Brown Rice Pasta

If you have gluten allergies or if you are simply looking for a wholesome pasta meal, then you must try the Tinkyada Rice Pasta. It is wheat free and gluten free, it's like pasta just got better! You are going to stay full longer and it tastes nothing different than the regular pasta.

More so, they have all kinds of pasta. They make spaghetti, spirals, penne and even grand shells :)

For a complete list of products see the link below:
http://www.tinkyada.com/ProList.htm

Pour some ready yummy natural pasta sauce like Monte Bene or Whole Foods Generic 365 and you are good to go; your yummy healthy pasta is ready.

Fennel

Fennel seeds, used traditionally in India as an after mint and for digestive purposes, soothe the stomach and aid in digestion. They have a sweet taste and a very distinctive aroma that immediately calms you down.

I also like fennel bulbs to cook with, and often use chunks of fennel in a mixed vegetable medley of broccoli, yam, squash and fennel.

Enjoy fennel seeds as a mouth freshener or simply to curb cravings for sweets. You can find different forms of fennel seeds like roasted fennel seeds, raw fennel seeds and also sugar coated fennel seeds. These are popularly available in Indian grocery stores. You can find Indian grocery stores on Lexington and 28th Street or Jackson Heights in NYC.

I also enjoy a great tasting Fennel Tea made by a brand called Alvita Tea.

Eataly

Eataly is an Italian Market Place that carries all natural foods, just the way they are eaten in Italy. They use produce from local farmers for the foods that are prepared in-house. They have over 10 eateries and a newly opened beer garden called Birreria.

The Restaurants

1. Manzo
Formal dining place serves mostly beef dishes

2. Birreria
Roof top restaurant and brewery

3. La Piazza
In the heart of Eataly, with marble countered bars and standing tables, this place serves cured meets and cheeses paired along with a great wine list.

4. Il Pesce
Traditional Italian seafood, also with a raw bar

5. Le Verdure
All vegetables only, this place can prepare delicious vegetarian dishes

6. La Pizza and Pasta
The name says it all, pizza and pasta only

Eataly Dolci (Sweet)

1. Gelataria
Cannot miss the yummy gelato, my favorite flavor is pistachio and cioccolato

2. Pastecceria
Must stop for the authentic pastries. Love their limoncello baba and chocolate hazelnut muffin, yummy!

3. Caffe Lavazza and Cafe Vergano
The former prepares cafe of different kinds like Latte, Macchiato etc and the latter serves espresso shots.

4. Venchi Cioccolato
The most delicious chocolates.

In addition there is also the Il Panini and Rosticceria that carry paninis to go and the rotisserie chicken and other meats.

Don't forget to visit the bakery and try their focaccia and fresh hand made breads. Their freshly baked focaccia, taste divine. I have tried the mozarella with tomato, the four cheese, the margherita with no cheese and they all simply taste delicious.

They also have a produce market (vegetables and fruits) and a wine store called Italy Vino.

They also opened a school for cooking under the guidance of Chef Lidia Bastianich with unique cooking classes. The school also offers Eataly tours for just 35 dollars per person. Check out their calendar here.

At Eataly, I have tasted their delicious wines from different regions of Italy, I have bought fresh pasta and brought it home and simply added olive oil and lemon and savored its taste, I have enjoyed the gelatos, to the soft juicy flavorful limoncello baba, to the freshly grilled chicken rotisserie, to the flavorful vegetables at Il Verdure. There is not one thing I would ask you to try at this place, the list is overwhelming and so is the place bursting with flavors and choices. Always busy and never a dull moment at Eataly!

The market opened only last year in spring and I remember passing by, looking at the board waiting for it to open. I am so glad I have a place to go to when I need to getaway to Italy!

Visit Eataly at 200 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010 (Entrances on 5th Avenue and 23rd Street) and at the web at http://eatalyny.com/

Spring Berry Yogurt Parfait

I started my day preparing a very easy wholesome morning breakfast, a Berry Yogurt Parfait.

Ingredients
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 medium strawberry sliced
3-4 grapes
6 oz container of plain Greek Yogurt of your choice. I used Olympus 2 % Plain Greek Yogurt.
1/4 cup granola of your choice. I used Whole Foods freshly prepared blueberry almond granola.
6 walnut halves

Note - You could substitute the fruits to blackberries, raspberries, more of strawberries and less of blueberries, any kind of berries you like. They are in season and you can't help but enjoy them.

You need a tall glass for the parfait. Layer the fruits at the bottom, top them with yogurt, gently layer the yogurt with granola and top it with the walnut halves. Your delicious parfait is ready. Go ahead dig in!

O & CO

 While on my vacation to Paris, I walked into O & CO and was so taken over by the selection of olive oils and balsamic vinegars, right then I wanted to commit to eating salads. When I started to put things in my basket to carry it back home, I heard a woman ask "Do you have branches in Canada?" I thought, duh! I have been to this store in New York. We quickly looked through their list of stores around the world and found at least three locations in Manhattan.

You can visit the store and sample the olive oils and vinegar. I absolutely relished the Olive Oil with Lemon, Olive Oil with Pepper and Olive Oil with Mint. I also loved the Mango Fruity Vinegar and although their Fig Vinegar is a bit strong, it tasted yum. Needless to say, I am having salads everyday. Simple salads with mixed greens, lettuce, peppers and cherry tomatoes are so enjoyable and easy to prepare.

The olive oils and vinegars are on the higher end of the price range but they should be, because they are imported from some of the best producers in the Europe. How lucky we are sitting here in America, we get to taste the pure flavors of European foods.

http://www.oliviersandco.com/

Melba Sauce

Ingredients

5 large Strawberries
1 tablespoon Agave syrup
4 oz of red wine with very less tannins (I used Shiraz)

Directions: Blend the above ingredients in a blender to make a smooth puree out of it. Your melba sauce is ready.

You can use this sauce to make a delicious sundae, vanilla ice cream goes best.

1. Start with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass, could be a wine glass and pour some melba sauce over it (about one to two tablespoons).
2. Layer another scoop of vanilla ice cream and pour some more melba sauce over it.
3. Enjoy your vanilla melba sundae and feel free to add nuts as toppings if you like.

Vegan Maple Syrup Cookies

Ingredients
Organic Unbleached All-Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Earth Balance - 4 tablespoons
Organic Maple Syrup - 1/4 cup
Almond Breeze Vanilla Almond Milk - 1/8 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tspn.

1. Mix baking powder and all-purpose flour properly.
2. Use solidified Earth Balance and mix it into the flour with your hands to make a crumb like mixture.
3. Mix Earth Balance thoroughly so that all the flour is mixed in.
4. Add maple syrup and continue to use your hands to mix in thoroughly to make a smooth dough.
5. Add Almond Breeze and continue to mix and finally knead into a ball of dough.
6. The dough will stick to your hands; use a spatula to scrape the dough off your hands.
7. Wash your hands and now divide it into equal portions making small rounds or any shape that you desire.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
8. Let it sit in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until it turns brown.
9. Remove from oven and enjoy fresh baked cookies.
* Yields approximately 16 small cookies.

For my Valentine's Day celebration I made a variation of this cookie. I made two heart shaped cookies. On one cookie, I spread 365 Whole Foods brand Strawberry Fruit Spread and topped the other cookie on it to make a sandwich cookie. Needless to stay it tasted full of love :)