Roasted Strawberry Whole Wheat Muffins – Dedicated to Dante

It’s hard to not think of Dante when I look at the strawberry patch. The ruby red berries are still dangling from their lengthy stems, begging to be plucked. Normally this is the time of year Dante and Sierra both would scour every inch of the patch for sweet berries. And this was the time of year that we’d share the fruit with not just our beloved dogs, but with the other garden critters and hungry, pecking visitors.

Dante was a strawberry lover and in fact, a lover of all foods. Sierra, on the other hand, is much more timid about approaching strange food, particularly anything green or in the vegetative state. But she trusted her big brother Dante and if he ate the strawberries with abandon, then it was good enough for her to copy him.

Nearly every morning before breakfast Dante would wander over to the strawberries. Sierra would follow him to the patch and watch him carefully pluck, then inhale the brightest red ones. Then she would cautiously follow suit, but plucking the small ones first, with caution to make sure it wasn’t a chili pepper.

We’d find the patch stripped of anything red and then we’d call out loud to complain about never getting to eat enough garden strawberries. Though deep inside, we always laughed it off because we thought it was so cute that Dante and Sierra would beat us to the berries. There are advantages to waking up early. We’d rather have them eat the fruit than leaving them to the bugs.

Sierra, heading to the strawberry patch

This April, there is an abundance of red fruit on the vines. Sierra doesn’t have Dante with her to give her the guidance to know which one is worth eating. She doesn’t have her big brother to follow around and watch, follow and mimic. She always did what ever he did, even if it scared her. Now, she walks over to the patch alone, staring at the fruit and waiting for Todd or I to hand feed her a berry.

Since Dante was lost to cancer last May, we still haven’t gotten used to having so many ripe strawberries from the garden. I feel like I want to save them to ripen on the vines and to let the dogs get to them first. But staring at all this fruit isn’t going to bring Dante back.

All the fruit staring back at me reminds me to celebrate him and this wonderful season of Spring where new life starts to awaken in the garden. The fruit needs to be eaten because thats what Dante would have wanted and done himself.

So, I asked Todd to make some roasted strawberries and add them to my favorite whole wheat muffins. I know Dante would have loved to have one of those, warm out of the oven. I wanted a big batch of muffins with lots and lots and lots of roasted strawberries. I wanted each muffin to be bursting with roasted strawberries. What the garden didn’t have enough of, we’ll head out to the local farm stand to get more strawberries.

I’m a lucky girl like that, where I can ask my guy to make me muffins and within the hour he’ll dedicate the first hot batch to me with an embrace.

And I’m a lucky girl because I was able to have the joy of raising my very first puppy together with Todd.

Raising our first puppy together is like raising our first baby. And anyone who has ever had a pet to love and nourish would understand both my pain and joy to have loved than to have never loved at all.

Dante, these muffins are for you. Actually, two of them. I would have snuck you two muffins.

Enjoy your Spring,

diane

Cooking Method & Notes: 

i love whole wheat muffins & roasted strawberries make them extra special

start with plump, ripe strawberries. And lots of them

slice them to bite size pieces or size them to your bite (hope that makes sense) 

toss with olive oil, light touch of balsamic vinegar, honey, sea salt, black pepper 

toss them again on a baking sheet. Ready. Set. Roast. 

can you smell these? the scent of roasted strawberries is magical. 

Dante would have loved to licked the juicy pan. I would have let him. 

fill half way, then add a layer of roasted strawberries

then top off with batter and add more strawberries on top

the yummy strawberry juices can get messy. Use a spoon….

…. or use your fingers. Make sure to lick them afterwards! fun. 

after baking, brush on some of the roasted juices as a glaze

Yield: 9 Muffins

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

The oat and whole wheat flour adds an extra heartiness to the muffins. Another dimension to the flavor and texture.

1 lb fresh Strawberries, hulled1 T Honey2 T Grape Seed Oil1 T Balsamic Vinegar1/2 t Sea Salt(optional) 1 T Port1 c (100g) Oat Flour3/4 c (100g) All-Purpose Flour, unbleached1/2 c (60g) Whole Wheat Flour1/4 c (55 g) Sugar1/2 c (110g) Golden Brown Sugar2 t (9g) Baking Powder1 t (4g) Sea Salt or Kosher Salt2 T (30g) unsalted Butter1/2 c Canola or Grape Seed Oil1/2 c Sour Cream1 Egg1 t Vanilla Extract1/2 c Heavy Whipping Cream

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line sheet pan with parchment paper.

Cut smaller strawberries in half, larger strawberries in quarter.Combine strawberries, honey, oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and port in a medium bowl. Gently mix until strawberries are evenly coated.Spread strawberries evenly onto the prepared sheet pan. Bake until juices just begin to thicken,  40-50 minutes. After cooled, gently pick up strawberries and place in a small bowl. Reserve juices in another small bowl.Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to one week.

Preheat oven to 425º F. If you have a baking stone, place stone on lower third shelf. Butter and flour 9 muffin tin cups.

Combine flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk for at least 30 seconds to thoroughly blend.Melt butter in a small saucepan and cook on medium-low heat until gently browned.In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, browned butter, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour oil mixture into the well and stir until just combined.In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into batter.Using two large soup spoons or an ice cream scoop, fill the nine prepared muffin cups half way with batter. Lay 2-3 roasted strawberries over the batter. Fill muffin cups nearly to the top.Lay 2-3 slices of roasted strawberries on top of muffins. Gently press into batter.Reduce oven temperature to 400º F. Open door and leave open for 10 seconds then place muffin tin on baking stone or lower third shelf.Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserting into middle of muffins.Poke several holes in tops of each muffin with a toothpick. Brush muffins with reserved roasted strawberry juices.Gently loosen top edges of muffins and twist each muffin out. Lay them on their side in the muffin cups to cool. Best eaten same day.

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'Whole And Sliced Ginger' Wall Decal - Removable Graphic

WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won't damage your paint or leave any mess. PLEASE double check the size of the image you are ordering prior to clicking the 'ADD TO CART' button. Our graphics are offered in a variety of sizes and prices.

WallMonkeys are intended for indoor use only.

Printed on-demand in the United States Your order will ship within 3 business days, often sooner. Some orders require the full 3 days to allow dark colors and inks to fully dry prior to shipping. Quality is worth waiting an extra day for!

Removable and will not leave a mark on your walls.

'Fotolia' trademark will be removed when printed.

Our catalog of over 10 million images is perfect for virtually any use: school projects, trade shows, teachers classrooms, colleges, nurseries, college dorms, event planners, and corporations of all size.

Price:

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Frontier Star Anise Whole, Sele Grade (minimum 75% Whole Stars), 16 Ounce Bag

Star anise is star-shaped seed pod with a licorice taste similar to regular anise, only stronger. It is about one inch high with eight segments and a dark brown rust color.

Star anise is a key ingredient in many Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian kitchen and can replace regular anise in western recipes. Also, star anise has medicinal properties like most other spices. For example, in traditional Chinese medicine, star anise is prescribed as a digestive aid and to help cure colic in babies. Further more, in recent times, Shikimic Acid, extracted from star anise, has become one of the chief ingredients in the antiviral Tamiflu drug used to fight avian influenza.

To store star anise, keep it in a sealed container and put in a cool dark place. Properly stored, star anise will last for several months. Discard once the flavor fades.

Price: $18.68

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Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (3rd Edition)

Used as a reference by students of acupuncture, this is a hefty, truly comprehensive guide to the theory and healing power of Chinese medicine. It's also a primer on nutrition--including facts about green foods, such as spirulina and blue-green algae, and the "regeneration diets" used by cancer patients and arthritics--along with an inspiring cookbook with more than 300 mostly vegetarian, nutrient-packed recipes.

The information on Chinese medicine is useful for helping to diagnose health imbalances, especially nascent illnesses. It's smartly paired with the whole-foods program because the Chinese have attributed various health-balancing properties to foods, so you can tailor your diet to help alleviate symptoms of illness. For example, Chinese medicine dictates that someone with low energy and a pale complexion (a yin deficiency) would benefit from avoiding bitter foods and increasing "sweet" foods such as soy, black sesame seeds, parsnips, rice, and oats. (Note that the Chinese definition of sweet foods is much different from the American one!)

Pitchford says in his dedication that he hopes the reader finds "healing, awareness, and peace" from following his program. The diet is certainly acetic by American standards (no alcohol, caffeine, white flour, fried foods, or sugar, and a minimum of eggs and dairy) but the reasons he gives for avoiding these "negative energy" foods are compelling. From the adrenal damage imparted by coffee to immune dysfunction brought on by excess refined sugar, Pitchford spurs you to rethink every dietary choice and its ultimate influence on your health. Without being alarmist, he adds dietary tips for protecting yourself against the dangers of modern life, including neutralizing damage from water fluoridation (thyroid and immune-system problems may result; fluoride is a carcinogen). There's further reading on food combining, female health, heart disease, pregnancy, fasting, and weight loss. Overall, this is a wonderful book for anyone who's serious about strengthening his or her body from the inside out. --Erica Jorgensen

Price: $35.00

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Red Rice Salad w/ Mint and Shallot Vinaigrette – A favorite whole grain

We’ve been up to our elbows lately with some new projects and late at the end of the day, nothing makes us happier than a big bowl of comfort food and a cocktail. Or two. Comfort food, regardless of how many devilish calories lurk in all the starch, always manages to calm our nerves and satisfy our appetites.

A bowl of red rice is certainly one of our favorite comfort foods and this recipe is updated from our January 2008 archives, with a few new additions. A chewy and nutty grain variety, red rice is not only satisfying to eat, it’s loved by many for being exceptionally healthy.

Have you ever had red rice before? If not, you need to get yourself a bag, especially if you’re a fan of brown or any type of wild rice. It’s one of our favorites, so full of flavor, chewy bite and nutritionally packed with vitamins. This whole grain is always a win-win on our table.

Red rice is hailed in Chinese medicine as having medicinal qualities to help cure diabetes and high cholesterol. We love eating it often because of it’s flavor, texture, beauty and versatility. If you’re searching for  different alternatives to brown or black rice, this red variety is perfectly balanced with flavor & chewy bite. The color is a pleaser too with the subtle red tones still retained after cooking.

Red rice, along with various varieties of black rice, are available in most Southeast Asian grocers, specialty food markets and even online. The most inexpensive prices are at the Asian grocers, ranging from $4-$7 for a three pound bag. We’ve seen it priced at specialty Non-Asian markets for $7 on a 10 oz. package, ouch!

Once you get your hands on some of these red beauties, try this fresh and simple red rice and mint salad. It can be eaten either warm or as a cold salad and the addition of cucumbers and mint is refreshing.

When we developed this recipe, we had the vision of tabouli in mind, something with bright flavors of parsley and mint and cucumber crunch. We replaced the bulgar wheat with the red rice and added a flavorful and wonderfully fragrant shallot vinaigrette made in a pan. This dish is eaten cold and with all the fresh herbs and cucumbers, it’s like a rice salad.

combine shallot vinaigrette, red rice, chopped herbs & cucumbers

We’re fortunate enough to always have a garden full of fresh mint almost year round. But many of you cold region eaters don’t have the luxury of fresh mint, so there are other herbal options to the salad. Cilantro is another wonderful alternatives to mint, as well as adding extra cucumbers to the red rice if you want to omit the herbs altogether. This salad is wonderful cold and warm, so there are many options for serving.

Normally we’ve eaten it cold at picnics and parties, but for the times that we have had it warm, the rice is a wonderful comfort food on a cold day.

 Print This Recipe
Red Rice & Mint w/ Soy Dressing
Because of the tougher, but healthy, outer mesocarp of red rice, you need to use more water than most white rice grains. The rice can be cooked in a heavy sauce pan, but if you can a rice cooker, even better. The rice cooker will cook the red rice a little more evenly, but you can achieve the same result by stirring the grains more often for the stove top method.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw red rice, cooked to package instructions1 cup diced cucumbers1/4 cup chopped parsley1/4 cup chopped mint leaves, or even more to your specific taste

Shallot Dressing:

3 large shallots, minced3 medium garlic cloves, crushed or minced and crushed w/ side of knife4 Tablespoons olive or grape seed oil2 teaspoons sugar2  Tablespoons soy sauce1 teaspoon sesame oil1/4 teaspoon salt1 Tablespoon rice vinegar1 Tablespoon lemon juicefresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1. Cook 1 cup of raw red rice according to package instructions. Allow to cool.

2. In sauce pan over medium-low heat add only 2 tablespoons of oil and cook shallots and garlic until a light golden brown or until fragrant. Immediately remove from heat and add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil,  sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, vinegar, lemon juice and cracked black pepper. Stir till sugar dissolves and all ingredients are mixed together. Put aside to marinade further while you prepare vegetables and herbs.

3. Dice cucumbers and mince parsley (or cilantro) and mint.

4. After rice has completely cooled, toss in cucumbers, chopped herbs and shallot dressing. Eat immediately or chill in regridgerter. Before eating, toss everything in bowl again before serving.

5. For a warm red rice dish, toss cucumbers and herbs with warm rice. Heat up dressing in sauce pan till warm and toss with rice. Serve immediately.

6. Makes about 4 cups of cooked rice. Serves 3-4.

View the original article here

Red Rice Salad w/ Mint and Shallot Vinaigrette – A favorite whole grain

We’ve been up to our elbows lately with some new projects and late at the end of the day, nothing makes us happier than a big bowl of comfort food and a cocktail. Or two. Comfort food, regardless of how many devilish calories lurk in all the starch, always manages to calm our nerves and satisfy our appetites.

A bowl of red rice is certainly one of our favorite comfort foods and this recipe is updated from our January 2008 archives, with a few new additions. A chewy and nutty grain variety, red rice is not only satisfying to eat, it’s loved by many for being exceptionally healthy.

Have you ever had red rice before? If not, you need to get yourself a bag, especially if you’re a fan of brown or any type of wild rice. It’s one of our favorites, so full of flavor, chewy bite and nutritionally packed with vitamins. This whole grain is always a win-win on our table.

Red rice is hailed in Chinese medicine as having medicinal qualities to help cure diabetes and high cholesterol. We love eating it often because of it’s flavor, texture, beauty and versatility. If you’re searching for  different alternatives to brown or black rice, this red variety is perfectly balanced with flavor & chewy bite. The color is a pleaser too with the subtle red tones still retained after cooking.

Red rice, along with various varieties of black rice, are available in most Southeast Asian grocers, specialty food markets and even online. The most inexpensive prices are at the Asian grocers, ranging from $4-$7 for a three pound bag. We’ve seen it priced at specialty Non-Asian markets for $7 on a 10 oz. package, ouch!

Once you get your hands on some of these red beauties, try this fresh and simple red rice and mint salad. It can be eaten either warm or as a cold salad and the addition of cucumbers and mint is refreshing.

When we developed this recipe, we had the vision of tabouli in mind, something with bright flavors of parsley and mint and cucumber crunch. We replaced the bulgar wheat with the red rice and added a flavorful and wonderfully fragrant shallot vinaigrette made in a pan. This dish is eaten cold and with all the fresh herbs and cucumbers, it’s like a rice salad.

combine shallot vinaigrette, red rice, chopped herbs & cucumbers

We’re fortunate enough to always have a garden full of fresh mint almost year round. But many of you cold region eaters don’t have the luxury of fresh mint, so there are other herbal options to the salad. Cilantro is another wonderful alternatives to mint, as well as adding extra cucumbers to the red rice if you want to omit the herbs altogether. This salad is wonderful cold and warm, so there are many options for serving.

Normally we’ve eaten it cold at picnics and parties, but for the times that we have had it warm, the rice is a wonderful comfort food on a cold day.

 Print This Recipe
Red Rice & Mint w/ Soy Dressing
Because of the tougher, but healthy, outer mesocarp of red rice, you need to use more water than most white rice grains. The rice can be cooked in a heavy sauce pan, but if you can a rice cooker, even better. The rice cooker will cook the red rice a little more evenly, but you can achieve the same result by stirring the grains more often for the stove top method.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw red rice, cooked to package instructions1 cup diced cucumbers1/4 cup chopped parsley1/4 cup chopped mint leaves, or even more to your specific taste

Shallot Dressing:

3 large shallots, minced3 medium garlic cloves, crushed or minced and crushed w/ side of knife4 Tablespoons olive or grape seed oil2 teaspoons sugar2  Tablespoons soy sauce1 teaspoon sesame oil1/4 teaspoon salt1 Tablespoon rice vinegar1 Tablespoon lemon juicefresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1. Cook 1 cup of raw red rice according to package instructions. Allow to cool.

2. In sauce pan over medium-low heat add only 2 tablespoons of oil and cook shallots and garlic until a light golden brown or until fragrant. Immediately remove from heat and add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil,  sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, vinegar, lemon juice and cracked black pepper. Stir till sugar dissolves and all ingredients are mixed together. Put aside to marinade further while you prepare vegetables and herbs.

3. Dice cucumbers and mince parsley (or cilantro) and mint.

4. After rice has completely cooled, toss in cucumbers, chopped herbs and shallot dressing. Eat immediately or chill in regridgerter. Before eating, toss everything in bowl again before serving.

5. For a warm red rice dish, toss cucumbers and herbs with warm rice. Heat up dressing in sauce pan till warm and toss with rice. Serve immediately.

6. Makes about 4 cups of cooked rice. Serves 3-4.

View the original article here

A focus back to family, cooking and feeding from The Whole Family Cookbok : Video

How can you not love a family who’ve named their chickens “Kung Pao, Soup, Cacciatore.” ? These are our kind of people.

The “Kung Pao” family mentioned is none other than Michelle Stern of WhatsCookingWithKids.com and her lovely clan. We had a great time with them filming a promo for Michelle’s upcoming book, The Whole Family Cookbook.

Former high school teacher now dedicated to teaching seasonal and healthy cooking classes for kids, Michelle’s work is making a difference in so many people’s lives. It was a pleasure to get to know her and her family better as we worked on this project.

Without further fuss or fumble, here’s Michelle’s promo that we produced for The Whole Family Cookbook:

View the original article here

Whole Straw Mushrooms

Popular in Asian cuisines, these small, sweet mushrooms are cultivated on rice straw in paddy fields. Velvety smooth with a chewy, meaty texture, they're great for soups, stews, and stir-fries. Try in red-miso soup with cubes of silken tofu.

Price:

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Homemade Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread w/ Tomato Jam

The maligned sandwich loaf. A second-class citizen in the bread world.  Soft, mass-produced, with nothing artistinal or interesting about it. Bearer of boring pb&j’s and bologna sandwiches. Oscar Meyer has a better repute than the soft sandwich loaf breads.

Yet, are they really such an inferior loaves?  Or has it become such a commercial mainstay that it becomes hard to admire its qualities. It’s like trying to appreciate Barber of Seville after watching Bugs Bunny shave up Elmer.

We say rise up!  Rise up noble sandwich loaf. Hold your crust high amongst your doughy brethren. Made in the hands of ones who love you, your crumb is one of our favorites.  You sandwich our sandwich. Especially you, the Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf.

Your beautiful singe of crumb balanced by a delicate softness as we toast and grill you.  Yet there is still that extra layer of texture and flavor given by the whole wheat which leads us to you over your brother the White Loaf. How glorious of a grilled cheese you make when paired with smoked Gouda, paper-thin sweet onion slices, crisp sweet pickle slices and a touch of balsamic. A wonderful nutty toast your gently charred slices provide.  Perfect for a glancing spread of butter and jam.

Bow down before no other loaf.  Every loaf has its wonder and quality, and yours is no less than any others. Do not undervalue yourself gentle sandwich loaf, because we love you and will always make you. You hold the heart of a boy who bakes.

For our latest loaf, as the nation tires and continues to braves the winter chill, we thought to open some of our bottled summer sunshine, tomato jam.

Our Homemade Tomato Jam Recipe

We had a great tomato season and were determined to save as much as possible for exactly this time of year. Even though we now live in the comfort of Southern California weather, the memories of growing up months of snowy winters will never be forgotten. The cold and gloom starts to settle into the bones.  Snow isn’t “pretty” anymore.  It’s annoying. And cold. I remember and feel your frostbit toes.

So here’s a sweet reminder of the warmth of summer. The ice will thaw and warmth will come again.

-Todd

Start with the dry active yeast

mixing flours and oatmeal

allow whet bread to rise

viola, ready for the oven

 Print This Recipe

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Sandwich Bread
Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce and Amy Scattergood. A perfect whole wheat loaf for sandwiches and toast. Soft, a touch of sweetness to the loaf from the honey and molasses. Like the authors of Good to the Grain, we make this loaf in the mixer.  If you want to make the bread by hand, they recommend kneading by hand for 15 minutes, adding flour as needed. Makes 1 large loaf.

1 c (240ml) Water
1c (240ml) Milk
1 pkg (1 T or 10g) Active Dry Yeast
1 T (20g) Honey
2 T (40g) unsulphured Molasses, not backstrap molasses
2 1/2 c (350g) Whole Wheat Flour
2 c (300g) Bread Flour
1 c (120g) Rolled Oats
4 T (60g) unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 T (15g) Sea Salt

optional: bran or additional oats for topping loaf

lightly butter 9x5x3 bread loaf pan

1.  Gently warm milk and water to about 115 F. Combine water, milk, yeast, honey, and molasses in the bowl of a standing mixer. Stir to dissolve yeast. (If you aren’t sure if your yeast is good, wait 5 minutes to see if it blooms-bubbles. If it doesn’t throw out and start over.)

2. Add flours, oats, melted butter, and sea salt to the liquid mix.  Using the bread hook and stand mixer, mix for 6 minutes on medium speed. The dough should climb the dough hook and slap around the sides of the bowl without sticking. If the dough is sticking, add a tablespoon or two more of flour at a time until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.

3. Cover the bowl with a towel and place in a warm area to rise. Leave to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size (to test if it has proofed enough, gently poke the dough- if it springs back, it needs to proof longer – if a dimple remains, it is ready.)

4. Shape the loaf. Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Flatten out the bubbles while working the loaf into a square shape. Grabbing the top edge, fold the dough down towards the middle. Grab the bottom edge and fold up to the middle, bringing the two edges together. Pinch the seam and sides, sealing them with your fingers. Roll the dough back and forth, plumping it into an even log and about the size of your bread pan. Gently place the dough into your bread pan, seam side down. Press the dough gently into the corners of the bread pan.

5. Cover the loaf with a towel and leave it to rise in a warm area for about an hour or until the dough rises to half again its size and is puffing up barely over the edges of the loaf pan.

while the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 F.

6. If desired, sprinkle the top of the loaf with bran or oats. Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating halfway through.  The loaf is done baking when the crust is dark brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove the loaf from the pan and allow to full cool on a baking rack.

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Whole Black Winter Asian Truffles - 7oz

Preserved truffles are a very good option when fresh ones are not available. The Asian black winter truffle (Tuber Indicum) has a more subtle and discreet aroma than its French counterpart. It is an inexpensive alternative to the highly esteemed truffle of the French Perigord region, and although they do not deliver the potency of French winter black truffles, many Chefs find the flavor and aroma comparable. Canned in France by Baudoin.

Price:

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Asian Black Winter Truffle, Whole - 1 oz

Asian Black Winter Truffles - whole brushed in jar - 1 oz/28 gr by Terroirs dAntan, France. Indium truffles are ready to use, whole brushed, just add them to olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic to obtain the traditional sauce for meat, fish or pasta. Ingredients: black truffles (Tuber Indicum), juice, salt. Store in a cool dry place and avoid direct sunlight.

Price:

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Asian Black Winter Truffle, Whole - 2 oz

Asian Black Winter Truffles - whole brushed in jar - 2 oz/56 gr by Terroirs dAntan, France. Indium truffles are ready to use, whole brushed, just add them to olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic to obtain the traditional sauce for meat, fish or pasta. Ingredients: black truffles (Tuber Indicum), juice, salt. Store in a cool dry place and avoid direct sunlight.

Price:

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Asian Winter Black Truffles Whole 7 oz.

Asian Winter Black Truffles - whole brushed in jar. Ingredients: Chinese Black Truffles (Tuber Indicum), water, salt. After opening use within 1 week.

Price:

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Frontier Star Anise Whole, Sele Grade (minimum 75% Whole Stars), 16 Ounce Bag

Star anise is star-shaped seed pod with a licorice taste similar to regular anise, only stronger. It is about one inch high with eight segments and a dark brown rust color.

Star anise is a key ingredient in many Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian kitchen and can replace regular anise in western recipes. Also, star anise has medicinal properties like most other spices. For example, in traditional Chinese medicine, star anise is prescribed as a digestive aid and to help cure colic in babies. Further more, in recent times, Shikimic Acid, extracted from star anise, has become one of the chief ingredients in the antiviral Tamiflu drug used to fight avian influenza.

To store star anise, keep it in a sealed container and put in a cool dark place. Properly stored, star anise will last for several months. Discard once the flavor fades.

Price: $18.68

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SNAPDRAGON Whole Grain Brown Rice Kaked Rice Crisps, 3.5-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)

Journey to the culinary capitals of Asia with Snapdragon, where every stop brings a new taste discovery. Snapdragon Baked Rice Crisps are seasoned with authentic Asian flavors. Whole Grain Brown Rice Crisps are natural brown rice with a hint of sea salt.

Price: $40.68

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