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