Foodenator

With the inception of 2010, many people have jumped on the eat healthy and exercise bandwagon of New Years resolutions. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a negative experience and often there are ways a person can integrate healthy food into their normal diets. For instance, the Morningstar Farms brand makes Veggie Bacon strips which are actually created using soy beans. This is a great substitute for bacon bits on your salad. Simply follow the directions to cook the veggie bacon in the microwave and then crumble the strips onto a salad and enjoy!

Using soy products has many health benefits and no longer means that you have to sacrifice the taste of the food just to have a healthier lifestyle. Experts believe soy products can help to ward off certain types of cancer such as breast and prostate when consumed starting at an early age. It has also been proven to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and lower cholesterol. Soy based products contains vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein and it comes in a variety of foods that kids like, such as chocolate soy milk, frozen pizza, taco “meat” and “chicken” nuggets.

Leftover spaghetti sauce and meatballs from the weekend but not in the mood for more pasta?  Try this tasty recipe for a meatball bagel sandwich.

Ingredients:

Leftover Sauce and Meatballs
Garlic Powder
Choice of cheese
Choice of bagel

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  First, toast the bagel and spread with butter.  Next, sprinkle a little garlic powder over the surface of the bagel.  Take the sauce and meatballs and heat in the microwave for about 1 minute.  Cut the meatballs into thin slices and layer on 1 half of the bagel.  Next top with the sauce on the same half of the bagel.  For the other side of the bagel, layer with your favorite kind of cheese.  I have used string cheese, an Italian blend or just Parmesan.   Place the bagel halves face up on the cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the cheese and sauce is bubbly.

This dish goes great with soup or a salad!

There exists food out there which takes no preparation at all. Those foods are excluded from this list. These are the easiest foods to make. Chosen by a panel of food enthusiasts.

1. Grilled Cheese Sandwich: In its simplest form this is just a slice of cheese sandwiched between two slices of bread. Then toasted.

2. Spaghetti with Sauce: Throw spaghetti (or any pasta really) into a boiling pot of water. Wait several minutes. Strain spaghetti. Top with Sauce.

3. Hot Dog: Heat a hot dog in the microwave. Place heated dog in roll. Top with condiments of your choice.

You’ve seen Foodenator’s Steve’s Margarita Preview, Now, after multiple tastings, we have this Steve’s Margarita review.

First a little background on Steve’s Margarita:
After three years of formulation, testing and regulatory work, AL-RITE presents Steve’s Margarita, a ready-to-drink margarita made from blue agave wine. The 12 percent alcohol beverage comes in 375 ml, 1 L and 3 L freezable, lightweight PET bottles. The goal of Steve’s Margarita is to fill a niche of portable, RTD cocktails that consumers can enjoy anywhere without sacrificing quality.

Review Time
Foodenator was fortunate to have the opportunity to test out two forms of Steve’s Margarita, On the Rocks and Frozen. Both were surprisingly tasty, and considering the sophisticated palates of the Foodenator reviewers, this was quite a feat. The most notable margarita ingredient, tequila, has been replaced by a blue agave wine, a possible turn-off for margarita purists, but let Foodenator assure you, telling the difference is next to impossible. These margs tasted like the real thing, on the rocks and frozen. The taste of freshly squeezed lime and a perfect balance of sweetness/tartness really made the drink.

“Steve’s Margaritas transported me to the Yucatán Peninsula” -Sarah T.

It’s worth noting, frozen is the best way to enjoy the Steve’s Margarita experience. You simply place the drink in the freezer, once frozen, easily squeeze out the frozen marg.

For the lazy Margarita drinker, there is no equivalent. Steve’s Margarita easily claims the #1 spot in the ready-to-drink Margarita market.

Highly Recommended

********* 1/2 – 9 1/2 out of 10

Foodenator Choice Award

“Imagine relaxing and enjoying the great taste of
a margarita by just simply pouring something
in your glass. Well it has arrived…
Steve’s Margarita! This delicious beverage is
ready to drink and can be enjoyed frozen or
on the rocks.”

Review Coming Soon

Just by looking at it, Foodenator knew it would be a 6 – The Dunkin’ Donuts Chicken Parmasan Flatbread sandwich. On taste alone the dd chix parm delivered. On looks, it didn’t look so hot to a tender eye.

This flatbread is made up of a chicken patty, a top piece of flat bread, melted parmesan cheese (could have fooled me, looked and tasted like mozzarella), marinara sauce, and a bottom piece of flat bread. First thing noticed when unwrapping was the bread was not exactly flat, it was moist and bent – dissapointing. The chicken patty looked out of place sandwiched between the top and bottom flat bread. The bread is triangles and the chix patty is ovalish. The melted mystery cheese was in effect melted and had a great consistency.

First bite and Foodenator was impressed. The whole package went down easy. Paired with a dd iced tea with nothing in it, makes an entire meal. Recommended

****** 6 out of 10

Everyone is familiar with the old adage, “it tastes like chicken”.  A person can hear the phrase being used to compare the tastes of foods such as alligator or frog.  Well, a group of clever Jamaicans have taken the taste of chicken to an all new level.  Abstracting a lesser known version of Rooster from Old English, they have made this polygamous chicken into a soup. 

After all, who doesn’t like cock? 

** Warning, this is not like the chicken soup your mother used to make

This drink is perfect for a hot summer night when the left over pabst blue ribbon from last weekend in your refrigerator will just not do the trick.

1 bottle of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum

1 Bottle of Orange Juice

1 can of  Sprite

Fill your cup with ice and add 2 shots of Captain Morgan.  Next fill the glass about 3/4 of the way with orange juice and finish the glass off with sprite.  Stire & Enjoy! 

This is a great recipe for the summer when you have a lot of extra tomatoes. The recipe is also very light and you can adjust the spices for your taste.

1. Thinly slice a tomato and then cut each slice into four section
2. Place tomato on a plate and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder and salt
3. Chopped up fresh basil and sprinkle across the tomatoes
4. Take the ball of fresh mozzarella and cut approximately half into small, thin slices and place on top of tomatoes
5. Use a very small amount of balsamic vinegar & olive oil on top

Urban vegetarian hot spot, “It’s Only Natural”, located on Main Street in Middletown, CT, offers a fun atmosphere for both children and adults.  The wait staff is friendly and they let you draw on the tables with chalk while you wait for your meal.  (What more could you ask for?)  M-T there are drink specials – oh and the food is tasty!  If you like spicy, try the taco salad.