GAEA Vegan Vegetable Spreads
Tis the season of hors d’oeuvres with holiday parties and family get togethers. Instead of overly rich canapés and other finger food, consider offering healthier choices in bite-sized apps whose foundation includes vegetables. GAEA – a Greek company that specializes in olives, olive oil, and Greek food products – makes vegetable spreads that come in two delicious plant-based flavors: Read more 
What is a TigerNut?
If you’ve ever traveled to Spain, then you’ve more than likely seen “Horchata de Chufa” on a beverage menu, especially in the summer months when this refreshing drink is very popular. A sweet, creamy, milk-like beverage, horchata de chufa is traditionally made with ground tiger nuts blended with ice-cold water and sugar. The word “chufa” is spanish for the tubers of the nut sedge plant, which is another name for the tigernut (which is also spelled “tiger nut”). Read more
Lagusta’s Luscious Heathen Toffee
People who follow a plant-based diet may be considered heathens – people who do not follow or belong to a widely held belief or faith – of a different sort because they don’t subscribe to the standard American diet (SAD) – a diet with a heavy emphasis on animal products and highly processed foods.
But being plant-based doesn’t mean you have to give up favorite treats because there are some incredible alternatives out there. Take toffee – a crunchy, rich candy typically made with butter, sugar, almonds, chocolate, and salt – a holiday favorite (although I used to eat toffee all year long). Without butter, how could toffee possibly be toffee? Read more
Cinnamon Roll Bread
Cinnamon Roll Bread is wildly different and wildly delicious homemade bread with no added sweeteners. A nutrient dense no-knead loaf, Cinnamon Roll Bread is very easy to make and requires no bread baking experience to make a loaf that looks like a professional baker’s creation.
The secret to the nutty cinnamon flavor and moist texture of this bread is a single 1.75 ounce packet of Wildway Cinnamon Roll Instant Hot Cereal made with walnuts, ground flaxseed, cashews, coconut flour, pecans, cinnamon, dried dates, and vanilla bean. Read more
DUN-WELL Doughnuts
“We’re doughnut pioneers.”
The most scrumptious, most delicious, and most decadent melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts are made in a small doughnut shop in Brooklyn called DUN-WELL DOUGHNUTS. Five years ago, Dan Dunbar and Christopher Hollowell who look like the Mast Brothers of chocolate fame – bow tie and all – got together to make New Yorkers a doughnut worthy of ooh’s and ah’s. Read more
Shiitake Mushrooms and Pasta with Pesto
Shiitake Mushrooms and Pasta with Pesto is a dish that has both Asian and Italian influence which may seem like a strange combination but the flavor is rather brilliant. Shiitake mushrooms are often used in Asian dishes along with toasted sesame oil and Chinese 5-spice powder (a combination of cinnamon, star anise, peppercorns, ginger, and cloves although some blends contain fennel instead of ginger) to add flavor while pesto – an Italian sauce with a foundation in olive oil, basil, and nuts – is an Italian favorite whether used in pasta or on a pizza.
In Shiitake Mushrooms and Pasta with Pesto, the vegetables (mushrooms and brussels sprouts) are seasoned and roasted with a bit of toasted sesame oil (a small amount goes a long way) and Chinese 5-spice powder while the pasta is covered in a very light pesto sauce. When combined, the complex flavors all come together for a delicious, creamy, and very satisfying meal. Read more
FIKA Raspberry
FIKA Raspberry is what most people would describe as “raspberry jam” although the word “jam” is not on the label (which may be because the FDA defines how the words “jam,” “jelly,” “preserves,” and “spread” can be used on labels in the detailed Code of Federal Regulation Title 21).
Made in small batches in Tribeca in New York City, FIKA Raspberry contains exactly three ingredients: raspberries, sugar, and lemon; and tastes absolutely fruity scrumptious. Read more
Nuttyness Marzipan Bars
Marzipan is often known as almond paste in the United States and is generally reserved for holidays or specialty cakes but only because Americans haven’t really discovered the wonders of this nutty, chewy treat. Traditional marzipan is made with ground almonds blended with sugar or honey but modern marzipan can also be made with pistachios or hazelnuts.
Chewy and sweet, marzipan is the perfect ingredient for a candy bar because the combination of dark chocolate covered marzipan is a contrast in flavors (nuts and rich creamy chocolate) and textures (hard and chewy). Read more
FIKA Granola
Ten years ago (2006) Lars Akerlund opened a coffeehouse on 58th Street in Manhattan called FIKA – a Swedish word pronounced “FeeKah” that translates into taking a coffee break to indulge in the ritual of conversation, often accompanied by something sweet or savory. According to Akerlund, having a daily FIKA is a way of life in Sweden and an important part of the culture. It offers a way of both relaxing and staying connected. And, in New York City who doesn’t need to relax and stay connected? Read more
Peregrino Toasted Almond Tortas
Seville, Spain is a city defined by its traditions, one of which is the “tortas de aceite” which is directly translated to mean “olive oil cakes” although these sweet, thin, crisp, flaky treats are more like a dessert cracker than a cake. Made by hand in Seville, tortas de aceite are typically made with flour, extra virgin olive oil, sugar, baking powder, sesame seeds, anise seeds, and a touch of salt although there are many variations made by adding crystallized oranges and spices that may include cinnamon, rosemary, and thyme. Read more
Paddock Post 