Food products that are "NEW" to you

[msmofet]

Tiny seasoned potatoes - microwave, then add butter and the seasoning packet.
One is Yukon and red potatoes with Savory Herb seasoning. Package says 4 servings and 80 calories per.
The other is red potatoes with Garlic Parsley seasoning. Package says 4 servings and 60 calories per.
I usually just buy the bag of potatoes without any seasoning and use for whatever. I thought I'd try these as a quick side dish.

Will try soon and give review.

 

[Termy]

Them little potatoes have a bunch of flavor.

New to me - quinoa. Last thing I need is more mush. I am not big on mush, I don't eat oatmeal for example.

And they came out with frozen mashed potatoes. Not sure if I want them.

T

 

[pepperhead212]

Termy, I don't eat quinoa by itself, either, but it is a great way to add nutrients to a dish - soups, curries, a vegetarian "chili", salads, breads, and other things, where it sometimes goes almost unnoticed. Sometimes I'll add it uncooked, sometimes I'll cook it in advance (almost effortless in the Instant Pot). I wouldn't pay some of these outrageous prices charged for it, but I got a deal on 25 lbs of black quinoa for just under $35, and it keeps indefinitely vacuum sealed.

 

[larry_stewart]

Termy, I don't eat quinoa by itself, either, but it is a great way to add nutrients to a dish - soups, curries, a vegetarian "chili", salads, breads, and other things, where it sometimes goes almost unnoticed. Sometimes I'll add it uncooked, sometimes I'll cook it in advance (almost effortless in the Instant Pot). I wouldn't pay some of these outrageous prices charged for it, but I got a deal on 25 lbs of black quinoa for just under $35, and it keeps indefinitely vacuum sealed.

I was just going to say that they often sneak it in a vegetarian chili. Im not a big fan of quinoa by itself either, but as a filler it kinda blends in and adds a nutritional value.

I just was at a restaurant where they made a '5 grain cake' served on top of a Masala Tomato curry which was very good, but then again, anything fried is usually pretty good.

 

[pepperhead212]

Larry, Any idea what that 5 grain cake was? Doesn't sound like anything I've seen or read about, but I'd like to try it, next time I make a tomato masala.

 

[skilletlicker]

Flaxseed Meal

"New" to me in the last year or so is flaxseed. I buy ground meal and use it as a thickener and omega-3 supplement. One tablespoon, about 7 grams, supplies 1600 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, which is 99% of my target and is enough to nicely thicken a bowl of porridge like oatmeal, grits, etc. In soups, stews, or sauces I combine it with something like flour, masa, or starch. Flax would definitely thicken soup by itself but the texture becomes gelatinous or mucilaginous.

 

[msmofet]

Little Potato Company, Savory Herb flavor potatoes taste wonderful. They would go great with poultry or pork.

 

[blissful]

Skillet, I use flax seed every day. I take flax whole, and chia seeds whole, grind them by the lb, then store in the freezer before we use them. We each use 1 to 2 T per day. Today I sprinkled it on savory 9 grain flaked grains w/broccoli miso and garlic. DH uses them on blueberry oatmeal honey. They impart a slightly nutty flavor and texture. They can be used to substitute for an egg, 1 T flax to 2 T water and they soak up 9 times their weight in water. I use that in baking often.



I started using miso paste for salty umami flavor. Tofu is new and not often. I started making my own soy milk and okara. I use the soy milk in rice pudding. I use the okara in oat 'cookies' sweetened with fruits. Tofu is a lot like making cheese so I'll make it soon. We do like it marinated in seasonings and soy sauce, then baked.



Nutritional yeast, they say tastes cheesy, but it's not spectacular. I can take it or leave it. It's expensive, we might leave it out.


Black cumin, amla (indian goose berry powder), turmeric, in my anti-oxidant shot daily. It's not delicious, it's nutritious. If I'm draining fruit from fruit juice, I'll add the shot to fruit juice to dress it up.



There are two things DH doesn't like, quinoa (and I guess the bitterness doesn't bother me--yes we rinse the saponin off extensively), and lima beans or aka butter beans (which I love also for a velvetty texture in soups).



Purslane, a lemony almost succulent plant that is a weed, I like it in soups and it does add a gelatinous texture that isn't noticeable once cooked, or raw it is quite nice.

 

[taxlady]

Bliss, I have read that you can make nutritional yeast from dry yeast that you would use for bread making. It's a good way to use yeast that isn't alive enough to raise bread anymore. You just have to heat it in a skillet and stir occasionally, until it is a golden brown colour. You want it to be completely dead and have a slightly nutty flavour.

 

[larry_stewart]

Larry, Any idea what that 5 grain cake was? Doesn't sound like anything I've seen or read about, but I'd like to try it, next time I make a tomato masala.

Not %100 sure.
I went back to the Restaurant menu site to see if there was any further description, but just said 5 grains.

I didn't dissect it ( as I usually do when eating foods I'm curious about). Quinoa was the only obvious grain.

Whichever grains they used were compressed and bonded into a patty and fried to have. crispy outside and softer inside. Definitely Cilantro worked in, and could have used a little more salt. But this made me want to dip it with the sauce even more, which may have been the intention.

On the place was the Grain cake and smoked tofu ( which they really smoked well) served on top of a Kale/ Yellow squash simple sautéed, all on tope of the Masala sauce, with some scallions sprinkled on top.

As Described on the menu:
Ancient Grain Cake$24/$14
Pan Fried Five Grain Cakes, Tomato Masala Curry, Organic Local Vegetables (V,G) Add Shrimp, Bacon or Smoked Tofu + $6

 

[skilletlicker]

On the place was the Grain cake and smoked tofu ( which they really smoked well)

I've never heard of smoked tofu. Got a package of extra firm tofu in the fridge and hickory, alder, cherry, and oak chips. Think it's time to put the indoor smoker to use.

Thanks Larry.

 

[larry_stewart]

I've never heard of smoked tofu. Got a package of extra firm tofu in the fridge and hickory, alder, cherry, and oak chips. Think it's time to put the indoor smoker to use.

Thanks Larry.

They did a real good job art it. Ive had it before, but these guys seemed to have mastered it. They likely pressed it first to eliminate a lot of the water and make it firmer.

Its been decades, but definitely had that bacon'y flavor. Just enough contrast for the dish. I was pleasantly surprised.

And for something that is usually bland, they did a good job making it taste good.

I appreciate when restaurants go out of their way too make a vegetarian / vegan dish unique and appetizing, rather than the typical pasta primavera , steamed veggies or a grilled vegetable wrap.

 

[msmofet]

DD and I went to Home Goods to browse. She bought me a bottle of Tajar Brand Organic Wild Brazilian Raw Honey. I used it on my grapefruit this morning, and it is very good. It has a rich flavor, which I like.


Side story - My grandfather was a beekeeper close to 100 years ago. I miss his wild raw honey. Very dark and rich. He was treating relatives with bee stings and raw honey to treat allergies. And touting the benefits of royal jelly way back when before it got popular. He would rent out hives/bee boxes to farmers to pollinate their trees and crops. He got to keep the honey. So many flavored honeys. They were delicious. He would sell honey to local Farm Markets.

 

[georgevan]

Scallions. I never used them before but am using now in chow mein.

 

[msmofet]

Lidl brand Pierogies. They were pretty good. This was the first time I have shopped at this store.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

msm, you have a Lidl near you? I'm wanting to check it out seeing as how I'm an avid Aldi shopper. I've read that they're sort of an upscale Aldi.

 

[HeyItsSara]

we just got some rhubarb!!!

 

[msmofet]

msm, you have a Lidl near you? I'm wanting to check it out seeing as how I'm an avid Aldi shopper. I've read that they're sort of an upscale Aldi.

Yes, (there are 20 stores in N.J.) one is close to me (8 miles), one is a bit farther and another pretty close is opening next week.


Aldi and Trader Joe's are affiliated? Owned by same parent company?


I like TJ's better (for now).

 

[taxlady]

Yes, (there are 20 stores in N.J.) one is close to me (8 miles), one is a bit farther and another pretty close is opening next week.


Aldi and Trader Joe's are affiliated? Owned by same parent company?


I like TJ's better (for now).

There actually two different Aldi companies.

From Wikipedia

Both Aldi Nord (as Trader Joe's) and Aldi Süd (as Aldi) also operate in the United States with 1,600 stores between them as of 2017,[9] and the U.S. is the only country to have both Aldi companies operating outside of Germany. In 2020, it was reported that Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have been planning since 2018 to merge the two branches by 2022 in a bid to reduce redundancies and raise efficiency.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

msm, I just checked the Lidl locator map. Seems like the stores start around Long Island (which they have practically blanketed!) and go as far south as the Georgia area. Nothing in New England, nothing in OH, nothing in FL. If we were still driving to FL down I-95, I'd be able to check one out come November. We've found taking I-81 a much more pleasant trip, though, since we avoid the bottleneck known as CT-NY-NJ-MD-VA. Nothing but traffic from Danbury, CT to almost Richmond, VA.

Re: Aldi and TJ's, it looks like a long story to summarize. Aldi in Europe and Aldi in the U.S. are each owned by different branches of the same family. The U.S. branch bought out TJ's from the founder a few years after opening their first Aldi. Anymore info than that, you can read through the links here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe's and SS08-BUSAD3700-E01