Food Expo Part 2

There were so many interesting food products at Food Expo that I hardly know where to start. A number of vendors were at the show from Australia, Korea, Canada, France and Spain. Many were here to introduce their product to those in the food industry, but don't have any distribution in the U.S, at this time.

I was so disappointed when I tasted Simply Delish chunky dips from Australia. They're not available here yet, but should be within the next six months. Don't forget this name. They're the best prepared dips I've tasted, with flavors like pumpkin with nuts and parmesean cheese. Another great one was a mild chile dip.

Another interesting product from Seville, Spain is Ines Rosales Sweet Olive Oil Tortas. They are delicate, crisp tortas, crispy and covered with sugar. They're individually wrapped, and are a great snack or cookie. They can be found in major speciality shops (mostly Mexican grocery stores). I could not find an exact list of where they're sold.

Steels Gourmet (www.steelsgourmet.com) is an interesting company. Right now their products are only available online, but take a look. They sell sauces sweetened with agave. No sugar is used. They have chutneys, carmel, sweet and sour, barbeque. In addition they have fruit spreads, pie fillings and salad dressing. The sauces were just delicious, great for diabetics and dieters, low in calories, and they have great taste.

One of my favorite products at this year's show is Gourmet Mist. It is similar to Pam, but better. First, it is not an aerosol spray, but a pump spray, which is much better for the enviornment. Second, it comes in several varieties, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, canola oil, balsamic+pomegranete, and balsamic+raspberry. The latter two are delicious, so good in fact that you can just spray them on green as a salad dressing. At 5 calories per serving, it's a great product to have on hand. Locally they can be bought at Ralphs and Bristol Farms. I plan to get one or two varieties to keep on hand.

Redwood Hill Farm was at the show sampling their goat milk cheeses. Boy, were there great. I especially enjoyed the smokey cheese. Their products are available at Whole Foods.

Aussie Crunch is a gourmet popcorn company not from Australia, but from Georgia. Go figure. The popcorn is fantastic, and comes in several wonderfully sweet, crunchy flavors. Look for it at Whole Foods and other specialty stores.

Finally, a new product to me, but one that's been around for over 2000 years and originated in the Middle East, is Freekeh. It is green wheat, picked before fully matured, then parched, roasted, smoked and dried. The result is one of the most nutritious super-grains available with more than 4 times as much fiber as rice. I met Bonnie, the woman selling this product. She was recently on the Dr. Oz show telling her story. Basically, she says she lost 130 pounds eating freekeh. You can go to the Dr. Oz website to find out more about it. This is another product from Australia. Freekeh is available at Trader Joe's. It's a crunchy grain, similar to quinoa or brown rice. Check this one out.

I hope this gives you an idea of the vast array of products presented at Food Expo. It must be difficult for buyers to decide which products to carry. There is so much to choose from. It's great for us, the consumer to have so much choice. I hope you will look for some of these new products and give them a try. On my next visit to Trader Joe's I will pick up some freekeh and start experimenting.