Texas' other oil business

 The Lone Star State’s other oil business

 

 

Who loves Texas products? Texans, and just about everybody else, too. I got to meet someone from the family of Sola Stella (Lone Star) Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Our beautiful flag is on the label of this premium select first cold press. Texas Hill Country Olive Oil of Dripping Springs produces and bottles this blend described as buttery an delicate with a slight peppery finish. Poetry, huh? Olive oil makes everything better in a state that’s already pretty cool. Of course it’s great with herbs as a dipping sauce. Happy dipping from Dripping Springs. 

Wickles – When you see the pickle and pepper dancing on the Wickles lable, it clues you in that you’ll be dancing with them soon. I’ve been doling out these hot, sweet, crunchy babies a few at a time to the husband and hiding the jar. “Are there more?” he keeps asking. For your “more” from Dadeville, Alabama, hit www.wickles.com

Blending In – When was the last time you got excited about stabilized rice bran? This is Texas and even we don’t grow it into  Chocolate Delight Powder Mix. Zurvita does and I like it. I’m by no means a smoothie queen, but you can’t beat a quickie breakfast. A scoop of this is easy to blend with banana, water or milk and you’re ready to sip it in your car. You get:

• 20 grams of whey protein isolate concentrate, and pea protein blend
• Over 24 vitamins, minerals, and stabilized rice bran
• Prebiotics
• 5 billion CFU probiotics
• Digestive enzymes

While www.zurvita.com will explain the science, I’ll be quick as a shake or blend and tell you it is has a pleasant mouthfeel and I feel satisfied until lunch. It’s also good for after workouts. So I’m told.

Hot Dogs. Discuss. – Lots of “All-American” weenies do not merit reading the ingredient label if you want to enjoy them. Some folks in Denver decided to do it their way, with ethically-raised animals and turn out apple and gouda bratwurst. Smoked pork and bacon with jalapeno cheddar is my fave style. There’s smoked pork and elk as well. Who does this? Charcutnuvo is their term for charcuterie and “new” in French. But I’m not cutting these up to spread on a board and share with others. This is what really goes on a skewer into the fire or into a high-quality bun. This is the sausage we were meant to enjoy. www.charcutnuvo.com

Not done with pumpkin – Can’t confine your pumpkin spice craving to Fall? Hearthy Foods offers gluten-free pumpkin spice muffin mix with the not-so-secret ingredients of “superfoods.” It’s on the label. I’m wary of muffin making but these did pop out of the pan easily I especially loved the crispy edges. A vegan substitute on the package is to use ground flax or chia seeds for eggs and adding a teaspoon of espresso powder to enhance a chocolate flavor. I baked mine to make sure there were crispy edges, my fave part. www.hearthyfoods.com 

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who loves the taste of Texas and pretty much everywhere else. Play with your food and tell her about it at darraghcastillo@icloud.com