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Top 5 Organic Products from Natural Products Expo East 2013

Last night, I got back from Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore and had a fantastic time. As I always do during the show in Baltimore, I stay at my absolute favorite hotel, The Inn at the Black Olive, the most green/organic hotel I’ve ever seen.

I’ll be doing several posts this week recapping my time in Baltimore, so please enjoy the first one – My Top 5 Organic Products from Natural Products Expo East 2013.

YELLOW BARN ROASTED EGGPLANT PASTA SAUCE

When I sampled the roasted eggplant pasta sauce from Yellow Barn, I immediately said to myself “Who needs pasta to eat this? I could this right out of the jar.” It was that delicious.

Owner David Byrnes had been telling me about this new sauce for the last few months, and I had a feeling that it would be good but had no idea that it would be this stellar. Aside from the fact that it is produced in Italy, home of some of the best organic products anywhere, the pasta sauce is also certified biodynamic.

Ingredients include tomatoes, eggplant, extra-virgin olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, and salt.

This product is available at stores nationwide and can be purchased online by clicking HERE.

Yellow Barn is rock star awesome!

ASHERAH’S GOURMET VEGAN BURGERS

When you go from booth to booth at these trade shows, they give you small samples of whatever product that they are offering. Normally, one sample is more than enough and you move on.

However, there are times when you literally want to pull up a chair and have your lunch be comprised of the entire tray of samples. That is how I felt when I was eating the vegan burgers at Asherah’s Gourmet booth.

I kept eating cup after cup after cup and had to restrain myself, not wanting to be a complete embarrassment. These veggie burgers were that good, largely because of the texture. Most veggie burgers are pretty hard. These were extremely soft, and Asherah’s Gourmet knocked it out of the park with the taste.

Ingredients include quinoa, sweet potatoes, carrots, coconut flour, onion, red bell pepper, spices, garlic powder, Redmond’s sea salt, and flax meal. It is soy-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free.

This product is available nationwide and click HERE to find a retailer near you.

EXPLORE ASIAN ADZUKI BEAN SPAGHETTI

I wrote about Explore Asian’s mung bean fettuchini a while ago, and the company has come back with another impressive product – adzuki bean spaghetti.

People are flipping out over pastas made from beans for several reasons. One, pasta remains incredibly popular. Two, everyone is looking for a gluten-free alternative these days. Three, beans are great source of protein – adzukis also provide good amounts of magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and B-vitamins.

This adzuki bean pasta is available nationwide at select retailers and will be for sale on Amazon in about a month.

FARMHOUSE CULTURE GARLIC DILL PICKLE SAUERKRAUT

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that I LOVE fermented foods. What you may not know is that I also LOVE pickles.

So, when I tasted Farmhouse Culture’s garlic dill pickle sauerkraut, I went nuts. The sourness of the pickles in this kraut gave it incredible flavor, and the texture of the cabbage was perfectly crunchy. Eating this kraut with quinoa at dinner is something that I am very, very much looking forward to doing.

Ingredients include cabbage, cucumbers, garlic, dill, and Sonoma sea salt.

Click HERE to find a retailer near you, and it can also be purchased online.

HOPE FOODS HABANERO LENTIL DIP

Want to impress your guests with some phenomenal and spicy finger food? If so, go run to the supermarket and get Hope Foods‘ habanero lentil dip. This stuff was fantastic!

What I also loved about this product was the fact that I could get protein from the lentils without having to cook them myself.

However, the most interesting aspect of the dip is that the company uses HPP (high pressure processing) to reduce the pathogen count. Apparently, after the lentil dip goes through HPP, its bacteria levels are practically non-existent. Whereas without HPP, the levels are quite high.

If you’re a fan of both lentils and spicy food, this is a product that will be a must on your shopping list.

Ingredients include black lentils, water, extra-virgin olive oil, lime juice, onions, sea salt, and habanero powder.

Hope Foods’ habanero lentil dip is currently available in select regions of Whole Foods Market across the country and by February, nationwide distribution is expected. To find a retailer near you, click HERE.

A message from Tradin Organic

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

At Tradin Organic, we believe that regenerative organic farming is key to growing healthy and nutritious food ingredients — for now and for future generations.

And in Sierra Leone, we have grown the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified cacao.

Learn more.

livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink