Kashi Black Bean Mango

It has been a busy couple weeks for me. I'm in the process of interviewing for a new job, I'm on the board of Cleveland State's MBA Alumni Association and we've had a few meeting and events, and I'm getting ready to go to a "wedding vacation" this upcoming weekend. So...I've been relying on staples of life - frozen entrees.

My most recent vegan entree discovery was Kashi's Black Bean Mango.

It consists of black beans, mangoes, and assorted vegetables over a 7-grain pilaf. At 340 calories, this hefty entree makes for a very filling lunch or a nice light dinner. The pilaf makes it very filling. I really enjoyed the "fiery" mango sauce, although I wished there had been more of it. Despite the face that this is a black bean entree, I felt like I didn't get all that many beans. But it was still really good, nonetheless. I'd say this entree ranks in my top 5 right now for freshness and flavor. For busy vegetarians and vegans like me, or if you're ok with a meatless meal, you should definitely give this entree a try.

Kashi knows natural food

There's a right way and a wrong way to make "natural" products. Kashi frozen foods = right way. Healthy Choice = completely wrong. But I've said more than enough about Healthy Choice, so let's focus on the positive, shall we?

Every time I go to the grocery store, it seems like I find new Kashi frozen food product. For what seems like years, the Giant Eagle near my house only stocked Pesto Pasta Primavera - an entree that I'll eat if I have to, but I'd never run out to the store to buy it. I keep it stocked in my freezer as "emergency - I don't feel like cooking anything else and haven't gone shopping in weeks" food. Then they started carrying the Kashi Pocket Bread Sandwiches. I tried the Veggie Medley sandwich and again, thought it was good, but not great. To me, the "pocket" tasted too grainy. But again, I do keep this in my freezer for when I want a quick meal under 300 calories. (280 to be exact)

Then Giant Eagle began stocking the Tuscan Veggie Bake. I like lasagna. I generally like vegetables. I like entrees that are 260 calories. And I also like vegan frozen options, so I bought this meal with lowered expectations.

Surprisingly, this was the best Kashi meal I've ever had. There's a hodge podge of vegetables in between the wheat lasagna noodles, like squash, eggplant, and sweet potatoes, which sound like they'd be horrible together but are actually quite good. The tomato sauce is a little zesty and has a nice tomato flavor. It tastes very fresh - almost like something you'd whip up yourself. If you could cook well. Which I can't.

My friend Christine gave me her review of the Mayan Harvest Bake, another vegan entree. She said it has plantains, sweet potatoes, black beans and a really good sauce. And polenta, which I'm not really a fan of. And apparently she isn't either, but she was able to eat around it and still enjoy her meal. I think I'll have to give that one a try next. I'm all about supporting a company that strives to make great natural products (all of them - not just one line of foods), and even if not every dish is a home run, I still appreciate their efforts.