Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Evol Bowls

Product Review: Evol Foods’ gluten-free bowls
by Emily K., November 4, 2011

The other week, Evol Foods mailed me some coupons so I could try out their gluten-free, microwavable bowls. Excellent. I totally dig coupons.

And, obviously, since I’m writing about them — I dug the Evol Bowls, too.

Evol started as a burrito company, then got acquired by the people behind Bear Naked and expanded to include flatbreads pizzas and bowls. Only the bowls are gluten-free, so that’s all we’re talking about here.

Four gluten-free flavors:

* Teriyaki Chicken (dairy-free, contains soy)
* Fire-grilled Steak (soy-free, contains dairy)
* Chicken Enchilada (soy-free, contains dairy)
* Bean & Cheese Enchilada (soy-free, contains dairy, vegetarian)


I liked several things about the product. First and foremost, I like that they’ve taken about as many precautions as anyone could possibly take to make a frozen, microwavable meal green. Carbon offsets, compostable bowls made of sugarcane pulp, and outer packaging that is at least 35% post-consumer waste content / 100% recyclable. Added bonus, my microwave is old and finicky, but these cooked up quickly and evenly (between 3 and 4 minutes).

Second, I like that they list their meat and dairy providers — all of which are free of GMOs and rBGH/rBST. Some you might recognize, like Niman Ranch. Others were new to me, like Wilcox Family Farm’s free-range eggs. Neat.

Third, I thought they were tasty (as if I would write about something that tasted bad). When I was in a hurry but hungry for something warm (and something that would leave me feeling good), these totally fit the bill. The Teriyaki Chicken is definitely the healthiest (in terms of fat, calories, sodium, and cholesterol), but my favorites were the two enchilada flavors.

As is often the case with frozen meals, Evol bowls aren’t spicy — which makes them perfect for dosing with your favorite gluten-free hot sauce (or not, if you aren’t a fan of heat).

I picked mine up at our local Whole Foods, but they’re fairly widely distributed and you should be able to find them at your local health food store or grocery store (a quick search on their website turns up options in most places).

-Triumph Dining

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