Noshtopia

Starbucks Breakfast Pairings and a Giveaway

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And guess what, you can find a choice of six breakfast pairings at Starbucks for $3.95 within the U.S which is nice for those of us who want fast and cheaper. Starbucks in't my thrid place, it's my office, a perk for being a blogger.

You save as much as $1.20 when you buy the pairing versus as individual items. And, even though these are "breakfast" foods, the pairings are available all day long. And read to the end because I'm giving away some Starbucks gift cards. Oh yeah!

Before I get into the six choices. Here's some tidbits that can help you with some dietary preferences:

• For any of the four breakfast sandwiches, you can request that they take out the cheese, egg, or meat. You'll still be charged the $3.95 but at least you can cut down on fats.

• You can ask them to cut the sandwich in half so you can eat like half for breakfast, and eat the other half for a snack later in the day or for breakfast the next day.

• You can eat the sandwich open face by just removing one half of the bread. This will cut down calories and the carbs.

• All the nutritional info I list is in my county of San Mateo, CA. Double check the information for your city. There shouldn't be any difference, but again, double check. The nutritional info does list the ingredients, and almost all of those ingredients are recognizable items. It's still processed food, but it's not as sinful as it could be, at least in my humble opinion.

And now for your six choices:

* Tall Latte with Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal: The Oatmeal is made by Quaker and we love Quaker. For toppings you get to choose brown sugar, dried fruit, and a nut medley. The oatmeal is pretty much stuff you can make at home but if you're in a hurry, Starbucks is a good place to grab the oat goodness. Nutritional info in San Mateo.

* Tall Latte with Reduced-fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake. Now, in my opinion, you should not be starting your day off with cake. However, again, these six pairings are available all day long, so if you want to eat some cake as an afternoon snack treat on one of your "free" days or split a piece with a friend, then go for it. Nutritional info in San Mateo: 300 calories, 6g Fat, 53g Carbs, 4g Protein.

* Tall brewed coffee with the Artisan Bacon Sandwich: Smoked bacon, Gouda, and Parmesan egg frittata on hand-shaped artisan roll. Nutritional Info in San Mateo: 380 calories, 20g Fat, 31g Carbs, 19g Protein.

* Tall brewed coffee with the Artisan Ham Sandwich: Black Forest Ham, Mild Cheddar, and Parmesan egg frittata on hand-shaped artisan roll. Nutritional Info in San Mateo: 370 calories, 16g Fat, 32g Carbs, 23g Protein. Of the four sandwiches, this one was my favorite because it tasted good and it has the best overall balance of calories, fat, carbs and protein.

* Tall brewed coffee with the Sausage Breakfast Sandwich which I like to call the Star-BuckMuffin because it's pretty much Starbucks version of McDonald's Sausage Egg McMuffin: Sausage, egg, and mild Cheddar on an English muffin. Nutritional Info in San Mateo: 500 calories, 29g Fat, 42g Carbs, 20g Protein.

* Tall brewed coffee with the Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich: Reduced-fat turkey bacon, cholesterol-free egg, and reduced-fat aged white cheddar on a multi-grain English muffin. Nutritional Info in San Mateo: 390 calories, 12g Fat, 46g Carbs, 22g Protein.

And now that I've gotten you drooling and curious over these breakfast pairings, three of you will be lucky winners of a $5 Starbucks gift card so you can try one of these pairings. I will randomly pick the three winners. Available to US residents only because the pairings are available only in the US.

You can only enter once. Doors are open until Friday 3/20/09 at midnight PST. I'll announce the winners on Monday 3/23. Please leave a valid email so I can contact you. And yes indeedy, I believe in karma so your email will stay between you and I.

To enter, in comments, tell me what your favorite Starbucks drink is, what you normally like to enjoy. My favorite drink is an iced coffee with a dabble of soy milk and one packet of raw sugar.

Oatmeal Idea: Papaya, Pecans, and Agave Nectar

 

This is what I had for breakfast yesterday. It's a bowl of instant organic oatmeal with cut up chunks of dried papaya spears and pecans along with about half a tbsp of agave nectar and 1/4 cup of rice milk. And, oh yeah, it was scrumptious.

I wanted to try something exotic so I got the papaya spears when I was strolling the dried foods bin at a local market. I use agave nectar all the time now because I like that it has a lower glycemic index than cane sugar. Honey has a distinct taste, and the agave nectar not so much so you almost don't even know it's there besides the obvious sweeter taste.

Try it. Lemme know what you think.

Catalan-Style Spinach with Pine Nuts, Golden Raisins, Garlic, and Onion

Pal Maria gave me for my birthday last year this fabulous cookbook called, "Fresh Spanish" by Sergio Vasquez, a book with over 80 healthy Spanish recipes. In the cookbook was this most unique spinach dish I'd ever seen so I had to make it. I altered the recipe slightly to serve two people, and to cook the spinach differently to keep as much as the nutrients in the spinach as possible.

I'd never think to mix raisins along with garlic and onion in with spinach, and surprisingly (at least to me) the combo is very nice. Best part. This recipe literally takes about 5 minutes to cook in the pan. Prep time will take longer and even then it's mostly chopping time and there isn't much of that.

Ingredients
(Good for 2 people)

• 1 bag of fresh spinach (Something like the Fresh Express 6 oz bag )
• 2 tbsp golden raisins. I used Thompson Golden
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 1/4 yellow onion cut into slivers (see picture)
• 2 small garlic cloves cut finely (see picture)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• a sports bottle with a squirt top filled with some water

Let's get cookin'

Lower Fat Beef, Spinach, Mushroom Lasagna

The words low fat and lasagna used in one breathe usually can elicit this type of response, "Huh! What?! Lasagna is so yummy because of all the fatty goodness from all the cheese." But for those of us wanting to get back into or stay in our skinny jeans, the idea of a lower fat lasagna sounds heavenly, "Yay! I can enjoy the yumminess of lasagna guilt-light."

I say guilt-light because lasagna in itself is still a calorie and carbed packed food. It's also pretty easy to over indulge when you see that warm lasagna right outta the oven with oozing dripping cheese. Who can resist, no? And hello, comfort food! I eat lasagna only on occasion and view it as a treat.

For a dinner party last night, I created this lasagna which was lower in fat mainly because of three things:

• I used beef with a very low fat content, 4%
• I used a Lite 3-Cheese blend of Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar that is 4g Fat per 1/4 cup
• I did not use ricotta cheese. *gasp* I know. Almost sounds sacrilegious. But here's the cool thing, the ricotta wasn't even missed or even noticed missing until I pointed it out.

Almost everything I used in this recipe was from Trader Joe's. I did use a couple things from Whole Foods, but you can easily replace those items with anything comparable store bought as well. I also used as many organic ingredients as I could. The Trader Joe's and Whole Foods 365 house brands make such cheap organic stuff which I utilize all the time.

Ingredients:
(Makes one 7"x11" baking dish. About 30 min prep time. 40 min. baking time)

• 1lb 96/4 (96% Lean/4% Fat) Extra Lean Ground Beef from Trader Joe's meat section

• 3-4 cups of fresh organic spinach from Whole Foods greens produce bins

• Trader Joe's pre-cut sliced white mushrooms

• 1 can Whole Foods 365 brand organic Italian Style diced tomatoes

• 1 box Whole Foods 365 brand organic Lasagna pasta

• 1 jar Trader Giotto's Bolognese pasta sauce

• 1 jar Trader Giotto's Organic Marinara sauce

• 1 bag Trader Joe's Lite Shredded 3 Cheese Blend: Mozzarella, Monterey jack, Cheddar Cheese

• Diced Garlic (you'll use some in the beef and spinach saute)

• Diced white onion

• Worcestershire sauce

• Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute

• Garlic salt

• Black pepper

• evoo (extra virgin olive oil or whatever cooking oil you have at hand)

• Organic cane sugar

Let's start cooking'

Sweet & Salty Snack Idea: Pineapple Cottage Cheese with Green Chile Pistachios

I'm a huge fan of sweet & salty foods like yogurt covered pretzels, hello yummy!

While I was in the bulk foods area at my local Whole Foods store getting some Thompson raisins for a spinach recipe, I spotted these green chile pistachios which are basically pistachios, green and red chile, garlic, and salt. You can taste the spicy right away but it's pretty mild. I'm not a huge fan of caliente but a nice little sizzle on the palate is kinda nice.

I had some pineapple lowfat cottage cheese in the fridge so just to be experimental as my creative self likes to get, I threw some of the green chile pistachios on top of my cottage cheese, and wowza! I really loved it. The combo is especially deelish when you bite a piece of pineapple and pistachio together. The bonus is that you also get some protein between the cottage cheese and pistachios along with some MUFA goodness.

In fact, I'm deeming this pineapple cottage cheese with green chile pistachios snack a new favorite.

10 Things To Make with Blood Oranges

One of my favorite citrus fruits are blood oranges. I really dig that red color in the pulp. In fact, you want to make a really standout brunch drink, make some fresh squeezed blood orange juice. Oh yeah! If you want to learn a bit more about the blood orange like selection & storage tips, how to eat them, and health benefits, Cooking Light has some nice quick tidbits.

Besides a lovely refreshing drink, here are 10 fabulous delectibles you can make using blood oranges:

• Blood Orange Vinaigrette [CHOW]

• Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass in a Blood Orange Butter Sauce [Always Order Dessert]

• Quinoa and Blood Orange Salad [Doghill Kitchen]

• Bruschetta with Fava Beans, Greens, and Blood Oranges [Epicurious]

• Mango and Blood Orange Sorbet [Laylita's Recipes]

• Blood Orange Salsa [A Mighty Appetite]

• Sticky Chicken and Blood Orange Stir Fry [BBC: Good Food]

• Mini Coconut Blood Orange Bundt Cakes (vegan friendly) [Vegan Yum Yum]

• Blood Orange Mojito [Emeril Lagasse]

• Blood Orange and Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Tomato Black Bean Salsa [Dishing Up Delights]

18 Rabbits Granola Bars Mostly Organic Made with the Craftsmanship of Artisans

Alison Bailey Vercruysse the Founder of 18 Rabbits went from working in a bank to baking starting as an apprentice for Citizen Cake in San Francisco which has got to be one of the most uber-awesome places to get dessert in the city. Seriously people, the sweet-toothaholic here knows primo sweets. Citizen Cake is a must! So, imagine my flurry of excitement to try out Alison's granola bars.

Fabness

The 18 Rabbits bars I tried are Fab-U-lous. The two granola bars I tried were really mahvelous: moist, subtly sweet, and light filling with fun names. I would so use these bars in gift baskets or break into chunks and put into a dish bowl and serve at a tea, shower, or girl's poker night. They'd make for great snacks at work.

The Flavors

I noshed on the Funky Figs and Cherries which is wheat free, dairy free, non-GMO, and no refined sugars made with organic mission figs, flax, and pumpkin seeds.

In the picture above is the Haute Diggity Date which is wheat free, sodium free, non-GMO, and rich in fiber. Interestingly the bar contains sultana grapes and rice bran, two ingredients I've never seen in a food bar before.

There are two other bars which I didn't try and they are Cheeky Cherry Chocolate which is wheat free and made with organic chocolate, cranberries, and oats. Then there is Nibble a Sultana which is wheat free, dairy free, and made with organic apricots, sultanas, and pumpkin seeds.

Why only mostly organic

What I love about the 18 Rabbits story is the philosophy of what goes into the bars, and why they are not 100% organic but mostly organic:

"We prefer to work with local growers and food artisans; some of who may not be certified organic, but still create the purest, freshest, highest quality foods in a sustainable way. Depending on which product you’re savoring, 80-90% of the ingredients in our granola and granola bars are certified organic."

Sounds like win/win for everyone including our palates. Here is a store locator for both online and walk-in. I bought my bars at Whole Foods.

In Pictures: Brunch at the Farmer's Market with Scharffen Berger Chocolate Chip Cookie

For brunch on Saturday, pal Kim and I jaunted down to the San Francisco Ferry Building for the Farmer's Market which goes on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Saturday is the better day to go as there are more vendors and a bigger crowd for more interesting people watching.

What I like about the SF Farmer's Market is that you get a really diverse selection of foods to eat from raw and organic to simple juicy burgers and fries. You also get a very diverse crowd from different cultures, economics, and age. That's the thing about food. It's universal and brings people together no matter what our backgrounds.

So, here in pictures is what we ate. First up we went to the Rosa Pistola booth. Here is their menu and one of the chefs preparing food. I always get a kick out of watching people make food.

Kim wanted to try something new for her, and so she got this plate of fresh grilled sturgeon with white beans, arugula, fennel, and lemon.

I saw a guy eating this slow roasted pulled pork shoulder sandwich with a salsa verde, and so I had to sink my teeth into one myself. The salsa was made out of some kind of small bean but I couldn't figure out what it was. Next time, I'll ask them unless one of you knows. Please share!

For dessert, I just had to have this Scharffen Berger chocolate chip cookie. Yes, had to have! Besides the absolutely divine chocolate chips, the cookie itself was pretty flat and crunchy. I LOVE crunchy cookies, and if you're ever in the Ferry Building any time of the week, you must stop by the Scharffen Berger store and grab one of these puppies. Divine!

I thought the tagline for the Boccalone shop was quite descriptive. How can you forget that line huh? And yeah, everything in there is all about pork. They even had these ice cream looking cones made out of mixed salami. I was too afraid to ask what they plop into those meat cones.

And lastly, for snacks later on, I got a mini loaf of this apricot ginger bread from one of the food vendors in the farmer's market. Slightly toasted with some neuchatel smear, this bread is like food from the heavens. 

So indeed, if you ever come to visit San Francisco, the farmer's market on Saturdays at the Ferry building is a must visit!