Mexi Pizza and Product Review

Simple, quick meals have been my go to all summer basically out of convenience.  Moving into a new home and still having many of my cooking supplies at the other house has made it difficult to cook from scratch.  Although I don't plan on eating convenience foods as much now that we are getting settled in, I did discover a product that I wanted to share.....Wayfare We Can't Say It's Cheese Mexi Cheddar.  I have purchased the We Can't Say It's Cheese Products before, but I wasn't really able to figure out what to do with them before they expired.  But the other day, I was at Earth Fare grocery store and decided to give the Mexi Cheddar variety a try.  I hadn't tried this variety before, so I thought I would see what it was like.  I think one of the reasons I decided to give this product a try is because 2 TBSPs are only 45 calories.  That's not bad at all and TBSPs really goes a long way.  

(Photo source: Wayfare Foods)

I decided to create a Mexican style pizza with the Mexi cheddar instead of using Daiya.  I love Daiya, but sometimes it's good to mix things up.  The base of the pizza is fat free organic refried beans....yes, also a convenience product. I have been buying these because they are also low in calories and a good source of protein.  The drawback is the sodium.  Canned refried beans are ridiculously high in sodium, so I plan to start making my own refried beans in the near future.  Here's the recipe for my Mexi Pizza:

Mexi Pizza

(1 serving)

-1 Flatout Wrap or 1 large tortilla

-1/2 cup fat free organic refried beans

-2 large handfuls of spinach

-1/2 container of mushrooms (around 100 grams)

-1/4 cup of corn (frozen or canned)

-4 TBSP of Wayfare We Can't Say It's Cheese Mexi Cheddar

-salsa (optional)

(Other possible additions could be roasted or sauteed bell peppers, vegan "beef" crumbles, Daiya cheddar, or sauteed onions)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees or so.  (I am not exactly sure what the oven temperature is because the oven temperature gauge is messed up at our new house.)

In a pan, saute the mushrooms first.  I have been using Dr. Neal Barnard's trick to sauteing veggies without oil from his 21 Day Weightloss Kickstart book.  I put the mushrooms in the pan and turn the stove on medium heat.  I let the mushrooms sit there for a few minutes without doing ANYTHING to them.  Once they start to brown, then I add a little onion powder, salt and just a touch of water.  Then add the spinach and saute until the spinach is wilted.  

Spray a cooking sheet with just a touch of nonstick cooking spray.  Put the Flatout Wrap or tortilla on the cooking sheet.  Then spread out the refried beans on top of the tortilla.  Then add the sauteed mushrooms and spinach.  Next, add the corn.  Finally, spread out the Mexi Cheddar on top of the pizza.  Let it bake for just a few minutes.  When the corners of the tortilla start to brown, then you will know that it's done.  This is about 5 minutes with my oven.  

Once the pizza is out of the oven, I top it with either fresh tomatoes or salsa.  It just depends on what I have on hand.  This is a total convenience meal, but it's delicious, quick and filling.  Also, the total pizza is somewhere in the neighborhood of 350 calories.  That's not too bad at all!  

I buy the Mexi Cheddar at Earth Fare in the vegan specialty items section.  Whole Foods might also have this product but I am not sure.  It's definitely a vegan specialty item, so it will more than likely be found at a health food store.  (Here's a store locator.)  For those of you eating gluten free, it's also free of gluten, corn and soy.  That's pretty awesome!  Also, as I mentioned before, it has 45 calories per 2 TBSP and 4 grams of fat.  The main ingredient is oats!  It also reminds me of the trashy Tostito's queso out of the can I used to eat as a kid but MUCH healthier and better!  (Here's the nutritional information.)

Also, I have noticed that many of the containers have coupons on them right now for buy 2 get 1 free.  If you see those coupons, it might give you a chance to try the other varieties if your local health food store carries them.  I know I have been stocking up with this coupon!  I hope you enjoy this product as much as I do!