When it comes to flavor preferences, chocolate is a bit like wine; some prefer a bold red over a delicate white, just as chocolate lovers may favor bitter-sweet dark chocolate over the creamier, sweeter milk chocolate. Ultimately, it’s nice to have lots of choices so that you can suit your own taste and have room to experiment. RED chocolate, makers of delectable low sugar chocolate bars, understand what variety is all about.
In our previous review of RED Chocolate, we revealed how RED is sweetened exclusively with zero-calorie, plant-based Stevia and naturally-occurring melon sugars, giving it an amazing taste and texture, with a reduced amount of fat. Thanks to the absence of processed sugar, RED’s dark chocolate varieties contain up to 50% fewer calories, while Red’s milk chocolate bars’ calorie count is reduced by up to 35%. Now, RED has introduced a new variety – BLONDECaramelized White Chocolate — that upholds the brand’s commitment to zero-percent added sugar, high quality ingredients and fabulously indulgent flavor. Just wait until you taste it!
Food Boredom: it is a thing that’s accentuated by a shortage of tasty snacks in the house. Grocery shopping is much less fun these days, and with many confectionaries and gourmet shops closed, thank god that we have the miracle of internet shopping to procure favorite specialty foods and sweet treats. If you’re following a Keto diet, you don’t have to ignore your sweet tooth, thanks to ChocZero, the go-to chocolatier for premium sugar-free, keto-friendly treats. Even better: you can buy them online! Continue reading Product Review: ChocZero Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cups→
Nothing gets us excited for new seasonal packaged foods and gourmet takes on fresh favorites quite like Food Fete! The Fall edition of Food Fete took place on November 7th, with lots of ideas for holiday entertaining and many new products on preview from some of our favorite vendors — plus a great chance to network with other bloggers and sample lots of tasty treats! Here are a few of the exhibitors that caught our eye this time around.
A festive Martini Bar sponsored by Zulka Pure Cane Sugar got the party started right away. We made sure to sample both the Apple CiderandPomegranate Martinis, whose sugared rims sparkled with a sprinkling of Zulka. We had to note that Zulka glittered like diamond dust as it adorned the frosting atop luscious brownies, alongside tiny cakes and fresh baked cookies, also provided by Zulka.
Since Zulka‘s “Morena” pure cane sugar does not undergo a conventional refining process, it retains the complexity and depth of flavor that’s as close to fresh sugar cane as possible. Why not pick up a box for use in your next recipe that calls for sugar?
Shortly after entering the event space we spotted Bare Fruit Apple Chips. This delicious natural fruit snack is made from 100% baked Washington Apples with no added preservatives or sugars (and, of course, it’s Gluten Free). We took home a couple of bags to sample and have really enjoyed the Sea Salt Caramel variety, which is a new flavor along with the Chile Lime offering. Crunchy, Sweet and Healthy Snacking!
Mmm, fresh baked bread, – we love it! A lot of people, unfortunately, have a gluten intolerance and many exhibitors at Food Fete took this challenge in hand. The holidays are a time when baking for the family, as well as for gift giving, is a very popular idea. From Anna offers Gluten and Allergen Free bread mixes that taste as sweet and moist as your favorite recipes from Mom. From Anna‘s line of products let you treat yourself and your family while including those with dietary exclusions. Their Banana Bread mix is a must-try and so easy to make!
Luces Gluten Free Artisan Bread was also exhibiting and had many flavors of their fresh baked breads to share, including their new Italian loaf, which bakes into a rich white bread with cracker-thin crust and a very open crumb. Is your mouth watering yet? Luces bread mixes contain all the dry ingredients you need to make a loaf of fresh baked bread in every package, including a bag to bake it in! The best part: no kneading or rising time is required. You have to try this bread!
Chocolate is a big item at the holidays and Divine Chocolate offers exotic flavored Chocolate bars such as White Chocolate with Strawberries, Milk Chocolate with Crushed Ginger Snaps (tastes like Christmas!) and Dark Chocolate with Ginger and Orange among many others! Not only are their products unique and tasty but Divine is the only fair-trade chocolate company which is owned by its cocoa farmers. While Fair-trade ensures farmers receive a better deal for their cocoa and additional income to invest in their community, company ownership gives farmers a share of Divine’s profits and a stronger voice in the cocoa industry. That’s awesome!
Nuts and nut products were also featured prominently at the show, including one of our very favorite snacks, Pistachios. American Pistachio Growers hosted a very inviting booth with facts about Pistachios, samples to give away and the most delicious Avocado Pistachio Guacamole dip (which they called Pistachio Mole). We got the recipe for future concocting at home!
Oh Man, This Stuff was Good!
We also fell in love with Sante Nuts, a company founded by a single mom who had to think creatively when she she needed an income stream to support her family. Sante Nuts come in nine sweet and savory varieties and are made in small batches to ensure freshness. Sante’s candied Pistachios, which are actually only slightly candied, so you can still taste all the flavor of the nut, are out of this world.
OPA is a brand of delicious, made fresh Greek style yogurt dressings from Litehouse Foods that not only makes salad eating fun, but it also makes excellent dips. Gluten free and lower in fat and calories than the standard bottled dressing, OPA sacrifices nothing in the taste arena to bring you a healthier product. Available in Blue Cheese, Ranch, Caesar and Feta Dill flavors, OPA by Litehouse can be found in the refrigerated produce department at grocery retailers nationwide.
We love their Tuna, but we had no idea that Chicken of the Sea made all of these different types of packaged seafood products. Due to celebrate the company’s Centennial in 2014, Chicken of the Sea showcased two brand new items at Food Fete, including its Kipper Snacks — naturally smoked, wild-caught herring fillets that are a traditional European snack — and their Genova Quad Pack, featuring four cans of all-natural Genova Select Yellowfin Tuna packed in the Mediterranean tradition of olive oil.
We were also surprised to learn that Panera Bread, one of the healthier quick food chains around, is now offering healthy and delicious salads (although we were told that these salads have actually been available as an off-menu item for some time – who knew?). We will have to check that out next time we pass by a Panera Bread at Lunchtime, because these salads were tasty!
If you have an Aldi Market in your neighborhood then consider yourself very lucky, because their foods are awesome! Similar to a Trader Joe’s, Aldi features all its own house brands and offers everything you need to make your holiday party – or everyday life – simply spectacular! Not to mention, but you can see we are about to, the fact that they have very reasonable prices! Visit Aldi Dot US to find out more about Aldi and to see if they have a location near you!
Pepperidge Farm introduce three new seasonal flavors of their popular Milano Cookies: Candy Cane (Available since October), Dulce De Leche and Lemon Chocolate (both in stores starting in February 2014). They are also offering a Gingerbread variety of their Swirl Bread now through January 2014. That probably tastes amazing toasted!
Do you see how the little paper spoons all have smiley faces on them? That is because they are serving Noosa Yoghurt, which is so delicious, it is just insane. We sampled both the Cherry and Lemon flavors at Food Fete and gosh darn if this isn’t the Best Yogurt we have tasted, possibly ever. Everyone at Food Fete couldn’t shut up about it. We are going to attempt to get samples of Noosa Yoghurt delivered directly to Worley Gig headquarters so that we can review it more thoroughly. Because, insane.
And to wrap up this wrap up, we want to give a shout out to Nasoya, who showcased their Tofu Plus and Asian Style Wraps (wraps, get it?) by serving healthy and super yummy Tofu Tacos and scrumptious home baked Cinnamon Apple Turnovers, respectively, in their booth. Find out more about Nasoya products and get recipe ideas at This Link!
Thanks as always to Jeff Davis for making the magic happen!
You know how Sweet and Salty taste combinations in the snack realm are kind of trending, as they say, right now? I’m down with that, but I also think that when you add a little crunch action to the sweet and salty flavor sensation, you truly reach for the sublime. The Praim Group, who recently introduced the Andy Warhol Chocolate Bar have seemingly all the bases covered with their new chocolate bar called Edamame Crunch.
I love chocolate, and apparently the late, great Andy Warhol was a lifelong fan of the sweet stuff as well. Now, in homage to the Pioneer of Pop Art, Praim Group – a food licensing, marketing and distribution company – has secured an agreement with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., to create and distribute a line of all-natural chocolate bars featuring the likeness of the globally famous Artist on its wrappers.
With four different designs, each wrapper also boasts one of Warhol’s famous quotes including, “All I Ever Really Want is Sugar,” “Everybody Must Have a Fantasy,” “The Idea of Waiting for Something Makes it More Exciting” and the artist’s arguably best known and definitely most misquoted saying, “In the Future Everybody Will Be World Famous for 15 Minutes.” The 3.5 ounce, all-natural “Chocolate Andy Bars,” available in both dark and milk chocolate, are an ideal collectible and perfect gift for any art fan!
Distribution outlets are still being acquired, so I can’t say how soon this edible chocolate collectible will be available at your neighborhood supermarket or specialty shop, but in the meantime the Andy Bars can be purchased for $5 each! Andy Warhol!
