Diet Food Reviews
Healthy Delites Roasted Vegetable Souffle
By: | Dec 4, 2008
I have walked past Healthy Delites Souffles (now called Garden Delites), in the freezer aisle many times, but on a day that I was feeling like trying something new, I stopped and gave them the once over. As I tried to decide between the Broccoli, Spinach, Cauliflour, Zucchini, Butternut Squash and the Roasted Vegetable Souffle, which I ultimately chose, I scanned the nutrition facts and was pleasantly surprised (that's putting it mildly really), to see that each was a mere 120 calories each - with the exception of the 180 calorie Butternut Squash Souffle - for the entire 8 oz dish?! They are also fat free, gluten free, and kosher (okay so that does nothing for me, but hey, I have lots of Jewish friends who'd be quite interested)!
The 3 pictures you see are one of the box (what you see when you buy), one of the souffle when you remove it from the box before it is cooked, and one of a slice of the souffle after cooking. as you can see, at first sight, it's not pretty. The outside looked burnt and guess what ... it felt and tasted burnt, too. The inside looked beautiful, brightly colored and with plenty of easily recognizable vegetables. So why was there no individual texture or flavor from any of them? Instead, it was spongy and mushy, and I'm not sure how exactly to describe the flavor. It was not overly salty or spicy, and definitely had a souffle sort of taste - a little egg-y, a lot vegetable-y - pleasant but not particularly great. The texture, I think, really impacted my view on the taste, too, as it just plain took away from the enjoyment in general.
As I mentioned before, the nutrition facts for the Healthy Delites Roasted Vegetable Souffle are really impressive. There are 120 calories, no fat or cholesterol, 520 mg of sodium (a disappointing 22% of the RDA), no potassium, 8 grams of protein and 22 grams of carbohydrates which includes 4 grams of fiber and 6 of those being sugar. It even provides 80% RDA for Vitamin C, and 210% RDA for Vitamin A. Even better, the ingredients are all-natural. There are a total of 11 ingredients, 7 of which are various vegetables (zucchini, carrots, broccoli, spinach, red pepper, potatoes, and onions), with the rest being egg whites, sugar, salt, and spices.
I certainly would NEVER pay the regular $5.00 price for one of these, so maybe it is better they weren't out-of-this-world. I would consider it again at the $2.50 sale price, though even that is fairly steep for one mediocre frozen entree. However, I did finish it, and got more used to it after the initial disappointment.
Update// Perhaps it was wishful thinking, or simply being in awe of the nutrition label, but I went back to purchase the other flavors as well. I have since tried the Healthy Delites/ Garden Delites Broccoli Souffle, and it was awesome! It did not look or taste burnt at all and was incredibly tasty. I would definitely buy it again. Maybe the first souffle I tried may have simply slipped past quality control (either that, or the quality varies by flavor). Either way, my second experience with Healthy Delites Souffles was far more enjoyable than the first.
See more on: Frozen Meals
, Natural Foods
, Vegetarian
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I'm always wary for souffle that you make in the microwave. This one doesn't look pretty, but I might have to try the broccoli one.
Can you buy these online anywhere?
Wow that looks incredible.
MMMMM Yummy broccoli! I might have to try it! I'm venturing out to a new Whole Foods that recently opened, so hopefully I can find it there.
So here goes:
They are now called "Garden Lites" but are mainly still known as "Healthy Delites" by the store managers who order them. They are by the Classic Cooking company. SInce I wrote this I've had one EVERY DAY. It's running down my bank account. I talked to the manager of a store though, and they give them to me 10% off for buying by the case. The only glitch is that when they changed the name they changed the recipe, and so while they are still great, they aren't AS amazing as they were, despite being "improved". Oh well, still yummy!
As for the other flavors:
Zucchini: very starchy, didn't like it at all.
Cauliflower: I LOVELOVELOVE cauliflower...unfortunately the souffle is pretty bland and tasteless.
Spinach: Again, not impressed, but does have a very spinach-y flavor.
Haven't tried the butternut squash souffle.
Whole Foods doesn't carry them but I am trying... lol.
If you live in NYC you can get them at certain stores, and there is one in Brooklyn where they are only $3.50 and they will deliver. Too bad I live JUST above the delivery cutoff (they won't go above 100th St in Manhattan).
You CAN order online from one website I've seen, AromaMarket.net...BUT the shipping will be astronomical if you don't live in Florida.
I love these things, and I quite enjoy the crispy edge that is achieved eventhough it is microwaved.
And i definately think it deserves more then 2.5 on the nutrition rating!
I gave it a five on nutrition!!!! And if I could rerate it it would get a 5 on EVERYTHING! Except price, lol! I actually love the crispy edge as well, it's one of the best parts...just that first one I tried really was burnt to a crisp, and almost turned me off completely to this awesome line.
I JUST went out and bought one of those today. It's actualy in the oven now...
I try not to heat things in plastic too much though (I know it's really controversial so no need to get into that). I heated mine in a different container than what it came in though. I wonder if that's going to change anything.
Anyway we'll see how it turns out...
I live in Baltimore and have seen them sold at 7 Mile Market and Shoppers food store. It's possible they have them at other places as well.
*oh yeah not to confuse people, i wrote the comment above this one and i'm a different jessica then the person who rated and reviewed this product. I didn't realize we had the same name or i would have written something else.
Thank you so much for reviewing these - I've wanted to try then for such a long time! Jessica (#1?) - do you live above 100th on the west side? I think they sell them at Westside Market!
Well I ate it! It was pretty good. When I took it out I noticed there was alot of liquid on the bottom and it was a little soggy so i poured the liquid out and stuck it back in and that really helped.
I'm not going to buy them again though because although it was good I didn't feel like it was worth $4 at all. I'm glad I tried it though. :)
Oh they do, Ellen! Haha, I've gotten them there! I am there like EVERY DAY, I love that store with their amazing and CHEAP! produce. However, the souffles are a dollar cheaper each in Brooklyn (Glatt Mart) and that adds up since I eat them every day. If anyone wants to pick up my next order for me I will totally give you some cool promo stuff and a free bag of coffee (hey fair trade/organic!) LoL, any takers? ;)
I had the broccoli one before and I really liked it! I haven't tried any of the other ones though.
I think the butternut squash one is quite good, the zucchini pretty good, and the spinach ok. The Spinach had the overly-browned tough top that the article mentions for the roasted vegetable. The zucchini and spinach ones are too salty for me.
Note that the photos at the top of the article are a bit misleading, because the little bowl is not nearly as big as it looks compared to the box.
They are very low in Weight Watcher Points, and are good for a low-point side dish, snack, or to go along with a low- point soup or salad. I will continue to buy them. I get them at Giant in PA.
Where can I buy the Garden Lites gluten free roasted vegetable souffle? I live in Highland Park, IL, but the local stores don't carry the product.