Livwell pockets gluten-free greatness with amazing pita bread

Livwell Gluten-Free Pita Bread – $4.99+

You never realize how much you missed eating some things until you haven’t had it in awhile…and then come across it.  Going gluten-free has meant I have given a lot of things up in this past year.  Some people would lament this…and I have been there.  Especially when it comes to dining out and the only safe thing on the menu is a salad.  Other people would embrace the change and get creative or seek out new food items.  As you can see with the maturation of this blog from a strictly vegetarian standpoint to one of a gluten-free vegetarian…reviewing products, restaurants, and posting recipes…after the initial sadness of waving goodbye to some of my dietary staples…I have learned to improvise, adapt, and overcome.

So it was the craziest thing when I was shopping at Whole Foods the other day.  After such a positive experience with Livwell English muffins, I was back in the bakery section once more pawing through the other items they had by Livwell on the shelf.  I was like a kid in a candy store.  My doubts had been put to rest and now I was ready to dig in and try something else.

After a little deliberation, my roomie helped me narrow my choices down and from there…I went on to select the Livwell Gluten-Free Pita Bread for my next experiment…er…taste test.  Research for the blog, you know?

It dawned on me as we were checking out…just how much I missed stuffing pockets of bread with whatever I cooked up for a filling.  Seriously.  I used to make pita sandwiches all the time.  And then…I couldn’t.  And for the first few months of my gluten-freedom…I just didn’t have bread.  I couldn’t justify the cost…so it was just out of my diet completely.  That began to change, thanks to some sales at local shops and finally readjusting the budget so that some staples could return to my diet.

So…yeah…the pita bread was making me so stupidly happy.

With the help of my CSA delivery of fresh, local vegetables, I conjured up a plan to create a delicious pita sandwich for my roommate and I to have for dinner one night.  The only item I had to go to the grocery store for was an organic red bell pepper.

For dinner, I sliced up a tomato and placed it on a baking sheet.  With it, I placed the full red bell pepper and tossed it in the oven for about half an hour to roast.  I turned it once halfway through and…wow…did it ever make the kitchen smell amazing.  While the tomatoes and the pepper were roasting, I rinsed off some spring mix lettuce, chopped up a yellow onion, and pulled out my homemade tzatziki.  For my roommate, I cooked up a couple slices of veggie bacon (not gluten-free, so my sammie was sans-veggie bacon).  As the pepper was finishing up in the oven, I pulled out the Livwell Pita breads and got to work.

The first thing I did with each soft, delicate slice was cut it in half.  The directions say to toast for 1 to 2 minutes, probably in a toaster oven.  I don’t own a toaster oven, so I threw each half into the toaster, turned down the heat, and popped them down.  I let the toast for a moment before bringing each slice up, flipping it over and putting it back down for another moment or two.

When I brought them up again, they were warmed and slightly toasted.  And they smelled really good.  My pepper and tomatoes were done, so they came out of the oven and I set myself to the task of peeling and deseeding the roasted pepper.  Simple.

So…it was now time to see how Livwell would stack up with their second product for me to try.  Using a butter knife, I carefully began to separate the bread halves into the pita pockets.  I thought this would be more difficult than it turned out to be.  Despite being a very thin cut of bread, the Livwell pita bread was pretty easy to pry apart into the pocket form.

There was one point in their favor.

Creating the sandwich and seeing how the bread held up was the next challenge.  I gave each pita a swipe of tzatziki, then stuffed it with greens, the roasted tomatoes, some sliced roasted red pepper, a sprinkling of onion, and then topped it off with some more tzatziki.  I was shocked that these pitas weren’t crumbling in my hands.  Despite their delicate appearance these shells are very hearty and stood up to me stuffing, swiping, and jostling as I put together the sandwiches.

With the pita bread now properly dressed and stuffed it was time for the ultimate taste test.  My roommate and I sat down for dinner and dug in.

Livwell really does exceptional work for the gluten-free community.  Let me start by saying that.  Because this pita bread tasted so much like the white version of the full-barrel stuff I used to eat.  It was light, warm, amazing, and delicious all rolled into one.  The bread never got soggy and fell apart, despite the dressing.  It held together and sustained the stuffing with no problems at all.  The texture was fantastic.  Not too heavy, but made to withstand whatever it might be stuffed with.  The taste was exceptional.  It honestly reminded me so much of the pita bread I used to eat growing up, or as an adult…before I was told to go gluten-free.  So…I was a happy little foodie at dinner.

These amazing pita breads contain only 141 calories for the entire pita.  Yeah…that made me a happy girl.  Each one only contains 2 grams of fat as well.  It’s a fantastic choice when it comes to gluten-free breads.  These pita pockets are completely gluten-free, wheat-free, and dairy-free.  Which means…ideal for someone like me.

So…if you have been wanting to stuff a sandwich again, but your gluten-free lifestyle has been making that impossible…find Livwell products and snag their pita bread.  Honestly, you’ll fall in love with these.  My roommate isn’t gluten-free, but even she was raving about these.  Honestly…one of the best breads I have had since I had to go gluten-free.

I also think that should I make some Indian food in the near future, these would double perfectly for naan bread.  Of course, I noticed on Livwell’s Web site that they actually do make gluten-free naan bread.  My Whole Foods just doesn’t carry it…yet.  I think it might be time to talk to customer service about a special order…

Check out your local Whole Foods and see if Livwell products are on their shelves.  You won’t be disappointed.