Who knew? We typically see blue cheese crumbles in our New York City supermarkets. But since the stores in this cramped city tend to be smaller than elsewhere, we’ve never seen goat cheese crumbles. We simply take a log and crumble our own.

But the ease and convenience factor beckons, not to mention the delicious flavored crumbles Vermont Creamery has created:

The fresh goat cheese is crumbled by hand and mixed with carefully selected dried fruit and fresh herbs. Fresh Goat Cheese Crumbles are available in 4-ounce containers with an MSRP† of $5.99.

CLASSY CHEESE CRUMBLES

Not all crumbled cheese products are of top quality. When we’ve purchased blue cheese crumbles at the supermarket, for example, they’ve tended to be dried out, hard and not pleasant.

These crumbles are first-class, made with award-winning Vermont Creamery chèvre and the highest quality herbs and dried fruit.

Unlike most other crumbles on the market, Vermont Creamery’s Crumbles do not use any mold inhibitors or anti-caking agents like cellulose, so there isn’t a “dry mouth feel.”
 
*Chèvre is the French word for goat cheese (and also for the goat itself).

†MRSP is the manufacturers recommended sale price.

HOW TO USE CHEESE CRUMBLES

Naturally high in protein and calcium, each serving of the Fresh Goat Cheese Crumbles contains fewer than 100 calories, adding flavor and nutrition to salads and other dishes. Use them to top:

 
†If you are crumbling feta, first slice and run under cold water for 10 seconds to wash away any brine and firm up the cheese.

1. FIRM it. If the cheese is very soft, first put it in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm it up.

2. CUT into slices or in half-inch cubes (for blue and feta).

3. USE your fingers or the tines of a fork to break the cheese into small pieces, as fine as you like. Do not mash.

 
Read our review of Vermont Creamery, a Top Pick Of The Week (actually, a Top Pick forever!).

For the easy way, buy a pre-made crust, raw dough (we get ours at Trader Joe’s—delicious!) and add your favorite toppings. It’s healthier if you use a whole wheat crust.

For those who like to bake, here’s how to make your own pizza dough and a championship recipe from chef Bruno DiFabio, a six-time winner of the World Pizza Games / Pizza World Championships.

You may be a pure pepperoni person, or prefer a grilled veggie pizza. The most popular pizza toppings in America, according to one survey, are (in order) pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, sausage, bacon, extra cheese, black olives, green peppers, pineapple and spinach. (What, no anchovies?)

But if you’d like to consider more creative ingredients, including those that you rarely find at a pizza restaurant. You can also use your leftovers. For your consideration:

Proteins

 
Veggies

You can make pretty much anything work.

 
PERSONAL FAVORITES

We enjoy making these “fusion” pizzas, incorporating ingredients from other cultures into the iconic Italian food:

MORE RECIPE IDEAS

 
THE HISTORY OF PIZZA

How did the crust, tomatoes and mozzarella get together, especially when tomatoes were considered poisonous for their first 200-plus years in Europe?

Check it out!

Make matcha shortbread (or as a default, buy some).

While it isn’t health food, matcha shortbread includes a very healthful ingredient—matcha tea. (See the nutritional benefits below).

This shortbread recipe is from the Republic Of Tea, which sells matcha tea among hundreds of other varieties. They call the recipe “emerald shortbread” because of the green color. This recipe also includes ground almonds (protein—more nutrition!).

You can use a shamrock cookie cutter for St. Patrick’s Day, a flower cookie cutter for spring or a Christmas tree cookie cutter for Christmas.
 
 
RECIPE: EMERALD SHORTBREAD (MATCHA
SHORTBREAD)

Ingredients

1. CREAM together the butter and powdered sugar. Mix in the egg yolk. In another bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds and matcha. Add to the first bowl and stir until the mixture forms a ball.

2. ROLL into a 2-inch-wide log. Wrap and place in the freezer for 40 minutes until firm.

3. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/4-inch slices and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to turn golden at the edges. Let rest for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Matcha is a powdered green tea with the consistency of talc that is used in the Japanese tea ceremony, or cha no yu. The leaves for matcha are ground like flour in a stone mill. The powder is then whisked into water. (Here’s the whisk [chasen] that you can use to make your own.

Powdered tea is the original way in which tea was prepared in Japan. The steeping of dried tea leaves in boiling water didn’t begin until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Matcha tea has a wonderful aroma, a creamy, silky froth and a rich, mellow taste. It contains a higher amount of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, L-theanine amino acids, polyphenols, chlorophyll and fiber) than other teas, including steeped green tea.

Matcha tea is expensive, but worth it if you love the flavor of matcha tea.

According to MatchaSource.com, the price is a function of production costs.

Only the youngest, sweetest leaves are used. Covering the fields with bamboo mats (tarps) to create the shade-grown tea weakens the tea plants, and a longer recovery period is needed before they can be harvested again.

At the factory, the stone grinders work slowly in order to maintain the nutrients in the tea, including the amino acid, L-theanine, which focuses the brain; it may help the body’s immune response to infection. Each grinder produces only about 40 grams of matcha in an hour.

That being said, there are varying qualities of matcha tea. The deeper green color, the higher quality the matcha.
 
TO GO WITH THE COOKIES

BELA-Olhão, from the fishing community of Olhão, Portugal, has perfected the art of canning sardines. Plump, meaty and pretty, too—their silvery skins shimmer on the plate—these are gourmet sardines.

The sardines are wild caught, sustainably fished off a non-industrial coast and 100% dolphin safe. They are packed within eight ours of the catch and canned in top-quality olive oil. They are certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.

They’re available in plain plus delicious flavored varieties:

SARDINE NUTRITION & HEALTH BENEFITS

Omega 3, 6 & 9. Among fish, sardines have the highest levels of omega-3, -6 and -9 essential fatty acids.They aid the body in transferring oxygen, help with muscle elasticity, brain activity and have a positive impact on the blood vessels and heart.

Calcium. Sardines are super-rich in calcium: A 3.5-ounce serving has more calcium than a cup of whole milk! One 4.25-ounce tin provides 30% of your daily value.

Coenzyme Q. Sardines are rich in coenzyme Q-10, plus a spate of vitamins and minerals. Coenzyme Q-10 can stave off heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, even depression.

More. Sardines are a good source of vitamin D, B12 and lean protein.

Low mercury. With a mercury content of 0.016 ppm, the FDA calculates that sardines have one of the lowest levels of mercury among seafood. This may be a result of a diet that consists mainly of krill and plankton. The more kinds of other fish a species eats, the more likely it is to absorb the mercury levels of the fish that it feasts upon (which is why shark mercury levels are so high—they eat so many kinds of fish, some of which contain a high mercury content).

SARDINES VS. SALMON

Sardines are “the new salmon.” Now if only consumers would figure that out!

Because of the move to eat more salmon, the wild fish have become less abundant, less sustainable, less nutritious and are suffering from epidemic-like outbreaks created when infected farmed salmon escape into the wild.

There are numerous issues with farmed salmon—read this article in the New York Times by Taras Grescoe, author of Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood.

The bottom line: Sardines are a great alternative.

All sardines need—fresh or canned—is a squeeze of lemon juice and some minced parsley (and if fresh-grilled, a few drops of quality olive). The quality of Bela-Olhão’s extra virgin olive oil means that no draining is required.

Sardines are simple to serve:

 
Or, make “sardine cakes” instead of crab cakes. Here’s a recipe for fresh, light, meaty sardine cakes from Bela-Olhão:

RECIPE: SARDINE CAKES

Ingredients For 4 Servings (2 Cakes Each)

Preparation

1. MASH the beans in a large bowl using the back of a spoon until smooth but still a bit chunky.

2. ADD sardines, cheese, pepper, 3/4 cup of the bread crumbs, egg, lemon juice, tarragon, salt, and pepper to taste and mix well to combine. Place the remaining bread crumbs on a plate.

3. SHAPE the mixture into eight 1/2-inch thick patties and coat with the remaining bread crumbs.

4. HEAT 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Add the remaining oil when you turn the patties.

5. SERVE with a wedge of lemon, and optional tartar sauce or ketchup for dipping.
SARDINES & SALAD

Like tuna, sardines fit in to any green salad preparation. Try this recipe for a sophisticated Sardine, Cress & Almond Salad.
  

Why is “comfort food” high-carb food? What’s a pasta lover to do?

Well, there’s spaghetti squash, and you can shred zucchini into a form that cooks up like pasta (and is delicious topped with sauce and grated cheese).

And then there’s shirataki.

WHAT IS SHIRATAKI?

Shirataki are Japanese noodles that are very low in calories and carbohydrate (many have zero). They are thin and translucent, made from the colorfully named devil’s tongue yam (also called elephant yam or konjac yam). They are fat-free, gluten-free and soy-free. There are also varieties made from tofu, which does have soy and a modest number of calories.

The Miracle Noodle brand is certified kosher by OU. The company also makes “rice” from the same yam.

Largely composed of water and glucomannan, a water-soluble dietary fiber from the yam, they have little flavor of their own. But top with tomato sauce or add to a cup of broth, and you’ve got a pretty darn good pasta substitute. Like tofu (and the tofu shirataki), they easily absorb the flavors of any dish or sauce.

A special benefit: The soluble fiber slows digestion and prolongs the sensation of fullness.

Shirataki noodles can be found both in dry and “wet” forms in Asian markets, some supermarkets and online. The wet noodles, most frequently found, are packaged in liquid.

There are many offerings out there. The NoOodle brand has meal starters at 20 calories per serving, that allow you to enjoy great-tasting meals without packing on the pounds. They also have 50-calorie soups. The line includes:

Shirataki noodles are made in favorite cuts, from angel hair and fettuccine to spaghetti. There are even ziti and “spinach noodles.”Photo courtesy Miracle Noodle.

 
COOKING TIPS

 
We’re coming up on the Year Of The Horse; but this may also be the Year Of The Shirataki Noodle.