Product Review: New Cascadia Gluten-free Bagel.

By Dr. Samantha Brody, On May 7, 2012

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Photo from New Cascadia Traditional.

I grew up in Connecticut with parents who migrated there from Brooklyn and Queens because, well, that’s what most of their peers aspired to. As was the tradition in his family, my father and I went to the deli every Sunday morning and picked out a dozen slightly overdone bagels. Salt or plain. Thin sliced Nova Lox. Whipped cream cheese. And Kenny, behind the counter at Gold’s, would always give me a big fat salted pretzel. On a good day (if the Giants were playing and might actually stand a chance) I could also talk my dad into getting me a few of those little mini salamis that would hang off of the back wall like crepe paper streamers at a birthday party.

You can imagine my horror when I moved to Portland and found that the bagels here are, well, not bagels. Almost 20 years after my arrival we did get one place in town that had almost an East coast bagel, but alas they just got bought out by some big chain who, of course, just ate them up and didn’t bother to keep the recipe.

Truthfully, after the initial shock I didn’t really care. I’ve been off of wheat for years and I’m not really a carb cravin’ kind of girl. But funny enough, now that I’m gluten-free as well (feeling so much better by the way, but that’s another post altogether) I’m a bit more focused on the specialty items in the store. Today at the co-op I saw a gluten-free bagel by New Cascadia Traditional. If I didn’t actually roll my eyes I’d be surprised, but thankfully I was alone.

I bought it.

I brought it home.

I toasted it.

I took a tiny bite. Then I ate the whole thing.

Lo and behold, it was good! The texture was bagel-like. Not perfect. Not Gold’s. But certainly as close as any so-called bagel I’ve gotten in Portland in the last 2 decades. The outside is crunchy, the inside chewy. There’s a tiny bit of bitter taste to the dough, but with toppings, it’s barely noticeable.

Next weekend I’m going on a hunt for Nova lox (ooh, I bet I know who will have the answer to that.) And I’m going to serve my five-year-old bagels and lox. Perhaps it will become a new tradition.

 

Product Review: Oregon Cracker Company’s Harvest Bounty Multigrain Crackers.

By Dr. Samantha Brody, On August 13, 2011

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Little so likely to be disappointing as a new gluten-free cracker. But alas, Oregon Cracker has beaten the odds! These new crackers carried by our local coop are actually delicious. So delicious, as a matter of fact, that I’ve been sitting at my computer dipping them in Earth Balance soy-free spread (we’re out of real butter) for the better part of the last half an hour. They’re not mealy, not too sweet, and best of all no nasty after taste. Gluten, soy, dairy, and corn-free to boot. My kid is allergic to rice, oddly, so he can’t eat them but the more the merrier for mom and dad.

I’d pair them with a hard cheese if I ate cheese. Ooh, a hard cheese and some quince paste. Hmmmm…

It would have made me a little happier if they had a bit more fiber but that’s a common problem with gluten-free crackers. But that is my only complaint. They’re available at People’s coop, Food Front coop and Alberta coop all in Portland. Oh, they’re locally made, in Corvalis. Bonus.

Which Sunscreens are Safe and Effective?

By Dr. Samantha Brody, On June 13, 2011

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There is a great deal of controversy in the natural products industry about whether sunscreen is safe to put on our bodies. And this, of course begs the question of whether we need sunscreen at all. It is my personal opinion that sun is *gasp* good for us! Now that said, without question, sunburn is not good for us. I come down on the side of wearing sunscreen if you are at risk of burning or have a history of burning. Or, if you have a personal increased risk of skin cancer. Oh, and I wear sunscreen on my face because I have bought into the dominant paradigm and wish to postpone the inevitable (sigh.)

There is a fabulous website by a group called the environmental working group that has numerous articles on sunscreen, cancer risk, and risks and benefits of sun exposure. They also have rated many sunscreens on several factors and they  have a list of which sunscreens contain ingredients that are known to be harmful to humans (and lab animals.) I was fascinated by several of these articles. I highly recommend you check it out.

 

Edited to add: The FDA released new regulations regarding sunscreen labeling today! Here is a summary of the regulations in the LA Times.

 

 

 

Product Review: Chia Goodness Cereal

By Dr. Samantha Brody, On March 18, 2011

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I was skeptical about this cereal because of the whole Chia pet thing. I mean, you eat that?

But, as it is it’s my job to taste all things healthy I went ahead and bought Chia Goodness Cereal to give it a try. And I’ll be…it’s actually good!

Chia, or salvia hispanica is an extremely nutritious seed with high levels of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. The brand Chia Goodness has mixed chia seeds with various things to come up with some mighty delicious cereal. The only deal breaker here for some may be texture. If you like tapioca you’re all good but if that texture doesn’t work for you, you should skip this cereal.

My son likes the apple almond cereal which has chia, buckwheat, hemp, dried fruit, a little bit of sweetener and of course, cinnamon. You prepare the cereal by adding milk (or milk alternative) and letting it soak for about 5 minutes before you eat it- I prefer to add double the amount of milk they recommend. We use unsweetened Tempt vanilla hemp milk and it is just the right amount of sweet. Personally I like this flavor mixed with the plain unsweetened version. There is also a chocolate/cocoa version that is delish…but that’s dessert, not breakfast.

You can add additional nuts, or a dollop of yogurt…or even some extra dried fruit if you’re they sweet type.

Gluten free, even.

 

Enjoy!

-Dr Samantha

Product Review: Moo Moo’s Poblano Chick (Pea) Patties

By Dr. Samantha Brody, On October 17, 2010

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As a rule of course I prefer fresh food but we always keep a few things in the freezer that we can cook up quickly in a pinch. After a long weekend in San Francisco we were home just late enough and the fridge was just empty enough that after feeding the kid, I resorted to perusing the freezer stash.

I’m a sucker for a well designed box, so I had unreasonably high hopes for this frozen entrée. It was a disappointment. I couldn’t even bring myself to eat it. The corn side dish was quite tasty but the patties tasted remarkably like hummus made from a powdered mix. The taste is ok but the texture is disturbing to say the least.

I briefly considered frying them to see if it helped but I’m just too beat from our trip. My husband, who will eat just about anything will finish this off for lunch tomorrow and I’m going to throw together an egg sandwich before I head out to do some grocery shopping so I don’t have to repeat this tomorrow night.

Edited to add: My husband wouldn’t even eat them. That’s not good.