Chunky Cranberry Chutney
Tis the season when we start to think about making homemade cranberry sauce. While most recipes call for a cup or more of sugar, the following recipe uses fresh ground dates as a sweetener. Dates may seem like an unusual sweetener but this naturally very sweet fruit is often referred to as “nature’s candy” which makes it the perfect ingredient to sweeten a cranberry sauce, relish, or chutney. Read more 
Better Almond Butter
Jordyn Gatti, the founder and CEO of Better Almond Butter is on a mission to “make better food in a better way.” Although almond butter sounds like such a simple product, it really isn’t because there are two things consumers need to think about when selecting the most nutritious and delicious almond butter on the market: the almonds and whether the almonds have been sprouted.
The FDA requires that all almonds grown in California (where the majority of US almonds are grown) be pasteurized either by a steam process or by being gassed with a fumigation chemical called propylene oxide (PPO) – a jet engine fuel additive that is considered carcinogenic in Europe – to prevent foodborne illnesses (specifically, to prevent the transfer of bacteria from the field to consumers). Read more
Consider Brandless™
Brandless™ is a relatively new company launched in July, 2017 that focuses on better access to better quality (i.e. Non-GMO, organic) goods at a more competitive price.
Instead of relying on grocery stores for common household goods (i.e. beans, ketchup, mustard, maple syrup, tomato sauce, jam, dried fruits and nuts, grains, rice, peanut butter, and more), consumers can buy directly from Brandless™ – a company that sources their goods directly from suppliers.
There are no distribution costs, wholesale to retail markups, shelf stocking fees, breakage and settlement costs, and no retail marketing costs because the supplier is linked directly with Brandless™ who delivers the goods directly to the consumer, for free (orders over $39 are shipped free, otherwise shipping is a flat rate of $6). Read more
Easy Jackfruit and Cannellini Bean Tostados
Tostados (and tacos) appeal to lots of people because there are a wide variety of toppings. In this easy to make recipe, caramelized jackfruit – a fantastic meat substitute – is the star of the show. Piled onto a warm crunchy corn tostado, jackfruit can the topped with seasoned white cannellini beans, some tangy mango salsa along with lettuce (or sprouts), avocado and tomatoes.
Ready in less than 20 minutes, Easy Jackfruit and Cannellini Bean Tostados make a nutritious and delicious meal. Read more
Bars by Big Spoon Roasters
If you’re crazy about nut butters, then you probably know all about Big Spoon Roasters – the Durham, North Carolina-based company that makes incredible handcrafted nut butters – almond, peanut, peanut pecan, peanut cashew, peanut cocoa, almond cocoa, maple cinnamon, and more. So, it seems only natural that the company would make snack bars with a base of their proprietary nut butters and house-made granola (made with gluten-free rolled oats, honey, grapeseed oil, and sea salt) along with fruits, nuts, seeds, spices, and more. Read more
MyKind Organics Vitamin B12 Organic Spray
MyKind Organics makes a liquid whole food Vitamin B12 supplement that is Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified in a great tasting raspberry spray. Just one spray (0.41 ml) provides 500 mcg (8,333% of the RDA) of Vitamin E. Given that the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin B12 varies by age, and whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding, the US Food and Drug Administration sets the daily value at 6 micrograms. Read more
Create Your Own Salad
Create Your Own Salad is a 21st century phenomena that appeals to a lot of people who want to decide what ingredients they want in a salad. Not satisfied with the one salad fits all, fans of Create Your Own Salad are by nature people who know what they like and are not afraid to speak up.
When I do take out, I often look for a place where I can create my own salad but when I’m at restaurant, it’s often more difficult (I try not to be that pain-in-the-ass customer who drives servers crazy, at least not to the extent of Meg Ryan’s character, Sally Albright in the 1989 classic “When Harry Met Sally,” but have come close). Read more
Black Bean Brownies
Ten years ago a black bean brownie wouldn’t have done it for me because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Back then my favorite brownie was made with a Ghiradelli boxed brownie mix blended with melted unsalted butter and eggs (yes, I am ashamed to admit this).
Fast forward a few years when I tasted a black bean brownie sold in a cafe called Fresh in Des Moines, Iowa. Moist and chewy with a deep dark chocolate flavor, the black bean brownie was simply delicious but I didn’t attempt to make my own until recently when I realized that it was time to figure out how to make a delicious but nutritious (key word) alternative to traditional brownies. Read more
Blend 11 by GoodMix Superfoods
Blend 11 is a nutritious blend of 11 certified organic superfoods that can be used in smoothies, shakes, overnight oats, fresh oatmeal, hot and cold cereals, and even in recipes (especially in date balls). Crunchy, wholesome, super nutritious, and delicious, Blend 11 is also gluten-free and vegan.
Made by GoodMix Superfoods of Waitsfield, Vermont (central Vermont near Montpelier), Blend 11 differs from other nut and seed blends on the market in many ways. First, the variety of ingredients is vast. There are seeds, nuts, nibs, and more. Second, the ingredients are certified organic (and that’s big). Third, most nut and seed blends don’t have puffed millet, puffed amaranth, or cacao nibs which add terrific texture, flavor, and nutrition to the mix. And, lastly, most nut and seed mixes don’t have buckwheat which is a totally undervalued seed (yes, a seed) loaded with vitamins and minerals. Read more
Vegetable Curry with Mike’s Organic Curry Love®
This is the good stuff.
My husband loves curry especially if a selection of toppings (peanuts, diced bananas, mango chutney, toasted coconut, seasoned slivered almonds, cashews, raisins, dried apricots, and green scallions) are placed in small bowls in the center of the table so he can choose what to put on top. Sometimes it’s a few items and other times, he piles on a little bit of everything to ensure every bite is a mix of sweet and salty flavors along with chewy and crunchy textures. The real beauty of serving curry with toppings is that everyone can customize their own dish to suit their tastes. But, in order to have a really good curry dish, the sauce has to be the star of the show. Read more
