Eat chips, feel no guilt and maybe win a trip to Vegas or other prizes. You read correctly—buy any flavor of Guiltless Gourmet tortilla chips, in tempting choices such as Spicy Black Bean and Chili Lime. Check the code on the bag online for a chance to win coupons for free products and American Express gift cards. Everyone who enters a code on the Guiltless Gourmet site by September 30th will also be registered for a shot at the Grand Prize: three nights for the winner and a guest at a five-diamond Las Vegas resort, a $1,500 world class spa package and a fat stack of cash. (BYO chips?)
Speaking of fat, all Guiltless Gourmet products have 3 grams or less per serving. Please pass the salsa.
See reviews of our favorite tortilla chips in our Snacks Section.
June 18, 2009 at 6:00 am
· Filed under Travel, Wine
If you love a glass of red and aren’t limited to a stay-cation these days, Inter Beaujolais and Destination Beaujolais have developed the first-ever Beaujolais wine tourist route to help you explore France’s Beaujolais region. Discover the “real” Beaujolais—it bears little resemblance to the fresh juice that is Beaujolais Nouveau. You can even start your wine-cation in Burgundy, to the north; then pick up the Beaujolais route where the Burgundy wine route leaves off. Crossing through 36 villages, you can hit all the “must-see” destinations of Beaujolais: the 12 appellations including Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and the 10 Cru.
Imagine yourself in Beaujeu, the historical capital of Beaujolais in the heart of the Beaujolais “crus” region. Traveling on to the village of Vaux-en-Beaujolais (a.k.a. Clochemerle), past the Romanesque cloisters of Salles-Arbuissonas and Villefranche-Sur-Saône—the economic capital of Beaujolais. Visit the “land of golden stones,” le Pays des Pierres Dorées, where you’ll find the village Oingt, which has been called the most beautiful village in France. Your Beaujolais tour ends in the gastronomic capital of Lyon—France’s second-largest metropolitan area, which is older than Paris, has more Roman ruins and a host of 1-, 2- and 3-star Michelin restaurants,including the 3-star Paul Bocuse.
Start at the top of Beaujolais and taste your way down to the restaurant capital of Lyons.
You can download a copy of the guidebook from www.beaujolais.com. Please, take us with you!
Read more about wine in THE NIBBLE’s Wine Section.
Lemon-infused olive oil is one of six spectacular flavors.
Gertrude Stein may have espoused that a rose is a rose, but to us, an infused olive oil certainly is not an infused olive oil. All of them suffice, but Sonoma Farm Olive Oil is one of a handful of brands that we’ve tried where the flavors leap out of the bottle and transport you to a garden of wonderful aroma and flavor. (See our >Oils & Vinegars Section for other favorites.)
When we first looked at our task—tasting six different flavors of the Sonoma Farm brand of extra virgin olive oil, plus unflavored EVOO and a dipping oil—it seemed like work. By the end of the tasting, we were drunk with happiness on olive oil, drinking tablespoon after tablespoon. (The FDA recommends two tablespoons a day for heart health; we had a month’s worth.)
What did we experience? Lemon, lime and blood orange wafting out of the EVOO bottle, as if fresh juice were pent-up and waiting to escape. The fresh garlic, hot pepper (cayenne) and rosemary/basil olive oils jockeyed for position as well. Honestly, we couldn’t even pick a champion—they’re all winners. And that’s before we got to the regular EVOO, the dipping oil and the regular and strawberry balsamic vinegars.
Read the full review and see how we used these lovely oils. And note that delicious, heart-healthy olive oil makes a mighty fine Father’s Day gift. Read the full review.
What’s an artisan oil? An estate oil? The difference between virgin, extra virgin and just plain “olive oil?” Should you care if your olive oil is cold pressed? Read our Olive Oil Glossary.
How can you talk the talk and truly know what you’ve bought? Learn enough that you can start hosting olive oil tasting parties! Read the article and taste like a pro.
What does it mean when an olive oil is earthy… peppery… fruity… herbal? Each oil is different. If you prefer herbal to earthy, get to know how to ask for olive oil like you ask for wine. Read the scoop.
When it comes to chocolate, is your type tall, dark and handsome? Then Hershey’s extra dark chocolate might just have you swooning. O.K., it may not be tall, but it’s definitely dark (if you’ve checked out our Chocolate Glossary, you know that “dark chocolate” contains 50% or more cacao content). And its glossy packaging is certainly handsome. Each 4.4-ounce pouch contains approximately 12 squares of regular dark chocolate and raspberry-infused dark chocolate. Other varieties have pomegranate-flavored chocolate (an even bigger hit here at THE NIBBLE). We say, try them all!
The individually-wrapped portions, 1-3/4 inches square and 66.6 calories, are ideal anytime you need a small sweet fix; they are a perfect complement to a cup of coffee. While a USDA study concluded that 37 grams of dark chocolate (about 3 of these squares) offer the same amount of flavonol antioxidants as three cups of tea, two glasses of red wine or 1-1/3 cups of blueberries, benefits, dark chocolate is still a calorie dense food, and should be consumed in moderation. Thankfully, Hershey’s Extra Dark individual portions make moderation easy. Certified kosher (dairy) by OU.
It’s easy to enjoy a little bite whenever the mood strikes. Photo by Corey Lugg | THE NIBBLE.
Half the fat doesn’t mean you can eat twice
as much! Be sure to check the calories, too—
some brands of “light” ice creams have more
calories and sugar than other brands of “regular.”
Our friends at Consumer Reports have been dipping into the light ice cream to give you the scoop on light ice cream (in the July 2009 issue). By law, a “light” ice cream must have one-third the calories or half the fat of a brand’s regular ice cream.
The taste test compared three light ice creams with their regular counterparts, and also tried Häagen-Dazs Five, which isn’t marketed as a light ice cream but has a third less fat than regular Häagen-Dazs. The comments:
All of the lighter versions are quite tasty.
The lower-fat Häagen-Dazs Five was actually a bit better than the regular HD.
Breyers regular and light ice creams were very close in quality.
The light ice cream versions can also be less costly. Per half-cup serving, the lighter brands from Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s were less expensive as well as having far fewer calories. However (and there’s always a “however”), the term “light” is relative. The lighter Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry tried actually have more calories and sugars than the regular Edy’s/Dreyer’s and Breyers varieties.
Learn more about the different types of ice cream in our Ice Cream Glossary.
See reviews of our favorite ice cream brands and check out ice cream recipes in our Ice Cream Section.
