Spicy Snack Roundup: Lundberg Fiery Hot Rice Cakes, Xochitl Cholula Tortilla Chips, and Buldak Habanero Lime Chips
All sorts of spicy snacks keep making their way to the shelves these days, including some that count as healthier options. Two of the items in my latest spicy snack roundup fall into that category; the other, not so much.
Organic Fiery Hot Rice Cake Minis from Lundberg Family Farms: Rice cake snacks can be very hit-or-miss, but this one definitely scored a hit with me. They have a nice sweetness to them followed by a richness. The seasoning is similar to what you find on salsa-flavored chips, with hints of tomato tang (even though that fruit is not in the ingredients) and a peppery finish. The rice cakes also have a good crunch without that Styrofoam texture you often get from this type of snack.
The heat ranges from Mild to a little bit hotter on my scale, with some of the more heavily seasoned pieces getting close to Medium. This is quite good for a healthy snack, and I would certainly get them again. At $4.79 for a 5 oz bag, they are a little on the high side, but if I find them on sale, I will definitely snatch them up. I stumbled upon these at my local Sprouts, and you can likely find them in the snack aisle of other health food stores.
Xochitl Cholula Hot Sauce Tortilla Chips: Xochitl (pronounced “so cheel” according to the bag) puts out tortilla chips (or “little topos,” as they call them) made with the “finest ingredients,” and they have teamed up with Cholula Hot Sauce. Their chips combined with that popular condiment are lightly seasoned and don’t overwhelm when you bite into them. But the taste is definitely there, with a nice earthiness similar to what you get from Cholula, along with a little sweetness. There is also a slight tang as well as a good peppery kick that gives these a subtle but satisfying taste. The tortilla chips are on the thin side, but they hold up well and have a good crunch.
As for the heat, it gets close to Medium on my scale, which is hotter than the Mild range Cholula is known for. They do a good job of blending the flavor of the sauce with a nice kick, without overpowering it with too many ingredients. And as a plus, these are a relatively low-sodium snack at 90mg per serving. I definitely found these addicting, and I am hoping this is not a limited-time selection. I found these at Sprouts on sale for $3.49 for an 11 oz bag, and I plan to grab a few more next time I am there because they have become a new favorite. I would assume other health food stores carry them, and it looks like Walmart has them in stock as well.
Buldak Habanero Lime Chips: In the not-so-healthy category is another of the new line of chips from Buldak. I previously tried their Original flavor and liked those (you can read about them here), and I stumbled across the Habanero Lime version at Kroger. The lime is prominent when you first bite into them, though it does not overpower or deliver too much pucker. There is a bit of sour, but it is balanced by just a touch of sweetness. The habanero flavor is not noticeable, as these taste more like a salsa-seasoned chip. The chips themselves are similar to Lay’s Original, though a bit more hefty so that you have fewer broken pieces in the bag. The flavor is good, though it leans heavy on the lime, and I prefer the Original variety.
As for heat, there is very little, even though Habanero is in the name. These don’t even reach Mild on my scale, even after munching on several chips. They are rather costly at four bucks or more for a 4.23 oz bag, so for that price I want more heat (which you do get with the Original flavor). As mentioned, I found these at Kroger, and they are also available at World Market and Target.
