THE NIBBLE » Low Calorie

PRODUCT: Ayala’s Herbal Water Adds Lemon Verbena Geranium

Editorial Assistant — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:47:04 +0000

There’s a new flower in the garden of Ayala’s Herbal Water. Lemon Verbena Germanium smells and tastes just like geraniums accented with lemon verbena (which some will recall as Ellen O’Hara’s—mother of Scarlett—favorite scent). Like the rest of the flavors, it’s refreshing, delightful and wonderfully different.

Ayala’s infuses organic garden herbs, blended with spices and citrus peel, into purified water to create innovative flavor profiles. We love this line; it complements food so much better than other flavored waters. The rest of the line includes Cinnamon Orange Peel, Clove Cardamom Cinnamon, Ginger Lemon Peel, Lavender Mint Lemongrass Thyme and Lemongrass Mint Vanilla. The first three are wonderful Thanksgiving flavors, especially welcomed by guests who don’t drink.

Ayala’s Herbal Water has zero calories and is certified USDA Organic and OU kosher. It is available at HerbalWater.com and at retailers nationwide, including Central Market, Food Emporium, Giant, HEB, Raley’s, Safeway, Wegmans, Whole Foods Market and many natural food and specialty food stores.

Read our review of Ayala’s Herbal Water, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

It’s different and it’s delicious! Photo courtesy of Ayala’s.

TIP OF THE DAY: Simple, Elegant, Healthy!

Nibble Editors — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:32:59 +0000

For a special, flavorful yet low-calorie and healthy appetizer, slice blocks of soft Japanese tofu and sprinkle them with toasted black sesame seeds, soy sauce and nori flakes. For even more flavor, add bonito flakes. Arrange on a large platter and let guests help themselves, or serve individual plates with two slices (the tofu looks especially beautiful on Asian-style dishes). If your regular supermarket doesn’t have an Asian products section, buy nori and bonito flakes at an Asian grocer. As with any condiment, a good brand of soy sauce makes a big difference.

Read our review of the best soy sauces.

PRODUCT: Mezzetta Tamed Jalapeño Peppers

Nibble Editors — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:00:51 +0000

Don’t come near our jar of Mezzetta Deli-Sliced Tamed Jalapeño Peppers—we’re saving them all for ourselves. Our favorite new condiment, these pickled jalapeño slices solve a problem as they add exciting new flavor to franks, burgers, sandwiches (any, but don’t forget grilled cheese!), salads, omelets, dips, relish trays and as long a list of savory foods as you can imagine—especially that obvious choice, nachos. Add a few to any plate as a zesty garnish.

We like jalapeño, but biting into even a small bit of a fresh one is a bit too much bite for us: too much burn, and when you’re in the food-tasting business, that takes out the taste buds for more time than we have to be out of commission. We promise, you need have no fear when you bite into these. Plus, they’re sugar-free and are a dieter’s dream: 5 slices for 7 calories. They’re certified kosher by KSA.

Mezzetta also sells the same product unsliced, called Tamed Jalapeño Peppers En Escabeche, as well as numerous other varieties of whole and deli-sliced peppers. (In the Shop Online section of the website, the sliced variety can be found under Deli-Sliced and the whole peppers are under Imported & Domestic Peppers). We look forward to trying the others, but in the interim, thanks to G. L. Mezzetta of Napa Valley for this new discovery.

These jalapeño slices have been “tamed” by pickling—and are delicious on just about
anything. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

See our Chile Glossary for the different varieties of chile peppers.

Make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich for those jalapeño slices.

TIP OF THE DAY: Diet Fruit Soup

Nibble Editors — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:59:55 +0000

Make a delicious, low-calorie fruit soup by puréeing 2 pounds of cantaloupe (two melons—reserve some melon balls for garnish). Then add 3/4 cup of herbal fruit tea and 1 to 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Garnish with chopped mint and melon balls or berries. Enjoy it at any meal as a first course or dessert, or anytime as a snack. For protein, add fat-free plain yogurt, which you can sweeten with a no-cal sweetener. If the cantaloupe isn’t sweet enough, add a small amount of sweetener to the soup, too. This is one of our favorite diet treats!

Find other low-calorie foods in our Diet Nibbles Section.

Check out our Soups & Stocks Section.

PRODUCT: Light Ice Cream ~ How Light Is It?

admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:26:53 +0000

Half the fat doesn’t mean you can eat twice
as much! Be sure to check the calories, too—
some brands of “light” ice creams have more
calories and sugar than other brands of “regular.”

Our friends at Consumer Reports have been dipping into the light ice cream to give you the scoop on light ice cream (in the July 2009 issue). By law, a “light” ice cream must have one-third the calories or half the fat of a brand’s regular ice cream.

The taste test compared three light ice creams with their regular counterparts, and also tried Häagen-Dazs Five, which isn’t marketed as a light ice cream but has a third less fat than regular Häagen-Dazs. The comments:

All of the lighter versions are quite tasty.

The lower-fat Häagen-Dazs Five was actually a bit better than the regular HD.

Breyers regular and light ice creams were very close in quality.

The light ice cream versions can also be less costly. Per half-cup serving, the lighter brands from Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s were less expensive as well as having far fewer calories. However (and there’s always a “however”), the term “light” is relative. The lighter Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry tried actually have more calories and sugars than the regular Edy’s/Dreyer’s and Breyers varieties.

Learn more about the different types of ice cream in our Ice Cream Glossary.

See reviews of our favorite ice cream brands and check out ice cream recipes in our Ice Cream Section.

PRODUCT: Sweet Heat–Mrs. Renfro’s Fruit Salsas

admin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:59:44 +0000

There exists a fine balance between sweet and savory—too much of one and the other falls short. For those who like sweet salsa, Mrs. Renfro’s Gourmet Salsas deserve your attention. All natural, there isn’t one ingredient on the label that wouldn’t come straight from your refrigerator or pantry. Rather than dominate the flavor palette, the fruit notes in these salsas amplify the vegetable flavors and cut through the heat. The consistency is on the thick side, perfect for clinging to a tortilla chip, blanketing a bland meat like chicken or blending with yogurt or sour cream for an instant, creamy crudité dip or spread.

Tequila
Tequila adds a piquant bite to mellow, sweet pineapple. The subtle tang of fresh lime juice and a mounting heat towards the finish make for an excellent overall flavor.

Mrs. Renfro’s Pineapple Salsa.

Pineapple
If you’re at all a fan of fresh, ripe pineapple, this is the Holy Grail of salsa for you. As proven by the popular “Hawaiian” pizza, tomato and pineapple make a delicious couple. With juicy chunks of sweet-and-tangy fruit in every bite, you barely notice Mrs. Renfro’s signature hot finish.

Pomegranate
Many products claiming to be pomegranate-flavored end up tasting like anything but. Not so with this salsa. The fruit shines clearly through the rich, smoky chipotle without so much as a peep from artificial flavoring. The lingering sweet-hot afterburn will have you immediately reaching for another chip.

The verdict: we’re more than likely to dip into these again!

See more of our favorite salsas.
Read the history of salsa.
See our favorite gourmet tortilla chips .

VALENTINE’S DAY GIFTS: VDay Minus 8 ~ Low-Calorie Heart-Shaped Muffins

Editorial Assistant — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:37:57 +0000

Send your favorite dieter Vitalicious 100-calorie, heart shaped chocolate muffins; and enter for a chance to win a Tiffany diamond pendant at http://vitalicious.com/store.html. The chocolate muffins, available year-round in standard muffin shape and muffin tops, are quite tasty for diet food.

- Read our review of Vitalicious Muffins.

- Find more of our favorite diet products in the Diet Nibbles section of TheNibble.com.

PRODUCT: VitaMuffin VitaTops

Editorial Assistant — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:00:56 +0000

People who like muffins, chocolate, muffin tops and reduced-calorie foods have discovered VitaMuffins (read our review). The 100-calorie chocolate muffin tops are so popular that VitaMuffin expanded the options from the original Deep Chocolate to Chocolate Fig, Dark Chocolate Pomegranate, Double Chocolate Dream (with white chips), Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip, and Triple Chocolate Chunk. There’s also a Sugar-Free/Low Carb Velvety Chocolate.

We recently tasted all seven chocolate varieties in one sitting and found the original Deep Chocolate to have the most satisfying chocolate flavor (it contains chocolate chips). In retrospect, that’s not much of a surprise: the semisweet chocolate flavor of the chips is taken away when white chips, PB chips, pomegranate and fig are substituted in the other flavors.

A box of 12 two-ounce individually-wrapped muffin tops is $16.00 ($18.50 for sugar-free) at VitaMuffin.com. They freeze beautifully. The all-natural VitaTops are also made in Banana Nut, BlueBran (blueberry), Golden Corn, CranBran, MultiBran and AppleBerry. The non-chocolate varieties retail at $14.45 per dozen and most have 80 calories.

Vitalicious, the manufacturer apprises us that you can walk off the 80-100 calorie VitaTops in 13-15 minutes. Share a muffin top, coffee and a stroll with a friend.

A box of chocolate VitaTops goes on our list of Valentine gifts for people you love too much to send a box of chocolate. Gift certificates are available. Read the full review at http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/nutri/breadstuffs/vitalicious-vitamuffin.asp.

PRODUCTS: Gluten-Free Food

Editorial Assistant — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:15:25 +0000

Chocolate cashew Cupola Clouds offer very
low-calorie crunch.

How pervasive is gluten allergy? Although celiac disease affects approximately one percent of the population, a larger number of people have gluten sensitivity, which causes gastrointestinal complaints. In November, Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month, Uno Chicago Grill tested the nation’s first gluten-free chain pizza (cheese and pepperoni) in its northeast region. Response was so great, they’re rolling it out nationwide.

This month, THE NIBBLE reviews gluten-free Cupola Cookies and Cupola Clouds cheese bites. An index to all of our gluten-free foods can be found in our Diet Nibbles Section.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Silver Creek Jerky Snack Strips

Editorial Assistant — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:00:56 +0000

For portion control and convenient packaging, these 50-calorie, one-ounce snack strips can’t be beat.

-Beef Sirloin With Cranberries & Blueberries has excellent beef flavor with a nice natural sweetness from the dried fruit. There’s a light pepperiness. The nutrition label: calories from fat, 15; total fat 2g; saturated fat .5g; trans fat 0g; cholesterol 15mg; sodium 286 mg (12% DV); total carb 4g; sugars 2g; protein 10g; vitamin A, 0% DV, vitamin C, 0% DV; iron 2% DV.

-Skinless Chicken Breast With Black Bean Salsa & Wisconsin Cheddar has real black bean flavor and heat from the “salsa” component, although there’s no prominent flavor of Cheddar—not that it’s needed. The nutrition label: calories from fat, 10; total fat 1g; saturated fat 0g; trans fat 0g; cholesterol 20mg; sodium 340 mg (14% DV); total carb 1g; sugars 0g; protein 12g; vitamin A, 4% DV, vitamin C, 2% DV; calcium 2% DV; iron 2% DV.

Jerky snack strips, an apple and a can of sparkling
juice are an easily portable and nutritious snack.

-Chicken Breast With Italian Seasoning & Romano Cheese started out meaty and cheesy, as if it belonged on an Italian antipasto platter. (There’s some red bell pepper for flavoring, too.) Then the black pepper kicked in, and sustained a long, fresh-ground peppery finish. The nutrition label: calories from fat, 10; total fat 1g; saturated fat 0g; trans fat 0g; cholesterol 20mg; sodium 290 mg (12% DV); total carb 1g; sugars 0g; protein 12g; vitamin A, 15% DV, vitamin C, 60% DV; calcium 4% DV; iron 2% DV.

Read THE NIBBLE’s article on the best gourmet jerky.