Looking for Something Different for Dinner?

(Another of my features originally published in the Times Leader. Check out the two Wheeling businesses, and Wegmans carries Kalettes. No word yet on local bug flour.)

Are you an adventurous eater? Tired of standard beef, potatoes and chicken? If the thought of a Moroccan market sets your heart a-flutter, there may be some foods stateside to satisfy that pioneer spirit.

On the tame end of the spectrum are Kalettes (pronounced kay-lets.) This new vegetable is a combination of kale and Brussels sprouts. Scientists in the UK spent 15 years developing this hybrid through natural plant breeding rather than genetic modification, hence they are non-GMO. Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Whole Foods began carrying them last year.

To some people, crossing these two vegetables is the ultimate “awful” given kale’s sometimes sharp, bitter taste and the sprouts’ somewhat sour flavor, but researchers have tried to bring out the best qualities of each and say the result is more appealing. It looks like a tiny dark green and purple cabbage with ruffled leaves and has a taste that is both sweet and nutty.

They are actually from the same plant family, Brassica oleracea, which also includes broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Of course a one cup serving is packed with nutrition: 15 percent of the RDA in iron; 27 percent of the RDA in Vitamin C; 80 percent of the RDA in Vitamin K; 90 percent of the RDA in iron; 5 grams of fiber. Blanching and roasting seem to be the most popular ways to prepare them, and there are recipes online.

Carnivores may want to give beefalo a try. Just as it sounds, the meat is a cross between cattle and American bison. This is not a new concept or breed. Settlers in North America noticed the results of accidental crossings in the mid-1700s, and in the 1800s ranchers in the United States and Canada began efforts to intentionally crossbreed to develop hardier cattle for harsh winters. For the next 80 years breeders tried to find the optimum combination of bloodlines and determined that 3/8 buffalo to 5/8 cow (usually a beef breed) is that ratio.

Nutritionally, beefalo is lower in fat and cholesterol and has 5 percent more protein than regular beef. Beefalo are grass fed without grain supplements, so they are more self-sufficient eaters and less expensive for ranchers.  The meat is lean and with a slightly sweeter flavor than beef.

Matt Welsch, chef/owner of The Vagabond Kitchen (on Facebook) in Wheeling, has beefalo on his menu regularly saying he “fell in love” when a West Virginia producer had him try it. 

“I have a longstanding relationship with the Utterbacks at Brookside Farm in Aurora,” Welsch explains. “When Mark told me about his lamb and beefalo production, I was excited to try it, and when I did I fell in love. It makes it even better that I know his animals are treated well and they are a good hardworking family.”

While a local grocery store carries regular buffalo meat, Welsch adds that he doesn’t know of another producer in this area, though Pittsburgh stores may carry beefalo. Meanwhile those interested could contact Brookside and stop in for a sandwich or steak at Vagabond Kitchen.

“Beefalo is one of many things we’re proud and excited to bring to the area. We invite folks to come in and give it a try,” notes Welsch. “They’re often pleasantly surprised.”

This is a chicken-fried beefalo steak burger, one of the menu items at The Vagabond Kitchen. Chef Matt Welsch says customers love his beefalo entrees. 

 People may also be surprised at the benefits of hemp seeds and hemp seed oil. To start, Cannabis sativa grown for hemp is not the same as the Cannabis sativa grown for medical or recreational marijuana. By law, the hemp plant can have no more than .03 percent of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC,) and any seeds used for commerce must be sterilized so they cannot produce plants. The hemp plant is fibrous and has been used to make fabric, rope and medicine for over a thousand years in Asia, and it is also legal in the European Union.

Hemp is a nutritional star. One tablespoon of hemp seed oil per day contains the full recommended daily allowance for all essential fatty acids (EFAs,) is a source for gamma linoleic acid (GLA,) as well as being desirably low in saturated fatty acids. Hemp seeds contain 35 to 50 percent high quality, easily-digestible protein.

Benefits to the body include improved cardiovascular health thanks to a 3:1 ratio of (mercury free) omega 6 to omega 3 acids. This also helps beneficial gut flora and aids the autoimmune system. Hemp is high in Vitamin E and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can alleviate skin dryness and slow the aging process. It has been shown to aid in weight loss and regulation of blood sugar.

Douglas Flight, owner of Winkin’ Sun Hemp (www.winkinsunhemp.com,) notes that people using flax seed oil or chia seed, borage oil or evening primrose oil may want to check out hemp seed oil because it has higher omega fatty acids as well as the GLA. Since the seeds contain so much protein, those wanting to reduce animal protein in their diets may also find hemp seeds to their liking.

He says that seeds taste similar to walnuts, sunflower seeds or pine nuts. Eating them in the shell is crunchier and provides more fiber. Seeds come in a variety of flavors, even chocolate covered.   

  Is there something buyers should look for on the label when comparing hemp seeds and oil?

 “If you're picky about ‘organic certification’ then look for the certified logo or emblem. Typically, most hemp seed IS organically grown as it needs no pesticides to grow healthy by nature,” Flight points out. “You'll want to make sure packaging has a nutrition guide outlining the serving size and nutrition content as well as a freshness date stamp or sticker. Seeds and oil have about a 6 to 8 month shelf life, and it should be stored in the refrigerator to extend freshness after opening. We also recommend Canadian seed over other imported brands in regards to taste and nutrient content.”

 Finally, who knew that bugs in flour could be a good thing? Other cultures have eaten crawly, crunchy critters for centuries, and now climate changes and trying to feed people in drought-affected countries have necessitated alternative methods of providing nutrient rich foods. As it happens, insects are an excellent source of protein, are gluten free and contain minerals like magnesium and iron.

There are now farms that raise crickets for human consumption.  Proponents of insects as food say that growing them uses less food and water and is more environmentally friendly, that a cricket becomes an adult in six weeks producing fast harvest turnovers, and a female can lay 15,000 eggs in her lifetime. Once harvested, they are sterilized and roasted, then milled into a powder that has about half as much protein as beef—unless you’re comparing it to dried beef. Crickets have 22 percent more protein than dried beef.  

 In 2013 a group of Canadian MBA students were awarded $1 million to develop insect –based programs that would produce flour for undernourished populations. They were beginning  their “Power Flour” program in Mexico with grasshoppers and had researched opportunities in Africa and Thailand. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization supports this, noting that popular insects like grasshoppers, crickets and mealworms contain not only protein, but fat and amino acids lysine and tryptophan that are not plentiful in cereal grains like soy.

Companies like Bitty Foods in San Francisco are introducing baked goods made with insect flour to customers, and other bakeries in New York and Los Angeles may follow. There is even some discussion in the pizza industry about cricket flour crusts, though taking it to Western culture mainstream is still only speculation for the future. Maybe just starting by adding anchovies isn’t such a bad idea.