Welcome to the New Year!

Whole grains have been trendy for a number of years now. Along with barley, brown rice, oats, etc., there are recipes all around with different "new" whole grains too - like teff, amaranth, farro, etc. Quinoa (keen-wah) is a fairly new whole grain, but commonly available in stores, simple to cook with, and useable in a variety of recipes.

I remember applesauce and cinnamon as an end to many childhood meals and in my lunchbox for school. As an adult, I find it a quick-to-eat fruit and tend to cook more with applesauce. (Enjoy the brownie recipe with applesauce at the end of this post.)

Nutrition

A half cup of unsweetened applesauce contains around 50 calories, 15g carbohydrates, and 1g fiber, and contains vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C and potassium. Applesauce contain very little fat, sodium, and protein.

Whether ketchup or catsup, this is one popular condiment, with classic uses on French fries and hamburgers, and in sloppy joe recipes. What do you like ketchup with?

A basic ketchup recipe includes tomatoes, vinegar, spices, sugar, and salt. Other vegetables like onion and sweet or hot peppers may be added in some variations. Take notice of sugar and salt in this list of ingredients, as those are important to our discussion in this blog post.

I noticed a while back that my bottle of chili powder had an ingredient list. I never thought about chili powder being a blend of spices, but there it was for me to read. Many commercial blends of chili powder contain ground dry chiles, salt, garlic, and other spices like paprika, cumin, cayenne, oregano, etc.

Nutrition

Spices contain insignificant amounts of fat, carbohydrates, or protein for the small amounts we use in recipes, so they are not an appreciable source of calories.

Our blog specials are back with a series on whole grains! But before grains, I want to talk about salsa verde – or green salsa.

Salsa verde is made from tomatillos and contains similar ingredients to tomato salsas. Tomatillos are small, green fruits with a tart taste. You will find them covered in a papery husk that peels away easily. They are different from green tomatoes, which are unripe tomatoes that have not changed color yet.

While you can buy salsa verde in bottles, I was surprised how easy it was to make. And tasty too!

Barley is a whole-grain that has a chewy mouth-feel. High in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein, this grain adds heft and creaminess to recipes. Beef and barley soup might be a recipe you are familiar with, but we are using barley as a side dish in this blog special.