Another late night at the office and you've got a powerful hunger. You have a vague recollection of a nightly ritual known as "dinner," but it's been so long since you were home before Letterman's monologue that you're not sure what that is anymore. Usually you fill that pang in your belly with some greasy takeout or a vending machine special: cheese and peanut butter cracker entree, side of pretzels, and a candy bar for dessert. Stop the insanity! There's gotta be a better way.

There is.

Being slaves to the digital grind ourselves, we know the hours you're putting in and the pace you're keeping. And we also know the value of good grub when it comes to keeping the midnight oil burning brightly. So, in an effort to find a better way to cope with the desktop dinnertime blues, we went in search of some of the best instant vittles we could find.

Our criteria were simple: we wanted interesting food that didn't need more prep than ripping open a package and no more cooking skills than firing up the microwave. We wanted food that could stand up to the tastiest ethnic takeout. We also sought food that had a decent shelf life so you could stock up and store the grub in your desk drawer or office fridge. And, most of all, we wanted food that tasted great but wasn't going to lead to an angioplasty.

Sound like an impossible assignment? We thought so too until we started looking. It turns out there are some pretty yummy instant entrees out there. In keeping with the "take out substitute" theme, we've separated our reviews loosely into ethnic food types. Hungry yet? Read on!

I N D I A N
	Food	Manufacturer	Cost	Description	Artery Clogging Factor	Ease of Preparation	Shelf Life	Takeout Replacement Value
	Palak Paneer Savory Spinach With Indian Cheese	tamtree	$3.49	A little scary looking, but wonderful spinach and warm Indian spices combine with creamy cheese for a taste that even the spinach-haters amongst our review panel liked.	Moderate: 380 calories, 15g fat, 6g fiber, 35mg cholesterol	Moderately easy: entree pops in the microwave. Rice side requires separate cooking.	Fantastic! Doesn't require refrigeration.	Outstanding. We couldn't tell the difference from takeout, and this is one of our favorite types of Indian takeout food.
	Dal Makhani Aromatic Lentil Chili	tamtree	$3.49	Combining a nice moderate curry with slightly chewy lentils, this entree goes well with its companion brown rice to make a spicy vegetarian treat. Our only complaint was with the slightly watery texture.	Low: 330 calories, 6g fat, 14g fiber, 5mg cholesterol	Moderately easy. Rice side requires separate cooking.	Fantastic! Doesn't require refrigeration.	Very good. Not as rich as the real thing in a restaurant.
	Vegetable Jalfrazi Spicy Garden Vegetables	tamtree	$3.49	A little sweet, but the velvety sauce tasted of coriander and pepper and the vegetables are nice and crisp. We're not so sure how it'd do as a main course, but it would be great combined with some samosas or a pita.	Moderately low: 310 calories, 6g fat, 7g fiber, 0mg cholesterol	Moderately easy, rice requires separate cooking.	Fantastic! Doesn't require refrigeration.	Good, but not the best of the bunch.
	Samosa	Green Guru International Cuisine	$2.49	Heaven! Even though we nuked these (the "alternate" preparation method) instead of deep frying them, these little pockets still shone. Each bite combines a tender pastry crust with a spicy potato and pea filling and just enough spice to keep things interesting.	Moderately low: 175 calories, 10g fat, 1g fiber, 0mg cholesterol. A cautionary note: A "serving" is 2 piecesSyeah, right!	Very easy -- just microwave.	Good if kept frozen.	Outstanding! If you've got a freezer at work, stock up on these babies. Taaaassssteee! (If you can swing it, grab a bottle of Major Grey's Chutney for dipping. You'll thank us for it).

T H A I
	Food	Manufacturer	Cost	Description	Artery Clogging Factor	Ease of Preparation	Shelf Life	Takeout Replacement Value
	Tom Yum Soup	TASTY BITE	$2.99	Whoa! Where's the waiter? Typically our favorite Thai soup, the lemongrass and coconut really came through with some stunning fresh flavor. We could have sworn we were eating in a restaurant instead of at our desks!	Low. 92 calories, 7g fat, 1g fiber, 0mg cholesterol.	Easy. Just open pack, plop in bowl, and microwave.	Great! No fridge needed.	Outstanding! Indistinguishable from the restaurant version. Of course, these are imported from ThailandS
	Siam Vegetables in Green Curry Sauce	Thai Table, TASTY BITE	$2.69	Finally, a prepared "hot and spicy" entree that actually lives up to its advance billing. Spicy Thai chilies, coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime leaves all come together for one delicious soup. The veggies were a bit soggySotherwise, perfect.	Very Low. 63 calories, 3g fat, 1g fiber, 0mg cholesterol.	Easy. Just open pack, plop in bowl, and microwave.	Great! No fridge needed.	Good. If you've got a lime around, a spritz will liven things up.
	Bangkok Vegetables in Red Curry Sauce	Thai Table, TASTY BITE	$2.69	A good, hearty meal for the colder months, this spicy soup was thick with eggplant, bamboo shoots, and flavored with lime and chilies. Like most packaged foods, the vegetables could have been a bit fresher tasting, but we liked it anyway.	Low. 88 calories, 6g fat, 1g fiber, 0mg cholesterol.	Easy. Just open pack, plop in bowl, and microwave.	Great! No fridge needed.	Good, though the vegetables were mushy. A lot better freshly prepared, but this will do in a pinch.
	Spicy Thai Noodle Soup	Fantastic Foods	$1.29	A little oddly sweet with a weird dehydrated vegetable flavor that reminded us of packaged vegetable soup mix. Even our most spice-averse tester thought these were bland.	Moderately Low. 120 calories, 1g fat, 1g fiber, 0mg cholesterol.	Moderate. Water for soup must be boiled in a separate cup first.	Excellent. We don't know for sure, but these soups look like they'd survive the apocalypse.	Low. It won't kill you, but it's not even close to the Thai table soups.
	Vegetable Pad Thai	Green Guru International Cuisine	$2.49	Yum! Tangy and spicy, with slightly-greasy (but still nice) rice noodles, tofu, peppers, bamboo shoots, baby corn, Tamarind sauce, and ground peanuts. Good flavor, but could be livelier.	Moderate. 380 calories, 13g fat, 4g fiber, 0mg cholesterol.	Easy. Just open and put in the microwave.	Good, if kept frozen.	Very good. If nobody told you it was frozen and served it with some fresh lemon and peanuts, you might not know the difference.

C H I N E S E
	Food	Manufacturer	Cost	Description	Artery Clogging Factor	Ease of Preparation	Shelf Life	Takeout Replacement Value
	Cantonese Rice	Health Valley	$1.39	Ugh! This is food? We're not sure how organic food can end up tasting like it's made of pure chemicals, but this somehow pulls it off. Little flavor, soupy texture, and weird dehydrated vegetable bits. Run away!	Low. 140 calories, 1g fat, 2g fiber, 0mg cholesterol.	Moderate. Water must be boiled separately.	Excellent.	Abysmal.

A S S O R T E D
	Food	Manufacturer	Cost	Description	Artery Clogging Factor	Ease of Preparation	Shelf Life	Takeout Replacement Value
	Mediterranean Vegetables in a Pocket Sandwich	Amy's Kitchen	$.99	Yummy! Warm and comforting mixture of garlic and tomato with vegetables in a soft organic crust. Not your usual pocket meal.	Moderately Low. 220 calories, 7g fat, 3g fiber, 15mg cholesterol.	Easy. Heat in microwave and eat.	Good if kept frozen	Good if you're in the mood for a wrap or a hot sandwich. Some of us were still a little hungry.
	Rice and Vegetable Teriyaki Wrap with Organic Whole Wheat Tortilla	Cedarlane Natural Foods	$1.89	Even though this is kind of an odd concept -- almost like wrapping leftover Chinese food in a tortilla -- this fusion seems to work. Think the mutant offspring of an egg roll and a burrito and you'll be close to imagining the taste of this veggie-stuffed wrap.	Moderately Low. 280 calories, 3g fat, 2g fiber, 0mg cholesterol.	Easy. Heat in microwave and eat.	Good if kept frozen	Good, especially if you're in the mood for a more filling and healthier egg roll-type-food.
	Three Cheese Polenta, Romano, Parmesan, Jack	Fantastic Foods	$.99	Po-len-ta! Po-len-ta! Po-len-ta! Sorry -- we just couldn't stop cheering for this yummy snack. Now it isn't going to do much as a substitute for a whole meal (unless you eat like a bird anyway), but it makes a good between-meals nosh or nice side for a bigger entr*e. Cheesy, corny, warm and tasty -- yum!	Moderately Low. 210 calories, 3g fat, 3g fiber, 10mg cholesterol.	Moderately Easy. Fill with water, nuke, and eat.	Can you say "survival food?"	Great. We don't know anyone who's ever ordered polenta for takeout, but if you were going to do it, this could do 'ya.
	Stuffed Potato, Sour Cream and Chives	The Spice hunter	$1.29	A little gluey (next time I'd add more water than the directions call for), but really tasty and satisfying. The sour cream adds a nice tang while the chives give a bit of zip that livens up the smooth potato. Good stuff.	Low. 160 calories, 2g fat, 3g fiber, 5mg cholesterol.	Moderately Easy. Fill with water, nuke, and eat.	Probably will last forever without refrigeration.	Good. Would make a fabulous side dish with something more substantial.

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