by Marianne Plunkert
Overall rating: 3.6 of 5.0
Meal Description and Cooking Instructions
The title of this luncheon entrée on the weekly menu plan that was included in the shipment and the title provided on the packaging differed. The title on the packaging read, “White Chicken & Beef Soft Taco with Cheddar Cheese and Mexican Style Corn.” According to the list of ingredients used, the latter is more descriptive since chicken is the second ingredient on the list, after corn.
The meal arrived in a 2-compartment plastic tray, with a 7-inch, whole wheat tortilla shell and about ¼ cup of filling in one section and about ¼ cup of Mexican corn–golden corn kernels mixed with red peppers–in the other.
Beef and Cheddar Cheese Soft Taco with Mexican Corn
by Marianne Plunkert
Overall rating: 3.6 of 5.0
Meal Description and Cooking Instructions
The title of this luncheon entrée on the weekly menu plan that was included in the shipment and the title provided on the packaging differed. The title on the packaging read, “White Chicken & Beef Soft Taco with Cheddar Cheese and Mexican Style Corn.” According to the list of ingredients used, the latter is more descriptive since chicken is the second ingredient on the list, after corn.
The meal arrived in a 2-compartment plastic tray, with a 7-inch, whole wheat tortilla shell and about ¼ cup of filling in one section and about ¼ cup of Mexican corn–golden corn kernels mixed with red peppers–in the other.
Beef and Cheddar Cheese Soft Taco with Mexican Corn
The instructions indicated to remove the tortilla, nuke the remaining ingredients on high for 1 minute, and then roll the heated filling into the tortilla shell. I nuked my meal for 10 seconds longer, which worked out well.
I was to add an item from the fruit food group to supplement the meal. I decided on a half a banana today.
My General Impressions
The Mexican corn looked appetizing enough, but the whole-wheat tortilla shell was TUA—torn-upon-arrival–which detracted from its appearance. The filling looked like a brown glob. I identified a couple of slices of sautéed onions in it, but couldn’t distinguish among the other ingredients.
As I spooned the filling onto the shell, it barely seemed like enough. I doubted I would even be able to taste anything but the tortilla itself. That assessment turned out to be inaccurate. Chili powder had been added to the filling with a generous hand, and the entrée would have proven too spicy, even for me, had there been more of it or had a smaller shell been used.
As it was, this pungent spice pretty much dominated the taste of the filling anyway. It really didn’t matter whether the meat was a mixture of chicken and beef or beef alone. I could tell it was ground meat by the texture, but the individual tastes did not come through. Apparently the filling also contained some cheese and tomatoes, but you couldn’t tell it by me.
Speaking of textures, although the tortilla shell didn’t look all that attractive, it did taste moist and fresh. And the Mexican corn tasted as good as it looked. It wasn’t creamy like the Mexican corn dish I sometimes prepare, but then I didn’t expect it to be, given that this is a diet version of it. Regardless, it offered a milder flavor that tempered the spicy bite of the soft taco.
Nutritional Content
A little over 27% of this entrée’s calories are fat calories—60 of the total 220. The meal offers 13 grams of protein, and total carbs weigh in at 26 grams, with 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of sugars.
The meal supplies 15% of the recommended daily average doses of Vitamins A and C. It also provides 4% of the recommended daily calcium intake and 20% of the iron.
The whole wheat tortilla shell accounts for a serving of starch, and the oils used in the preparation of the entrée provide a serving of fat. The meal contains only partial servings of the other food groups. The half a banana I consumed with this meal equaled about a half a serving of fruit, and the corn and peppers provided me with a partial serving of vegetables. There was not a full serving of meat in the filling, either.
Food Rating/Quality
On a scale of 1 to 5, this eDiets luncheon entrée scores a 3.6 with me. It’s better than just “fair,” but not quite what I would call “good,” either. The taste of the chili powder overpowered the other ingredients used in the taco filling so much that I wouldn’t have known what they were without looking at the list of ingredients on the back of the package.
The tortilla shell had a nice texture and a flavor that helped mitigate the spiciness of the filling, however. The more mildly-seasoned Mexican corn also served this purpose and was tasty in and of itself.
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