Friday, Nov. 27, 2009

Healthy deli food tastes great

New Life Natural Foods can fool you.

From the outside, anyone would perceive it is store that sells numerous all natural and organic products. Dried goji berries, toothpaste, date sugar, tea tree oil, countless vitamins, shampoo and an array of other items fill the neatly stocked shelves. But keep going, because beyond those shelves, at the rear of the store, is the deli.

It is here you will come face to face with delicious, all-natural soups, including chicken tortellini and vegetable minestrone. It is here that you might struggle, as I did, to decide whether you want a full fruit smoothie or another smoothie chock full of good stuff that is good for you.

Just so you know, there is only one lone table where you can sit down and eat your lunch or early dinner. Most folks are like me, and they take their order to go. If you don't mind that reality, you will most likely find plenty to love about the deli food at New Life Natural Foods.

There are salads, including curry chicken, dill chicken and tuna.

All are delightful, but my favorite is the tuna. I think it is the best tuna salad in town. It is made with a vegetarian spread that looks like mayonnaise but tastes better and allows the flavor of the tuna, pecans and celery to perfectly complement each other. The spread, dubbed vegenaise, is egg-free and dairy-free and used in all the salads. Believe me, you won't miss the traditional mayonnaise at all.

I enjoy getting the dill chicken salad or tuna salad salad accompanied by hearty, green lettuces that are nutrient-rich. You won't find any iceberg lettuce at New Life Natural Foods.

Plus, you can get your salads served up as sandwiches on nutty, flavorful whole-grain breads or by the pound. The tuna salad is $8.99 per pound, while the dill and curry chicken salads are both $10 per pound. Yes, I know that isn't pocket change, but you are getting quality and you can taste it. The chicken is antibiotic- and hormone-free. The tuna is yellowfin.

There are, however, less expensive options that are also wonderful and worthy of a call home to Mom. You can get 8 ounces of soup and a half sandwich for $5.50. You can also get soup and a salad for the same price.

They aren't stingy at New Life. I am always satisfied with the portions, and I find myself full much faster than usual.

The Veggie Dog is another of my favorites. I never knew I could thoroughly enjoy a meatless hot dog. The dog is usually served with organic blue or yellow corn chips, both of which are delicious. The Fakin' Bacon is also an alternative I've heard folks rave about, but I have not tried it.

If you like to drink your meal, New Life has an eclectic mix of filling smoothies. My favorite is the Swamp Water Special. It is green and includes spirulina and local honey. I always get added protein powder. It is delicious and tastes like a thick milkshake. I also love the Mango Breeze smoothie made with mangos, bananas and vanilla protein powder. Only frozen organic produce is used in the smoothies, no artificial syrups or mixes. Plus, you can choose soy milk, apple or rice milk as your smoothie base. Ice and fillings are never used.

Carrot juice, wheat grass shots and a drink called the purple dinosaur (made with apples, carrots, beets, ginger and lemon) are among the beverages from which you can choose. You can also keep it simple and just pick a banana smoothie or other favorite fruit, if you are not as adventurous as I am.

The cool thing about New Life Natural Foods is that you can sample soups, salads and such before you buy them just to make sure you truly like what you get.