CONTE'S MUSHROOM FLORENTINE PIZZA, product review

Conte's Mushroom Lorentine Pizza
with Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil

This is the best and most palatable packaged gluten-free pizza we've yet to taste.  The aroma is heavenly. There is plenty of cheese and veggies in the flavorful topping. Our only complaint - minor - we would have enjoyed a bit more sauce. We are heavy-duty tomato-sauce lovers. If your mouth is set for the taste and texture of a wheat crust, you'll be disappointed. Having said that, as GF crusts go, it is not bad. It's a bit like a doughy cracker and some might object to that doughiness, but we were okay with it. 


If you are allergic to the gluten in potato, this curst is not made with any potato flour. The cheeses are dairy cheeses. 


This pizza bakes nicely in the middle of the oven and takes 10-12 minutes. With preheat that means you can have it on the table in half-an-hour with time to prepare a salad while it's baking. The package says it serves four. We are little (or not so little!) piglets, so it served two.


The downside is that the pizza is not organic and Conte's plant is not a dedicated plant.

Wheat Free/Gluten Free Ingredients: CRUST: Rice flour, Water, Corn Starch, Tapioca Dextrin, Non-Fat Milk, Whole Eggs, Sugar, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Baking Powder, Soybean Oil, Yeast. TOPPING: Chopped Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese (pasteurized part skim milk, culture, salt, enzymes), Asiago Cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Fresh Sliced White Mushrooms, Baby Leaf Spinach, Olive Oil, Romano Cheese (pasteurized sheep's milk, rennet, bacterial culture, salt) Roasted Garlic.  Contains: Milk, Eggs Good manufacturing practices are used to segregate ingredients in a facility that also processes wheat. NUTRITION FACTS Serving Size 1 slice (113g) Servings Per Container 4 Amount per Serving Calories 240  Calories from fat 90 %Daily Value Total Fat 10g - 16%  Saturated Fat 4.5g - 22%  Trans Fat 0g  Polyunsaturated Fat 0g  Monounsaturated Fat 3.5g Cholesterol 40mg - 14% Sodium 610mg - 25% Total Carbohydrates 27g - 9%  Dietary Fiber 1g - 4%  Sugars 3g  Sugar Alcohol 0g Protein 9g Vitamin A 6% Vitamin 4 2% Calcium 25% Iron 2% COOKING DIRECTIONS: DO NOT MICROWAVE. Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Remove pizza from plastic wrapper and place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese begins to brown. Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.

GREEK TEA AND A GREEK SPINACH PILAF

Chamomile Flowers via Wikipedia
under GNU Free Documentation License

Camomile Tea
Preparation:
Bring hot water to a roiling boil. Water should be at 183 degrees fahrenheit for tea. Pour some of the water into your teapot and swirl to warm the pot. Place one heaping teaspoon of  dried camomile per cup into your teapot. Add boiling water.  Put the cover on the pot and allow to steep for about five minutes.  Sweeten with Greek Honey.






Gluten-free Spinach Pilaf, Spanakorizo
The recipe:
Serves two as a main dish
1 pound of spinach
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh, sweet butter
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup of Lundberg Brown Jasmine Rice
1 tablespoon tomato paste (in a pinch use a quality, gluten-free ketchup*
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 cup feta cheese

Put the spinach in a drainer and rinse it thoroughly several times with cold water.
Put the olive oil and butter in a pan that is large enough to hold the spinach.  Over a low heat slowly brown the onions. When they begin to get golden, add the spinach. Cover the pan and cook until the spinach wilts, which will take about five minutes. Add the rice, tomato paste, the seasonings, and 3/4 cup of water. Stir well, bring to a boil, cover the pan and lower the heat.  Simmer for about one-half hour or until the rice is tender.  Serve hot with crumbled feta on top.

*"Organicville's Ketchup is USDA certified organic, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and contains no added sugar. With less sodium than other brands, our ketchup is fat and cholesterol free, and is also an excellent source of lycopene. Organic ketchups have higher levels of lycopene and anti-oxidant activities than other brands tested." OrganicVille A definate thumbs-up on this one.

Whole Foods' brand ketchup is also a good gluten-free ketchup. However, it is not produced in a dedicated plant.

Dedicated facility: one that produces only wheat-and-gluten free products, thus eliminating the potential for cross contamination.

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.