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WHAT'S NEW ON THE GROCERS' SHELVES
Ball Park Angus Beef Franks. Bun Size, and Lower Fat. $4.83 per 15-ounce to 16-ounce package of eight franks.
Bonnie: I'm not a big frankfurter fan, enjoying one only occasionally, charred from a grill. But these new lower-fat, full-tasting Ball Park Angus Beef Franks would be a decent choice for one of those rare occasions -- certainly compared to Ball Park's also new Bun Size Angus Franks. Each of the lower-fat ones has 10 grams of fat, which is a third less fat than a regular one, and also an unfortunately hefty 510 milligrams of sodium. That's comparable to many other companies' dogs.
Enjoy one -- but only one -- during this summer grilling season.
Carolyn: Hot dogs made with Angus beef sounds wrong -- like Tiffany's debuting a new line of plastic stemware. Considering that Angus beef is prized mainly for the tenderness that comes from consistent marbling and that hot dogs' ingredients are always chopped up and tender, it's easy to see Angus beef dogs as just a money-wasting conceit.
But the bigger problems are the flabby skin and bland spicing. In fact, the main "spice" here is salt. Give me a hot dog with garlic bite and casing snap, and I couldn't care about its size or fat.
Amy's Teriyaki Wrap. $2.79 per 5.5-ounce wrap.
Bonnie: I discovered this new wrap from Amy's as I was searching for new low-calorie food products for a magazine piece I was writing. It's a delicious Asian teriyaki addition to Amy's extensive line of frozen, natural handheld sandwiches.
Just microwave it a couple of minutes for a quick and healthy non-dairy, vegetarian snack. (Or, if you have time, try the oven method, which produces a crisper, tastier crust.) Each tortilla features organic tofu, brown rice and a medley of veggies that includes broccoli, green beans, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, water chestnuts and bell peppers. One wrap provides a modest 290 calories, 7 grams of total fat (only 1 of which is saturated), 460 milligrams of sodium and a very hearty 5 grams of fiber.
Carolyn: I can't believe you like this, Bonnie. This new Teriyaki Wrap bears only the slightest resemblance to the Amy's sandwiches that won our Golden Shopping Cart Award for best new food product of 1997, a resemblance mainly having to do with their small size. The award-winner's delicious roasted vegetables gave that sandwich (inexplicably no longer available) its wide appeal. The brown rice, wheat wrap and tofu that dominate the flavor (such as it is) on this one limits its audience to serious natural foodies.
Uncle Ben's Ready Rice. Jasmine, and Basmati. $2.29 per 8.5-ounce bag.
Bonnie: Jasmine and basmati rice are what's known as aromatic rice. That means they have a fragrant corn or nutlike aroma and a flavor that comes from a high concentration of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, a compound naturally found in all rice as well as in corn and nuts.
I anticipated that aroma as I put the bag of Jasmine Ready Rice into the microwave. But I didn't get it, either from the Jasmine or the Ready Rice Basmati. As such, I'd suggest buying less expensive plain jasmine and basmati rice and cooking it the regular way.
If you're in a hurry, reach for Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Ready Rice or sister-company Seeds of Change's mixed-grain Uyuni, both more nutritious and sold in ready-in-90-seconds cooking pouches.
Carolyn: What's one key to the recent growth of Indian restaurants in the U.S.? I think it's their basmati rice, featuring a popcornlike aroma and flavor. It costs more than regular white rice, but like fresh-roasted whole bean coffee, non-store brand peanut butter and Pepperidge Farm cookies, it is worth the extra money.
These ready-in-90-seconds Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Basmati and Ready Rice Jasmine taste and smell as good as regular basmati and jasmine, but because they're precooked, are even more expensive. Since regular basmati and jasmine rice cook in only about 20 minutes, I would buy and store these Ready Rice versions as backup for nights when I don't have time to make it from scratch (and not for everyday use).
(Bonnie Tandy Leblang is a registered dietitian and professional speaker. She has an interactive site (www.biteofthebest.com) about products she recommends. Follow her on Twitter: BonnieBOTB. Carolyn Wyman is a junk-food fanatic and author of "Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods That Changed the Way We Eat" (Quirk). Each week they critique three new food items.)
