Tastes Like Chicken

We sampled honey barbecue and Buffalo, and if you can get past the
spongy, tofu-like texture, you may think you’re eating a chicken wing,
except there are no bones to pick clean. A dietary fiber content of 4
grams, or 16 percent of daily total, isn’t too shabby, either.
To prepare Smart Wings, either saute them or put into the microwave (a
great option if you’ve forgotten to defrost them before the big game).
Each box contains two servings of four wings apiece, so if you have a
lot of vegetarians to feed, you’ll need several. Locally they retail
for $4.99 a box, so that can get kind of pricey. But like shrimp on
game day, consider these a treat. To complete the illusion of eating
chicken wings, serve these alongside celery sticks and your favorite
creamy dressing.

A coupon good for $1 off one Lightlife product is available on their
Web site, www.lightlife.com. Find them locally in the produce aisle at
Price Chopper and the Nature’s Marketplace section at Wegmans.

In addition to the “chicken wings,” Lightlife sent some Smart Sausages
Smoked Style and veggie entrees. Both turned out to be just as tasty as
the wings. Many vegetarians are so focused on eating enough vegetables
that they forget to pay attention to their protein intake. The sausages
solve that problem, with 13 grams of protein and 150 calories per
sausage. Plunk them inside a whole wheat roll, and you’re good to go.

For the veggie entrees, a really nice option is a sauce packet on the
side, so you can add no sauce, or as much as you like, to taste. But
even the full sauce packet didn’t increase the calorie or sodium count
enough to make these entrees bad news.

These frozen entrees come in six varieties that can be heated in the
microwave or conventional oven. Each meal has at least two daily
servings of vegetables and one daily serving of whole grains. Flavors
include Asian Teriyaki, Indian Veggie Masala, Linguine Siciliano,
Shanghai Fried Rice, Zesty Mexican and Tuscan Portobello, a personal
favorite with barley as the grain. All of the entrees bring just 250 to
390 calories to the table.

At a suggested retail price of $3.99 per entree, they are a better deal
than the Smart Wings, as well as more nutritionally well-rounded.

Founded in 1979, Lightlife is based in Turners Falls, Mass. Five
percent of the company’s net profits have gone to protecting children,
the environment and human rights.