It’s been a hard day. Work was rough. Traffic was horrible. You’re pressed for time. And, more importantly, you’re hungry. Starving. And now…after all of that…you have to cook.
I have at least one day like that a week. Granted, I could easily swing by someplace and pick up a meal, but that can become costly after awhile. And, since I have to eat gluten-free AND am a vegetarian, options can be a little scarce.
Thank goodness for microwavable meals. On one such day, I came home and really didn’t want to turn on my oven or stove to whip up something to eat. Yet…I was starving. Luckily, I had one of Amy’s Kitchen’s meals in my freezer. Popped it out of the container, followed the instructions. Instant dinner with instant gratification. Oh…and here’s the kicker…it’s delicious too!
Everything I’ve sampled from Amy’s Kitchen has been beyond my expectations for frozen food products. She offers up a variety of meals, from Mexican…to Italian…to Indian…to burgers…
You name it…she’s probably got it.
On this particular evening, the Cheese Tamale Verde was my dinner of choice. I had never tried this one before, but it came highly recommended by a friend of mine. And I take recommendations seriously. So, I cut the slit in the packaging, microwaved it as instructed, and toasted up a gluten-free ciabatta roll to enjoy with it. By the time my roll was done, my rice had been stirred and my second round of heating my meal was complete.
When first taking it out of the wrapping…it looks a mess. It’s not pretty by any means. No culinary style points will be awarded for presentation. In fact, you kind of want to poke at it for a moment. But, I promise…in the case of these meals, looks really can be deceiving. So, after allowing it to cool for a moment, I scooped it out onto a plate, to eat in a civilized manner from the comfort of my couch, grabbed a fork and went to sit down for my dinner.
Amy’s Kitchen offers a wide variety of natural and organic products, and even a line that is specifically gluten-free. I usually eat her Indian foods, but I branched out. Like I said…it came recommended by a dear friend. So, nudging the rice a little with my fork, I scooped up a bit and blew across it to cool it. One bite later, and I had to keep myself from shoveling the rest of it down my gullet. Yeah…just the right amount of flavor. Not too spicy. Not bland. It was amazing. Organic brown rice with organic black beans…a hint of spice. For re-heated rice, it was awesome. I mean…AWESOME!
As for the feature presentation…that cheese tamale…well…it was melty goodness. Made with organic masa stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese, chilies and jalapeños, each bite of it was filled with flavor and delicious spiciness, that was perfect for any palate. Meaning…this won’t burn your taste buds or leave you grabbing for a glass of milk. It held the right balance you’d expect from a Mexican dish. And the verde sauce that topped it was sweet and a nice pairing with the tamale itself. Beautiful (and delicious) things do come prepackaged sometimes.
As I said, I’ve never had a bad meal when it comes to one of Amy’s Kitchen’s frozen dinners. This just made me eager to try out more of her Mexican meals. Because if this was just a taste of what was in store for me, well, I’ll stock my freezer a little more often and look forward to a product I just need to throw in the microwave and still have it come out whole instead of turning to mush. Amy’s Kitchen does it right. And…in my opinion…does it best!
The Celiathlete 