What is a donut burger? you might ask. It is a beef burger with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion sandwiched between a split, glazed Krispy Kreme donut.  I kid you not. The inventor of this monstrosity clearly was not taking into consideration the national obesity epidemic.

Seriously, this burger clocks in at 1,500 calories. The average person who engages in moderate activity should be consuming approximately 2,000 calories per day. This thing uses up three quarters of your daily calories, and with the best possible elements!

So, that’s the health aspect. Let’s talk about the culinary aspect of it. It’s a sugary glazed donut on beef, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Um, I’m sorry but I just don’t get the appeal. But then I also don’t get the appeal of pineapple on pizza, bacon in ice cream, or cumin in candy. Maybe it’s just me but one does not go with the other.

This abomination was supposedly invented by a bar owner in Decatur, Georgia, who ran out of buns for his burgers and grabbed some donuts to sandwich the meat patties in. Now, some of the best culinary inventions happened by chance. Take, for example, the ice cream cone: For that wonderful summer treat, we have some quick-thinking vendors at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. According to legend, an ice cream vendor ran out of cups and took waffles from a waffle vendor, rolled them up, and put his ice cream in them, thus creating a permanent fixture in the culinary landscape. Another example would be the ice cream soda, invented in 1874 by Robert M. Green, who ran out of ice for his sodas at his eatery and started using ice cream, hoping it would go unnoticed, and instead created a much-loved American beverage.

Somehow, I don’t think this accidental gastronomic creation known as the donut burger was quite as serendipitous as those others. Or as appetizing. Some things were meant to be; some things should never be.

What cracks me up is that the concession sign at the fair boasted: “Fresh, Never Frozen.” As if this was supposed to make me want to eat it. “Oh, wow, it’s fresh, not frozen! Well, then, it must be of the finest quality and good for you, too!”

Right. And next I’ll head out to Wisconsin where I hear they have chocolate-covered bacon on a stick.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Their sweet potato/taro chip mix sounds good and so does the barbecue taro chips. Just curious.

The exam was in two parts: a practical and a written. For the practical, we had to make creamy carrot soup, a salad with a vinaigrette, and a poached pear. For the most part, I thought everything came out really well, except that my vinaigrette was too salty. Precisely the things that I thought I had done wrong was pointed out by the instructor:

1. My soup was too thick. (I didn’t know if we were allowed to get more stock. I should have asked and the fact that I didn’t is my own mistake However, my personal feeling is that cream soups should have some body to them, and I thought mine was perfect.)

2. My vinaigrette was too salty. (I forgot to taste it first, and as I’m putting it on my salad, I realized my mistake. I tasted it and it was waaaay too salty. But I would have had to make a whole new salad at that point and time was running out.)

3. As I pureed my soup, I thought about putting my towel over the top, the way they pointedly told us to. I thought about it, but didn’t do it. I knew I’d get nailed for it. And I did.

But he also said that my soup was a little starchy and that he would not have ground the spices into the soup the way I had.  While it gave the soup a nice complexity, he said, it dulled the color of the soup. I disagreed―I thought my soup was a lovely creamy orange color. But I kept my mouth shut because what I thought didn’t matter.

On the other hand, the apple juice that my pears were cooking in dried out too soon and I had to add more, and I thought for sure that he would deduct points for that. I don’t think he did. Phew!

As for the written exam, I’ll find out probably on Saturday.

Today I was finally able to get back to my hunt for untried foods. And I wasn’t disappointed. I found a black velvet apricot. It was truly almost black, with almost the appearance of being coated with charcoal. The actual color is really more a deep purple, and when you

Pluot (Foothill Produce Farm)

bite into it, a winey hue lines the underside of the skin and tints the flesh. It was juicier and a tad sweeter than regular apricots, as if a dose of plum had been shot into it. (Oh, wait, they’ve already done that. Those are pluots.)

I love finding new foods. It’s like going on an exotic adventure without having to check your luggage.

So, she came up to my desk and pulled out one of these fruits and handed it to me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Mangosteen,” she responded.

Mangosteen?! No way. I’d been hearing about this exotic fruit for years but had never actually had one. The reason is that up until 2007, mangosteens were banned from the U.S. The FDA feared that mangosteens harbored the Asian fruit fly and would damage American crops. The ban was lifted because —and here’s the sad part—the FDA approved irradiated mangosteens, which means that gamma rays are shot through the fruit to kill bacteria and pests. So, while it’s great to have access to this fruit, there’s a price we pay for it.

But even after the ban, I still never saw any because they are very hard to find, and if you do find them, be prepared to pay a hefty price. My friend paid $20 for the bag she brought in, which probably held about 10 mangosteens. However, it’s not unheard of to see $45 a pound. Originally from Southeast Asia, the mangosteen is believed to be an antiinflmmatory, and it can be found as a juice, in cans, and frozen.

I didn’t try the mangosteen right then and there. I decided to take it home, where I could really experience it (and take pictures of it). The outer shell looks thick and hard, and it is. But you’d be surprised and how fragile it is. I was told to smash it with the palm of my hand to break it open, but it took a lot less force that I thought was needed. The shell is a purplish color, much like an eggplant (although, it also comes in reddish hues). The inside of the shell is ruby red, and the flesh is white and separated into segments, like an orange. A couple of my segments were smashed from the force of my hand, but its flavor was unaffected. And what was its flavor?

It was like nothing I’ve ever tasted. It was creamy, juicy, and delectably sweet with a flavor that was―to me―a cross between a sweet plum and a ripe strawberry. It was truly a treat for my tongue. And although it’s called The Queen of Fruit because Queen Victoria offered 100 pounds sterling to anyone who could deliver to her fresh mangosteens, it’s tempting to think that it was nicknamed that because it truly deserves royal status.

For some great mangosteen recipes, visit Samartfoods.com. They have a Mangosteen Yogurt Panna Cotta, Mangosteen and Lime Sorbet, and Mangosteen Jelly. Below is their recipe for Mangosteen Mousse. But before you try out any recipes, have a mangosteen fresh. It truly is the Queen of Fruit.

Mangosteen Mousse

Ingredients:
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
¼ cup mangosteen juice*
2 cups Mangosteen Puree
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

In a medium saucepan, combine gelatin with ¼ cup of the mangosteen juice. Stir to soften, about 1 minute

Cook over low heat 1 to 2 minutes until gelatin dissolves. Add Mangosteen Puree and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Remove mixture from heat and set aside to cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat the cream, sugar, and salt until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

Whisk in vanilla extract.

Whisk about ½ cup of the cream mixture into the cooled mangosteen mixture until fully incorporated.

Add about a quarter of the mangosteen mixture to the whipped cream, whisking until fully incorporated.

Repeat 3 more times until all of the mangosteen mixture has been incorporated into the cream.

Spoon mixture into small individual serving dishes and chill until set, at least 2 hours. Makes about 8 cups.

*Note: This is not in the original recipe ingredients list, but it appears in the instructions, so I added it. To make the puree, juice put puree mangosteen (or frozen, thawed mangosteen) in a blender until smooth.

This time, I was visiting friends in Alabama, and here’s my foodie report.

The most important thing is that I got to go to a Waffle House just in time for National Waffle Week, September 5 – 11. This was serendipitous, as I had never been to a Waffle House (gasp) and I didn’t know it was National Waffle Week. I only found out about it because I went there for breakfast one morning and saw a poster advertising the “limited time only” special.

As for never having been to a Waffle House, I knew that this was a Southern experience that is considered a rite of passage for all Americans. During my last trip to the South, I did not have the opportunity to go to one, so it was on my “must” list this time around.

In honor of National Waffle Week, Waffle House was offering Apple-Cinnamon Oat Waffles! Now, if that isn’t an invitation to go have waffles, I don’t know what is. They were great. I could taste the apples and the cinnamon, but neither was overwhelming. The waffles had just enough of each. And the oat flour gave them a bit of a nutty edge (There may even have been oat pieces in there, but I’m not sure.) They were a really nice treat for a vacation. Remember, you can still have them through Saturday, so hurry.

Okay, enough about waffles. Onto butterbeans. On the 3^rd and 4^th, the town of Pinson, in the greater Birmingham area, held its 5^th annual Butterbean Festival. It was your basic street fare, with food, crafts, merchants, and kiddie rides (including a couple of camels—I don’t know how I feel about that). Considering that it was a butterbean festival, I expected butterbeans to be more prevalent than they were; however, I had a pretty delicious bowl of baked butterbeans and washed it down with freshly made lemonade and chased it with peanut butter ice cream dots (that’s the subject of another blog). But the biggest news to come out of the Pinson Butterbean Festival is that they set a Guinness World Record…for the biggest pot of baked beans! That’s right, they had a big ol’ pot of beans cooking on an elevated platform, where spectators could come and take a peek. That pot o’ beans made history. The pot contained 1,010.65 gallons of butterbeans, which they then sold to the public. And I got to see it and eat it! Wooo! Here’s the story at Guinness World Records:

and here’s some MORE:

Golden Flakes brand of snack foods is based in Birmingham, and their tag line is “The South’s Original Potato Chip.” Established in the 1920s, Golden Flake became a staple snack of Alabama when the company was purchased by Paul “Bear” Bryant, the head football coach for the University of Alabama’s football team, the Crimson Tide. While I was browsing the gift shop at the Union Station in Montgomery, I spotted Golden Flakes dill pickle potato chips. As I found this an unusual flavor, I, of course, had to try it. Well, what can I say? They tasted like dill pickles. Um, I guess if you love dill pickles, you’ll like these. Or maybe not. I’m not sure. I didn’t get the chance to try other Golden Flake flavors or products, but it gives me something to look forward to.

We’ve all heard about the South’s trademark fried green tomatoes, but did you know about its fried string beans? I didn’t. I do now, and I can even say that I tried them. You can pretty much fry anything and it will taste good, and string beans are no exception. They were really good, especially dipped in the jalapeno dressing they came with at the restaurant where I ate them. (It is a mark of shame upon me that I didn’t have any fried green tomatoes. Next time.)

And, finally, there was my visit to Priester’s Pecan factory. It’s basically like a Cracker Barrel restaurant—porch and rocking chairs included—except that it features pecan products. Downstairs are the pecan shop, gift shop, and restaurant. You can get food and treats like ice cream, but unlike Cracker Barrel, this is set up buffet style and the choices don’t even come close. But what does it matter? You’re there for the pecans! I always pick up a bag of pecans or pecan pieces when I’m in the South because they’re so much cheaper there than elsewhere. I got myself a 5-pound bag of pieces for about $30 ($6 per lb.). That’s a great deal considering that I often have to pay twice that much or more ($12 to $16 per lb.). I once paid $18/lb. at a candy shop. I wised up and started buying in bulk online. But while I’m in the South, I buy some there and I’m good for a year (keep them refrigerated or frozen if you buy in bulk). You can tour the factory from upstairs and watch as the staff make various products below, from pralines to pies to candy. And to top it all off, you can sample the goodies in the store. On my trip, I tried honey-glazed, cinnamon, key lime (wow! on that one), and peach pecans, pecan divinity, and other yummies. (They also have a Georgia location.) I was left with only one question: Is it PEE-cans or Pah-CAHNS?

So, that was my culinary adventure in Alabama. Since I’ve gotten back, I haven’t been able to get THAT song out of my head. I want to share my insanity with you, so I’ll say ciao until next week and leave you with these immortal words from Lynard Skynard:

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you

Anyway, if you’ve visited my blog before, you know that I like to pick up random things sometimes and just give them a go. Well, this time it was soda. Specifically, Goya coconut soda. To some of you, it may sound strange. To others, it may sound yummy. It’s kind of both.

This coconut soda is part of Goya’s line of tropical soft drinks, and like other Goya sodas,  it comes in a long-neck bottle and has a rather tropical (of course) logo. It gives you (okay, me) the illusion that you’re drinking a beer. It’s clear in color and lightly carbonated.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, but how does it taste? Like carbonated, sweetened coconut water. And like coconut water, the coconut flavor is very light, rather than overpoweringly “coconutty.” For people who like natural coconut flavor, I think you’ll like this. For those who like a strong coconut flavor, it may seem weak. The nice thing about it is that it’s not overly sweet, either.

Don’t misunderstand me. When I say “natural coconut flavor,” that doesn’t mean that it’s a natural soda. Nope. It still has high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors. I’m not a big soda drinker and it wouldn’t be the first thing I’d reach for, given a choice of beverages (I’d much rather drink alcohol). But I do enjoy a glass of cola with lime once in a while, and the occasional experiment with something “exotic.” To people in the Latino community, coconut soda is hardly exotic, but coming from a culture (Italian) that doesn’t use coconuts that often in its cuisine, I consider it unusual and different. Next on my Goya list is guaraná and cola champagne.

So, that’s it for this week, my friends. I hope everyone has a great (and comfortable) weekend. Ciao for now.

Now, here’s the main show: Mamey.

I’ve never had a mamey. There are two reasons for this:

1)      They’re very hard to find. You definitely won’t find them outside of a Latin/Hispanic (or, occasionally, Asian) market, but even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll find them. The markets in my neighborhood cater to a Latin community and they still don’t carry them.

2)      They’re expensive.

The mamey (pronounced mah-mee, like “mommy”) for me has been one of those elusive things that I always knew I’d pounce on if I was every lucky enough to spot it. (And mangosteens. But that’s another discussion.) My interest was especially piqued when I saw celebrity chef Daisy Martinez use them on her TV show, Daisy Cooks.

While frozen mamey pulp has been available, fresh mamey has been notoriously difficult to find. I haven’t been able to find out why. (Although I read somewhere that U.S. government tight-asses screamed like little girls when they found out that the mamey pit is considered to be some sort of narcotic or toxin or something. Pansies.) But, happily, the era of mamey embargo seems to be coming to an end.

Eureka!

I just started a job in April. I have a really long-ass commute and I hate it, particularly since I commuted from Brooklyn to Jersey City for almost 15 years (bear with me, there’s a point to this). I’m really over long-haul commutes. But one good thing about where I now work is that it’s smack in the middle of a thriving Latin community, comprising numerous Central and South American cultures, and markets abound to cater to them. For a foodie like me, it’s paradise having access to multicultural ingredients like that.

When I first started this job, I went exploring in the neighborhood and fell in love with one particular market, which had not only ingredients essential to Latin cuisine but excellent prices as well. It was there that I spotted the elusive mamey sapote, and my eyes bugged out. Unfortunately, I was pretty broke at the time and simply couldn’t afford the hefty price of $5.99 a pound. And because mameys are heavy fruits, and these were pretty big specimens, I knew I’d be looking a nice amount of money. I continued seeing them there, but they started to look not-so-fresh. With each passing week, they looked worse and worse. Then, yesterday, I went to get myself a mango and some bananas and, lo! A fresh batch of mameys! Some small ones, too. And I had money in my pocket. (Still, at $5.99/lb., and with my other purchases, I blew my whole wad!)

But What Is a Mamey?

Mamey, also called sapote or pouteria, comes from the mamey sapote tree. Its skin is brown and somewhat rough and slightly bumpy, but its flesh is orange, creamy, and sweet. It’s reminiscent of papaya in both color and flavor. The flavor, however, has a potato-y edge, and, in fact, it has been likened to sweet potato, which I concur. The texture is smooth, but with a subtle graininess to it, lending to it potato-iness (I just made that up). Some people have said that it reminds them of sweet potatoe pie and pumpkin pie. Someone even said it reminds them of vanilla ice cream with a little pumpkin added. I don’t know about that last one, but can see the pumpkin analogy.

Photo by Fibonacci

Mamey is eaten raw, but is also very popular in smoothies and shakes, as well as ice cream and in baked goods. If you’re lucky enough to spot them, look for fruit that is smooth and unblemished. By that, I mean there shouldn’t be any soft/mushy dents, mold or discolored parts. And it should not be confused with a mammee apple, which is similar looking but is not the same thing. However, I don’t think you’ll have this problem―as hard as it is to find mameys, it’s probably twice as hard to find mammee apples (picture here).

A ripe mamey yields a bit when you press into it. I think mine was half ripe. Half of it was soft, while the other half was as hard as rock. It has an interesting pit in the center―oblong and smooth, and its shape rather reminded me of a closed mussel shell. It’s actually quite pretty. But it’s useful, too. The seeds have been used to make insecticide and treatments for parasitic skin diseases.

I Like My Fruit to Do Double Time

Okay, that’s cool. Because mameys, like so many other fruits, do other things for you besides make you go, mmmm. It’s high in vitamins A and C and potassium, and is an excellent source of dietary fiber and calcium. It’s been used for stomach ailments, headaches, venereal disease, and as an antiseptic.

So, here’s the good news: Because so many Latin Americans use mamey in their cuisine, the demand for it is heralding a wide-spread introduction to mameys, and it’s very possible that mameys might be coming to a store near YOU!

And because I like to be optimistic about these things, I’m giving you a few mamey recipes to try out. I made a batido (milkshake) with mine. I used soymilk and it came out yummy. I topped it off with a tropical drink umbrella to make it more festive. (Okay, so I keep little drink umbrellas around. So?)

Keep in mind that you can use frozen mamey pulp for these recipes instead of fresh, so look for it in Latin markets and well-stocked supermarkets. Let me know what you think. Until then, happy summer, happy Van Duzer Days, and ENJOY!

Frozen Mamey Sapote Mousse

1 cup mamey pulp
¾ cup sugar
1 envelope gelatin
½ cup cold water
½ cup boiling water
2 cups heavy cream
½ tsp salt

Rub fruit through a sieve or put through a food mill to remove any fiber. Mix sugar and salt with fruit pulp. Soak gelatin in cold water, then dissolve in the boiling water. Blend with fruit mixture. Chill until mixture thickens, then whip until light. Whip the heavy cream until stiff and fold into mamey mixture. Freeze.

Recipe courtesy of Virtual Herbarium

Mamey Muffins

Yield: 24 mini muffins

2 Florida eggs
1 1/4 cups Florida sugar
2 cups mamey, peeled, seeded and pureed
1 1/2 cup Florida milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 cup Florida pecans, chopped
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar

Beat together eggs and sugar. Add mamey and milk. Mix together flour, soda and spices and add to mamey mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix together pecans, butter and sugar. Drop mamey batter into greased mini muffin tins and top each with a teaspoon of pecan mixture.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until done.

Recipe courtesy of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Batido de Mamey

Cuban Milk Shakes

1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
1 cup fresh ripe mamey cubed (You may subsitute frozen mamey pulp, available in many Latin markets.)
1/2 cup crushed ice

Put everything in the blender except the ice and process until frothy. Add the crushed ice and process until the ice is ground fine and the batido is thick and rich. NOTE: The condensed milk is a very Cuban addition. You may omit this ingredient to your taste.

Recipe courtesy of Three Guys from Cuba

The other evening, I had dinner with a couple of friends in an area of Brooklyn called Carroll Gardens. It’s a really cute little area, reminiscent of Greenwich Village, only more intimate and with a “local” feel to it. Anyway, after dinner at an excellent vegan restaurant called Wild Ginger (more on that another time), we strolled Smith St. I picked up menus from restaurants I wanted to try, window shopped, and caught the strains of various types of music coming from different bars  (I really must try the Zombie Hut one of these days). On this stroll, I encountered a tiny little gourmet shop called Stinky’s Cheese. It’s aptly named, I realized as I stepped inside–the aroma of the cheeses they offer permeates the entire space.

Anyway, as much as I wanted to try many of the interesting products they had, I declined because 1) money was tight and 2) I was about to start a diet in two days. But on my way out, something caught my eye. It was a yogurt container, but it was a brand I’d never seen before, called siggi’s, and I had a feeling it was of the “all-natural, organic” ilk. So, I picked one up. It turned out that it was something called skyr, Icelandic-style strained non-fat yogurt.

So, here’s the scoop on skyr. According to siggi’s website,  skyr began with the Norse Vikings, who have been making skyr on Iceland since the 9th century. They say that the word skyr is probably derived from the Icelandic word skera, which means to cut or slice, and that the modern word for yogurt, jógúrt, didn’t exist in the Icelandic language until the 20th  century.

But skyr is not actually, technically, yogurt. While it’s very similar to Greek yogurt, skyr is actually a soft cheese. Siggi’s describes the product like this:  “Skyr was always, and is still, made from skim milk after the cream had been floated off to make butter. The skim was incubated with cultures and the resulting yogurt strained to take out the whey. Traditionally, the whey that subsequently came off the skyr was then used to pickle various foods in the summer to help last out Iceland’s long, arduous winters. Thus, skyr was part of a process that historically was centered on maximizing the yield and storage time of milk.”

In 2004, Siggi Hilmarsson began playing around with skyr recipes and eventually began a production plant in upstate New York and slowly expanded his selling base from local markets to several NYC stores. Siggi’s is now available in numerous locations along the East Coast.

Siggi’s skyr comes in plain, blueberry, orange and ginger, and pomegranate & passion fruit. I had the orange and ginger, and it was quite a different experience from the typical supermarket yogurt. It’s quite thick—even thicker, I think, than Greek yogurt—and very rich. It was so thick, in fact, that it took three sittings for me to finish it. The young lady behind the counter suggested I mix in some regular yogurt to thin it out. Instead, I stirred in a little soy milk and added a couple of cut-up strawberries, and it was delicious! Still took me three days, though.

For me, the skyr was reminiscent of marscarpone cheese (one of the main ingredients in tiramisú) in terms of thickness, only with a chalky edge to it. But the chalkiness is not unpleasant. And it was tangy, with the orange and ginger flavors really prominent. It has bits of candied ginger in it, giving it a textural contrast.  The best thing is that there are no space-age ingredients in it. No artificial sweeteners, gelatin, colors, and—oh, my god—no high-fructose corn syrup!! It’s sweetened with agave nectar ) and is coagulated with vegetable rennet, instead of animal rennet. Siggi’s only uses milk without growth hormones, and sources from local New York farmers.

Furthermore,  siggi’s designed a cup that uses 40 to 50% less plastic than regular yogurt cups. When you’re done with it, you pull off the cardboard sleeve and recycle it.

Skyr is a big part of  Icelandic cuisine, used in many different ways, including as a dessert with sugar and cream. It’s particularly high in protein (about 12%) and low in calories. Of course, it’s more expensive than your average yogurt. At Stinky’s, a 6-ounce container cost me $3.50. But this is not something I’d eat every day, either.

If you want to read more about siggi’s, visit their website at http://skyr.com. And to find where siggi’s is sold near you, enter your zip code in the search bar HERE.

So, that’s my new food find. If you find it, too, give it a taste and let me know what you think.

I hope everyone has a fabulous week. Enjoy!

Which brings me to my topic for this week: February is National Snack Food Month! Now, snack food is not necessarily comfort food, but for some, it is. And it’s particularly appropriate that I’m writing about snack food today because I’m craving it for an entirely different reason, and it is a source of comfort for me during those times. I think you know what I mean. Moving on…

Pizzelle

Samosas

Just as comfort food means something different for everyone, snack foods means something different for everyone, too. To Americans, it may be potato chips and Oreo cookies. To Italians, it can be sweet pizzelle smothered with Nutella, or savory arancini (rice balls).  In China, a stop at a dim sum house is a good bet for an on-the-go treat, while samosas are ubiquitous at street stands all over India. (Just to get an idea of what your neighbors around the world are munchin’ on, take at look at this Village Voice slideshow on “Strange Snacks of the World.”)

But Americans do tend to gravitate towards the snack-food aisle of the grocery store, where we are bombarded with choices from potato chips, pretzels, corn chips, cheese doodles, Ring Dings, Yodels, Twinkies, Snowballs… and the list goes on. What’s interesting is that snack food companies have jumped on the healthy-eating bandwagon and even the low-carb bandwagon and now offer alternatives to the traditional American snack foods: baked chips, popped chips, soy chips, rice crisps, etc. These are variably lower in fat, cholesterol, carbs, and gluten, so depending on what kind of diet you’re on, check the label to make sure it suits your needs.

What exactly is a popped chip? you ask. Popchips are potato chips that are not fried or baked, but are popped with heat and pressure. I’ve had them and they are really crunchy and tasty, reminiscent of puffed corn snacks (not popcorn). One ounce (22 chips) are 120 calories and 4 grams of fat, versus regular potato chips, which have 150 calories and 10 grams of fat (from Nutritiondata.com). They come in 7 flavors and can be found at various stores around the country.

According to the Snack Food Association, “SFA and the National Potato Promotion Board (NPPB) initiated National Snack Food Month in February 1989 to increase consumption and build awareness of snacks during a month when snack food consumption was traditionally low. The result has been a substantial increase in snack food sales during this month. The promotion kicks off on Super Bowl Sunday and publicity is generated throughout the month of February.”

Let me just say that I try to eat healthily and avoid processed foods as much as I can. But there are times—let’s just say once a month—when absolutely nothing will do but a salty, crunchy bucket o’ carbs. My personal favorites are barbecue, sour cream and onion, garlic and onion (Wise),  and cheddar cheese in the potato chip department, tortilla chips, and crunchy cheese doodles. I love fruit but even for me, fruit just doesn’t cut it. I also enjoy healthy snacks, such as rice cakes and trail mix, but it just can’t deliver on the salt and crunch factor.

Having said that, there are ways to satisfy that salty/crunch craving without planning ahead for that triple bypass surgery in the future. You can certainly opt for the low-fat, baked, low-carb varieties, but a great way to enjoy these types of snacks and still keep it healthy is to make some yourself. My favorite homemade snack is pita chips. They’re easy to make and actually cost you less than most bags of processed chips. Uh huh—a package of pita bread is about $1.99 (I get them for 99¢), and then it’s a few pennies more for a little oil and some spices. The average bag of chips (unless they’re on sale) will run you between $2.59 and $3.99. “Fancy” chips and organic chips are even more. And for your $1.99 investment on the pita bread, you’ll get a ton of chips.

So, when you’re jonesing for that disgusting, ultra-fattening, artery hardening, take-years-off-your-life stuff, give the recipe below a try.  You can eat them plain or with dips and salsa. Really, really yummy.

Stay warm, everyone.

Pita Chips

1 package pita bread
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea or kosher salt to taste
1/4 herb and spice mix of your choice*

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut open the pita breads and stack the rounds. Cut the rounds into 8 triangles and spread them out on a couple of large baking sheets. Brush them with a little olive oil. Sprinkle salt on them (as much or as little as you like), then sprinkle the herb/spice mix over them.

Bake until chips are crisp, anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bread.

Transfer them to a basket and serve with dip or salsa.

*The herb/spice mix can be whatever flavor profile you like. You can do an Italian/Mediterranean  flavor by using basil, parsley, oregano, and garlic powder; a Middle Eastern flavor by using cumin and coriander; or a Tex-Mex flavor by using chili powder and cumin. Other  ideas: rosemary, dillweed, onion powder, paprika, cracked black pepper, sesame seeds, or cinnamon and sugar for a sweet version (don’t serve those with salsa, though).

Photos of pizzelles and pitas: www.kingarthurflour.com

I was running errands the other day and didn’t really have time for lunch. I started getting jittery from hunger, so I stopped in a natural food store and found a product called Gourmet on the Go. It was tin that looked like it should have contained caviar. But it was a grain-and-veggie salad with beans. It was pretty tasty (although, I think I would have liked it better if I’d warmed it up), and was filling and satisfying. The one I grabbed was the whole grain with beans.

The thing I liked about this product was its ingredients: durum wheat (wheat berries), carrots, corn, kidney beans, onions, olive oil, salt, parsley, mustard, basil, white pepper, garlic, thyme, xanthan gum, and guar gum. (The latter two ingredients being thickeners. I’m not quite sure what purpose the thickeners serve in a grain salad, except to maybe keep the ingredients together while you’re eating it, but that seems unnecessary.) There are no preservatives or other questionable ingredients.

The tin is vacuum packed for freshness and is sealed with a thin aluminum pull lid, making it easy to open. And it even comes with a little spork and little packets of salt and pepper, making it a truly to-go item. As it proclaims on its outer cardboard wrapper, it’s “ideal for vegetarians,” which I think is important because vegetarians are too often limited in what they can grab for a quick meal.

There are six varieties of Gourmet on the Go: couscous with vegetables and beans; wild Alaskan salmon with vegetables; fusilli pasta with beans, mushrooms, and vegetables; cannellini, flageolet, and kidney beans with corn and vegetables; tuna, fusilli pasta, and vegetables; and the whole grains with beans, corn, and vegetables. You can eat these right out of the tin or you can microwave them. The package even makes serving suggestions (assuming you have access to additional ingredients. Here’s what they suggest for the whole grain with beans: “Delicious with cheese cornchips or nachos”; “Serve with sliced tomatoes and cheese”; and “Enjoy with St. Dalfour Blueberry Conserves”.

St. Dalfour is the manufacturer of Gourmet to Go products, as well as other products, including all-natural dried fruit (such as prunes, figs, and cranberries), fruit conserves (such as black cherry, mango, peach, and kumquat), organic black and green teas, and honey. Based in the southwest of France, their philosophy is to produce healthy but “fantastic” foods. They are a privately held family company that has been around for about 25 years. While their line of products is not terribly long, they seem interested in making the things they do make as good as they can be.

St. Dalfour is available in 90 countries and has either production facilities or warehouses in St. Dalfour, France; the UK; Sri Lanka (for the tea); Mexico; Canada; the U.S.; and St. Dalfour, Australia (my guess is they chose the latter location for its name ). The tin I purchased cost, in that particular store, $3.39 for 6.2 ounces (it costs $3.89 from their online market).

The St. Dalfour website offers recipes using their products, such as St. Dalfour Red Respberry Fruit Spread and White Chocolate Muffins and Rigatoni with Pancetta, Tallegio, St. Dalfour Pear Gourmet Fruit Spread and Rosemary. I don’t know about you, but those sound pretty yummy. What I find interesting is the recipe for Pravda Riviera Martini, using their fruit conserves (see recipe below). Sounds intriguing. I’m going to have to try it. Just for research purposes, mind you. Yeah, that’s it.

I can’t really tell you about all their products—I’ve only had the one, in fact. But if all their products satisfy like the whole grain Gourmet to Go, they’ve got some good stuff. What I really like is that you can grab something healthy, filling, and all natural without having to spend tons of money and without having to set a place at a table.

If any of you have tried any of their products, drop me a line. I’d love to know what you think.

Have a great week, everyone. And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Pravda Riviera Martini

(from www.StDalfour.com)

Description

Ingredients

Serves: 1

Directions