Blood Orange and Chocolate
Forget the flowers and stuffed animals. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner (next week!), its time to start thinking about chocolate. EHChocolatier of Somerville, Massachusetts (voted “Best Chocolate” by Boston Magazine in 2014 and 2015) typically offers chocolate covered Valencia orange slices but this year, blood oranges are on the menu. Known for their crimson, blood-colored flesh, blood oranges have a sweet, slightly more tangy flavor than other oranges, making them an ideal fruit to combine with dark chocolate. Read more 
The Shiranuhi Tangerine
Five years ago, a group of California citrus growers introduced the super sweet easy-to-peel seedless SUMO orange to the public. A specialty gourmet orange that was originally grown in Japan, the seedlings were brought to California after growers realized citrus loving Americans were missing out on one of the tastiest fruits available. Read more
Farmhouse Tomatoes
The difference between a bland tomato and a great one is immense, much like the difference between a standard, sliced white bread and a crusty, aromatic sourdough. ~Yotam Ottolenghi
Nearly all of America’s winter tomatoes are grown in Florida and California because of the mild climate and long growing season needed to take a seedling with a few green leaves to mature into a vine full of tomatoes. Most of these tomatoes have been bred to ripen uniformly red and round, although historically America’s favorite “fruit” has been a myriad of colors and shapes, which are not attributes coveted by retailers who value consistency and predictability. Read more
Go Raw Sprouted Bars
Go Raw Sprouted Bars are the essence of simplicity in a nutritious snack bar. Made of raw sprouted ingredients, the Go Raw Sprouted Bars are similar to a fruit leather bar: chewy and sweet, slightly tart with a bit of crunch. The bars come in five flavors made with all organic ingredients: Read more
Foodie Gift Ideas
The holiday season is all about food and lots of it at the office, restaurants, and at home. So many of the rich foods associated with the holidays contain dairy (i.e. butter, milk, cream), eggs, or animal products but there are many specialty holiday foods without these ingredients that are fresh and taste as rich and delicious as traditional favorites. Here are a few great gift ideas for the foodie in your life: Read more
Date Almond Cake
Pan de Dátil Almendrado is Spanish for “Date Almond Cake” – a freshly pressed “cake” handmade in Valencia, Spain with two ingredients: dates and Marcona almonds. The two contrasting flavors and textures of sweet, chewy dates and rich, crunchy almonds makes for a simple and delicious dessert that is both sweet and savory, and completely different from what Americans think as traditional “cake.” Read more
Gummies without the Gelatin
Never trust an adult who doesn’t like gummy bears, worms, or sour crawlers.
There is something special about gummy candy that brings out the kid in all of us. When a friend asked me “What do gummy bears, worms, cinnamon hats, sour crawlers, jelly rings, jelly slices, and hundreds of other gummy-type candies on the market have in common?,” my answer was “sugar,” which is not necessarily true (there are sugar-free gummies). Read more
Sunfood Super Foods: Nut and Trail Mix
I wonder if the person who invented trail mix actually thought of it as they were cleaning out their car and moved their kid’s car seat? ~TheRat
Trail mix has come a long way in the past decade. No longer is the choice between a monster sized container filled with peanuts, raisins and chocolate candy or just plain GORP (good ol’ raisins and peanuts). Today, the selection is vast with some of the best options offered by Sunfood Super Foods – a San Diego based company dedicated to providing nutrient-dense, non-GMO, raw, organic super foods to consumers, including two incredibly wholesome and natural trail mixes that also happen to be delicious. Read more
Top Picks at Trader Joe’s
With more than 430 stores across the United States, Trader Joe’s offers a shopping experience that keeps customers loyal: great products at competitive prices. Most of the retailer’s packaged products are under their own private label although some well-known manufacturers (i.e. the French chocolatier Valrhona) are also available.
Smaller than the average grocery store (12,500 square feet compared to 50,000), Trader Joe’s has a limited selection but one that brings shoppers back time after time. Some of the best products available at Trader Joe’s include: Read more
Des Moines’ Downtown Farmers’ Market
Many people start thinking about Farmers Markets during the early days of summer but Iowans living in the central part of the state have been patronizing the Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market since early May. They haven’t forgotten about meat and potatoes (the market has plenty of these items) but instead celebrate the fresh local harvest of fruits and vegetables every Saturday from May thru October in the capital city on the west bank of the Des Moines River. Read more
Paddock Post 