What’s New in Food

The Natural Products Expo (East) was held last week, and it is a gigantic representation of new food, in all it’s permutations. The show really is massive, and with only one day to see it, I missed way more than I saw, and I saw a lot. Some of the things are saw were really cool, and some were truly new ideas. There are some products I’ll be devoting an entire post to, so I won’t mention them here, but there were plenty of things worth mentioning, that I think would interest you!

I have to start by saying gluten-free products were everywhere! This didn’t surprise me, as it feels like half the population of the USA has diagnosed themselves as gluten allergic or sensitive, and the food world has responded like crazy! In fact, it was difficult to find any bread/pasta type items that did contain gluten. The good news is that gluten-free products are better than ever, the bad news, is that these items are likely being sold at a premium, so I will advise you to check and make sure you’re really in need of these products before you start shelling out the big bucks for gluten-free pasta etc.

The other strong presence, which seems to go hand in hand with the GF movement, is paleo. There was paleo everything, including cookie dough! Lots of pasta, crackers, and even paleo candy. It seems like if you’re paleo, you can finally have your cake and eat it too! Whew!

I’m not a big fan of bars, for a few reasons, one, I prefer a crispy to a chewy texture (I am a fan of the Kashi crunchy bars) and, they are usually overly sweet. If you’re looking for a more grown-up bar, that tastes less like a bowl of kids’ cereal pressed into bar form you might like the new bars from Mediterra Nutrition. They have savory bars!  Crazy huh? I tried both the sundried tomato & basil as well as the black olives & walnuts, and both were tasty, and (for me) would make a satisfying snack. They also have sweet bars including the pistachio & honey that reminded me of those sesame candies my grandmother used to keep in her red candy dish.

Another concept in savory snacking came in the form of a 1.1 ounce pouch of olives from Oloves.  These come in four flavors and they do indeed make a lovely snack! The pouch is adorable, and would fit perfectly into any lunch box or bag. My daughter and I shared one yesterday, and we both would have been happy to have our own. They promise at least ten olives per pouch, and though the packaging claims that’s two servings, it’s really one.

I saw my old friends from Tiny But Mighty Popcorn, who I met last year at the Expo. Since meeting them last year, I’ve become a convert, and theirs is the only popcorn I use. Their corn is GMO free, hull-less, and every kernel always pops. I don’t recommend you use it in a hot air popper, the kernels are so small they get popped right out of the machine before they pop. They have since added a line of already popped corn, which is good, but I’m sticking with the kind I pop myself.

I tried some great Spaghetti sauce made by Steve Schirripa of the Sopranos, going by Uncle Steve’s pasta sauce, . I don’t like ketchup, but First Field tomato ketchup was good enough to make me rethink my firm no-ketchup stance.  Walters handmade honey nougat is incredible, not too sweet and full of nuts, almonds, macadamia, or with cranberries, or covered with chocolate. All of it delicate and sticky, and light and so good, my daughter and I were actually fighting over a bar!

As I said, there are lots more products I’ll be talking about, and I got some great ideas or new recipes. For me new food is as much fun as new shoes! Except I can’t make all kinds of new things with new shoes. With new food, I’ve got plans for new sauces, new flavors, and new takes on some old favorites, so stay tuned! 

What new food would you like to see me try with matcha, powdered tomatoes, or crystallized beets?