Lightlife entrees are easy, tasty meals

(Lightlife's Zesty Mexican frozen entree is a flavorful mix of veggies and brown rice)

Mmmm ... doesn't that look like a tasty meal? Well, it was, and I didn't make it — which is so unlike me.

That's because I took part in a taste test for Lightlife, which debuted some new Veggie Entrees that feature thickly cut vegetables, brown rice and sauce on the side. The selections have an international flair when it comes to seasonings. I've always liked the non-frozen Lightlife products, including Smart Dogs, and often buy the tempeh products, so I figured I would give these new entrees a try. Plus, Lightlife is a pretty cool "green" company, which since its founding in 1979, has given 5 percent of its net profits to agencies that protect children, the environment and human rights.

The photo above is the Zesty Mexican entree, which has fire-roasted peppers, corn, black beans and pinto beans with whole grain brown rice. It comes with a lime-chipotle sauce pack.



The meals have at least two daily servings of vegetables and one daily serving of whole grains. They are all natural and made without preservatives. They are high in protein and low in calories, ranging from 250 to 390 calories per meal.

I have to say the two I tasted — the Zesty Mexican and Indian Veggie Masala — were quite good. The vegetables in both dishes were crisp and crunchy, and did not get lost in the brown rice, which was neither mushy nor sticky. The cooked rich had distinctive, separate grains with a nutty taste.

(The Indian Veggie Masala had a zesty touch of spice in the sauce)

Now, I don't own a microwave oven and I don't like "cooking" food in plastic. It just doesn't sit well with me and my philosophy on food. But I do admit to using the microwave at work, because it is convenient and quick, and it's there. When I do use the office microwave, I "nuke" my food in glass containers. Had I eaten these tasty little meals at home, I would have removed the content from the black plastic bowl, put it in a glass covered casserole dish and cooked it in a regular oven.



But, hey, this was all about convenience, so I followed the directions for cooking in a microwave and tried not to think about the chemicals that might be oozing out of the plastic into my food.

I really was impressed with the products, though. The photo above is the Indian Veggie Masala, which was my favorite of the two. The sweet potatoes were perfectly cooked with good flavor. They really had some substance to them. Likewise, the peas were crisp and the sauce had a hint of spice, which I really liked.

The Mexican plate had a good ratio of veggies to rice. The peppers had a tasty fire-roasted flavor and the beans, both the black and pinto, had an excellent texture. The lime-chipotle sauce was good, but I thought overall, the dish could have used a splash of Tamari to kick it up a bit. The portion size was just enough, and I was comfortably sated after eating them.

Both times I made these at work, at least one co-worker exclaimed, "That smells good," which is always an indicator of food appeal, especially when cooked in a microwave oven.

I liked how for two days I did not have to think about what I was bringing to work for lunch and how easy it was to pull it out of the freezer and pop it into the microwave, plastic and all. I much prefer making my own food, but if convenience and necessity warranted my buying these products, I would not hesitate to do so.

Along with the Mexican and Indian entrees, the other flavors are Asian Teriyaki, Linguine Siciliano, Shanghai Fried Rice and Tuscan Portobello. Suggested retail price per entree is $3.99. They are available at health food stores and many major supermarkets in the Hudson Valley.