer Battered Fish n’ Chips

Hello faithful readers! I’m back as promised! It always seems that I can manage to find time to post Thursdays so it may just be a safe bet that this is when I’ll be posting up.

As the nights get cooler and it gets dark earlier I find myself falling pray to the comfort food coma. If it’s filling, fatty, or fried it becomes my new best friend (and dinner). Tonight was no different. I have to admit that part of the reason I haven’t been posting is that I’ve been lazy with my food and either snagging an unhealthy amount of Chipotle or salads and since you already know about Chipotle…and I’m sure you can all make a salad I’ve been quiet.

Once again this post can be blamed on Adam Richman and his show Man v. Food. Yesterday I caught the episode where he had to eat 29 pieces of fried catfish and immediately had a craving for fish sticks or some sort of breaded/battered/fried fish. Of course I was part way through my left over burrito bowl and Bo was grumps and doing his own thing… so fried fish would have to wait.

Anyway, this afternoon while at work I remembered (like I occasionally do) that I had some cod in my fridge that needed to be used before it decided to go bad and thus make Bo more grumps. I’d never bought cod before and thus had no idea how to use it in a dish or the proper way to cook it. So of course when I got home I googled ‘Recipes with Cod’ and one of the first results was a very non-gluten-free ‘Beer Battered Fish n’ Chips’. I was bored though and decided to challenge myself into turning the recipe gluten-free.

I think I can say with confidence that I succeeded. It really only took swapping out the flour with rice flour, the beer with Red Bridge, and leaving out the malt vinegar.

What You’ll Need for 2 Servings:

~ 2 Filet’s of Cod cut into smaller pieces
~ Lemon Juice
~ 1 cup of Rice Flour
~ 1 Bag of Ore-Ida Roasted Original Potatoes
~ 2 tsp of Baking Soda
~ Salt & Pepper
~ Olive Oil
~ 7 shakes of garlic powder
~ 4 shakes of ground black pepper
~ 1 cup of Red Bridge Beer
~ 2 eggs

To Make:
~ Heat oil in 2 skillets (enough to cover the bottom of the skillets at least).
~ Combine the dry ingredients in 1 bowl.
~ Combine the beer and eggs in another.
~ Pour the eggs and beer into the dry ingredients and stir until batter reaches the consistency of pancake batter.
~ Fry the potatoes in skillet 1 for 9 minutes or until crispy.
~ Coat each piece of cod with batter. I honestly just dumped them all into the bowl and covered them for about 10 minutes.
~ Fry each piece of cod for about 5-8 minutes or until batter is crispy and cod is cooked through. Spray the frying pieces with Lemon Juice every so often.
~ Remove potatoes and fish from heat and serve immediately.
~ Enjoy.

The flavor is actually really good. It was a bit too bread-y to me though, not really flaky as I prefer but it was alright. According to Bo the beer flavor was really in the batter though and very tasty (I was drinking the rest of the beer I used with the meal so I couldn’t tell very well). The potatoes have remained a favorite of ours although I  think they’ll be cooked in the oven from now on as they crisp better in there. The sauce in the photo is a gluten-free BBQ sauce (clearly labeled on the bottle just like I prefer) and goes perfect with the potatoes. When I find out the name I’ll edit this post (I’d do it now but I’m typing this in bed under a comfy set of blankets and I am not getting up for anything).

If you’re in the mood and don’t mind a little mess and effort I highly recommend this dinner. It’s a nice change from the normal salmon and various fish dishes I make. It’s also quelled my craving for Fish n’ Chips for awhile now.

While I know I promised you all a cookie recipe too that is going to have to wait until tomorrow as I totally ripped apart my kitchen in making dinner and didn’t feel like cleaning it to destroy it again OR destroying it more. So tomorrow, Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (and Hot Chocolate)!

For now I’m going to re-watch yesterday’s Halloween episode of Psych and giggle quietly to myself at the simultaneous references of the 80′s movie The Lost Boys in the episode (I love that movie…don’t judge me). And then pass out for the night like Gus when he inhales the chloroform rag… until next time…

Some Healthy Tips from Sean

Hey all! Sorry for once again being a generally lazy and otherwise engaged person…while I am off doing other things a nice gentleman by the name of Sean has taken the time to write up a guest post for us featuring some suggestions for healthier eating. And now… Sean’s post!

If your body requires you to cut gluten out of your diet, you may have some difficulty adjusting
at first. It’s an unfortunate fact that many people who cut gluten out of their diets for health
reasons end up gaining weight and having higher cholesterol levels. Not to mention, quite a
few people on gluten-free diets have vitamin deficiencies. Fortunately, there are things you can
do to eat healthy meals on a gluten-free diet and combat weight gain, high cholesterol, and
vitamin deficiency. Here they are:

1. Remember that you need variety.
Once you cut gluten products out of your diet, your food possibilities can seem a little limited at
first. They aren’t, though! They’re practically endless. To make sure you get all of the vitamins
and minerals you need, include plenty of vegetables, fruits, dairy, and protein in your meals.
To add more variety to your diet, you can substitute food products in meals you enjoy eating.
For example, let’s pretend it’s Thursday evening, and you are thinking about eating one of your
favorite dishes, steak and fries. You’ll get a lot of protein and starch from this meal, but it isn’t
necessarily the most nutritious meal you could eat. So, it might be a good idea to substitute
some steamed green beans and carrots for the fries.

2. Cook for yourself more frequently.
Have you ever gone to a restaurant that advertised gluten-free options only to return home
feeling sick? If you have, there’s a chance your food was prepared in the same area as gluten-
rich meals, and so your food became contaminated with gluten. At home, you can be 100% sure
none of your meals have any remnants of gluten products in them. Cooking for yourself isn’t
just a good idea because you are on a gluten-free diet. It’s also a good idea because it allows
you to cook meals that are healthy for you, since you’re in charge of what ingredients are used.
This means you can leave out foods with empty calories and high fat contents. You can also
leave out foods that you know contribute to higher cholesterol levels. And you can include as
many different kinds of nutritious foods as you want.

3. Judge your portion sizes and chewing habits.
The majority of Americans who overeat do so primarily because their plates are larger than
they should be. If you find that there is a pattern of overeating in your life, take a look at
the plates you eat off of. If you bought regular dinner plates at a department store or other
establishment, they’re probably too big. Invest in some smaller ones. Another reason people
eat too much in one sitting is because they consume food too quickly. When you’re eating, you
have to give your stomach some time to start digesting, or it doesn’t have time to tell you that
you’re full. So, try to focus on eating each bite of food slowly. Savor your meal. Try not to inhale
it!

You can eat healthy no matter what your diet restrictions are. It can be tough working around
a gluten-free diet, but you can definitely do it. Just eat a bunch of different food products that
are good for your body, control what goes into your food by cooking at home, and chew for a
little longer than you’re used to chewing.

And we’re back. Thanks to Sean for taking the time to write out such a helpful post for us. If you’d be interested in contacting Sean about writing a guest post for your blog please email me and I will put you in touch with him (or visit his site here). I’m hoping tomorrow to write a nice post about something gluten-free for you. I’ve managed to clear out some time and figure out a few things I can make and tell you all about. Until tomorrow friends! Hope you all are well.

Lof.

A Fresh After Work Snack: FreshaPeel Pumpkin Hummus

Internet. I am so sorry. Allow me to grovel for a moment to you. I stayed away for far too long and I’m sorry. On the bright side it is Friday which means weekend! I’ll also be going home this weekend to a gluten-free friendly area of Jersey… so bueno!

Right now I’m simply sitting on the couch, watching this week’s episode of Psych (as Gus freaks out at the fate of the Blueberry) and eating the remainder of my FreshaPeel Pumpkin Hummus. Mmmm Pumpkin Hummus. To those of you who are currently going ‘Ew’…SHAME! This is fantastic and a wonderfully Fall themed treat!

I picked this up last week at the Farmer’s Market and I’m surprised I’ve managed to keep it around as long as I have. It tastes like pumpkin pie in a container. For real. I know you wouldn’t think so as ‘hummus’ but it’s really… it’s remarkable. It also has ‘Gluten-Free’ and ‘Vegan Friendly’ marked on the container in a nice clear manner for all to see (something that I always appreciate). This stuff goes on ANYTHING. I’m serious, I’ve taken just straight up spoonfuls of this to snack on. My usual snack of choice to eat it with, apart from fresh apple slices, is Glutino Chocolate Covered pretzels. The combo is brilliant. You should try it for yourself. I promise you’ll love it.

The chocolate flavor adds another level of delish to the hummus and then at the very end you get a great salty kick from the buttery pretzel.

They aren’t limited to just the East Goshen Farmer’s Market so I highly recommend that you visit their Facebook page or Twitter Feed and find the nearest place you can pick up a container of hummus for yourself. I’ve tried the pumpkin and the buffalo flavored and they are both fantastic!

I’m sorry that this post is so terribly short but I am trying to fit it in before Bo’s hometown friend arrives (which should be any minute now). The next few posts should be good ones. I promise to make them more frequent than they have been this week. There will be one on Sunday. I promise. Topic to be determined.

Until then… we revel… alien style.

Gluten-Free (Fat Kid) Weekend: PF Chang’s and Pizza!

This weekend was a nice weekend filled with naps and general lazing about. Friday I had dinner with my lovely friend Carly at PF Chang’s and then yesterday I didn’t leave the house and decided to switch back and forth between lazing about in bed and on the couch. Today, with the exception of grocery shopping and tweaking a business card layout for Jules, was not much different than yesterday (with the addition of Mika playing in the background as I write this).

First, as the title states, we will talk about PF Chang’s because I like to go in chronological order. This place is my savior when it comes to the occasional chinese food craving (I get said craving about once every 2 months).

It is here (at PF Chang’s) that I can still get my all time favorite Orange Chicken/General Tso’s Chicken in a crispy form and not risk illness. The other benefit is, at least for me, I get a minimum of 2 meals out of each serving (this time I got 3). The restaurant has a full gluten-free menu and even includes disclaimers of what exactly they use in preparation of certain meals so that you can know exactly what’s going into your food. They’re also one of those places that takes it to ‘the next level’ and serves gluten-free meals on marked plates so if multiple people at the table order the same thing there is less risk of a disastrous mix-up. And their lettuce wraps? To DIE for. I think I may just write a review for those babies alone! But yes, if you want some nice gluten-free chinese PF Chang’s is where it’s at. There are two in the area by me (one in Glen Mills and one in Plymouth Meeting). The Glen Mills location seems to possibly be smaller, or have a little more of an issue regulating space as even with a reservation on a weekend evening you can be waiting up to 15 minutes past your reservation time for your table where Plymouth Meeting is more likely to seat you a few minutes early. In either case, whatever location you go to, make a reservation earlier that day. Doing such cuts your wait time significantly.

Today I kept up the fat-kid streak as I finally had a reason to heat and eat my Mom’s Bake at Home Pizza. I picked it up from Issa (of MomPops fame) at the Farmer’s Market on Thursday and have been waiting to break it out. Yesterday Bo was at an all day game-a-thon so I was not about to heat up a pizza for myself. That would just be silly. But for lunch today we decided to give it a shot.

It was a gluten-free pie with (I hope I get this right): spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, tomato, and pine nuts. There might have been something else in there but those were the things I saw. It’s the best cook-at-home pizza I’ve had to date and even rivals a few pizza joint’s pizzas.  All that in only 12 minutes!

They’re made fresh and keep that way in your fridge for 4 days and longer when frozen. The gluten-free crust is one of the better ones I’ve had, especially for bake-at-home style. Bo even liked it, commenting on the flavor and the general ‘non-crackerness’ of the crust texture. He thought it was a little chewy but enjoyed it. I actually enjoyed the crust the way it was. Most of the other pizzas I’ve snagged from  stores have, like I mentioned an almost cracker-like crust. They seem kinda solid and to me doesn’t taste like pizza crust while this crust had give and a good texture to it.  I’m also a HUGE sucker for ricotta cheese and spinach on pizzas so that was awesome in itself. The other good news about Mom’s Bake at Home is that since they’re made fresh if there is an ingredient you or someone in your house doesn’t like they’re relatively easy to pick off. I had never had pine nuts before today and figured I’d give them a try. One bite. Two bites. Wasn’t really a fan of the pine nuts but they were simple to pick out and not that this is the case but if Bo was a huge fan of pine nuts it would have been easy for me to chuck my discarded ones onto his side of the pizza. The gluten-free crusts are also made in a dedicated facility so there is no risk of cross-contamination that way.

The other positive, at least in dealing with Issa and his Mom’s Bake at Home location is the ability to order in advance. I had the ability to let him know up to Wednesday night before the Farmer’s Market what pizza I wanted. Granted, I just said ‘As long as it’s veggie I don’t care. Surprise me.’ but lets say you wanted to make sure he brought a specific kind to the Market (or wherever you are going to see him)… you could do that. I’m not aware if the other locations do that as well but I know Issa’s location in Thorndale does.

The one slight hiccup was solved with a quick double check on my part. I had a pizza with an older label on it that listed all the ingredients of all their pizzas (apparently made before the gluten-free pies were part of the menu) so the first ingredients read as ‘white/wheat flour or spelt’  (up until about 2 hours ago I was not aware that spelt was dangerous…but now I know thanks to google) and that made me pause a minute and check with Issa before proceeding. He got back to me almost immediately with the green-light though explaining it was an older label that had gotten onto my pie and the pizza was in fact gluten-free. Which is good because as a gluten-free eater, it’s a major turn off when the first thing on a list of ingredients is something you shouldn’t have (present in the pie or not). If you are a gluten-free eater and end up with one of these labels by accident, just be sure to call,tweet, or facebook message to double check. I’m trusting enough that I ate the pie anyway but I’m not going to lie… those words are still seared into my soul and it’s made me a bit nervous (even after eating the delicious pie anyway). Issa’s cool like that and understands that kinda thing though. I also trust him because I know where he is every Thursday from 2-6pm and would have no problem giving him a verbal beat down should he have found it a good idea to have lied…which I’m sure he’d never do. (that kind of thing, plus him being a generally good person fosters a sense of trust).

Bo and I managed to knock off 4 pieces of pie and we have another 4 pieces left for dinner which we will be happily eating. The portion sizes that I cut my pie into were perfect. They got me just pleasantly full but not overly so and Bo agreed. The ingredients were also nice and fresh and you can tell. If you’re in the mood for pizza I’d recommend picking up a Mom’s Bake at Home from the Farmer’s Market or the location in Thorndale, for the $10 price at the Farmer’s Market that’s the same as most other gluten-free (or normal) joints for a pie and these are fresh, quality, and don’t taste like an attempt to put pizza toppings on a large cracker. You very much get your money’s worth.

And now, internet, I leave you to go watch some TV and laze about some more on my last day of the weekend. Tomorrow I will tell you about the hummus that I’ve managed to almost completely kill off in one sitting (I feel too fat kid to include that here).

Adios!