Looks Like Chicken, Tastes Like Chicken, But

Vegan Popcorn Chicken

My first exposure to this wonderfood (or frankenfood, if you wish) was at an Engine 2 Diet pot luck dinner at my local Whole Foods Market this past summer. You see, ever since participating in the first ever 28 Day Challenge, the nice folks at Whole Foods have been organizing cool events for us. So one night, this guy shows up who clearly either doesn't know how to cook or doesn't have time to cook, but his heart is in the right place. He wants to eat healthier. He attends the events. He brings food to share.This time, a giant bowl of vegan Delight Popcorn Nuggets from the deli counter at Whole Foods. He broke the bank too. Seventy five dollars worth of the stuff.

We came. We tried. We wondered. What was in that stuff? It tasted like chicken, was chewy and a little bit fatty tasting, just like real chicken meat is, and not those boiled chicken breasts without the skin on 'em. I mean the tasty parts of the chicken.

So we asked. Did you know that you can ask? Those same nice folks at Whole Foods, the ones helping us eat better, they have all of the nutritional information for all of the foods in their prepared food cases. And so do the employees at most grocery stores' prepared food sections. All you have to do is ask!

50%.

That's the percent of calories that come from fat in these Delight Chicken Nuggets. Not very Engine 2 friendly now, are they? You see, Rip and Dr. Esselstyn like to keep the fat in the foods they eat to 20% of calories or less. So I won't be buying many Delight Popcorn Nuggets from the Whole Foods Deli counter. I'll save this yumminess for a rare treat.

I would however highly recommend the 365 Brand (that's Whole Foods private label) whole wheat pastas. They are the best tasting 100% whole wheat pastas I have ever tried!