Alexia Olive Oil, Parmesan & Roasted Garlic Oven Reds

November 27, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi

Alexia Olive Oil, Parmesan & Roasted Garlic Oven Reds Price: $3.50 on sale
Serving: 1/5 bag, 3oz.
Calories: 120 per serving
Fat: 5%, 3.5g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 12%, 270mg
Protein: 3g
Carbohydrates: 7%, 19g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
Sugar: 0g
Weight Watchers Points: 2

Alexia says: Alexia Oven Reds combine delicate and creamy Columbia Basin Red Potatoes, Olive Oil, robust Parmesan Cheese and Roasted Garlic to make this beautifully delicious yet trans fat free culinary creation.

Abi says: Store bought frozen potatoes: Friend or foe? Discuss.

On one hand, it is so freaking easy to chop up some potatoes, toss them with a bit of olive oil herbs and salt and call it a side dish. On the other hand chopping = ugh and who wants to wait 45 minutes for roasted potatoes when we could have potato wedges in 20?

These are the questions I ask myself whenever I consider braving the frozen potatoes section at my local supermarket. Fresh and frozen potatoes are both cheap, but frozen potatoes take half of the time and don’t involve potential over or under-seasoning. Or blood loss.

While I was at Whole Foods the other day, picking up a replacement Amy’s Cheese Pizza Pocket, I decided to go beyond Alexia’s Pesto Pizza Pockets and try out their potato wedges. After reading the backs of all 6 packages of potato wedges, I settled on the Olive Oil, Parmesan & Roasted Garlic Oven Reds. Like me, they were raised in the Columbia River Basin. Unlike me, they are encased in a plastic bag.

The package states that it contains five servings of potatoes. This is an acurate portrayal as I actually got four hearty servings out of the bag. It wasn’t so much that I planned on eating the last two servings all at once, but more that I realized there was nothing edible in my house, the more it seemed that potatoes would do just fine for a lunch.

From my willingness to eat simply these potatoes for lunch you might deduce that I enjoy them a great deal. No deerstalker for you, I’m afraid. These potatoes, which might be marginally better for the environment than the ones from Ore-Ida (or not, because ‘natural’ definitely doesn’t equal ‘organic’) have some sort of weird flavor action going on - straight from the bag. I literally found myself making funny faces when I breathed in the odor of the frozen potatoes.

“Are they rotten?” I wondered, my head whipping back from the bag in a visceral reaction borne of instinctual terror. Then I figured that I just wasn’t used to ‘All Natural’ frozen potatoes or frozen olive oil or something of that hippie ilk. While the potatoes were baking I read the ingredients label and found the item that was causing me such confusion: cheese powder. These potatoes don’t taste like parmesan cheese and rosemary. No, they taste like the child of a bag of Smartfood and a poorly maintained spice cupboard.

Fortunately, this is a problem easily solved with homemade aioli liberally seasoned with smoked paprika. Ketchup works too.

Filed Under 2 WW Points, Alexia Reviews, Cholesterol Free, Three Stars, Trans Fat Free, Vegetarian | 11 Comments

Annie Chun's Peanut Sesame Meal Kit

November 26, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi

Annie Chun Price: $2.69
Serving: 1/3 kit, 2oz. plus water
Calories: 270
Fat: 11%, 7g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 26%, 620mg
Protein: 10g
Carbs: 13%, 39g
Fiber: 7%, 2g
Sugar: 7g
Weight Watchers Points: 6 Points

Annie Chun says: Celebrate great eating with this satisfying blend of hearty noodles, roasted peanuts and toasted sesame seeds for a dish bursting with rich nutty goodness.

Abi says: Confession: I like Pasta-Roni. Yes, the stepchild of the San Francisco treat is one of my favorite boxed side items. I can do without stovetop stuffing or rice, but promise me some angel hair pasta seasoned with a mysterious powder packet, milk and butter and you’ll have my undivided attention.

I picked up a box of Annie Chun’s Peanut Sesame noodles because I needed a break from those pseudo-Italian cream sauces, but I still wanted some noodles to go along with my meal for the evening: rotisserie chicken and green beans.

The amount of peanut noodles displayed on the plate is between 1/2 and 1/3 of the box (yes, almost a single serving) and while it makes for a tasty, utterly American peanut noodle experience (the sauce can only be described as a pleasant [if boring] blend of peanut, tahini, and some unidentifiable seasonings), it can in no way be construed as a meal. Or even a meal kit. The term ‘kit’ implies that everything I need (minus water) is included in the box.

Ms. Annie Chun suggests that we

Just grab a meal kit, boil the noodles as directed, add sauce, then toss in sauteed vegetables and tofu or chicken and you’re done. Healthy and delicious meals in less than ten minutes.

She seems to believe that we all have some sauteed vegetables and already prepped and cooked chicken just sitting around waiting to be added to our noodles. This is not a “meal kit” this is a “part of a balanced meal kit” that must be served alongside protein and vegetables, making for a colorful dinner that might pass Biggie’s muster. Maybe. She has tough standards.

If this review has inspired you to make your own, homemade peanut noodles and sauce, I recommend this recipe from Epicurious. It makes a terrifically mild starting point, has received raves from my coworkers, and it super easy even if you don’t have a Cuisinart or blender (just warm the peanut butter and it will be easy to blend. I used Thai rice sticks instead of Italian pasta and it was delicious.

Filed Under 6 WW Points, Annie Chun Meal Reviews, Pasta, Three Stars | 1 Comment

Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Honey Ham and Swiss Sub Sandwich

November 25, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi

Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Honey Ham and Swiss Sub Sandwich Price: $3.00 on sale
Serving: 1 package, 6.8oz.
Calories: 440 per serving
Fat: 23%, 15g
Cholesterol: 20%, 60mg
Sodium: 59%, 1410mg
Protein: 28g
Carbohydrates: 17%, 50g
Fiber: 12%, 3g
Weight Watchers Points: 9 Points

Oscar Mayer says: Experience a sandwich that has all the warmth, the flavor, and the fresh baked taste you look forward to, without having to go out. In no time at all, you can create a lunch for one, served with soft, warm bread, shaved meats and premium cheese, all individually wrapped for freshness.

Abi says: I always thought that the point of making a microwave meal was to avoid the dreaded sandwich lunch rut and eat something interesting or spicy or at least containing a protein source other than lunch meat. Also, by consuming microwave meals I avoid the inevitable decay of half a loaf of bread that occurs because I can’t be bothered to consume the darn thing/make enough French Toast to feed 8 people.

Oscar Mayer, maker of the most fabulous bacon product in the world, is out to prove me wrong. The company contends that it isn’t a sandwichless lunch that we want, but a hot lunch.

I am slightly perturbed by this assumption and by the price of the product. It was $3.00 on sale, just a couple bucks less than a fresh sandwich at any number of local cafes. Plus, sandwich assembly is complicated and messy when you’re dealing with tiny, potentially explosive packets of condiments. I guess you could eat this if you really, really wanted a warm sandwich, but why not stop by Safeway in the morning and get one of those turkey and havarti paninis? With those the bread is fresher and they are twice the size of this mostly bread assemblage. You could save half for later.

For those of you still interested in acquiring this item, you might be pleased to know that it comes with:

Enormous loaf of bread a.k.a Country White Sub Roll
Lots of watery, thick, definitely not shaved Ham (I blotted it, getting ride of some of the excessive moisture, which Oscary Mayer simply describes as ‘water added’. I’m serious about the ‘lots’ part. I ended up eating two slices straight from the package because they didn’t fit on my sandwich)
Appropriately holey Swiss cheese (or as Kraft puts it “Kraft 2% Milk Reduced Fat Natural Swiss Cheese [1/3 less fat than Swiss Cheese])
Grey Poupon Deli Mustard (yum, I love mustard)
Packet o’ Mayo (was immediately discarded - oh sorry, that’s not just mayo, it is ‘Kraft Light Mayonnaise [1/2 the fat & calories of Mayonnaise] - hmm, what’s in there?)
Warming tray

It is not a crisping tray, as one might find in a Stouffer’s Corner Bistro Flatbread, it is for warming. In reality, it is for catching the cheese that will melt and drip out of the side of your sandwich. Mmmm, melty. Oscar Mayer claims that this sandwich has “Fresh Baked Taste” and that you can “Make the most of lunch with Deli Creations”. But why would I buy this when I can go to Quizno’s (or even Subway, which is not a place I enjoy) and get something much better for just a buck more?

Is there something that I’m missing here? Some brilliantly magical sandwich element that I’ve overlooked? Point me in the direction of salvation dear readers, for I am surely lost in lunch wilderness with this one.

Filed Under Kraft Reviews, Oscar Mayer Reviews, Two Stars | 8 Comments

Trader Joe's Penne Pepperonata

November 24, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi

Trader Joe Price: $3.50
Serving: 1/4 bag, 4oz.*
Calories: 200 per serving
Fat: 7%, 4.5g
Cholesterol: 3%, 10mg
Sodium: 12%, 270mg
Protein: 7g
Carbohydrates: 12%, 35g
Fiber: 8%, 3g
Sugar: 3g
Weight Watchers Points: 16 per bag

Trader Joe says: Here’s a quick dinner entree that’ll have people singing your praises! For Trader Joe’s Penne Pepperonata we’ve combined penne pasta imported from Italy with a flavorful sauce made from roasted red peppers, parmesan cheese and a special blend of herbs and spices. The flavors of Provence mingle beautifully with tastes from the Italian countryside - in less than ten minutes in your own kitchen.

Abi says: Trader Joe’s pre-combined pastas and sauces are perfect for those evenings when you can’t be bothered to boil water. Mostly, I eat these because

I get tired of tomato sauce
I imagine that this is how the Jetsons would make pasta
They are cheap
Have you seen Adina’s Gnocchi review? I want that sort of transcendent pasta-eating experience

This pasta is a pleasant alternative to a frozen pizza, but nothing special. The best thing about this meal isn’t even how it tastes but that I don’t have to use a colander. I am a super-fan of herbs de provence. I put them in everything, even places where they might not belong (Mexican food, not the greatest idea ever). I know the flavors of Provence. They didn’t exactly make a showing in this pasta sauce. You’d have to have a heck of a lot of herbs to overcome the nearly overwhelming use of peppers in the dish. And the lack of cream. It is not a cream sauce and I don’t know where they got the idea to call it that. Don’t go into this pasta expecting any actual dairy components.

I recommend this pasta if you’re a chronic pasta over-boilerer or if you’d like to branch out from traditional tomato sauces. Paired with some sauteed garlic and artichoke chicken sausage, this makes a delicious (if vegetable-deficient) dinner.

*This bag of pasta plus two sliced and sauteed chicken sausages made two large, filling servings with a bit left over.

Yeah, our kitchen counters are made of tile. This leads me to believe that the folks at Stanford aren’t quite the geniuses everyone makes them out to be. Have you every tried doing normal kitchen stuff (chopping, rolling out pastry, wiping up spilled flour) on a tile counter? It is ridiculous!

Filed Under 8 WW Points, Four Stars, Trader Joe's Reviews, Vegetarian | 3 Comments