Any'tizers could very well be the next go-to party fav!
I am all about homemade food. However, sometimes a couple of products come along that makes life so user-friendly and are so tasty and delicious, that you have to move out of your comfort zone.
For me that was Tyson any'tizers. I tried the Chicken stuffed with Pepperoni and Mozzarella, the Chicken Cordon Bleu Minis stuffed with Swiss and Ham, and the Honey glazed BBQ Wyngs. I loved them all but preferred the first and the last the best. The chicken with the pepperoni was like a little bite of crispy chicken-parm, without all the sloppy cheese resting on top. The honey BBQ Wyngs were crunchy, sticky, sweet and tangy. Both varieties (as well as the Cordon Bleu) were made with boneless, all white meat chicken, which I liked, and were substantial enough to eat just a few of and walk away without devouring the whole platter! Sure, you can make a meal of these, which might just happen in this kid-friendly house of mine, but plated on a pretty platter, and skewered, these tasty-round bites of goodness come off downright elegant enough for a little entertaining at home! Any'tizers are available nationwide and on Long Island at most grocery store's freezer section and retail for approx. $4.50. Tyson is also supporting schools with it's Project A+, so check your boxes, register your schools and hand in your labels for $.24 each. Those nickels add up quickly!
Kahiki Chicken Egg Rolls rocked me!
While perusing my supermarkets freezer section, I came across a Hawaiian brand that has been around since 1961 called Kahiki (where have I been?) with their Chef-inspired white meat Chicken Egg Rolls. Normally, this would be an item that I would immediately pass over, but I was intrigued because the package said that the egg roll contained only 80 calories (new packages are 90 calories) with no MSG, preservatives or fillers. It also only had 4 g. of fat and 530 mg of sodium. I love Chinese egg rolls but straight from my favorite restaurants they contain a boatload of fat and calories! Could I get this "seemingly fried" crispy filled product to satisfy my craving? Yup! Delicious! Even though the package came with a very interesting microwave contraption to keep the roll crispy when cooking, I chose to use a conventional oven. The egg roll came out without the slightest hint of greasiness! The outside was almost flaky. The inside had a good amount of chicken, with crunchy pieces of carrot and a little bit soggy, but good cabbage. The flavor was peppery, but in a good way. I did not use the sauce provided inside. Kahiki has over 70 products in their line of foods, including Kahiki Naturals which uses 100% Natural Ingredients, No Artificial Additives or Colors, No Preservatives, Minimally Processed Ingredients, Zero Trans Fat, GMO-Free Ingredients, and Lower Sodium Levels. Kahiki brand is available Nationwide, but I purchased mine in my local Waldbaum's Store (for more Waldbaum's news, see below). Aloha!
Pre-cooked Chicken Breast strips that are great!
Hormel All Natural, Carved Chicken Breast, Grilled was a suprise to me. I always grill my own "little bit extra" chicken or buy a store bought rotisserie chicken to keep in my fridge for chicken-emergency, recipe rescues! This time, however, I did not have the time to grill or saute and the rotisserie chickens were still cooking and twirling away at the store. What to do? I headed for the pre-sliced meats and picked up a package of Hormel's All Natural Carved Chicken Breast. I liked that the package had a seal and lock inner bag. I LOVED that this product had no nitrates, or nitrites, artificial ingredients, MSG and is GLUTEN FREE. The chicken pieces had a fresh aroma as soon as the bag was opened. The chicken's texture felt freshly made in my mouth as well, without the "spongy" texture that is often associated with pre-sliced chicken. Each 2 oz serving contains only 60 delicious calories, 1.5 g of fat and 340 mg. of sodium. Hormel Natural Choice Chicken would be great in any so many recipes including any type of sandwich, salad, burrito, quesedilla or perhaps chopped and stirred into a quick-made soup for added protein!
I love how Hormel is working hard and looking to help us all out...with an initiative called Values without Compromise. This e-brochure is chock full of nutrition and food-swapping information that is so reader friendly and applicable in our every day lives. Hormel, you have come a long way from Spam! Check it out!
Supermarkets are also working hard to steer their customers towards nutritious and healthier food choices. Stop and Shop has little green "HEALTHY IDEAS" labels and The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (Waldbaum's, A&P, and Pathmark on Long Island) have their own kid friendly, natural and organic brands called Green Way, Healthy Kids and Live Better. They also have a FANTASTIC e-coupon program called ZAVERS where you can register and just use your card at the store for built in coupons! A dollar is better in your pocket, right?!
For more info: If you would like to see all the installments of Grocery 101: Grocery Lists Volumes from the Long Island Grocery Examiner PLUS all my product reviews and recipes, please visit my Homepage and consider commenting below and Subscribing!
For a listing of Long Island Grocery Stores, including those that deliver, review here.
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Comments
I can attest to the deliciousness of the Kahiki egg rolls. Recently my wife was out of town. She pointed them out to me in the freezer but told me I should make them in the oven. Not being savvy in the kitchen, and being a typical impatient male, I just followed the microwave instructions on the box. Simple enough - cut the ends off the pouch, place the 2 egg rolls on a paper towel and nuke on high for 4 1/2 minutes (cooking time for 1 egg roll is half of that). I did use the dipping sauce provided in the box - kind of a sweet and sour. Pretty good but not as good as you get in the Chinese restaurant. All in all, i was very satisfied and they were delicious! Highly recommended to anyone with kids or husbands! Im going to tell my wife to bring home other Kahiki products to try!
Great ideas Stephanie. I love appetizers, but don't like to make them myself. Definitely going to look for some of the ones you mentioned. A favorite of mine is Sabra's mushroom borekas. (I get them at Fairway.) I eat them for dinner sometimes too.
I'll have to try those Borekas. I love spinich pies and eat them when I go to greek restaurants. The only issue I ever have is when they microwave to heat. It just ruins the whole, flaky, crispy, light thing. I eat that a lot for lunch.
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