October, 2009

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Lindsay Naturals Olives

Monday, October 19th, 2009

This probably isn’t the most popular of sentiments among food bloggers, but here goes:

I love canned olives.

(Sidenote: I also love fancy olive bar olives.  But, they almost seem like a different food entirely.)

Canned olives were a staple of my childhood.  One distinct memory comes to mind.  When my cousin Mason and I were about six years old (me the elder by five days), we sat on the floor of my kitchen and ate a can of black olives.  We then poured the black juice between two glasses and drank it.  Well, I think I only managed a few sips of mine- salt attack!- but I’m pretty sure Mason finished off his glass of olive juice.

Suffice it to say, Mason and I were canned olive champs.

So naturally I was pretty excited to revisit the canned olives of my youth, though this time with a more natural version: Lindsay Naturals Olives.

They’re ripe and firm- not mushy at all.  Both the green and black varieties are delicious.  All of them come pitted and some of them are sliced, too, which is a time-saver for recipes.  Speaking of recipes, here’s one (though I’ll admit all of my olives were eaten straight up):

Fresh-from-the-Garden Olive Toss

Prep time: 30 minutes

Servings: 10

1/2 cup Lindsay Black Ripe Pitted Olives, drained, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Lindsay Naturals Green Ripe California Pitted Olives, drained, coarsely chopped
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1/4 Maui or other sweet onion, diced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small green zucchini, unpeeled, and diced
1 small yellow squash, unpeeled, and diced
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chives, thinly sliced or 2 tablespoons dried chives
1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine olives, celery, carrot, Maui onion, cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, parsley and chives. Add lemon peel, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil to bowl; mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Do Ahead: Fresh-from-the-Garden Toss can be made in advance and will keep for 7 days in the refrigerator.

Makes approximately 5 cups

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Nutrients per serving:Calories: 89 Calories from fat: 72 Total fat: 8g Monounsaturated fat: 6g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 136mg Total carbohydrates: 4g Dietary fiber: 2g Protein: 1g

Thanks to Trisha for sending me these delicious olives!

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Explorer’s Bounty Tribal Stone Yuca Crackers

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

I recently had the opportunity to try Explorer’s Bounty Tribal Stone Crackers, made from yuca and 100% certified organic. These are gluten-free crackers with no added sweeteners and fat free.

Thanks for Dawn for sending these to me for free and for providing me with the following information on Yuca (which I’ve learned is not the same as yucca):

“A starchy tuberous root, Yuca (also known as cassava) has earned the distinction of being the third largest source of carbohydrates for human food in the world. The root contains significantly more fiber content than a potato.”

I sampled four flavors: original, cinnamon, garlic and onion.  I think they are best paired with toppings or dips as the crackers themselves are pretty subtle.  I enjoyed the garlic and onion varieties with brie and roasted red pepper.  Meanwhile, I put peanut butter and a drizzle of agave nectar on top of the cinnamon variety.  I dipped the original flavor in hummus.

One thing to note is that the crackers are pretty crumbly.  It’s wise to have a plate beneath your mouth as you bite lest crumbs and toppings fall onto your shirt.  This is just speculation, of course ;)

Here’s another cool thing about this product:

“Tribal Stone Crackers are manufactured through a Manción partnership. A region of Hispaniola, in Manción charcoal is used as the primary energy source. There, however, the facility that produces the Explorer’s Bounty line of Tribal Stone Crackers has converted away from charcoal energy. Instead, it harnesses natural and organic sources like those obtained from Macadamia nut shells. It is this organic process that is used in the manufacturing of Tribal Stone Crackers. Good for you, good for the planet.”

Overall, I really enjoyed these Yuca crackers and would definitely buy them in the future.

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Book Club: An Honorable Run

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
An Honorable Run (website / amazon) is the exciting debut novel/memoir of Matt McCue, a young New Yorker by way of Iowa, Colorado, thousands of miles of cross-country running and some incredible coaching.He is also a good friend of mine.
I was proud to be (a bit) involved in the process of this book, through discussion and some editing, though I can’t take any credit for its wonderful outcome.  This is 100% McCue and I am so proud of him for accomplishing what so many intend to do but few actually do: publish a book- and a thought-provoking, heartwarming and successful book at that.
Knowing that Smorgasbite is more about eating than running, Matt was able to convince me to post on Smorgasbite in the following email (in which he quotes some of An Honorable Run’s tasty tidbits):

Besides the theme of wafting bacon, these are the best food related passages I could come up with. For the record, In N Out is very nutritious. Have you ever eaten there?

1. After one particularly draining fourteen-mile death march, I lounged on my aunt’s deck, my body feeling heavy in the wooden chair as the high noon sun roasted me. My digestive system was in tatters, the result of efforts to replenish my nearly 2,000 burned calories by eating a breakfast fit for three, and continuously shoving fried eggs and toast, cereal and spoonfuls of peanut butter into my mouth.

2. That night, along with my parents and my younger siblings, I celebrated at The Cheesecake Factory with a decadent slice of sinfully-rich peanut butter swirl cheesecake. Thanks to my high mileage and fast metabolism, the calories would burn off in my sleep.

3. To cap off the night, my dad had driven me along with a carload of my teammates, to an In-N-Out Burger. At midnight, scores of paper-thin distance runners packed the famous burger joint, gorging on well-deserved “double-doubles”, the grease running down our chins.

4. Freshly showered, I pulled up to the Fight Club’s granite kitchen counter, unfolded the sports section, and sat down to my favorite breakfast: crunchy homemade peanut butter granola doused with fresh cream.

Doesn’t that make you hungry?  Doesn’t that make you want to not run ten miles?  Doesn’t that make you want to buy this fantastic book and/or meet Matt on his extensive book tour?

Kudos, Matt.

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