Amy’s Kitchen Indian Mattar Tofu

June 20, 2007 | Reviewer: Andrew

Amy’s Kitchen Mattar Tofu Price: $3 (on sale)
Serving: One package, 9.5 oz.
Calories: 260
Fat: 12%, 8g
Cholesterol: None
Sodium: 28%, 680mg
Carbs: 12%, 37g
Fiber: 20%, 5g
Protein: 12g

Amy’s Kitchen says: A non-dairy variation of the traditional Mattar Paneer, using tofu along with organic peas in a light, delicately seasoned sauce. On the side are fragrant basmati rice and what we call “Swarn’s Golden Lentil Dal,” which is simmered with organic tomatoes, onions and hand-roasted spices.

Andrew says: When I was a student at a preparatory academy during my junior and senior years of high school, I was "adopted" by some true-school Indian guys. One of them, a residence assistant on my floor, was like the brother I never had, and fed me like I was a member of the family. From samosas filled with curried peas and potatoes to chunks of delicious paneer (Indian cheese) slathered in exotic spices, I was awash in a new world of culinary delights for the better part of two years. And these were homemade meals, so they were accurate, fresh and lovingly made.

The experience kind of spoiled me. Now I live in northern Indiana, in a place where Indian restaurants are, for all intents and purposes, a fantasy. My Indian brothers have moved on to other areas, and so my exposure to the delights of Indian cuisine are far and few between.

I've known Amy's Kitchen makes frozen Indian meals for a while, but I've always been afraid to try them, lest they suck immensely. After all, I've only been exposed to the finest stuff; how could I expect a frozen meal to live up to that standard, or even come near it?

Well, I love frozen food. The advances made in frozen food since I've been born are absolutely astounding. Vegetables stay crisp and flavorful, meat no longer HAS to turn into a gelatinous mess, and even frozen mashed potatoes turn out pretty good more often than not. So, with that in mind, I took the plunge and invested my faith in some Amy's Indian meals.

They were all pretty fantastic. I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised, but the quality of these meals, when prepared properly actually approaches what I had before. In this version of mattar paneer (with tofu chunks standing in for the soft Indian cheese), there's a good, sweet curry flavor that actually reminds me of stuff my friend's mom used to make. It's not quite as spicy as I remember, but it's tasty.

And the tofu works well as a vegan replacement for the paneer. Texture-wise, they're almost identical, and to be frank, paneer's main utility in dishes like this seems to be texture, so there you go. Alongside the curried peas and tofu is golden lentil dal, which is good and spicy as well, but makes me wish I had some naan (flatbread) to sop it up with. Instead of bread, though, we're given the organic rice blend, which I'm sure turns out better in a microwave than flatbread would. And it's easy enough to spork up some rice and then spork up some dal and/or mattar tofu and then spork it into your mouth and say, "that Amy's sure can cook up some mean frozen Indian food!"

I'm giving this five stars mainly because I didn't think it was possible to create something frozen (and totally natural and totally organic) that could even approximate homemade Indian food. It's not quite restaurant or homemade quality, but for frozen food, it's basically the most fantastic thing ever.

[The tofu and cheese versions are loved by all who have consumed and written about them, including Jess of HeatEatReview.com (paneer review) and Tanya at Iateapie.net (tofu review) - Ed.]

Filed Under Amy's Kitchen Reviews, Certified Kosher, Cholesterol Free, Dairy Free, Five Stars, Gluten Free, Lactose Free, Vegan, Vegetarian | 15 Comments

Hungry-Man Rotisserie Chicken

June 18, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi

Hungry-Man Rotisserie Chicken Price: $2.00 (sale)
Serving: 1 meal, 16.5 oz.
Calories: 690
Fat: 54%, 35g
Sodium: 78%, 1880mg
Protein: 49g
Carbohydrates: 16%, 48g
Fiber: 19%, 5g

Hungry-Man says: Rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans, and a brownie

Abi says: One of the things I like about Hungry-Man is that they don’t try to gussy up their meal descriptions with words like ‘delectable’ and ‘fragrant’. This is obviously man-food (or Nicole-food, depending on audience) and needs nothing more than a listing of what the box contains.

I don’t like so much that the chicken is bone-in. Some people dislike bone-in chicken because they don’t like to be reminded that they’re eating animals. Please, people. If you can’t deal with chowing down on some feathered friends, get the heck out of Hungry-Man’s kitchen.

My personal dislike of bone-in chicken in microwaveable meals stems from the fact that I’ll either need to introduce another piece of silverware to the dining occasion (in this case, a knife) or I’ll need to eat microwaved chicken with my hands. Neither of these options could be described as ‘fabulous.’ Both could be described as ‘inconvenient.’ Fortunately, my chicken could not be described as ‘frightening.’ If you want to be scared by frozen chicken, please check out this news from North Dakota.

Hungry-Man’s chicken, sodium aside, tastes pretty darn good for something that came out of the microwave. It is juicy and tender and more than filling. The mashed potatoes were once again a disappointment (Marie Callender does them about 15x better) and the green beans were floating in an absurd amount of butter-dotted water. I don’t know about all of you, but I find it rather disheartening when my vegetables are floating in a pool of anything. Well, anything but ranch dressing. Mmmmm, ranch dressing.

Due to removal partway through the cooking process, the brownie becomes something of a mess. I have come to accept this because it is made of chocolate. Also, it is a brownie.

Filed Under Chicken, Four Stars, Hungry-Man Reviews | 5 Comments

Stouffer’s Chicken Tenderloins

June 13, 2007 | Reviewer: Nicole

Stouffer's Chicken Tenderloins

Price: $2.00 (sale)
Serving: 1 entreé, 10 oz.
Calories: 430
Fat: 31%, 20g
Cholesterol: 23%, 70mg
Sodium: 51%, 1230mg
Protein: 26g
Carbohydrates: 12%, 37g
Fiber: 12%, 3g

Stouffer’s says: Juicy chicken breast tenderloins in barbeque sauce and cheddar potato bake with bacon

Nicole says: This looks so yummy, but how could it possibly be filling? You give me one medium (v. thick half dollar) and two medium-large (McD chicken nugget-sized) tenderloins in your fantastic barbeque sauce. And the cheesy potato bake looks AWESOME, but this tray could hold TWICE as much as you've offered.

The chicken is tender (as their moniker would suggest) and the barbeque sauce is a bit lumpy. It is on the cusp of gelatinous, but yummy with just the tiniest hint of zing. This stuff is definitely tasty enough that I lapped up a couple forkfuls after the chicken was gone because I was worried I'd will still be hungry after this meal. Eight bites of chicken is what you get when you order an appetizer and don't share. Eight bites of chicken is not an entreé.

The potato bake topping is actually crispy, and the potatoes are in a dense, creamy cheese sauce, with bacon backing up the taste. Heavenly, really. Crispy, cheesy, starchy, bacony heaven.

If you're a light eater who loves cheese and bacon, drop what you're doing and go get this meal right now. It's really delicious, both the chicken and potatoes.

But if you have a real appetite, you can wait until the next Stouffer sale. If I don't buy them all first, that is. Because this meal is delicious you will want to consume 1.5 boxes per sitting. Or have a nice dessert afterwards. So be prepared, ya hear?

Lucky me, I have some SmartFood cheddar popcorn hidden away for just this situation.

Filed Under Chicken, Four Stars, Stouffer's Frozen Meal Reviews | 4 Comments

Kahiki Tropical Sweet and Sour Chicken

June 11, 2007 | Reviewer: Jess

Kahiki Tropical Sweet and Sour Chicken Price: $3.75
Serving: 1 tray, 11 oz.
Calories: 470
Fat: 17%, 11g
Cholesterol: 19%, 25mg
Sodium: 35%, 840mg
Protein: 14g
Carbs: 27%, 81g

Kahiki says: Tempura chicken nuggets, steamed rice, pineapple, papaya,and carrots in a tangy sweet & sour sauce.

Jess says: During my last trip to the Safeway, something unfortunate happened. I found myself unimpressed by the freezer aisle.

Normally, it's the best part of the trip. I can hardly hide my glee as I pace up and down and overanalyze the stock like a psychopath. Which Lean Cuisine has HER not explored and can I beat the other hippies to it? Is today the day I fold to your questionable fried items, Marie Calendar? California Pizza Kitchen Thai Chicken Pizza, stop mocking me! $7? #@$&! Am I made of money? Amy's, please show me something new and deliciously wholesome!

Sure, the other patrons get creeped out as I talk to the shelved microwaveables, but I pay no mind to them. I have bigger fish to reheat.

On my most recent grocery trip, I grew weary thinking of the same old gummy chicken and soggy vegetables and sticky noodles and tasteless sauces of so many lunches past. And then I saw you, Kahiki. A new brand to reach out and rescue me from the freezer fog of sameness!

Novelty aside, this meal was like a trip to a cornstarch sauna. This is breaded chickeny, fruity islandy dessert. The second ingredient to the sauce is sugar. The first is water. For once, I'm not exaggerating. Ketchup is also (oddly) one of the primary ingredients and ketchup also includes corn starch, so I don't know if that counts double. Oh and then there's honey and brown sugar. Sorry Dr. {my dentist name's is protected to preserve his reputation}.

All cavities aside, I really like sweet entreés on occasion and so I rather enjoyed it. The chicken was similar to what I often find at lower end Chinese restaurants. There was the same texture to the breading (sort of crispy and sort of saturated saucy all at once). No gristle, which was appreciated. Pineapple and dried papaya make both an appearance, which is odd (and yes, sugary), but I enjoyed the burst of (sort of fresh) citrus that they brought to it. I would have liked more rice, since sweet cornstarch sauce is only as good as the rice you have to absorb it. Kahiki did separate the rice into its own compartment - a nice touch. It allows you to choose your own rice ratio adventure and that's considerate.

If you've got a sweet tooth and you're tired of Lean Cuisine's Sweet and Sour Chicken, then I'd give this a try. Otherwise I'd say that LC's version is better (and leaner — do NOT check out the calories from fat on this thing!) I must say Kahiki is a damn sexy name for just a food brand. I wish it were a rum drink or a small island's term for the sensation you feel when your thighs first touch cold ocean water on one of the hottest days of the year.

Filed Under Chicken, Kahiki Reviews, Three Stars | 13 Comments