Festival Report: Taste of Chicago 2016

Food festivals come and go, but in Chicago, there is only one original, the Taste of Chicago.  While Taste of Chicago used to conjure images of dripping ice cream cones, deep fried dough, and sloppy pizza slices, Brandy has discovered in recent years that there is so much more to be discovered that is fresh and healthy.  "Far be it for me to condemn the eating of massive amounts of calories at a food festival, but all that greasy, heavy food stops being fun when it's 90 degrees and humid!" says Brandy, "I much prefer to keep things light and fresh when I attend this particular festival so that I can keep my energy high."

Luckily for Brandy, Humana has been keeping an eye out for those who are minded like she is.  For the last few years they have been bringing in a a team of nutritional physicians who identify a list of Healthier Choices (noted on booth menus with a green H) among the hundreds of offerings at the festival so that those who wish to avoid high calorie contents can enjoy the festival right along side their more indulgent friends.  This year’s program featured 75 healthy food options, including 43 vegetarian options and six gluten free options, from 29 Chicago restaurants that met the nutritional criteria.  Not only that, but Humana set up a rewards system, much like a scavenger hunt, wherein participants can collect stamps from booths who are slinging Healthier Choice options and cash those in for fun items and experiences at the Humana booth.

Brandy started off at the Farmer's Fridge booth with a couple of fresh appetizers.  First, she sampled a lovely Avocado Toast with pickled red onion and feta cheese.  Next, she opted for some Chili Lime Watermelon, which was exactly what it sounded like; blocks of fresh and juicy watermelon sprinkled with chili powder and served with a wedge of lime.  "It's like an edible cocktail!" Brandy exclaimed when she tasted the sweet, sour, and salty concoction.

Next up, she went for some more hearty fair.  Stopping over at Beat Kitchen, she picked up a Vegetarian Slider, which was a bean-based patty topped with tomato, red onion, and greens.  "What a delightful alternative to a heavy, oily burger!" she exclaimed, "I would go so far as to say that even meat eaters would be pleased with something like this."  Speaking of meat eaters, Brandy next visited the Porkchop booth and snagged a Chicken Slider.  Again, this was hearty enough to satisfy her cravings, but light enough to keep her feeling great, with lots of tender spiced chicken, tangy BBQ sauce, and a soft bun.  And then to prove to herself that she could still eat adventurously while still letting the Humana choices guide her, Brandy stopped off at the Chicago's Dog House booth for a spicy and smokey Alligator Sausage (the other choice being a rabbit and rattlesnake sausage, but for some reason, Brandy has a thing about eating bunnies...).

Lastly, Brandy was thrilled to see that sticking to Healthier Choices didn't exclude dessert.  She stopped over at the Dinky Donuts booth for a couple of freshly prepared donut holes, which she chose to top with the Old Fashioned Cream Pie coating.  These donuts were the perfect kind of sweet bite with just enough sugar to give Brandy a little pep in her step.  Her last stop of the day was to the Caffe Gelato booth for a heaping helping of creamy and cool Pineapple Sorbet.  Indeed, the portion size (and this was the tasting portion, not even the full size) was so generous that it was hard to believe this decadent little treat actually fell under the Healthier Options guidelines, especially considering the smoothness of the sorbet, which made it seem almost like ice cream.

"Following those little green H's around all day has certainly not led me astray," Brandy commented as she finished off her sorbet while hiding from a little  mid afternoon rain shower, "I am most definitely full, I got to try lots of different foods, and I don't feel like a disgusting sweaty mess!  I'd say this was a winning strategy all the way around."

The writers of this blog were given complimentary tickets by Humana in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

Festival Report: Taste of Chicago Giveaway!

Among all the food festivals in Chicago, one of Brandy's all time favorites is the infamous Taste of Chicago.  The annual festival that takes place in Grant Park features hundreds of restaurants from across the city bringing their best crowd pleasing dishes to one spot for the masses to feast on.  "Like I always say, if you can't go to every eatery in town, let them come to you," as Brandy put it.

If there is one downside to the festival, its that with such an abundance of deliciousness, it can be easy to over do it.  The ice creams, the fried foods, the burgers... while delectable, it can all do quite a number on one's best intentions for keeping to a healthy diet.  Luckily, this year, perennial sponsors, Humana Healthcare, have introduced a way to not only satisfy the hungry crowds, but educate everyone on making healthier choices.  As an eight year sponsor of Taste, Humana showcases its commitment to lifelong wellbeing for all Chicagoans by providing the Humana Healthier Choices Rewards Program – an interactive experience that rewards attendees for partaking in fun activities and trying Humana Healthier Choices, a physician reviewed listing of appetizers, entrees and desserts at Taste all under 500 calories!

Though Brandy is well known as more of a proponent of what tastes good as opposed to what is good for one's body, she was delighted to learn that this year’s program features 48 healthy food options from 24 Chicago restaurants that meet nutritional criteria, even highlighting vegetarian and gluten free options.  The Humana Healthier Choices will be identified by a green apple on the menu boards at participating restaurant booths with a list of items being handed out at the Humana tent or downloadable at the Taste of Chicago website and via facebook.com/TheTasteOfChicago.

All of the restaurants participating in the 2015 Taste of Chicago were invited to submit their menu items for consideration for the Humana Healthier Choices program.  For an item to be considered, restaurants must have submitted nutritional details including calories, sodium content, saturated fat and the list of ingredients.  A panel of five top Chicago-area physicians with expertise in diet and nutrition collaboratively judged each item to assure that nutritional values were met.

After receiving a free Humana Healthier Choices Tag, which comes with a lanyard for a hands-free and convenient experience, participants can collect stamps by sampling any Humana Healthier Choices food item or participating in healthy activities at the Humana tent.  Once Taste-goers receive six stamps, they can drop off their badge at the Humana tent to be entered into random prize drawings, donated by the Taste of Chicago restaurants.  On social media, Taste-goers are encouraged to join the conversation and share their Humana Healthier Choices food items on Instagram, mentioning @Humana, #TasteofChi and #HealthierChoices.

Festival goers can also take a break from the July heat by enjoying a shaded seating area in the Humana tent, which will feature a backyard barbecue/tailgating theme, trivia wheels and a photo booth.  There will also be a Walk & Wellness Station where participants can take a free pedometer and will then be encouraged to return to the tent after walking around the Taste of Chicago to report their steps.

To celebrate this amazing program, Humana has provided Brandy with 24 food tickets for the Chicago Taste Festival to give away to one lucky reader to try out some of the Humana Healthier Choices themselves!  To enter the giveaway, simply follow the directions in the Rafflecopter widget below, then scroll down for a complete list of all the Humana Healthier Choices dishes being served at this year's Taste of Chicago to see what you could be snacking on in the near future!

Giveaway ends on 7/3/2015.  Tickets have been provided to the writers of this blog by Humana and Coyne PR.  Please only enter the giveaway if you are able to attend the festival in Chicago's Grant Park between July 8-12.  Any accounts entering the giveaway may be disqualified by the writers of this blog if they are deemed to be mostly promotional material, so please only use real social media accounts to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Appetizers/Starters – Less than 320 calories, 300 mg sodium and 2 g saturated fat

· Taste Portion of Veggie (Vegan) Burger (V) – Beat Kitchen

· Taste Portion of Mustard Fried Catfish – BJ’s Market

· Taste Portion of Malnati Salad (V) – Lou Malnati’s

· Corn on the Cob (V) – Mariano’s

· Roasted Celtic Corn on the Cob (V) – O'Brien's Restaurant

· Doner Shot – DonerMen

· Shrimp – Haire's Gulf Shrimp

· Taste Portion of Eggplant Sandwich (V) – Gino’s Steak

Main Dishes – Less than 500 calories, 500 mg sodium and 4 g saturated fat

· Veggie (Vegan) Burger (V) – Beat Kitchen

· Mustard Fried Catfish – BJ’s Market

· Grilled Steak Taco – Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill

· Grilled Chicken Taco – Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill

· Smoked Alligator – Chicago's Dog House

· Smoked Rattlesnake with Rabbit – Chicago's Dog House

· Watermelon Hibiscus Gazpacho (V) – Farmer's Fridge

· Avocado Toast (V) – Farmer's Fridge

· Vegetable Spinach and Plantains (V) – Iyanze

· Jerk Chicken – Iyanze

· Chicken Ke-Bob Curry Rice with Vegetables – Kasia Deli

· Malnati Salad (V) – Lou Malnati’s

· Grilled Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Salad – Star of Siam

· Doner Kebab – DonerMen

· Kebab Salad – DonerMen

· Chap Chae (V) – Jin Ju

· Eggplant Sandwich (V) – Gino's Steak

· Chicken Tacos – La Cocinita

· Black Bean and Queso Fresco Arepas with Guasacaca and Cabbage Slaw (V) – La Cocinita

· Grilled Cheese (V) – The Fat Shallot

Desserts – Less than 320 calories, 300 mg sodium and 2 g saturated fat

· Limone (Lemon) Sorbet (V) – Caffe Gelato

· Blood Orange Sorbet (V) – Caffe Gelato

· Peach Cobbler Gelato (V) – Caffe Gelato

· Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato (V) – Caffe Gelato

· Italian Lemon Ice (V) – Franco's Ristorante

· Italian Watermelon Ice (V) – Franco's Ristorante

· Strawberry Paleta (V) – La Mexicana

· Mango Paleta (V) – La Mexicana

· Lime Paleta (V) – La Mexicana

· Watermelon Paleta (V) – La Mexicana

· Seedless Watermelon (V) – Mariano’s

· Mango Sorbet (V) – Star of Siam

· Chocolate Frozen Baby Banana (V) – The Fudge Pot

· Chocolate Dipped Strawberry (V) – The Fudge Pot

· 1 Dinky Donut (V) – Dinky Donuts

· Southern Red Velvet Morsel of Love (V) – Ms. Tittle's Cupcake

· Frozen Mango Kefir (V) – Starfruit Café

· Taste Portion of Frozen Mango Kefir (V) – Starfruit Café

· Frozen Original Kefir (V) – Starfruit Café

· Taste Portion of Frozen Original Kefir (V) – Starfruit Café

The following items, available from Dia De Los Tamales, do not meet the Humana Healthier Choices nutrition criteria but provide options for Taste-goers with gluten-free dietary restrictions:

· Slow Roasted Cuban Pork Tamale

· Taste Portion of Slow Roasted Cuban Pork Tamale

· Spicy Black Bean & Corn Tamale (V)

· Taste Portion of Spicy Black Bean & Corn Tamale (V)

· Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese Tamale

· Roasted Pepper Goat Cheese Tamale (V)

Festival Report: Taste of Chicago and Olive Oils from Spain

As keen eyed readers of this blog will note, last week was the annual Taste of Chicago Festival, and though rains might have dampened the spirits a little on Saturday, there was one very special tent that was new to the festival this year that had Brandy all a twitter (literally, she was tweeting up a storm!); The Good Life Embassy Presents Olive Oils from Spain.  This beautiful little space was providing not only a comfy lounge for tasters to rest up in, but also a charging station for phones, a photo booth, and expert demos performed by none other than one of Spain's premiere chefs, Diego Guerrero, and Benchmark Restaurants' Mark Murphy, who may be recognizable to food fans as one of the more intimidating judges on Food Network's Chopped.

Arriving at the tent last Wednesday evening, Brandy found Chef Diego just finishing up his demo of a delicate egg yolk wrapped in a crispy pastry and a chilled cucumber gazpacho, which patrons were lining up to taste.  Luckily, Brandy was able to pull him aside from his duties for a brief moment to chat.  First, a curious Brandy asked Chef Guerrero about what a typical Spanish breakfast might consist of.  "Always olive oil with bread," he told her, "Usually with salt.  Sometimes with garlic, a little tomato, or ham.  That's a typical breakfast in Spain.  It's very healthy; you have the protein, a good fat with the olive oil, and the bread...it's a very good meal for the start of the day."  Now intrigued about the Spanish olive oil and what made it so desirable, Brandy quizzed Chef Guerrero a little further.  "In Spain, we have more than 2000 different kinds of olives," he said with a knowing smile, "So this makes us one of the biggest producers and consumers of olives in the world.  We have a great tradition because we've been producing [olive oil] for many centuries and we've mastered it.  The Italians actually buy our olives and they brand them as their own!"  Brandy watched Chef Guerrero's eyes wander with wonder over the other stalls of the festival and she inquired if he'd ever been to the Taste of Chicago before.  "This is my first time in Chicago," he said, sheepishly, "And I love it!"  Eager to recommend some places for him to try, Brandy next asked if he was looking forward to visiting anywhere in particular.  "Tonight I'm going to Next," he said, "But I'd also like to taste the most famous burger here in Chicago, because when I'm traveling around the world, I like to visit the markets and taste the local food.  This is how I learn."

Next, Brandy tracked down Mark Murphy, who had done his demo earlier in the evening, making a salmon tar tar delicately dressed in the olive oil.  Chef Murphy was much taller in person than Brandy had expected, ("No wonder they always have him sitting on Chopped," she said, "He's intimidating enough without towering over the contestants!"), but she found him very personable and eager to talk food.  "I'm embarrased to say I've not been to the Taste of Chicago before," he whispered to Brandy, "I have been to the Illinois Restaurant Association show though.  My first time in Chicago, I actually came to go to Charlie Trotter's, which was an amazing experience."  When asked if he was looking forward to sampling any restaurants while he was in Chicago, Chef Murphy said, "We went to Purple Pig last night and that was fabulous," but he confessed he wasn't sure where his dinner might come from that night.  Asking, as she always does, about his favorite sorts of breakfast treats, Chef Murphy reminded her of his famous Pan Perdu, which he demonstrated on an episode of Best Thing I Ever Made, but also admitted that left to his own devices, he preferred a savory breakfast.  "I like a simple egg, fried up in some of this really great olive oil we have here until it's runny and I usually take a hunk of day old bread, run it under water for a second or two to wake it up a little, and make some toast.  Pretty simple, but it's just so satisfying to dunk that bread in the yolk."

So inspired was Brandy by the chefs and the amazing olive oil they were promoting that she decided to put it to good use and create a little magic of her own once she got home.  Taking the idea of a classic olive oil cake and Chef Guerrero's description of a typical Spanish breakfast, Brandy created a moist and healthy olive oil muffin, packed with a favorite Spanish fruit; fresh apricots.  Because these muffins contain no butter, but are packed with heart healthy olive oil, they remain succulently indulgent without turning your breakfast into a meal of empty calories.  Make sure to let Brandy know if you try these out for yourselves by tweeting us or visiting our Facebook page!

Vanilla Scented Apricot Olive Oil Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups of sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 1/2 cup of Olive Oil from Spain
1 1/2 cup of milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla bean extract or paste
3 large eggs
5-6 apricots, diced and peeled
coarse sugar for garnish (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the flour,baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.  In a second smaller bowl, combine the vanilla, eggs, olive oil, and milk.  Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry 1/2 cup at a time and stir until the batter is smooth and free of any lumps.  Add the apricots to the mixture, reserving about 24 pieces to be added at the end, and stir gently to combine.

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees and grease a muffin tin with cooking spray (alternatively, you can use paper liners).  Fill each cup of the muffin tin with batter until almost full (the muffins will not rise a lot, so don't worry about overfilling).  Add a final piece of apricot to the middle of each muffin, then sprinkle with coarse sugar (if using).  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sides are golden brown and a tester comes out clean.  Let cool for 15 minutes and serve.

Yield: Approx. 2 dozen