Heat Eat Review

• Home
• about
• archives
• the editrix
• contribute
• contact

Just because something's toxic doesn't mean it's not tasty. ~Matthew J. Siske

Get reviews sent to your Email or via RSS

Amy’s Kitchen Vegetable Pot Pie

April 24, 2006 | Reviewer: Jess

Price: $3.29
Serving: 1 pie, 7.5 oz.
Calories: 420
Fat: 29%, 19g
Cholesterol: 17%, 50mg
Sodium: 25%, 590mg
Protein: 9g
Carbs: 18%, 54g
Fiber: 17%, 4g
WW Points: 9 Points

Amy’s Kitchen says: Amy’s original pot pie with a tender flaky butter crusts contains organic carrots, peas, potatoes and tofu simmered in a creamy, well seasoned sauce.

Jess says: I did not grow up in a pot pie house. My mother never presented our entrees covered by flaky bread. I don’t think this makes me especially deprived (for the record: my mom’s meatballs are no joke and her overstuffed veggie omelets make my stomach growl even while full). Yet this item did cause me to take pause before warming up to the idea of pie crust with savory contents. But I said (out loud to the freezer case at Safeway), “What the hell?” and grabbed a pot pie.

What a joy you were, pot pie! What a pleasant surprise! Full of vegetables and perfuming the air with your warm soothing smell of baked goods. The gelatanous gravy is somewhat off-putting (sorry Amy’s Kitchen, but I doubt there is cream in there), but don’t think too much on it. The meal is tasty and somehow filling despite its meager appearance. I would buy it again in heartbeat and eat happily in my pot-pie cubicle.

Lean Cuisine Chicken Enchilada Suiza

April 24, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi

Price: 2 for $4.00 (sale)
Serving: 1 package, 9 oz.
Calories: 280
Fat: 7%, 5g
Sodium: 22%, 540mg
Protein: 10g
WW Points: 5 Winning Points
Diet Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat, 21/2 Starch,1/2 Skim Milk

Lean Cuisine says: Corn tortilla wrapped around chicken, onions and green chilies. Topped with a sour cream sauce and shredded cheese. Accompanied by a side of rice seasoned with green chilies, red peppers and corn.

Abi says: First, please note that the sentences above are incomplete. Second, please note that this meal is untasty. Yes, I said untasty.

The pinkish mashed chicken blend wrapped in a surprisingly fragrant corn tortilla is flavorful and enticing. Unfortuntely, the eater will get approximately 1 tablespoon of mashed chicken. The rest is sour-cream sauce, which doesn’t belong anywhere near an enchilada. The ’seasoned’ rice is a completely soggy loss. If I could put air-quotes around ’seasoned’ then I would. I think that the single quote comes closest. Random corn kernels and blips of red pepper don’t make up for this flavorless waste of space.

I don’t like swiss-style enchilada sauce, so I’m probably not the best person to review this meal in the first place, though I was hungry and I didn’t want to spend my money on another soy chai at Starbucks. Now that I’ve finished the enchilada and am not eating the rice or sauce, I will probably buy a soy chai. So much for that abstinence-from-Starbucks plan. I paid $2.00 for a single enchilada in a microwaved sour cream sauce. I hope it was a great sale.

Later: Yeah, I got a soy chai.

Thai Kitchen Simply Asia Szechwan Garlic Soy Noodle Bowl

April 24, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi

Price: $1.79
Serving: 1 package, 9 oz. (incl. water)
Calories: 70
Fat: 0%, 0g
Sodium: 4%, 100mg
Protein: 7g

Simply Asia says: Our pure soy noodles are made by baking thin sheets of tofu and cutting them into tender noodle strips that are rich in protein yet low in carbohydrates and calories. Hearty and meat-like in texture, our soy noodles absorb the rich and savory flavors of our authentic soup broth.

Abi says: You know what is better than a review about a meal? Things people say about your meal while it is in the ‘Wait 5 minutes before eating’ stage:

“Meatiness is not a quality I look for in noodles.” Amy sneered in response to my reading of the box blurb.

“Something smells like burnt rubber.” She noted a few minutes later.
“I think that’s my noodles.” I replied.
“Well, I’m sure you’re looking forward to eating that.”

“There’s underwear on her desk.”
“Yeah, I put it there.”
“But she’s out to lunch.”
“Oh, that’s a problem.”

Ok, above conversation is not related to tofu noodles.

“Something smells weird.” Whispered Chad as he sauntered past my cube.

For all of the talk about how otherworldly this meal smelled (otherworldly in the sense of a decaying animal that has cycled to the next life in the quest for nirvana), it actually doesn’t taste like much of anything at all. Quite a quandary. I would like to finish this meal because it is good for me, but I can not breathe in through my nose because the malodorous steam singes my cilia. I had to invent the ‘Zero Stars’ category for this meal.

Solution: Throw away disgusting tofu noodles and get a delicious salad with grilled chicken, boiled egg, bacon and avocado. Yum.

Trader Joe’s Jaipur Vegetables and Garlic Naan

April 24, 2006 | Reviewer: Amy

Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan
Price: $2.49
Serving: 1 naan, 3 oz
Calories: 190
Fat: 5%, 3g
Sodium: 15%, 390mg
Note: Product of India

Trader Joe says: This is hand-stretched, authentic Indian bread topped with garlic and coriander and backed in a traditional Indian clay tandoor oven.

Trader Joe’s Jaipur Vegetables
Price: $1.99
Serving: 1 cup, 5 oz
Calories: 170
Fat: 17%, 11g
Sodium: 16%, 370mg
Note: Product of India

Trader Joe says: This Indian entree was created centuries ago. Fresh green peas and beans, diced carrots and cashews are cooked in a delicate combination of spices witih lightly sauteed cubes of creamed cottage cheese for an aromatic and flavorful sauce. Serve with fluffy rice, hot Indian bread, pita or tortillas. You can also use as a burrito filling.

Amy says: I could do this review in 3 words: “explosion of flavor”. That is what this dynamic duo was for me. On their own the jaipur vegetables or the garlic naan would pack a satisfying punch, but when you combine their forces…look out! The jaipur vegetables comes with a melee of vegetables, including peas and some other veggies which I couldn’t distinguish/remember. It also contains oodles of exotic spices, cashews and paneer, mmmmm, paneer.

The garlic naan is excellent, even if I did burn it. It was a little crunchy (again, because I burned it), but it tasted right nice. Studded with big chunks of garlic and some other seasoning (maybe parsley) sprinkled along the top. The garlic taste is strong, but not overpowering, just yummy.

One bag of TJ’s naan comes with four whole naan so you are paying basically 60 cents per naan, not a bad deal at all. The jaipur vegetables lasted for two meals also. So you are getting a meal for about $2 with this tasty combination. You can’t beat that with a bat.