Italiano

For dinner I had pie on the brain.

Pizza pie.

Luckily I had a pre-made crust by Udi’s gluten free foods ready to go…thus reducing my prep time to under 30 minutes.  Rachel Ray, you’ve got some competition.

Udi’s provided me with the gluten free goods to review on the blog.  In addition to being gluten free, they are also dairy free, soy free, and nut free.  Basically, they are devoid of almost every common allergen.

They are thinner than the typical pizza crust, but just as soft and doughy.

These were my toppings of choice…

Layer 1: WF organic tomato sauce

Layer 2: baby bell peppers

Layer 3: Red Star nutritional yeast

Layer 4: Garlic Gold nuggets

Oven time: 13 minutes.  [350 degrees]

The crust browned up just like you want, while still remaining soft and chewy.  The edges weren’t too crispy, but that’s because I was afraid of burning the crust.  A few extra minutes in the oven probably would’ve made it a bit harder.  As it was, I totally loved it.

Doesn’t this just look like Italian perfection?  They are all about the thin crusts, so I’m thinking this vegan, gluten-free version could give the real deal a run for it’s money.

I cut myself a couple slices of pizza pie…you have to say that with an Italian accent.

And in case you were concerned (although, I doubt you were) I got my serving of veggies in with a spinach salad a la mode.

My two “slices” were a bit generous (read: half the pizza).

The salad had spinach, bell peppers, carrots, avocado, and dried cranberries with copious amounts of Bragg’s liquid aminos on top.

After last week’s green-less nutbutter & carb-fest, my body seems to be evening out in terms of it’s cravings.  I have been wanting salads for almost every meal, whether or not they are the main course.  Maybe there’s something to be said for listening to your body, eh?  When all is said and done, the highs and the lows all seem to result in a steady average (the tricky part is having the confidence in such and listening to your body without doubting it along the way…easier said than done…but I think I’m getting pretty savvy at it).

Udi’s gluten-free pizza crusts were definitely better than I expected.  When I first saw the crusts I figured they would be like a tortilla and not very pizza-like at all.  Not that I’m a pro on pizzas.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  I’m not a huge fan of most Italian food, but especially pizza.  I’ve been lactose intolerant for nearly half my life, so it’s not a food I regularly eat given the dairy issue.  So if you asked me how I preferred my pie, I don’t think I could’ve told you.  Chicago style, deep dish, New York, thin crust…no idea.

Like I alluded to before, the crusts were on the thinner side, so I was afraid the slices wouldn’t stay firm when you picked them up by the edge (which is the mark of a true pizza vs. an open-faced wrap).  I’m happy to report that I was wrong!  Somehow they were both doughy, light, and sturdy all at the same time.  I’m not just saying this because I got the products for free, I would 100% buy these again with my own money.

I couldn’t help but cut myself another slice.

That’s amore! (I had to do it)