Category Archives: Health/Nutrition

Women Getting It Done, Part I: Amina Harris of The Hive

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Amina Harris, the "Queen Bee,'' at The Hive.
Amina Harris, the “Queen Bee,” at The Hive.

Woodland, CA — You’ve probably done wine tastings, cheese tastings, even olive oil tastings.

But have you ever indulged in a honey tasting?

If not, you need to experience one — pronto.

At The Hive Tasting Room & Kitchen, the largest honey tasting room in California, you can sample honey that naturally tastes like marshmallows (Northwestern Meadowfarm from Central Oregon), cardamom (California Coriander from the Sacramento Valley), Red Hots (High Plains Sweet Clover from the Midwest), and so much more.

I had the pleasure of doing exactly that last month when I was invited in for a visit.

Ishai Zeldner grew fascinated with bee keeping while living in Kibbutz Beit Hashita in Northern Israel. So much so that when he returned to the United States, he immediately dove even further into bee research by enrolling at the University of California at Davis. He went on to become a commercial beekeeper, even bottling his own California Yellow Star Thistle honey with its delightful creme brulee-like taste.

The Hive is a production facility, as well as a tasting room and cafe.
The Hive is a production facility, as well as a tasting room and cafe.
All manner of honey varietals are available.
All manner of honey varietals are available.

Zeldner passed away in 2018, but not before instilling in his family a true passion for bees and honey that continues to this day.

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Sponsored Post: Overnight-Oats Pazazz Apple Muffins with Peanut Butter and Honey-Roasted Peanuts

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Pazazz apples star in these hearty muffins made with overnight oats and spelt flour.
Pazazz apples star in these hearty muffins made with overnight oats and spelt flour.

Peanut butter smeared on crunchy apple slices have got to be one of the easiest, most nutritious, and most deliciously satisfying snacks around.

Now, I’ve taken that dynamic duo one step further by transforming those irresistible flavors into a moist and hearty muffin. What’s more, they’re full of good-for-you whole grains and juicy pieces of Pazazz apples, and get fancifully finished with a drizzle of creamy peanut butter and a shower of chopped honey-roasted peanuts.

If that isn’t the perfect way to greet the day or perk up an afternoon, I don’t know what is.

Bake a batch of “Overnight-Oats Pazazz Apple Muffins with Peanut Butter and Honey-Roasted Peanuts” to celebrate National Peanut Month in March and to mark National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day that was March 1.

Pick up juicy, snappy, late-season Pazazz apples at your local grocery store.
Pick up juicy, snappy, late-season Pazazz apples at your local grocery store.

March also is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a good reminder that a healthy diet full of fiber can go a long way to prevent what is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

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Locale to Your Door

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Locale's Miso wild salmon bowl.
Locale’s Miso wild salmon bowl.

These days, there are many ways to get prepared food delivered right to your door, be it from restaurants or meal kit services.

Bay Area-based Locale offers yet another option, one with some interesting advantages.

It was co-founded in 2020 by Chris Clark, who worked for a time in investment banking and venture capital. Like so many of us, he struggled to maintain a healthful diet while working long hours. So, he came up with Locale, a prepared meal service with dishes that are high in protein, fiber, and organic produce, and contain no processed ingredients.

Each meal is packed not in a plastic takeout container, but in a large reusable glass jar. The food needs only be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop to enjoy. The jars can be left for pickup with your next order or simply reused or recycled on your own.

Six Locale meals delivered to my door in an insulated tote bag.
Six Locale meals delivered to my door in an insulated tote bag.

Locale makes deliveries each Monday to as far north as Marin, as east as Sacramento and as south as Carmel. The meals arrive in insulated totes, and are designed to be consumed within that week.

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Crunch-A-Licious Chickpeas

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Roasted to a deep crunch, these chickpea snacks satisfy when you want a crispy nosh.
Roasted to a deep crunch, these chickpea snacks satisfy when you want a crispy nosh.

Chickpeas are an indispensable legume. They’re what give hummus its body. They bulk up soups, stews, and salads, and add a lovely nutty flavor.

They also give potato chips a run for their money in the form of Festive Chickpeas, a snack of crispy, fried garbanzos that have 5 grams of protein, 190 milligrams of potassium, and 4 grams of dietary fiber per 1-ounce serving.

They come in a variety of flavors, of which I received samples recently. They are soy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and vegan (with the exception of the BBQ variety). They are roasted in canola oil, then seasoned with sea salt, sugar, yeast extract, and other seasonings.

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Chef Jeremy Fox’s Yellow Eye Soup with Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans

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Yes, there's a lot of garlic in this veggie-bean soup, but you'll welcome it, I promise.
Yes, there’s a lot of garlic in this veggie-bean soup, but you’ll welcome it, I promise.

If I told you this soup takes more than two heads of garlic to make, would you balk?

Fear not, though, because that copious amount won’t result in a dish (or home-cook) that reeks. The garlic taste is prominent to be sure, but it’s not aggressively sharp or overwhelming pungent. Instead, it gives this vegan bean and veggie soup a deep, delicious flavor that you taste and feel all the way to your core. In other words, the kind of soup your body craves especially at this time of year.

“Jeremy Fox’s Yellow Eye Soup” is from the new “The Bean Book” (Ten Speed Press, 2014), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Steve Sando, the founder of Napa’s Rancho Gordo, a specialty food company known for growing and sourcing heirloom beans prized by discriminating chefs and home-cooks around the country; and Julia Newberry, general manager of Rancho Gordo.

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