Tag Archives: breakfast

French Meadow Bakery breakfast pizza two ways

Posted on October 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

This week I had the opportunity to try out the gluten free pizza crust from French Meadow Bakery as a part of a recipe campaign run by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. French Meadow has a variety of gluten free products available on their website, and their products come shipped to you packed in dry ice and totally frozen (even after a FedEx delay mine was solid as a rock!).

The recipe that I was testing out was for “Breakfast Pizza”. Besides my patented hangover pizza, this isn’t something that I would normally make, so it was great to try something new!

Since the gluten free pizza crusts come in a package of two, I made one with more traditional toppings, and another one with a healthier spin.

Classic breakfast pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 French Meadow Bakery Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
  • 1/2 medium potato, shredded and squeezed in a towel to remove moisture (or use 1/2 cup of frozen hashbrowns)
  • 2 eggs, scrambled
  • 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • Topping of your choice (most would love bacon, I added spinach to half)

Instructions:

  • Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Bake crust for 5 minutes on the bottom rack, set aside.
  • Cook hashbrowns over medium heat in buttered pan for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.
  • Layer crust with hashbrowns, egg, cheese and toppings.
  • Bake for another 10 minutes on the middle or top rack, until cheese has melted.

Sweet potato and pesto breakfast pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 French Meadow Bakery Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
  • 1/2 medium sweet potato, mashed
  • 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (or 3 egg whites), scrambled
  • 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 3 T. pesto
  • red onions, thinly sliced

Instructions:

  • Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Bake crust for 5 minutes on the bottom rack, set aside.
  • Scramble eggs, mixing in pesto at the end.
  • Layer crust with mashed sweet potato, egg, cheese and onions.
  • Bake for another 10 minutes on the middle or top rack, until cheese has melted.

I had a slice of the sweet potato one for breakfast this morning at the office and the crust held up great in the fridge over night. The crust is about 1/4 inch thick and a bready and chewy consistency. It kind of reminds me of the crusts that were included in the pizza lunchables that I loved as a kid. Because they’re made with rice flour they have a bit of sweetness to them. It also took me 20 minutes from start to finish to make both of these pizzas, so you can’t beat the convenience of having the crust pre-made!

As a part of the recipe campaign, French Meadow is giving away  two gluten-free prize packs! You can enter to win by submitting the form on the NFCA website. They will announce the first winner on Friday, October 26, and the second on Friday, November 2.

Enter the giveaway here.

You can also find more recipes using French Meadow pizza crusts on celiaccentral.org. I’m so excited to see what the other bloggers tried out!

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Michigan gluten free finds: Biga Pizza and Commonwealth

Posted on August 19, 2012 | 1 comment

I wouldn’t have expected this in a million years, but I had possibly the best gluten free pizza I’ve tried in Michigan a couple weeks ago. In an unassuming restaurant called Biga Pizza I ordered a wood-grilled pizza. I had pretty low expectations, considering some of my other experiences with gluten free pizza in Michigan, but I was truly blown away.

I got the farmer’s egg pizza with zucchini and ricotta. The thin crust and wood-grilled crispness made this pizza something special. My friend tried a slice and said that she really couldn’t tell the difference between the gluten free crust and the regular one. Next time I’ll make sure to stay for the Lemon-Raspberry Parfait– (gluten free sponge cake, layered with lemon curd, raspberries and rum marscapone mousse). Mmm.

Another find in Michigan was Commonwealth in Birmingham. I got a ratatouille omelet and sweet potato hash for breakfast. I have to figure out how to make that hash at home – it has roasted peppers, green onions, and red onions, all caramelized and a great savory/sweet mixture.

Commonwealth also has a quinoa tabouli, which you don’t see every day. The hunt for good gluten free food in Michigan continues, but this trip really impressed me!

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Best grits in DC

Posted on June 1, 2012 | 2 comments

Going out to breakfast or brunch can be a challenge for celiacs. French toast, pancakes, English muffins – gluten seems to be the star of the show in most dishes. Nine times out of 10 I end up eating an omelette or some kind of eggs, which is mostly okay with me. Except for the fact that they usually come with hash browns or home fries, and I’m always skeptical of how they are made (they could be fried, put on a griddle next to the toast, come from a mix that has them coated in flour, etc.)

So when a restaurant has grits on the menu, they are always my go-to substitute. They’re creamy, cheesy, buttery, and good ole’ Southern cookin’.

These are my top three restaurants for grits that I’ve found in DC yet.

1. Ted’s Bulletin

Seriously amazing cheese grits. They’re like a finer, condensed macaroni and cheese.This isn’t the most colorful plate in the world, but so delicious.

2. Vinoteca

Nice and cheesy, just how I like ’em. These come with big pieces of cheddar on top. Try them with the smoked salmon omelette.

3. Art and Soul

I only had a taste of my friend’s grits here as a part of their shrimp and grits dish at dinner, but they serve them as a side dish at brunch as well. If Art Smith can’t make a good pot of grits, then I don’t know who can.

Any places I’m missing for good grits? Or anything else you substitute for toast while eating breakfast out? 

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Breads from Anna pancake mix review

Posted on October 12, 2011 | 3 comments

A while back when I was home in Michigan for the weekend, I picked up a bag of maple pancake mix by Breads From Anna. Yes, mostly because it had my name on the package, but also maple pancakes sounded awesome.

This mix is really unique because it doesn’t have corn, rice, or almond flour in it. It’s first ingredient is tapioca starch, but it also has arrowroot powder, millet flour, chia flour, pinto and navy bean flour, and chickpea flour.


I made the batter as directed, but it was super thick. So I kept adding milk to thin it out, but it seemed to never get to a good pancake batter consistency. I must have added double the milk and it still was like a muffin batter.

They also didn’t get very fluffy, they were more like flatjacks than flapjacks (heehee). Once I put some pumpkin and cinnamon in and topped with maple sugar they were alright.

So sad that my namesake pancake mix didn’t live up to the hype I had built up in my head. Maybe some of their other products are better, but I wasn’t impressed with this one.

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Vic’s Bagel Bar: NYC

Posted on September 23, 2011 | 6 comments

This week I was back in NYC for work, and was determined to fit in as many gluten free eats as possible. Even though Vic’s Bagel Bar was out of my way, the idea of being able to pick up a single bagel with cream cheese at a bagel shop, like any other “normal” person, was just too much of a lure to pass up.

And boy was it worth it.

That’s a gluten free everything bagel with about a tubs-worth of cream cheese.

Vic’s has a really cool concept for their shop – you pick a bagel, then pick a spread, then pick mix-ins. They custom make your spread, then make you a sandwich. They also have these neat looking things called “flagels” (flat bagels) that look like giant bagel chips.

I got a Vic’s Special – plain cream cheese mixed with smoked salmon, tomatoes, and scallions.

Talk about splurge. See that oozy cream-cheesy goodness? This bagel was something that I couldn’t believe I could eat. It was just like any other bagel I remember.

The gluten free bagels are kept on the counter in their own special area far from the regular bagels. It seems like their regular bagels are a hit too, since there were a few groups of cops that came in while I was there. And cops know a good bagel when they see one.

I got a plain bagel to take home with me, and it’s nestled safely in my freezer for a special birthday bagel breakfast coming up soon.

All of those varieties are gluten free: sesame, poppyseed, plain, and everything. I wish they had a cinnamon raisin one – que sera sera though. Carbo loading is sometimes necessary.

Vic’s Bagel Bar
544 3rd Avenue (Cross Street 36th St)
New York, NY, 10016

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Greengos

Posted on September 7, 2011 | 2 comments

I had so many places I wanted to try in Michigan when I went home last weekend that I had to prioritize. We’ll start with the most important meal of the day! On Saturday I decided to grab breakfast at Greengos in Grosse Pointe Park, even though their lunch menu looks so yummy. Especially the polenta souffle.

Greengos Menu

I’m actually kind of proud that a place like Greengos exists in my hometown. Detroit isn’t exactly known for its health food (as the 7th unhealthiest city in the nation, ahem), but Greengos makes everything in house and uses local, organic ingredients. They also have a ton of gluten free options.

All labeled and covered to prevent cross contamination. High five!

I picked up a pear currant muffin, and a cherry energy bar made with sunflower seeds.

But the real highlight of the trip was the latte that I got made from their homemade almond milk.


This was the frothiest dang latte I have ever had!

It was super rich and creamy, and the guy who made it for me took such care with it. I drink almond milk all the time, but this was in a class of its own. They have both raw almond milk and raw almond vanilla milk that they make in house – and just like that I have a new coffee obsession.

Additional things that I love about my hometown? That someone has this sign up in earnest as an advertisement for his law firm. Am I on the set of Gilmore Girls?

And that there are genius window displays like this one. Yes, that is a bald woman and her mannequin friend barbequeing a banana. Makes perfect sense…

I also still love the Pancake House, where I went for breakfast on Sunday. Even though I can’t eat the pancakes or crepes there that I used to love with an unsurpassed devotion, I’ve made do. Bananas with a side of whipped cream? That seems like a great idea.

More Michigan gluten free to come. I did a lot of eating last weekend…

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Cheesecake for breakfast

Posted on August 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

No, I’m not going to post a recipe for some kind of healthy breakfast cheesecake.

Just needed to document that I made a rational, grown-up decision to eat cheesecake this morning for breakfast.

Raw, vegan, gluten-free cheesecake from Cafe Green!  That kind of makes it okay, right?

Agave sweetened, with a cashew crust that tasted just like a crumbly Larabar!

I’m guessing that the filling was tofu?  It tastes like a really dense chocolate mousse.

This is it before I got my grubby paws on it:

Cafe Green, you have almost made up for the bland-wich that I got from your sister restaurant, Java Green.

What a great way to kick off a Friday 🙂

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Cocomama Quinoa Cereal

Posted on June 24, 2011 | 1 comment

Before I moved to DC, I splurged on a bunch of non-perishables from G-Free NYC, including a packet of Cocomama Quinoa Cereal.  In the days when I was moving in, convenience was paramount for meals.  So this was a great option, as you basically just tear open the packet, nuke it, and squish it into a bowl.  I got the Banana Cinnamon (with a hint of Maple) variety.  But they also have Orange Cranberry, Honey Almond, and Wild Blueberry to choose from.

Now, whoever was the photographer for the pictures on their website must be a regular Ansel Adams, because mine did not end up looking anything like theirs.

Their pic:

My pic:

Mine looks about five shades darker, and I also just squirted it out right from the package, so it doesn’t have that nice fluffy-looking texture.

As far as how this stuff tastes – it is VERY rich.  It must be the coconut milk and maple syrup, but it sticks in your mouth and gut like peanut butter.  You’ve got to have a big tall glass of cold milk on hand to have with this.

I do like that they have found a way to make quinoa into a sweet dish, since I haven’t seen that done successfully.  They use simple ingredients, and have also kept the consumer in mind by making it extremely easy to prepare.  For those mornings when you don’t feel like dirtying dishes or doing prep work, these are a great solution.

Buy Cocomama products ($20 for a six pack of pouches)

Visit their awesome website

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Oh snap! (and crackle and pop)…Rice Krispies go gluten free

Posted on June 13, 2011 | Leave a comment

I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.  Rice Krispies have finally eliminated the malt barley from their recipe and gone gluten free! Check out the Rice Krispies website for more info on the cereal, which they’re branding as “a gluten-free option with the same beloved sound”.

Can’t wait to go on a scavenger hunt to find these around DC.  I’ll update when I find them!

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Eco-Planet Organics Instant Hot Cereal

Posted on January 2, 2011 | Leave a comment

I was in a ridiculously long line at Whole Foods, looking for something to amuse me, when I came up to a discarded grocery item that I had to reclaim for myself.  It was eco-planet instant hot cereal!  It has “more protein, fiber, and Omega-3s than any regular oatmeal – with less sugar,” so I figured that it could be a great alternative to my usual oatmeal in the morning.

Orphan cereal

I took this little guy home and whipped him up with some cranberries (left over from stringing them on our Christmas tree), cinnamon, milk, and maple syrup.

Yum!

It’s a great quick and satisfying snack, or a light breakfast.  Plus it’s got to be good for you with all of the super-grains it has in it (amaranth, chicory root, flaxseed, chia flour, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, millet).

I’m definitely going to bring a few of these individually-wrapped packets with me next time I travel (certainly beats hotel powdered eggs).

Get it here.

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