“Verde” Lentil Vegan Tacos

Caramelized White Chocolate Swirl Brownies

These rich and fudgy brownies are swirled with caramelized white chocolate, a miracle of baking science (and, let’s face it, part magic) that will please even the white chocolate haters that walk among us.

Buttery, nutty and almost toasty in flavor, the white chocolate swirl becomes delicately crispy on the top of a soft and fudgy brownie, a delightful textural contrast that’ll have you reaching for another.

Let me tell you the story of goldilocks and the three brownies. Excuse me, four brownies. And goldilocks in this case is a lovely golden white chocolate that’s been caramelized low and slow in the oven.

Anyway, the story. So I probably should have just let well enough alone and used my go-to brownie recipe (a downright perfect brownie recipe that works equally well with melted butter or olive oil), but instead I decided I would try to improve on perfect and started tweaking.

Four batches of tweaking later, we’re pretty much back at the beginning.

The first batch was too dense (too fudgy, which I would’ve said doesn’t exist but it turns out it does). Don’t worry, I still ate them.

The second batch I went way rogue and mixed in some cream cheese to the white chocolate, going for a filled and swirled effect. Bad idea – the brownie was way too thick and underbaked as a result, though the top was probably the shiniest, crinkliest brownie I’ve ever made. Oh well. I ate these too.

The third batch was too thin (see: overcompensation for the last batch). But getting closer. You can bet I didn’t waste these either.

Finally on the fourth try I managed to produce a thick (but not too thick) and fudgy (but not too fudgy) brownie with a beautifully crackled and swirled top. These brownies rise and fall a bit more than my go-to recipe, likely because of the air that is whipped into the eggs. But you know what that means? The edges are even more delightfully crispy (for you edge lovers) while the center pieces stay decadently dense and fudgy (back off, those pieces are mine).

Sure, they look like peanut butter swirled brownies, but don’t be deceived. These beauties are swirled with caramelized white chocolate (cue *hearteyes).

I’ve waxed poetic about caramelized white chocolate before, but just recently ‘rediscovered’ it. How I managed to forget about it for 3+ years I have no idea, but this time it’s here to stay.

It’s not a quick process (it takes about 2 hours) but the result is sweet and buttery, slightly nutty and almost toasty in flavor. It’s nothing like the boring white chocolate that you so love to hate. Trust me on this one.

(more…)

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[Q&A] Beyond Burger's Ethan Brown: Plant-Based Protein

Ethan Brown is the founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, whose Beyond Burger has become the first plant-based meat to be sold in the meat aisles of major grocery chains, including Whole Foods, Kroger, and Albertsons Cos.  

To whom do you seek to appeal with the Beyond Burger?

The mainstream consumer. Our vision is to perfectly build meat directly from plants, and by doing so provide consumers with a product that is identical in taste, texture, and nutrition to its animal protein equivalent. Meat holds a very important place in our culture and diet, and it's important that we present our plant-based meat within a context that is familiar to consumers. It's why we fought so hard to be in the meat aisle, which is where we can now be found in more than 5,000 grocery stores.

Beyond Burger is now sharing shelf space with traditional burgers in mainstream supermarkets like Kroger. Did you ever envision that your company could have an impact even on the diets of carnivores?

It's such an opportunity, and I feel very fortunate to be part of what may be a watershed moment for protein. Every year, the consumer appears to be more open, and with this openness comes our obligation: we need to be there for them with products that are as seamless as possible as they trade off animal meats for plant-based meats. I've shared that I don't think we are entirely there yet; however, we also don't see any obstacle to reaching that perfect build of meat from plants.

Beyond Burger doesn’t just make burgers. Are your other products gaining such prominent placement in meat cases and on restaurant menus as the Beyond Burger?

It's part of our culture to try to continually raise the bar with each product introduction. Beyond Sausage and the Beyond Burger represent the latest iteration in the platforms we use to build meat from plants. However, we also continue to strongly support, and receive very positive feedback on, our earlier innovations of Chicken Strips and Beefy Crumbles. Both products work well in dishes ranging from tacos, pasta, pizza, soups and chili, and salads among others. Through our partnership with Sysco, we are seeing our entire portfolio of products added to more and more menus.

What’s next for the Beyond Burger?

We were excited to start 2018 by joining the menu at 469 TGI Fridays locations nationwide and more generally come into the year on menus at 5,000 restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and college campus cafeterias nationwide. We expect significant expansion of this distribution in 2018.

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Hundreds Gathered Worldwide for the Pretty Simple Dinner Party!

One night. 350 dinner party hosts. Hundreds of guests in 25 countries and 50 US states. And one cookbook: Pretty Simple Cooking.

On February 17, 2018, hundreds of people gathered worldwide to cook a meal using recipes from the same cookbook (our new book!), Pretty Simple Cooking. And what an event it was. Comments have poured in about how guests felt connected not only to family and friends, but to others all over the world. No mention of liberal, conservative, Christian, agnostic, pro this or pro that…the Pretty Simple Dinner Party became a way to celebrate some of the pretty simple good things in lives all over the world—food, family, friends!

For Alex and I, who fiercely believe food is the great uniter, it was one of the most meaningful nights of our lives. (Save our wedding day and the birth of our son Larson, of course.)

Alex and I first dreamed up the idea as a worldwide cookbook club—a party where each person cooks a different recipe from the same book. With cookbook clubs becoming an online trend, we thought: what if we invited the entire world to a giant cookbook club? The release of our book Pretty Simple Cooking was a perfect excuse to throw a party. Starting in October, we began to invite friends and followers to join in the fun. By February, we had 350 hosts on board, at least one in every US state and 25 countries around the world!

If you’re reading this and were part of a Pretty Simple Dinner Party, we cannot thank you enough for joining in. It was an incredible, magical night that united all of us together through a virtual “table”. To catch photos from parties all over the globe, search the hashtag #PrettySimpleDinnerParty on Instagram!

To check out the book that started it all, Pretty Simple Cooking, click here.

And now, some highlights and photos from dinner party hosts:

Alex and I hosted a Pretty Simple Dinner Party in downtown Indianapolis with the help of our friend photographer Kelley Schuyler. It was at the Hinge Bureau (a co-working space) with greenery by Wildwood Market and party planning and photography by Kelley Jordan Photography (credit for all three photos above). Our dinner was Spanish themed, featuring the Veggie Supreme Paella, Spanish cheese boards, Irresistible Tomato Almond Dip, and Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake. It was an incredible evening with all guests gathered around the communal paella pans!

Here are some highlights from parties around the globe:

“Thanks again so much to you and Alex for writing your beautiful book and getting so many hundreds of people around the table last night! It was so fun to scroll through the hashtag and see the different parties all over the world. On top of everything, every single recipe we tried was incredible! It was so fun to sample so many of the recipes and when we went around the table to explain what each of us made, no joke, everyone said to some extent how simple the recipe was!”

-Reba in Indiana

(Photos by Reba below; her menu featured the Falafel Burgers with Yogurt Dill Sauce and Roasted Acorn Squash with Brown Rice Sausage)

 

“Can we please do it again?! Thanks for the excuse and the inspiration! I’m obsessed with your cookbook.  The recipes and pics are fab but even take a backseat to the beautiful message behind the words you’ve put to page.  Love the message in the pages of this book.  And our menu choices were delicious successes!”

-Janell in Illinois

“It was an incredible experience to be part of this celebration. This was a really creative way to bring people together and we had a lot of fun in the process. The food came out so good and now I’m hooked and definitely plan on making all the recipes in the cookbook–which by the way is now my favorite cookbook of all time!”

-Sarai in Nevada (Photos of Sarai’s party below, credit to her; featuring the Goat Cheese and Heirloom Tomato Pizza and Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake)

“I’ve never been one to actually be interested in vegetarianism or anything, yet everything we made was so amazing, so flavorful that I’ve committed to starting to eat like that more often. Everything felt so filling, yet light. I was surprised to know all ingredients were very affordable and we were able to enjoy our little dinner immensely. By far the cookie was the most delicious thing we’ve ever tasted. I can’t believe I’ve lived this long without eating this. I’m so grateful we got to do this..not only because we needed something different for a night, but because it opened a whole different way of eating I’m actually looking forward to. I owe you a great deal for all of this.”

-Alex in the Dominican Republic

“My theme for the Pretty Simple dinner party was a Mediterranean feast and dedicated it to my kids. I knew for sure that as soon as they got back from school and saw the table set they were going to be excited. My kids love hummus and Mediterranean food, so the Layered Mediterranean Hummus Platter from Sonja and Alex’s cookbook was a total success between them!”

-Alejandra in Texas (photo by Alejandra below)

“It was quite moving having so many people around the world sharing a common idea, preparing the same day, through maybe all hemispheres, the same recipes from just one book and united in the pleasure of being together and having a good time peacefully.” -Fátima in Portugal

“I have to admit, between working my regular office job, starting the farm business, and life that comes with having two pre-teen kids, I started having second thoughts about having a dinner party. If it wouldn’t have been for you two planning this special night, I would have missed out on probably the most fun dinner party I’ve ever hosted. There was nothing out of the ordinary, just good food and old and new friends, but I think everyone there needed last night to take a break from life. What I thought would be a couple of hours around the table turned into 5.5 hours of laughter and stories. Several people said they didn’t want to leave. You’re idea was a huge success here and I can’t thank you enough!” –Jennifer in Indiana

“Thank you a million times for this amazing idea :)  It was more than having dinner with loved ones, it was celebrating the joy of eating amazing food with amazing people all over the world! We truly appreciated this moment and will make more pretty simple dinners with all our friends as soon as our book arrives at our home :) The Eggplant Parmesan Casserole: a new go to for my dinners! I will make it for my Italian in-laws visiting us next weekend! Merci merci merci and keep doing amazing things like this!” -Lauriane & Alex from Switzerland

(Photo credit to Lauriane, featuring Crisp Green Salad with Apple, Eggplant Parmesan Casserole, and Raspberry Balasamic Parfaits)

“We had such an amazing time! Everyone brought one of your dishes so we got to try a ton of your recipes. So accessible and delicious!” -Erinn in Indiana (photos below by Erinn Bridgeman)

“Thank you for empowering me in the kitchen!! The Eggplant Parmesan Casserole and Bliss Bites will be in rotation at our house. The book is amazing. Thanks for creating a place for the world to share, connect, and enjoy good food without the fuss. Enjoy!” –Kristen in Indiana 

(photos below by Kristin; preparing and final Eggplant Parmesan Casserole)

“The recipes I made were fabulous, I mean, who doesn’t love a flourless chocolate cake.  But the “The Best” Veggie Lasagna…oh…my…gosh.  I will never make a different recipe unless my husband begs me to, and that won’t happen because he loved it too. The tomato sauce had sooo much flavor, and I absolutely love the lemon flavor that comes from the cheese layers.  It’s amazing how much that adds to the overall dish. I’ve made four recipes from the books so far (cornmeal pancakes and bliss bites in addition to the dinner party selections), and they have all been great.  I look forward to cooking my way through the book. Thanks so much for including me as part of your Pretty Simple Dinner Party. It was fun to see what everyone was making, and to feel like part of such a big party.” -Kristin in Missouri

“Tonight I attended the virtual dinner hosted by Sonja and Alex from A Couple Cooks on the occasion of the release of their cookbook Pretty Simple Cooking. I received their book yesterday and the recipes are just perfect: vegetarian recipes, simple and good. Tonight, with my husband we ate Ricotta Gnocchi alla Vodka and Apple Cherry Cardamom Crumble. I will end with a quote from their book that speaks to me particularly and that brings me back to my relationship with the kitchen “The only way to make the kitchen part of your life […] is, really, to fall in love. fall in love with the process, the tastes and smells […]” -Wadji in Paris (translated from French, photo by Wadji)

“I just wanted to share a little about our Pretty Simple dinner party – we had a blast. We were a party of six (myself, husband, 11-month old daughter, brother, and grandparents) and it was a delightful evening! I love any excuse to bring out my china. Everything was amazing! I thought I hated fennel, the Fennel, Pomegranate, & Arugula Salad has converted me. I could not get over how fresh and delicious it was. Everyone was raving about it! The Eggplant Parmesan Casserole I had to make this dairy and grain free, but the flavors were delicious and it will definitely be added into our regular rotation of meals! My grandmother kept asking me when the next one is! Thank you again for facilitating this. It’s amazing how food (and social media) can connect strangers all over the world.” -Sarah in Ontario (photos of Sarah’s party below, photo credit to her)

     

“What a night! EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, turned out delicious. My daughter in law told me she appreciated how well the directions to each recipe is written. She also appreciated having an actual book to work from. In this day…we use our phones and computers for everything, there is really no substitute for a real paper page book.” –Colleen in Washington 

(photos of Colleen’s party below, photo credit to her, featuring Classic Greek Salad, Kale Caesar Salad, Homemade Whole Wheat Naan, Creamy Vegan Potato Chowder, Creamy Cauliflower Cashew Curry, and Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake)

“We had such a good time last night at our Pretty Simple Dinner Party and we all LOVED the food! We did a Greek-style dinner with the falafel burgers, tabbouleh, and hummus with veggies. I’m excited to try more of the recipes from the book. I read through the whole book the day it came in the mail and it is SO well done!” -Katie in Michigan

“We had such a great time our Pretty Simple Dinner Party it was a big hit!  The entire menu was vegetarian and our friends (even my husband!) Loved the whole meal.  We did loaded sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, stuffed acorn squash and finished off with affogato al cafe. The whole evening was really great, our friends really surprised at how satisfying the food was.  Great friends, great food – what more can you ask for? -Cathy in Calgary

“We loved the Pretty Simple Dinner Party! I enjoyed cooking so much, it was like therapy after some really difficult days. The kids also tried a bit of everything and they loved the cake of course! Just because I noticed, I need to share with you that it really is pretty simple cooking and I looked at my shopping list and I loved the fact that I could find everything easily and have same ingredients in more than one recipe. So thank you for the experience!” -Irini in Greece  

“It was a joy to gather with some of the people I love the very most and share a delicious meal and evening together. I’ve run marathons and there is something amazing about being a part of a group of people who all worked to accomplish the same goal.  I felt the same way about hosting a Pretty Simple dinner party.  People throughout the world gathering those they love around tables with the goal to share a meal and celebrate your cookbook. I told my husband  today that I was sad it was over and he told me I should do it again! Thank you, thank you for a job well done!” -Breanna in Utah

“Just some feedback from our guests – the crisp green salad was delicious, the red lentil coconut curry smelled amazing and tasted even better, the cilantro chutney was phenomenal and really elevated the dish. One guest who never has seconds had seconds, and one who doesn’t really eat desserts was the first to polish off his chocolate peanut butter mousse. Everyone wanted the recipes. I’d call that a success!” -Jessie in Australia

“Last night was soooooooooo fun! What a fabulous idea…  we had a couple of friends over that we hadn’t seen in a bit and it was the perfect opportunity to get together – I had the kids (we have 4) help with the cooking and we ate outside by the firepit – our group pics turned out super dark, but here are a couple of prep pics.  Burrito Bowls turned out super delish and I loooooooooove the Cumin Lime Crema!” -Claudia in California (photo credit below by Claudia)

“Thank you for organizing the Pretty Simple Dinner Party. I am so glad I participated.  It was such a great excuse to experiment with recipes right away. Sometimes it takes me awhile to try things after I get a new cookbook but now that I’ve gotten my feet wet I’m excited to try a few more this week. My nephew loved helping us make dinner on Saturday night. He helped make the pancakes and said they were so delicious. To impress him with food is a big deal since he is so picky! My husband and I loved everything but we both were especially big fans of the strawberry jam!” -Connie in Ohio (Photo by Connie; her party featured Cornbread Pancakes with Strawberry Lime Chia Jam, Spinach Artichoke Frittata, and Two-Potato Hash with Romesco)

We had our #prettysimpledinnerparty in the form of brunch (my favorite meal) was a success! If you haven’t added the @acouplecooks new cookbook to your list of must-haves, you should do that now. The bliss bites were a huge hit, we couldn’t get enough of the two potato hash with romesco sauce, the pomegranate and fennel salad was magical, and I think we are all still dreaming about the crusty bread with strawberry lime chia jam. I think that cookbook parties might become a regular thing around here. Food is such a fun way to bring people together! @jenna.hazel (Photo below by Jenna)

Our #PrettySimpleDinnerParty was a hit! We made several dishes from #PrettySimpleCooking including: Fennel Pomegranate & Arugula Salad, Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges, Crisp Green Salad with Apple & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, Smoky Red Lentil Stew, Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Skillet Cookie, and Bliss Bites. We also made the Cashew Cream Sauce and the Honey Mustard as accompaniments. We’re so excited for you Alex and Sonja! What a beautiful way to bring the world together. @mrshunley

Representing Oahu, HI for the #PrettySimpleDinnerParty! It’s a dinner party any night I cook dinner for my family (according to my kids), which is almost every night of the week. Tonight, we had Eggplant Parmesan Casserole from @acouplecooks’ new cookbook #PrettySimpleCooking cookbook! It really was so simple. This week kind of got away from me, and I didn’t get a chance to plan any extras for the evening, BUT this dish was all we needed! It was flavorful, filling, and EASY. I love eggplant, but one of my favorite parts of this dish was the basil/balsamic/breadcrumb topping. It’s a keeper for sure! @thatgirlwhocooks

The fact that I was quickly & easily able to make these dishes ahead of time AND my boys LOVED every bite is a testament to how family-friendly Sonja & Alex’s cookbook is! I lit a few candles & set the table with the “good” dishes for ambiance, but my boys quickly inhaled every last crumb, while mostly sitting at the kitchen counter. We made: Red Pepper Tabbouleh, Layered Mediterranean Hummus Platter (with Baked Pita Chips), and Baked Goat Cheese with Tomato Sauce (but made with Feta cheese, because I’m the only one in my house who likes goat cheese ). (This last dish was perhaps the biggest hit: My 12 yo said I should make it every day! ) Congratulations, @acouplecooks, on your beautiful yet practical cookbook! @wholesomefamilykitchen

(Photo credit by Amanda of @wholesomefamilykitchen)

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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SFA News Live: Janet Fletcher

Cheese expert and author of "Planet Cheese," Janet Fletcher talks with SFA News Live’s Phil Lempert about what’s new in cheese retail, the increasingly respected role of the cheesemonger, and new cheese products on the marketplace in this interview at the recent Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.
 

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SFA News Live Innovator Series: Camas Davis, Good Meat Project

Camas Davis is the founder of Portland Meat Collective, a one-of-a-kind meat school and culinary resource that aims to change the way consumers think about their food, community, and local economy. Here, Davis sits down with SFA News Live’s Phil Lempert to talk about her mission to inspire responsible meat production and consumption across the country through experiential education.

Related: Q&A with Camas Davis

 

 

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SFA News Live: Denise Purcell

Specialty Food Association’s Director of Content Denise Purcell talks with SFA News Live’s Phil Lempert about some of the on-trend product innovations identified by the SFA Trendspotter Panel, including plant-based foods, functional mushrooms, collagen-infused beverages, and much more.

Related: SFA's Trendspotters' Top Trends for 2018

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SFA News Live Innovator Series Shannon Allen, Grown

Entrepreneur Shannon Allen has a developed a new way of looking at fast food with her game-changing chain Grown, the first USDA-certified drive-through fast food restaurant in the eastern U.S. “Real food is not made or manufactured, it’s grown,” asserts Allen, who created the concept after struggling to find healthful fast food options for her son, Walker, who had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. “McDonalds, Dunkin’ Donuts, Burger King are all providing a service to busy people, but the challenge is that they aren’t listening to the wants of busy people,” says Allen, who contends that an organic menu is not limited to the top percent of household income. “We offer real food, cooked slow for fast people,” she explains. One of Grown’s six locations is in a Walmart Supercenter in Orlando. (Other locations include four more around Florida and one at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.) In this SFA News Live interview with Phil Lempert, Allen talks more about the Grown concept and how it’s disrupting the concept of fast food.

 

 

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SFA News Live Innovator Series, Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat

“There is a movement underway—a consumer desire and demand for plant-based meat,” contends Ethan Brown, creator of Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat now in 25,000 supermarkets around the U.S., including Kroger and Whole Foods Market. In this interview with SFA News Live’s Phil Lempert, Brown talks about the burgeoning growth of his product and the plant-based category in general, as well as consumers’ changing eating habits. “We’re realizing that people think about more than food when they think about what to eat,” he says. “They are thinking about the climate, health, natural resources, and transparency.”
 

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Vegan Banh Mi with Ginger Lime Hummus

Ginger Lime Hummus

Green Tomatillo Shakshuka

This verdant twist on shakshuka features green tomatillos (instead of red tomatoes as per the original) and plenty of fresh green herbs.

It’s not shakshuka: it’s SHREK-shuka.

The recipe is very similar to the shakshuka recipe in our book in terms of spices and seasonings; the main difference here, of course, is that the red tomatoes have been swapped with green tomatillos (which, believe it or not, aren’t even related to tomatoes but rather a close relative of the ground cherry).

We roasted the tomatillos, peppers and onions first in the oven, broiling them almost to the point of blistering. They are then blended with the fresh herbs to form a tangy green sauce not unlike a salsa verde (and indeed, if you have leftover sauce you can certainly eat it cold with tortilla chips!) A bit of cumin and coriander spice round out the flavors, giving it a bit of middle-Eastern AND Mexican flair.

Basically… this is what you’d get if the traditional middle-Eastern dish took a long vacation in Mexico.

The beauty of this dish is its simplicity: the eggs are poached in the sauce, no extra pans or fancy equipment or pro-poaching skills required. Whoever washes the dishes in your house will be glad of that, I’m sure.

(more…)

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Trend Predictions Put to the Test at Winter Fancy Food Show by Specialty Food Association Trendspotter Panel

NEW YORK, NY (February 15, 2018) Armed with predictions for 2018, released by the Specialty Food Association in November, the West Coast arm of the Trendspotter Panel attended the recent Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.  Scouring over 90,000 products, the panel assessed and noted a variety of products that either reflected the predictions, or indicated new or emerging trends.

“This is an exciting time in specialty food,” said Denise Purcell, head of content, Specialty Food Association. “We’re seeing innovation everywhere, from specific ingredients to flavor profiles. There are new spins on classics, as well as brand new categories emerging.  International flavors and culture are also playing a huge role in shaping the category.  This growing market is anything but boring at the moment.”

The Winter Fancy Food Show Trendspotter Panel included Polly Adema, PhD, associate professor and director of graduate Food Studies Program, University of the Pacific SF; Kara Nielsen, vice president, Trends & Marketing, CCD Innovation; Tu David Phu, chef/owner, AN - a Vietnamese Dining Experience; and Joey Wells, American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional and Whole Foods Market Global Senior Coordinator overseeing Specialty Cheese Product Innovation & Development.

TRENDING STRONG

1. Plant-based Foods. Plant-based foods cut across many categories and algae, which was predicted to take off in 2018, continued to appear.
   • Fora Faba Butter, made with aquafaba
   • K’ul Chocolate Superfood Bar, 70 percent dark chocolate, 8 grams of algae protein
   • New Wave Foods, algae and plant-based shrimp
   • Roland Foods Quinoa Spreads, blend of quinoa, and plant-based ingredients
   • Tru Flavors Salad Dressing, a single-serve, shelf-stable, bean-based dressing
   • Unisoy Vegan Jerky
   • Wellnut Farms Walnut Butters, made of 100 percent walnuts
2. Functional Mushrooms. Originally on the 2018 emerging trend list, mushrooms are taking off as both a snack and a functional ingredient. 
   • Four Sigmatic Mushroom Elixers, powdered-drink–packets that dissolve in hot water 
   • Pan’s Mushroom Jerky, shiitake mushrooms with a meaty texture
   • Yuguo Farms Mushroom Chips, whole, sustainably grown shiitake mushrooms
3. Alternative Sweeteners. Consumer interest in reducing refined white sugar has led to alternatives.
   • Droga Chocolates Money on Honey Caramels, sweetened with True Source-verified honey
   • Elements Truffles, chocolate bars that are raw, organic, dairy-free, and sweetened with honey 
   • Just Date Syrup, made from organic Medjool dates
   • The Republic of Tea Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Sips, sweetened with monk fruit
   • Salviana Raw Maguey Sap, raw prebiotic-rich syrup made from Maguey Pulquero
   • Sejoyia Coco-Thins, gluten-free cookies sweetened with organic coconut sugar
   • Soozy's Muffins, Paleo certified and sweetened with organic coconut sugar
4. Deeper Middle Eastern Flavors. Prominent flavors and ingredients broadened to include Central and South Asia, and North Africa. 
   • Casablanca Market Moroccan Harissa, Preserved Lemons, and Purple Olives
   • FoodMatch Marinated Artichokes with Harissa
   • Rumi Spice Afghan Curry Braise cooking sauce, with sustainably farmed saffron from Afghanistan
   • Snackgold cHarissa Gourmet Potato Crisps, partnership between Spanish gourmet potato chip makers and cHarissa spice company

EMERGING TRENDS

1. Collagen-Infused Foods. First appearing in snack bars, it is now showing up in beverages.
   • HealthVerve BBGLO Skin Rejuvenation Collagen Drink 
   • SkinTe sparkling tea beverage with collagen, under development by students at Oregon’s University of Portland
2. Moringa. A plant native to India, it is being touted as a new superfood.
   • Miracle Tea Moringa Superfood Energy Infusion Tea
   • Stash Tea Organic Moringa Mint Herbal Tea
3. Black Rice. Used as an ingredient in solid and liquid form. The pigments that give the rice its color are rich in antioxidants and other health benefits.
   • Suzie's Table Black Rice Non-Dairy Beverage
   • Theo's Black Rice Quinoa Crunch Dark Chocolate Bar
4. Snack Puffs. Nut and vegetable updates to the classic cheese puffs.
   • Puffworks Peanut Butter Puffs
   • Suzie's 2 Pease and a Bean, pea-protein–based puffed snack
   • Vegan Rob's Brussels Sprout Puffs, Probiotic Cauliflower Puffs, and Beet Puffs

STILL TRENDING

1. Specialty Waters. The category is expected to grow 111.5 percent by 2021, according to Mintel category forecasting research for SFA.
   • Herb & Lou's Infused Ice Cubes, flavored water containers that consumers freeze and mix with spirits
   • Kona Deep Water Purified Ocean Water from the waters of Hawaii, containing naturally occurring deep ocean electrolytes
   • Water Joe Caffeinated Water, infused with 85 milligrams of caffeine, no sugar, zero calories
2. Turmeric. Native to Southeast Asia and India, it is being used as an ingredient in more categories, especially snacks.
   • David Rio Turmeric Golden Latte 
   • Jade Spice Vegan Turmeric Salt   
   • Lotus Pops Roasted Lotus Seeds, in turmeric flavor
   • Oskri's 3 Egg White Protein Bar, in turmeric flavor
   • Theo Chocolate Clusters, made with turmeric, hemp, chia flour and sorghum
   • Theo's Turmeric Ginger Dark Milk Chocolate Bar
   • Wai Lona Turmeric Cheese Cassava Chips
   • Zotter Chocolate's Vegan White Rice & Turmeric Disc, a white chocolate treat of vegetal origin

Additional product innovations at the Winter Show, noted by the Specialty Food Association Trendspotter Panel:

• 4th & Heart Chocti Chocolate Ghee Spread
• Belgian Boys Mini Stash, Mini Pancakes, and Mini Butter Crepes 
• Blue Hill Bay Smoked Ahi Tuna Bowl 
• Bonne Maman Intense, a new line of preserves with more fruit and 39% less sugar
• Bravado Spice Company, ghost pepper & blueberry
• Brooklyn Delhi Tomato Achaar, Indian tomato-chili sauce
• Chuao Chocolate Sprinkle Dreams, with bits of waffle cone, hazelnuts and rainbow sprinkles
• Cypress Grove specialty fresh goat cheese in 1-ounce packages
• Dardimans California, whimsical lollipops
• Dang Sticky Rice Chips, cheddar flavor
• Den’s Tea Houjicha Roasted Tea, reminiscent of chocolate 
• ield Trip Crispy Cuts Sweet Chipotle, pork rinds
• Ito En Matcha Love Japanese Matcha + Apple + Ginger Tea Bags
• Joyfull Parmesan Crisps, made with 100% aged Parmesan cheese
• Kasugai Gummies, lychee flavor
• Kimino Drinks Sparkling Yuzu, sparkling wither with yuzu juice and organic sugar cane 
• Krave Jerky, Pink Peppercorn, with pink Himalayan salt and pink peppercorns
• LemonCocco, non-carbonated drink made with Sicilian lemon and coconut flavors
• Morinaga Alove, Japanese yogurt with chewy bits of aloe and natural flavors
• Sencha Matcha Latte (Cacao Coconut), vegan latte drink mix
• Sfoglini Pasta, American organic grains and using traditional Italian methods
• Wünder Creamery Quark, mild in acidity, friendly flavors, high in protein and good fats

About the Specialty Food Association 
The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, importers, and entrepreneurs. Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade association provides its 3,600 members in the U.S. and abroad with resources, knowledge, and connections to champion and nurture their companies in an always-evolving marketplace. The Association owns and produces the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.

Specialty Food Association Media Contact:
PR Department, (646) 878-0306, press@specialtyfood.com

Facebook: facebook.com/craftcarejoy
Twitter: twitter.com/Specialty_Food 
LinkedIn: Specialty Food Industry Group
Pinterest: pinterest.com/craftcarejoy
Instagram: specialtyfoodassociation

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Chipotle Black Bean Tortilla Soup Video

Words are helpful to describe food and cooking, but seeing the process is even more powerful. We wanted to give you a glimpse of what a recipe from Pretty Simple Cooking looks like in person, and we chose this Chipotle Black Bean Tortilla Soup. It’s one of our favorite quick soups that turns out beautiful with all the garnishes.  Take a look below–and tell us you dance in the kitchen too?

Did you catch my Salt Bae impression?

As you saw, one of our secret ingredients to amp up vegetarian dishes is adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers. This ingredient is in several of our recipes in the book: for example, our red and green enchiladas, and the chipotle aioli sauce for cauliflower tacos. All you need from the can is a bit of the sauce (not the hot peppers!). Typically, we freeze the remainder of the can for later use. Using only a tablespoon of the adobo sauce gives this tortilla soup big flavor without making it overly spicy.

If you can find it, frozen fire-roasted corn brings big flavor to the tortilla soup. And what sends it over the top is the garnishes: homemade tortilla strips, radishes, cilantro, and a squeeze of tangy lime, making for a healthy, vibrant bowl meal.

This chipotle black bean tortilla soup is vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, so it fits a variety of diets. I showed this video to a room of 5th graders on Career Day and it got VERY enthusiastic responses (much more than I would have imagined!). We’ve tested it on all sorts of kiddos so we think we can slap the kid-friendly label on it as well.

The recipe is available in our book, Pretty Simple Cooking! We hope you enjoyed the peak behind the scenes into our kitchen.

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, and dairy-free.

For more about the book

Pretty Simple Cooking Cookbook is Here!

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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Pear Manhattan

Spritz in the summer, Manhattans in the winter… that’s pretty much Taylor’s cocktail game as of late. Once he finds something he likes he tends to stick with it… until he finds something else, that is.

The fact that he’s had at least a few of these every weekend since Christmas should tell you something about this cocktail.

Namely that you should probably make one, stat.

A classic Manhattan has 3 ingredients: rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters. Here we’ve simply swapped the whiskey for a pear brandy, resulting in a fresher, fruitier version of a manhattan.

We’d run across an Apple Manhattan recipe in 3-Ingredient Cocktails (one of Taylor’s new favorite cocktail books) that uses apple brandy in place of whiskey. Since we didn’t have apple brandy, he pulled out a bottle of pear brandy from St. George Spirits. We had actually visited the Oakland distillery a few years back when we were out visiting my sister, and fell in love with the fresh pear taste of this brandy (seriously, it tastes just like fresh pears). Luckily our local liquor store was able to order us a bottle and we’ve been hoarding it ever since.

The simple swap of pear for whiskey results in a fresher, fruitier version of a Manhattan. I’d say it was downright summery if pear weren’t a winter fruit. But it’s not heavy or overly strong, rather the fresh notes of pear play beautifully with the infused herbs and spices from the vermouth.

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Ultimate Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting

Sometimes you just want a plain-ass chocolate cake.

And sometimes sometimes is actually all the time if you happen to be Taylor.

And I realized, while I’ve got recipes for Red Wine Chocolate Cake and Whiskey Chocolate Cake and Lemon Cake with Fudge Frosting, I’d never actually posted a recipe for a damn good chocolate cake, your basic chocolate on chocolate, the kind Taylor requests each and every year for his birthday, and the kind I usually deny him in lieu of something ‘weird’ (see: aforementioned red wine chocolate cake, which, while good, is definitely not plain-ass).

So, for once, I acquiesced and gave him exactly what he asked for.

And, since it didn’t turn out quite right the first time (the cake was TOO moist—if there is such a thing—and the frosting too stiff, which made it hard to assemble—not that that stopped us from eating the whole thing), I made it again the following week to perfect the recipe.

That’s TWO plain-ass chocolate cakes in three weeks, dear husband. Two cakes add up to a whole slew of wife points (still deciding what I should cash them in for… a kitten, perhaps? lol I kid, I kid. 3 cats, unlike 2 cakes, is more than enough).

Anyway. Let’s talk cake.

The base recipe is actually very similar to the Red Wine Chocolate Cake, just with plain hot water instead of red wine in this case, as well as bit more oil and a bit more salt and vanilla to amp up the chocolate flavor.

I learned my lesson with the first cake that you shouldn’t mess with a good thing (I tried to add sour cream to make it even more rich and moist and it was so moist it could barely support itself let alone layers of dense fudge frosting).

As for the frosting, it’s a variation on a classic American buttercream, with cocoa and powdered sugar, but made with a bit of sour cream and hot water to cut the sweetness, and melted chocolate to make it even more fudge-like.

It’s super creamy and shiny when you first mix it up (just ignore that moment when you first add the hot water… despite what it looks like, it will work!) However, like all frostings that use melted chocolate, it will set up and loose its shine as it cools, so you can’t really make it ahead of time. If you freeze your cake layers like I froze mine, you do have to work pretty quickly as you frost the cake to prevent the frosting from setting up too firmly before you’re done. I imagine it’d hold its shine longer in the summer.

While I was originally shooting for a super glossy dark chocolate frosting, this version was too good not to share, even if it wasn’t quite what I intended (I’m going to keep working on that glossy frosting, so don’t be surprised if you see another chocolate cake recipe here in the near future!)

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15-Minute Gnocchi with Romesco Sauce

If you’ve read Pretty Simple Cooking (our new cookbook!), you’ll know that our food philosophy is against 15-minute this and 20-minute that. Why? If quick cook time is treated as the most important thing about cooking, it cheapens the process. It makes it seem like cooking is just about finding the magical 15 to 20 minute recipes, and not investing time in skills that deepen flavor. Also, 15-minute meals that really take 30 minutes are one of our biggest pet peeves.

However, sometimes life necessitates a quick dinner. Many requests come into our inbox like the following from reader Jean: “I struggle to put something healthy-ish on the table at lightening speed every night. It would be AWESOME to see a round up of some of your favorite crazy-fast meals. I know that healthy doesn’t have to mean hours in the kitchen, but chopping and prep sometimes take longer than I have time for. I wondered how you guys–also in the baby trenches–deal with this dilemma?”

So in the vein of “healthy-ish at lightening speed”, here is our 15-minute gnocchi with romesco sauce. I know what you’re thinking:

Does it really take 15 minutes to make? Well, it does depend on your cooking style. But, here are the facts:

• I made this gnocchi by myself between 5:54 and 6:09 on a Thursday night. True story.
• It requires no chopping and no real “cooking”, just boiling gnocchi for 3 minutes.
• We used packaged gnocchi, which we still consider a “whole food” similar to packaged pasta. (You can also use any shape of pasta for this recipe; it would add a few minutes to the boiling time.)
• This recipe takes 15 minutes, but we’d suggest serving it with a salad, which would add a few minutes. This could also help to stretch the serving size: we found it fed me, Alex and Larson without leftovers, so we left the serving size at 3.

Explain healthy-ish? To us, healthy-ish is whole food meals prepared in your own kitchen.

• Gnocchi is Italian “pasta” that is made with potatoes and flour. Typically pasta isn’t considered health food, but good news: a new study found pasta can actually help you lose weight. The Italian researchers found that eaten in moderation, pasta can be part of a healthy diet.
• To the pasta, we’ve added some colorful veg: spinach and a romesco sauce made of tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and almonds.
• This recipe is a vegan dinner fully plant-based as the feta crumbles are optional. It’s also gluten-free if you can find gluten-free gnocchi or use gluten-free pasta.
• Per above, we’d suggest serving with a green salad.

We hope you’ll enjoy this lightning fast, healthy-ish recipe; let us know in the comments below!

For a similar quick and healthy-ish recipe, see our Creamy Yogurt Mac & Cheese with Spinach.

Did you make this recipe?

If you make our 15-minute gnocchi with romesco sauce, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks.

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free (modification below), plant-based, and dairy-free.

Print

15-Minute Gnocchi with Romesco Sauce

• Author: a Couple Cooks
• Yield: About 3 main dish servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound packaged gnocchi (much of the packaged gnocchi brands are vegan; for gluten-free, use GF gnocchi or 1 pound of GF pasta)
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves (or chopped standard spinach)
• 1 cup romesco sauce (recipe below)
• 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles, optional
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, with about 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
2. Make the romesco sauce (below).
3. Once the water is boiling, add the gnocchi and boil until they float, about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, line a colander with spinach leaves. When the gnocchi are done, pour them into the colander with the spinach so that the boiling water wilts the spinach. Then pour the cooked gnocchi and spinach back into the pot and stir to a few times to evenly distribute the spinach.
5. Add 1 cup of the romesco sauce to the pot and stir. (Reserve and refrigerate the remaining 1 1/2 cups for up to 1 week.)
6. For vegan, top with fresh ground black pepper. For vegetarian, top with black pepper and feta crumbles. If desired, add a drizzle of olive oil.

Print

Romesco Sauce

• Author: a Couple Cooks
• Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup roasted almonds
• 2 garlic cloves
• 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 large roasted red peppers from a jar
• ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

1. Peel the garlic. In a blender or food processor, process all ingredients until smooth. Taste and add additional seasonings if desired.

 

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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SFA News Live: Bob Carroll, California Milk Advisory Board

Consumers’ return to real food is driving consumption of milk. Bob Carroll from the California Milk Advisory Board talks with SFA News Live’s Phil Lempert about some of the subcategories that offer the most growth potential.
 

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SFA News Live: Alkavidis Kalabokis, Great Greek Exports and Trade

Spurred by Greek yogurt’s popularity, foods from Greece are growing in popularity with a new generation offering new ways of presenting Greek food quality. Alkavidis Kalabokis of Great Greek Exports and Trade brings examples of some product innovations to the SFA News Live set.
 

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SFA News Live: Domonic Biggi, Beaverton Foods

After 90 years in business, this family-run condiment company is an exemplar of how old-school production methods and clean ingredients have gone full circle to represent the trends today’s consumers seek. Domonic Biggi talks with SFA New Live’s Phil Lempert about how these attributes, plus ongoing product innovation, help them stay current.
 

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SFA News Live: Genny Vevoso, Italy America Chamber of Commerce West

Genny Vervoso talks with SFA News Live’s Phil Lempert about the “Italian sounding phenomenon,” that helps bring inauthentic products to market, and how the Italy America Chamber of Commerce West is striving to create buyer and influencer awareness of traditional Italian products.
 

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SFA News Live: Carol Ortenberg, Project Nosh

Carol Ortenberg of Project Nosh talks some of today’s top trends with SFA News Live’s Phil Lempert.

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SFA News Live: Joan Steuer

Chocolate aficionado and marketing expert Joan Steuer talks to SFA News Live’s Phil Lempert about how the snacking trend is fueling chocolate as an ingredient, blurring the lines between sweet and savory, and remaking classics in a better-for-you way.
 

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SFA News Live: Rachel Kerr, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board

Wisconsin is synonymous with cheese, to the point that 90 percent of the state’s milk goes into cheese production. Rachel Kerr of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, a dairy-farmer–funded cooperative, talks with SFA News Live’s Phil Lempert about milk quality, bold flavor innovation, and trends driving cheese consumption.
 

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SFA News Live Buyer Series: Jacqueline Ross, Ahold Delhaize

As senior director of product development, innovation, and integrity for private brands for five Ahold Delhaize supermarket brands, Jacqueline Ross has her eye on food trends and future direction. Here she talks with SFA News Live’s Phil Lempert about global flavor expansion, personalization, as well as why retailers need to step up and work with producers and partners.
 

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SFA News Live Buyer Series: Richard Tarlov, Canyon Market

Richard Tarlov uses his years of retail experience at Balducci’s, Dean & Deluca and now his own Canyon Market in San Francisco to apply perspective on today’s changing industry and the wants and needs of consumers.
 

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Pantry Essentials: Ingredients For a Well-Stocked Kitchen

So, we’ve talked about Kitchen Essentials and we’ve talked Baking Essentials, which focused on the tools and equipment that make a kitchen both functional and practical.

Now let’s turn our focus to the pantry: with the right ingredients on hand you can easily throw together a last minute dinner when you simply can’t make it to the store, or bake up a batch of basic cookies or brownies for that surprise bake sale you didn’t know was happening (or, you know, the late night craving that hits just when the snow starts to fall…)

This post includes some of the items we use on a regular basis and like to have stocked and on hand for convenience when cooking. If you’re just starting to build your pantry, you certainly don’t have to go buy all this at once, rather slowly build up your inventory as needed. I’ve only included shelf-stable items here; pantry items that require refrigeration for storage/after opening are not included here.

Disclaimer: while this post is not sponsored and no brands have paid to be included here, many of these products were received as part of past/present brand partnerships. That said, should our kitchen be reduced to rubble today, we wouldn’t hesitate to buy them again ourselves tomorrow. Meaning, everything on this list is something we own and love and use on a regular, if not daily, basis. There are also affiliate links in this post, FYI. And if you’re reading this post in RSS or email you might want to click through to the post page for easy clickable links to every item on this list!

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Pretty Simple Cooking Cookbook is Here!

It’s here! Our cookbook, Pretty Simple Cooking: 100 Recipes to Make You Fall in Love with Real Food, has officially launched as of February 6! Thank you so, so much for all your help in getting to this point. It’s because of you, dear readers, that we’re here in the first place. This book is not just a book to us: it’s a journey. And the journey has been on so many levels: a journey of finding each other, falling in love with the kitchen, and the long walk of finding family. If you’ve heard our story, you know that our journey to find our son Larson coincided with the steps of writing a book. We couldn’t be happier to reveal that the book is dedicated to him, the dream that came true while we were writing the book! Check the first page of the cookbook when you receive it. Here’s a short Q&A about the book now that it’s out in the world, including the book trailer, preview recipes, book tour, and more!

If I love it, should I share? 

Yes, yes and yes! If you make something from Pretty Simple Cooking and love it, we’d love to see a photo of what you try! Just tag @acouplecooks and use the hashtag #PrettySimpleCooking. (Instagram is our platform of choice, but we’re on Facebook and Twitter too.)

***If you have 2 minutes to spare, we’d LOVE a brief Amazon review! Here’s the Amazon page to head to.

If you’d like to join our virtual Pretty Simple dinner party on February 17 to cook one recipe from the book on the same night, we’d love to have you! Shoot me an email to join, sonja@acouplecooks.com

Do you have any previews?

Here’s a list of Pretty Simple Cooking press mentions, most of them including sample recipes, from the Washington Post, AOL, Food52, our favorite food blogs, and more.

How can I find it? 

Pretty Simple Cooking is available on Amazon // Barnes and Noble // IndieBound // Books a Million // iBooks

In Indianapolis, is available at The Garden Table // Goose the Market // Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe // Silver in the City

Got a book trailer? 

Yes, we do! Here it is:

Are you going on a book tour?

We are! Check out our cookbook page for all the confirmed events, in Indianapolis and around the country. A brief outline of confirmed cities:

• New York City, February
• Chicago (TBD)
• Minneapolis, April
• San Francisco & LA, April
• Denver, May
• Nashville, May

If you have an idea that would bring us to your city, please shoot us an email: sonja@acouplecooks.com

What’s the cookbook all about?

Pretty Simple Cooking isn’t just a healthy vegetarian cookbook, it’s our lifestyle-based approach to getting in the kitchen. What’s pretty simple cooking? Food can be both pretty (delicious and beautiful) and simple (approachable and nourishing). Home cooking with whole foods and lots of vegetables isn’t easy, but can be pretty simple once you rethink the way you approach the kitchen. We also share our top 10 lessons for a lifelong practice of home cooking. Here are a few things that we think make Pretty Simple Cooking stand out:

•  It includes 100 new, creative recipes—all vegetarian, but intended for all eaters. The recipes in the book are in our signature style: beautiful and creative, yet functional and accessible for the everyday home cook. Many are also gluten-free and vegan. People tend ask us, How can I eat more vegetables? Here’s 100 of our favorite vegetable-centric recipes, tested in hundreds of real kitchens around the country. We started calling it a vegetarian cookbook for non-vegetarians—and it stuck.
•  There’s a full-color photograph for every recipe. Confession: we rarely make something from a cookbook if it doesn’t have a photograph. From an informal survey of friends and family, we found most people feel the same.
•  We share our top 10 “secrets” to surviving and thriving in the kitchen. People ask us how we do it all the time. And we say things like: We slowed down and prioritized cooking. We almost always cook for or with people. We learned to enjoy the journey. These “secrets” are what keep us going in the kitchen, and what we wanted to share about in our cookbook. Each lesson has a beautiful watercolor by Ashley Rodriguez.
•  Simplest and quickest recipes are easy to find. Have you ever tried to find something quick and easy in a cookbook, but it’s impossible to find? In our book, each chapter starts with the simplest recipe. As you page along through the chapter, the recipes get more involved. This way, you know if you start with a recipe in the beginning of a chapter, it should be relatively simple.

 

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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