Taralli by Terre Di Puglia
Taralli are round Italian breadsticks, similar in texture to a crumbly cracker with a savory or sweet taste, depending on the ingredients. A delicious, crunchy pretzel-like snack that can be eaten on its own, Taralli are traditionally made with flour, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, yeast, and salt although the savory Italian rings are often flavored with fennel seeds, onion, pepper, sesame seeds, oregano, tomatoes, anchovies or poppy seeds. Read more 
Vega Savi Seed
The Savi Seed is the trademarked name of the Sacha Inchi Seed – the richest, plant-based source of Omega 3 on the planet (17 times more per ounce than Sockeye salmon). Grown in the Amazon Rainforest in Peru, the Sacha Inchi plant bears a star-shaped inedible fruit (as illustrated below) that darkens from green to brown, with an edible seed (once roasted) within a dark brown shell.
Light brown and oval in shape, the Sacha Inchi Seeds look similar to a marcona almond, and are known for their high protein, essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and 6), Omega 9, and iodine. A complete protein, Sacha Inchi Seeds have 9 grams of protein per ounce – more than most nuts and seeds – and 5 grams of fiber. Read more
Freshii
In the vast landscape of fast foods, Freshii has emerged as one of the newest and fastest growing chains offering fresh, affordable, and great tasting food quickly. A restaurant known for its farm fresh ingredients and eco-friendly practices (i.e. real bowls when eating in), Freshii aims to provide nutritious meal choices to energize busy people. Take out or eat in at a table in the bright airy space decorated with a “Table of Food Elements” on the wall prominently displaying all the ingredients Freshii has to offer. Read more
“Vegan Chocolate”
If someone told you a chocolate dessert could be unapologetically luscious, decadent and dairy-free, would you believe her? Fran Costigan, author, baking instructor, and vegan chocolate extraordinaire said just that and I really wanted to believe her but I had my doubts because most vegan chocolate desserts don’t taste as rich and scrumptious as those made with butter, cream, and eggs. How could they? Butter, like chocolate makes nearly everything taste better. But they can, and they do in a new cookbook called Vegan Chocolate. Read more
The Better Bean Company
The Better Bean Company of Portland, Oregon (why are there so many cool food companies based out of Portland?) considers beans an essential part of fine and healthy cuisines but also realizes that most people don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen cooking beans and adding just the right amount of spices to take the beans from bland to delicious. So, they do it for you by making freshly prepared beans that rival the quality and flavor of the best home cooked or restaurant made beans. Read more
Five Specialty Food Stores to Visit
Whenever I travel, I make a point of finding and visiting specialty food stores, farmer’s markets, or independent grocery stores because these stores carry regional and high quality food products that are otherwise unavailable locally. Usually in a downtown area and typically limited to medium to large-sized cities, specialty food stores are like good bookstores: a relaxing place to spend a few hours and take away a special something to enjoy later. The following specialty food stores are worth visiting: Read more
Mexican Chopped Salad
She doesn’t always follow the recipe….
Several weeks ago, my daughter suggested we try a recipe called Mexican Chopped Salad with Green Goddess Dressing by Gwyneth Paltrow. My recollection of Green Goddess Dressing is from the 1970’s when a company called Seven Seas made a shelf-stable bottled version of a salad dressing that typically contains a lot of mayonnaise and sour cream: not something that would appeal to my family. Read more
Just Mayo
Just Mayo is often referred to as “the joy on your sandwich” but this innovative and delicious new mayo is also a technological breakthrough product likely to become the mayo of the 21st century because instead of eggs, Just Mayo relies on pea protein from a plant. Made by Hampton Creek Foods of San Francisco with the financial backing of some heavy hitters including Bill Gates and Peter Thiel, Just Mayo has four major attributes: taste, nutrition, sustainability, and affordability. Read more
Made in Nature Pineapple
Made in Nature Pineapples are grown on organic farms in the rich and fertile volcanic valley above the cloud forests in Costa Rica. Moist and chewy with the bold flavor of the tropics in which the pineapples are grown, Made in Nature Pineapple has one ingredient: organic dried pineapple pieces.
Naturally sweet with no added sweeteners, preservatives, or artificial colors, the dried unsulfured bite-sized golden pineapple morsels are simply delicious. One bite (which is hard to do because the pineapple is addicting) of this wholesome and nutritious fruit will convince you that Made in Nature makes the best dried pineapple on the market.
Siggi’s Yogurt Tubes
Siggi’s of yogurt fame has been making Icelandic style yogurt for nearly a decade using milk from local dairies in upstate New York who do not inject growth hormones into their cows. Icelandic style yogurt or skyr is made by incubating skim milk with live active cultures and then straining the mixture to make a much thicker, creamier and concentrated yogurt. Naturally fat-free, the yogurt is either left as is to make fat-free yogurt or blended with pasteurized cream to make a 2% yogurt that is referred to as rjóma-skyr or cream-skyr yogurt. Read more
Paddock Post 