Product Review: Gardein Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Wings

Brand: Gardein

Product: Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Wings

Price: $4.19

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

This is another product that I had picked up during my last trip to Target (see my previous Product Review: Simply Balanced Korean BBQ Chicken). Gardein? Sounds like they know what they're doing! Let's try it.

First of all, they had 10 "wings" in there. 10!! That is equivalent to about 42 cents per wing, not including the tax. I don't know about you, but that seems a bit too expensive. I know all meatless products tend to be expensive though... Good thing I don't buy these often. 

In a bag, there are "wings" as well as a sauce packet. Depending on the cooking method (stovetop, conventional oven, or toaster oven) you put the sauce before or after cooking the "wings." It was very easy too prepare and takes less than 10 minutes. I used the stove top to make them, and I advise you not to put too much cooking oil for the product is pretty oily itself. 

I cooked the entire bag, and the result looks like the picture below. And no green onions are not included. 

Let's talk about the taste. It's a bit too salty for my taste, but it is as they described it: sweet and tangy barbecue.  You can't expect them to taste exactly like chicken wings (because they don't) but they have charm of their own. 

I am not the type to count calories, but in case you are, a serving (4 wings per serving) of this is 120 calories. Meaning, if you were to eat the entire bag in one sitting, you will be consuming 300 calories from this product. I'm not sure if that's going to help you decide whether or not to try this product, but there you go.

I also tried wrapping them in a taco shell just for fun. I liked it; I just wish I had more veggies inside the taco.

So overall, this is not a bad product. This delivers what the package promises. Too expensive and processed for everyday meal, but once in awhile seems okay. Will I purchase this product again? I'm not too sure. Maybe it will depend on the day's mood.

Product Review: Simply Balanced Korean Barbecue Meatless Chicken

Brand: Simply Balanced

Product: Korean Barbecue Meatless Chicken

Price: $3.99

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Before I start, I must say how happy I was to see a fridge dedicated to vegetarian/ vegan "meat" options at Target in Brea! It's not a big section, but I really do appreciate it. As always, I love you, Target!

Okay. Moving on. I discovered this during my last trip to Target and thought, "Oooh Korean BBQ! I must try this!" I thought this would be a great product to share with my boyfriend, who is a total meat lover.

Inside you will see about 2 handful of "chicken strips" and 2 packets of "Korean BBQ sauce." To prepare, you cook the "chicken strips" in a microwave oven or stovetop then just mix in the sauce. Simple to make and doesn't take long to cook at all. 

The chicken strips are made of soy products. It's very chewy and reminds me of fish cakes. I didn't mind them too much. It wasn't anything special, and I don't have much to say about it. 

The sauce on the other hand, I was very disappointed. It's not a bad sauce, but it reminded me of more Chinese American (i.e. Panda Express) type of sweet spicy tangy sauce rather than a Korean BBQ sauce. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it did not remind me of Korean BBQ at all. Did they even use gochujang? I don't even know.

Lastly, let's just say they are not so generous with the quantity. I used about half of the bag to make my snack (see picture below; bottom left) and it really isn't much. Boo.

 

Perhaps I had way too much expectations about this product? Anyways, I personally don't recommend it mainly because of its sauce and quantity. Maybe if you weren't looking for a Korean BBQ flavor, this might work for you. If you try this, let me know! 

Where to Eat: Green2Go Restaurant

Restaurant Name: Green2Go
Location: Brea, California
Vegan Friendliness: 3 out of 5
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

If you are looking for a healthy eatery in Orange County, check out Green2Go in Brea. They claim to serve fresh, local, organic food, which I appreciate very much.

I really like their make your own salad bar. They have a good range of vegetables that you can complete your salad with. You get to choose a base and 4 different "toppings" as well as the protein of your choice. The salad I got (see below) was very delicious!

Make your own salad with mixed greens and kale, tofu, asparagus,
mushrooms, artichoke, guacamole, and Asian dressing

They have very friendly staff, and I enjoyed my experience at Green2Go. The reason why I gave 4 instead of 5 for over rating is because I only got 5 tofu cubes on my salad. I do feel that 5 cubes are too little for 4 dollar extra charge.

To sum it all up, will I go back? Yes definitely.