What’s your wine wear, and do you know Pharaoh’s secret?

Wine Wear
Don’t you know people who fret all week about what to wear to a party? I hope the people who invited me will welcome me no matter what my fashion faux pas could be. But now I know that at least my wine can arrive well dressed. Like little paper T-shirts for your hostess gift, Wine Wear will dress up your thank you and make someone smile. A blue “shirt” with a name tag announcing ”Hello, my name is Wino” kind of says it all, unless you prefer the girly pink and green floral, heart and cherub motif with “live, hope, laugh and love” messages woven in. Your wine can wear an oak barrel with the birthday decree “aged to perfection” or a tool-heavy apron proclaiming “Grill Supervisor.” Add your personal message and gift away: www.winewear.com/category/wine-fashion-wear

Pharaoh’s secret?
You either love falafel or you don’t, but you’ve got to try it to see. Little balls of grainy flavor are what I call Falafel Republic’s traditional and roasted garlic offerings. You’ll think you’re abroad, but these guys come from Needham Mass., and the label refers to humble falafel as “the secret of pharaohs & the faithful food of the middle east” going egalitarian. Chick peas and fava beans are main ingredients of these ready-made balls that can be baked, microwaved or fried. They’re heavy on fiber and protein and I was satisfied with less than the allotted serving. I’ve had them for breakfast and lunch.

A Twist on water
Water has changed my life. My family will attest that since I remember to carry a water bottle in the car, I arrive places in a much less grumpy mood than I could have. That was dehydration, my friends. I hear some people find water boring, so when makers of Twist say, “Once you go twist, you never go back!” take it as a challenge. Lemon, Mandarin White Tea and West Indies Lime are some of their offerings at 9 calories a serving. Make sure you know that the 19-ounce bottle will pour about two and a half servings. So that’s how I got a Pomegranate Blueberry burst after work and keep a mango Acai on my desk. Now, if you’re willing to add a few more calories, may I suggest a twist with vodka?
ddoiron@panews.com


Oil’s well
When my sister visits she always asks “Don’t you have any canola oil?” I use olive for everything. This time I’ll hand her Better Body Canola Oil which is a “rare expeller-pessed canola oil lower in saturated fat than all cooking oils yet higher in Vitamin E,D, K and Omega’s 3 and 6, which are essential fatty acids that can reduce the risk of heart disease and heart passage inflammation,” makers say. Okay, so now there’s two healthy oils in my kitchen. Any others will have to pass rigorous testing, or I don’t want to bother with it. Better Body has passed my health test, too. Pour it on.
ddoiron@panews.com



‘Inca peanuts’ are super snack

The “Inca peanut” is a sacha inchi seed from Peru, coming to America as gluten-free SaviSeeds from Sequel Naturals in Canada. That’s a glob-trotting trek for this crunchy bit of goodness that’s my new crush. Oh Natural is dusted in sea salt. They had to get crazy with this Omega 3-packed hottie. It’s at the top of the “most nutrient-dense, high omega foods available” list, makers say. I love them “nude,” but Sequel has also given us Karmalized and Cocoa Kissed, so there’s a nut, I mean seed, for every mood.

Another alternative lunch
Bread, filling and spread make a sandwich, but I have to be different. I made a small lunch into a filling meal with a MorningStar spicy black bean buger tucked into a sandwich thin flatbread. Instead of something like pickles, I put thin slices of cucumber in there and moistened it with packets of taco sauce someone left behind in the lunch room. I wish I could duplicate this the next day, but I’ll probably think of something different from the something already different. This was about as far away from baloney and mayo on white bread as you can get.
My venture into healthy options introduced me to MorningStar Farms veggie products in the frozen foods department. A package of what looks like ground meat can be flavored Mexican, Italian, Cajun or any style and satisfy with much less fat than actual meat My husband brought back boxes of Asian style and black bean burgers instead of what I sent him for, the new sausage, egg and cheese biscuits. There’s also a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, but they’re all made from vegetables. Meat lovers primarily go for substitutes because of health options. The package on the sausage biscuit claims to have 65 percent less fat than a real meat option, but I still found it a little carby and doughy for my preferences. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good option to consider, but my pick would be MorningStar in another form, scrambled up with maybe onion, egg and spinach for a huge plate of power.

Sweetie stuff
It’s a hit on toast, it’s headed to my yogurt and I can’t wait to make a cocktail. Agave nectar tastes great, very honey like to me, and can get you better health results that other forms of sugar. While I’ve discussed Xagave brand here before, I want to share that the company has put out to-go packets for sweet, easy access. Stephen Richards calls himself a health nut who loves to eat, and founded BetterBody Foods & Nutrition. I’ve got packets designated to oatmeal . . . fruit . . . teas . . .

A “pear” of hits
What goes “divine with blue cheese?” Fruit paste from New Zealand simply labeled “pear.”
Rutherford & Meyer is into gourmet and knows foodies are choosing healthy fare. These pastes are natural fruits and sugar that can be sliced like cheese, but I used a spoon. It had a gel quality that felt good dissolving. They’re wheat free, gluten free, dairy free and contain no added colors or preservatives. Peel open a box and adorn your cheese board or antipasto with a block. Get them through Williams-Sonoma or gourmet grocers. Here’s something funny. You can spread the fruit paste on another fruit, like an apple wedge. Go crazy.
ddoiron@panews.com




Sauce in a jar and a great ‘pear’ of hits whet appetite
Remember the old TV commercials where cooks mocked pasta sauce in a jar? The public could not have predicted the gourmet and health food blitz of the new millennium. Now home cooks are experimenting with really high-quality stuff. My family found the coconut/lemongrass notes in Dave’s Gourmet Masala Marinara to mimic amazing Asian restaurant meals. I tossed even less sauce than called for into linguine and topped it with sliced carrots and onions for a luxurious meal. I sautéed a purple onion in the Butternut Squash blend and took Red Heirloom organic over pasta for my lunch.
Dave Hirschkop , the Dave of Dave’s Gourmet, says a great meal calls for more than generic sauce and boiling water. “There are subtle secrets in every step of the process, from choosing the sauce, boiling the water, and plating the finished meal that can take an everyday dull meal and turn it into a gourmet dining experience.”
His tips include:
* Choosing the Pasta -- Thinner more delicate shapes should pair with lighter thinner sauces. Pick pasta made from durum wheat and a slightly rougher pasta or shaped pasta holds the sauce better.
* Boiling the Pasta -- Use plenty of water, add salt to it, and never put dry pasta in the water until it has reached a rolling boil. Stir occasionally and, once the pasta nears the minimum cooking time on the package start tasting it. Take the pasta out when it is al dente or a little firm. The pasta will continue to cook a little after you take it out.
* Heating the Sauce – For an even more flavorful pasta dish take the pasta out of the water a few minutes early and let it finish cooking in the sauce.
* Plating the Pasta -- When you strain the pasta, do not run water over the pasta unless you are making a cold pasta salad. Make sure to strain really well as nobody likes watery pasta. Place a ladle of sauce at the bottom of your serving bowl before dumping the cooked pasta in. Then, ladle generous amounts of sauce into the bowl, and toss the pasta so the sauce is evenly distributed. Then you can add extra sauce to each plate according to your dinner guests’ taste. You might want to garnish each plate with some fresh basil or even parsley. Freshly grated Parmesan or Parmesan Reggiano is a great touch and tasty.

Sweetie stuff
It’s a hit on toast, it’s headed to my yogurt and I can’t wait to make a cocktail. Agave nectar tastes great, very honey like to me, and can get you better health results that other forms of sugar. While I’ve discussed Xagave brand here before, I want to share that the company has put out to-go packets for sweet, easy access. Stephen Richards calls himself a health nut who loves to eat, and founded BetterBody Foods & Nutrition. I’ve got packets designated to oatmeal . . . fruit . . . teas . . .


A “pear” of hits
What goes “divine with blue cheese?” Fruit paste from New Zealand simply labeled “pear.”
Rutherford & Meyer is into gourmet and knows foodies are choosing healthy fare. These pastes are natural fruits and sugar that can be sliced like cheese, but I used a spoon. It had a gel quality that felt good dissolving. They’re wheat free, gluten free, dairy free and contain no added colors or preservatives. Peel open a box and adorn your cheese board or antipasto with a block. Get them through Williams-Sonoma or gourmet grocers. Here’s something funny. You can spread the fruit paste on another fruit, like an apple wedge. Go crazy.
ddoiron@panews.com