Bonnie: I never thought I’d tout a frozen meal, but that was before I tasted Lean Cuisine’s Spa Cuisine Lemongrass Chicken. Stouffer’s (makers of Lean Cuisine) uses the subtle taste of lemongrass—that perennial herb used in Thai and other Asian cooking—to make a flavorful sauce for their chicken, brown rice and medley of veggies that includes broccoli, carrots, baby corn, and red peppers.
The entree’s 240 calories certainly aren’t a meal, but you can make it one by serving it with a tossed salad, some fruit and a glass of chilled sauvignon blanc, a crisp white wine that goes well with these flavors. I prefer sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, enjoying the hint of minerals classic of that terroir (a term for a flavor that’s characteristic of the area where the wine’s made).
Stouffer’s introduced Spa Cuisine at a press event in New York City. How could I resist going? I could see my sons, who were living in the city at that time, while learning about the new line, one of the first national ones to include whole grains—just as new Dietary Guidelines called for Americans to eat three servings of whole grains each day.
I hadn’t expected to like the food served at the event. Instead, I hoped I’d learn about their concept and see the PR folks from Nestle (Stouffer’s parent company) who, after decades of working together, had become friends, even with me lambasting many of their products in Supermarket Sampler.
Roz O’Hearn, my media contact for Nestlé Prepared Foods, and I met just as she started at Stouffer’s. That was before she had kids. (Roz is currently deep into the college-looking process for Kelsey, her eldest.) Our first in-person meeting was at dinner in Chicago, after which we decided to walk back to the hotel.
We left the restaurant still yakking and walked in the direction of our hotel, not realizing (since neither of us was from there) that Chicago’s streets are at various levels – some go across the river, some go under bridges and other streets. At the same moment our instincts kicked in and we both realized that we were where we didn’t belong. With no cab in sight, we grabbed each other’s arm, our eyes darting back and forth along the dark deserted streets, and began moving as fast as we could, wondering how to get out from under. Could it have been the fear from that walk that bonded us all these years?
Sitting with Roz that day at lunch, I knew I’d need to be the lady I was brought up to be, and not criticize the food. I’d wait to do that until in front of my computer’s keyboard. But I had no need to carefully choose my words. Somehow the chefs at Stouffer’s actually created a frozen entree sans additives that tasted good – so good, in fact, that Supermarket Sampler (Carolyn Wyman and I) awarded it our coveted Golden Shopping Cart of the Year award in 2005. That’s the one product introduced that year that we both agree is tasty and nutritious.
Bryan: We are through the looking glass; I never thought I’d see a Marlborough sauvignon blanc paired with a frozen dinner, juxtaposing American cuisine’s history of aluminum-wrapped entrees with an up and coming wine region. Generally frozen meals are not for me. The closest I come is a pizza when I really don’t feel like leaving the house. Don’t expect to see these dinners in my freezer regularly, but I enjoyed the subtle flavor of this lemongrass chicken. Though not entirely filling (I so like Bonnie’s suggested sides!), Stouffer’s has succeeded in not overwhelming my palate (a common problem with pre-prepared, pre-sauced meals) while providing a quick and tasty meal mini.
Eric: I think frozen food has become an iconic image of The United States, and I am disappointed to see how far it has come. To this day I still don’t own a microwave and am under the belief that even if you don’t have the time to prepare an intricate dinner (for most Americans that would be one consisting of three ingredients), you should still be able to enjoy a meal that doesn’t involve the cardboard taste that the majority of frozen foods punish your taste buds with. Of the thousands of microwave meal variations created every year, it is amazing that a company hasn’t stumbled over a way to include an element of “taste” into the usual extensive list of chemical ingredients used to create the meals. As you may be able to tell by my bitter criticism of the frozen food industry, I am not a fan; however, on rare occasion I can be surprised. Recently, while visiting my mother, I was accosted by her to try what she thought was one of the best tasting frozen meals she’d had in years (and she shares similar views on the industry). Shocked by her admiration for the Lemongrass Chicken meal, I was curious enough to try a bite. Ten minutes later and slightly full (although two of these meals would fill the average male) I was pleasantly surprised by what I had just eaten. Moist chicken with taste on a bed of rice that wasn’t a brick…I was shocked. It is not often that I would suggest to anyone to try a frozen meal, but if you find yourself in the supermarket with little cooking time to spare, it can be a tasteful timesaver.
Connor, Roz and Kelsey O’Hearn
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Soma….
Soma….
Let’s face it, if you are a size 14 like me and need to trim it down, Lemongrass Chicken is a wonderful alternative to french fries, fried chicken, and my own homemade dieter’s stir fry. It’s tasty, full of flavor and makes a great lunch.
Mara
Took your advice and tried it. It’s a good as you say. It’s a great little meal to pick up and stick in the office refrigerator, especially for those like me who never seem to be able to get away from the office for lunch.
Your site- abiteofthebest.com is cool site, thanks, admin.
I am worried about what happens when you microwave one of these (legitimately nice) meals in the plastic casing with the plastic film covering. Anyone have data on this? thanks!