Tasty Bite!

Just found a great food product that's super quick, easy, healthy, and sooo tasty! The brand is appropriately named "Tasty Bite" and the product is "Madras Lentils"- if you've never heard of or had this type of food, you MUST try it! It tastes a lot like chili, but it's vegetarian. It's comprised of lentils, red beans, and spices in a creamy tomato sauce, deeelish! You don't have to add anything to it, or refrigerate it before opening. To prepare it all you have to do is pop it in the microwave or warm it on the stove. You can find it in the ethnic section of your grocer, or potentially near the rice and beans section. I actually found it in Costco for a really good price. So handy to have on hand when you're low on time or groceries.

All the ingredients are all natural with no preservatives, gluten free, kosher, no MSG, and it's vegetarian. The ingredients are so simple: water, tomatoes, lentils, red beans, onions, cream, salt, butter, sunflower oil, chilies, and cumin. Nothing you can't pronounce or buy as a whole food in the store. This would also be an ideal food to take camping, as it stores extremely easily (comes in a pouch) and if you are able to heat it, you're good to go. It's around $2.50 per 10oz box. With only 120 calories and 6g protein per serving, it's around 100 calories less, half the sodium, and a third of the carbs per serving than traditional canned chili; also, without the modified food starch, "natural flavoring" (which if you haven't heard is a "clean label" for MSG- I'll have to go into the terrible facts about this in a later posting), and anything else it may have in it. Tasty Bite also carries other Indian and Thai dishes as well as seasoned rices and simmer sauces. I haven't tried any of their other products, but you can bet I will.

I have prepared it a few ways that are all amazing:
- In a tortilla with corn and cheese all warmed up together 2 mins in the microwave. Add anything else you'd like for a bigger burrito; rice, tomatoes, even chicken if you want some meat in there. (I actually took it to work this way today- such an easy to-go lunch, just wrap it up in tin foil and go- as long as you can refrigerate until you can warm it up.
- On top of tortilla chips with cheese, corn, and tomatoes; warmed in microwave
- On fries with cheese for a healthy "chili cheese fries"
- As a dip, add anything you like and dip chips in it. The website has a recipe for a dip with chopped onions, chives, sour cream and cheese, yum!
*Pretty much anything you can think of with chili would be good with this!

Seriously, try it- you may end up nixing the preservative filled canned chili and discover a great new, healthier product to replace it.