Soups, Chips, Breads and Dips: More Fancy Foods
From chocolates to interesting drinks and teas, we’ve been on a gastronomy kick lately- and it isn’t over yet. We have three more companies to tell you about: FoodShouldTasteGood, Canterbury Naturals, and Boyajian.
It’s hard to argue with a name like FoodShouldTasteGood. Luckily, their corn chips live up to the name. We got a chance to try every variety, and though the Multigrain were relatively normal- a hearty, not-too salty tortilla-like chip- others were far more distinctive. The Sweet Potato chips, for instance, were addictive, fairly light and quite versatile, able to be eaten directly from the bag or used with dips, salsas, or even things like peanut butter. Our favorite though were the Chocolate, which were not-too-sweet, balanced cocoa and chip, and were quite a hit among the TO staff. They also offer Olive, Jalapeno, Buffalo, and The Works flavors, available in large bags and small, and a bargain at $3 or so per bag. Available online through their site in a case of 12, or in many grocery stores including Whole Foods.
If you have chips, you might need some dips. Boyajian makes a fantastic Moroccan Blend Dipping Oil (with fennel, oregano, chillies and cumin, perfect for those Olive Chips mentioned above, or some of the flatbreads that we are coming to). We also found their Pomegranate Vinegar great for salads or sauce reductions: sweet and quite a contrast to normal, less interesting vinaigrettes. A couple of the other sauces and oils were less impressive, but the standout, knockout winner were the Jalapeno and Habanero Oils- excellent olive oil infused with some a powerful, spicy kick. They require a bit of work to balance them out, but can simply replace normal oils for cooking, especially with meats or tofu, and smell divine. Of course, you better like spice! Other flavors and combinations are available, including Basil Oil and Sesame Oils, and run around $7 per 8 ounce bottle. They can be found in many higher-end and larger grocery stores and specialty stores.
Finally, we turn to soups and flatbreads. We weren’t sure what to expect from these “make them at home” products like Savory Herb & Cheese Tortellini soup mix or Old World Sundried Tomato Flatbread. What we got were surprisingly large meals from fairly tiny packages, with not much effort. Non-GMO ingredients, and reasonably healthy-seeming, these are aimed at a fairly tricky market. Think 30-something party, as most kids wouldn’t be happy with “Tuscan Aged Parmesan”- though you could use it as pizza dough! Canterbury Naturals makes many other items, some of which we’ve tried, and they are generally pretty good but best with a crowd and some tweaks to their fairly basic recipes. If you’re in the mood for a quick soup, consider the Rustic Fireside Tortilla Soup Mix- and cooking up a batch of flatbread will take about the same amount of time so you can enjoy both together. Available online and in stores, ~$6 for the soups and $5 for the flatbreads.
