vegilicio.us

Review: Kashi's Mayan Harvest Bake Frozen Meal

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.

Web Site Helps You Buy Green

Do you ever stand in a store aisle, overwhelmed by the rows and rows of products, just wishing you had a way to know which products really are safe for you and the environment? Which are the healthiest? Which companies are socially and environmentally responsible?

The Web site GoodGuide.org aims to do just that: arm you with information about the social, environmental, and health impacts of products so that you can make purchasing decisions that reflect your values. Developed by a professor at UC Berkeley, the Web site lets you search among tens of thousands of products (food, personal care, toys, household) and see expert recommendations on the best choices, as well as reviews from other users. You can even create and store your own list of favorite products.

So there are no more excuses. Get out there and stimulate the economy!

Remembering When It All Began (The Menu)

Since I never posted how I celebrated (through food, naturally) Obama's election night victory, I will recycle the event for his inauguration. (Plus, I am hunkered down in my DC apartment, refusing to leave even for a Whole Foods run. So memories of November's feast will have to suffice.)

It was going to be a long night, I feared, so I wanted to settle in with something comforting that took some time to prepare and eat. I went with pizza. In the past I've praised Trader Joe's pizza dough. This time, I went with Whole Foods. It's more expensive, and less nutritious. But, I hate to admit, it tastes better! Like, noticeably better. And since the evening would end with total joy or utter despondance, I knew that in neither case would I be counting calories. (Plus, when you're sacrificing cheese, the least you can do is let yourself have some exceptionally yummy dough.) Toppings included portobello mushrooms, eggplant, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and basil -- all cooked on my pizza stone (yes, it's essential) at about as high a heat as my little apartment oven could muster. The results were delicious:

The next morning, still feeling giddy over this historic turn of events, I decided that continuing to celebrate through food was in order. I went with pancakes, using the recipe from The Complete Vegan Kitchen, topped with real maple syrup that my friend brought to me from a recent trip to Vermont:

So thank you, Mr. Obama. Even during your brief tenure as President-Elect, you've already given me numerous reasons to eat well. Here's hoping your actual administration provides countless more!

The Great Baked Tofu Experiment (Part IV)

My fourth baked tofu product to try was Trader Joe's organic baked tofu Teriyaki flavor. (See reviews I, II, and III.) I was pleased with the organic designation, which isn't always that easy to come by in the baked tofu arena. Being that it's from Trader Joe, it pretty much guarantees it will be cheaper than at its competitor Whole Foods (which my friend affectionately calls, "Whole Paycheck.")

But, to be honest, the cheap price and organic status are about all that distinguished this product from its baked tofu brethren. Texture? (Typical baked tofu dry-ish chewiness.) Taste? (Typical baked tofu subtle Asian flavor.) It's not really worse than my earlier reviews, but not standing out among them either. Maybe I should just face facts that all baked tofu are reasonably similar and this experiment was all for naught.

No! That can't be true! I will not let it be true. All of this effort cannot have been in vain! There are still a couple more yet-untried varieties in my fridge (and untold others still out in the wilderness of grocery store shelves), so the search goes on. If anyone out there knows (especially knows and likes) a baked tofu product you haven't seen here, send it on.

The TJ tofu was, at least, a lovely sight in my bento lunchbox (clockwise from upper-left: pickled vegetables, mushroom gyoza, edamame, and TJ baked tofu with brown rice):

Product Review: Zojirushi Rice Cooker

I finally broke down and bought a rice cooker. I am typically not a fan of single-use kitchen appliances in my tiny urban kitchen. But, rice is increasingly becoming an important part of my near-vegan diet, and I'm tired of crunchy, gummy, burnt, or otherwise poorly-cooked rice. I have had two cookers before in my life, both cheap suckers which did an adequate job, while they still worked (about 1 and 3 months, respectively.) So I decided if I was going to get a rick cooker, by golly it was going to be a good one.

After considerable research, I settled on a Zojirushi -- a Japanese manufacturer of top-quality rice cookers. (It took me several days to come to terms with the $130 price tag. They make ones considerably more expensive than that.) I liked the fact that you could set a timer (for example, you can program it to have your rice ready at a certain time of day. Kind of like having a servant.) And, it has a special setting for brown rice, which cheaper rice cookers typically do not. Granted, the brown rice takes a freaking long time (almost 2 hours!), but apparently that is how one properly cooks brown rice. And, as if that were not enough, it makes porridge (how charming!), AND it cheerfully plays "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" when the cooking begins.

I have only gotten a chance to use the rice cooker a handful of times, but so far I could not be happier. I even improvised a bit, adding beans, herbs, etc. in the rice with wonderful results. So, as long as it hangs in there at least a couple years, I think it will be money well spent.

First Day of the Bento!

Hurrah! My new Laptop Lunches bento box arrived yesterday, so I am off and running with my very first adorably packaged, waste-reducing, portion-controlled, Vegan lunch. For my first time out of the gate, I've got (clockwise from upper-right): Sliced heirloom tomato, jicama for dipping in homemade hummus, baby brussel sprouts, and pinto beans with brown rice. (Thanks to Jennifer McCann of Vegan Lunch Box for the inspiration.)

Obento? O Joy!

I am so excited about the Laptop Lunch bento container I just ordered that I can hardly stand it! I will be the envy of all my co-workers as I dine on fresh fruits and veggies, healthy grains, and plant-based proteins, all climate-controlled in an unbearably adorable little colorful box. (I wish I had known the thing was coming from California though before I chose UPS ground.) Rest assured, there will be a full report once I'm up and running with it. There are two large containers, which each hold 1 cup, 2 smaller containers, which each hold 1/2 cup, and one 1/8 cup container for sauces, dips, etc. Seems perfect for portion control and nutritional balance. I'm thinking one of the 1/2 cups for grains, one 1/2 cup for a protein (beans, tofu, etc.), one of the 1 cup containers for veggies, and the other 1 cup for either a salad or maybe apple/pear slices, etc. The little container could be a salad dressing, or peanut butter, hummus, etc. Wheeeeeeeee!

Review: Debbie Meyer's "Green Bags"

Several weeks ago, I reported that I had purchased those infomercially advertised "green bags," said to use the magic of modern science to keep produce fresher longer. Well, in my own little kitchen experiment, I deem the product quite effective! See the picture below. This broccoli was purchased on July 6 and stored in the green bag in the fridge. The photo was taken July 21, nearly 3 weeks after purchase. It looked and felt just as crisp and fresh as the day I'd purchased it, and I noticed no sacrifice in taste. From my experience at least, that is considerably longer than it would have lasted normally. The bags aren't cheap (about 50 cents each), but they are reusable up to 10 times each, with washing. Granted, washing bags and keeping up with how many times you've used them would be no picnic, but it sure beats tossing rotten produce. Hurrah!

The Great Baked Tofu Experiment (Part III)

For Part III of our exciting series (see parts I and II if you missed them),  I sampled Wildwood Organics Baked Tofu Teriyaki. Their Web site notes their baked tofu varieties also include Aloha, Royal Thai, and Savory.  My store only had the Savory flavor, in addition to the Teriyaki, but that just seemed weird. How about selling flavors "Delicious" or "Yummy"?  Now, the only thing to my mind that would make their labeling a flavor of tofu as "Savory" a legitimate practice would be if they are actually trying to convey the Japanese concept of umami, the "fifth taste."  But there is no real reason for me to assume this, including the fact that the product does not actually contain any glutamates.   

Setting aside the possibility of lame product naming conventions, it was actually quite tasty. It was the typical firm, dense, chewy texture I've come to expect from these guys. Unlike some other varieties, this tofu was not in any kind of sauce. It was almost completely dry. But, to its credit, the sweet, slightly smoky teriyaki flavor completely penetrated the tofu all the way to the interior. It's also a lovely golden brown color, and, it's conveniently packaged in servings of 2, as opposed to 4 or 5, as is the case with other products. This is especially appreciated when trying something new.

Overall, I think this one is a keeper. Its flavor was pronounced but tasty. I went for a simple preparation with some udon. The caveat, however, might come if you are preparing a dish that needs a sauce, because you aren't getting that from the tofu. And, because it's flavor is decisive, it might not match well with whatever sauce you are considering adding (with the exception, presumably, of a straight-up teriyaki, but even then I think there could be some risk.) So, consider your needs.

On a side note, isn't it somewhat remarkable how similar my own preparation and presentation of the product looks compared to the one on the package? I hadn't even looked at the package when I opened it, so I had no idea until I went to upload the photos I'd already taken. (Cue Twilight Zone music...) 

"Green Bags" Promise Produce Preservation

So I'm normally not big on trying TV-hyped "inventions." I had heard a while ago about the "green bags" that supposedly keep produce fresh longer (read a review and description), but I'd never really been intrigued enough to buy them. But, I saw the "Debbie Meyer GreenBags" when I was shopping at Whole Foods yesterday, and since I already had about $150 worth of groceries in my cart,  tossing the bags in for $10 didn't feel like a big risk. And, I had been to the farmer's market that morning, and I had a fridge full of near-ripe fruits and veggies. So it seemed like a good opportunity to give these new-fangled things a try. (They work by absorbing the ethylene that fruits and vegetables produce.) I can't yet speak to their produce-preserving powers, but I'll post again once I have a better sense of things.