Just Veggies

A while ago I reviewed Just Peas and thought dried mixed vegetables would be good. It turns out they make them, and appropriately call them "Just Veggies" They contain dried peas, corn, carrots, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Since I hadn't tried the carrots, I picked some out of the mix and ate them separately. They were a little to hard and crunchy for me. However, when I popped a handful of the mix in my mouth, it was very good. The crunchiness of the carrots went well with the crisp airiness of the corn and peas. The flavors also complement each other. The plain dried corn is still my favorite veggie, but these are a close second. The 4 ounce tub contains 4 one ounce servings, but I find that I eat less than a serving at a time, probably only a quarter ounce. (100 calories; 1g fat; 21g carbs; 4g protein; 2% sodium; per one ounce serving)

Terra: vegetable chips

Terra original flavor exotic vegetable chips. Cooked like potato chips, but instead of potatoes they use sweet potatoes, parsnips, batata, taro, and yuca. the flavor of the individual vegetables comes through loud and clear. The chips themselves are very thinly sliced and very crisp. Different chips have slightly different textures. The chips taste a bit salty, but they really don't have much salt (less than the Whole Foods version at any rate). Consider these a change of pace from potato chips, but don't consider them healthy, they are almost as bad for you as most chips, coming in at 9 grams of fat and only 1 gram of protein per serving (150 calories; 9g fat; 16g carbs; 1g protein; 2% sodium; per 1 ounce serving)

Trader Joe's: Spanakopita

Fillo dough triangles filled with spinach, ricotta and Feta cheese. A tray of 12 frozen spanakopita's ready to be cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. It was pretty good, the the fillo dough was thin and flakey, the filling very spinachy. The filling didn't have enough cheese in it, it tasted like just spinach. I like the TJ's spinach pie better, even though it takes much longer to cook. These would make good appetizers though.

Whole Foods: Veggie Chips

These are fried slices of vegitables, much like potato chips, but, instead of potatoes, they are sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, green beens, and taro chips. These chips are thick and crunchy, there is just enough salt on them to bring out the flavor. you can really taste the different vegetables, they aren't bland like potato chips usually are. You might think that they are a healthy alternative to potato chips, but remember, they are still fried! (and potatoes are just as much a vegetable as these are.) It is more accurate to think of them as less unhealthy, they do have significantly less fat than most chips, but they don't have much protein. They come in a 9 ounce plastic tub. (135 calories; 6g fat 19g carb; 1g protein; 3% sodium; per 1 ounce serving)

Just Peas

Dried Peas to snack on. These peas are dried, but not hard like split peas. They are also whole, not split or dried up. Suprise, they taste like peas. They were decent, but I found I like fresh peas much better than these. It would be interesting to mix them with the dried corn (previously reviewed) and maybe some dried carrots and have a dried mixed vegetable medley. Ingredients: Peas, nothing else.

Just Corn

Dried corn snack. But it isn't hard like corn left out over night. It is crisp and airy. Not only does it still taste like corn, but it tastes like fresh corn (but dry). It is crisp and airy. Pop a handful of it in your mouth and crunch away. This stuff is really good, much better than I expected. Ingredients: Corn, nothing else.

Just Tomatoes

"Just Tomatoes" are thin slices of dried tomato made by the oddly named but eponymous Just Tomatoes company. The big selling point is that tomatoes are the only ingredient, no sugar or preservatives in this tub that contains the equivilant of two pounds of tomatoes. I have tried many of their dried fruits and liked them, so I figured if these were good enough to name the whole company, then the must be really good. I was a bit disappointed, they just taste like dried tomatos, and a bit acidic too. I guess I shouldn't be suprised by that, but somehow I was. I am working my way through this tub (I didn't say they were bad after all) but won't be getting another one. (80 calories; 1g fat; 19g carbs; 4g protein; 2% sodium; per once ounce serving)

Progresso: Tomato Rotini Soup

Mmm, tomato soup. I like a good tomato soup, and this is a good one. The rotini noodles are firm (how they keep noodles firm while sitting in a can of liquid I will never know) There are small chunks of tomato, and bits of spices. This thick soup is slightly acidic, but overall pleasant. Campbell's condensed tomato soup is still my favorite (it has less sodium, fat, carbs, calories, and protein) especially when made with milk, but if you want the un-condensed soup because it is easier to microwave, this is worth trying. (140 calories; 1g fat; 29g carbs; 4g protein; 40% sodium; per half-can serving)

Trader Joes: Kosher Sandwich Pickles

These are pickles sliced lengthwise into thin slices, perfect for putting on you sandwiches, but I like just eating them straight. The are very crisp and bright. The pickle flavor really stands out. I think they are better than most of the sandwich slice pickles. They taste very salty, but looking at the ingredients, I can see they don't have any more salt than most pickles (yup thats alot I know). (5 calories; 0g fat; 1g carbs; 12% sodium; per two slices)

Chi-chi's Salsa

I eat a lot of salsa, I really like it, and put it on lots of stuff. chi-chi's isn't my favorite, it is around middle of the list. I find it a bit tomato-pastey, however, you can get it in 64 ounce bottles which makes the price pretty cheap. I sometimes mix it with Ketchup to make it even thicker so it sticks to french fries and hamburgers better. They carry it at Costco and I occasionally see it in the supermarket. If you really eat alot of salsa, this is a good deal, otherwise, I would go for a better one.

Trader Joe's Spinach Pie

Spinach and Feta and cottage cheeses wrapped in Fillo dough. Very tasty, a good way to get your vegetables without having a soggy mass of spinach on your plate. The only real downside is it takes about an hour to cook in the oven, you aren't supposed to microwave it or cook it in the toaster oven. Four servings (4g fat, 13g protein, 240 calories)

V8 Vegetable Juice

There are good things and bad things about V8 juice. You get lots of vegetable goodness from a can of it, and you can drink it on the go. I don't know if you have ever tried eating a tomato while driving your car, but drinking this sure sounds easier. It also has a variety of vegetable juices in it, so you get lots of stuff. I am sure there is some good stuff in vegetables that doesn't come out in the juice so it isn't perfect. Some people don't like the flavor of it, and it does have a thicker texture to it. If you've never had it before, I'd recommend buying a single can or two and seeing how much you like it before committing to larger quantities. I find the taste interesting and different, which combined with the vegetable goodness is enough to get me to drink it.

Baby Lima Beans & Butter Sauce

This is a Green Giant frozen vegetable. Lima beans in a creamy, buttery, sauce. I was expecting it to taste like lima beans with butter on them, but the sauce was a bit too thick it stuck a bit too well to the beans, too much of it was on every bite. I think the lima beans could have been better too, I can't quite pin it down, but I was a bit disappointed in the dish. 2.5 servings per container (1.5g fat, 5g protein, 100 calories)