Diet Food Reviews

Fantastic Foods Vegetarian Chili

By: Tanya Patrice | Aug 29, 2005

What? A MALE making pre-made chili from a BOX?? What kind of MADNESS is this? You know that us males of the species have been born with the innate ability to create such delicate things as chili, spaghetti, and various smoked meat entrees, so why in heck would one choose to violate that most manly and precious gift by seeking out something that lives inside of a BOX, of all things?

The answer lies with the introduction of the microwave. sometimes there just isn't time to pick the fresh tomatoes, skillet-simmer the soy (let's not EVEN talk about browning hamburger ...), and grind the spice mix, in our hectic bachelor lives. Sometimes we have to make a sacrifice to the gods of dating, outings, and bar-b-que's, so that we get enough nutrition, and do so rather quickly. Enter 'Fantastic Foods' Vegetarian Chili. It's nice the way it is, but they its also very amenable to "scientific alteration" (read: adulterating). It's also quick as heck, with a total of about ten minutes needed from box-ripping to chili-eating.

One box, when made according to the directions (add your own tomato paste and kidney beans) yields six 1/4 cup servings. Each serving only has 1 gram of fat and carries 8 grams of protein. But what guy is only going to eat a quarter cup? The only concern with this is the amount of sodium, at 480 mg per serving, it's best to ensure that you've rinsed those canned beans to minimize sodium as much as possible.

One of my favorite adulterations for this, is to make it without the beans, and to use tomato sauce instead of paste and water. You get a whole different taste, especially if you use the 'Muir Glenn' varieties of organic tomato sauce (but that's another review). Cut back on the microwave time a bit so you don't end up with a burnt brick, and then use these in a soft burrito shell with non-fat sour cream, some nice melty soy-cheese, and some of your favorite salsa (Gods gift of seasoning to the bachelor male), for one heck of a tasty Mexican dinner. It can also be put between two toasted soft shells with some cheese, blasted on a hot non-stick skillet without oil and toasted for a really awesome quesadilla. I've even used it as a flavoring and to increase the protein content of a simple microwave soup. The variations possible are endless!

This is obviously one of those things I just keep around for "eatin' emergencies," and have had a great deal of fun just playing with it. And for around two bucks a box, that's a lot of fun for a little bit of bucks!

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Taste (4/5):
Nutrition (5/5):
Price (3/5):
Overall (3.5/5):