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


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TIP OF THE DAY: Make Homemade Soda

A few years back, we began to notice a restaurant trend: creative mixologists making their sodas from scratch. Some of it was creative flavoring—fennel-lemongrass soda, for example. Others were the desire of mixologists to make the best-ever cola, root beer and ginger ale. All of it was all-natural.

Spice Market New York, owned by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, prepares its own sodas for guests who’d prefer something soft—and special. You can do it at home for your guests.

The Fresh Ginger Lime Soda and Cherry Yuzu Soda are customer favorites at Spice Market. The sodas are mixed from a base to which club soda (soda water) is added.

Impress family and guests with these homemade soda recipes, courtesy of Spice Market.

CHERRY YUZU SODA RECIPE

Makes 1 quart.

  • 3/4 cup yuzu juice
  • 3-1/2 cups sugar
  • 4-3/4 cups frozen sour cherry purée*
  • Club soda
  • Ice
  • Optional garnish: lime wedge, orange slice, gourmet maraschino cherry
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    *You can make it by puréeing frozen cherries in the blender.

     
    Homemade soda is a treat, and fun to make. Photo courtesy Spice Market | New York.
     
    Preparation Per Drink

    1. Fill a highball glass with ice. Add 1/4 cup cherry yuzu base and 1/2 cup club soda.
    2. Stir, garnish and serve.
     
     
    GINGER LIME SODA RECIPE

    Makes 1 quart.

    Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 cups fresh lime juice
  • Simple syrup (recipe)
  • Club soda
  • Ice
  • Optional garnish: lime wheel, lemongrass stalk, strawberry (notched on rim of glass)
  •  
    Preparation Per Drink

    1. Fill a highball glass with ice. Add 1/4 cup ginger lime base and 1 tablespoon simple syrup over ice. Top with club soda.
    2. Stir, garnish and serve.
     
    Find more of our favorite soft drinks.

      

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    PRODUCT: belVita Breakfast Biscuits, The New Breakfast Alternative

    Nabisco has introduced belVita Breakfast Biscuits: lightly sweet, whole grain, crunchy breakfast biscuits in Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry and Golden Oat. The concept is popular in Europe, and a welcome addition to American breakfast options.

    “Breakfast biscuits” may not sound sexy, but think of them as very nutritious and tasty cookies. Yum!

    According to survey data, 63% of Americans admit they are energy deficient in the mornings and 48% say that it is difficult to find a breakfast food that is both nutritious and delicious.

    Nabisco, part of Kraft Foods, worked with nutritionists to create a cereal and breakfast bread substitute that provides nutrition plus sustained energy to help fuel the body throughout the morning. The sustained energy release results from both the ingredients and a special baking process that helps preserve the integrity of the grain, so that the carbohydrates are slowly released.

    The company’s nutritionist spokesperson and author of The Sonoma Diet, Connie Guttersen, recommends the biscuits as a balanced breakfast with a piece of fruit and a serving of fat-free or low fat dairy—a banana, yogurt and nonfat latte or fresh strawberries and nonfat Greek yogurt, for example.

     
    A “sustained energy” breakfast includes these delicious oat biscuits. Photo courtesy Kraft Foods.
     
    Healthful food is always a good thing, but belVita biscuits taste great, too (although the Apple Cinnamon flavor could have used more apple and more cinnamon). The portion of four large, crunchy biscuits is very filling with a cup of coffee, tea or milk.

    More Ways To Enjoy belVita Biscuits

    The biscuits are also delicious with cheese; we’ve been serving them with Brie and goat cheese. All three flavors have a touch of sweetness and a rustic texture that work well with cheese. (The biscuits evoke Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers, called Wheatmeal Biscuits in the U.K., a longtime favorite with cheese).

    More ways to enjoy belVita:

  • Spread them with peanut butter for nutritious snack.
  • Break pieces into yogurt for a “cookies and cream” effect.
  • Use them as a base for an open-face ice cream/frozen yogurt sandwich.
  • We love them as a comfort food snack with hot chocolate.
  •  
    Great taste and crunch, a bundle of nutritious benefits and the convenience of grab-and-go portioned packs should make these biscuits a winner. Nabisco only needs for you to try them and like them as much as we do. (The only thing we don’t like is the small “b” in belVita. It looks like a typo.)

    The biscuits are certified kosher (dairy) by OU.

    belVita Biscuits Nutrition

  • Fiber: 18-20g whole grains per four-biscuit serving
  • 10% daily value of iron, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin and vitamin B6
  • No high fructose corn syrup, no partially hydrogenated oils, no artificial flavors or sweeteners
  • A package of four biscuits has 230 calories
  •  
    There’s more information on the company website.

    Find more of our favorite crackers and bread products.

      

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    TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Indian Naan Flatbread


    Naan with a yogurt dip. Photo courtesy
    Stonefire Naan.

      Bread is one of our passions. We’d give up meat before we’d give up bread.

    Just about every society makes a delicious bread. India, a very large country, makes many. If you’ve been to an Indian restaurant, you’ve seen some of the regional specialties: chapati, dosa, naan, paratha and numerous others.

    We were thrilled to discover Stonefire Naan at our local supermarket, a buttery flatbread in original, garlic and whole grain varieties.

    Now, we can expand our bread choices. Even if you don’t care for the cuisines of India, naan fits in with most foods of the world—including burgers, PB sandwiches and wraps. You can also use it as a pizza-type base.

    Check out the full review, including recipes with naan bread.

    Want to bake your own naan? Here’s a video recipe.

     

    Find the different types of bread in our beautiful Bread Glossary.

      

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