THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


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PRODUCT: R.W. Knudsen Nature’s Peak Juices

One of our favorite juice producers, R.W. Knudsen, is offering another way to eat more veggies—or in this case, drink more veggies.

The 100% juice blends are 50:50 fruit juice and vegetable juice from concentrate or purée. But the flavor profiles lean toward the sweet, so no veggie-hater need know.

An eight-ounce glass contains 100 to 120 calories.

The blends include:

  • Berry Veggie Blend, including apple, beet, blackberry, purple carrot, raspberry, strawberry and sweet potato
  • Orchard Veggie Blend, including apple, carrot, kiwi, pear, spinach and sweet potato
  • Tropical Veggie Blend, including banana, carrot, mango, pineapple and sweet potato
  •  
    HOW TO ENJOY THEM

  • Drink them straight.
  • Add them to smoothies or sparklers.
  •   knudsen-natures-peak
    Nature’s Peak juices are half fruit, half
    veggies. From left to right: Berry, Orchard and Tropical Veggie Blends. Photo courtesy R.W. Knudsen.
  • Make cocktails (add gin, tequila or vodka and an optional celery stick).
  • Use them as a base for fruit soup, salad dressing or sauces.
  • Make ice pops, yogurt pops or sorbet.
  •  
    And feel good that you’re sneaking more veggies into your diet.

      

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    ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Irish Cereal Milk

    Irish Cereal Milk Cocktail-Lexington BrassNYC-230
    Cereal milk with a shot of Irish whiskey.
    Photo courtesy Lexington Brass | NYC.
      You might not drink this Irish Cereal Milk cocktail for breakfast; or then, you might. But it sure is a fun snack for after work, or even dessert on St. Patrick’s Day.

    The recipe comes from Lexington Brass restaurant in midtown Manhattan.

    RECIPE: IRISH CEREAL MILK COCKTAIL

    Ingredients Per Drink

  • 2 ounces Jameson Irish whiskey
  • 1/2 ounce simple syrup
  • 2 ounces Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk (instructions below)
  • Garnish: Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
  • Optional garnish: cinnamon stick, or a sprinkle of
    ground cinnamon
  •  

    Preparation

    1. MAKE Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk: Soak the cereal in 3 ounces of milk for 30 minutes, then strain out the cereal (and eat it, if you like). (The cereal will absorb some of the milk, which is why we recommend starting with 3 ounces to end up with the 2 ounces for the drink.)

    2. FILL a rocks glass with ice; pour in whiskey and simple syrup. Top off with Cinnamon Toast Crunch Milk and stir.

    3. GARNISH with fresh Cinnamon Toast Crunch pieces and an optional cinnamon stick. Serve with a straw and a spoon.

      

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    Salad-Topped Main Course & Vegetables By Color

    Here’s an easy way to get everyone to eat a few more veggies: Top main courses with a small salad.

    Fried, grilled, roasted and sautéed proteins are all candidates to be topped with an alluring crown of vegetables and herbs—not a dinner salad or dressed lettuce, but something that looks great. Dress the salad very lightly with olive oil or vinaigrette.

    The “salad topping” doesn’t preclude your ability to serve the side salad of your choice.

    A recipe for Chicken Breasts With Broccoli Rabe & Mozzarella is below.
     
     
    SALAD TOPPERS

    Aim to mix at least three bright colors and ideally four: green plus orange, red or yellow. Different shades of green don’t count as different colors. We’ve also included green salad-friendly fruits.
     
     
    THE GREEN GROUP

  • Asparagus
  • Avocado
  • Broccoli (including rabe and rapini)
  • Cucumber
  • Edamame
  • Green apple
  • Green beans
  • Green bell pepper
  • Green grapes
  • Green olives
  • Green onion tops
  • Green peas
  • Herbs (basil, dill, parsley, etc.)
  • Lettuces (everything from arugula to watercress)
  • Microgreens
  • Pickles/gherkins
  • Sprouts
  • Sugar snap peas, snow peas
  • Zucchini
  •  
     
    THE ORANGE GROUP

  • Cantaloupe
  • Carrots
  • Dried apricots
  • Kumquats
  • Mango
  • Orange bell pepper
  • Orange cherry or heirloom tomatoes
  • Orange or mandarin segments
  • Red lentils
  •  
     
    THE RED GROUP

  • Baby radish
  • Dried cherries or cranberries
  • Pomegranate arils
  • Radicchio or red endive
  • Raspberries or strawberries
  • Red apple
  • Red bell pepper
  • Red cabbage
  • Red leaf lettuce
  • Red grapes
  • Red tomatoes
  • Watermelon
  •  
     
    THE PURPLE/BLUE GROUP

  • Berries: blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries
  • Eggplant (grilled)
  • Fruits: figs, grapes, plums
  • Purple potato slice
  • Purple cabbage
  • Specialty varieties: purple bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, corn, potatoes, string beans, plus forbidden rice (black rice)
  •  
     
    THE YELLOW GROUP

  • Chickpeas
  • Corn
  • Pineapple
  • Yellow bell pepper
  • Yellow lentils
  • Yellow tomatoes
  •  
     
    THE WHITE GROUP

  • Cauliflower
  • Deviled egg or boiled quail egg
  • Enoki mushrooms
  • Parsnips and turnips
  • Shredded daikon
  • White baby radish
  • White bean Salad (Cannellini, Navy, Great Northern)
  •  
     
    Thanks to Wendy Thorpe Copley, author of one of our favorite new books, Everyday Bento, for organizing lists of fruits and veggies by color. We’ll be reviewing her book shortly.
     
     
    RECIPE: CHICKEN CUTLETS WITH BROCCOLI RABE & MOZZARELLA

    This dish may look familiar: Italian restaurants frequently top cutlets with a bit of red and green.

    You can prepare this dish in just 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes of cooking time.

    You can cut calories and cholesterol by eliminating the mozzarella.

    Ingredients For 4 Servings

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, slightly pounded
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 pound mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch broccoli rabe, steamed or sautéed
  • 2 ounces sundried tomato slivers
  • Preparation

    1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté garlic until golden, then discard.

    2. SPRINKLE chicken breasts with salt and pepper on each side. Dip chicken into beaten egg and then coat with breadcrumbs. Place chicken in skillet and cook until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.

    3. PLACE cutlets in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray or greased with oil. Bake the cutlets for 10 minutes, and top them with mozzarella, rabe, and tomato slivers. Continue baking until cooked through, another 10 to minutes or so.

    3. ARRANGE chicken on four plates and top with mozzarella and broccoli rabe. Garnish with tomato slivers and serve.

     

    pan-sauteed-catfish-230
    [1] Pan-sautéed catfish topped with a parsley and tomato salad (photo courtesy Whole Foods Market.


    [2] Salad-topped root vegetable soup. Here’s the recipe (photo © Jeanette’s Healthy Living).


    [3] Salad-topped pressed sushi, also called box or hako sushi (photo © Miyako’s 21 grams | NYC [now closed]).


    [4] Salad-topped grilled chicken cutlet (phot © Gardenia Restaurant| NYC [now closed]).


    [5] Salad-topped lamb loin (photo © Kindred Restaurant | Davidson, NC).


    [6] Salad-topped scallops (photo © Chianina Steakhouse | Long Beach, CA [now closed]).

    chicken-cutlet-recipes-rabe-mozzarella-tomatoes-westsidemarketnyc-230
    [7] Chicken cutlets topped with broccoli rabe and sundried tomatoes (recipe and photo © Westside Market | NYC).

    Rainbow Of Different Colored Vegetables
    [8] A rainbow of egetables (photo © Good Eggs).

     

     
     

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    ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Pot O’ Goldtini Cocktail Recipe

    If you can’t find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you can drink a shot of gold from a bottle of Goldschläger.

    Goldschläger, created in Switzerland, is cinnamon schnapps with gold flakes of gold flakes floating throughout the bottle.

    While there are many Goldschläger cocktails, we think the nicest way to enjoy it is after St. Patrick’s dinner, with or without a cup of coffee.
     
     
    FLECKING YOUR DRINK WITH GOLD

    You can use Goldschläger to make a gold-flecked Martini, or you can buy gold flakes and make your own

  • Gold flakes, made from 24 karat edible gold, are available online. They’re pricey, $34 for a small container, so we have a “Plan B”: two different options that are far more affordable, and also edible (although not made of real gold)
  • Wilton’s edible gold stars are far more affordable. A .04-ounce container is an affordable $5.39.
  • The most affordable gold flakes we’ve found—but haven’t seen in person, are these from CK Products. A full ounce is just $5.29.
  •  

    goldschlager-shot-230

    How about cinnamon shots: cinnamon-flavored Goldschlager liqueur with real gold flakes? Photo courtesy Goldschlager.

     

    gold-flakes-martini-trendhunter-230
    A Pot O’Goldtini: a Martini with Goldschläger. Photo courtesy Trendhunter.com.
      The gold flakes can be used for any culinary purpose, from garnishing candy, chocolate and baked goods to pasta and risotto. How about gold-flecked sushi with gold-flecked saké?

    For drinks, think Champagne with gold flakes for a special toast; or a gold-flecked lemon-lime soda mocktail for the kids. If you’re in the chips, make gold flake drink rimmers.
     
     
    RECIPE #1: GOLDSCHLÄGER POT O’ GOLDTINI

    Ingredients Per Drink

  • 2.5 ounces vodka
  • 1/2 ounce Goldschläger
  •  
    Preparation

    1. COMBINE the ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice cubes.

    2. SHAKE and strain into a Martini glass.

     
    RECIPE #2: CLASSIC MARTINI POT O’ GOLDTINI

    Ingredients Per Drink

  • 2.5 ounces vodka or gin
  • 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
  • Optional: dash of lemon, orange or other bitters (optional)
  • Optional: lemon twist for garnish
  •  
    Preparation

    1. COMBINE the ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice cubes.

    2. SHAKE and strain into a Martini glass.
     

    If you meet any leprechauns, invite them to join you.

      

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    RECIPE: Guinness Beef Stew

    Here’s hearty, family-style fare for St. Patrick’s Day: Guinness beef stew, courtesy of QVC’s David Venable.

    Guinness adds a deep richness to the broth of this stew without imparting the full flavor of the beer itself. For more beer flavor, serve one as the beverage. If you have a different favorite stout, you can substitute it for the Guinness.

    Instead of potatoes, rice or noodles, serve the stew with a whole grain like barley, and mashed cauliflower.

    RECIPE: GUINNESS BEEF STEW

    Ingredients

  • 3–1/2 tablespoons all–purpose flour
  • 1–1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1–1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1–1/2″ cubes
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery, chopped
  • 2–1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2–1/2 cups beef stock
  • 2 cups Guinness beer
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
  • 1 bag (16 ounces) baby carrots
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  •   guinness-beef-stew-qvc-230
    Serve a Guinness or other stout with this hearty beef stew, cooked in two cups of Guinness. Photo courtesy QVC.
     

    Preparation

    1. PLACE the flour, salt, and black pepper in a medium–size bowl. Add the beef cubes and toss until completely coated.

    2. HEAT the vegetable oil in heavy large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium–high heat. Working in batches, brown the beef cubes, on all sides, about 5–7 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, and celery, and cook for 3–5 minutes.

    3. STIR in the dried thyme, bay leaves, beef stock, Guinness, and tomato paste. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1–1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

    4. ADD the potatoes, baby carrots, salt, and pepper. Stir to distribute evenly. Cover and simmer on low heat, until the vegetables and beef are very tender, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley right before serving.
     
    WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEER AND STOUT?

    Stout is a type of beer. Other major categories include ale, lager, porter; there are many subcategories.

    Stout is dark beer produced from long-roasted malt, barley, hops, water and yeast. Different styles include imperial stout, dry/Irish stout, milk stout and oatmeal stout, among others. They are typically higher in alcohol: 7% or 8%, although some can be higher.

    By comparison, lager, the style most often drunk in the U.S., is a type of beer that is fermented and conditioned at low temperatures. The yeasts used for lager are different from those used for stout. Different styles include pale lager and dark lager.

    For more beer types, check out our Beer Glossary.
      

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