Food Blog Dot Com

FoodBlogDotCom

Food Blog Dot Com is written
by Lin Ennis, a writer passionate
about good food, healthful
food and food as medicine.

( Food Lovers Only )

Month: May 2010

CABBAGE CONFUSION

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After my ode to Napa cabbage (my first post), a correction is in order. I went on and on about Napa cabbage. I talked to friends about trying it. When I bought one last week at a different supermarket, it rang up as Savoy. I said, “I thought that was a Napa.” “No it’s savoy!” said Jeanie, the cashier whom I know from Weight Watchers. “Well, it’s marked ‘Napa’ at _____ store!” I countered. “Of course they have it marked wrong!” chimed Jeanie. I couldn’t argue. My main pet peeve about the supermarket Jeanie does not work in is that the produce is sometimes not priced. Produce managers come and go, but item names and price tags are often hard to find (not exactly near the produce they speak to), or are missing. If ______ store ever gets a produce manager who sticks around, I’ll train her or him to keep prices close to the items and names readable (I don’t mind, really I don’t). So this little curly-leafed thing is savoy, savoy, savoy. (Why didn’t I select bok choy, which is unmistakable?) It’s always more expensive than ‘regular’ cabbage, but to my taste (and appreciation of texture) is a completely different vegetable…like red cabbage does not closely resemble green cabbage in taste or usage. So I treat myself to it, about every third or fourth cabbage purchase. And occasionally use more than one type of cabbage in the same dish. While I’ve not made slaw with it, I have eaten leaves raw while cutting for a stir fry. Love them! Do you have a favorite cabbage? Can you talk about Napa? (I’ve eaten more varieties than I’ve cooked with. Help me here!) Thanks to Wikipedia for the photo and confirmation on the savoy cabbage.

VEGGIE WRAPS

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haven’t been a big fan of making wraps at home; though, wraps are often one of the most healthful choices when eating out. The main reason I didn’t stick with buying the huge flour tortillas and wrapping food in them is their calorie load often compared to that of bread while their ingredient content (white flour base) was inferior to good bread. La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Soft Wraps have been all the buzz in our local Weight Watchers group. I chose the Multi-Grain variety. At 3.5 fat grams, this flavor barely squeaks in at the 1 WW point the wraps are famous for – and that’s if you have a very steady hand when using the points value slide rule. The wrap is 100 calories with 12 grams of fiber! The multigrain has contributions from wheat, oats, flax, millet, rice, soy, corn and sunflower seeds. (Other varieties have less fat.) Men love it! It made the top 125 Best Foods for Men in the 2009 Men’s Health Nutrition Awards, selected by Men’s Health Magazine. The wrap pictured contains a combination of lightly steamed vegetables (yellow squash, mushrooms, spinach) and diced raw veggies (cucumber, red bell pepper, scallions). I wanted to add tomato, but obviously, my eyes were bigger than my wrap! Radish and broccoli sprouts added a little spice and crunch. It rolled up like a giant taquito. I was unable to fold the ends in…possibly because it cooled too much while I added the ingredients. I drizzled a little balsamic vinaigrette in it, and held on for dear life to keep the innards from becoming outtards as I ate it. My recommendation to improve this would be to marinate the veggies, then drain well before wrapping. And use less filling. Or use all cooked veggies which would keep the wrap warm and stretchier (I think). Again, I recommend eating a wide range of colors and varieties. Don’t stick to what you know and love all of the time. If you eat spinach, for example, try Swiss chard, too (which itself comes in three colors). Besides, color makes a pretty lunch. All trademarks used belong to their owners. This website is not affiliated with any brands or programs in any financially remunerated way. The opinions expressed are mine…but you knew that, right?