Glutenfreeda Gluten-Free Burrito Chicken & Cheese

Glutenfreeda Gluten-Free Burrito Chicken & Cheese
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

One of the great things about Mexican food is that there is a lot to choose from regarding gluten-free food due to how many recipes call for ingredients like corn instead of wheat flour.

But burritos, which are arguably one of the more popular items on menus, are usually off limits because they include gluten-based flour tortillas. And let's face it, a traditional flour tortilla seems to wrap around a bunch of refried beans and cheese a lot easier than a corn tortilla. 

This author has experimented in many attempts to make a burrito using something other than a wheat flour tortilla and most of these experiments have been unmitigated disasters.

And so therefore it has become necessary to troll the aisles of the grocery store to see if there are any companies capable of crafting a good tasting ready-made burrito. One of the only companies who seems to be creating such delicacies is called Glutenfreeda and they have a variety of different burritos that are generally located in the freezer section of the grocery store. 

Glutenfreeda Gluten-Free Burrito Chicken & Cheese
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

On display here is the Chicken & Cheese variety which offers some nice elements for individuals looking for natural foods. The package states that the burrito has no hydrogenated oils and contains zero grams of trans fat. The burrito is apparently also "hand-rolled," although who knows if this method of burrito creation actually makes it taste better.

As is to be expected with frozen burritos, it's possible to place the burrito in the microwave for a quick zap or put it in the oven for about a half hour to cook slowly. I generally choose the oven if I have the time simply because the overall cooked temperature tends to be a bit more even. Most of the time when one of these little frozen tubes comes out of the microwave, the center is a glacial pod of ice.

One of the most noticeable things about this burrito is that it has a lot of varied ingredients within it and that it's not just chicken and cheese. For anyone looking for a burrito that's mainly chicken and cheese, you might be disappointed.

Glutenfreeda Gluten-Free Burrito Chicken & Cheese
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

As evidenced to the left, the burrito itself is a tidy size and is likely not to serve as an entire meal for someone unless they're an eleven year old, so if this is something you're bringing to work to toss in the microwave it's best to bring along another item such as some gluten-free tortilla chips. And the small size of the burrito makes its three dollar price tag rather painful.

For people who can eat regular gluten-filled burritos of wheat flour wrapped bliss, they'll probably pay less than a buck. This burrito costs three times that amount. On sale. At least for people in California.

Overall the burrito seemed wanting regarding actual chicken and cheese. It felt much more like the burrito was all refried beans and rice rather than chicken and cheese. Indeed, refried beans, rice and salsa all come before chicken or cheese in the listing of ingredients. If the company wants to suggest that their burrito is chicken and cheese, they need to plump these ingredients up a tad.

Glutenfreeda Gluten-Free Rice and Beans.... I mean Chicken & Cheese Burrito
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

Glutenfreeda Gluten-Free Burrito Chicken & Cheese Report Card

The Good Stuff

The nutritional content of this burrito is terrific as it has zero trans fat and a nice amount of protein at eight grams per burrito. The overall calories are a hair high for an item that's as small as it is, but the healthy factor for this burrito is great. If you're into smaller meals eaten throughout the day instead of a big lunch, this item fits the bill.

The company also suggests that they do as little as possible to process the foods that go through their factory, so it's a great example of a natural product as well. In addition, texture and taste of the flour tortilla (which is made of corn and potato flour) is great as well, even if my burrito happened to get a little crispy along the exterior.

Glutenfreeda Gluten-Free Chicken & Cheese Burrito
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

What Can Be Improved

More chicken! More cheese! If people are going to have to pay three bucks for one of these little suckers, there had better be some chicken in there. Otherwise, it's best to label this burrito as "rice and beans." No joke.

For a Better Burrito

It's recommended that the oven be used for preparation here, but it's absolutely vital that the burrito isn't cooked too long or the exterior may tend to get a bit too crispy. The directions suggest forty-five minutes is a good cooking time, but I tossed my burrito in there completely frozen and it came out crispy at a half hour.

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac & Cheese

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac & Cheese
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

One of the most delightful foods from childhood is macaroni and cheese and it's one of those foods that manufacturers love to advertise since it's so eternally popular. And in the last few years there has been some movement from pasta makers to create macaroni and cheese options that are gluten free. One such type of macaroni and cheese is Quinoa and according to Wikipedia, it's a type of crop that offers edible seeds, but it's not technically a type of grain. 

The neat thing about the crop though is that it does have an unusually high level of protein for something that resembles a grain and scientists have actually determined through testing that it's a complete protein as well. The crop is something that NASA engineers have suggested might be a healthy source of food during long space flights.

But for those of us here on earth, Quinoa is a great alternative to wheat-based pasta because it offers a very nice, solid texture when cooked. Unlike rice pasta, Quinoa will not usually melt into a bowl of goo if it's left to boil on the stove too long. And the high nutritional value of the food is a huge plus for anyone following a wheat-free or gluten free diet since such diets tend to be deficient in some types of important vitamins and minerals.

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac & Cheese
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

For Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac and Cheese, the prospect of getting to eat macaroni and cheese that's not likely to turn into a mush bowl is quite appealing and anyone who has eaten Quinoa before will likely be quite aware of its suitability for cooking. But just because Quinoa acts great on the stove-top doesn't mean that it will necessarily accommodate absolutely any sort of topping or accompaniment.


This type of pasta does taste quite different from regular wheat pasta when it is cooked, although just because it's different doesn't mean that it can't taste good. In fact, when Quinoa is paired with a type of marinara sauce and some Parmesan, the taste combination is fantastic. 


But it's this author's opinion that Quinoa is not necessarily something that lends itself well to a macaroni and cheese presentation.

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac & Cheese in the Pot
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

Or perhaps it's simply because Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac & Cheese has such an incredible amount of salt in it. Though anything with cheese is going to have some serious salt, macaroni and cheese is always one of the biggest offenders for anyone who wants to lower their salt intake. And Ancient Harvest Quinoa does seem to have a high salt content and might be extremely salty at first taste. 


But there are some options to lessen the significant salty flavor.


To take some of the salty bite out of the meal, adding some butter seems to do the trick. The directions for preparation don't require anything but milk to be added, but it's fine to add your own ingredients. In fact, the "variations" on the back of the box do suggest that the flavor can be enhanced with the addition of some butter.

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac & Cheese in the Bowl
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

One of the interesting things about Quinoa is that it stays together terrifically after it's cooked and therefore allows for a nice, solid meal, but for macaroni and cheese, the use of much more delicate rice pasta seems to lend itself better to the concoction. 


Quinoa has a great taste to it and it's definitely got some amazing nutritional components, but the addition of cheddar cheese in traditional macaroni and cheese just isn't the perfect presentation. 


It is by no means something that tastes bad, but for pure taste, going through the hassle of cooking rice pasta (which tends to turn to goo if you don't stare at it and rip it from the stove almost immediately) might result in a better overall macaroni and cheese experience.


For true macaroni and cheese aficionados, it might be best to consider going with Annie's Homegrown Gluten-Free Rice Pasta & Cheddar Mac & Cheese instead even though proper preparation of that particular manufacturer's rice pasta does take a close eye on the stove.

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac & Cheese Extreme Close-Up!
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac & Cheese Report Card


The Good Stuff


Quinoa has an amazing texture and consistency and is truly a wonderful alternative for pasta for anyone who requires gluten free food as it doesn't have nearly the problems that rice pasta does in staying firm after it's been cooked. It can actually be prepared in an "al dente" style if the cook prefers a firmer style of pasta. Quinoa also has better nutritional value than rice pasta or even simple corn pasta.


What Can Be Improved


As stated above, this particular type of Quinoa does have an amazing amount of salt in it and it's very noticeable in your first bite. While many people do love salt, it's often a good idea to add some butter to the finished product to lessen that salty blow.


Tips for Great Mac & Cheese


If this particular type of Quinoa is too salty or the taste isn't just right, do consider making macaroni and cheese with rice pasta, as the results are usually better as far as pure taste is concerned. For anyone who is already familiar with Quinoa and loves it, Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac & Cheese will probably be a great option for getting that pasta fix.

Gluten Free Pizza from Fresh Brothers

Fresh Brothers Pizza Box
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

Every few months a new type of food becomes popular among companies offering gluten free entrees and in 2012, the name of the game is pizza. After several years of suffering through the stale, cardboard discs of gluten free pie crusts, major pizza companies are now getting in on the game along with regional pizza restaurants jumping in, too.

One such restaurant is Fresh Brothers, which is a pizza chain in southern California with around a half dozen locations in and around Los Angeles County. The biography of the owners suggests that the recipes used by the company came from their experiences with local pizzerias in the 1970s. And they are just one of the many pizza restaurants to have started offering gluten free varieties of their pies.

Like most other gluten free offerings, the pizza from Fresh Brothers is only available in a smaller size - medium - although the size of that pie is fairly respectable and would easily feed two people. Someone with a bigger appetite might want to snag an entire pie for himself.

Fresh Brothers Cheese Gluten Free Pizza - Hungry Now?
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

The most important part of gluten free pizza is always going to be the crust because it's the specific element within the recipe which must be modified to accommodate the dietary needs of someone with a gluten or wheat allergy. 

For Fresh Brothers, their crust tastes more like a regular pizza crust than like one of the flaps of the cardboard box in which it comes delivered.

And this is a good thing, because often a gluten free crust will look like a round yet tasteless saltine cracker and will have the same sort of consistency as well.

For anyone who has eaten a regular pizza crust before, it's easy to tell the difference between the taste of a crust that has wheat and the gluten free variety, but Fresh Brothers does have a good way with toppings and their general approach to serving gluten free pizza seems to be one worth checking out. The crust is slightly thicker than a thin crust pizza yet it has the consistency of a regular pie.


It's worth noting that the crust is a tad denser than you might expect from pizza. But I think this is normal for gluten free foods that are placed in the oven.

Fresh Brothers Cheese Gluten Free Pizza
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

Fresh Brothers would get bonus points if they could devise a way to make their gluten free pizza a little thicker, but in its present form, it's definitely one to check out for anyone who has a sensitivity to gluten. 

A note to anyone interested in alternative toppings: it's a good idea to confirm whether specific toppings conform to being gluten free.

And regarding toppings, the nice thing about the crust is that it's of a suitable thickness to accommodate toppings beyond just cheese and sauce. If your dietary restrictions allow for it, the BBQ chicken pizza is highly recommended.

A word of caution for anyone interested in getting a gluten free pizza is that if a person has Celiac Disease, it's always important to confirm the type of cooking conditions in which the pizza is made. Most pizza restaurants will have common preparation areas and traces of gluten might be present in the vicinity of the pizza. Generally, pizza from a restaurant is going to have a high chance of coming into contact with traces of gluten and for individuals with serious allergies, caution is advised.

Fresh Brothers Herbs and Parmesan Topping
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

Fresh Brothers Gluten Free Report Card

The Good Things:

This pizza does indeed taste like pizza and the toppings are great. The size is a bit larger than traditional gluten-free pizza crust. The thickness of the crust is also pretty nice for holding a lot of toppings.

What Could be Improved:

The eternal struggle for people who are forced to eat gluten free or other alternative foods is not the fact that the food tastes like cardboard so much as it is that the food costs an arm and a leg. Fresh Brothers is definitely worth a taste and will probably be a great pizza experience, but it will also set you back a few dollars more than a regular pizza. I always joke that since there's no wheat in the pizza, it's missing an ingredient, so technically it should be cheaper! So far I don't think the gluten free industry has caught on...

Fresh Brothers Cheese Gluten Free Pizza
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

Tips for a Great Pizza:

Get on Fresh Brothers' mailing list! They offer coupons each week and most of their specials are available for their gluten free crusts as well. 


The gluten free variety will be a few dollars more even with the coupon, but getting on their email list is highly recommended for timely discounts.

To find out more about Fresh Brothers and their gluten free pizza options, click here