The Last Caesar's Pasta and You're Coming to the Writing Conference, right?

With a heavy heart, I pulled out my last free sample from Caesar's Pasta today.  After nearly two weeks of being sick and deadlined, we finally got down to some cooking!

This was the Wheat Free & Gluten Free Gnocchi. :)

If you read my review for the spinach version, there really isn't much difference.  It's a high quality, fast cooking gnocchi that went great with the dinner I planned (leftover prosciutto end, figs, kale, apples, sweet onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar).

As with the other products, the bag has excellent instructions.  I also have to say, after sitting in my freezer for well over a month by now, still the same quality.

I definitely recommend this brand and would price it with mid- to high-end frozen Italian meals.  I have not seen it in any of my grocery stores, unfortunately, but I have heard it might be found in Whole Foods.

If I come across it, I'll let people know.

xx

Also, are you coming to the WPI Women Writer's conference this Saturday?  It is open to men and women.  You've get to choose two different morning writing workshops and then, in the afternoon, I'll be joining several cool people and discussing how to get published.  

Ok, in reality, I'll very likely be the cynic up there saying what several potential routes of publication are and trying to convince many dewy-eyed folk that, no, it's not easy, it's not guaranteed, and don't buy into any scams that want to vacuum out your life savings.  While self-publication is an option, you'll be doing a ton of work and people like Amanda Hocking are not "overnight sensations."  Just read their blogs.

I'll also be reminding people to keep accounting ledgers and records, learn how to handle money or put aside funds to hire someone who will.

I won't be entirely cruel, though.  There's always excellent support out there, like Broad Universe - or many other professional writing organizations.

Or, I may end up doing something completely different.  After all, I'm not the only one on the panel.

You'll just have to come to find out!

Caesar's Pasta: Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free Manicotti

Mmm!  Did I mention how much I love reviewing food?  Well… good food.

So, there were more packages of pasta from the samples I received from Caesar's Pasta, and now I get to share with you!

(If you missed my review of their Organic Lasagna and Gluten Free Spinach Gnocchi, you can look back here.)

With Monday, I need a quick meal again, so I yanked out the Manicotti.  Like the other entrees I tried, I enjoyed this one.  The pasta was a good consistency; I wouldn't know the difference in texture or flavor.  I liked the sauce in this better than I did the shells, but I still think the vegetable lasagna had the richer flavored marinara.  (It's probably the same marinara, but affected by the vegetables and seasonings.)  The ricotta also had a great texture: firm enough to stand up in the shells and get cut by the fork but still creamy in my mouth. 

An added benefit was that despite all the cheese, it didn't bother me.  I used to be severely lactose intolerant, but with the latest age-body-changeover, it's become much less sensitive.  I can still get set off by really poor quality cheese and ice-cream, but none of the cheesy meals here bothered me at all, which speaks to good quality… and perhaps a sensible amount of cheese as both filling and topping.

Like all of the food I've eaten by this company, I also am extremely pleased by their cooking instructions - particularly for frozen entrees.  It was uniformly cooked with no burned corners, no cold spots, and a tender cut throughout. 

Calories were 390 with 160 coming from fat (18 g fat).  Sodium was at 640 mg, which is higher than the lasagna, but lower than the shells.  So, statwise, pretty decent.

I did find out from a previous comment (Thanks _rm_!) that Caesar's Pasta is available at many Whole Foods stores.  I haven't been to the grocery store (sorry: #reviewfail!) to check myself, but I'll get there. 

In the mean time, bon apetite!

Foodie Friday: Caesar's Pasta Vegetable Lasagna & Spinach Gnocchi

As I mentioned last Friday, Caesar's Pasta sent me a lovely shipment of free samples.  So far, I'm enjoying them, so I'm happy to share with you what I think.

After my positive experience with the Stuffed Shells and in need of another quick meal on Monday, I heated up the Organic Vegetable Lasagna for a brunch.

Important to note:  The lasagna is organic, but not gluten-free.  The package lists that it does contain wheat.  Also listed as allergens are the milk products and the eggs.

The cooking time, like with the shells, was right on target.  It was hot all the way through without any burnt edges.  A very small portion of the center of the lasagna was a little hard, but I've found that in any frozen lasagna I've had.  (It's not come up on this blog, but I have eaten a fair amount of frozen dinners in my life for various reasons, despite my normal love of cooking.)

Flavorwise, I actually liked this better than the shells.  The extra vegetables lent more flavor to the sauce.  There also seemed to be a fair portion of veggies, too.  Lots of spinach, then some broccoli and mushrooms.  None of the veggies were "mushy," even the spinach.  There was a definite texture to each that I could feel and chew in my mouth.  I would have liked more mushrooms, but that's a minor complaint.  Like the shells, the pasta, itself, was the right al dente texture.

Details: 400 calories, 130 from fat (a pretty good breakdown!) Sodium was at 450, again right around the average for frozen meals.  All the ingredients were labeled as organic, which is an added benefit, and there were no funky preservatives or ingredients that I couldn't pronounce listed, either.  Allergy information was also clearly listed.

For my gluten-free friends, I had the Caesar's gluten & wheat free Spinach Gnocchi tonight.

My first comment is that it cooked faster than any gnocchi that I've ever cooked, but - kudos to packaging again! - I was warned of this in the instructions.  I planned the rest of dinner accordingly so that the pasta was the last thing for me to do.  (Dinner was sherry-mushroom chicken thighs, with the pasta thrown into the sherry-mushroom sauce after the chicken was cooked and plated.)  So, everything was ready when I tossed the package of gnocchi into the boiling water.  Within two minutes the little potato pastas were floating to the top of the pan.  I strained them, mixed them with the sauce, and plated immediately. 

As far as gnocchi go, they were as good as any other high quality gnocchi I've had are.  They maintained their shape and texture cooking and tasted great with the sauce.  (They would also probably taste great in a basic garlic aioli with fresh basil, mozzarella, and tomato mix, too.)  There was that hint of heartiness from the spinach that let it stand up to the earthy mushrooms and would let it work in any stronger-flavored or cream-based sauce. 

Per the package, it serves 4.  If matched with a hearty sauce, plenty of protein, a salad, and appetizers, perhaps.  For Scott & I, we split it between the two of us and still had room for our after-dinner Caesar salad and prosciutto-fig snacks.  Calories are 170 per serving (or 340 if you use it for only two).  Calories from fat: 25/50.  Sodium was a low 50 mg, too, and I didn't add any salt to the dish besides brining the chicken.  Depending on the price (which I still haven't received information on), I'd highly recommend them, especially because they cook so quickly.

As soon as I get information on where to purchase these products and the prices, I'll be happy to share.  If any of y'all see them in your markets, please pass on the info!

In the words of the Immortal Julia Child:  Bon Apetite! 

Foodie Friday: Gluten Free Stuffed Shells by Caesar's

One of the perks of being a food writer is, well, food!

After I did my article on gluten-free dining in the Worcester area, I was contacted by Caesar's Pasta, a company that specializes in gluten free pasta dinners.  Their food sounded interesting, so I was happy to find out more about them.

Yesterday started with a special delivery of dry ice protecting a lovely box of frozen dinners!

As I was on my own for dinner tonight (H-of-A and I had to be in two different locations at much of the same time), I opened the first of the set to try: Stuffed Shells with Cheese in Marinara Sauce.

Now, for disclosure's sake, yep, these were free samples.  There was no agreement that I would review them, just that I'd be interested in finding out more.  That said, I'm a reviewer and I get a lot of stuff free.  I'll tell you whether I like it or not (just ask my editor), and I did like these so far.

As far as frozen dinners go, they are definitely good.  They have a lot of the same drawbacks of any frozen dinner, things which I have yet to see ANY exception from.  The sauce was a bit bland, the cheese slightly grainy, but I'm pretty sure there are basic chemistry reasons for that, which food scientists have yet to crack.  Besides that, though, the texture of the pasta was a perfect al dente, and I couldn't tell it was gluten free from the texture.  Flavorwise, the shells themselves, did not taste like frozen food; they could have been any shells baked.  Also, the flavor of the cheese was good, especially the Romano cheese topping it.

Some other positive points I want to make is that the cooking directions on the box are spot on.  It was seven minutes in the microwave on high, then let sit for two minutes.  Everything was evenly hot, and there were no burnt ends anywhere.  This is important because I've tried too many frozen foods that are out of touch with their cooking times and temperatures.  I also liked how, on the box, it gave what the internal temperature should be before eating. 

I didn’t get a price listing and, sadly, the website is being updated, so I can't talk about the value.  Portionwise, it was just right.  It was 370 calories, 18g fat, and 660 mg sodium.  Calorie-wise, it was lower than a lot of equal sized (and equally filling) portions, and it's about equivalent to the fat and salt content.  If I were grocery shopping and I bound by my diet, I could see paying between $5.99-$7.99 for the meal.  I wouldn't argue with someone who was willing to pay a little more, though.

If you see it in the freezer at a price you find reasonable, definitely give it a try. 

I'll keep you posted on further adventures with my samples!