Category: Vegetarian

Product: Jovial Brown Rice Penne – $4.99+

The problem I have had since going gluten-free is finding a brown rice pasta that doesn’t turn to mush when it’s cooked.  I love Tinkyáda because the texture is just like real thing.  Seriously!  But it seems that every time I see awards handed out for gluten-free pastas, Jovial takes the top prize.

I have seen Jovial around at the natural food stores that I shop at, but never quite picked it up.  Mostly because it is a bit pricier and harder to find when others are right there at my usual grocery shopping watering holes.

But then…I went to a rather large gluten-free expo in Birmingham, Alabama and walked away with more samples of gluten-free products than I knew what to do with.  Among them was a sample package of Jovial Brown Rice Penne pasta.  As I was currently working my way through an open package of pasta, this sat in the pantry.

Then, this past weekend I had to travel to St. Louis, Missouri, for a concert.  My roommate and I were staying with her aunt, who is currently hard at work on another degree.  I put out the offer to bring food and prepare it so she didn’t have to feel the need to entertain and could focus on her studies.  I figured everyone liked pasta, so I packed up the two sample packs of Jovial Brown Rice Penne along with some gluten-free pasta sauce that I got in my “Don’t Be A Gluten” gift basket my roommate bought for me.  It was perfect, safe, and hopefully it would be delicious.

Cooking Jovial pasta was so easy.  Boil the water, add pasta, allow to cook for about nine minutes until al dente.  It’s that easy.  All you do after that is drain, add sauce, and toss.  No rinsing with cold water to improve texture or any of that.  You cook and it’s ready to roll.

We all really enjoyed this pasta.  It was cooked to the perfect level.  In fact, my roommate’s aunt (they share a name, so I can’t refer to them as such or it would be Cathy and Cathy…LOL!) complimented me on how perfectly I cooked up the pasta.  This was her first time having brown rice pasta and she said it tasted just like the real stuff that she’s used to having.  It held up with the tomato sauce I added to it, and the addition of asparagus to bulk it up.  It was a delicious, yummy treat for sure.  One that we just gobbled up until it was gone.  Even the dog had a little helping when we were all stuffed and only a small amount remained.

Jovial’s Brown Rice Penne is definitely one of the sturdier versions of brown rice pasta that I have tried.  I didn’t have the opportunity to refrigerate and then attempt a reheat to see if the noodles were soggy the following day, but for a fresh-from-the-stovetop perspective…this brand is awesome!

And it’s no wonder.  According to Jovial’s Web site, the brown rice pasta recipe they use was developed by Master artisans in Tuscany, Italy, who wanted to develop the most authentic gluten-free pasta out there.  The company didn’t want those who had to eat gluten-free to feel like they were sacrificing texture and flavor to keep themselves healthy.  And they did a bang-up job.  Honestly.  Bite after bite the pasta stayed perfectly al dente and equally yummy.

If you have to eat gluten-free, or if you are just looking for a healthy alternative to pasta, I highly recommend using Jovial’s brown rice pasta.  I can’t speak (yet) for the other brown rice varieties in their lineup, but they won me over with the Brown Rice Penne.

Come on…have pasta night and do it gluten-free.  It’s May.  It’s Celiac Awareness Month.  Treat yourself to some gluten-free goodness this month.  You’ve earned it.

Product: Food Should Taste Good Jalapeño with Cheddar Tortilla Chips – $2.50+

Spice up my life.

No, really.  If something has a bit of a spicy kick to it, then I am game.  I love to feel the heat when it comes to snacks and meals.  The spicier…the better…just as long as it doesn’t burn.  I love a little heat in my meals.  This is why I had hot sauce to eggs and red pepper to pizza and spaghetti.  Honestly.

So, when I spotted Food Should Taste Good’s variety of tortilla chips that is Jalapeño with Cheddar…I knew I had to try them.  I’ve had a couple of the chip varieties from Food Should Taste Good, my favorite being the Sweet Potato Chips.  Mmmm.  Well, these may have just trumped that.

Here’s what I love about them.  Aside from being kosher, gluten-free, cholesterol free, trans-fat free, and all natural, these chips really will wow you with their spicy flavor.  You know when you go to a ball game and you get the nachos and you hate yourself for loving them?  Well…that’s what these chips taste like.  They taste like a good version of those ballpark nachos that come with the cheese-like substance and jalapeños.  And they are really, really delicious!

Every bite is a blast of heat from the jalapeño and crushed red pepper that is infused in these little tortilla chips.  Each chip is dusted with a light coating of white cheddar.  And the combination is flavor perfection in my book.  Just the right amount of heat so as not to kill off your taste buds, but still tame enough for the cheddar flavor to shine too.  It’s the perfect bite.

And, at only 140 calories for 12 chips, you get a really great serving without any of the guilt.  And you don’t even need a dip because this tastes like it has been dipped.

If you are a lover of spicy foods and, especially nachos, these are the chips you have been looking for.  Find them, if you can…and take a spicy bite of something delicious.

Food Should Taste Good definitely lives up to its name!

Product: Amy’s Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque – $2.39+

Okay…second to breakfast foods, one of my next favorite things to savor and enjoy in life for a meal is soup.  Why?  Because soup can be flavored differently, contain different ingredients, be creamy or chunky or even just brothy.  It can have noodles, or vegetables, or whatever in it.

But nothing…nothing…ever compares to a good tomato soup.

It is one of the simplest soups out there, but so many times it just falls flat or tastes…like the can it came out of.  And sure, I could go ahead and make my own…but I’m trying out some new things I’m finding at the market.  And when Amy’s Organic soups went on sale one day…you better believe I stocked up on some.

On an evening where I didn’t have much time, nothing is easier than to make a gluten-free/dairy-free grilled cheese sandwich and pair it up with a soup.  And nothing compliments a grilled cheese sandwich better than…tomato soup.

Lucky for me, I happened to have a can of Amy’s Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque in my pantry.  Out it came.  The can opener did it’s duty and before I knew it, it was simmering in a pot on the stove.  What I noticed immediately was the rich, beautiful, vibrant color of it.  Deep red.  And it had chunks, not bits, not tidbits, but chunks of tomato swimming in it.  Even better…it smelled amazing.  Like…homemade goodness from the fruit itself amazing.

I love Amy’s products.  The company makes great vegetarian products, but a lot of their options are also gluten-free.  This soup is one of those.  What I love even more, is that this soup contains only half the sodium of what most brands contain.  Gotta love that.  No high fructose corn syrup is even in this soup, no MSG, nothing unidentifiable or unnatural.  Okay…it might be a little more expensive than that store brand, or Progresso, or Campbell’s, but you are getting quality.

And let me tell you, Amy’s Organic Tomato Bisque soup is a true delight for the taste buds.  Honestly.  I was enamored with the full flavor.  You can tell that the tomatoes included in the soup were ripe, fresh, and delicious.  The bisque is the perfect consistency.  And it honestly was just the perfect thing to dip my sandwich in while watching some Top Chef one evening after a long day at work.

Yeah…this is going to end up in my pantry again soon.

If you love tomato soup, then I highly recommend going to the grocery store and paying that extra dollar for a quality soup, made with the finest ingredients, with lower sodium, and just an overall better flavor.  Go find your natural foods section and find the Amy’s Organic soups.  Buy them.  Enjoy them.  Especially the Chunky Tomato Bisque.  Now.  Do it.  Go.

What are you waiting for?

This soup is one classic treat that tastes homemade without all the prep.

Seriously…go now.  Buy it.  Enjoy it.

You can thank me later.

Product: Pacific Foods Southwest Vegetable Soup – $2.99+

So…what’s one of my favorite things to eat, friends?

You know this by now…

SOUP!

And nothing gets me going more than a really delicious, flavorful, well-seasoned soup.  One of the top powerhouses for flavor is anything that has that Southwestern spice to it.  I make my own version from scratch of a Southwest Soup (my mom’s recipe and quite delicious), so when I bought a box of Pacific Foods Southwest Vegetable Soup…it had a lot to live up to.

And for the most part…it did.  This soup has a great tomato base, and has bits of black beans, corn, onion, and green peppers in it.  It’s definitely not as hearty as the version I make from my mom’s recipe…but it had all those familiar flavors.  And that was a good thing.  I loved the little hint of spice, brought out in the broth by the chipotle pepper, I presume.  It had a nice warming feel to it, and that’s definitely something I look forward to when I eat a soup.

This was just enough when I paired it with one of my infamous gluten-free, dairy-free grilled cheese sammies.  That being said, I think it could have stood on its own as a meal.  But I can’t have soup without grilled cheese.  It’s just not human.  Or American.  It is culinarily incorrect.  Is culinarily even a word?

It is now.  I used it in a sentence.

This soup from Pacific Foods is brand new to the line-up.  It’s one of their Homestyle soups, and I can see why.  They use fresh ingredients, nothing artificial.  And…of course…it is gluten-free.  I love a good gluten-free soup.  They are so difficult to come by at times though.

This soup packed a little Southwestern flavor with healthy vegetables and it made for a really great soup to enjoy while catching up on your favorite television saga (for me…it’s usually Top Chef).  If you’re in the market for a delicious vegetable soup…then this soup is it for you.  Nothing can beat a rich tomato base with classic garden vegetables, black beans and Southwestern spices soaking in it.  It’s really, really good.

So seek out your natural foods section and find this little Southwestern soup in a box.  And give it a try for yourself.

Product: Tasty Bite Jodhpur Lentils – $3.29+

My kitchen is turning into a little Indian food mecca these days.  And while I would love to prepare a curry or some other vegetarian dish from India, I haven’t had a moment to really explore the proper spices and ingredients…yet.  I do intend to do something from scratch soon, but the timing has been off on these busy days.

But, that’s why a company called Tasty Bite exists.  Because what Tasty Bite has on grocery shelves is a little spice and a little flavor of India in an easy to microwave pouch.

It’s as easy as making up some jasmine rice and then putting the little pouch of goodness into the microwave for about two minutes or less.  Then at the beep…your dinner is served.  And let me tell you, these little pouches pack a flavor punch.

Tonight, I pulled the Jodhpur Lentils out of my pantry to give a try.  These yellow lentils were flavored with the usual suspects when it comes to Indian cooking – cumin, turmeric and chilies.  There is a hint of garlic in the sauce.  It’s just amazing flavor.  And lentils are a fantastic source of protein.  If you’re like me, a vegetarian athlete, getting enough protein in the diet can be a bit of a challenge.  But lentils are a good way to incorporate that into the diet.  And ethnic food like this makes the perfect way to infuse these protein-packed wonders into the diet.

I found the Jodhpur Lentils to be a bit mild by my usual Indian fare standards.  But, that was okay as I was running soon after ingesting it.  That being said, I found it still to be packed with the right flavors and delicious texture.  The yellow color is beautiful and when I mixed these up with the rice, it made for a filling but light meal in the end.  The mild flavor, while I am used to bold, spicy flavors, I didn’t find to be a letdown.  It was a nice blend of heat and mild flavor.  In the end, it was just what the palate needed.

So, if you love Indian food but are afraid of the spice that sometimes accompanies it, I recommend the Jodhpur Lentils by Tasty Bite.  It’s a mild introduction to a fantastic culture of flavor and spices.  And when you can’t get it from India itself or a local Indian restaurant, then Tasty Bite provides a perfect substitute.  I promise…these are amazing.

Oh, and this little package of yellow lentils is also vegan/vegetarian, kosher, and gluten-free.  BONUS!  So, dig in.  You’re treating your taste buds to something fantastic.

Product: Tasty Bite Bombay Potatoes – $3.29+

Yep.

I’m at it again with the quick and easy Indian meals.  And why not?  There are some nights, like tonight, for example, where standing over a stove or waiting on something to cook up in the oven is just not feasible.  I got off work and came home and had enough time to heat up some rice and one of these Indian meals to eat before changing into shorts and a tech shirt and heading over to Louisville for a fun run around a park.

That’s how it works on Monday’s in my little world.  Which means, there are no big culinary creations in my kitchen.  Not on my fun run nights.  Normally it’s soup and sandwich night, but I’ve been working my way through the pile of Tasty Bite meals I bought while they were on sale.  Since my selections are all gluten-free and vegetarian or vegan, these are not only quick to heat and eat, but also fall right into my dietary restrictions.

What more could a busy, on-the-go girl ask for?

Tonight’s Tasty Bite selection was the Bombay Potatoes.  I was pretty certain these were going to be epic.  I was a little more concerned about my roommate enjoying them.  The reason being I noticed they included chickpeas.  She has said countless times she isn’t a fan…but she bucked up and gave it a try.

So, the Bombay Potatoes are simply chunks of potatoes and chickpeas, slow-cooked in a sauce that is made from tomatoes, onions, and a plethora of Indian spices, like coriander and cumin.  It smelled fantastic as I nuked it in my trusty microwave for two minutes.  I gave it a stir and then dished up the concoction over two servings of jasmine rice.

While the overall look of it is uninspired…and very brown, the flavor makes up for the lack of color.  This meal is fantastic.  Not only is it filling, but it is seasoned to perfection.  A serving only contains 130 calories and it is also low in fat.  In addition, it’s quite filling, especially served over rice (I know…potatoes and rice…double starch…carby goodness for this running girl!).  I relished the mix of spices and flavors that were in the sauce and infused into not only the potatoes but also the chickpeas.  The texture was awesome and the serving provided a great 5g of protein as well.  Awesome for this gluten-free vegetarian as well.

Tasty Bite is three-for-three when it comes to their meals.  This is the third one that I have sampled and once again I have fallen in love with the ethnic and authentic flavors, despite coming in a little pouch that gets microwaved for only a few moments.  They say good things come in small packages.  In this case…so do delicious things.