Smart, clever, and tasty to boot, here’s a look at five new things to eat that have us talking. We spotted them among thousands of items making their debut this week at the Fancy Food Show, a specialty food trade show, in San Francisco. We just wish we’d thought of them ourselves.
Bacon spread
This reduction of bacon, onions, balsamic vinegar, and sugar—cooked down to a jammy consistency—got its start as a condiment at a Seattle-based food truck called Skillet. Customers went so nuts over this sweet, smoky wonder that the chef started selling it by the jar, and that’s how the world became blessed with Skillet Bacon Spread.
The uses are seemingly endless: slathered on a burger, tossed with a spinach salad, added to an omelet, dolloped on crackers for a quick appetizer, even straight out of the jar on a spoon.
“It should be a standard staple that everyone has in their house,” said Greg Petrillo, the brand’s general manager, “ketchup, mustard, and bacon jam.” We couldn’t agree more (www.skilletbaconjam.com).
Healthy boxed lunches
What if Lunchables grew up and became a bit foodie and gluten-free?
You’d have GoPicnic, a line of on-the-go boxed meals that have less than 500 calories each. Among the eight varieties is chili-lime salmon with organic crackers, hummus with multi-seed crackers, and turkey pepperoni with Asiago cheese and crackers.
Each box is rounded out with snacks and desserts like dried fruit, chips, and chocolate squares by health food brands you already know (PopChips and Annie’s Homegrown).
GoPicnic’s roots are in the airline industry as a buy-on-board meal, but we see it taking off in everyday life, too, (www.gopicnic.com).
Umami paste
You could add umami—the taste of savoriness and the fifth taste that our tongues recognize—to a dish by incorporating anchovies, mushrooms, cheese, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and olives. Or, you could squeeze in a bit of Taste No. 5 Umami Paste, which is made with all of those umami-rich ingredients. Use it in fish dishes, pasta sauces, salad dressings and more.
This convenience comes from creator Laura Santtini, who says she wanted to “give people something magical to transform a meal,” (www.laurasanttini.com).
Zero calorie noodles
For its angel hair-like noodles, NoOodle’s™ promises are many: no fat, no net carbs, no soy, no gluten, and most importantly, no calories.
Makes you wonder what’s in them, right? These noodles are made with high-fiber yam flour, which is also said to help your body absorb fewer calories from the foods eaten with it. Use them to dial back the calories on pasta dishes or stir-frys, or go with one of NoOodle’s pre-packaged meals, including teriyaki chicken and pasta primavera.
“It’s like tofu,” says NoOodle sales rep Marisa Schiff. “It takes on the flavor of whatever you mix it with,” (www.nooodle.com).
Adopt an olive tree
How’s this for farm to table: a company called Nudo lets you adopt an olive tree from an Italian grove of your choosing, then sends you its harvested olive oil. Like the time you adopted that whale/rainforest/star, you’ll get an adoption certificate, followed by twice-yearly shipments.
The harvest from your tree is pressed with that of a few dozen neighboring trees then packaged in bright, chic tins and delivered to your door. Nudo even invites you to visit your tree anytime, (www.nudo-italia.com).
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