20 August 2012

Food Doctor - Easy Grains (Ocado)

Food Doctor - Easy Grains (Ocado)


I've mentioned before that I like trying convenience foods, and finding ones that actually qualify as healthy is a challenge.  Expecting those to also taste reasonable and have that mythical quality of texture is rarer still.  Uncle Bens do rice in a bag that you bung in the microwave for 2 minutes. I ate these for lunch at work for so long that I now have an aversion to them (but the Tilda versions that are a little more luxury are fine) mostly as my brain thinks I have to go back to work afterwards!  This is based on the same principle but with more exciting grains including the quinoa which is all spirally and great.  I added one bag to an online food shop and then when they arrived stashed them away for a lunchtime in the future.

That future was this weekend, and so following the instructions (tear sachet, nuke for 2 mins, wait until no-longer hazardous to move, pour into bowl) I made this:


It looks a little browner than it actually was - I blame the lighting.  I also splashed on a little balsamic vinegar and some Schwarz Lemon Pepper mix (a kitchen essential) to give it a fair chance.  The taste without the additions was a little bland, but in an earthy and realistic way.  The natural flavours of the grains had survived and were complemented well once I mixed in the seasonings.  I liked the texture, it wasn't mushy and felt that it was balanced well.  The portion was probably for two people as a side, so as a single person lunch it became a little drying.  I was also tempted to add more excitement to the 2nd half of the bowl as cereals beans and pulses are not known for their powerful tastes.

I think that this is good enough to use along side a main meal as a healthy alternative to potatoes (which I rarely cook personally) or pasta and it was certainly filling.  I'd suggest that a decent shake of seasoning mixed in would add some needed pizzaz to the flavours, maybe sun-dried tomatoes?  The pack suggests a soup or almost a sauce which would be quite good too.  Maybe I'll stick one into a Thai green curry.

If I spot these again I'll certainly re-buy.  Anything healthy, snacky & simple with a long shelf life is OK by me.

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