"Organic tofu scrambled with vegetables and topped with salsa and grated cheddar cheese covers a mini organic tortilla with refried black beans on the side"
This meal from Amy's was fantastic. The ranchero sauce was not that awful mixture found in most frozen Mexican meals. The potatoes were crispy. The refried black beans were great, too. The tortilla was soft and had a delicious flavor. I did not notice any cheese in the rancheros, though; maybe it got mixed in with the rancheros sauce and the tofu scramble ? Also, the box I bought said it was supposed to have Monterrey Jack, not cheddar cheese. But other than that, I was very satisfied with the tofu rancheros.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Oven Poppers : Stuffed Flounder
This meal from Oven Poppers consists of two 5 ounce flounder fillets stuffed with garlic, shrimp and almonds. The portion sizes were rather generous; I ate both fillets by myself. However, the taste is another story.
The fish was not flaky. It was bordering on rubbery. While there were plenty of almonds in the flounder, the shrimp were virtually non-existent. I found three or four tiny bits of shrimp in the entire meal. I didn't taste any garlic, either.
The filling on the package is lightly colored and features generous portions of [mostly absent] shrimp. The actual filling was dark brown and mealy. It is made from "Alaska pollack, cracker crumbs, onions, shrimp [eye roll],
almonds, chicken flavor [chicken meat, including chicken juices...]" Oven Poppers put a lot of effort into the packaging, but not into the actual food : P
What should have tipped me off at the store were these lines on the package:
The fish was not flaky. It was bordering on rubbery. While there were plenty of almonds in the flounder, the shrimp were virtually non-existent. I found three or four tiny bits of shrimp in the entire meal. I didn't taste any garlic, either.
The filling on the package is lightly colored and features generous portions of [mostly absent] shrimp. The actual filling was dark brown and mealy. It is made from "Alaska pollack, cracker crumbs, onions, shrimp [eye roll],
almonds, chicken flavor [chicken meat, including chicken juices...]" Oven Poppers put a lot of effort into the packaging, but not into the actual food : P
What should have tipped me off at the store were these lines on the package:
"...our special blending techniques result in a superior tasting product..."
"...one of the finest lines of frozen seafood dinners and entrees available anywhere..."
Amy's Indian Vegetable Korma
"Tender organic vegetables in a curry sauce with a rich, mild flavor that comes from coconut milk and organic raisins, cashews and slivered almonds, combined with organic tomatoes and authentic hand-roasted Indian spices. On the side are fragrant golden basmati rice and a dal consisting of a mixture of six delicately spiced lentils and beans."
I found Amy's Indian Vegetable Korma to be so-so. I liked the juicy raisins, potatoes, nuts, spices, big, soft carrots, peas and crispy cauliflower. What I disliked was how bland the brown basmati rice was. The cashews in the rice were too soft. In addition, the dal was gray and yellow, almost a puree. I would not buy this one again : /
I found Amy's Indian Vegetable Korma to be so-so. I liked the juicy raisins, potatoes, nuts, spices, big, soft carrots, peas and crispy cauliflower. What I disliked was how bland the brown basmati rice was. The cashews in the rice were too soft. In addition, the dal was gray and yellow, almost a puree. I would not buy this one again : /
Veggie Patch Meatless Sausage
I recently came across Veggie Patch's Spiced Apple Meatless Gourmet Sausage at Publix. I can honestly say this is one of the worst products I've ever tasted. When I opened the package, it smelled of artificial apple and dry cat food. Bleh !
The taste was even worse. The skin / casing was too tough. The filling was disgusting. It tasted too sweet and mushy. I also disliked biting into the dried apple pieces. [The package label lists dried apples, apple concentrate and pineapple concentrate.] Veggie Patch's sausage tastes and looks like someone scraped out the filling from a hotdog and made a poor attempt at replacing what they took out : X
There is a prominent sticker on the package that says "New ! Money back guarantee !" I wish I had saved my receipt, so I could take Veggie Patch up on their offer. Never again will I buy Veggie Patch products : P
The taste was even worse. The skin / casing was too tough. The filling was disgusting. It tasted too sweet and mushy. I also disliked biting into the dried apple pieces. [The package label lists dried apples, apple concentrate and pineapple concentrate.] Veggie Patch's sausage tastes and looks like someone scraped out the filling from a hotdog and made a poor attempt at replacing what they took out : X
There is a prominent sticker on the package that says "New ! Money back guarantee !" I wish I had saved my receipt, so I could take Veggie Patch up on their offer. Never again will I buy Veggie Patch products : P
Amy's Tofu Scramble W/ Hash Browns & Veggies
"Generous portions of tofu scrambled with organic vegetables with hash browned potatoes on the side make up this delicious meal."
This meal from Amy's was dynamite. First of all, the picture on the box had big slices of tomatoes. I initially thought, "Hmmm, I'll bet they're either chopped up very fine or not in the scramble at all." I was very wrong about that. There were three or four huge tomato slices in the meal. And they were so sweet and juicy to boot! I've never tasted tomatoes that good before : D The mushroom slices were large and fresh tasting, too.
The hash browns were crispy and browned nicely in the microwave. No ketchup was needed ; )
The only let-down was regarding the carrots and zucchini. I assume those were chopped up finely and added to the tofu scramble, because I certainly didn't taste or see either of those vegetables. Other than that, I think this is a kick-butt breakfast meal !
This meal from Amy's was dynamite. First of all, the picture on the box had big slices of tomatoes. I initially thought, "Hmmm, I'll bet they're either chopped up very fine or not in the scramble at all." I was very wrong about that. There were three or four huge tomato slices in the meal. And they were so sweet and juicy to boot! I've never tasted tomatoes that good before : D The mushroom slices were large and fresh tasting, too.
The hash browns were crispy and browned nicely in the microwave. No ketchup was needed ; )
The only let-down was regarding the carrots and zucchini. I assume those were chopped up finely and added to the tofu scramble, because I certainly didn't taste or see either of those vegetables. Other than that, I think this is a kick-butt breakfast meal !
Tostitos All Natural Chunky Salsa
The label on Tostitos All Natural Salsa promises "Now Fresher Tasting !" Did this product live up to it's claim ? I can tell you this : yes, it certainly did ! When I first opened the jar, the fresh smell of tomatoes and jalapenos wafted out.
The bottle I bought was the hot version; it was so delicious and spicy ! I loved the chunky texture of the tomatoes, onions and jalapenos. The taste and smell are much better than Tostitos' other version. I will definitely buy this salsa again.
The bottle I bought was the hot version; it was so delicious and spicy ! I loved the chunky texture of the tomatoes, onions and jalapenos. The taste and smell are much better than Tostitos' other version. I will definitely buy this salsa again.
Strawberry Mentos
In a previous post, I gave a positive review of green apple Mentos. The strawberry Mentos I just tasted turned out to be a big disappointment, however. The flavor is not very artificial tasting [huge points for that] but it's not very tasty, either. The taste is close to being yogurty and smooth, but it stops short of being that. There's just something missing from the strawberry Mentos. My other gripe is that the filling is not very juicy compared to the green apple Mentos.
Baja CA and Tropical Starburst
Thank you to Irish, Llana and Sarah for the reviews. 
Starburst Baja fruit chew flavors: Limon, Strawberry Watermelon, Baja Dragonfruit, and Aztec Punch.
Starburst Tropical fruit chew flavors: Mango Melon, Pina Colada, Royal Berry Punch and Strawberry Banana.
Here is what my classmates and I thought of the candies:
- My opinion = The limon tasted so-so; the flavor was comparable to those green lollipops banks give out. The baja dragonfruit tasted like a mix of lemon and blue-raspberry Bubble Yum. I liked that one very much. The royal berry punch was terrible. It had an odd, cheap, heavy grape taste.
- Llana = "The orange one [mango melon] was tangy. The purple one [royal berry punch] was the best one. The second best one was the strawberry banana."
- Sarah = "I had the yellow one [pina colada]. It tasted like bananas."
- Irish = "They all tasted the same to me. I just really like them all !"
Starburst Baja fruit chew flavors: Limon, Strawberry Watermelon, Baja Dragonfruit, and Aztec Punch.
Starburst Tropical fruit chew flavors: Mango Melon, Pina Colada, Royal Berry Punch and Strawberry Banana.
Here is what my classmates and I thought of the candies:
- My opinion = The limon tasted so-so; the flavor was comparable to those green lollipops banks give out. The baja dragonfruit tasted like a mix of lemon and blue-raspberry Bubble Yum. I liked that one very much. The royal berry punch was terrible. It had an odd, cheap, heavy grape taste.
- Llana = "The orange one [mango melon] was tangy. The purple one [royal berry punch] was the best one. The second best one was the strawberry banana."
- Sarah = "I had the yellow one [pina colada]. It tasted like bananas."
- Irish = "They all tasted the same to me. I just really like them all !"
