Bite of the Best

What it is: An all-natural tortilla chip made with poppy and caraway seeds, minced garlic and onion How it comes: 1- and 6-ounce bags Where it is: In the supermarket snack aisle or amazon.com Who it's for: Anyone looking for a tasty and healthful chip Suggested retail price: $0.99; $2.99 - $3.29 Nutrition notes: One ounce contains 140 calories, 6 grams total fat (of which 0.5 is saturated), 120 milligrams salt and a hefty 3 grams fiber Category: Fabulous Food: A healthy twist

Bonnie: “Of course it should,” I thought, when I saw the sign “Food Should Taste Good.” I just chuckled.

I was with a group of business friends walking through the exhibits at the American Dietetic Association’s Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Chicago in October.

“That’s the company’s name,” explained Beth Talbot as she saw the quizzical expressions on our faces.

The line of chips that Beth represents not only taste good but have that clean label I keep referring to: no artificial ingredients, flavors and preservatives. My favorite flavor is The Works: the flavor is similar to that of an everything bagel, at a fraction of the calories. Here’s a dip the company shared with me that goes well with The Works! I tested it over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and everyone loved it.

Vidalia Onion Dip

3 large Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 T kosher salt
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 c cheddar cheese, grated

Put the olive oil in an unheated pot. Then add a quarter of the onions and a pinch of salt, repeating until all the onions and salt are used. Place pot over low heat and cover, shaking gently every few minutes. Allow to cook for 30-45 minutes, without stirring, until the onions begin to melt and ultimately are liquidy. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. After the onions have cooled, add cream cheese and Worcestershire and mix to combine. Mix in the cheddar cheese. Empty into a shallow baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring once, or until warmed through. Makes 2 cups.

Bryan: Though it does seem an overly simplistic motto, “Food Should Taste Good,” I can completely agree that this is a basic mantra we all should live by. The fact that a company has named itself this, puts a rather heavy burden on its shoulders; its food had better taste damn good! It’s almost too bad that Bite of the Best only brings our readers quality products, as the headline for a bad review this time would’ve written itself: “Food should taste good, but it sure doesn’t.”

Bonnie got very excited when the FSTG chips arrived. I immediately got emails asking for my thoughts. “Doesn’t it taste just like an everything bagel?” she prompted, inquiring about the variety called “The Works.” Though there are a number of interesting flavors — Multigrain, Olive, Buffalo, Jalapeño, Sweet Potato and even Chocolate! — knowing my affinity for the deli favorite everything bagel, she had already hit the right chord for me.

The Works reminds me of a bagel chip, but lighter and with a milder flavor. One of the only complaints I do have about a regular bagel chip is that the thickness can often be tooth-cracking if an eater is not aware. This brittle aspect does limit the potential pairings and can leave you with a dry, sawdusty mouth after a few servings sans water. FSTG chips’ textures are very different, making them more suitable for a variety of uses. Straddling the border between tortilla chips — The Works is actually corn-based — and crackers, I’ve actually been substituting many of the flavors for my standard potato chips or pretzels as a sandwich side. The chips, Olive, Multigrain and The Works specifically, also are well utilized as a base for thinly sliced cheddar, brie and other cheese plates. These snacks are also well suited to any dips: bleu cheese, ranch dressing, salsa and hummus… quite multipurpose.

Though I’ve yet to engender, I have considered using these chips as a base for nachos (most likely the Jalapeño chips). A British-style adaptation using the The Works or Olive is to toast them, spread with a bit of cream cheese, top this with thinly sliced cucumbers and a sprinkle of pepper for a refreshing tea accompaniment. I’d love to hear any reader suggestions for a more proper Mexican nacho. Help me out….

Eric: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be blind?
Deaf?
Deathly allergic to bee stings?
Have intense food allergies?
I believe at some point we all wonder what it would be like, and how our daily lifestyle would change. I know I have. Recently I started to wonder how my eating habits would change if I were to self-diagnose myself with celiac disease. This “wonderment” popped into my head shortly after starting to review the newest product lines of gluten-free foods. I posed the question, “How difficult could it be to avoid eating gluten?” and received a Grinch-like smirk back from a friend of mine. And so my change in eating habits began: only gluten-free food for a week.

You honestly cannot imagine how many products contain gluten. Out of all of the foods that filled my fridge and cabinets, I was left nibbling on some smoked almonds and a bowl of split pea soup. Luckily for me, during my gluten-free week a box of “Food Should Taste Good” chips arrived. I was initially hesitant to rip open a bag and start eating the chips, since past experience made me realize that the majority of gluten-free cookies and chips taste similar to cardboard. But hungry as I was I grabbed for a bag of “The Works.”

“Surprising,” “delicious” and “satisfying” – all were words that popped into my head as I tried to describe the taste. Some might consider it similar to an everything bagel chip, but the taste and aroma of the caraway seeds help me to define it as more of an onion-flavored pumpernickel. This chip variety, as well as a few others (Buffalo and Multigrain), helped me to get through a grueling week of gluten-free eating, and they still maintain a place in my snacking diet. As the company name says, “Food Should Taste Good.”