[1] Different colors of beets and carrots (photo © The Chef’s Garden).

[2] Purple brussels sprouts (photo © Frieda’s Specialty Produce).

[3] Cauliflower in the conventional white, plus orange and purple. In the front is romanesco, a variation of cauliflower that has spikes (photo © Nourish The Roots).

[4] Green beans don’t have to be green photo © The Pines Restaurant | Brooklyn).

[5] Red butterhead lettuce is just one of several red leaf lettuces (photo © Good Eggs).

[6] Colored radishes (photo © The Chef’s Garden)

September is National Fruits & Vegetables Month. You know that fruits come in a rainbow of colors, but how about veggies?

Sure, you can find multicolored baby carrots, bell peppers, chiles and heirloom tomatoes.

But there’s much more to look for.

So today’s tip is: Keep an eye out and treat yourself to whatever is new and different.

Grocers know that customers want new options, so even if there’s no farmers market near you, keep looking.

It’s not just about fun; there are nutritional benefits as well. Colored foods tend to be more antioxidant rich than pale and white foods.

For example, orange cauliflower contains high levels of beta-carotene; purple cauliflower contains anthocyanin, an antioxidant that gives purple color to a variety of foods, including red cabbage and red onions. Green cauliflower just happens to have more protein than the other colors.

Some of the veggies below are natural mutations (as was red grapefruit and many other foods); some are cross-bred. None are GMO.

 
Isn’t nature grand?

A couple of years ago, we began to notice smoking cocktails on the menus of some fine restaurants we patronize.

These are not the dry-ice-generated smoke of Halloween, but flavored smoke made with wood chips or other agent that provide heavenly aroma.

You don’t want the bouquet to dissipate. It’s like the alluring scent of a burning log added to a great drink.

When the smoking cocktail is brought to the table (photo #1) and the waiter removes the dome that’s keeping the smoke inside (photo #2), the whole table gets to enjoy the aroma.

The smoke not only excites the nose, but it adds a delightful depth of flavor.

We couldn’t head to the restaurants every time we wanted a smoked cocktail, so we asked the mixologists at Wall Street Grill, a sophisticated restaurant in Manhattan’s Wall Street area, to help us.

Their recipe for a Smoking Rosemary Fizz is below. The restaurant happens to be kosher, but its fine food can be enjoyed by everyone.

You can make it at home by investing in a smoke gun (photo #3 and #4, for as little as $20) and a glass dome, which has other uses for baked goods, cheese, etc. Just head to Amazon.
 
 
WHAT TO DO WITH A SMOKE GUN (A.K.A. SMOKE INFUSER OR SMOKING GUN)

While a smoke gun is a great addition to the kitchen, first note that a smoke gun doesn’t smoke food in the manner of a backyard smoker, over many hours of cooking.

Rather, it gives a 30-second infusion of smoke flavor to cooked food or a drink, or to ingredients you’ll use to make a recipe.

Like a kitchen torch (and of a similar size), a smoke gun is a small tool that delivers big flavor. You add wood chips or other flavor agent (there’s a list below), and the gun converts the chips, cinnamon, herbs, etc. to smoke.

The gun blows the smoke into your food or drink, infusing it with smoke flavor.

Far from being exotic, it is easy to use with your everyday foods. You can:

 
And of course, you can add smoke to cooked meats and fish. See the video on this page, showing all the different things you can smoke.

Here are more videos specific to cocktails.

 
A smoking gun can cost as little as $20, like this ChefHut model, which gets five stars on Amazon. There are units for $80 and more.
 
 
OTHER FLAVORS TO INFUSE

 
 
RECIPE: SMOKING ROSEMARY FIZZ

[1] Smoke infusing the cocktail under the dome (photo © Wall Street Grill).

[2] The big reveal at the table (photo © Wall Street Grill).

[3] Infusing chicken breasts with smoke, using a $20 Chefhut infuser (photo © Chefhut).

[4] Spraying smoke atop ribs with the hose of the Breville smoke gun (photo © Breville).

[5] A smoked Manhattan cocktail at Ocean Prime (photo © Ocean Prime).

Ingredients Per Cocktail

 
For The Rosemary Simple Syrup

You can also use this syrup in iced tea, hot tea or lemonade, on fruit salad, as pound cake glaze and sorbet topping, and of course, to flavor sophisticated snow-cones.

 
Simple Syrup Preparation

1. MAKE the simple syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high, whisking occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Then simmer for a few more minutes until liquid is completely clear. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

2. ADD the rosemary and let it infuse in the simple syrup for 30 to 60 minutes, until the mixture is thick and syrupy.

3. REMOVE the rosemary from the pan and pour the syrup into a glass jar. Refrigerate, tightly capped. It will keep for at two weeks (twice as long for unflavored simple syrup).
 
Cocktail Preparation

1. SHAKE all the ingredients with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a jumbo ice cube. Garnish with rosemary.

2. SMOKE with hickory wood with a smoke gun under a glass dome.

3. BRING to the table still covered. Remove the dome in front of the guest (or yourself) so everyone can enjoy the aroma.

[1] Nature’s original energy food, honey, is sandwiched between thin, crisp waffle cookies (photos #1 and #2 © Honey Stinger).

[2] You can purchase individual waffles or 12-packs.

[3] If you’re looking for a better Fig Newton-type bar, look here (photos #3 and #4 © Nature’s Bakery).

[4] These fig bars have less added sugar and more natural flavor than big brands.

Our products of the week can be enjoyed by eaters of any age, and are easy grab-and-go foods.

They are better-for-you snacks, and energy-providing substitutes for morning toast.
 
 
1. HONEY STINGER: GLUTEN FREE, ORGANIC ENERGY SNACKS

Honey Stinger was established more than 60 years ago, targeted to outdoors enthusiasts seeking nutrition that abetted performance.

The company created snacks based on the original energy food, honey.

You don’t have to be a hiker or an athlete to enjoy these better-for-you treats. Couch potatoes like us are happy to nibble away.

Their popular Energy Waffles snacks are now made in an expanded number of flavors, including Caramel, Chocolate, Gingersnap, Honey, Lemon, Strawberry and Vanilla.

A thin layer of honey, infused with the flavor of choice, is sandwiched between two thin, crisp waffles. The cookie pairs beautifully with coffee, tea or milk.

The individually-wrapped snacks are just as enjoyable by themselves: cookie satisfaction without cookie guilt.

While you’re at it, try the Cracker Bars, sandwiched with nut butter that delivers 5g of protein.

The nut butters are mixed with organic honey and sandwiched between two multigrain crackers. The bars are then covered in dark or milk chocolate. All this tastiness has just 9g-12g of sugar.

Varieties include Almond Butter & Dark Chocolate, Cashew Butter & Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate.

The entire product line is USDA Certified Organic, certified gluten free and certified kosher-dairy by OU.

The bars are available at natural foods and nutrition stores, and online at a number of e-tailers, including HoneyStinger.com.
 
 
2. NATURE’S BAKERY: A BETTER FIG BAR

Lovers of Fig Newtons have a better option: fig bars from Nature’s Bakery.

We often have one of these for breakfast, the soft “Newton-size” bars, two in a pack, flouting their healthy ingredients as soon as they hit the palate.

The flavors include:

 
The Nature’s Bakery line is Non-GMO Project verified, plant-based, soy-free, dairy-free, and includes certified vegan and gluten-free varieties.

The company also makes Oatmeal Crumble Bars (another of our breakfast favorites), Honey & Oat Bars and Double Chocolate Brownie Bars.

Discover more at NaturesBakery.com.

If you’re a member of the kale cult, here’s a recipe for your repertoire: popcorn with kale (photo #1).

It’s easy to make, with purchased popcorn and kale chips. Or, pop your own and microwave kale into chips (photo #5).

Popcorn is already a better-for-you, whole grain snack. Now, you can add this recipe from the National Popcorn Board.
 
Kale is a nutritional powerhouse, a member of the Brassica genus, a.k.a. the cruciferous vegetables, which includes arugula, bok choy, broccoli/broccolini/rapini, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard greens, radish/daikon, rutabaga, turnips, watercress, and wasabi, among other veggies.

They’re rich in powerful, cancer-fighting antioxidants, phytonutrients and carotenoids. It’s also an excellent source of calcium, fiber, iron, manganese, potassium and vitamins A, B6, C and K.

Cooking may destroy the phytochemicals, which is why raw kale salad is popular among health-focused consumers in-the-know.

> National Kale Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday of October.

> Do you know the different types of kale? Check them out below (and in photos #2, #3, #4, and #5).

> Make kale chips in the microwave.

> The history of kale is also below.

> The history of popcorn.
 
 
RECIPE: KALE LIME POPCORN

You can purchase kale chips or make them in the microwave (the recipe).

Lime zest gives the snack a bit of zip.

Ingredients For 10 Cups

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the popcorn in a large bowl. Whisk in the lime zest, lime juice and melted butter. Toss to coat the popcorn.

2. SPRINKLE the kale over the popcorn, mixing to distribute evenly.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF KALE

Kale, also called leaf cabbage, is one of the cultivars of cabbage (Brassica oleracea). Kale plants have green or purple leaves. The central leaves do not form a head like cabbage but are loose, like romaine.

The name is derived from the Northern Middle English cale (compare Scots kail) for various cabbages. That word evolved from the Latin word for cabbage, caulis.

Kale originated in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor, where it was cultivated before 2000 B.C.E.

By 400 B.C.E., curly-leaf and flat-leaf varieties of cabbage existed in Greece. Referred to by the Romans as Sabellian kale, these are considered to be the ancestors of modern kales.

Records of cabbages in western Europe date to the 13th century. In 14th-century England, records distinguish between the hard-heading cabbage and loose-leaf kale.

Russian kale was introduced into Canada, and then to the U.S., by Russian traders in the 19th century.

No less than Thomas Jefferson had experimented with several varieties of kale at Monticello in the early 1800s. The superfood (a word coined in the early 20th century) has long been popular in northern Europe.

For most of the 20th century, kale was primarily used in the U.S. for decorative purposes.

It became more widely consumed during World War II as part of the Victory Garden movement, but its modern resurgence happened much later. People became more aware of it as an edible vegetable in the 1990s, with the increasing focus on nutrition.

Mainstream awareness of the benefits of antioxidants grew in the 1990s and early 2000s, with kale on the “highly recommended” list of cruciferous vegetables (the Brassicas, listed above).

The big push came in the early 2010s, largely due to the efforts of the American Kale Association and strategic marketing campaigns to rebrand kale from a niche health food into a mainstream superfood.

In addition, celebrity chefs like Alice Waters and the health-conscious movement in general, contributed to kale’s rise in popularity. The expansion of farmers markets, juicing trends, and social media influencers also played a role in making kale a household staple.

It became pegged as a “nutritional powerhouse” as well as a superfood, and has remained on healthful-eating list ever since.
 
 
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF KALE

Kale varieties can be differentiated by the length of the stem and the type of leaf (photo #3).

Stems vary from short to long, and leaf colors include light green, medium green, dark green and violet-green, plus violet-brown.

Leaf styles include:

 
There are numerous cultivars within these groups.

Ornamental kale or rebor kale is yet another variety with many cultivars (see one of them in photo #4).

It is grown as a decorative plant, and even used in floral arrangements.

The center rosette can be blue, lavender, pink, red or violet.

While ornamental kale is as edible as any variety, the tough leaves are not as palatable (source).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Kale popcorn, a combination of two nutritious foods (photo and recipe © National Popcorn Board).

[2] This variety of kale has four names: black kale, dinosaur kale, lacinato kale and Tuscan kale (photo © Good Eggs).

[3] Different types of kale (photo © National Kale Day).

[4] A variety of ornamental kale with a rosette center. You can buy the seeds from Burpee (photo © Burpee).

[5] Buy kale chips, or make them in the microwave with this device and recipe (photo © The Nibble).

[6] An easy side: kale sauteed in garlic oil (or oil and sliced garlic cloves), here given spots of color by pomegranate arils—which are also a superfood (photo © Nathan Dumlao | Unsplash).

[1] Roasted chickpeas garnish a bowl of spicy avocado soup (photos #1 and #2 © DeLallo).

[2] Roasted chickpeas.

[3] Fresh chickpeas, a.k.a. green chickpeas, in their pods (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

Who needs empty-calorie croutons when you can substitute nutritious*, roasted chickpeas—as in the roasted chickpeas recipe below?

In photo #1, DeLallo serves it as a garnish for avocado soup (here’s the recipe for the soup).

But roasted chickpeas an be used as a general garnish for:

 
The history of chickpeas is below.

April 21st is National Chickpea Day.
 
 
RECIPE: ROASTED CHICKPEAS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. COMBINE the chickpeas, chopped chiles, oils, paprika, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss well to combine and spread evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.

3. ROAST for 20-30 minutes until slightly crisp, stirring every 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
 
 
MORE CHICKPEA RECIPES

In addition to falafel and hummus—two chickpea-based Middle Eastern staples that have been embraced by Americans, try:

Chickpeas were among the first crops cultivated by man, which are known as the eight founder crops of the Fertile Crescent.

They are one of the earliest cultivated legumes: 7,500-year-old remains have been found in the Middle East (which means, chickpeas have been eaten since long before the beginning of recorded history).

Cicer arietinum, the chickpea genus and species, is a legume in the family Fabaceae. Fabaceae is known variously as the bean, legume or pea family.

You may know chickpeas by one of their other names: ceci or cece (Italian), chana or Kabuli chana (Northern India), Egyptian pea, garbanzo (Spanish), gram or Bengal gram (British India).
 
How The Chickpea Got Its Name

The word chickpea in English came from the French chich, from cicer, Latin for chickpea.

Chich is found in print in English in 1388. It took another five centuries for “chick-pea” to appear in print in England, in the mid-18th century.

Fun fact: The Roman cognomen Cicero came from cicer. Yes, the great orator Roman Marcus Tullius Cicero—also a consul, constitutionalist, lawyer, philosopher, political theorist and politician—was a member of the Chickpea family.

A cognomen was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome—the hereditary name that we call a surname, which passed from father to child. The second name—the family name or clan name—identified a particular branch within a family, or family within a clan.

The Oxford English Dictionary lists a 1548 reference to chickpeas that reads, “Cicer may be named in English Cich, or ciche pease, after the Frenche tonge.” By the mid-18th century, ciche peas evolved to chick-peas.
 
What About Garbanzo?

The word “garbanzo” is a bit more obscure. It is first noted in English in the 17th century, as “calavance,” with a possible parent from the Basque word garbantzu, a compound of garau, seed and antzu, dry.

In ancient Greece, chickpeas (called erébinthos) were consumed raw when young and eaten as a staple food, as well as a dessert.

 
Thanks to Americans’ interest in Middle Eastern foods like hummus, and plant-based protein, many chickpea recipes now enliven our diet.
 
 
IS THE CHICKPEA A BEAN OR A PEA?

Peas and beans are both legumes and seeds, both members of the Fabaceae botanical family. The chickpea, also popularly called the garbanzo bean, is actually a bean. Some key differences:

 
Read more about the differences on DifferenceBetween.net.

Check out the different types of beans and legumes in our Bean Glossary.

_______________

*One cup of roasted chickpeas contains 269 calories: 45 g of carbohydrate, 15 g of protein, 13 g of dietary fiber, 4 g of fat but zero cholesterol. They contain good amounts of B vitamins, fiber, folate, iron, phosphorus, and zinc.

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