Pereg Gourmet Natural Foods and Spices
Here at The Classy Chics, Pereg Natural Foods products are quite popular, which a search quickly reveals. And for good reason—Pereg offers a great selection of all-natural grains, flours, spices, breadcrumbs, beans, pasta, rice, and more. They generously sent me four of their products to try, Ground Caraway Seed, Freekeh, Tri-Color Quinoa, and Chickpeas.
In order to do justice to all four products, we’ll be featuring them in two different posts. Keep an eye out for an upcoming post in which I’ll review the Freekeh and Chickpeas, but today I’m sharing my experience with the Tri-Color Quinoa and Ground Caraway Seed.
Although quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is treated like a grain, it’s actually a nutritional powerhouse of a seed. Quinoa is extremely valuable in vegetarian diets because it’s the only plant that contains all of the essential amino acids, and it’s also a good source of fiber, protein, and B vitamins, as well as iron and other minerals. Best of all, it’s delicious! Pereg’s Tri-Color Quinoa includes the common white quinoa along with the less familiar red and black varieties. Quinoa seeds are naturally coated in a bitter-tasting compound that needs to be rinsed off before cooking, but Pereg has taken care of that for us and there’s no need to rinse the Tri-Color Quinoa.
Cooking quinoa is simple, like cooking rice or other grains. Just combine quinoa and boiling water or stock in a 1:2 ratio (perhaps adding a bit of oil), simmer it until the liquid is absorbed, let it stand for a few minutes off the heat, fluff it with a fork, and serve. I cooked it two ways, on the stovetop and in my rice cooker, and didn’t find any difference in taste or texture. I read that salting quinoa before cooking it can prevent it from fully fluffing, so we salted our quinoa at the table. It was delicious, and its pretty colors livened up our plates. The black quinoa didn’t cook to the same softness as the white and red, so it added a slight crunch. I plan to use the leftovers in a salad.
Now on to the Ground Caraway Seed! We love caraway-rye bread but don’t love all those little seeds, so Pereg’s Ground Caraway Seed is not only the perfect solution, it’s a game-changer. I made a small loaf of rye bread in my bread machine, using 3/4 teaspoon of ground caraway in place of 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds. The flavor was amazing, with no annoying seeds, but I may increase the amount of ground caraway in my next loaf for a more pronounced caraway flavor. Now I’m on the lookout for other ways to use it—in soda bread, mixed with cream cheese to top pumpernickel bagels, perhaps a pinch in coleslaw or potato salad.
Pereg carries a full line of other spices and spice blends, too; in fact, the company began back in 1906, producing more than 60 pure, natural spices and blends. Today they also produce premium grains, rice, beans, flours, breadcrumbs, and more. All of the New Jersey-based company’s products are kosher certified and are dairy- and lactose-free, with no additives or preservatives.
Pereg’s products are available at their website and at local retailers. While you’re at their website, check out the recipe section for some great ideas.
Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win the same four Pereg products I received to review (Ground Caraway Seed, Tri-Color Quinoa, Freekeh, and Chickpeas)! I hope you’ll love them as much as I do.
Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on July 9th, 2018 at 11:59 pm EST time. No purchase necessary to enter or win.
Disclaimer: A. Bailey received a complimentary product for review purposes & feature on The Classy Chics blog. No monetary compensation was received. A. Bailey’s thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own. Your thoughts may differ. Please read the blog’s terms of service policy before entering any giveaways. The Classy Chics are NOT responsible for prize fulfillment or shipping of any items won from this blog.