Industry Trend: Quinoa

Industry Trend: Quinoa



Recently, quinoa has been popping up everywhere in recipes, especially in those high in nutritional value and low in fat and calories. We have seen this grain replacing traditional cous cous, white rice, brown rice and a variety of other starches. As much of the population looks for ways to cut carbs and calories, healthier replacements have started to emerge in the food industry.

What It Is: Quinoa, pronounced ki-nwa, is a pseudo cereal. Traditional cereals are grasses while quinoa is a non-grass, grain-like crop harvested mainly for its seeds. This plant originated in the Andean region of South America and has similarities to beet plants and spinach. To pre-Colombian Andean civilizations, quinoa was second in nutritional value just under the potato because of its high protein content (12%-18%) and essential amino acids including omega 3 fatty acids. Along with this, the seed is organic, high in fiber, iron, magnesium and phosphorus as well as gluten-free.

Who Might be Interested: People who might be interested are those looking to improve their health in general. As stated before, this seed is high in a wide variety of nutritional necessities and for those dieting, quinoa has a low fat content and a high level of slow-releasing carbohydrates, which create a full feeling in the stomach. Those suffering from migraines, diabetes or atherosclerosis should try quinoa. The magnesium found in this seed helps to relax blood vessels and reduce constriction and dilation that tend to cause migraines. This relaxation of the blood vessels can also help those suffering from certain heart conditions like cardiac arrhythmia and ischemic heart disease.

How to prepare: Before cooking, the seed must be rinsed under water in order to remove the saponin, a bitter resin-like coating. This is usually done before packaging; however, it’s better to rinse the seeds again before cooking. The great thing about quinoa is that it cooks very quickly! Place seeds in a pot of boiling water and they will be ready usually within 15 minutes! This is the simplest way to prepare the seed however the options are endless and include popping it, roasting it and sprouting it to eat raw.

Availability: Quinoa is found in most grocery stores these days; however, it is sold in bulk at Whole Foods and Wild Oats. Trader Joes also sells the seeds as well as a variety of online sources such as Amazon.

Recipe Review: Strawberry Valentine Cake

Recipe Review:

Strawberry Valentine Cake

Ingredients

            1 box white cake mix

            1 pint heavy whipping cream

            2 teaspoons of vanilla

            Sugar or confectioner sugar to taste

            Food coloring optional

            1 box frozen strawberries in “syrup” (usually comes in a 16 oz. box)

                       thawed and strained.

            Fresh strawberries for garnish

           

Directions

Make the cake as directed on the box for a 2-layer cake. Let cool completely

Whip the cream in an electric mixer with sugar until sweetness desired and forms stiff peaks. Add vanilla. If you want to dye the cream a color, do it now. 

Mix about 1/4 to 1/3 of the whipping cream with the strawberries.

Place one of the cakes down on a platter and top with whipped cream and strawberry mixture. Place the second layer on top and frost the whole cake with the remaining whipping cream.

Refrigerate until ready.

Garnish with strawberries.

Ease of Preparation: Overall this recipe was the most difficult I have made thus far; however, for what the end product is, it isn’t as hard as it looks. The white cake mix was very simple: you just follow the directions on the box. With the proper electric mixer, the homemade whipped cream is a breeze too and seems to easily impress people! Frosting the cake in the whipping cream is a little tedious but is not too difficult.

Quality of Recipe: The only part of this recipe I can complain about is there is not sufficient whipped cream to make the filling and frost the whole cake. I would suggest using a pint and a half of whipped cream just to be safe. Just for appearance, I would be sure to garnish the cake with fresh strawberries otherwise the final product will look a little boring. I would use 1/3 of the whipped cream, not 1/4, with the strawberries for the filling to ensure it does not end up runny; therefore, causing the two layers to slide around.

Taste: This cake is a great one! My mom and I have been making this every Valentine’s Day for years now and it’s always a hit. It is a very light, fresh cake and is festive for the holiday. The white cake is moist and fluffy, the filling is sweet and the outer frosting of whipped cream is creamy but not too sweet so it perfectly balances the other flavors. I recommend this cake for Valentine’s Day and really any other day for that matter. For beginner cooks who want a little more of a challenge this is the perfect recipe.

Restaurant Review: Kome Restaurant

Name: Kome Restaurant

2880 Center Valley Pkwy # 610
Center Valley, PA 18034-9046
(610) 798-9888

Open Mon-Thu 11:30am-3pm, 5pm-10pm; Fri 11:30am-3pm, 5pm-11pm; Sat 12pm-11pm; Sun 12pm-10pm

Atmosphere: Like Melt, Kome is very chic and trendy. As you walk in the door you immediately see a large bar with simple white couches and chairs around cocktail tables, as well as bar stools. It is separated from the restaurant by a half-wall and a curtain, it appears almost club-like when you walk in to Kome. To the left are the larger hibachi-style tables and to the right is the regular dining room. Dark hardwood floors cover the place and large wooden hibachi tables and regular dining tables are sprawled throughout. There are around 6 hibachi tables in the restaurant, each holding around 15 people. The traditional dinning room is two stories. The bottom level is filled with booths and freestanding tables while the top level overlooks the main dining room and is typically used for larger parties. In the back of the dining room is an open view into the kitchen and sushi bar. The decoration is minimalist, the lighting dim, and the space large.

Score-5

 Service: Service at Kome is decent. Quite often I find myself waiting for up to 45 minutes for a simple sushi roll. The staff is always polite and willing to provide you with whatever you please; however, in a sluggish manner. Our waitress last night had trouble speaking English; however it did not cause any major problems.

Score-3

 Food: After trying both hibachi and traditional sushi from Kome, I was pleased! You will definitely not leave hungry if you choose to do hibachi-style.  Your meal will include either soup or salad, white or fried rice, shrimp, noodles, vegetables and whatever protein you choose. The available main attractions are chicken, salmon, shrimp, N.Y. strip steak, fillet mignon, scallops, calamari and lobster. Vegetarians can choose just vegetables; there was no information on tofu as an option. The hibachi-style food is all cooked right in front of you by one of Kome’s chefs and served piping hot. I had steak and shrimp and both were great. The meat was tender and the shrimp was flavorful. My only complaint with hibachi is you end up with a lot of leftovers…

 Regular dining offers a different selection of foods. The menu includes appetizers, salads, soups, noodle dishes, entrees, and sushi and sashimi. Appetizers at Kome range from tuna carpaccio to edamame to calamari to gyoza (dumplings). Soups and salads include miso soup, spicy seafood soup, seaweed salad and Asian pear salad. Some of the entrees on the menu are roasted halibut, char grilled chicken breast, cast iron dry aged steak and surf and turf. Specialty rolls at Kome include the shrimp berry roll, Godzilla roll, passion lobster roll and some of the traditional rolls include the California roll, spicy tuna roll, Philadelphia roll and rainbow roll.

I ordered the edamame and tuna, salmon and yellowtail sashimi. The fish is always very fresh, tender and never fishy. I was very happy with both of my choices.

Score-5

Pricing: You will be paying what seems like more for hibachi-style dining at Kome than if you choose traditional dining; however, salad or soup, noodles, shrimp and rice are all included. Depending on which protein you choose for your meal, prices range from $18 to $34 with chicken being on the lower price end and lobster on the high end. For traditional dining,

appetizers range from $9 to $15 depending on your choice while entrees cost around $16 to $30. Specialty rolls at Kome start at $12 and go upwards towards $16 while traditional rolls and vegetable rolls cost only $5 to $11. Overall, for the quality of fish and meat your given at Kome, the prices are very reasonable.

I would recommend Kome to both sushi-lovers and non-sushi lovers. There is something for everyone and the prices aren’t too bad on the wallet. The atmosphere lends itself to a special occasion or a quick casual dinner with friends.

 Pictures: lehighvalleylive.com

Industry Trend: Mini Desserts

Industry Trend: Mini Desserts

Restaurants have started the latest trend that will save you some money and maybe even help out your waistline. Mini desserts, usually served in shot glasses, have become popular in both high-end and chain restaurants. These shots of flavor are a great way to taste a few different desserts when you just cant decide, or cap off your meal with a small sweet treat instead of a whole slice of cake.

What It Is: These mini desserts can range from traditional sweet endings to unique combinations of flavors. Some of the classics are tiramisu, carrot cake, apple pie, cheesecake, chocolate mousse and red velvet cake. Among the more creative shot glass desserts are Thai sticky rice and mango, ice cream sundaes, key lime pie, pumpkin banana mousse tart, panna cotta and Boston cream pie.

Who Might be Interested: Dessert lovers would die for these! These mini sweet treats allow you to try a few and share them with a table of friends… or not. Also, those who are watching their weight or limiting their dessert intake would be interested in these. Each shot glass has about three bites of dessert, which is just enough to be satisfied but not too much that it ruins your healthy streak!

Availability: These desserts seem to be popular among chain restaurants including P.F. Changs China Bistro, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and T.G.I. Fridays; however, some upscale restaurants are beginning to follow suit. There are also a variety of recipes online to make these mini desserts at home: they would be perfect for a dinner party or cocktail party.

 

Recipe Review: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Recipe Review: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

 Ingredients

            1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

            1/4 teaspoon baking soda

            1/4 teaspoon sea salt

            1/2 cup butter, softened

            1/4 cup white sugar

            1/2 cup brown sugar

            1 egg

            2 teaspoons vanilla extract

            1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

             

            1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix

            1 1/3 cups water

            1/3 cup canola oil

            3 eggs

Directions

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt; set aside. Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Add 1 egg and the vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls; place onto a baking sheet, and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

3. Beat 3 eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer to break up. Add the cake mix, water, and canola oil; continue beating for 2 minutes on medium speed. Spoon into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each 2/3 full. Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake portion of the cupcake  comes clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

 Ease of Preparation: Overall this recipe was literally a piece of cake. Although the directions include making cookie dough, I bought pre-frozen cookie dough pieces to use instead. This is a good trick to make these cupcakes even easier and more accessible for working busy people. For those who have more time on their hands or who really enjoy the cooking process would probably want to follow the true recipe. The vanilla cupcake mix was boxed and took about five minutes to make. Overall, using the frozen cookie dough and following the remainder of the recipe, the preparation took around 15 minutes and was anything but difficult.

Quality of Recipe: My only complaint with the quality of the recipe was that the cooking time was a little off. The recipe suggested cooking the cupcakes for 20 minutes; however, the cupcakes ended up taking only around 10 minutes. I also think that adding frosting to the recipe would be a good idea. The cupcakes came out of the oven looking a little uneven and unattractive and could look more put together and appealing if topped with some type of icing.

Taste: These are outstanding! The cupcake remained moist while the cookie baked perfectly within it. The consistency of the two together was so great that I ate three in one sitting. I recommend these to everyone not only because they taste amazing but also because they are so easy and quick to make!

Restaurant Review: Melt

Name: Melt

Location: 2880 Center Valley Parkway

Center Valley, PA 18034-9034

(610) 798-9000

Hours: Monday- Thursday 11am- 11pm

Friday- Saturday 11am- Midnight

Sunday: 11am- 10pm

Atmosphere: Melt can be described with one word; cozy. Dim lighting, flickering candles and plush spacious booths all combine together to create both a chic and warm dining environment. The restaurant is two floors and the third floor is available to rent for private parties and events. Inside the front door is one of three good-sized bars and just behind it is the main dining room, which is lit from above by a gigantic candle-like chandelier. A large staircase leads up to the second level of the restaurant which houses plenty more tables, a private dining room and the second bar.

Score- 5

Service: Immediately after being seated on the second floor of the restaurant, our waitress greeted us and tended to our drink orders. She explained the menu, spoke about the night’s specials and also made some suggestions based on her personal preference. She was friendly and knowledgeable and answered all of our questions with ease. When it came time to place our orders she was more than accommodating. I was skeptical of trying pizza but she reassured me by promising that if I didn’t like it, she would bring me something else. She also allowed some replacements and substitutions with other dishes ordered at the table. In general, our waitress was attentive yet not annoying and more than willing to grant any request we may have had.

Score- 5

Food: Melt is primarily an Italian restaurant and the menu obviously reflects this. The meal begins with olive oil and a fresh basket of bread filled with multi-grain slices, olive bread and white bread. The menu offers crostinis, appetizers, salads, pizzas, pasta, house specials and sides that can be ordered a la carte. Appetizers include dishes such as beef carpaccio, tuna tartar, calamari and mussels. The pasta portion of the menu is lengthy offering spaghetti carbonnara, rigatoni with sausage, fettuccine Bolognese and pappardelle. House specials vary depending on the night but include dishes like chicken parmesan, tuna steak, halibut, lamb chops and filet mignon.

I chose the arugula salad with shaved parmesan and a lemon and white wine dressing to start followed by the pugliese pizza (broccoli rabe, sun-dried tomatoes and sausage). The salad was simple yet very refreshing; however, the starter was practically big enough to be an entrée, keep that in mind when ordering. My pizza was just okay. The crust was tasteless, the toppings dry and the flavors blah. I definitely won’t get pizza next time; thank goodness my salad was so oversized.

The rest of the dishes at the table were a hit. The rigatoni was flavor packed and served steaming hot with an abundance of sausage and creamy tomato and red pepper sauce. The chicken involtino, boneless chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto, spinach and fontina cheese, was tender and flavorful but, like the salad, was too big of a portion of food to finish.

Score-4

Pricing: Melt has a very reasonable price tag for the amount of food and the quality of food you will receive. Appetizers range from $8 to $18, pastas cash in at around $19 and entrees range from $19 to $40. For one person, a drink, salad and entrée will cost you around $30. The atmosphere, the service and the quality of food make the moderate price well worth it. This restaurant appears as if it would cost a small fortune but the prices are a sweet surprise!

Industry Trend: Functional Beverage

Industry Trend: Functional Beverage

This trend of functional beverages is carving out its own niche in the drink market. Those who are involved in this revolution are PepsiCo Inc., Fuze, Ocean Spray, Red Bull, Nestle and General Mills Inc. Besides these big names, other smaller start-up companies have started to join the movement towards functional beverages as well. Rob Paul, Ph.D., ABCN and Jim von der Heydt started the product, Nawgen, and it has begun to take off in the functional beverage marketplace. 

What It Is: A functional beverage can be defined as a non-alcoholic drink that includes non-traditional ingredients in its make up. This can include herbs, vitamins, minerals, amino acids or raw fruit and vegetable ingredients. These drinks are meant to provide health benefits that go beyond daily nutrition. There are a variety of drinks that stem from this functional beverage market including sports and performance drinks, energy drinks, enhanced fruit drinks, soy beverages and enhanced water.

Who Might be Interested: These drinks target a variety of consumers depending on which segment of the functional beverage market you pursue. Energy drinks such as Red Bull might interest business people who need an extra kick of caffeine while Vitamin Water might target athletes or health conscious people. I think there is a functional drink for everyone no matter what their interest.

Just the Facts:

* Some of the trends in functional beverages are in hydration, energy and rejuvenation, health and wellness, alertness and relaxation, and weight management.

* Some common functional drinks are Gatorade, Red Bull, Vitamin Water and Enviga.

* Nawgen improves attention and causes better organization through EEG theta activity, EEG alpha activity and EEG coherence.

* 5 Key Ingredients in Nawgen

Cognizin^® citicoline

                        - Supports phospholipid building blocks of brain cells (structure)

                        - Cholinergic precurser (for memory)

A-GPC

                        - Cholinergic precurser (for memory)

Lycopene

                        - Anti-inflammatory (occurs when brain is damaged)

Vitamin E (Natural)

                        - Antioxidant (consequence of metabolism)

Caffeine (Natural)

-       Adenosine agonist (stimulant and neuroprotection)

Availability: Most of these beverages are available to purchase online but some of the more commercialized drinks can also be found in grocery stores and pharmacies.