Green & Black's Espresso

This is one of the few chocolate bars from Green & Black's that I had not tasted yet. The espresso part comes from Arabica coffee beans, ground as fine as the cacao. This is an intense coffee flavour chocolate bar. The cacao content is at 67%. The ingredient listing is good (all save the lecithin are Organic), chocolate liquor, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, coffee, soy lecithin (emulsifier), vanilla extract and whole milk powder.

How does it taste? Like drinking a cup of coffee. I'm exaggerating, but it is a strong coffee, or espresso, flavour, so, if you don't like coffee, then this bar is not for you (the strong flavour comes from freshly roasting the coffee beans, then grinding them so fine that the tongue can not distinguish between the chocolate and the coffee). I do like coffee, but most of the time not in a chocolate bar. This is good quality chocolate up to the standards of Green & Black's. I don't think I would get this bar again.

Bretti's Naturkost Frucht-Zoo Fruchtgummi

Every year I get some interesting gummis from my one Aunt in Germany, lately they have been more healthy versions, with fruit juices and other better ingredients. Which I appreciate greatly. This one from Candy Factory is like that: the colours of the gummis come from turmeric, carrot, elderberry and spinach; the Gelatine is organic; Natural flavours are used; a lot of the ingredients are cultivated in an ecological manner. The shapes are different too, there are hippos, dinosaurs and other beasts; a Zoo! Yummy!

President's Choice Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts

This very big chocolate bar from President's Choice I got as a Christmas gift. The chocolate is milk chocolate, unfortunately (you have to go with the Almond one for Dark chocolate), but it does contain whole hazelnuts. The ingredient listing is as good as any milk chocolate bar (okay, perhaps better), sugar, milk powder, hazelnuts, cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate, canola lecithin and natural vanilla flavour.

How does it taste? Sweet, like most milk chocolate bars, but the hazelnuts are tasty, and crunchy. I'd definitely like to see a Dark chocolate version.

Kashi Toasted Berry Crisp

If you go to Kashi's Website, they are offering free samples of either their Honey Almond Flax cereal, or the one I chose, Toasted Berry Crisp. You get a very small sample in the mail, good enough for one breakfast. The cereal on the package looks way more tasty than what is inside the box, far more of the dried cranberries and wild blueberries than what you actually get. The cereal itself is tasty enough, there is a definite fruity flavour to it, and it is crunchy yet not hard (what I don't like about some granolas or mueslis). This cereal, like all of Kashi's products, contains their seven whole grains and sesame blend. Overall, I think that I would eat it, but do know that its goodness, as a health product, comes with a much higher price tag than the sugared cereals it intends to replace. Oddly enough, tonight I was in Walmart, and I saw a couple of people, one in front of me, one behind, in line buying this very cereal, so it might very well be good.

Thai Society of Ontario Saturday Market

We found out something the other day on our visit to Chinatown on a Saturday, that the Thai Society of Ontario has a Saturday Market, where lots of freshly made Thai foods are sold. The Thai Society of Ontario has their office in the building on the northeast corner of Dundas and Spadina; go to the door before the Fruit Market going North, there are stairs going up. The Thai Society is on the left.

The selection in the Market varies from week to week, but there could be all kinds of Thai desserts, snacks and meals, such as Mor Gang, Khanom Tuey, Curry Puffs, Khanom Dtom, Toddy Palm Cake, Tod Man Pla, Som Tam and Sticky Rice.

Cookie Sabparod is a pineapple cookie. Delicious and the best of the desserts.

Khanom Chan is a multi-layer rice flour dessert. Peel the layers for extra fun.

Krong Kreang Grob is deep-fried flour with a peppery coating. Interesting but not exactly what I'd expect in a dessert or snack.

Trinidad Pelau

I first saw this recipe on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, there was this particular Trinidadian restaurant in Seattle, Washington, the proprietor made an interesting version of this traditional Trinidadian dish, which is essentially first cooking chicken with a caramelized brown sugar sauce, then further with rice and beans and vegetables and spices. They didn't provide her recipe, likely a secret, so I did an Internet search and found this "foolproof" recipe. I write "foolproof", because we did not follow the recipe exactly, and thus it didn't come out quite as expected; we neglected to soak the rice ahead of time (more a measure of time, but also because we forgot to) and we decided to make it in a rice cooker - this turned out well and tasty, but the rice was not quite cooked through, so a little chewy; the second time we made it, we soaked the rice and made it in our large stainless steel pot, it turned out far better. This is a great recipe, and one we'll make again, I'm sure, essentially a one-pot recipe that makes lots. Apparently, Pelau is preferred either wet, or dry and grainy; this will determine how dry you cook the rice. I think ours came out the latter, which was good.

Trinidad Pelau
4-5 lbs chicken, cut into pieces and washed with lime/lemon juice
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp ketchup
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or crushed
1 tsp fresh ginger, crushed
2 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2-3 Tbsp cilantro
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (optional)
1 green onion or chive, chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 tsp dried)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 cups water
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into coins
1 can coconut milk
1 can pigeon peas, strained and washed
3 cups of long grain brown rice
1 tsp butter (optional)

Cut and wash the chicken pieces with the lime or lemon juice, then add the salt, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, garlic, ginger, onion, tomato, cilantro, black pepper, hot pepper (if using), green onion and thyme, mixing to coat all the chicken pieces. Marinate for at least 1 hour.

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium to high heat. Then add the brown sugar and heat until the sugar goes to a dark frothy brown.

Add the pieces of chicken, stirring to coat with the caramel. Cover the pot and allow to cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Put both the peas and carrot pieces into the same bowl you seasoned the chicken with and stir to coat. Add the peas and carrots to the pot. Cover with the lid and turn down the heat as you wash the rice.

Pour the rice into the pot, then the coconut milk and the three cups of water. Stir well and bring to a boil. Then cover the pot and allow to simmer for about 35 minutes or until all the liquid is gone and the grains of rice are tender and plump.

For extra flavour, add the teaspoon of butter as you turn off the heat to the stove. Stir the contents. Cover the pot for about 5 minutes.

Ecuacocao Alteza Dark Chocolate Ecuador

I like chocolate from Ecuadorean cacao beans, so I was intrigued as to this offering from Ecuacocoa, as it's been hit or miss for me for chocolate bars from there. This is different than those I have previously tried, as, like El Rey in Venezuela, Ecuacacao is an Ecuadorean company using their national "Arriba Flavour" cacao beans. This is a Dark chocolate, at 65% cacao content. The ingredient listing is good, cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin and vainillin (how they spell it in Spanish countries).

How does it taste? Really good, fruity, and it smells fairly good. It snaps well. Overall, a very good chocolate bar, and one I would purchase again (and would like to see more in their line). Cost me about $3 from a Health Food store.

Trumpf Gourmet Bitter & Cocoa Nibs

The second of the chocolate bars from the German chocolatier Trumpf features cocoa nibs. It is a Dark chocolate, with 74% cacao content. The ingredient listing is good, cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, cocoa nibs, soya lecithin and flavouring.

How does it taste? Better than the other one, very chocolate-y. The cocoa nibs are crunchy, but small enough that they don't cause a problem. I would buy this bar again.

Hans Freitag Mignon Waffeln

I've tried other versions of this hazelnut creme-filled wafers drenched with chocolate, this is a tasty version from Hans Freitag in Germany. The hazelnut taste of the hazelnut creme is fairly strong (the hazelnut content is 6%), and the chocolate was not bad, though is a milk chocolate (at 30% cacao content). I think I would buy these again.

Rosehip Juice

I've had rosehip as a tea, as a Vitamin C, as a jelly, eaten it raw, but never have I had rosehip juice. Rosehips are the fruit of wild roses, and are high in Vitamin C; they have other health benefits, including benefiting circulation of blood, kidney, stomach and ulcers. This juice from Azerbaijan is 100% rosehip juice, with no added sugar and not from concentrate. It tastes quite interesting, a little "medicinal" in flavour. I don't know that I could drink it other than as a health benefit.