For the Joy of Toi!

by Interbay, March 25, 2009 | Permalink

Looking for a little spring spice-up to your cooking routine? Look no further than Toi all-purpose Thai sauce. Sure you could use it to make the Phad Thai, but you can do plenty more with this local product.

.

For example, combine with mayo and lime juice then toss in chopped chicken breasts, toasted cashews, diced jicama and diced mango for a Thai twist on the Sonoma Chicken salad.

Brush onto grilled fish or chicken breasts, and serve over arugula.

Use as a dip for veggies, deep fried wontons or spring rolls. 

Whisk into some eggs along with minced shallot and a dash of fish sauce,  scramble and serve over rice with sliced green onions for a true Thai street style breakfast.

Try it and let us know how you celebrate the joy of Toi!

Muscat Love!

by Interbay, March 20, 2009 | Permalink

Seedless Muscat Grapes are in season and plentiful! Sweet and musky with a distinctively floral flavor, these seedless beauties are grown in the Maipo Valley of Chile in the foothills of the Andes. In addition to enjoying out of hand, Muscat grapes are used to make a variety of sweet dessert wines and have been found to have high concentration of antioxidant flavonoids. The breadth and number of varieties of Muscat grapes suggest that it is perhaps the oldest domesticated grape variety in the world!

We’ve got them on sale until March 31st for just $1.99 a pound, and when you tire of eating them off the vine, we’ve got a killer variation on the Sonoma Chicken Salad we’re calling the Maipo Chicken Salad, recipe below!

Enjoy sweet sweet muscat love while it lasts.

Maipo Chicken Salad
Serves 6

This chicken salad is a variation of the classic Whole Foods Sonoma Chicken Salad. The tender chicken breast, crunchy pecans, and sweet grapes in each bite are hard to top.

Dressing
1 cup 365 Mayonnaise
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
5 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad
2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
3/4 cups pecan pieces, toasted
2 cups pink seedless Muscat grapes
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad. This can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.
2. Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove cooked chicken breasts from pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.
3. When chicken is cold, dice into bite-size pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pecans, grapes, celery and dressing.

YUM!

Whole Value Class, Breaking Down Chickens

by Interbay, March 18, 2009 | Permalink

Back by popular demand, we hosted a second How to Break Down a Chicken class in Slaud last week. Buying a whole chicken and breaking it down on your own is one was to trim your grocery bill as boneless chicken breasts can cost more than the whole bird! 

Here ASTL Shay skillfully demonstrates how to take off wings.

After his demo, students put Shay’s tips to the test, each breaking down their own chickens, wrapping the pieces in wax paper to freeze later.

Mary in Marketing led the second half of the class with a couple of quick recipes for chicken breasts and thighs. Find her recipe below for Chicken Stir-Fry with Asparagus, Shiitake Muchrooms and Cashews.

The goal of our Whole Value Class is to teach you, our guests, some tricks to help you save costs in the kitchen.  Often this means uncovering lost culinary know-how, that once rediscovered, can save you time and money. Our next Whole Value Class is Cooking For Leftovers, Tuesday March 31st at 6:30PM and instructed by our ASTL Howard Goldburg. Call 425-881-2600.

Chicken Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Cashews

Asparagus is just coming into season here in Washington State and this quick and easy week night meal makes great use of this early spring crop. Cashews provide a textural contrast to the chicken, while hoisin and fish sauce team up to transport our early spring blues to a more tropical disposition.

½ cup raw cashews (found in the bulk section)
1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
2 Tablespoons Asian Fish Sauce
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup 365 Chicken Broth
1 pound asparagus, sliced on the diagonal, 1 inch thick
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, and caps sliced thin
1 tablespoon 365 Hoisin Sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
½ cup chopped basil
¼ cup chopped green onions
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the cashews on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes, until they are nicely browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool.

2. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce. In a large skillet heat the oil, over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned and just cooked throughout, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl.

3. Pour the chicken stock into the saute and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Add the asparagus and shiitake slices, cover and cook over medium heat until they asparagus crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the asparagus mushroom mixture to the bowl along with the chicken.

4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of fish sauce to the wok along with the hoisin sauce, lime juice and cayenne pepper. Simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken and vegetables to the saute pan and toss to heat through. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the cashews, basil and green onions. Season the stir-fry with black pepper and serve with rice.

Whole Planet Foundation Annual Campagin!

by Interbay, March 13, 2009 | Permalink

Our Whole Planet Foundation Annual Campaignis well under way and we are intent on reaching our company goal of 1 million dollars! Last night all the proceeds from our half shell happy hour went to the foundation. With donated Barron Point oysters from Shelton Washington, we had a great turn out and combined with guest donations, raised over $215.00.

The Whole Planet Foundationprovides funds for micro finance institutions in the developing world. These micro-loans aim to end poverty by creating partnerships with developing world communities that provide our stores with products. By encouraging entrepreneurship through access to micro-credit loans, we seek to unleash the energy and creativity of every human being we work with to create prosperity in emerging economies, even our own.

Stop by this weekend and support the Whole Planet Foundationat our Goodwill grill. Burgers for $3.99 and hot dogs for $1.99 with all the fixings. See you there!

What the WFM is This?

by Interbay, March 3, 2009 | Permalink

It is our kick butt Black Horse Spice Sauce! Not only is this sauce super spicy, it is also gluten free! This dauce totally dominates the competition with hints of molassas and heat. It is great on just about anything from fish, to chicken, to hamburger, to grilled veggies. Pick up a bottle tonight!