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Zukay Life Foods Vegetable and Herb Salad Dressings

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Zukay Live Foods has a really exciting line of salad dressings that I have been looking forward to posting about since before I even tried them.  I first heard about them from the product blog of the Park Slope Food Coop where, like much of the NYC metropolitan area’s population, I was at one time a member.

As the brad name implies, Zukay Live Foods’ salad dressings are made from, well, live ingredients.  100% raw and vegan, they’re a mixture of fermented vegetables and herbs without added fats or sugars.  They are only about 5 calories per serving.  So, they’re wonderful alone or for mixing with your desired amount of olive oil (or other variety of oil).

Another use I discovered was mixing them with hummus to make a dip.  Delicious!

Let’s get on to the flavors. There are six:

Carrot Ginger

Tomato Provencal (with kalamata olives and herbs de Provence)

Sweet Onion Basil

Cucumber Mint

Tomato Pepper Pesto

Red Pepper Cilantro

I have sampled the first four (thanks, Scott!) and can vouch for the freshness, vibrancy and wonderfulness of each.  I have no doubt the last two are delicious as well.  The bottles “hiss” a bit when you open them- proof of their “life”!- and they have very herby, lively aromas.

Learn more at Zukay Live Foods, where you can also place an order.

Tomato Soup with Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract

Monday, April 20th, 2009

I have a new favorite vanilla.  It’s Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract.

I also have a new favorite recipe for tomato soup.  It comes from the cookbook pictured above: A Century of Flavor: Nielsen-Massey Vanillas.  Guess what it has in it?

The exact recipe title is Fresh Basil-Tomato Soup with Vanilla.  I made it on a drizzly night in late March, one of those nights when the apartment is chilly and you realize that your landlord has turned off the heat in your building since spring has technically arrived.

The kitchen filled with the smells of tomatoes, onions, basil, and italian seasoning.  And then, a hit of sweetness: vanilla!

A new and welcome combination.