BuckWhat Noshes
There are some foods you can nosh to your heart’s content……
Buckwheat is actually a gluten-free seed and not a wheat or grass as its name suggests. Popular in Russia and China, buckwheat is starting to gain popularity among the health conscious in the United States due to its nutritional content. High in protein, buckwheat is rich in complex carbohydrates, iron, selenium, zinc, dietary fiber, and four B-vitamins. Read more 
Italian Harvest Risotto with Tomatoes and Arugula
Making a rich, creamy (dairy-free) risotto is not on the top ten list of most home cooks but it should be because risotto is a dish that avails itself to dozens of variations and typically requires no more than 25 minutes of time from start to finish. The key to a great risotto is the quality of the rice, the ingredients used to flavor the risotto, and a commitment to stir the risotto as it cooks to prevent the rice from sticking to the pan. Read more
Mavuno Harvest Organic Dried Fruit
The story of Mavuno Harvest began when Phil Hughes served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a tiny village in Kenya. The population was primarily dependent upon agriculture for their livelihood but there was little infrastructure to get many of the products from the farm to the consumer which meant that many farmers sold their crops at below market prices.
Seeing an opportunity for both the farmers and the consumers, trailblazer Hughes created Mavuno (meaning “yield”) Harvest by working with small farming cooperatives to take organically grown fruit, dry it, and package it for the consumer. Read more
Cabernet Estate Reserve® Tomatoes
Low in calories and rich in fiber, it’s a crisp, healthy pick, as easy to reach for as your favorite glass of wine.
Cabernet is often described as complex, full-bodied with dark fruity flavors which is exactly how a Cabernet Estate Reserve® Tomato can also be described. Never heard of the Cabernet Estate Reserve Tomato®? Village Farms International – a Canadian company that specializes in greenhouse grown produce – grows Cabernet Estate Reserve® Tomatoes – a beautiful brown cherry tomato that is very complex starting with the color: a deep wine hue with shades of vine. The texture is semi-crisp and the flavor is deeply earthy with very sweet overtones – which is how a sommelier could also describe a Cabernet. Read more
Organic Figgy Pops
When your snack is this real, freedom is yours.
Made in Nature should win an award for the most original and fun snack name – Figgy Pops – but what they really deserve is an award for is for making one of the best organic unbaked energy balls on the market. Figgy Pops are bite-sized super snacks made with organic fruits, nuts, seeds, and spices. If nature made candy, then Figgy Pops would be growing from trees but instead we can thank Made in Nature for combining the best of Mother Nature’s most delicious gifts to make Figgy Pops. Read more
Parma Zaan Sprinkles
Parma Zaan Sprinkles are an almond-based vegan substitute for parmesan cheese. Dairy-free with all natural ingredients and no artificial anything, Parma Zaan Sprinkles is also notable for containing no hydrogenated fats or refined sugar. Made with five ingredients: blanched almond meal, sea salt, nutritional yeast, dehydrated onion, and citric acid, Parma Zaan Sprinkles provide the nutty, cheesy flavor we all love without the dairy. Read more
The Vegetable Plate Revisited
Before you yawn and say to yourself “oh, not another vegetable plate,” read on for some tips on how to take a vegetable plate from a snoozer to an exciting, colorful, and flavorful meal. First, choose colorful vegetables because presentation is important. Food can look bland and still taste great but a meal is so much more enjoyable when the food looks as good as it tastes. Read more
BetterOats® Organic Bare Instant Multigrain Hot Cereal
To make better happen every day.
BetterOats® is owned by Post, the third largest cereal company in the United States – a corporation better known as the maker of Honey Combs, Alpha-Bits, Fruity Pebbles, and Raisin Bran. In an effort to capture the more health conscious market (and for this the company should be commended), BetterOats® has recently introduced an unsweetened instant multigrain hot cereal made with seven ingredients: Read more
BuckWHAT Granola
Not all granola is created equal.
When I hear the word “buckwheat,” I am reminded of “The Little Rascals” and “Our Gang” – the popular short films about a group of neighborhood kids (Spanky, Alfalfa, Chubby, Breezy, Darla, Stymie, and of course, Buckwheat), their dog (Pete), and beloved teacher (Miss Crabtree) that was filmed in the 1930’s and enjoyed syndication on television for decades after.
But, buckwheat is actually a very popular food in Russia and China (owing to its short growing season) that serves as a staple similar to quinoa in Peru, rice in Asian countries, and corn in Latin America. Many Americans think buckwheat belongs to the wheat family, as its name suggests but buckwheat is a gluten-free seed packed with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. And, therefore a perfect ingredient for granola. Read more
Augie Granola
The granola section in many grocery stores is starting to look like the cereal aisle of a Grand Union circa 1980 but instead of cereal, the shelves are filled with every type of granola known to mankind. Most people are thrilled with all the new choices of this traditional breakfast food though there are some naysayers who claim the last thing we need is another artisan granola. Not so and I’ll tell you why. Read more
