Cedarlane Green Chili & Monterey Jack Cheese Tamales

Cedarlane Foods has some EXCELLENT products. TCedarlane All Natural Egg White Omelette With Uncured Turkey Bacon, Vegetables & Cheese blew me away and the Cedarlane Beans Rice & Cheese Style Burrito - so yum! So as I was browsing the frozen food aisle, another Cedarlane product caught my eye and I decided to try the Green Chili & Monterey Jack Cheese Tamales.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 meal (9 ounces)
Calories: 270
Total Fat: 11 grams, 17%
Saturated Fat: 5 grams, 24%
Sodium: 700 mg, 30%
Carbohydrates: 39 grams
Fiber: 4 grams, 17%
Sugar: 4 grams
Protein: 9 grams

Now, I don't eat too many tamales, however, I can tell you that these are stuffed with lots of creamy cheese and a touch of crunchy veggies. The masa (the soft dough-like casing that surrounds the fillings) is thick and soft, just as it should be. When combined with the creamy filling, the overall mouth feel is smooth, with a slight textural difference from the al dente onion and spicy green chilis. The flavor profile was wonderfully developed, but perhaps a bit more of the roasted red pepper sauce would have made things even better. The masa to filling ratio was just a touch off with less emphasis on the latter, but I still enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the first tamale that is. By the time that I got to the second one, the mushy, doughy nature of the dish was getting to me though.

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How can this whole plate of substantially filling food only provide 290 calories? The 9 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber packed into each dish is a welcomed attribute, as is the short and all natural, mostly organic ingredient list. The 700mg of sodium (30% of the daily value) and somewhat high fat content of 11 grams of total fat, which includes 5 grams of saturated fat (due to the organic cheese, milk and oil) might make you think twice though.

I would like to suggest that Cedarlane offer one tamale with a side of some sort, instead of two, dense and doughy tamales - it was just a bit too much.

I paid $3.79 for Cedarlane Green Chili & Monterey Jack Cheese Tamales and, although it was delicious and the spices were spot on, the texture was too monotonous and the dish gave me a stomach ache of sorts by the time I had devoured the whole tray. The only reason I would shell out four bucks for this meal again, would be if I had a stove to cook up some crunchy veggies as a side dish or roasted chicken and a friend to split the dish with.

{Website: Cedarlane Foods}

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