We want only the best for the four-legged members of our family, which is why Fooducopia proudly offers wholesome, natural dog treats made in the USA. After all, feeding Fido the right way can only be done when we know exactly what he’s eating!

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We all know that oatmeal is good for us, but some of us just don’t…er…like it.  Yes, it is packed with whole grains.  Yes, all that soluble fiber would scrub out our cholesterol-lined arteries.  Yes, eating more of it would boost our health.  But it’s lumpy…and tasteless…and is it just me, or does it look a bit like brains when it cools?  I’ve never been an oatmeal lover, but this recipe does me in every time.  Baking the oatmeal solves all of the textural problems for me, and all that fruit and maple syrup makes the dish delicious.  Baked oatmeal–it’s the secret for people who don’t like oatmeal.

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High Country Goji Berry Kombucha

Kombucha tea seems to be popping up everywhere, from natural grocery stores like Fooducopia’s Corner Store, to yoga studios, and cafes touting vegan meals. But what is kombucha and is it really as good for you as everyone makes it out to be?

Kombucha, a tea drink usually made from black tea leaves, uses a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast for fermentation, which produces the tea’s probiotic properties. The resulting tea is effervescent and tangy. It also contains B vitamins, acetic acid (the main component of vinegar), and lactic acid.

While many health benefits have been attributed to kombucha, including cancer prevention, immune system stimulation, and increased digestive functioning, according to the American Cancer Society’s information on complementary and alternative medicine, no human studies have ever been published to substantiate these health claims.

It is known however, that black tea leaves—the most commonly used leaves for kombucha brewing—contain trace amounts of folate (vitamin B9), riboflavin (vitamin B2), potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, which are vital components of a healthy diet. More specifically, B vitamins play a crucial role in cell metabolism (the chemical reactions that occur within our bodies to sustain life).

In addition to the B vitamins contributed by black tea, kombucha contains a wealth of probiotics.  Probiotics are microorganisms, also known as “good bacteria,” that are beneficial to their host (you), if present in high enough amounts. One of the most common types is lactic acid, which is present in kombucha and many other fermented foods and dairy products.

Lastly, kombucha contains acetic acid, which touts mildly antibacterial properties.  As with any highly acidic food though, moderation should be practiced in consumption, so a healthy pH balance can be maintained naturally.

Fooducopia’s Kombuchick Simple Start Home Brew Kit has everything you need to start making and enjoying  kombucha at home. They even have a do-it-yourself flavoring kit, to jumpstart your flavor experimenting. Or, if you’d rather try out a few flavors before you start brewing, pick up a bottle of High Country’s Goji Berry Kombucha from Fooducopia’s  Corner Store.

Just as onions assault the senses when their outer skin is punctured, garlic too begins to pack a punch. A likely story, given that both garlic and onions belong to the same scientific family. The compound responsible for that pungent aroma and biting flavor is allicin, famous for its unique properties that are easily manipulated during cooking, depending on desired taste.

Since we discussed the uncanny health benefits of garlic last month, we thought it only fitting to outline a handful of helpful tips for cooking with it, this month.

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This tostada recipe is one of my go-to summer vegetarian dinners because it’s fast, requires very little oven time, and the ingredients are fresh and delicious.  I highly recommend making the salsa at least a day ahead of time—it grows more and more delicious the longer you allow the flavors to blend.  Try it this week and enjoy!

Black-Bean Tostadas
Serves:  4
Level:  Easy
Prep:  20 minutes Read More →

Truffles from The Chocolate Sutra

Fooducopia is lucky to have a group of chocolatiers that defy common conceptions of rich, creamy chocolate. Made with ingredients like organic coconut milk, organic honey, and organic maple syrup, these chocolates are all dairy-free—a testament to the fact that chocolate candy, and even truffles, can be enjoyed in dairy-free and, in some cases, vegan form.

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I am a bit of a cheese fiend (which may explain my pizza obsession, come to think of it).  I love nibbling crackers primed with goat cheese or Manchengo, fresh rosemary, and a drizzle of honey.  I melt while melting Gruyere over crusty French bread to dip in homemade soup.  Pulling a fresh pizza from the oven, bubbling with some good ol’ Pepper Jack, just warms my heart.   My cheeses don’t love me back, though.  I would be embarrassed to tell you how many times I have excised bits of mold from a hunk of Parmesan before proceeding with dinner prep…  Recently, though, I’ve discovered two great methods for combating my cheese-degeneration issues.  One involves the fridge and the other involves the freeze.  So here it comes, my one-two punch on how to store cheese for maximum freshness.

 Step 1:  Parchment Paper and Aluminum Foil

If you do not plan to eat your cheese purchase immediately, simply refrigerate it in whatever plastic casing or wax sheath your seller provided.  Once you open the original wrapping, however, make a switch.  Pat the cheese dry, wrap it loosely in parchment paper, and then wrap this cheese capsule loosely in aluminum foil.  You don’t want to seal the cheese off completely—a little room to breathe is good.  (If you are not familiar with parchment paper, it’s that wonderful stuff that looks like wax paper, but you can bake with it in the oven.)  This parchment-foil method will substantially extend the life of your cheeses.  The quick-decaying culprits, like goat cheese, will last up to a week without turning.  Harder cheeses, like Parmesan, can make it much, much longer.

Step 2:  Shred and Freeze

In the best-case scenario, you should consume your tasty cheeses during the Step 1 phase.  If you are like me, though, and busy weeks preclude the sort of nibbling you sincerely planned to do, then move on to Step 2.  At the first sign of turning, and ideally before, remove any bad spots and shred your cheese.  Then store it in a resealable gallon freezer bag.  Do your best to spread the shreds into a flat layer, so they will freeze like a thick sheet of paper rather than a massive ice-block hunk.  When you want to defrost your shredded cheese, you can just snap off a portion and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, leaving the rest undisturbed in frozen sleep.  Note:  If the cheese is soft and spreadable, like goat cheese, then skip the shredding process.  Just wrap it in fresh parchment and foil, freeze it whole, and let it slowly defrost in the fridge for a day before you plan to use it.

If your taste buds are clamoring for cheese, try some of our Wild Mountain Thyme, a fantastic, artisan sheep’s milk creation from Good Shepherd Cheese that bursts with a blend of rosemary, thyme, lavender, basil, savory, fennel seed and marjoram.  Yum!

Photo (cc) by Flickr user atf300

Remember the good old days when you could shine up an apple on your corduroy sleeve and take a nice juicy bite?  Nowadays, unless your produce is 100% organic, almost every bag of leafy goodness you bring home from the market will contain trace amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.  Even if you do buy organic, your wholesome haul has still been picked, handled, packed, and placed in the store by somebody, not to mention fertilized with cow dung or other natural agents.  That’s why your mother washed her vegetables Read More →

Time to grill! I love adding grilled flavors to meals, especially in places where it’s unexpected! This meal is amazing — there were no leftovers in our house.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins on the grill, 30 in the oven

Ingredients:

• 2 large or 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced longways
• 3 tomatoes, sliced
• 3 handfuls of crimini mushrooms, halved
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 3 handfuls of spinach
• 1 jar of Bianca’s Gourmet Caponata or similar eggplant/olive spread
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 2 cups of spagetti sauce

For the cheese:

• 2 cups of cashews
• 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• 1.5 cups of water

Directions:

Preheat your grill for 325 degrees and your oven for 350 degrees.

Place the mushrooms, onions and zucchini in a large bowl. Add Bianca’s Gourmet Caponata and the olive oil, stir to coat and then let it sit and marinate while you make the cheese.

For the cheese : add all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth. Set aside. (If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews in water, drain and then following the directions above.)

Place mushrooms, onions and zucchini on the grill and cook until soft, about 15 mins.

In the meantime, using a large casserole dish, line the bottom of the dish with 1 cup of spagetti sauce. Then layer the spinach and tomato slices. Using half of the cheese, add a layer of cheese.

Once the grilled veggies are finished, add a layer of onions, then mushrooms, then zucchini. Add the rest of the spaghetti sauce in a layer and then use the rest of the cheese as a layer.

Place the lasagna in the oven and bake for 30 mins or until it is heated through. Remove from oven and let it sit for 5 minites before serving.

Shana Kurz is a nutritional expert, Health Coach, MBA and Mom of 4 boys who is passionate about maximizing fertility, calming busy moms and saving the world by eating more veggies. She can usually be found in the kitchen, office, or CrossFit. Please visit her at shanakurz.com.

I love me a good mustard.  Whether I’m bedazzling a spicy Italian sausage, enlivening a ham and cheese on rye, or preparing the acquiescent halves of a Bavarian pretzel, mustard can carry my sandwiches from good to great.

Mustard is also surprisingly healthy.  This condiment is low in calories and fat, high in antioxidants, and may help to regulate the metabolism and improve blood pressure and blood glucose levels.  But…come now, most of us aren’t buying our mustard for the health benefits.  It’s the zippy flavor we want, of course!

So what makes one mustard more delicious than the next?  What should we look for when choosing the best mustard for sandwiches?

Naturally, the flavor starts in the mustard seeds.  Those deceptively small mustard seeds are actually a relative of the horseradish plant, and they can pack a spicy punch.  Black mustard seeds are the hottest, but rarely make their way into condiment mustard (what a pity, I say!)  One’s choice in packaged mustard, therefore, rungs the gamut of spreads heated by brown, yellow, or white mustard seeds.  Brown seeds are the spiciest, while yellow and white seeds are more benign.  Thus, if it is heat that you seek for the perfect sandwich, get yourself a spicy mustard with whole or coarsely ground brown seeds.

Left to their own devices, even mild mustard seeds are still pretty spicy, so the best sandwich mustards must dampen that natural heat with a tempting liquid, like wine, vinegar, water or beer.  In your next mustard-purchasing foray, look more closely at the wet ingredients on those labels.  Dijon fans will discover that they like a little wine with their mustard, hotdog and sausage lovers might learn that beer makes them happiest, while savants in the hot-mustard category might be surprised to find that simple water preserves their spread’s natural zest.

We’d like to introduce you to our favorite mustard-maker at Fooducopia: Anija’s.  The company’s founder, one brave, mustard-loving, bio-medical scientist named Tuija Nordstrom, hand-carried her mother’s secret recipe during her move from Finland to America.  (We interviewed her a few years back, you’ll love the back story on her award-winning mustards.)  Essentially, these delicious gourmet spreads are handmade in small batches by a perfectionista food-chemist armed with a great recipe—now that’s who we want to buy our mustard from!

Anija’s offers three specialty, all natural, gluten-free flavors: Mom’s Mustard, Zazzy Lime and Twice Bitten.  They source their ingredients from local farms in Colorado or a-little-bit-further gourmet purveyors in the U.S.

Mustard-ify Your Life:  You can use a great mustard like Anija’s in all sorts of ways.  Blend it with honey to make a zesty dipping sauce.  Or mix 1 tablespoon of it with equal parts white wine vinegar and olive oil for a single-serving salad dressing.  Or create a sauce to accompany asparagus or similar vegetables.  Try all three kinds and enjoy!

Photo 1 (cc) by Flickr user Kristin Roach

Photo 2 (cc) by Flickr user Radiostaticstar