New Treats from Whole Foods Market

 

I was recently given a great opportunity to taste test the new frozen foods that Whole Foods Market has introduced. Ranging from appetizers to ready-to-heat meals, and - very importantly! - not neglecting the all-important dessert, Whole Foods has made life easier whether you're just trying to serve dinner or whether you're hosting a fabulous party.

I took the $25 gift card I'd been generously given, and started to meander up and down the frozen food aisle. Now, anyone who's ever seen me at the grocery store knows I alternate between speedy efficiency (since I practically live at grocery stores, I know where everything is without needing to hunt) and aimless wandering as I consider my options. At Whole Foods last week, I was engaged in the latter.

Because first of all, I knew I had to get pizza. But which of the three pizzas? At $5.99, I could get one of each, but then my other taste testing options would be limited. Knowing that neither Jeremy nor Craig would likely choose a pizza bearing green vegetables (oy!), I bypassed the one featuring arugula and instead chose the wood-fired variety topped with buffalo mozzarella with cherry tomatoes.

The pizza was a huge hit, and both guys said that they'd eat the entire thing themselves despite the package stating that one pizza serves two people. Cut into small portions, it would make an excellent appetizer at a party.

Next on the menu was the Gnocchi di Polenta with Peas & Kale.  Whole Foods has also developed skillet meals that require some add-ins; I thought it would be nice to see how one of the "heat-'n'-eat" dishes was, since it could be prepared so quickly even on the busiest work/school/shopping/traveling day. The one-pound packages of Italian meals cost only $3.99, while the Asian ones cost $4.99.

The gnocchi are prepared in Mongrassano, Italy, and only need a bit of oil and water while being heated. An easier dinner would be hard to find!

Both Craig and Jeremy enjoyed these small cornmeal dumplings very much; Craig even finished my helping. And then we moved on to a different country's cuisine, with the very crisp and crunchy Chicken and Vegetable Egg Rolls that required just a short time in the oven to be ready for hungry diners. A box contains 4 egg rolls, for only $3.99. Whether indulging at a family meal, or cutting them in half to serve as appetizers or hors d'oeuvres, this is a great value. Jeremy, in particular, really enjoyed them.

Dessert was easy to choose, and I had no qualms about selecting two varieties: Chocolate Lava Cakes ($3.99 for 2/box) and Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies ($3.49 for 2/box).

Both required only a short time in the oven to become warm, fragrant, and gooey when cut open - molten chocolate oozes out when you slice these decadent little treats. The 100% fully loaded chocolate dessert was my favorite, though this was a pretty tough competition to judge! Jeremy and Craig both preferred the cookie. Whether serving these for a holiday event, at a dinner party, or just 'cause you need a chocolate fix, they will make you very happy.

Thank you so much to Whole Foods for the opportunity to taste so many goodies! For family meals, for parties, or "just because," these wholesome foods will make your life easier ... and more delicious.

National Cake Day + A Whole Foods Giveaway

It's National Cake Day - gotta love it!

You've also gotta love today's giveaway! Many thanks to Whole Foods Market for its generous offer of a $25 gift card, so that one lucky reader can try some of their new products!!!

"This month, Whole Foods Market is debuting more than 30 NEW frozen foods under our Whole Foods Market™ line (appetizers, entrees and desserts – oh my!). With gourmet flavors at value prices, these items offer easy dinner and entertaining solutions -- just in time for the holiday madness ....

Be prepared to change the way you think about frozen foods. Taking cues from cuisines around the world, Whole Foods Market’s offerings include everything from Tandoori Chicken Samosas and Vegetable Egg Rolls to Wood-Fired Buffalo Mozzarella Pizza with Cherry Tomatoes and Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. We have decadent dessert options, too, like Chocolate Lava Cakes and Caramelized Panna Cotta for a sweet finish to every meal.

While we all love to cook and prep homemade meals, it’s nice to have tasty alternatives for those nights when you just want to kick back and relax without the greasy takeout or the restaurant check. Plus, as with all Whole Foods Market products, you’ll find absolutely no artificial flavors, bleached flours, hydrogenated fats or high-fructose corn syrup in these new products. In short -- your personal chef has arrived!"

So, who's ready to win???

Here are the terms:

- Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite kind of cake is and how you intend to celebrate today's holiday. Only one comment, please; extras won't count.

- Be sure to provide your email address in the comment, so I can let you know if you're the winner.

- The giveaway begins as soon as this post goes up, and will end on Monday, December 3 at 9 a.m. EST. I'll use Random.org to pick a winner, then send an email to let you know you've won.

- If I don't hear from the winner by 9 a.m. EST on Tuesday, December 4, I'll go back to Random.org to pick a new winner.

- Once the winner has been established, I'll need to get a mailing address to send you the gift card. Then you can shop your little heart out!

I think that's it - I don't have either the time or the inclination to see if folks are sacrificing their firstborn on Twitter or Facebook, so giveaways are always simple here.

Whether you use your gift card to buy the new frozen items or to buy the ingredients to make this lovely cake (which was a huge hit at my Thanksgiving dinner), free food is always welcome!

Pumpkin Streusel Cake
(adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe)

Remember what Julia Child once said: "A party without cake is really just a meeting."

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2-1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9"-square baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, and brown sugar; stir in eggs and pumpkin. Mix in baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and flour. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Streusel:
1 packet Maple & Brown Sugar instant oatmeal
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon; pour butter over everything and stir to mix thoroughly. Sprinkle streusel evenly over cake batter.

Bake cake for 45 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons apple cider

Whisk together confectioners' sugar and cider; drizzle glaze over cooled cake and let set.

Makes 9 generous servings or 12 more reasonably sized ones.

Chicken Baked in Spiced Mango Sauce

I received a great marketing gift last week: a case of Ataulfo mangoes, otherwise known as the Champagne variety, from the Whole Foods store down the road from where I work.  In addition to making what I must admit was a really lovely Gingered Mango Soup, my family and friends also ate a significant number of the fruits "as is," since they were perfectly ripe and so delicious.

But I couldn't just devour them all, tempted as I was.  So I devised another recipe to showcase the glorious mangoes.

Chicken can be prepared hundreds - thousands! - of ways, but still sometimes we get a bit tired of it. What, I thought, could add a bit of pizzazz to this plain ol' bird?

I didn't want to fry it ... I didn't want to curry it (often my first choice because I adore curry, so I needed to divert from my routine) ... I didn't want to just chop up the chicken and the mango and make a salad.  Hmmm ...?

I decided to cook the mango with some spice, to infuse a sauce with extra flavor and zest.  Then I merely poured it over browned chicken and baked it to caramelize the sauce a bit.  This was a fast, fabulous meal that was easily prepared after work, and it was even better than I'd hoped for!  It sounds so simple, but this dish really is exceptional.  It was fork-tender, and the flavors were vivid.

Sweet, spicy, succulent ... what great adjectives to use in describing dinner!

Chicken Baked in Spiced Mango Sauce

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup ginger ale
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
2 mangoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
2-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425F.  Grease a medium casserole dish.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat.  Add 1 teaspoon salt, the red pepper flakes, the onion, ginger ale, pomegranate molasses, and mangoes; bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.  Transfer to a blender and puree.

Season the chicken on both sides with the remaining salt and the pepper.  In the same large skillet used for the sauce, heat the remaining oil over medium heat.  Brown the chicken for 5 minutes per side, cooking it in batches if necessary.

Place the chicken into the casserole dish, pour the sauce over it, and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.  Bake for 30 minutes until sauce is bubbling.

Serves 6-8.

Matzah 'n' Mangoes (and a Giveaway!)

Lotsa news 'round here!

1) If you've got some spare time and you'd like to read my review of The New York Times Passover Cookbook, then go to page 24 of this month's issue of The Washtenaw Jewish News.  Find out why I like to schmear grape jelly on my matzah, and where I learned to do it.

And 2) I'm hosting a giveaway ... yay!

A charming woman named Susan, who works in Marketing and Community Relations for Whole Foods Market, sent me an email the other day with a fabulous offer: a case of 16 Ataulfo mangoes [ah-tah-UHL-foh] to play with and a case for one of my astoundingly wonderful readers (those in the U.S., that is ... sorry to others!).

Entry is easy: all you have to do is leave a comment below saying that you'd like to win, tell me what you might make with the mangoes (or just that you intend to eat them "as is" with no fuss), and make sure I can reach you by email to let you know if you've won.  It would be great if you could "like" Whole Foods on Facebook, too, 'cause they've been nice to us.  Oh, and only one entry per person even if you leave more than one comment; the first one will be the one that counts. It's easier and more fair that way.

This one is going to be fast and furious: the deadline is Wednesday, April 11 at 9 a.m. EDT, and I'll use Random.org to pick the winner.  If I notify you of winning, you'll have 'til 3 p.m. EDT to acknowledge it; if you ignore me, I'll move on down the road to the next in line.

This timing probably seems a bit odd ... here's the scoop.  The mangoes are only being featured for a short while.  Observant Jews won't be using the computer from sundown on Thursday the 12th through sundown on Saturday the 14th because of the end of Passover (Jewish law ... it's complicated), so finding an email announcement or responding to it wouldn't be possible.  And procrastinators have to worry about their taxes ... oy!  It seemed easier to just do it quickly, before the weekend.

If you're the winner and you live near a Whole Foods, Susan can arrange for you to pick up the goodies at the closest store; if you don't live near a Whole Foods, she'll have them shipped to you.

That's it!

Chag Pesach Sameach! [HAHG PAY-sahk sah-MAY-ahk] = Happy Passover!