These posts are quickly becoming one of my favourite to put together. I love sharing new-to-me foods as well as old favourites that have returned to my life.
So far we’ve seen:
- 7 Foods I’m loving right now – March
- 14 Foods I’m loving lately – April
- 12 things I’m loving lately – July
Don’t forget to tell me about your current food obsessions in the comments below!
Note: I purposely left all forms of squash, pumpkin butter, and apple butter off my list because that all goes without saying for this girl.
Ready….set….go!
1. Pomegranates
This is the time of the year when I mourn summer berries being out of season. To console myself, I like to think of pomegranates as off-season berries because they are so rich in antioxidants. Yes, I know they aren’t berries, but let’s pretend. Toss these little guys on salads to add a fun crunch and burst of antioxidant power. Just don’t try blending them in a smoothie without straining….that little experiment of mine, was…grainy to say the least. Apparently there are some things a Vitamix cannot pulverize!
2. Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Vegan Sausage
There are simply no words for how much I adore this Field Roast grain and veggie based sausage. I finally tracked it down at Organic Garage and sampled all three flavours this summer. The apple sage flavour is by far my favourite. I like to pan fry it and throw it into quinoa salads or just stuff it in a bun with a little BBQ sauce and apple butter. Eric is a huge fan and even said he would eat this over a meat sausage any day. Each sausage has 26 grams of protein, zero trans fat and cholesterol, and just 1 gram of sat. fat.
3. Freshly Grated Nutmeg
Pre-ground nutmeg doesn’t hold a candle to freshly grated nutmeg; I’ve known this all along. Then why has it been so long since I grated the fresh stuff? Have you ever compared the two? It’s unreal. I sometimes forget this little fact and when I do go back to the fresh stuff I’m quickly reminded just how amazing the fresh stuff is (this is true for all spices really!). Plus, grating nutmeg take seconds and the aroma that fills the air is so comforting. If you’re like me you get a free nail filing at the same time.
4. Adzuki Bean Tabbouleh
I’m so over rainy fall weather. Give me sunshine in the fall and I’m a happy camper. Give me rain, doom, and gloom and I suddenly wish fall never existed. My relationship with fall is complicated. Anyway, this salad brings me a small dose of summer and sunshine back to my life, which is why I made it over the rainy weekend. You can’t help but feel happy when you eat quinoa tabbouleh served on top of kale!
5. Coconut Jam by Cocovie
Umm, say what? I know. Have you ever heard of coconut jam? This world keeps getting crazier. When I spotted this in Organic Garage a couple months ago, it was thrown into my cart so fast your head would spin. It’s made with just coconut milk and raw coconut sugar. Much like coconut oil, when it’s chilled it firms up and when it’s at room temp or warmed, it softens. You can use it as a spread or topping on all kinds of foods. Perhaps with a few tweaks to my coconut milk condensed milk, I might be able to make this jam at home. Hrrrmm…the wheels are spinning.
6. Edamame
Looking for a fun high-protein snack to throw into packed lunches? Meet edamame. I love to top salads with edamame or enjoy some for an afternoon snack. I could seriously eat an entire bag of this stuff in one sitting. It has a strange power over me. Don’t even tell me to remove the skins either…I love it all.
7. Whole Grain Mustard
For a long time, I only bought regular mustard and Dijon mustard. Yawn. Well recently, my wild child came out and I gave whole grain mustard a try. Whoa. How did I not try this before? It’s amazing in dressings and sauces and I just love the hearty, crunchy texture of the seeds. New kitchen staple, hello!
8. Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Raw Protein
I tried a sample of this protein powder a month ago and loved it so much I bought a bag of it. This Warrior Blend is a non-rice protein powder featuring a mix of easy-to-digest pea, cranberry, and hemp proteins. It’s easily the best protein powder I’ve tried to date and isn’t chalky like some protein powders can be. The downside is that it’s priced like gold, so try to buy it on sale to get the biggest bang for your buck. I justified my purchase because I go through protein powder very, very slowly – a bag will easily last me 3-4 months. They also have a chocolate flavour which I will be sampling soon!
9. Acetaia La Bonissima Balsamic Vinegar
It’s really sad to think how long I stared at this bottle in the grocery store to make sure it was actually balsamic vinegar. Darn you, label. Thankfully, it was worth it. This stuff is the real deal. I use it for salad dressings, roasting veggies, balsamic reductions, etc.
10. Allegro Ready, Set, Go! Tea
I purchased this tea on our trip in B.C. when I was running on about 4 hours sleep many nights (as you can see it got a bit busted in my suitcase!). This tea brought me back to life in the morning. It’s described as “assertive, yet balanced, with a hint of cinnamon”. I’ll take 743 please. I’d like to think it rubbed off on me too. Next time someone asks you what your personality traits are, you can end your description saying, “with a hint of cinnamon”.
Now my favourite part – let me know below what foods you can’t get enough of right now!
Please tell me where those candle holders are from! They’re puuurrtyy :)
Thank you – it was a set from Costco 2-3 years ago. :)
oh man, any idea what the brand or set was called? must track them down somewhere… hehehe:)
I’m sorry I don’t recall. I just checked the set and there isn’t a brand name on it anywhere. Maybe Costco will bring it back sometime this holiday season!
Trader Joe’s Sunflower Butter. I could eat it endlessly – sweet, just slightly salty, and stick to your mouth gooey. Oh, and a big glob melted on a bowl of pipping hot pumpkin oatmeal….wow.
great list! I haven’t heard of half of them but now I have some things to keep in mind! thanks! (:
Thanks for a fantastic post, Angela! Always fun to be introduced to new flavors. I’m a brand new vegan, and I really need to get my hands on those sausages NOW.
I’ve been all over edamame this month, as well as sourcing my proteins from legumes (I never, ever used to cook with beans.)
I love when you do these lists – you always eat the best stuff! I use Sun Warrior in all my funky smoothies. You are so right about it being easy to digest!
Fresh nutmeg is a staple in my kitchen. I also love cinnamon sticks. There’s nothing like freshly ground cinnamon!
I looove those apple sage field roast sausages too! When we first tried them I thought there must be some sugar added because of the slight sweetness, but there’s not–it’s just the apple! Yum!
FIGS!!! My parents live in the Niagara region and started growing Figs 2 years ago. It’s amazing how many and how great they taste. I cut up 2 or 3 for a little snack to take to work. I need to find some great Fig recipes!
FIg Pizza!
Yum. I’m going to have to try those sausages! I think my brain is stuck holding on to summer, while fall attacks. I’ve been loving mango (only in the frozen variety here this time of year) and soup. Any kind of soup!
Totally with you on the pomegranates and edamame! I can’t get enough of those two lately! I have been loving freeze dried edamame in addition to the fresh stuff! Its so crunchy and delicious! Addictive too!
Mmmm, I’m right there with ya on the mustard and nutmeg. Now if only I can find those sausages!
If you are near a Whole Foods – they carry the Field Roast sausages.
I also love edemame! Such a great snack. I like it warm on its own and cold in salads.
Peppermint tea, chamomile tea, and cinnamon green tea… You’d think I’d never seen liquid in my life I go through so many cups! Must be a cool-weather thing. :)
Hi Lydia. Where would one purchase cinnamon green tea? My two favourite things! Thanks.
I found pomegranate SEEDS at Costco last fall! Not having to peel anything took my obsession to a whole new level!
I’d love to see the machine that removes the seeds!
They sell those at Trader Joes too! LOVE.
Right now I can’t seem to eat enough beets (but limit myself since they can have adverse “side effects” when releaving oneself). But I love them roasted, in juices, and more recently in a veggie burger at our local vegetarian restaurant. I eat one serving in some form every day. Mmm!
Are the sausages by chance gluten free??
Hi Karen, Unfortunately not – they are made with a base of vital wheat gluten.
I love the candles they are so lovely,and coconut jam I never heard of it! I am going to half to try it looks so yummy!!!
I LOVE Fieldroast sausages in Apple Sage, my favourite new food find; I’ll be blogging about them soon. I’m also loving Dark Chocolate Dreams chocolate and peanut butter spread by Peanut Butter Co which is vegan. I can only find it at Oakville’s Whole Foods, but luckily that’s near you!
Dark Chocolate Dreams/Peanut Butter Co. is also sold at Target here in the states … not sure if it’s the same in Canada, but thought I’d share!
Chickpeas, almond butter, and peppermint tea. And I’m always, always about the red sweet bell pepper. Thanks for sharing another list and your recent time in BC!
I love love love pomegranates, they are totally worth the work to get those little jewels of juice out! I “discovered” permission fruit over the week. They are super cool! Apparently you eat them like an apple and the skin has a snap to it, the inside is filled with incredibly juicy sweet orange like flavors. Just when you think it’s all the same consistency you run across a little pocket of juice filled goodness.
Ha! I have no idea if that described the fruit very well….go try for yourself!!
Persimmons are amazing! I used to eat them all the time when I lived in Israel (apparently they’re as common in Israel as apples are here in the US – wno knew?), and I love them. I’m glad to know there are other persimmon fans out there! :)
I’ve had them before, but I don’t remember what I thought of them. I’ll have to pick them up again soon!
Love these post of yours! Thank you so much!!! I go back and forth on the field roast sausage. The chipolte is crazy hot! My teen loves them! Sometimes they are bit oily for me but I agree apple sage is the best! I second edamame as being awesome!
I agree about the chipolte – much spicier than I thought it was going to be! It was a bit overpowering to my taste buds.