Taste Test Tuesday: Spinach Lasagna di Parma

If your palate is a bit picky and you are mostly used to home cooked meals, you probably have had trouble finding frozen entrees that appeal to you.

I'm always on the lookout for frozen entrees to try just because they do come in handy for a quick lunch at the office or at home when you are running low on fresh food.

This week I tried Seeds of Change (certified organic) Spinach Lasagna di Parma (purchased at Whole Foods) and it was definitely a small but pleasant meal! It smelled good and looked good so I wasn't too surprised when it tasted good as well.

The first seven ingredients are: cooked lasagna, spinach, ricotta cheese, carrots, onions, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Nothing too suspicious here, right folks?

Each frozen entree tray contains:
340 calories
10 grams fat
6 grams saturated fat (this is mostly from the ricotta cheese and mozzarella and parmesan cheese)
35 mg cholesterol
4 grams fiber
20 grams protein
750 mg sodium

Would I buy this again?

Definitely! This is a great vegetarian micro-meal option. The second ingredient is a dark green vegetable too!

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Make Your Own Frozen Entrees, Health & Cooking: Frozen Foods

Technorati Tags: vegetarian, seedsofchange, frozendinner

Vegetarian Burgers: New Generation of Options

Boy, who knew ten years ago that there would be a bunch of vegetarian burger options in the freezer department of several grocery stores. I say "several" grocery stores because there are some unique choices at Trader Joe's and then some at Whole Foods stores, and then some at your typical supermarket chain.

Vegetarian Burger Tip #1: Trial and error works because everyone is different and you need to find a vegetarian burger that works for you personally. My husband likes this one with Indian spices that he gets at Trader Joe's (Vegetable Masala Burger) while I tend to like the GardenBurger options at my regular supermarket.

Vegetarian Burger Tip #2: Decide whether you are looking for a burger that is trying to pose as a beef burger or a burger that is unapologetic about featuring vegetables. Both types are available in most supermarkets these days so be clear which one you are looking for. Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers are literally green to the eye and have all sorts of chunks of vegetables in the burger. It is undeniably all about vegetables and I rather like that about this burger.

Vegetarian Burger Tip #3: Some will need a quick spray of canola cooking spray for the nonstick skillet or before you place it on the grill. Some of the vegetarian burgers are visually on the dry side and could use a light coat of canola to help them brown up while cooking, such as with Amy's Chicago Veggie Burger (this burger tastes halfway between a beef burger and a vegetable burger).

Vegetarian Burger Tip #5: Don't be afraid to throw some cheese or condiments on top of the burger (some will need the extra fun and flavor.)

Vegetarian Burger Tip #6: These are a great quick meal option because they keep in the freezer, usually in individual burger wrappers, and you can heat one or two up within 5 minutes!

Vegetable Masala Burger (Trader Joe's)
1st six ingredients: potatoes, canola oil, carrots, green beans, water, bread crumbs
1 burger = 120 calories, 8 grams fat, 1 gram fiber, 360 mg sodium

Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers
1st six ingredients: carrots, onion, string beans, soybeans, zucchini, oat bran
1 burger = 110 calories, 4.5 grams fat, 4 grams fiber, 250 mg sodium

Amy's Chicago Veggie Burger
1st six ingredients: organic mushrooms, organic onions, organic brown rice, filtered water, organic celery, organic carrots
1 burger = 160 calories, 5 grams fat, 3 grams fiber, 390 mg sodium

~~Elaine

Related Topics: 10 Tips for Meatless Meals, The Part-Time Vegetarian

Technorati Tags: vegetarian, veggieburgers

Taste Test Tuesday: SOYATOO Whip Topping

It sure looks like the whipped cream that squirts out of those pressurized cans. Does SOYATOO taste like whipped cream? Well, sort of. It's whipped topping made from organic soy milk, organic coconut oil and organic fractionated palm kernel oil (that's where the .5 grams of saturated fat comes from), organic sugar-beet syrup, and a few other ingredients.

I found it at Whole Foods and I had to try it especially when I saw that each 2 tablespoon squirt contains:

10 calories
.5 g fat
.5 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
0 mg sodium
1 g carbohydrate (1 g of which is sugar)
0 g protein

How did it taste?

My husband said it tasted "okay" and that's pretty much what I thought. He could taste the hint of coconut (from the coconut oil) but I couldn't. They got the pressurized can whipped cream texture right, that's for sure.

If you are used to the taste of soy milk, chances are good you will probably like this product. If you aren't used to soy milk, this will probably taste a little "off" or just "okay" to you.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: The New Cheese, Is Soy Healthy for Your Family?

Technorati Tags: soyatoo, soy, vegetarian, whippedcream

Barbecuing? Don't Forget the Vegetables

If you are a vegetarian, you probably have already discovered the magic of grilled vegetables. The rest of us probably need to be reminded of this wonderful way to cook veggies!

There's something about the grilling, whether on an outside or indoor grill, and those tasty grill marks, that takes the flavor of vegetables to a whole new level.

Once you grill vegetables, you can serve them tossed together and served over pasta or rice (as a main dish) or you can serve them as a side dish on a kabob, as garnish on the plate, or toss together in a bowl.

Here are some tips for grilling some of my favorite veggies (these work great served over pasta too)

* Grill bell pepper over direct medium heat until evenly charred on all sides (10 minutes). Turn every 3 or 5 minutes.

* Coat small zucchinis (cut in half lengthwise), asparagus spears, mushrooms (cleaned and dried), and vine ripened plum tomatoes (cut in half), lightly with canola or olive oil -- brush lightly or use a light spray of olive oil cooking spray. Season with salt if desired. Grill over direct medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning after about 3 or 4 minutes.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: No Excuses: Eat your Fruits and Veggies, Spice Up Your Summer BBQs and Picnics

Taste Test Tuesday: Soy Delicious Creamy Raspberry Bars

These Soy Delicious non-fat dairy bars still have sweetener in them, it's the dairy that's been banished. Organic soymilk is the first caloric ingredient in these bars with organic dehydrated cane juice being the second and organic tapioca syrup and/or brown rice syrup being the third.

Each bar contains 80 calories and 1.5 grams of fat and 0 grams of saturate and trans fat. Grams of sugar total 13 grams, though, with fiber being at 2 grams. I was hoping there would be more protein from the soymilk but alas there is but one gram.

They are nice and refreshing though, with a tart flavor from the fruit juice concentrate contrasting with a creamy flavor from the sweetened soymilk. It definitely had the "this isn't dairy is it?" flavor going on, but that shouldn't bother someone who is used to the flavor of soymilk.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Recipe: Quick Vanilla Custard, Lactose Intolerance


Technorati Tags: soydelicious, soymilk, soy, lactoseintolerant

Taste Test Tuesday: Boca Meatless Breakfast Wraps

The company that is known for making veggie hamburgers now makes a meatless breakfast wrap. You can find a box with two wraps containing soy protein sausage, egg white and cheese in the frozen food section thanks to Boca Foods Company out of Madison, Wisconsin.

I'm not one to microwave my breakfast (unless it's oatmeal) but I thought I would give this product a try since the fiber and the protein met my 5 grams minimum requirement for breakfast (I like to eat breakfasts that have at least 5 grams of fiber and protein). The picture on the box looked particularly appealing too with what looks like real scrambled eggs and real lean sausage, and pieces of red and green pepper, all wrapped up in a multi-grain tortilla.

How did it taste?
It was pretty tasty with just the right amount of spice (that's the Southwestern flavor kicking in) and just the right amount of food for a quickie breakfast. The texture seemed fine too. My only complaint is that it definitely didn't look anything like the pretty photo on the box.

Boca Meatless Breakfast Wraps-Southwestern Flavor
1 Wrap = 200 calories
total fat = 7 g
saturated fat = 2.5 g
cholesterol = 5 mg
sodium = 510 mg
carbohydrate = 25 g
protein = 14 g
dietary fiber = 6 g
calcium = 8% of Daily Value
Iron = 10% of Daily Value

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Video: Veggie Burger Study, Fast Food Breakfasts

Technorati Tags: breakfast, boca, vegetarian