I tend not to eat frozen meals. For work, I generally grab a little container of something I myself have prepared at some previous point in time and frozen, like veggie lasagna, red beans and rice, or a hearty soup. Frozen entrees generally seem a poor value, have a measly vegan selection, and sometimes I doubt the portion is sufficient to keep a small mammal alive.
So I can't say I was all that excited when I heard Kashi had come out with a new vegan frozen meal: Mayan Harvest Bake.
But, I also couldn't help but notice how many people, people whom I had no reason to suspect of having poor judgment, were declaring it the absolute best frozen meal they'd ever eaten. I was intrigued, and as soon as I noticed it on the grocery store shelf, I bought it.
The box describes the meal as "Plantains with roasted sweet potato, black beans and kale. Spicy ancho sauce with pumpkin seed garnish served over Kashi seven whole grain polenta, plus amaranth." Certainly not your typical frozen meal. And, happily, it didn't taste like it either.
It's not much to look at, but it was indeed delicious. Just as described, it was a unique combination of sweetness and smoky spiciness. And, it was enough to make me feel like I'd eaten an actual meal, which is not bad considering it comes in at only 340 calories and 9 grams of fat (just 1 of which is saturated.) It also has a whopping 8 grams of fiber, and just 380 mg of sodium, which is less than many frozen products. Of Kashi's 13 frozen entrees, a respectable 5 are vegan.
One negative which I must mention, for those to whom this might matter, is that the cooking instructions are rather complex for a frozen meal. First you microwave for 5 minutes at 50% power, specifically at the outer rim of the microwave's rotating tray. Then, cook an additional 3 minutes at full power. Finally, let the meal sit in the microwave for 3 minutes to complete cooking. Does my office micro even have reduced cooking power capabilities? Yes, turns out it does, but it took me several minutes to figure it out. And, at my workplace at least, good luck trying to leave your food in the microwave for 3 minutes after it's done cooking. You will return to the kitchen to find that your entree has been moved out of someone's way, likely haphazardly set atop the water cooler.
But if you can master the tricky microwaving techniques and don't mind shelling out $4+ for a lunch served in a plastic tray, you won't be disappointed with this one.
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