Category: Vegetarian

Product: Garden Lites Roasted Vegetable Soufflé – $3.49+

My on-a-whim, screw-the-food-budget, frozen food purchases are paying off in spades when it comes to these light, airy, tasty frozen soufflés from Garden Lites.

I mean, these were literally made for someone like me, to come home to and dig into after a stressful, busy day.  And the best part is…they are delicious.  This is the second of the series of six that I had housed in the confines of my freezer.  Just snagging off the top, tonight’s delicacy was the Roasted Vegetable Soufflé, which is a delightful conglomeration of onion, carrots, broccoli, spinach, potato, red pepper and zucchini, folded into egg whites and delicately seasoned.

I was impressed with the first one, which is a good thing, since I bought every flavor without trying just one first.  They are easy to warm up in the microwave and ready in less than five minutes.  Gotta love that.

This one was definitely more colorful than the Cauliflower Soufflé, which definitely gave it a lot of appeal when it came to digging in.  And, once again, the taste was spot on.  Every vegetable that was part of the blend can be tasted within various bites.  It isn’t overly seasoned, and despite that it is being nuked from frozen to soufflé puffy, it’s not watery or runny either.  And that, my friends, is where the magic only begins.  Once again, it tastes much like a pot pie would taste.  And the flavors just melt on your tongue after each delicate forkful.

I really enjoyed the plethora of flavors that accompanied this one, and it was very visually appealing too.  Garden Lites are definitely doing something right with these gluten-free and vegetarian mini-meals.  I served mine (because there is only 1 per box, so my roommate and I split one) with a side of sweet potato fries and it was filling and delicious.

I can’t wait to pluck the next one out of the freezer and give it a shot.  Because, while I don’t like to eat frozen meals, when the necessity for one calls, I like to make sure I’m getting something healthy and not laden down with chemicals and unrecognizable ingredients.  These soufflés by Garden Lites have only ingredients (most of them natural – like vegetables and egg whites) that you can recognize off the bat, without having to Google what some chemical or additive might be.

Love that.

And loving the delicious flavor that the Garden Lites Roasted Vegetable Soufflé added to my dinner plate.

I guess you could say I’m delighted!

Product: Garden Lites Cauliflower Soufflé – $3.49+

Soufflés are the bane of chefs everywhere.  Why?  Because they can be so finicky when you cook them.  And, at most restaurants, if you want a soufflé for dessert, they ask that you place that order when you order your entrees because it does take time to whip up and bake to perfection.  And…you have to act fast, because that airy lift in soufflés can disappear quickly and you don’t want to serve a collapsing soufflé to a paying patron.

But then, a company called Garden Lites introduced a new line of frozen entrees – the vegetable soufflé.  Coming in six varieties (of which, all have made it into my freezer), these light, airy frozen packages bring the glory of the soufflé to your microwave.

I spotted these while at Fresh Market (and again at Whole Foods) one day while grocery shopping for some gluten-free goodies.  And, yes…every one of the six selections are vegetarian and gluten-free.  So…I snagged them all.

Tonight, for dinner, I decided to cook one up.  My weapon of choice tonight – the Cauliflower Soufflé.  It was going to make the perfect mini-meal.  Extremely mini, though, as I read only the front of the box when I grabbed one of each.   The wording said there was only 140 calories persoufflé, so I assumed there was at least two in the box.  WRONG!  There is only one, so my roommate and I split it for dinner and I baked up a side of Ore Ida Extra Crispy Tater Tots to go with it.  Purchasers…take note.  One box = one soufflé.

Anyway…aside from my own error in not turning the box over and looking at the number of servings per package, I found this to be a rather surprising, tasty, and filling (even at half a soufflé) meal.  It doesn’t get much easier.  Heat up tray in microwave, in overwrap, for 4 minutes.  Let sit for one minute.  Then heat at half power for another minute.  Serve.  Simple, yes?  Oh…yes.

My biggest concern with this was that it was going to be runny and watery and just…wrong.  But it slid from its bowl easily after I nuked it according to package instructions.  And, as my microwave is really, really old, I ran it longer than instructed.  It was still a bit frozen in the middle after I sliced it in half, so back into the microwave for another 30 seconds and…voula…done!  Pair it with the tots and there was dinner.

I was quite impressed with the light texture that accompanied the soufflé upon reheating in the microwave.  The Cauliflower Soufflé, a mix of egg whites, spices, cauliflower, carrots, potato and onion tasted a lot like a pot pie, to be honest.  Just a lighter, non-crusty pot-pie.  It was, surprisingly, very delicious.  I enjoyed every bite I took from it, tasting the various vegetables that were used in the creation of this soufflé.  I mean, it doesn’t puff up like a real soufflé would, but it doesn’t need to.  It’s good just the way it warms up.

Color me impressed.

I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did.  But it heated up nice in the microwave, it was light, it was filling, and it was delicious.  Score one for the soufflés.  If you like cauliflower, I recommend trying this delicious treat by Garden Lites.  It’s gluten-free, vegetarian yum!

Product: Pamela’s Products Gluten-Free Cornbread and Muffin Mix – $4.67+

Ah…cornbread.

I’ve gone through the motions with gluten-free cornbread.  Honestly.  I’ve had it seem rubbery and dense.  I’ve made my own with a gluten-free baking mix (ironically, Pamela’s) and cornmeal.  So it went from…blech to ehhh…

Before heading to a race one night, however, I was browsing the aisles of a grocery store in that city and spotted a manager’s special on a package of Pamela’s Products Gluten-Free Cornbread and Muffin Mix.  I figured, as so far every product I’ve tried by Pamela’s has impressed me, that I’d go ahead and pick this up and find a good occasion to bake it up.

Well, that occasion arrived this past week when my roommate had to have a wisdom tooth pulled.  I had made up a gluten-free Pappa al Pomodoro soup for the occasion, and to accompany it, I thought cornbread might be awesome.  So, I pulled this package out of my pantry, got all the ingredients together to mix it up (eggs, sugar, melted butter, water) and got to work in my little kitchen.  It was so easy to make.  I waffled a bit on putting the sugar into the cornbread.  Being a girl from New York, the idea of sugar in cornbread turns it into cake.  But as this was for my roommate’s sake, I asked what she wanted and she opted to keep the sugar in.  So, in it went.  Mixing it was easy and the consistency of the batter was awesome.  I was pretty excited when I went to pour it into my baking pan and put it into the preheated oven to cook up.

It doesn’t take long.  About 25 minutes and…done.  What emerges from the oven is a fluffy, delicious looking pan of gluten-free cornbread.  Naturally, my roommate and wanted to try a piece right away.  So, we let it cool some before I sliced into it (16 pieces) and we each picked one to immediately nosh on.

My roommate immediately said the best thing I did was add the sugar to it.  She was in cornbread heaven.  To me, I still think the sugar is too much, but the instructions on the package do indicate that if you want less sweet, it is okay to eliminate the sugar.  Which, I might do next time.  But, that’s not saying this was no good.  In fact, I had never been so happy with a gluten-free cornbread mix in my life.  Honestly, the texture is amazing, the taste is superb, and it really made a delicious addition to the week of soup and soft breads while her mouth healed.  I was beyond impressed.

When it comes to gluten-free products, you just learn to rely on some brands for quality.  I have become quite fond of Pamela’s Products line of gluten-free goods.  And every time I walk by the gluten-free section at the grocery store, I begin plotting the next mix or cookie or treat that I’ll purchase and then try.  When a company gets it…they get it.  Pamela’s Products continues to wow me with super-great products that are safe for me to eat…and delicious to boot.

I’m a fan for life.

Product: Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer – $2.99+

Indian food.

It’s something not everyone is familiar with.  Thankfully, for me, I had the luck of growing up in a neighborhood with a family that hailed from India.  Not only did I love being invited over for dinner, I still dream about the curry (a personal favorite) that was often prepared when I was over.

My love of Indian food was given to me properly.  And since then, no ordinary Indian restaurant will do.  I don’t want Indian food made to satisfy American people.  I want the real deal.

So, when it comes to frozen Indian meals, sometimes I’m a bit leery about them.  After all, how can something that has been frozen honestly bring the flavor and texture desired from Indian cuisine?  I’ve tried various different frozen Indian entrees, and luckily, have not been let down.

The Trader Joe’s brand was a splurge purchase, I admit it.  But the price was right and it’s always good to have a frozen meal or two in the freezer for those days or nights when cooking just doesn’t appeal and eating out is not in the budget.  The Trader Joe’s in my area only has a couple of flavors when it comes to their frozen Indian entrees, but I chose the one that was, obviously, gluten-free and vegetarian.

The Palak Paneer looks a mess when it first comes out of the box.  It’s a frozen tangle of spinach, with the paneer, a soft Indian cheese, was hidden beneath the web of green.  When it comes to Palak Paneer, it’s best not to go on looks.  After all, it’s spinach and cheese, and not the most appetizing-looking meal.

I heated the meal up as indicated on the box, stirring it after five minutes and popping it back in for another two.  When it came out, it was a steaming tangle of green spinach and cubes of paneer.  Like I said, don’t go off of looks.  This meal is supposed to look like this.  I scooped it out of the plastic tray and into a bowl, discovering that this is actually meant as two servings.  Eh…whatever.  I ate the entire thing.  It was on it’s own…no rice.  So it was perfect for a dinner.

The taste was actually better than I anticipated.  It had that hint of curry flavor.  The spinach wasn’t runny or soupy, and the cubes of paneer tasted amazing.  They were a bit firmer than I am used to for paneer, enough that when my roommate sampled a bite, she thought it was tofu, but I set her right on that.  What did surprise me was not how big the chunks of paneer were, but how many were in the meal itself.  Normally, these frozen entrees skimp on the main part of the meal.  I had been expecting more of a bowl of spinach than cheese.  But Trader Joe’s was quite liberal in its application of paneer to this meal.

If you are looking for a quick meal for lunch or dinner, I highly recommend Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer meal.  Especially if you love Indian food (which, I do!).  It is really, really close to the real thing you would find in an Indian restaurant.  Honestly, if the thought of cheese and spinach turns you off, trust me, when done right, and seasoned perfectly, this makes a fantastic Indian dish.  And this frozen meal doesn’t become laden down with water either.  It steamed up to perfection and didn’t run everywhere, as most frozen dinners tend to do.  Color me impressed.

Kudos to Trader Joe’s for bringing fast food Indian food to the market…and doing it right.

Product: Blue Diamond Almond Nut Thins Pepper Jack Cheese Flavor – $3.79+

Blue Diamond is a brand I trust when it comes to my snacks.  Their nuts are fantastic.  Their almond milk is, by far, the best on the market.  And the Nut Thins have been amazing for my gluten-free snack attacks.  The flavors that I have tried so far (Hint of Sea Salt, Pecan, BBQ) have been loaded with flavor.

So, I was more than excited when one of my favorite cheese flavors – Pepper Jack Cheese – was introduced in a Nut Thin cracker.  Worlds were colliding in a good way.  Not only was a spicy cheese featured on one of my favorite gluten-free crackers, but it was by a brand I trust.  This treat was totally coming home with me and I couldn’t wait to tear into them.  I mean…how could they be bad?

Well…they aren’t…bad.  They just weren’t all that good.

I hate to say that because all the other Nut Thins crackers I’ve had have been packed with flavor and amazing.  And the one flavor that really got me jumping for joy when it was released…fell flat.

Don’t get me wrong…I don’t dislike them.  I just find them…bland.  Coming off of having the barbeque flavored, which were perfectly season and packed with flavor, I was expecting the Pepper Jack Cheese Nut Thins to have an amazing, spicy, cheesy kick to them.  But, honestly, all I could taste was the rice cracker.  Under-seasoned.  Way under-flavored.  And an honest disappointment.

I won’t count Blue Diamond out.  I just think they need to take some time with Pepper Jack Cheese flavor…fine-tune it.  Give it that spicy kick that you expect from something that is pepper jack flavored.  This is what I expected from these crackers and, sadly, they didn’t deliver.  I think Blue Diamond can bounce back though.  And I certainly have a variety of flavors to still try.  But I do hope they go back and change up the recipe for these because they could be an epic cracker if proper care and flavor is added to them.  A little pepper jack TLC is all that is needed by Blue Diamond.

If in the market for a flavorful snack cracker, I totally promote Nut Thins.  I just wouldn’t recommend the Pepper Jack Cheese flavor.  Blue Diamond is down, but not out.  And, while this flavor definitely disappointed, I know that this company can deliver a fantastic product.  It is probably a good thing I had sampled other flavors before, because it is those that will have me coming back to try others.  Pepper Jack Cheese, however, will not be in my pantry again unless a recipe overhaul happens.