Tag: 52 Foods in 52

Wilson Farm in Lexington MA

I’ve always wanted to visit the Wilson Farms store in Lexington MA. It’s not very far away, but it’s still a little bit of a drive.

Well I was planning to be in the Lexington area yesterday, so I decided it was definitely time to check them out.

The night before, I browsed their web site, looking at their “sale” page. Wow, exciting. Prices look great, but I was a little skeptical. Then I found their growing page – actually their IPM (integrated pest management) page. Perfect!

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a way to control insect pests and diseases on crops by combining several complimentary strategies such as sanitation, soil enrichment, variety selection, pest detection, and biological controls. Chemical pesticides may be used, but only if absolutely necessary.

That’s how I want my food to be grown!

Yes, I know “organic” is supposedly better, but truthfully, I would rather buy from a local farm using sustainable and responsible growing practices like this, than an organic farm in California. Organic does not mean sustainable, especially when referring to the high yield organic farms.

My First Wilson Farm Visit

When you arrive, there is an open area full of produce bins. There are large canopies covering part of the area, but the sun beams in, depending on the time of day. I was concerned about the bin of mozzarella cheese, sitting in direct sunlight. No one thought it was necessary to move it. I wondered how long it was out there and how easily it could spoil.

Anyway, I was a little intimidated as I walked around. There was so much to take in. I felt like a newbie, slowly wandering around, pushing my grocery cart, looking in amazement at the bins of fresh produce. I was in heaven!

So, all their farm fresh produce is located outdoors. Every kind of tomato you could possibly imagine…including lots of heirloom varieties. A whole outdoor wall/bin of many varieties of apples, some local, some further away, in PA.

I also loved that they offered some of the more unusual produce, like purple carrots! You do not find those at the local grocery or even at Whole Foods stores!

After browsing outside, I walked into their large indoor area as well. They offer cheese, meats (hormone-antibiotic free), seafood, baked goods, lots of locally produced foods along with a wall of their own fresh-made packaged convenience foods, like soups, salads, meats, etc.

When you first walk in, under the potatoes/onions, that’s where I found the bags of Baer’s Best Heirloom beans. I heard about Baer’s Beans when I became interested in learning more about heirloom bean growers. I learned there aren’t any local growers….except Baer! How sad!

So, I looked at all of the varieties, and it was a tough choice between Jacob’s Cattle and Vermont Cranberry. I chose Jacob’s Cattle. They looked interesting (loved the color, too bad it doesn’t stay after cooking) and truthfully, the bag was a buck cheaper than the VT Cranberry, so frugality won out. I figure I’ll be back for more, so they’ll be plenty of time to try more varieties!

The one favorite thing about Wilson Farm is EVERYTHING is specifically marked where it’s from, which I appreciated. You knew right away if it was grown on their farm, or another farm in MA or in California.

Note: I’m trying to boycott any produce from Florida since I heard about their poor soil conditions, which necessitate using harmful pesticides and other chemicals PLUS more importantly the horrific treatment of their employees. I will never knowingly purchase a Florida tomato, so it’s nice to see specifically which state/area my produce is coming from.

There are lots of employees busily buzzing inside and outside, stocking shelves and bins with fresh produce and freshly prepared foods. It’s a friendly homey store! If you have a question, there is always someone close by to help. I was looking for fresh-made ricotta cheese, and couldn’t find it in the cheese shop; a helpful employee pointed me to the dairy department where she said she stocked the fresh ricotta.

So it was a very exciting, fun visit to Wilson Farm yesterday! I will certainly return.

What Did I Buy?

  • A big box o’ tomatoes – $5.99 – got home and weighed it, over 7 pounds. That’s under a dollar a pound. Perfect for roasting for tomato sauce!
  • Ginger Gold apples (local MA) – 1.1 lb for $1.64
  • Gala Apples (I think from PA – 1.2 for $2.31
  • Honeycrisp Apples (MA) – .71 lb for $1.41
  • Butternut Squash (their own) 2.13 lb for $2.11
  • Various shell beans (their own) – cranberry, fava & romano .90 lb for $2.69
  • 1 Sweet potato & 1 AP potato – $1.84
  • Baer’s Best Jacobs Cattle Beans – 1 lb bag for $4.59
  • Fresh Ricotta cheese – small container $3.89 ($4.99 lb)

Looking forward to autumn veggies, like potatoes, leeks, squash, fennel, lettuces, etc. Life is good!

Note: Wilson Farm is located at 10 Pleasant Street in Lexington MA

Williams Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers’ Market Book Review

I borrowed the “Williams Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers Market” cookbook from the library. It’s a lovely hard cover book, with loads of colorful, high-qualtiy photographs.

williams sonoma cooking from the farmers market cookbook review

The book begins with tips for local seasonal eating and shopping at the farmers’ market. There is a 4 page “graph” listing each vegetable and fruit and its season. For instance, delicate lettuces are normally grown in the spring and autumn, while sturdy lettuces are grown in the winter. Garlic is a summer veg, while apples are found in the autumn and winter. It gives you a rough idea of what produce to expect at a given time of year.

The book is then organized by each vegatable/fruit “group” – for instance, Beans & Peas, Cabbages & other Crucifers, Leafy Greens, Roots & Tubers, Squashes, etc.

At the beginning of each veg/fruit section, there’s a quick “table of contents” listing which produce will be covered in that section and a descriptive summary. Onions & Cousins: onions, sweet onions, garlic, green garlic, leeks, green onions.

Then there’s more detail on each specific vegetable/fruit, like growing history, variations, growing season, and other helpful tips for buying and cooking it. Not unlike a quick encyclopedia reference for produce! There was also a fantastic photo available for each vegetable/fruit which is helpful if you aren’t sure what it looks like.

The produce are listed in two’s, with their specific recipes following. Recipes are grouped three to a page, with one fantastic photograph of a finished dish on the opposite page.

Each vegetable/fruit has a color reference, and the recipes are color coordinated. For instance, there is a section for Brussels Sprouts (orange) and Broccoli Rabe (blue) – the recipes that follow are highlighted in either orange for Brussels Sprouts or blue for Broccoli Rabe.

The recipes themselves are inspiring and creative. I’m not a big recipe follower, but I love gaining knowledge by reading through cookbooks, learning new techniques, and how to put different flavors together. There are some unique ideas in this book and some classic! I think everyone can learn a little something, whether you’re a newbie cook or experienced.

If you don’t need a permanent reference, then consider borrowing the “Williams Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers Market” cookbook from your local library.

If you are new to healthy cooking and need a general Vegetable & Fruit guide, then this would be a great addition to your cookbook collection. It’s also helpful for inspiration if you frequent your local farmers markets or receive a hefty share of veggies from your local farm CSA.

One issue to keep in mind, recipes are not categorized by type, so if you’re searching for a soup, you won’t be able to browse through a chapter of soups. You’ll need to refer to the detailed index at the back of the book, to find all “soups” of which there are plenty!

But if you return from the market with some eggplant, and don’t know what to do with it, open the book to the eggplant section and you might energized with an idea, like Rolled Eggplant with Sausage and Mozzarella (a recipe I’m looking forward to trying)

A few of the other recipes that jumped out at me were

  1. Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Champagne Grapes
  2. Sauteed Spinach with Feta & Pine Nuts
  3. Avocado, Bacon & Tomato Tartines
  4. Baked eggs with spinach and cream
  5. Blueberry-Vanilla Panna Cotta

Note: I noticed most of the recipes that included a photograph in the cookbook, were indeed available online at the Williams Sonoma web site. Plus a few recipes were available from other bloggers.

Disclaimer:
I love reading cookbooks, like some people love reading novels! I am inspired by recipes, and enjoy learning ideas from cookbooks; I like putting my own spin on a recipe rather than exactly following it. Please keep in mind that my opinions might be completely different from the other home cooks.

No, Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread Is NOT a Health or Healthy Food!

Those TV commercials for Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread drive me crazy! They try to convey that it’s the greatest health food since brown rice! And that it’s such a good choice for your kids!

Well it’s not!

Here is the commercial I’ve been seeing over and over:

Ingredients and Nutritional Data from the Nutella USA website

nutella jar

sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (milk), lecithin as emulsifier (soy), vanillin: an artificial flavor.

Serving size: 2 tbsp (37 g)
Calories 200
Calories from Fat 100
Total Fat 11 g
Saturated Fat 3.5 g
Sodium 15 mg
Total Carbohydrate 22 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 21 g
Protein 3 g
Calcium 4%
Iron 4%

How About Some Sugar For Breakfast

Whoa, 21 grams of sugar!!! Duh, no surprise, of course that’s why kids love Nutella! You might as well melt half a Snickers candy bar on top of some whole wheat toast! Does a candy bar sound like a healthy choice for your kids’ breakfast? No? Well, then why is Nutella considered as healthy? It’s sort of like the cereal companies touting that because their product contains whole grains, it’s healthy, but it’s still loaded with refined sugar!

Palm Oil

I don’t like their use of palm oil. I mean, come on! It’s 2nd on the ingredients list, before hazelnuts!

Now, I’m not knocking palm oil necessarily. I need to do some additional research on its benefits and possibly how it’s destroying the rain forests, but nutritionally, it seems similar to coconut oil. I am constantly cooking with coconut oil, which is a highly saturated fat food product. I’m not afraid of plant-based saturated fats, but I AM afraid of processed foods containing them.

Unless it’s virgin or extra-virgin, coconut oil can be very unhealthy, due to the way it’s processed/refined. As I said, I’m just beginning to research on palm oil, and I haven’t been able to find out exactly how it’s processed, but I’m assuming that the palm oil in Nutella is highly refined and nowhere close to virgin.

Which is it? Palm Oil or Modified Palm Oil?

It is very strange, but Nutella used to list palm oil as “modified palm oil” on their list of ingredients.

So, I did some googling and found this article from treehugger.com

They quote directly from the Nutella web site:

Is the modified palm oil in Nutella® hydrogenated?
No. The modified palm oil is a mix of the liquid and solid oil naturally extracted from the fruit of the palm. The mix is adjusted to assure the best consistency for easy spreading. The process also reduces the level of saturated fat. Per serving Nutella® has 0 gram transfat

This is what Nutella’s web site FAQ states now:

Is the Palm Oil in Nutella® a hydrogenated oil?
No. The palm oil is naturally extracted from the fruit of the palm. This palm oil is adjusted to assure the best consistency for easy spreading by reducing the level of saturated fat.

It still sounds like they “modified” the oil, doesn’t it? ADJUSTED to assure the best consistency? And notice the phrase “naturally extracted” – I don’t believe the word “natural” has any concrete meaning when it comes to food, in fact, it’s probably the most misused misleading word on a label!

I’ve been trying to find anything online that explains the sudden change in ingredient wording, but have come up empty. I have to assume it’s a slight change in their manufacturing process allowed them to remove the word “modified”.

Is Palm Oil a Sustainable Responsible Choice?

There is a lot of information online claiming that palm oil refinement is destroying the rain forests. I don’t want to start listing the specifics, but it does seem like it’s a food product that should be avoided.

What does Nutella say about it?

Does Ferrero support responsible palm oil use?
Yes. As a member of the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), Ferrero only uses palm oil which is extracted from controlled plantations in Malaysia.

Now, if you believe the treehugger.com article, then it’s doubtful that the “RSPO” is even a legitimate environmental group.

From Treehugger:

Many organizations no longer recognize the RSPO as being legitimate. In November, 80 organizations from 31 countries sent an open letter that included the following:

Destructive oil palm plantations have been certified in Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and the same greenwashing exercise has started in Colombia, Thailand and Ghana.

We are deeply concerned that RSPO certification is being used to legitimise an expansion in the demand for palm oil and thus in oil palm plantation, and it serves to greenwash the disastrous social and environmental impacts of the palm oil industry. The RSPO standards do not exclude clear cutting of many natural forests, the destruction of other important ecosystems, nor plantings on peat. The RSPO certifies plantations which impact on the livelihoods of local communities and their environments. The problems are exacerbated by the in-built conflict of interest in the system under which a company wanting to be certified commissions another company to carry our the assessment.

So similar to Perdue Chickens bogus USDA Process Verification! haha!

Bottom line, it sounds like we should be steering clear of palm oil and products containing palm oil!

Nothing Artificial Except Some Flavoring!

I love how they clearly brag about no added artificial colors or preservatives, but they have the nerve to include artificial vanilla flavoring! How silly sneaky is that!

Don’t Believe the Nutella Marketing Hype

Please don’t believe the Nutella marketing! It’s not at all healthy! It’s a poor sugar-laden choice for breakfast! And it’s not good for the environment! Avoid, avoid avoid!

Instead, try some homemade oatmeal or toast topped with nut butter (no sugar, oils added) or how about making your own healthy version of chocolate nut butter! Recipes are found all over online!

Other web resources:

Tyson Anytizers – Processed Chicken Appetizers Are Not Healthy!

I keep seeing the commercials for Tyson Anytizers – so of course, I had to find out exactly what they’re about, knowing perfectly well, that it’s not going to be a healthy outcome.

From their web site:

Any time is right for Tyson Any’tizers®. They are the hot, substantial snacks that are always perfectly delicious. Ideal for any snack, partying with friends or as a unique meal, they’re unbelievably easy to prepare in just minutes. With so many varieties to choose from, the only hard part is deciding which ones to eat first.

tyson anytizers chicken

Notice, there’s nothing mentioned about healthy. They do use the word “substantial” though. I guess that’s supposed to make a mom feel good about feeding this processed crap to her kids for a snack.

Hmm, how about some celery sticks with some peanut butter? Or an apple with some yummy locally made cheese? Or a cup of plain yogurt with seasonal fruit? Would any of these suggestions take longer than the 15 minutes that it takes to bake Tyson Anytizers? No, I don’t think so.

How about buying some plain chicken breast tenders, throwing them in an oven for 15 minutes, and giving those to your kids for a healthy snack!

Tyson Anytizers – Where’s the Ingredient List?

Don’t you just love it when a food company “forgets” to share the list of ingredients on their web site. Do they think we won’t notice? I guess they figure it would take up too much space? Or perhaps they are ashamed and know that once you actually read what these morsels are made of, you possibly won’t buy them.

Thankfully, other web resources are willing to pull back the curtain on their secrecy.

Here is the list of ingredients for Tyson Any’tizer Popcorn Chicken:

White Meat Chicken, Water, Salt, Sodium Phosphates. Breaded with: Bleached Wheat Flour, Water, Yellow Corn Flour, Salt, Spices, Dextrose, Dried Whey, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Soybean Oil, Nonfat Dry Milk, Sugar, Yeast, Dried Whole Eggs, Sodium Alginate, Soy Flour, Extractives of Paprika and Annatto, Garlic Powder, Mono and Diglycerides. Breading Set in Vegetable Oil.

chicken and water? hmm, when you make baked or sauteed chicken at home, do you usually add water? Nope, me neither. But there’s lots of salt, and sugar (dextrose) and some icky GMO products like corn flour, soy flour, and soybean oil. Yeast? Leavening? Sodium Alginate? Nope, not what I usually put in my homemade chicken.

They do have the nutritional data

Serving Size 7 PIECES (84g)
Serv. Per container About 9
Amount Per Serving
Calories 180
Calories from Fat 80
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 1.5g 8%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsturated Fat 4.5g
Monounsaturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 560mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugars 0g
Protein 13g 26%
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0%
Iron 4%

Without benefit of the ingredients list, at first glance, you’d probably think that it’s not too bad, right? Especially when looking at the low saturated fat, and higher amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. But they neglect to tell you that cheap GMO soybean oil is the fat ingredient.

But wow, the sodium is through the roof! There is no fiber, and 180 calories is too high for only 84 grams (under 3 oz). Almost half the calories are fat calories. A full 100 grams of chicken breast is only 165 calories, with 31g of protein! Tyson Any’tizers popcorn chicken only offers a paltry 13 grams of protein, with more calories and more fat!

What’s wrong with that picture? And don’t even get me started on Tyson’s factory farming practices. Stay away! There are better choices!

Food Network Rewards Obese Duff Goldman with New Sugar High Show

I just watched a promo for the new Food Network show “Sugar High” starring Duff Goldman, the guy from “Ace of Cakes” (a show I don’t think I’ve watched once)

Anyway, the promo commercial made me sick! They showed him gorging on cakes, pastries, cookies, and puddings. Every scene was him shoveling huge desserts into his mouth. With each new traveled location, I swear you were watching him gain another 10 pounds. His face looked fatter and more bloated after every bite.

It was extremely gross and unappealing, but it made me think!

Is this the type of show that Americans love?

It’s how we look and how we eat. Obese and addicted to sugar, feeding ourselves massive amounts of sweet sugary desserts, barely stopping to wipe the icing off our faces.

I am sorry if people think I’m being cruel, putting down someone (Duff Goldman) who clearly has a food addiction problem, but really, shouldn’t we be outraged at the Food Network, for contributing to his obesity? Is the Food Network glorifying and encouraging the obesity problem in America?

Take a look at an earlier promo photo of Duff Goldman. Yeah, he could lose a few pounds, but at least he has some muscle tone.
duff goldman promo shot for ace of cakes

Now look at a capture from the new Sugar High show. Duff has clearly gained weight, and I wonder what his health is like. Does he have type 2 diabetes? How is his cholesterol?

bloated and obese duff goldman from the new food network show sugar high

Is the Food Network partially responsible? Making profits by rewarding an obese spokesperson with a show on the same subject matter that is causing him to be obese? What has to happen before they finally open their eyes? A heart attack?

I know what it’s like to have a compulsive sugar addiction. but I have found ways to keep it under control. If the Food Network gave me lots of $$ to host a show called “Sugar High”, yeah, all control would be out the window, and I’d be 200 pounds again! Even watching a show like “Sugar High” can have unwanted repercussions.

The new “Sugar High” show premieres tonight on Food Network at 10:30pm, but I won’t be watching. It would be like watching the trainwreck that is America’s sugar addiction…

WhoNu? Cookies – Scam or Nutrition?

I just heard about the WhoNu brand of cookies, claiming to be “nutrition rich” compared to the other leading brands. Yes, they actually use the words “nutrition rich” in their marketing!

whoNu cookies marketing logo

So, I immediately thought okay, nutritious cookies must mean whole grains like oatmeal and lower sugar content, right? So I googled, and found their web site. Oh Lord, it’s virtually the same crappy highly processed cookie, but with a multi-vitamin and a little fiber thrown in for good measure.

Are WhoNu Cookies Nutritious?

Calories, sugar, & fat are all the same as the other “brands” they are comparing themselves to! What kind of a scam are they running here? They market this product to be “nutritious” but they are far Far FAR away from anything nutritious! Ugh. How are they allowed to get away with this?

That’s WhuNu’s nutritional info on the left, and the Oreos brand on the right.

whoNu chocolate cookies nutritional datacomparing whoNu cookies to oreo cookie nutritional data

Quote from their About Us page:

How come tasty treats are nothing but empty calories? Why can’t they be filled with healthy nutrition and still taste yummy? That’s what the people at Suncore Products wondered.

Thus, a new challenge was born – to create a delicious, nutritious snack moms and dads can give their kids, without an ounce of guilt.

Processed sugary foods like this are still “empty calories” no matter how you try to package them. What is the difference between their cookie and a original Oreo taken with a multi-vitamin? Nothing! You are better off eating the original version (bought on sale) and save yourself the marketing hype and extra markup price.

Parents should feel VERY guilty feeding this crap to their children! And it’s this kind of marketing that is making us fat because unfortunately parents are believing the hype without actually checking the facts or ingredients!

Ingredients?? Where are they Hiding the WhoNu Cookie ingredients?

Did anyone else notice that they are not listing any ingredient data on their web site!? If they are so proud of their product, then why hide any details? Sneaky sneaky!

So, I did some googling, and found a few other pissed off people offering screen shots of cookie packages.

Thanks to Hippie Health Nut for her screen shot!

Here are the ingredients for the WhoNu chocolate (oreo-like) cookies:

Sugar, Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oils (Canola, Palm, Palm Kernel Oil, Soybean Oil And Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed And Coconut Oil), Cocoa, Dextrose, Polydextrose, Yellow Corn Flour, Corn Syrup, Baking Soda, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Monoglycerides, Vanilla Extract.

Vitamins & Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C (Asorbic Acid), Iron Orthophosphate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Oxide, Manganese Gluconate, Iodine, Chromium Chloride, Vitamin E (Tocopherol Acetate), Vitamin A (Palmitate), Biotin, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid), Vitamin D3, Vitamin K (Phytonadione), Vitamin B1 (Thiamine Mononitrate), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid.

and here are the ingredients from Oreo’s web site (ha! They didn’t try to hide their data!)

Sugar, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid), High Oleic Canola Oil And/or Palm Oil And/or Canola Oil, And/or Soybean Oil, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Cornstarch, Leavening (Baking Soda And/or Calcium Phosphate), Salt, Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier), Vanillin – An Artificial Flavor, Chocolate.

Not much different, eh? White flour, tons and tons of sugar, unhealthy oils, artificial flavors, and lots of GMO corn & soy. Actually, it’s funny that the WhoNu people kind of sneak in a few more sugary sources, like dextrose, perhaps to confuse & fool parents into thinking their ingredients are better.

Sad Promotion on So Many Mommy Blogs

While googling for WhoNu ingredients, I was shocked and saddened to see so many “mommy” bloggers are promoting these cookies. Google “WhoNu cookie mommy” and you’ll find pages of “give aways” from supposedly reputable mommy bloggers. Very sad.

Yes, I understand that children need a treat once in awhile, heck, adults need treats too! But we MUST learn the difference between a healthy and unhealthy treat, and WhoNu is trying to blur the lines way too much!

Stay far away from WhoNu cookies! Don’t reward profits to a company that is trying to mislead the public with their damaging exaggerated marketing ploys!

Cooking from the Garden Cookbook Review

I borrowed the book Cooking from the Garden: Best Recipes from Kitchen Gardener from the library, and was thrilled to find so many fun unique recipes I was dying to try.

The cook book is based on the many recipes and tips that were published in the magazine “Kitchen Gardener” during 1999-2001. (You’re able to find many recipes online at Vegetable Gardener.

It’s surprising, but I mean, really, how can you make vegetables new and exciting? But yep, they do, at least for me! Even though the recipes are not fancy and exotic, I learned so much, which is one of the main reasons to love a cookbook or not. If I can be inspired by a cookbook, then I’m hooked!

And the details! The details for each recipe is outstanding. There’s no question how high (or low) your stove heat should be, or what type of cooking vessel you should be using. It’s in the recipe details!

Unfortunately, there are no photos in this cookbook, but I understand they need to keep costs down. There are chapters for appetizers, breakfast, sauces, salads, sandwiches, soups, side dishes, pastas & grains & beans, main dishes, desserts, preserving along with seasonal menus.

It’s very helpful that basic nutritional data is included with every recipe, calories, fat and sodium are listed. Yes, a lot of recipes are higher in fat that some would like, actually some are too high even for me, but the oil can be easily reduced if necessary.

I think this book is perfect for someone that wants to get out of a vegetable rut and experiment with something different. I know it’s difficult to keep coming up with new ideas for the vegetables I’m picking up at my weekly CSA share. It’s given me a lot of inspiration! For instance, I need to use more bread crumbs, which are so easy to make with my day-old homemade bread!

It’s great when you want meatless or vegan meals too! Instead of a conventional meal of meat, starch and vegetable, it might be refreshing to prepare 3 different vegetable or grain “side dishes” that don’t necessarily work as a whole meal on their own, but put together, they could nicely blend into a complete meal!

I’m going to be disappointed to return the book to the library. It was one of my favorites for sure!

Disclaimer:
I love reading cookbooks, like some people love reading novels! I am inspired by recipes, and enjoy learning ideas from cookbooks; I like putting my own spin on a recipe rather than exactly following it. Please keep in mind that my opinions might be completely different from the other home cooks.

Le Creuset Stoneware Baking Dish

I bought my Le Creuset stoneware 9inch square baking dish for a bargain price at Home Goods and it is my favorite baking dish.

I have been using it for at least a year or two, and I think my favorite use is roasting vegetables – it cleans up very easily too. I’ve also baked egg frittatas in it, along with desserts. Sometimes, baked on eggs do require a bit more elbow grease to clean it, but probably my fault for not pre-coating with enough oil.

Scratches or black marks from metal utensils (which I try not to use very often in the dish) are easily removed by using a touch of Barkeepers Friend cleanser.

I love this baking dish but is it better than a far less expensive stoneware baking dish? I think so. I don’t like buying “Made in China” stoneware for fear of lead levels in the glaze or other materials, and I know it’s possible that the lead content in the Le Creuset is no better or worse, but it does not feel like cheap stoneware that clanks & clangs when you hit it against something. (FYI, Le Creuset stoneware is made in Thailand)

The Le Creuset stoneware pieces are strong and very well made. No, I don’t recommend paying full retail price for them, but if you run across one or two pieces of Le Creuset stoneware at Marshalls, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning, or other discounters, then grab it! I believe I paid about $15 for the 9inch square piece. I was tempted at a later date to purchase the large loaf pan, but decided to wait.

Barilla Plus Pasta – Review

Tonight I made a delicious (and healthy) pasta sauce with tomatoes, along with some chopped tatsoi and garlic scapes from the CSA share this week. I usually make higher quality Italian white pasta, even though it’s made with white flour, I find that since we only eat pasta once or twice a week, it’s worth it to eat the “good stuff”!

But tonight, I was filling my salt bowl from the kosher salt box and noticed the almost empty box of Barilla Plus farfalle that’s been sitting in the cupboard for months (probably almost a year). I told myself okay, just cook up what’s left in the box, so I could finally be done with it!

Barilla Plus Pasta review

Yep, so I cooked it (al dente) and I tasted a test piece. At first bite, I thought, okay, maybe not as bad as I thought, but then I immediately changed my mind! The texture is horrible! It’s got a tiny bit of waxy coating of some sort, and it breaks apart easily with a texture of cooked beans. No toothsome-ness like my favorite Dececco pasta!

Barilla Plus Ingredients:
Semolina, grain and legume flour blend, [grains and legumes (lentils, chickpeas, flaxseed, spelt, barley, oats), egg whites, oat fiber], durum flour, niacin, iron (ferrous sulfate), thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid.

As you can see, there’s nutritious high fiber ingredients, but when I want to eat beans and grains, I’ll cook them myself. I suppose this type of pasta can be helpful to families that do not get enough daily fiber, and may be an easy way to sneak beans and grains into fussy childrens’ diets.

I’ve tasted so many different types of pastas: quinoa pasta, corn pasta, whole wheat pasta (which isn’t that bad once in awhile), and brown rice pasta. None of them come close to the taste and texture of high quality white semolina pasta!

Yes, white flour is not the most healthy choice, but ya know what, I’m not eating it every day, and when I want pasta, it’s got to be a delicious treat! It’s got to be worth the calories!

Besides Dececco, I’ve actually had good luck with the Whole Foods 365 brand as well, but Dececco is definitely my favorite! And I’ll never buy Barilla Plus again! Glad that box is finally gone. I should have just dumped it in the trash instead of wasting calories and taste buds! LOL

Canned Tuna Reviews: American Tuna & Wild Planet

Important Disclaimer: Although there are organizations like the MSC (marine stewardship council) that suggest certain seafood choices are sustainable with an abundant supply, I don’t believe ANY seafood or meat can be completely sustainable, because there are just too many people eating it! Restraint is always needed; US tuna should not be taken for granted and shouldn’t be over-consumed even though it’s a much healthier choice than imported tuna.

american tuna canned tuna sandwich

Americans consume approximately 3 lbs of tuna per year. Canned tuna is a billion dollar business, but it remains a confusing food for consumers to purchase.

Most tuna from large commercial brands contain mercury, plus the way these companies catch tuna is deplorable! For skipjack and yellowfin, they use a large net to catch massive amounts of tuna. For albacore tuna, the most used method is a longline. Problem is, other fish like shark, dolphins, & rays plus sea animals like turtles can also be caught using both these methods, and because the fishermen only want tuna, the unwanted fish are thrown (dead or wounded) back into the ocean.

Sustainability conscience companies use the troll and/or poll & line methods. The first method, trolling is a useful way to ensure that younger smaller tuna fish are caught, which are much lower in mercury.

There are only a handful of companies that offer tuna caught in the US. I like the idea of eating US caught tuna. I cringe when I read the label on the can and see “product of Indonesia” or Thailand, or China. Even companies like 365 from Whole Foods don’t offer tuna from the US. I assume the main reason is the expense. Consumers don’t want to pay a premium for premium products!

A can of tuna from Starkist or Chicken of the Sea is under $2 (sometimes under $1), but a can of higher quality USA tuna is $4-$5. Yeah, that’s a big difference! Americans have become so used to cheap food, but they don’t bother to think about the reason as to WHY it’s so cheap. The old saying “You get what you pay for” should apply to our food as well!

Buying American caught tuna is supporting the US, and you’re getting a much higher quality product (lower in mercury, higher in Omega 3 fatty acids). The quality of the tuna can’t be compared. The texture and taste is similar to eating freshly cooked tuna. It does require a little time to get used to the taste of higher quality tuna, as our nation’s taste buds are dulled by the taste (or lack there of) of main-stream commercial brands of canned tuna. But once you learn to appreciate it, it’s so much better. I think it’s worth the extra money.

Another positive aspect of purchasing a higher quality canned tuna is that it’s packed in the tuna’s natural juices, not in water or oil; there is no need to drain the can first. So, what you are paying for is TUNA, not canning liquid like the more popular brands; canning in natural juices also allow for a higher amount of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids to be retained.

Recommended Tuna Brands

I really enjoy two brands of US tuna: Wild Planet (See my update below) and American Tuna

Continue reading “Canned Tuna Reviews: American Tuna & Wild Planet”