Normal people have a regular supply of certain foods always in stock. You know, things like mustard, ketchup, chicken breasts, American or cheddar cheese, pickles, Ritz crackers, olive oil…Sure we have some of these things in our fridge and pantry from time to time. Some of these normal foods even remain as staples in our home. But more often than not, my “must-have” food items are a little surprise quirky. I mean, you know we always have 5-10 different types of cheese hanging around in the cheese drawer. And for Brian, we ALWAYS have to have a back-up to the back-up of pico de gallo and tortilla chips. And the twelve different types of hot sauce…You can never have too much hot sauce. But these are some of my other favorite foodie treats.
Arugula
Boring plain old lettuce is for chumps. Spinach? Chumps. I use arugula as a substitute for lettuce AND spinach. It’s flavorful. Green. Chock full of healthy. It’s amazing. I buy the Rocket Salad from Trader Joe’s, at $1.99 a bag, but you can find arugula in most grocery stores. TIP: If it starts to get wilty, cook it up in some pasta or soup. You don’t need the perfect fresh arugula, and then you’re not wasting delicious $1.99/bag lettuce. At 0 Points Plus, it’s a great hearty side to any meal.
Pine nuts (Pignolias)
The nutty answer to almost everything. They’re a little lower in fat content that some other nuts, and you still get that nutty flavor that you’re looking for. Plus, a little goes a long way. Again, I buy mine from TJ’s.
Truffle Oil
I’ve used several different brands of truffle oil, and I like some of the more inexpensive oils better than the pricier options. I recommend taste testing some of the cheaper ones to start, just to see whether you’re a fan of the truffle aroma, or not…this one’s an acquired taste, a lot like me. So you’ll either love it or hate it.
Now go mix all three of the previously mentioned items together for an amazing salad of JOY. If you’re doing Weight Watchers, this little salad is 3 Points Plus for 2 cups of arugula, 1/2 oz pine nuts and 1 tsp truffle oil. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and you’re ready to go… Just saying. And if you’re not on weight watchers, add parmesan cheese. Oh hell, even if you are…it’s worth the extra points.
Tarragon
Speaking of which…that leads me to…
Smoked paprika
Forget regular paprika. This smoky sister to the standard spice brings out ALL the FLAVORS. So much delicious in EVERYTHING. Yumm-o. I use it on meat a lot (chicken, pork, lamb, beef – makes no difference to me). And in my chili. And sometimes on veggies.
There are definitely more random food items, but I figured I’d start you off small. If you haven’t tried these beautiful creations, go forth and get the fuck on it. Because they’ll make you happy.
4 Responses
Smoked paprika and I don’t get along. I’ve tried it but it just sucks to me. Please don’t hate me now. After all, hubs and I are cheese fiends in our household and we love our hot sauce. You’ll forgive me, right?
We always, ALWAYS have some kind of bean in our household as well as chicken, crackers and black olives. And peanut butter. Have to have peanut butter.
Hey dude, to each their own! I love it, but you also have some serious taste sensitivity if I remember correctly. 🙂
Speaking of black olives, I’m sooo picky about them. Do you find the different brands have different flavors?
Love smoked paprika. Blame my German/Hungarian grandmother but I grew up not realizing that roasted chicken wasn’t orangy. Because we put that stuff on EVERYTHING.
My staples totally include: spicy mustard (I don’t think I’ve ever made a sandwich that didn’t include spicy mustard), yogurt, almonds (sorry pine nuts….I dig my almonds) and popcorn (what can I say, I’m in love with my air popper)
We always have almonds and walnuts too. Our house is full of nuts 😉