Bottom Line: The Screamin’ Hot Garden Veggie Straws from Sensible Portions bring the heat and offer a relatively healthy snack option.
Are you still trying to eat healthy this year, or have those New Year’s resolutions already been tossed out with the trash? Well, if you are still keeping an eye on the waistline and if you are looking for a snack that won’t pile on the calories, I have found another spicy option that may satisfy your cravings for something to munch on. The Garden Veggie Straws® from Sensible Portions® deliver a relatively healthy snack, and the Screamin’ Hot® version really brings the burn! (But yet again, the “g” is dropped from the adjective. Flamin’, Scorchin’, Freakin’, and now Screamin’. It’s madness I tell you. Madness!)
The Garden Veggie Straws® from Sensible Portions® start with a potato base but also work in spinach powder (I didn’t even know that was a thing) and tomato paste to expand the veggie portions of the snack. This particular variety adds their Screamin’ Hot® spice to kick things up to the next level. (My lawyers have informed me that I have now satisfied the trademark references for the rest of the article.)
They have a sweet and savory taste similar to salsa seasoning. But they also have some of the tang you expect from hot sauce. Because of the potato starch and potato flour base they are similar to snacks like Hot Fries, but with a tougher texture because they are not fried. That is not a bad thing, though, and they do have a good crunch. The potato taste is strongest from the veggies added, but I do detect a hint of the spinach coming through as well. Whether the latter is a good thing or bad is up to your personal tastes, but it works for me. (Look mom, I’m eating my spinach!)
As for the heat, these deliver a kick right away and it continues to build as you keep munching on them (and you will because they are addicting). After finishing a serving, I would put the heat at above Medium on my scale and approaching Hot. These are much hotter than you would expect from something marketed as a healthy snack, and that heat lingers so you will need something to douse the blaze.
Nutrition-wise, these come in at 130 calories for a serving, and that consists of 38 straws. That is a pretty satisfying portion, and even if you find yourself reaching into the bag for a few extra, you won’t be doing too bad. And while these are not healthier than celery or carrot sticks, they certainly win out on taste, and you don’t need to feel guilty after munching on a bowl of them (as long as it is not too big of a bowl).
You can find the Screamin’ Hot Garden Veggie Straws in health food stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods. But I usually pick them up at my local CVS which is a surprisingly good place to find spicy snacks. They run around five bucks a bag, but there may still be some sales going on promoting healthy eating early in the year, so you might be able to do better. They have several other flavors like BBQ, Zesty Ranch, Cinnamon Apple (?!), but the Sceamin’ Hot ones are the go-to variety if you want something healthy and spicy. And since I have been sticking to my plan to drop a few pounds, I keep a bag of these in the pantry most of the time.
Nutrition Info:
Ingredients: Potato starch, potato flour. expeller pressed canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or sunflower oil. spinach powder, tomato paste. salt, cane sugar, corn starch, potassium chloride, turmeric (color). beetroot powder (color). season- ing (salt. natural flavors. dextrose, yeast extract. buttermilk, beet powder [color], maltodextrin nonfat milk, onion powder, cheddar cheese milk. salt, cultures, enzymes], whey, citric acid, lactic acid, whey protein concentrate, annatto extract, butter [cream. extractives of paprika. vinegar)
Serving Size: 28g (About 38 Straws)
Calories: 130
Fat: 7g (1g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: <1g
Carbs: 17g
Sodium: 310mg