Yoplait Light Yogurt: Red Velvet Cake

It may have been five years of living in Georgia that did it...but I just love me some red velvet cake, y'all. And while red velvet cake has always been a regional favorite in the Deep South, it seems to have become more popular in other places over the last couple of years. It's even appearing in my Southern California supermarket bakery, as well as in a cupcake version made by Little Debbie. (I would take credit for spreading the word, but I think Paula Deen had more to do with it than I did.)

In case you're unfamiliar, red velvet cake is always colored bright red. Kinda like they rendered down some of Elmo's lesser-known kin into a food coloring base. The flavor is often called a cross between a chocolate and a yellow cake. But all of the best ones that I have had -- in terms of both texture and flavor -- have been more like a lightly cocoa-flavored version of a pound cake. Really dense, rich and buttery. The cake version is always topped with a cream cheese frosting. And do I really have to say more than cream cheese frosting?!

Well, when I saw this flavor I simply had to try it...although, to be honest, I have yet to find a chocolate yogurt I have really liked. Something about chocolate and yogurt just doesn't seem to work for me (though I love chocolate frozen yogurt, so figure that one out).

So how did it taste?



Well, first, let's talk about how it looked. I wasn't expecting the bright rendered-Elmo-relative red of an actual slice of red velvet cake. This shade, however, is a very familiar pink. Familiar as in Pepto-Bismol pink. Or perhaps aging Barbie pink would be a better way to put it.

The flavor, thankfully, is far and away better than the color. The best way I can describe it is to tell you it's like raw birthday cake batter mixed into yogurt, with just a little touch of chocolate. Maybe that doesn't sound like it would be good...but it sure is!



It has a strong, buttery yellow cake taste (hence "birthday cake"). Right after the sweetness of the cake flavor wears off, the tang of the yogurt takes over. It really is the perfect hybrid of flavors. The yogurt tartness keeps the sweetness of the cake flavor from seeming to be too artificial. The sweetness is just enough that it makes you feel like you are having something that is sinful -- even if you're not.

The texture is uniformly smooth. There are no chunks, cake pieces, or swirls of frosting (not that I would have expected them). It is thinner than full fat/calorie yogurt, yet not so thin that it seems more like a dip than a real yogurt.

Whether you are watching your diet or not, this is just damn good yogurt!



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$.79

CALORIES:
110 Calories per 6 ounce container

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
yoplait.com

Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream: Peppermint (Limited Edition)

Looking through my site archives, I was shocked to find that somehow I had never reviewed the Dreyer's/Edy's annual Peppermint offering. It has always been a favorite of mine. Of course, in years past, it has also been an actual ice cream. This year's full fat/calorie version is -- and I am sure you are sitting down for this -- one of the non-ice cream "Frozen Dairy Dessert" Fun Flavors line. And to be fair, the Fun Flavors version could be quite good...but, as I have placed a self-imposed ban upon the Fun Flavors, I won't be finding out.

Luckily for me, Dreyer's/Edy's has added a Light Ice Cream version to this year's roundup. Would I prefer a real full-bodied ice cream? Absolutely. But as a rule, I do like the Slow Churned line, and even if it's "light," at least it's still ice cream.



So how is it?

The base of the ice cream is peppermint flavored, and there are crushed bits of mint candy sprinkled throughout. Visually, it's interesting. The white of the ice cream combined with the bright red pieces of the candy -- whose dye is more than a little runny -- gives the impression of bleeding ice cream. It's like Bill Compton's childhood holiday dessert.

The actual flavor is a nice mellow peppermint. It's clean and fresh, with a little vanilla. It never gets so strong that it tastes like toothpaste, and at the same time never gets too sweet.

The candy pieces are also perfectly sized. Not small enough that they barely register, but not so big that it's like gnawing through a candy cane.



In terms of flavor, this is one of those times that the Slow Churned line really nails it. It may not be the full fat/calorie version, but this flavor is just good.

The texture is what gives its "light" identity away. The texture is very, very soft. And if you really love the rich, fatty mouth feel of full-fat ice cream...well, don't be expecting it. Personally, none of this bothers me, because it is a light ice cream. And the loss of texture and mouth feel are going to be tradeoffs in exchange for the lesser amounts of calories and fat. In this case, the tradeoff is a good one.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Campbell's Chunky Healthy Request Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is called a lot of things. Food for the soul. Jewish penicillin. Yellow gold. Et cetera and so forth.

And I would be lying if I told you that I haven't eaten a lot of Chicken Noodle soup over the years. I have had it made homemade by Jewish bubbes, and I have had it from delis, both world famous and strictly neighborhood. I've had Italian versions, Mexican versions, Asian versions. My own mother has attempted it. But in the end, the one the I like most to this day is the classic Campbell's version (Double Noodle, specifically). I know hardcore foodies will skewer me for saying that, but I don't care. I do love it, especially with about 9 billion crunched up saltines!

So when Campbell's contacted me and asked if I would like to review the new Healthy Request Chunky version, there was just no way I was going to refuse.



Looking at the soup in the bowl, it is indeed chunky. In fact, visually it reminded me a lot of my second favorite Campbell's soup: the long-discontinued Home Cooking version of Chicken Noodle. (Hey, Campbell's guys...any thoughts of bring it back....pretty please?)

The broth is slightly thicker than its red-canned cousin and tastes of carrot, celery and onions. There are many pieces of chopped herbs floating, which look quite nice (but honestly I couldn't tell you what it was). It's less salty than the classic Campbell's version-- which only makes sense, because the Healthy Request version indeed has 45% less sodium. And this is a good thing taste-wise as well. I think it makes it taste more home made and less like something from a can. (It is also 98% fat free, woo hoo!)

The carrots are large and tender and very plentiful. The celery was present more in taste then in actual slices; I wish there had been more and larger celery pieces. The noodles are quite large; and while cooked a little past al dente, (in fairness, that's probably unavoidable in a canned soup), they are not gummy or tough. The chicken pieces were breast meat and are bigger than those in its classic cousin. The meat is moist and there was a decent amount in the can.

One can made a very generous bowl that I was even kind enough to share. This soup is a very tasty option, and one that is more suited to grown-up tastes than my usual choice...but that's just fine. Since it's getting to be soup season this is definitely one to check out!


PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

Fling Dark Chocolate Bar

This is the last of the three Fling flavors. I reviewed the Milk Chocolate version HERE, and the Hazelnut version HERE.

A fast recap for those not familiar with the bars: Fling is a line from Mars that is targeted at women. The bars are Twix-style, two fingers to a "bar," and each finger weighs in at 85 calories. That sounds good...until you realize that actually brings the bar to 170 calories total.



I think I may have picked the best order in which to to try the various Flings, because I have liked each successive bar a little more than the previous.

The dark chocolate bar has the same meringue plank as the other two Flings. There is then a truffle layer, and the whole thing is enrobed in dark chocolate. The chocolate is surprisingly rich. It's not the most complex dark you will ever have, but there are deep coffee notes, though without the bitterness.



The truffle layer is silky smooth and cool on the tongue. It's a sweet chocolate, then the outer layer, and tastes vaguely like chocolate pudding.

My favorite part of the bar is still the meringue plank. It's airy, crisp, malty, and it starts to dissolve as soon as it's warmed in your mouth.

Pink foofy wrapper and faux reduced calories aside, I just really liked this bar. And I will say it again -- they really need to use that meringue in other products!




PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket