Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce Product Review

Brilliant Orange

Let me start off by saying that the folks at Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce company are really nice people; they went out of their way to send me a sample of their pepper sauce. When the sample arrived, I immediately noticed that the bottle was of a very generous size, and that the sauce itself was a beautifully vibrant orange in color!
My curiosity peaked.

The recipe for this curiously orange and spicy sauce has been in existence since 1935 and has been handed down through three generations of their family. Originating from the Caribbean, this sauce has trekked northward and is now in kitchens across the U.S. So I decided to put it to the test in my own kitchen, and I was delighted!

Naomi's is perfect in the recipe or on the side.

Sauteeing with Naomi's

Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce already has a famous chili recipe that won first place in the 2012 Atlanta Gourmet Gents, so I thought I would start with chili's cousin; the taco.
To a pound of sauteed ground beef with your average taco seasoning blend, I added about two teaspoons of Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce. Then, I sprinkled a little extra sauce on when I assembled my taco.  It was the perfect mix of both flavor and heat.  Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce adds an extra something special that is hard to come by in a hot sauce.  If you're looking for that dimension of umami in your spicy dishes, I would highly recommend you keep a bottle of Naomi's in your kitchen.

With simple ingredients,
Naomi's shines through.

Wanting also to test the diversity of the sauce, I decided that a seafood dish was in order. For this one, I chopped a whole onion and sauteed it in olive oil until it began to turn soft. Then I added a can of tomato sauce (8 oz.), about a 1/2 cup of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce and simmered the mixture for a few minutes. I poured this over some flounder fillets (about 5 large ones) in a glass pan and baked the dish for about 45 minutes at 375º F. The fish was fall-apart-melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Flounder with Naomi's.

Having made this same recipe before without the Naomi's Sauce, I was impressed with the extra zest it added to the dish (the next time I make it, I think I will add a little more; I like really spicy food). Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce is very versatile and has many recipe applications. I am excited to have this sauce in my kitchen and cannot wait to experiment with it in other dishes. Read more about Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce, and buy your bottle here! They also have Holiday Gift packages available, "The perfect gift idea for the chef or pepper sauce lover in your life."

Punjene smokve (stuffed figs)

Here's the other one!

From: tortekolaci.com

Punjene smokve 

(stuffed figs)

Author: Anita Mehicic

Translation, with added kitchen notes provided by Rachel Nedic

Helpful tools:

• food processor

• digital kitchen scale

Ingredients:

• 15 figs

• 30 walnut halves

• 100 150 gr ground biscuits  => *see note below

          (I used Lotus brand)           

• 100 150 gr ground walnuts => *see note below

• 50 gr sugar

• 80 gr butter (I used organic unrefined coconut oil)

• about 2 tablespoons of water

• ground walnuts or finely shredded coconut for rolling (I used very finely shredded organic coconut)

Directions:

Place the figs in a bowl of lukewarm water and let soak until soft. In each fig, put 2 halves of walnut.
Stir the sugar and water over medium heat until sugar dissolves, add butter (or coconut oil) and mix until melted.

Mix ground biscuits and ground walnuts, and pour the melted sugar/butter(oil) mixture over. Mix well and leave to cool.
Take some of the dough in hand and flatten slightly, place a stuffed fig in the center and roll into a ball.
Roll in ground walnuts or finely shredded coconut. Place in refrigerator to firm up. Leftovers should be stored in the fridge (they’re so delicious, there probably won’t be any left over.)

Enjoy!

*Note: The original recipe calls for 100 gr. of each. After mixing the dough and observing the

consistency and quantity, I added 50 gr more of each (I was pretty sure that it was not enough

dough to cover all 15 gs and have the inside look comparable to the picture. Adding the

extra 50 gr turned out to be a very good decision, and I was very happy with the end result;

just like the picture.)

Rolat od cokolade i kafe (Roll of Chocolate and Coffee)

From: tortekolaci.com

Rolat od cokolade i kafe (Roll of Chocolate and Coffee)

Author: Marijana Milic

Translation, with added kitchen notes provided by Rachel Nedic

Helpful Tools:

• digital kitchen scale

• food processor

• whisk(s)

• rubber spatula(s)

Ingredients for the chocolate coffee dough:

• 500 gr ground dairy free biscuits (I used Lotus brand. Each package is 250 gr so you need exactly 2 pkg.)

• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 200 gr dark chocolate, melted (I used semi-sweet non-dairy chocolate chips)

• 1cup, prepared, very strong black coffee (I took a tablespoon of french roast coffee grounds and put it in a small sauce pan with 1 cup water, brought it to a boil, then turned the heat down and let it simmer a few minutes, stirring continuously. Strain with a coffee filter.)

• 200 gr sugar

• 4 tablespoons rum

Ingredients for the fill:

• 250 gr margarine (I used organic coconut oil)

• 250 gr powdered sugar

• 100 gr white chocolate (this was a tricky one; all of the white chocolate I could find in the supermarkets had dairy, but I was able to find a nice vegan one here. It's also included in this post at the bottom.)

• 200 gr shredded coconut

Directions:

Mix the ground biscuits with the cocoa and add the melted dark chocolate; mix well (I prefer to start with a spoon, then mix thoroughly with my hand - messy, but it really does the job!  Like Andrew Zimmern says, "Best tools in the kitchen"). 

Heat the coffee with the 200 gr sugar and the rum until the sugar is disolved, remove from heat and allow to cool, then pour over the biscuit/cocoa/chocolate mix. Mix well.

Prepare the fill; combine the margarine (or coconut oil) and the powdered sugar (if you are using cocount oil, and are having trouble getting the oil and sugar to be smooth, place your bowl over an OFF but SLIGHTLY warm-to-the-touch burner and stir. This will smooth it out very quickly.) Add coconut and melted white chocolate. Stir until well blended.

Split the chcolate-coffee dough evenly into 2 parts (for 2 rolls). Roll out the dough on plastic wrap (about 1/8 of an inch thick)  You can use Parchment paper here too - it's stiffer and makes the rolling-up easier when you've only got two hands (wishing I had 3 or 4 sometimes). Spread the fill evenly over the dough. (Note: the original recipe does not say this, but I found it helpful, especially when working with coconut oil, to put it in the fridge to firm up just a bit before rolling. It seemed to make the roll-up part a bit easier - it was messy when I first tried to roll it.) 

Roll up & place in the refrigerator. Unwrap and slice when needed. 

(Another Note: If you do decide to use coconut oil, it will be easier to slice the roll if you leave it out on the counter for a bit. If you slice it when it's still very cold, the slices have a tendency to crumble.)

Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chips

as written by: Chocolate Covered Katie

(can be sugar-free)

2-inch cube cacao butter (30 grams, or 2 tbsp after melting)

scant 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

stevia or powdered sugar to taste (2 tbsp if powdered sugar)

1 tbsp raw cashew or macadamia butter (can omit; it’ll just be less creamy) (15g)

very tiny pinch salt

optional: If you can find it, I highly recommend adding 1/2 tsp dry milk powder—such as soy or ricemilk powder—to the ingredients for optimum creamy texture, as this is one of the basic ingredients in every white chocolate bar I looked at during my aforementioned research. However, knowing that a lot of people would have trouble finding the powder, I also tried omitting it. And then I tried adding protein powder instead (increasing to 1 tsp). Omitting or adding the protein powder instead will yield a texture that’s a little different than store-bought white chocolate, but both ways still work! (Just please don’t add liquid milk. I tried that too, and it doesn’t work.)

Melt the cacao butter (either in the microwave or on the stove). Turn off heat, then stir in all other ingredients.

Pour into candy molds or a plastic container, and freeze until it hardens. Healthier and vegan white chocolate chips.

The elusive cookie in it's natural habitat...

I was so excited to have found these dessert recipes!  I almost couldn't contain myself!  I had tasted these wonderous delights at other friends' parties and holidays.  Many of them had been purchased, or someone else had made them; the bottom line was that these elusive recipes always seemed to be just out of my grasp...then along came Pinterest.  I can't even remember the series of clicks that brought me to tortekolaci.com, I was so thrilled.  The not so easy part was that the entire site is in Serbo-Croatian; enter google translate, and my husband who speaks the language fluently - tragedy averted.
So, after the translation, and the somewhat burdensome task of finding all the ingredients (I'm sure it's probably not quite so hard to find them, but I'm not a huge fan of going to the grocery store, and I usually shop in several different ones to get good prices, but I digress...), I began the epic journey of making the newly found recipes.
After 2 days, a bit of trial and error, a lot of sweat, dirty dishes and mess, I had them; some of the most delicious sweets I have ever tasted (As of yet. There is always room for new discoveries).  I marveled at not only how they tasted, but that they were also egg and dairy-free! (holy smokes, they were vegan too!)  I was so overjoyed, I felt I needed to share them! So here they are, enjoy!

(Bajadera is posted below, the others will follow shortly!)

Bajadera

From: tortekolaci.com 

Bajadera

Author: Marijana Milic

Translation, with added kitchen notes provided by Rachel Nedic

Helpful Tools:

• digital kitchen scale

• food processor

• whisk(s)

• rubber spatula(s)

• measuring cup with metric measurements

Ingredients:

• 2 dl (200 ml) water

• 300 gr sugar

• 250 gr margarine (I used organic virgin coconut oil instead)

• 100 gr chocolate (I used dark chocolate; semi-sweet, dairy-free chocolate chips)

• 300 gr ground dairy-free biscuits  (I used Lotus brand. Each package is 250 grams, so you need a         whole package plus about 6.5 biscuits)

• 150 gr ground walnuts (very finely ground, to the point of nut-butter yeilds a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth could-eat-half-a-pan taste.)

• 150 gr ground hazelnuts (also very finely ground)

Glaze:

• 200 gr chocolate

• 6 tablespoons oil (I used vegetable oil)

Directions:

Over low/medium heat, disolve sugar in the 2 dl of water. Add margarine (or coconut oil). When the margarine/oil has melted, add the ground biscuits, hazelnuts and walnuts. Remove from heat, mix well.  Remove 2 cups (slightly less than half) of the mixture. Melt the 100 gr. of chocolate and stir into the 2 cups of biscuit/nut mixture.
Line a 13x9 pan with plastic wrap. Spread the chocolate mixture in the pan evenly.

(Note: The original recipe does not say this, but I found it helpful to place the pan in the fridge and let the chocolate layer firm up a bit before adding the light layer. If you decide to use coconut oil like I did, you will need to put it in the refrigerator to keep the two layers from combining) 

Next, spread the light layer evenly, then allow to cool. (Mine went back into the fridge again.)

Prepare the glaze.  Melt the 200 gr. of chocolate with the oil (a whisk is a helpful tool here), and pour over the top. Place in fridge to firm up. Cut into desired shapes and serve. Store any leftovers (there probably won’t be any) in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

So Much Excitement About Cheese...

Whenever I travel, be it to someplace new, or an old haunt, I make a point of stopping into unique food stores.  I'm always on the lookout for new taste experiences.

raincoast fig & olive crisps

While I was in Orleans, MA this summer (part of Cape Cod) My Mom and I happened across Main Street Wine and Gourmet.  I decided that we must have a look inside.  We found these interesting-looking raincoast crisps on the shelf, alongside several others, and quickly came to the conclusion that they looked too tasty to leave without buying.  It was also agreed that they seemed a good pair for the bijou aged goat cheese that we had purchased earlier from PB Boulangerie Bistro (along with a number of to-die-for french pastries) in Wellfleet.
Now I'm going to be upfront about the cheese; it is smelly.  If you're not going to eat it right away (storing it in the fridge) I'd recommend putting it in a plastic bag.  I do enjoy the smell of cheese, but it's not necessarily a smell that is nice to have permeating your entire refrigerator.

bijou aged goat cheese from Vermont Creamery

 
Yes, there are some cheese fanatics who would argue that this is an inappropriate method of storing a cheese, and that you must allow it to breath somewhat, but the bottom line is that some cheeses smell like feet, or other strong odors. And don't get me wrong, I mean this in the best way possible- I love smelly cheese! But in modern days, the kitchen has become more of an entertainment spot at small dinner parties, and not every guest will appreciate eau de cheese cave emanating from your cold food storage.  Shorter story: until I am wealthy enough to afford my own cave (will probably never happen), or another fridge used solely for the storage of wonderfully ripened cheeses (unlikely, but hopeful), I will be resorting to 'bagging and tagging', so that my refrigerator does not reek of cheese.

raincoast crisps, fig & olive variety

Now, with that said, the cheese has a delightfully mild and nutty flavor! It is a delicious cheese that pairs well with rosemary crackers or fig & olive raincoast crisps (there is a rosemary raisin pecan variety of the crisps too; I can't wait to try it!).  The crisps themselves are thick and crunchy.  They have a very nice fruity-oat flavor, with a hint of olive savory, that matches the mild nutty-ness of the bijou, and the extra crunchy texture is an interesting compliment to the creamy cheese.

fig & olive crisp with goat cheese

This is one of those amazing culinary situations where the whole becomes more than just the sum of it's parts.  There is a third, and different, experience offered by tasting the two elements together.  (This doesn't always happen, but I get terribly excited when it does! Like bananas in chocolate.)  It's a great appetizer for your next party, or even just a before-dinner treat to spoil yourself. Enjoy!

Mommy...there's a rutabaga in my closet...

     Yes, when I was younger, I was not very fond of eating my vegetables.  I hated broccoli, carrots, summer squash, and there were several others that you couldn't get me to touch with a ten-foot pole, much less put them in my mouth.  As I got a bit older, I started to like a few vegetables that had once repelled me.  I started to put diced onions on my hotdogs, and every now and then I would take a small bite of pickle.  Small steps, but for someone who, for a long time, considered ketchup to be a vegetable...these were momentous occasions.

     In the last three or four years, however, this vegetable eating has expanded drastically.  To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure this kind of progress was possible.  It all began with my chiropractor.  That's right - chiropractor.  Dr. Mark convinced me to try to eat more vegetables.  I know, I know, everybody and your mother says "eat more veggies." That's true, and they are right, but what Dr. Mark said in conjunction with "eat more veggies" was something that I hadn't heard before.  He said "Stick with it for two weeks, and your body will start to reprogram itself.  After that, your body will start to crave healthy food."

     At that point, my inner-child was trying to convince me that this 'craving of vegetables' was just another fabrication, created to try and get me to eat healthy foods, but I trusted Dr. Mark, and told my inner-child to be quiet because he might be right.  Low and behold, he was absolutely 100% right.  With genuine effort, I began following a more plant-based (and brightly colored - this is very important) diet.  Little by little, just as he said...I began to want to eat my veggies!  (I know mothers and doctors everywhere are rejoicing at this statement, well...at least my mom is.)  It's true; your body can and does 'reprogram' itself; you will crave vegetables.

  That being said, I do admit that the vegetable-eating may be getting a tad unruly.  I have been eating a full plate of raw veggies (usually organic baby carrots, broccoli, and radishes) and a chopped avocado for lunch most days - with a small side of hummus or cheese for dipping, and a few strawberries or some pineapple for variety.  I must tell you that all this vegetable eating does have some excellent side-effects though.  My mind feels sharper, I have few-to-no joint aches (even the occasional Jiu Jitsu or Muai Thai, injury seems to heal faster), my body just feels better.

Thanks Dr. Mark! And Mom, I no longer fear that rutabaga!

If you'd like to read some more about what Dr. Mark has to say, visit his website: Goodlivingwarehouse.com  He also has a whole bunch of great healthy products, and he's adding new stuff all the time.