Every two years the Southwest Foodservice Expo comes to Houston, showcasing the latest food products and gadgets for restaurants and chefs. Food radio talk show host Cleverley Stone visited the show and brought back some interesting items for us.
For more information about food, wine and dining in Houston, catch Cleverley’s radio show on Saturdays at Noon on KIKK-CNN 650 AM. (By the way, she gives out free restaurant gift certificates on every radio show!)
Fabulous Finds at the Southwest Foodservice Expo
1. Hari Singh-Dallas, Texas
Kulfi Indian Ice Cream – uses only 4 ingredients plus a flavor.
Available at Indian stores and Central Market www.kaurinas.com
2. El Matador-Baytown, Texas
Reddy Bread – Gluten free tortillas made with flax and soy.
Heart healthy bread developed by a leading cardiologist in Sugar Land.
Does not increase blood sugar in most people, low carb & sugar free. www.ReddyBread.com
3.Sheila Partin-Houston, Texas Partin’s Sweet Sour Dough Bread
Made with no eggs and no milk! Available in 30 states.
Responded to slider trend with smaller buns in 5 flavors
4. Mexican Fortune Cookie Company-San Antonio, Texas
Fortune cookies shaped like tacos with bi-lingual fortunes inside. www.OriginalMexicanFortuneCookie.com
5. John Fails, CH Guenther & Son
Moist & delicious chocolate brownies, 50% whole grain & no trans fats. www.CHGuenther.com
6. David Waller, Your Green 2 Go-Houston, Texas
Disposable biodegradable tableware & take-out containers, made from bamboo. www.YourGreen2Go.com
7. Patty Russell, Carbon-Off Pot & Pan Cleaner www.Acemart.com
8. Tim Campbell, Chef Pack Everything chefs need in a backpack www.ChefPak.com
Gracie Cavnar, founder of Recipe for Success, Monica Pope, chef and owner of t’afia restaurant, and students Kierra Palmer and Ronson Hawkins, demonstrate for food radio talk show host, Cleverley Stone, how to make three different easy summer salsas.
About Recipe for Success
Recipe for Success Foundation was launched in 2005 by Gracie and Bob Cavnar to lead the way in proactive programming to prevent childhood obesity. In just a few years, it has grown to the largest outreach of it’s kind in the nation, empowering over 3,000 children each and every month with its signature Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ and other initiatives to change the way they understand, appreciate and eat their food.
What is salsa?
Salsa is a Spanish word for sauce. So what we call salsa and eat as a dip with chips is really a sauce! Salsas can be cooked or raw but most recipes are for raw ingredients that are allowed to infuse; you can also serve salsas hot or cold (if serving them hot, heat right before serving).
Salsa 1-2-3!
Step 1: Choose Ingredients for color, texture & flavor.
Most salsas are made with fruit (YES, fruit!) – tomatoes, tomatillos, cucumbers, mangoes, papaya.
You can also use vegetables, like mushrooms.
The French make a kind of salsa when they make a vegetable “brunoise,” which are tiny cubes of leek
and carrots. Then add red onion, shallot, garlic, and chiles (red bell peppers, jalapeno)
Step 2: Chop Ingredients – must be small!
Step 3: Infuse with flavor.
It’s important to infuse your fruit or vegetable salsa to give it lots of flavor – this means scenting it
with herbs (cilantro is the most commonly used herb but you can also use parsley, thyme or oregano)
and also moistening it with acid (lemon juice, lime juice or vinegar) and oil.
Equipment list
Chef knife
Cutting board
Citrus reamer
Bowl
Spoon
Plastic wrap
1-2-3 Fruit Salsa
Inspired by an original recipe created for Recipe for Success by Chef Monica Pope
Yield 4 cups
Ingredients
¼ pineapple
1 papaya
2 kiwi
1 mango
1 red bell pepper
2 jalapenos
1 bunch cilantro
1 red onion
2 limes, juiced
salt to taste
Preparation
1. Remove peel from pineapple. Cut flesh from the core. Chop the pineapple into small pieces.
2. Remove skin from papaya. Scoop out seeds and discard. Cut flesh into small pieces.
3. Remove skin from kiwi. Chop into small pieces.
4. Remove the peel from the mango. Cut the flesh from the seed and chop into small pieces.
5. Cut the red pepper and jalapenos in half. Remove the seeds and the ribs. Chop the peppers into
small pieces.
6. Remove the leaves from the cilantro and tear into small pieces.
7. Chop the onion into small pieces.
8. Add all chopped ingredients to a medium bowl and mix until combined.
9. Cut the limes in half. Squeeze the juice into the bowl and mix.
10. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours.
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1-2-3 Traditional Mexican Salsa
Inspired by an original recipe created for Recipe for Success by Chef Monica Pope
Yield 4 cups
Ingredients
6 large tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 red bell pepper
1 jalapeno
1 red onion
1 avocado
1 bunch cilantro
2 limes
3 T extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
1. Remove seeds from tomatoes and chop.
2. Finely chop garlic cloves.
3. Slice bell pepper and jalapeño in half and remove seeds, finely chop.
4. Chop red onion.
5. Slice avocado in half, remove seed. Slice into strips and squares then scoop out of skin.
6. Remove cilantro leaves from stems and tear into small pieces.
7. Cut limes in half and squeeze juice over ingredients.
8. Mix until combined, cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours.
1-2-3 Vegetable Salsa
Inspired by an original recipe created for Recipe for Success by Chef Monica Pope
Yield 4 cups
Ingredients
¼ fennel
¼ cucumber
1 zucchini
1 leek
1 small tomato
½ red bell pepper
2 T lemon juice or vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T capers
1 t thyme
salt & pepper to taste
Preparation
1. Cut the leek, fennel, cucumber and zucchini into small pieces.
2. Cut tomato in half and remove seeds. Cut into small pieces.
3. Cut the bell pepper in half. Remove seeds and ribs. Cut into small pieces.
4. Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the juice into the bowl.
5. Mix until well combined, cover, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
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