Category Archives: Health/Nutrition

Savoring Small Town Cultures

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Small Town Cultures Sliced Red Onions are perfect on homemade pork burritos, and so many other dishes.
Small Town Cultures Sliced Red Onions are perfect on homemade pork burritos, and so many other dishes.

Sometimes I think I ought to be nicknamed “Condiment Carolyn.”

That’s because my fridge is usually filled with all manner of condiments. My husband even jokes that if I packed a hot dog or burger bun with condiments — and nothing but — I would be quite happy.

So, when samples of Small Town Cultures landed on my porch, I couldn’t wait to try these small-batch, fermented condiments.

Cori Deans started her company in the Adirondacks to manage her Crohn’s disease, after finding that symptoms of her autoimmune disease began to subside after changing her diet to include more fermented foods rich in prebiotics and probiotics.

I test drove the Sliced Red Onions and the Turmeric Kimchi, both sold in recyclable glass jars.
I test drove the Sliced Red Onions and the Turmeric Kimchi, both sold in recyclable glass jars.

She now has a whole line of raw, fermented foods made without preservatives, added sugar or added vinegar. They are also all gluten-free, vegan, and non-GMO.

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Mixing It Up with Edamame Herb Hummus

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Swap out the usual chickpeas for edamame in this delicious and quick hummus.
Swap out the usual chickpeas for edamame in this delicious and quick hummus.

Anytime you can blitz together a few ingredients in a flash for a tasty and healthful snack, appetizer or light lunch that keeps for days, that’s a huge win.

And that’s exactly what “Edamame Herb Hummus” is.

Purists may scoff at the traditional chickpeas swapped out for those little green immature soybeans typically nibbled out of the pod at Japanese restaurants. But edamame are actually higher in protein, Vitamin C, calcium, and potassium than garbanzos, making them an alternative to be embraced heartily.

This super easy recipe is from the cookbook, “The Vegan Week” (Ten Speed Press, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by New York City-based Gena Hamshaw, a registered dietician nutritionist who created the vegan recipe blog, The Full Helping.

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Sponsored Post: Pazazz Apple, Brown Rice, Cranberry & Almond Salad Perks Up Any Day

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A hale and hearty salad with Pazazz apples that does a body and spirit good.
A hale and hearty salad with Pazazz apples that does a body and spirit good.

Nothing perks us up like a carefree walk through a verdant park, basking on a sun-warmed beach or pumping up the volume on a favorite tune.

Or best yet, simply biting into a gloriously crunchy and juicy apple.

Indeed, did you know that apples are full of antioxidants that fuel neurotransmitters in the brain that trigger the release of dopamine that boosts mood? All of that makes apples a veritable “happy” fruit.

This month, it especially pays to “don’t worry, be happy” by indulging in your love of apples, which not only can boost your mood, but also help protect against cancer.

After all, February is National Cancer Prevention Month. I’m proud to partner with the American Institute for Cancer Research and Pazazz Apples to help spread the word about how apples are high in fiber and antioxidants that can help reduce the risks of some cancers. To learn more about how nutritious apples are and to assess how your own lifestyle choices affect your risk of cancer, go to the informative health check here.

Crunchy-as-can-be Pazazz apples to enjoy now through June.
Crunchy-as-can-be Pazazz apples to enjoy now through June.

Then, head to Albertsons, Safeway, or Vons to pick up some Pazazz apples, now at peak flavor through June. These beautiful, large, red-skinned apples with yellow-green striations are full of snap, as well as sweet-tangy juice.

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Canned Tuna and Salmon Get Globally Inspired

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Freshé Sicilian Caponata tops fresh kale.
Freshé Sicilian Caponata tops fresh kale.

Henry and Lisa Lovejoy take seafood seriously and responsibly, having founded EcoFish in 1999, a New Hampshire company that sells sustainably-caught frozen and canned seafood nationwide.

It was the first seafood company certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. Its seafood advisory board also includes some of the globe’s leading marine conservation scientists.

Freshé is the company’s line of single-serve, easy-open, tinned seafood designed to be a protein-packed small meal to take on the go to enjoy wherever and whenever.

They are all built around either certified sustainable tuna or certified sustainable aquaculture salmon.

They come in six international varieties, which I had a chance to sample recently: Provence Nicoise (wild tuna), Sicilian Caponata (wild tuna), Barcelona Escalvada (salmon), Moroccan Tagine (salmon), Aztec Ensalada (wild tuna), and Thai Sriracha (wild tuna).

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Plant-Based Savory Spreads Make Entertaining Easy

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Growee Foods' Three Pepper Spread, which I used to saute shrimp with peppers, onions, and broccoli.
Growee Foods’ Three Pepper Spread, which I used to saute shrimp with peppers, onions, and broccoli.

When Aman Blana gave up meat and dairy, he was disappointed to find that so many vegan foods on store shelves carried a laundry list of ingredients.

He wanted something simpler, so he created it, himself, with Atlanta’s Growee Foods.

The company’s savory spreads may only be a year old, but they’ve already won a Nexty award in 2022, given to natural foods products that are deemed progressive, impactful and trustworthy.

They come in three flavors: Three Pepper Spread, Curry Zucchini, and Spiced Mango.

I had a chance to try samples of all three, which contain no gluten, nut, corn, GMOs or soy.

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