A “Spam” Musubi That’s Vegan

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A musubi that's not quite what you think it is.
A musubi that’s not quite what you think it is.

It looks exactly like everyone’s guilty-pleasure Hawaiian snack food.

Only this musubi is vegan.

Indeed, this one spotlights a new plant-based version of Spam.

To the growing list of faux “beef,” “chicken,” and other proteins now comes OmniPork.

Designed to mimic pork, it’s made from a blend of non-GMO soy, peas, shiitake mushrooms, and rice. It was developed in Canada by food scientists for Hong Kong-based food innovation company, Green Monday, which owns OmniFoods.

It’s available in three forms — OmniPork Ground, Strips, and Luncheon, each for $5.99 per package. All three can be found in the freezer cases of Sprouts; while the Strips and Ground are carried by select Whole Foods.

When I received samples of all three, I went straight for the Luncheon first, curious to see how it would compare to the familiar stuff in a can. The verdict? Quite impressively.

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Get Your Fun On With Toad-In-A-Hole Sheet-Pan Kimchi Hash Browns

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A novel version of toad-in-a-hole.
A novel version of toad-in-a-hole.

In the United States, it’s the childhood favorite of an egg cooked inside the cut-out-center of a bread slice. In the United Kingdom, it’s the homey dish of stubby sausages baked in airy Yorkshire pudding batter.

Now comes the creative minds of America’s Test Kitchen re-imagining toad-in-a-hole as a big ol’ pan of sunny side-up eggs nestled in a raft of hash browns and kimchi.

How marvelous does that sound!

Best yet, it’s from the new cookbook entitled, Five-Ingredient Dinners: 100+ Fast, Flavorful Meals” (America’s Test Kitchen), of which I received a review copy, meaning it takes few ingredients and little time to actually put together.

The cookbook includes more than 100 recipes for complete meals that are sure to spark the appetite, such as “Steak with Shichimi Togarashi Charred Cabbage Salad,” “Chipotle Shrimp Risotto,” “Grilled Garam Masala Chicken, Tomatoes, and Naan with Chutney” and “Chili-Crisp Steak with Rice Noodles.”

Like most five-ingredient cookbooks, this one does take some liberties, most notably not counting staple ingredients, which would then put the count over. That’s why with each recipe, you’ll see a box labeled “Staple Ingredients” that you’ll also need, including salt, pepper, extra-virgin olive oil or unsalted butter.

“Toad-in-a-Hole Sheet-Pan Kimchi Hash Browns” was simply too much fun to pass up making.

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One Of The Best Butters In The World Just Got Even Better

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French butter flavored with loads of raspberries -- a taste sensation to make you sit up and take notice from the first taste.
French butter flavored with loads of raspberries — a taste sensation to make you sit up and take notice from the first taste.

Let’s be clear: I have not tried every single butter in the world.

I just know that the latest products from France’s Le Beurre Bordier completely floored me.

I had already been captivated by its regular salted butter. But its seasonal Framboise (raspberry) and Bear’s Garlic & Kampot Pepper butters made me fairly gasp as they melted languidly on my palate.

Mass-produced butter can be made in a day. Founder Jean Yves Bordier needs 72 hours to turn milk from local farmers in Brittany into his high-fat, small-batch butter. He only makes the butter on demand, too, so it’s as fresh as it gets.

Campbell’s The Frenchery, a French online marketplace of gourmet food products, is the only retailer in the world to carry the entire line of Le Beurre Bordier butters (aside from Le Beurre Bordier, itself). The Frenchery pre-orders the butter ahead of time, and takes possession of it once arrives at Los Angeles International Airport. All in all, it’s about two weeks time from when the butter is made to when it gets on your table.

Thanks to The Frenchery, I had a chance to taste samples of these special seasonal butters. Like any Le Beurre Bordier, these two butters are softer than conventional ones. So much so that if you leave the bricks of butter out on the counter, they will soften to perfect spreadable consistency in only about 15 minutes.

You can’t miss the raspberry butter ($12), not with its vivid raspberry salt-water-taffy color through and through.

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Tasty For Kids, But Sure To Please Adults, Too!

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Would you believe there's butternut squash in this ready-to-drink smoothie?
Would you believe there’s butternut squash in this ready-to-drink smoothie?

With their cheery, colorful designs featuring a cute, overall-clad cow on the bottles, Clover The Rainbow smoothies are clearly intended for kids.

But the worst kept secret is they are so delicious and satisfying that adults will surely be clamoring for them, too.

The new product by family-owned Clover Sonoma is all organic. It’s full of fruit. And psst, it also contains vegetables.

Just get a load of the three flavors: Blueberry Beet; Strawberry Carrot; and Strawberry Banana Butternut.

I had a chance to try samples recently of all three, which come in single-serve resealable bottles. Just keep refrigerated, and give it a good shake before enjoying.

Keep refrigerated until you're ready to refresh with one.
Keep refrigerated until you’re ready to refresh with one.

All three flavors are creamy, thick, and not overly sweet. Honestly, if you didn’t see the veggies listed predominantly on the front, you might not know they are there, as these smoothies are definitely fruit-forward tasting.

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Blackberry Oatmeal Cake

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Wake up to "Blackberry Oatmeal Cake.''
Wake up to “Blackberry Oatmeal Cake.”

This is not a fluffy, lavishly adorned, and fancifully frosted cake you indulge in wickedly.

Rather, this is a cake that will stick to your ribs and set you up for a long, arduous day ahead.

Yes, “Blackberry Oatmeal Cake” is far from dessert, my friends. It is unapologetically breakfast through and through.

It’s austere and hearty, loaded with a ton of oats, a big handful of toasted pecans, a little strawberry jam for the merest sweetness, and fresh blackberries for summery goodness.

The recipe is from the wonderfully titled new cookbook, “Life Is What You Bake It: Recipes, Stories, and Inspiration to Bake Your Way to the Top” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Vallery Lomas, who knows a thing or two about the energy and sustenance it takes to forge ahead when the going’s not easy.

The Louisiana-native used to only bake for the holidays. But after taking a gap year in France after passing the bar exam, this lawyer found herself captivated by macarons. Who can blame her? So much so that when she returned to New York City to take her first job as an attorney, she somehow managed to set up a side business selling her own macarons, as well.

It wasn’t long before Lomas, who had begun the blog Foodie in New York during her last year of law school, started getting noticed. She was swayed to compete on “The Great American Baking Show,” and ended up not only triumphing, but became its first Black winner.

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