Safeway Select Appetizers: Chicken Empanadas, Firecrackers, and Bags of Gold

Distributed by:  Safeway, Inc.
Required to Prepare:  Oven

Chicken Empanadas:  75 calories per piece
Firecrackers:  70 calories per piece
Bags of Gold:  80 calories per piece

My sweetie and I occasionally enjoy having a "tapas" dinner of sorts, by getting a variety of these frozen appetizers and making a meal out of them.  These are the ones that we usually get; she was the one that got me started on them, and even after all manner of flitting around trying different things by the Butterfly, these are still the ones we seem to like the best.

Although the package directions give a slightly different cook time for the empanadas, I find they all turn out fine by baking at 400° for 7 minutes per side.  They can also be deep-fried, which gives them a crisper texture, but we use the oven more often, just because it seems a little easier.

The Chicken Empanadas and Firecrackers are similar; the crispy exterior is sort of like a grilled flour tortilla.  The filling of the empanadas have a distinct jalapeño and bell pepper flavor along with the chicken and cheese, and the Firecrackers have more like a pulled roast beef and nacho filling.  The Bags of Gold are the odd one out; the wrapper is thinner and lighter, more like a wonton wrap, and rather than a Mexican flavor, the spinach and cheese filling is more European in style.  Even from the oven, they do get crispy on the outside, although they are of course a bit chewier than if they were deep-fried.

We definitely enjoy them, with either prep method.  We choose them over more expensive name-brand frozen appetizers, and it's not because we are sacrificing quality for price--it's because we like these the best, and the fact that they are inexpensive is just a happy coincidence.  :)

El Monterey All Natural Shredded Steak & Cheese Burrito

Made By:  Ruiz Foods [USA]
Required to Prepare:  Microwave (or Oven)
280 calories per package

And now for something really different!  After this, we'll get back to ramen for a while, I promise.  (A trip to Uwajimaya is overdue and is in the near future.)  I'm going to admit up front that this isn't the type of thing I normally choose for myself, and that it made it into my freezer, and into the review queue, for one reason only--there was a coupon in the Sunday paper to try one free.  It should go without saying that this was a price the Ramen Butterfly was incapable of passing up.  So for today's lunch, a frozen burrito it is!

Preparation is so simple, I hate to even call it that.  You open one end of the package, and then microwave it for 75 seconds if it was frozen, or for 30 seconds if it was thawed.  (You can also take it out of the package, wrap it in foil, put it on a baking sheet, and put it in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, if you're so inclined.)  I chose to let it stand in the microwave afterwards for a minute or two just to make sure all the cold spots would be gone, and then I take it out of the wrapper.

Okay, I'll start with the outside and work my way in.  The tortilla has a really odd texture... I worried it might turn out soggy and wet from microwaving in the wrapper, but it's not, really; instead it seems doughy, as if the tortilla itself were undercooked somehow.

And unfortunately, the tortilla is the high point, compared to the fillings.  I had a hard time figuring out what I was actually eating, because there was such a disconnect between the flavor and the texture.  As you observe the picture of the inside of my burrito, keep in mind that refried beans are not on the ingredient list.  This must mean that the brown paste you see must be, in fact, the "shredded steak."  Once I realized this, the flavor I was tasting--bland beef and mild cheese--started to make sense.  And there was, in fact, an occasional 'string' here and there to hint that I might be eating a meat product.  But it's certainly a far cry from the picture on the wrapper.

Well, it was free, anyway, so I suppose I got my money's worth.  But for the normal price of $1.29?  Not so much.
I do suppose it's possible it would have tasted a little better if I had thawed it first, or used the oven directions.  And, I'm certain it would have tasted a lot better if I had gone to Taco Bell and got a Burrito Supreme for roughly the same price.  :b