The First Step to More

They say all big journeys start with a single step. I say if I want to change how Americans look at food the best place to start is with my own family’s dinner plate. Now this is a challenge as my guy is a typical Midwestern-raised, corn-fed man who would happily eat chicken wings, green beans and beer every night of the week So I am constantly sneaking in new items onto the dinner table when my family isn’t looking. I have found that the key to acceptance is usually just naming the dish to be something that sounds familiar.

My favorite new dish that I am sneaking onto the dinner table is couscous. It is ridiculously simple to make and very tasty to eat. Couscous looks kind of like rice but it is actually more like a tiny little pasta. It is perfect for a night when you need side dish in a hurry as it cooks in about 5 minutes. Couscous is traditionally a North African or Middle Eastern dish but don’t let the fact it is from a region whose cuisine you aren’t familiar with deter you from giving couscous a try. The flavor of couscous is really mild so it works well in all kinds of dishes. You can find couscous on the ethnic aisle or near the rice in your grocery store.

Below is a really simple basic couscous recipe. Try it in the place of rice one night and let me know what you think. Just tell your family it is tiny pasta and I bet they will probably like it too.

Couscous

1 cup dry couscous

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

-Put vegetable broth and olive oil into a pot and bring to a boil.

-Pour in 1 cup dry couscous. Stir well.

-Cover pot, turn off heat and let sit for 5-6 minutes.

-When ready to serve, give couscous a quick stir before spooning onto serving dish.

Getting Out of the Rut

Did you know that 1 in 5 Americans have a diet that regularly consists of 10 or less foods total?? Seriously, I read that in Gourmet magazine some time ago. Now why in the world when there are so many delicious foods out there would a person recycle the same chicken dish and the same boxed mac and cheese night after night? Maybe it is just that people get in a rut or they just don’t have time to go look for something new to try.

That is where I come in. I am constantly trying new dishes then coming up with a way to make them simple enough for anyone to prepare. This blog is my way to share. So if you are interested stay tuned and lets try some new foods together.

Loyalty Declines Along with the Economy

If you are like me you are probably getting a little tired of hearing all the economy doom and gloom. However we can't deny the effect the current economic trends are having on food trends, in particular how the average American shops for food. Various surveys and reports have shown there has been a huge shift in how we shop. Brand loyalty is on the decline while deal shopping is all the rage. Coupon usage is way up (so if you happen to be a brand manager issuing those coupons I hope you are keeping a close eye on that redemption budget....the old estimates will not apply!), promotional activity is up and purchases of lower priced private label items is up. What is down? Brand loyalty. According to a survey by Universal McCann only about a third of shoppers are planning to remain brand loyal with about an equal number stating they will only buy a grocery item that is on discount.

Souping it Up

Obviously as we head into the summer months soups may not be at the top of your mind but here is an interesting little trend. Refrigerated soups are a very small sub segment of the retail soup category however according to Mintel, Chicago this small segment has growth that out paces the other types of soup, including canned soups. Refrigerated soups enjoyed 12% growth 2006 to 2008. Why? These soups fit well with current health trends and consumers preference for "fresher" options. Another advantage with refrigerated soups is that the manufacturing process is easier to modify, so manufactures can modify flavors and varieties to adapt to seasonal preferences. So next time you are are at the grocery store check out the refrigerated soup options and see if there is anything there that appeals to you.

A Popular Nut to Crack

Did you know that almond consumption in the US has doubled in the past 8 years? According to Mintel Global New Products 2007 Database they are the second most frequently used nut in new nut containing food products. Just think of all the wonderful foods you see on shelf these days that contain almonds, like confections, baked goods, cereals and ice creams.

So what is making this nut so popular these days? Well for starters , of course, almonds are plain old fashion delicious but there is more to them than just taste. They are popular with food manufactures because they are a very low moisture nut with naturally high levels of antioxidants making them a very stable ingredient and easier to work with than some other varieties of nuts. Another factor adding to the almond appeal is the fact that they are one of the healthiest nuts around. Compared ounce to ounce to other nuts, almonds are highest in lots of key nutrients like protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin and niacin. But it is not just about what is in almonds, they are also attractive for what is not in them as well - lots of extra calories. Almonds are also among the lowest calorie type of nut.

So as you are looking for a delicious new ingredient for your next creation, consider the almond. Popular, versatile, nutrient packed and delicious almonds can be a great addition to many dishes.

Grease Pirates

Some trends are not necessarily a good thing. One of the newest rising trends in the food industry is grease piracy. Have you heard of this one? People are stealing used cooking oil or grease from restaurants and selling it to biodesiel companies to be recycled into fuel. Apparently there is profits to be had in the used cooking oil (and to think most of us home cooks probably just think of used cooking oil as a messy hassle rather than a potential profit center).

According to April issue of Gourmet Magazine, the average restaurant can produce 35-50 gallons of used cooking oil per week and they can sell it for about $1.50 per gallon to refineries who recycle the grease into gasoline alternatives. That represents a potential income of $3,000-$4,000 per year per restaurant. Of course if grease pirates start raiding multiple restaurants their potential profit stream goes up substantially. One man was arrested last year in California with more than 2,000 gallons of stolen oil in his tanker that he had siphoned off from various restaurants. I guess people can turn anything into a black market commodity. The best thing I can say about this trend is at least this waste product gets recycled in the end.

Foodie 2.0

If you are looking for food and cooking trends you have come to the right place - just let your fingers do the walking on the world wide web! Consumers are looking for a communities that centers around food. Websites, blogs, iPhone applications even twitter exchanges are rushing to fill this need. And there are places for everyone no matter what their particular food interests or level of engagement maybe.


So where are people going on line? Well that totally depends of course. There are the big dedicated food websites like FoodNetwork or Epicurious for people looking for general information and recipes. These monster sites get more than a million hits a month! There are tons of branded food recipe sites like Kraft that can help you with all kinds of semi-homemade recipes...using their products as a base. There are site dedicated to improving your diet like HungryGirl even specialty diet sites like GluttenFreeGirl. There are niche sites for moms like FoodForTots or upcoming sites for the semi-homemade cooks like FunnySpoon. Of course there are more food blogs than you can shake a stick at. (A couple I like are BecomingAFoodie and FoodMayhem.) You don't even have to go looking for food information just down load a recipe widget that can live on your desktop.

So if you want to be on trend for 2009 jump on-line and go searching for like-minded food souls to connect with. There really is something for eveyone out there.