Have a Slavery-free Halloween

Assorted Fair Trade and Organic Chocolates

Yesterday the family and I attended the Northwest Chocolate Festival here in Seattle where “Chocolate Lover’s Unite”.  Along with a nice mix of vendors hawking everything from small little purses from 3rd world countries to hand crafted cutting boards from right here in Seattle (no, none of which were made of chocolate) there was a decent representation of small to medium sized fair and direct trade chocolate manufacturers. Some companies, which you may or may not have ever heard of, were Taza, theo, Divine and Madecasse.

All of these companies produce high quality, Fair Trade bars available online and at most Whole Foods and similar stores. During one of the many panel discussions we learned about what Fair and Direct Trade means, how it pertains to the chocolate industry, what the problems/benefits associated with both trade methods are and how the above companies work with those structures. I should note that a representative from Starbucks was also on one of the panels and it’s good to know that they have a very aggressive program in place to ensure their chocolate farmers meet certain criteria (via a point system) in order to be considered suppliers for their chocolate product line.

One question that came up was how families and parents can access Fair Trade, Organic and socially responsible chocolates to give away at Halloween time. After all, nothing is scarier than giving away handfuls of Hershey’s chocolate made on the backs of slave or child labor* and economic slavery. Personally, that’s not the kind of scary I want to spread around.

So if you’re looking for a few options, give the following companies a thought.

Divine: Individual minis, 200pc box

Dagoba: Tasting Squares, 36 pc and 432pc boxes

Kuapa Kokoo: Fair Trade Gold Coins, 13pc bag

Equal Exchange: 150pc box and 40pc sac of minis

Natural Candy Store: a variety of offerings including some of the above items.

Coco Zen: assorted chocolates including pops and disks

Sweet Earth Chocolates: Assorted, individually wrapped pieces

Assorted Options at Whole Foods (might be your best option considering time and costs)

Are these items cheap? No, they are not but at least you won’t get a little bit of your soul sucked out with each piece you give away. So maybe the kids at your door won’t get big handfuls to schlocky treats but may instead get a single/few, cherished piece of true goodness. Maybe parents will notice the Fair Trade emblem, pause and give a thought to what that means and how that differs from the colorful crap around it. And just maybe this is one step towards a Halloween candy revolution that will eventually force giants like Hershey to wake up, grow some humanitarian, chocolate-covered balls and produce products not derived from slave labor. Ooooo, corporate responsibility and change…scary concepts, I know!

Of course you can also opt to go the non-chocolate route and find good hard candies that are healthy (errr..healthier) and made with soul as well.

So have a safe Halloween everyone and remember, we consumers hold the power..shop wisely and beat the status quo down with your money stick or handfuls of loose change. If your local store doesn’t carry Fair Trade and/or organic (ie GMO-free) products squawk about it to management.

For more soul-saving purchases for Halloween visit these other informative blog posts. Remember, if you can’t make changes in time for this Halloween, there’s always Easter!

Get Child Labor Out of Your Chocolates : includes access to the 2010 Chocolate Company Score Card

Eco-Friendly Halloween Candy Choices

Green America’s Online Petition telling Hershey to go Fair Trade

17 Alternative Halloween Treats

Reverse Trick-or-Treating

Treats, no Tricks: Whole Foods Blog on Halloween candy

Free2Work Company Ratings

*It is estimated that 284,000 child laborers work on cocoa farms, and are either involved in hazardous work, are unprotected, are deprived of liberty, or have been trafficked. 

North Bergen Marble & Granite

Great customer service can often be hard to find, but not impossible. Today gave me a perfect example of this.

On the way back from a client meeting in Connecticut yesterday afternoon I got a flat tire in the middle of pre-rush hour traffic on CT 72. Thankfully the spare was inflated, stowed in the back and I was able to get home in one piece, albeit very slowly on it’s “Do not exceed 50 miles per hour!” limit.

Since the tire was too damaged to be plugged I got a new one put on this morning and decided to kill some time by walking around the neighborhood I was in. During my walk I noticed North Bergen Marble & Granite and decided to stop in and see if they had any remnant marble I could use for some light candy making and pastry work. I had a great slab for years that I gave to a friend after our last move; being over-tired and fed up with packing I opted to just part with it vs. trying to find a box strong enough and long enough to pack it into.

Now my second thought after deciding to stop in was that I better prepare myself to get brushed off. After all I wasn’t looking to have anything as grand as an entire countertop installed and my inquiry could be seen as a waste of time by a hardcore salesperson looking for a cushy commission. But I firmly believe in the motto “nothing ventured, nothing gained” so in I went.  After climbing a short expanse of  lovely, pale yellow, marble steps leading into the showroom I explained my situation to Jimmy who was manning the front desk.

Jimmy was exceptionally polite and didn’t mind taking the time to help me find the perfectly sized piece of marble for my needs at just the right price. After giving it a quick cleaning he even offered to carry it to my car for me. When I explained it was two blocks away he then offered to drive me over there if that would help. I declined, mainly because I wanted the exercise, but I really appreciated the offer. I left beaming because I had gotten exactly what I wanted, was given fabulous customer service and had trusted my instincts about stopping in. A truly win-win experience.

You better believe that if a friend or associate of mine is looking for great marble Jimmy and company at North Bergen Marble & Granite will be the first people I mention because even a small purchase like mine was treated with care and respect. After the high level of customer service I received today I can only imagine how great they would treat a client looking to outfit an entire kitchen, bathroom or commercial lobby.

Thanks again Jimmy!

5 kiwi for excellent customer service

North Bergen Marble & Granite

217 Palisade Avenue
Cliffside Park, NJ 07010-1226
(201) 945-9988

Last minute holiday gifts for inside and out

Happy Holidays everyone! If you’re still scrambling for some interesting gifts I hope some of the ides below will help. BTW, many of the products I review don’t have Canadian distribution deals in place so if that is your particular niche I hope the info provided here can be of benefit to any food product importers in the region. Many are also running last minute holiday sales, discounts and free shipping promotions and don’t forget, just because you can’t get a delivery by Christmas doesn’t mean you should pass up ordering if a deal is still good.

Great Spirits Mini Bundt Cake Gift Collection

First off we have The Great Spirits Baking Company based out of New York City. Great Spirits, as their marketing materials will tell you, “is a new gourmet specialty food company dedicated to creating the most sumptuous, all natural, handcrafted, packaged baked goods, extravagantly infused with the finest brand-name spirits.” Now there are a lot of bakeries out there that show up to food shows, some small some massive with high volume production capacities but I have to say that Great Spirits makes an amazing product. Not only do their mini bundt cakes live up to their claims of being “sublimely decadent desserts… generously soaked in brand-name, premium spirits..” they truly have the rich, buttery flavour of cakes made from scratch. You know, the kind we cake lovers used to make when we had time on our sides. The premium liquor adds a kick that contains none of the searing, artificial fumes often found in lesser quality products and keep their cakes moist and heavenly. With an amazing 6 month shelf life, liquor pairings including Patron Citronage, Patrón XO CAFÉ and Aged Ultra Premium Pyrat XO Reserve Rum, these “all natural” cakes will be a hit wherever they are served. Yum, yum, yum!

Next we have Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. Two companies in particular excite me, Nutiva and Tropical Traditions. Now this isn’t the god-awful stuff you get from your average grocery store which is derived from copra, the small, smoked (and often rancid) coconuts from various parts of the tropics. What sets these products apart from the a fore mentioned stuff is the treatment of the coconuts. For starters both companies make sure their coconuts are fresh vs dried/smoked. The oil is harvested as soon as possible from the freshly ground meat and the lowest temperature possible is used to help the oil separate from the mashed coconut mass. Now Tropical Traditions goes an extra step here by processing everything by hand (as the video will show you). They also use the water from the coconuts themselves to aid in the extraction process making for a truly sustainable product that further supports the collective of coconut growers in their region of Mt. Banahaw in the Philippines.

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions

When I recently received my sample jar from Tropical Traditions to review* I was immediately struck by the very powerful coconut scent from the product. Because I’m such a huge fan of coconut oil I had recently ordered a half gallon from Nutiva so it was great to be able to examine both batches of oil for a friendly comparison. These are both amazing companies with their own very exciting product lines ranging from hemp seed/oils/protein shakes and the like to grass-fed beef, chickens and even pet foods, I’d rather not pick favorites but list the attributes of both and let others decide on their own.

Nutiva or Tropical Traditions?: For starters the Nutiva’s oil is whiter in color which may be important if you use it for cosmetic purposes where you need a truly neutral base. Having said that both brands will melt down crystal clear. Tropical Traditions is ever so slightly less white when solid but this may be due in part to the hand made quality of the product and the difference really isn’t noticed until the products are placed side-by-side.

Nutiva Coocnut Oil

When I inhaled deeply I detected a faint sharp note that I couldn’t define. Now my husband didn’t get that so it may just be my nose. But when I did the same with the Tropical Traditions oil I was really taken with the intensely, dare I say it, tropical undertones and rich coconut scent. Again, this may be a plus or a minus depending on your intended use.

As with the scent the flavour of both due differ along similar lines. Nutiva is the milder, less tropical oil by far in my opinion. Again, my husband disagreed so others may find a difference of opinion here as well. When I sauteed half an onion in a pan with 2 tsp of each oil I again detected a more tropical and coconut flavour from the Tropical Traditions onion.

In terms of touch and feel I found Tropical Traditions was creamier on the skin and Nutiva not so much. I’m not entirely sure what would cause this and I’ve also found that extra creaminess makes it easier to ingest Tropical Traditions’ oil straight off of a spoon.

Benefits and Use?: Coconut oil has been contributed to doing quite a lot for the human (and animal) body. It’s high level of Lauric Acid is one of the primary benefits of the oil which can fight viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Many websites list the numerous benefits including, but not limited to, improving digestions, lowering cholesterol, improving skin elasticity and hair/nail health, etc. You can read more here and at both the Nutiva and Tropical Traditions’ web sites. I personally use coconut oil now for everything but salad dressings, mainly because coconut oil is solid when cold so it simply never works for a chilled dressing. But for all things baking, candy making, topical for face/hand/hot oil treatments for my hair and for cooking I am a huge, huge fan. You can also take part in their referral bonus program detailed at the end of this post.

Speaking of hair, I have got to mention Mixed Chicks. I have been battling my curly hair for ages now and I am incredibly grateful to have found their products, especially their Leave-In Conditioner for curl definition and their Deep Conditioner for use when washing hair. I have *never* used wash out conditioner that was this powerful or concentrated. I usually have to spend 10 mins. just trying to get through my hair with a regular conditioner (and bogs of it too) but just a tablespoon of this stuff allowed me to comb through my hair in record time. It’s seriously good stuff and leaves my hair feeling incredible afterward. The Leave-In is equally good and though there’s a bit of “crunchiness” when it dries I’ve found smoothing my hand over my curls takes this away without damaging my curls. I’ve also found mixing a little coconut oil and/or Argan Oil does wonders as well for leaving my hair super soft and healthy.

If you don’t use Argan Oil, you should start. It’s made from endangered almond trees in Morocco which produce one of the most luxurious oils on the planet for topical and culinary use. This lightly golden oil has a nutty aroma and a silk texture that absorbs into the skin like nothing else, even coconut oil. It’s expensive (averaging $3+/oz for 32oz. bottle) but my oh my is it worth it! If you do order it go for the bulk 32oz plastic bottle from Zamouri Spices. Their customer service is as outstanding as their products and since they are the primary importer of Argan Oil you know you’re getting a quality product. I’m looking forward to reviewing Zamouri’s other culinary and topical products as I try them throughout 2010.

Again, have a wonderful holiday everyone and enjoy your time with family and friends!!

Logan

Tropical Traditions also has a Referral Program, so if you place an order with them as a first-time customer, please select “Referred by a friend” and in the box that says “How did you hear of us?” enter my sponsor ID number… 5754075. By telling Tropical Traditions that I referred you, you will receive a complimentary copy of the book Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours! by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy with your first order! This book is filled with testimonies and research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how one can incorporate coconut into their diet.

*Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.

The Dairy Days of Summer

Ricotta is an incredibly easy cheese to make. Though it’s traditionally made with the whey left over from hard cheese manufacturing (makes you wonder why it’s so expensive doesn’t it?) the average cook can use a mixture of whole milk dairy to produce the same effect.  Whole milk and yogurt are the best options to start with. Balkan style or Greek style yogurts are best due to their rich taste and high fat content.  Use the best dairy you can find including organic, raw or goat milks and if you’re feeling really decadent you can make a full fat version using heavy cream. You can also make a similar cheese using soy milk or a mixture of soy and dairy milk. Have fun and say goodbye to the watery, overly expensive store-bought stuff you’ve been buying. Check out additional recipes like including this delicate, fresh ricotta like Roasted Corn, Herb and Ricotta Ravioli and Baby Roma Tomatoes with Herb Ricotta.

Soy Ricotta with Buckwheat Honey and Lavender & Fresh Whole Milk Ricotta with Olive Oil and Lemon

Fresh Homemade Ricotta:

yields around 2 lbs

1 Gal (or 4 Lts) Whole Milk
1 Quart Plain Whole-Milk Yogurt (the higher the fat % the better)
3 teaspoons White Vinegar
1 teaspoon of Lemon Juice
1-2 teaspoon Salt (reserve 1 teaspoon for finished ricotta if necessary)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Method:

1. In a large stainless steel pot, bring the milk, yogurt, vinegar, lemon juice and salt over medium heat. Stir for a few minutes just enough to blend all of the ingredients. Heat until just under boiling then turn off completely and let sit for 2 minutes. Don’t actually allow the mixture to boil since too much heat will lead to rubbery curds.
2. Line a strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth (or use a new, fine weave, all cotton dish towel) and set it over a deep bowl.
3. Carefully pour the milk mixture into the strainer and let drain for 10-15 minutes. Gather the cheesecloth around the curds and squeeze gently to extract any excess liquid. This will leave you with very dry ricotta.
4. Reserve the left over whey (the liquid separated out from the curd) for additional recipes and as a tasty drink for people and pets.
5. If desired add in the heavy cream and some of the left over whey to create a smoother, creamier ricotta. Of just add more whey and omit cream. Adjust salt as needed.

Use immediately while still warm or chill thoroughly and refrigerated for up to three days.

Options:

• Use all lemon juice vs. Vinegar and add an additional 2 tsp for a more tangy and lemony curd.
• Though you can used reduced fat milk and/or yogurt the trues tastes lies in the high fat content.
• Removes as much whey as possible to use the ricotta as a salad topping or as a finish for baked goods.

• 

  Baby Roma Tomatoes filled with Herb Ricotta

Soy Ricotta:

yields just under 2 cps

4 cps Soy Milk (plain for savoury and vanilla for dessert ricotta)
1 teaspoon White Vinegar
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
Salt as needed

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Cook for 2-3mins then store then fridge overnight to allow whey and curds to slowly separate.
3. Strain through extra thick cheesecloth for 2 hours.
4. *Due to the very fine, small curds formed soy ricotta tends to hold far more water and requires longer straining.
5. Add additional salt where needed.

This vegan ricotta is best used chilled though it can be added to hot pasta dishes just before service. The vanilla version is particularly delicious served as a spread on muffins, breakfast breads or on fresh fruit. Store for 3-5 days refrigerated.

If you don’t have time to make your own fabulous dairy products then you can check out Hans Dairy, the largest Ontario dairy specializing in South Asian dairy products, and their new Lassi/Yogurt Smoothies in Passion Fruit and Mango flavours. Delicious chilled or on ice and surprisingly fat-free even though the mouth feel is decidedly silky, rich and smooth. With only 70 calories per 125 mL it’s a great snack when you’re on the run or for lunch boxes. Look for Hans line of quality dairy products in South Asian grocery stores.

Hans Passion Fruit and Mango Lassi

One of a Kind Show

I had the pleasure of attending the One of a Kind Show this past Spring (yes, I Know, this post is woefully late on here) at Toronto’s Direct Energy Center. I naturally couldn’t wait to check out the food products, do some sampling and get a feel for the kinds of culinary items displayed. This is in no way a complete summary on all of the booths, just some of my particular favorites.

It was definitely a mixed bag offerings from fair to great. My best advice would be to show up as early as possible during a weekday rather than at 12:30 on the final day like we did. It’s much more enjoyable to sample products when there isn’t an elbow in your back and someone’s heel squishing your toe as someone muscles in to get their free taste. It also makes you look (and feel) like less of a street urchin vying for that last scrap of discarded bread simply by way of having to practically fight your way towards the poor sales person handing out samples.

Once you get down to business and have the time to enjoy both the samples as well as the conversation with the very passionate entrepreneurs, you’ll see why everyone loves coming to this show two times a year.

Doing trade shows are never easy and doing shows involving food are particularly challenging. After all you have to keep the food safe to sample and keep a smile on your face regardless of how many times you’ve answered the question “What is this?” or “Are there nuts in this?”.

It was wonderful to see so many Canadian manufactured food products displayed. Though there were quite a few vendors I wanted to focus on some of the companies that are a little ahead of the pack in terms of combining great product taste, variety, packaging and salesmanship.

Saigon Soul Spring Rolls

Saigon Soul Food has been a show favourite for years. Owner Tam Nguyen has clearly put time, money and a great deal of thought behind the company’s look when setting up their large booth complete with Asian pottery, motifs and traditional attire on the staff. Nguyen wins for best salesmanship due to her calm yet energetic presence in the face of hungry hordes. I’m happy to report the food is equally as good with an impressive vegetarian spring roll that clearly contains more than the regularly bland mixture of mung bean sprouts and cabbage. It’s no wonder Nguyen sells out of product at each show since Saigon doesn’t offer online ordering. Luckily you can purchase their spring rolls, additional appetizers and complimentary dipping sauces at various Whole Foods and Pusateri’s in downtown Toronto as well as at select locations found on their website. Gluten-free items can be special ordered.

Award Winning Products from Henderson Farms

Henderson Farms out of Wolf Island, Ontario comes in second for over all congeniality as well as their very generous offering of samples. When you’ve got more than ten products on display it really does serve your best interest to offer samples for as many of them as possible. It’s unreasonable to expect customers to buy blind based on just one item and they clearly understand that at Henderson. Being a family run business (from harvest to the graphic design of their packaging) clearly comes through in their approach to dealing with customers where you truly feel your questions are being taken to heart and answered respectfully.

With such delightful combinations like “Organic Fig-Rhubarb Marmalade”, the mildly floral “Stinging Nettle Jelly” and lovely “Wild Dandelion Wine Jelly” it’s no wonder they were busy. All of Henderson’s award-winning condiments are hand-made in small batches with produce grown on their farm. Thankfully they offer a mail order form on their website and are happy to take corporate gift orders over the phone. They can also be found at numerous craft shows and retail stores across Canada throughout the year.

Hot Stuff Mini Sala Trio

Brooks Pepperfire Foods Inc. makes a line of impressive hot sauces, pepper infused salt, BBQ sauces and delicious confection called “The Antidote” made from reduced heavy cream and dark maple syrup. The best part was being able to sample at least 20 of their finest sauces arranged from light to blisteringly hot to allow tasters to make their way up the smouldering line in order to truly enjoy the complex flavours before their tongues crashed and burned. I made through from start to finish but discovered a small, painless blister on the inside of my cheek 5 mins later which proved to be an interesting surprise since I can usually handle a lot of heat. So if you’re going to dive into the deep end, do it slowly and cautiously because it’s hot in there! By far the best sauces I sampled were the three mango creations “Mango Chutney”, “Baby Mango”, “Mango Fire” and “Red Savina Mango” that are richly flavoured with ripe mango (fresh, not powdered or canned). The chutney is made with natural cane sugar which lends a depth of sweetness with a heavy base note vs. the flat taste of white cane sugar or the hollow taste of corn syrup. Their “Peanut-Free Thai Sauce” is incredibly good and if you can figure out how they mimic the very authentic peanut taste w/out peanuts or chemicals I’ll come over and cook you dinner. Greg Brook, the owner and mixologist of these firebombs has done a great job with the pepperfire site. Great product descriptions, multiple search options, great gift packages and they even private label two of their best selling sauces for you to give away as wedding favours, birthday, corporate or holiday gifts. With the ability to drop-ship your customized orders it makes for the easiest way to get your special gifts into the hands, and on the tongues, of friends and family. If you’re looking to support a growing local business then check out their Sexy Salsa Financing Project to help them raise much needed expanssion capital via customer donations and special orders.

Other great companies to consider:

Olive Tapenade from The Garlic Box

The Garlic Box: 10 years of great products made with cold-climate Canadian Garlic. If you’re a garlic fiend you will love their creative line of products.

Delices Erabeille : Great caramel sauces, “Port Jelly” and other fine condiments. Unfortunately their entire site is in French with no English version that I could find (Google translate does a horrible job with the site) so if that’s a problem for you, you may just have to find them at local craft shows listed, in French, on their website.

Coach House Shortbread Company: Great packaging from this small, Toronto craft baker.

Milsean Shoppe : Milsean, Gaelic for “Sweet Things”, makes a mean “Demerara Butter Crunch” treat that is addictive and delicious. This beautiful family-run establishment is well worth a visit in B.C.’s Fraser Valley. Just bring me back some butter crunch on your return!

Sweet Truth's Almond Butter Toffee With A Ginger Twist

Sweet Truth Candy Company : Insanely good toffee that you will not want to share so buy some for yourself and some as a gift. Gold star for their Ginger Twist Toffee.

Odile Choclat: Sheek looking, diminutive confections that look too good to eat. Visit their new retail shop at 829 Dundas Street West to put these beauties to the test.

Bareback Berries From So Hot Sauces

Gourmet Mini Wild-Only Tins

The Fishery: salmon paté, gourmet canned wild smoked salmon, tuna, scallops & oysters. Not overly salty, smoky or fatty. The kind of canned seafood that puts store brand fish to utter shame.

Sohot: “..specialty, gourmet hot sauce designed so that you can taste your food!”. Light on heat and big on color.

Mary Macleod’s Shortbread: This booth was mobbed when I arrived but after being jostled to and fro for a bit I was finally able to get a very small sample of her melt-in-your-mouth Dutch chocolate shortbread.

Mini Chocolate Crunch Shortbread from Mary Macleod's

A simialr version of this review can be found at Prospere-Magazine, the women’s lifestyle and career ezine.

NatureSeal®- Friend to chefs, busy parents and the health conscious alike

NatureSeal®

It’s not uncommon to have that little voice in the back of your head say “Yeah, right!” when you first hear about an amazing product whose benefits sound too good to be true; be it the latest ab exerciser, diet pill or wrinkle cream.

When I first heard about NatureSeal®, and it’s ability to keep fresh-cut/peeled produce from oxidizing, from catering guru Bill Hansen, my little voice went off…followed by an internal snort of disbelief (and probably the very visible lift of my left eyebrow) at hearing the product was “all natural”. But I trust Bill’s opinion and I was/am always up for a new way to cut down on prep time (ie staff hours) and get a jump on the ever rotating “to do” list a life in catering/food service  provides. So I ordered up a few retail-size packets for a trial run and figured I wouldn’t be out any big bucks when things didn’t work out. “Avocados, huh? Yeah, right!”

I am very glad I took the chance because NatureSeal® is pretty amazing stuff and does indeed perform as promised:

“NatureSeal is a patented blend of GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) vitamins and minerals that extend the shelf life of fresh-cut produce up to 21 days.  By inhibiting respiration and the oxidation process, fresh-cut produce can last longer on the shelf…NatureSeal maintains the natural taste, texture and color of fresh-cut produce.”

They aren’t kidding either. I’ve had great success prepping sliced romaine for salads plus peeled pears, apples, kiwi, avocado and even bananas hours in advance (and days in advance depending on the item) thanks to this tasteless, odorless, white powder (which should in no way be confused with a similarly described, exceptionally illegal and costly white powder from South of the boarder). Once again, as promised, without altering the flavour or texture of the produce in question. This is of particularly great help when prepping large amounts of raw produce for buffet salads, crudites or fresh fruit platters where copious amounts of damp paper towel and numerous layers of plastic wrap where the best solution for keeping items fresh in the past, though not necessarily free from discoloration. “Fresh-sliced kiwi that isn’t off-colored? Yeah, that’s right!”

Now that the majority of my day isn’t spent in catering production I’m still glad to have NatureSeal® on hand to use on perishables for food styling shoots, demos and family parties. As a busy mother it’s also great to know I can prep up to a week’s worth of nutritious and healthy items to have on hand vs. resorting to processed snacks or end up with a toddler whining about “gross” brown edges on his salad greens and apple slices.  If you’ve had to deal with a 3 year-old for extended periods of time you know exactly what I’m talking about.

It also makes preparing individual salads much easier when trying to drop a few pounds through dietary changes and portion control. I love romaine lettuce over mesclun greens for it’s great shelf-life combined with the crisp, hearty crunch and truly filling feel you get from a few handfuls of sliced leaves. Plus I’m a sucker for healthy fixings; fresh bell peppers, shredded carrot, avocado slices and refreshing cucumber to name a few. What I don’t love is having to prep all of these items day after day after day. With NatureSeal® I can prep everything to last 3-5 days; 3 days for avocado slices and longer for romaine and hardier vegetables. This way I get my two salads a day in and can’t talk myself out of eating well because I don’t have the time or desire to put a fresh salad together from scratch.

From professional chef to busy consultant to diet-conscious mom, NatureSeal® has truly been a blessing that has factored into my many culinary lives by reducing my work load, keeping more money in my pocket and providing me with a little less to think about when it comes to keeping the food I handle as fresh and natural as possible from prep to plate.

So thanks Bill and thanks to Tim Grady and the gang at NatureSeal®!

NatureSeal can be ordered wholesale or retail via the NatureSeal website: http://www.NatureSeal.com

Year End Product Reviews: Snacks

It’s pretty hard to make a bad snack (okay, almost) and some companies truly excel in the art of snackery.  From sweet, to savory and mix of both I think you’ll find these selections fun and yummy.

To start things off on a healthy note we have Bodhi Fruit Chips which are 100% natural, air baked (as apposed to freeze dried) slices of whole fruits. These chips are as healthy as you can get with no additives, fats or sugars so the natural flavour of these Mexican harvested fruits really comes through strongly. A perfect snack for kids and health-conscious adults alike. Bodhi also makes a Lime Powder which boasts an impressive promise that each 3 oz bottle has 72 limes inside ready to be used for cooking or baking.

Next in the realm of healthy snacks comes Harvest Lark All Natural Food Bars. I had the pleasure of meeting Cheryl Zumbrunn, the founder and energy behind Harvest Lark and it’s product line at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York this past July. Cheryl has been able to maintain the home-baked quality and taste of her bars by making sure each batch is home made vs. factory produced. Her family’s commitment to farming and the care they put into their all natural bars is evident in every bite. Not too sweet, made with grains grown on their own property, these bars are a healthy snack any time of the day. Harvest Lark’s new packaging and expanded offerings (bars come 10 to a box) make for a very marketable product. The Ginger Date and Cranberry Pecan bars are particularly good.

Raw foodies and non will both enjoy an exciting new line of bars from Raw Revolution. The true litmus test for the survival of a raw product outside of the genre is whether or not it can be enjoyed across the board. This is the case with Revolution’s bars that are Gluten Free, Vegan, Wheat, Corn, Soy, Trans-fat, Cholesterol, Refined Sugar Free and still manage to taste good. So what’s in these bars that make them yummy? A combination of dates, cashews, almonds and sprouted flax seeds add a base to most of the line combined with agave or evaporated organic cane juice as sweeteners. Familiar flavour combinations like Hazelnut & Chocolate, Chocolate & Coconut, Tropical Mango and Choc Chip Cookie Dough it won’t be too hard to get the word out about this healthy alternative. Besides, their packaging is eye catching, fits perfectly with the product name and stays clear of the granola-crunchy exterior of most health food store fare making the product more universally appealing.

I’ve been a fan of Mrs. May’s Classic Crunch seed snacks since they first arrived on the scene a few years ago.Their product line has grown exponentially to include dried fruits like strawberry, pineapple, pomegranate and papaya, their packaging has also improved and yet they still maintain the quality of their line. As well as being Kosher their products are vegan, non-GMO, cholesterol free, dairy free, wheat free, Gluten free, have Zero Trans Fats and contain no artificial colors or flavors. The crunch is truly enjoyable with a fun mouth feel without being too sweet with a portion size that’s just right for single bites. You can order product on-line and can also find boxes of bars in bulk stores like Costco and BJ’s. And if bulk stores turn you off it’s always good to know that a portion of every bag of Mary’s Snacks sold is donated to Joni and Friends and their Wheels for the World program; so bulk is a beautiful thing.

Chips are one of the quintessential snack foods, some might even call chips “the” ultimate snack food. Yet not all chips are created equal and Tyrells Chips, imported from England by the Chelsea Market Baskets, are arguably the best of the best. Grown from seed on the Tyrells Court farm, these small crop, heirloom veggies are hand frying and creatively seasoned. After all who can resist such flavours as Ludlow Sausage with Wholegrain Mustard, Worcester Sauce with Sun Dried Tomato, Beef & Horseradish, Ale & Cheese and Honey Glazed Parsnips.

Chances are that if you love chips you’re a big fan of popcorn as well. Two companies have led the way in taking this simple, low cal snack and turning it into a gourmet art form. Dale and Thomas Popcorn takes the feel of down home, right-off-the-farm goodness and slams it together with equally grounded flavours. Eight savory varieties include three distinct cheddar options, three distinct Regional Italian choices and classic Kettle Corn and a South West nod to chili and sour cream. To balance out the salty there are six drizzled chocolate flavours and seven Sweet Mouthfuls (Almond Biscotti anyone?). Well worth trying to smuggle out of your local gourmet food show when given the chance. If that doesn’t work ordering their 12-Bag Sampler is the next best thing.

If Dale and Thomas are the “good old boys” of the popcorn world, with their signature popcorn truck, then The Hampton Popcorn Company are the swanky, hobnobbing set that’s on all the “in” lips and hips. Their crisp, clean and simple packaging featuring firehouse red/white or cool beach blue /white stripes have set them apart and make the consumer focus on what’s inside vs. being sold on glitzy externals. With flavours like White Truffle Parmesan, Chipolte Cheddar Cheese and White Chocolate Peppermint (seasonal) it’s no wonder carb-fobic Haptonites can’t resist.

This next product is, well, oddly wonderful. Cupuladua Oven makes these light as air Cupola Clouds and Cupola Cookies that have a very interesting texture that literally melt in your mouth. The Clouds are savory snacks that come in Smoked Gouda and Parmesan Pink Peppercorn, both of which are delicious and extremely low in calories. The Cookies feel guilt free and come in assortment including Chocolate Cashew, Espresso Walnut and Chai Pistachio. Try to eat just one as you ponder how they made these little domes so impossibly light.

With the holiday season here, and almost gone, I can’t resist giving some space to a time-honored sweet that is near and dear to my heart, Rugulagh (ruhg-uh-luhkh). Chewys, out of San Diego, CA makes the kind of rugulagh your Bubby should have, but didn’t want to make. Crispy on the very outside, moist on the inside and filled with everything from traditional nuts, raisins and dates to chocolate and even boysenberries. With just as many spellings as there are fillings it no wonder it’s a must at Hannukah and New Year celebrations. Do a search for them and you’ll find Chewy’s dominating the field and with good reason, they are irresistable. As a matter of fact I wouldn’t be surprised if they supplied the rediculusly small kosher shop my Bubby used to send me to for orders which still thrives wedged between swanky restaurants on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Year End Product Reviews: Condiments

2008 saw the birth of some wonderful new products and food companies coupled with some interesting expansions from long standing companies.  It’s my hope that the following companies can weather this economic storm and continue to bring quality, style and flavour to the market in 2009 and beyond. This is in no way meant to represent a sampling of all the gourmet condiments that came out this year but a sampling of some of the top products from this year’s industry trade shows. If you have a product you absolutely love, please let me know.

This year was the year of the condiment where indigenous ingredients, innovation and stylish packaging out shown the tired and stale tomato based salsas and sauces that have dominated the market in years past.

Eswatini (meaning “made in Swaziland”) Swazi Kitchen creates a delicious range of natural jams, marmalade, chutneys and sauces while providing an income stream to disadvantaged Swazi women and the Manzini Youth Care center for children affected by HIV/AIDS. One of the best combinations of local sustainability paired with great products.

out of Cape Town South Africa blends their refreshing and unique products with simple, colorful and artsy packaging. They managed to produce an aloe product devoid of bitterness while maintaining the quitisential essence of the plant. Their Orange-Aloe Marmalade is delicious with translucent cubes of aloe suspended in bright orange sweetness with a hint of lemon. Their Aloe Pickle will surprise and delight you as well.

The  Zena food product company out of Senegal offers a wonderful array of exotic fruit including a lovely Hibiscus Jelly and fun Banana Jelly. Not to mention they produce wonderful sesame products and a great hand-crafted Peanut Nougat.

On the other side of the world Varia Condiments, based in Quebec has a lovely line of high end, small batch wine jellies, fruit jams, seasoned mustards dessert syrups and caramelized onion confits. Their Onion-Port Confit, Port-Cognac Wine Jelly and Absinthe Dessert Syrup shine the brightest and offer a fabulous accompaniment to meats and cheeses alike. For more product information contact Varia’s driving force, Liette Lussier, liettelussier@condimentsvaria.ca / 514.336.7858 .

Olio & Spices in Atlanta makes great all natural, Kosher products that include sauces, spice blends and great gift packages like their Chef’s Case and Camping Delight. Kudos to their Lemon & Mint Chili Sauce and their clean/chic packaging.

Peanut butter has come a long way since your mom cut the crusts off of your first lunch box sandwich. P. B. Loco leads the pack with their “Adult Peanut Butter”. It’s no wonder with flavours like Raspberry White Chocolate, Caramel Chunk, Sumatra Cinnamon & Raisin and Asian Curry Spice (my favorite). To complete the P.B. Loco experience visit one of their three cafe’s scattered around the US.

Pomegranate products are still going strong and Splash! ,all natural, pomegranate based reduction sauces, are a top performer with such mouthwatering combinations as Pomegranate Port, Tart Cherry Syrah, Black Currant Cabernet , Shiro Plum Sake, Blueberry Merlot, Mission Fig Port. Are you drooling yet?

SchoolHouse Kitchen is another great example of a food company lending an altruistic hand to help other non-profits succeed through product sales and in-kind donations for charitable events. Company founder Patsy Smith’s mustard, a “secret recipe” that was handed down to her with the promise that it only be used for personal gifts or for charitable purposes, has a loyal and long-lived following. With just three products (and more to come) it’s nice to enjoy a smear here and there knowing your helping a variety of Tri-State area organizations.

The final three companies are not new to the specialty food product arena, but even so they continue to produce high quality products packed full of flavour.

Lollipop Tree is a family-owned specialty food manufacturer located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that has been in business since 1981. They are best known for their stunning selection of sweet and savory mixes including Monkey Bread (four different kinds), Chocolate Peppermint Bread, Pumpkin Oat Pancake Mix, Blueberry Ginger Scones and Popovers just to list a few. They’ve also expanded into the organic market with Cornbread, Popover, Buttermilk Biscuit, Pancake Mix and four savory bread mix offerings. Least we not forget their equally delicious jellies, jams, grilling/glazing sauces, dessert sauces and flavoured maple syrups.  Their Pepper Jellies, infused with fruit, citrus, garlic, hot peppers and/or wasabi are not only beautiful but truly delicious with bread, meat of cheeses.

I think Nuovo makes some of the best fresh-flash frozen sauces on the market and they have the awards to prove it. Though best known for their pastas, their sauce and pesto lines are fast growing in popularity for home and professional cooks alike. With flavours like White Asiago & Herb, Roasted Portabella & White Truffle, Cilantro Tequila & Lime and Yellow Pepper & Saffron it’s small wonder. Though their website leaves a great deal to be desired, with no ability to purchase retail product, you can find their sauces/pesto at fine, gourmet shops.

Last but definitely not least is The Savannah Bee Company in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. Gorgeous packaging combined with golden, delicious artisanal honey never looked (and tasted) so good. Ted Dennard has a true passion for honey and it shows across the board with their product line (which now includes bath & body products) and customer service. With a meager $5,000 business loan, an old pickup truck and lots of bees, Dennard, and his team, have grown Savannah steadily over the years since 1998. A partnership with another favorite company, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea has helped to foster their joint support of high quality, sustainable gourmet products.

If some, or all, of these companies and their products are new to you I hope you’ll take the time to look over their sites and try some items for yourself. I’m pretty picky so I think you’ll be happy with what you do find based on the recommendations above. When you do give them a try come on back and let me know what you think and stay tuned for additional End of Year Product Reviews for other gourmet food and beverage categories.

Eat well and be well!

Fusionbrands® brings ingenious design and hip style to the cooking gadgets market.

fusionbrands® PoachPod®

Every once in a while a company comes along that blows me away. This can definitely be said about fusionbrands^® based in Naples, New York. As their site proclaims:

“Everyday tasks can always be made easier, faster and more pleasurable. By blending material-science into simple machines, fusionbrands^® does just that.”

Without a doubt fushionbrands^® are true to their promise with the creation of sleek, clever designs in molded, heat-resistant silicone and high quality stainless steel wire that combine to show a clearly forward thinking mindset where the tools you cook with do actually solve problems vs. just looking cool while they collect lint and dust in your kitchen junk drawer.

fusionbrands® thefoodloop®lace

In this age of useless kitchen gimmicks like hand pump choppers that promise to slice, dice and carve tomato roses for you like a pro or the endless parade of new fangled garlic presses, fusionbrands® is a breath of fresh air.  Their cleanly designed and engaging site with easy to view demos combined with toe-tapping music makes the buyer feel as though they too can use any of the featured products with ease.

fusionbrands® iceorb®

With such an exciting offering of products like thefoodloop®lace which replaces conventional trussing twine and needle (that is never handy when you need it) or the very versatile iceorb® it will be interesting to see what their design team comes up with next. After all who ever thought having lovehandles would be hip? I for one can’t wait to try out everything they’ve got.

Images provided as a curtesy by fusionbrands®.

Beer Made Easy, Big & Easy

Now I love a great brew and I’m even more fascinated by the art of brewing, which I admittedly have little physical experience with. My husband, Steve, on the other hand is the beerhead and the brew master in the family so when we’re out I pick his brain about styles and taste profiles before I order. Though I’ve wanted to go to a make-your-own-beer shop and Steve has promised to get his beer making equipment out of storage our plans never seem to come together. So when the folks over at the Village Wine Shop on Queen Street East gave me a bottle of “The Big & Easy-Bottle Brew” in Mexican Cerveza style I was as giddy as a kid with their first Easy Bake Oven.

I was really excited to try my hand at what promised to be fool-proof, rapid home brewing. Granted the hard work had already been done by the manufacturers since what you’re actually getting is mircobrewed “wort” in a bottle. Wort being the liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer (or whiskey). Wort contains all of the sugars that will be fermented by the brewing yeast to produce the alcohol in your beverage of choice.

After unscrewing the specially designed pressure cap, this is so your beer doesn’t explode while it ferments, I dropped in the provided yeast capsule, screwed the top back on, placed the bottle in a kitchen cabinet and waited 12 days for the fermentation process to finish. At the end of what seemed like 3 weeks of waiting we refrigerated the beer for an additional 12 hours before opening it (really important step) and were presented with a semi-clear, mild beer that wasn’t half bad for $5.

Aside from having to wait for 12 days it is the cheapest, most decent quality beer you can get these days for that price and it’s much better than the cheap $1/beer brands The Beer Store sells by the case. Not to mention it’s damn good fun! If you’ve got the space for it you can keep multiple batches going and always have a good supply of home brew on hand to enjoy and share. Heck, Big & Easy brews may just beat out cookies for party gifts this holiday season.

The Big & Easy comes in three styles: Premium Pilsner, Red Lager and Mexican Cerveza and yields a 5% alc/vol brew. If you really want to be creative you can add small quantities of dried “adjunct” to your wort before you add your yeast capsule. Dried citrus peel, spices and herbs are great options but in small quantities least they overpower your brew.

Have fun and let me know what you come up with when you finally try it.