The Madness of Whole Foods Market

by Chuck O., March 22, 2009 | Permalink

We’ve all been hearing about the market and its downturn, about banks and other finacial institutions losing money and having to be bailed out, and about certain individuals receiving bonuses in addtition to their salaries.  Certainly those folks earn more than I do and I’d bet more than you do, too.  I’m thinking that many of them don’t do much of their own shopping and haven’t been to a supermarket lately.  Most of us though have begun to pay more attention to prices everywhere- including in the grocery store; I know I have!

I don’t about you but Spring Madness came to our store just in time for me.  If you haven’t already picked up a couple of pineapples at 2 for $5.00 or Split Chicken Breasts for $1.99 a pound, there’s still time as this round of Madness runs through March 31, 2009.  Hey.  And no frowning when you see that the chicken in still on the bone; this actually makes for a tastier end result.  Roasted Chicken Breasts with Romesco Sauce is a recipe you can try next weekend-

(By the way, the recipe photo shows the chicken served with green beans; I acutally bought some today to use in a stir fry tonight with tofu, asparagus, broccoli, and peanut sauce, since they looked really good.  Could spring be on the way?  Maybe?)

And, there’s more than this Madness thing I mentioned!  We’ve still got our weekly specials which are outlined in the flyer available at the front when you enter along with our new flyer for Whole Body, Whole Body Buys!  Both of these flyers run from Wednesday through Tuesday.  Our own 365 Everyday Value brand provides great products at great prices; these are usually highlighted by green-colored More of the Good Stuff for Less tags on the shelf.  Last but not least is the Whole Deal which is filled with money-saving coupons for national brands as well as our own brands, budget conscious recipes for one, two, or four people, plus sasonal savings and other value-themed ideas.  The new issue will be in our store on April 1, but you can still check out current recipes online.

At Whole Foods Market, we know that price is very important but we like to think of value as a combination of price, quality, and amazing customer service.  When you come in to the store it’s hard to miss the bright yellow madness promotional materials and the yellow and red/orange weekly specials and the bright green Everyday Values.  If you cannot locate a flyer or a flyer special or a Madness special or anything else you are looking for though, remember to always ask a Team Member.  Nothing is special or a good deal if you can’t find it!

Dinner, island style

by Chuck O., March 11, 2009 | Permalink

You may be expecting some recipes or at least more about the foods of Hawaii- from the “foodie” tourist point of view to which I’ve already introduced you.  I promise that we’ll arrive there if you can bear with the circuitous route which follows.

Monday afternoon I went to a meeting to learn more about the RAFT Grow Out, a project conceived by the Chefs Collaborative and Slow Food USA to help restore and promote 16 heirloom vegetables in New England.  The program will provide seeds to farmers who will grow these vegetables and, come harvest time, sell them to chefs in Providence, Portsmouth (NH), and Boston who, in turn, will promote them on their restaurant menus.  It’s a really cool idea and we at the Whole Foods Market stores in Boston, Cambridge, and Newton are excited that our 5% Day held last fall is helping to fund the program.

At this time, the Chefs Collaborative is still seeking additional farmer participants in hopes that there will be a greater abundance of vegetables which would enable us to offer them to you in our Produce departments!  If you are an interested farmer in Massachusetts, let us know and we will put you in touch with the Grow Out’s program director.

Back to Hawaii.  So one of the attendees at the meeting, Ilene Bezahler is the publisher of Edible Boston, a magazine in which our company has a presence.  When I was in Maui last month (seemed like years ago as I glanced out at the huge snowflakes Monday), I picked up a copy of Edible Hawaiian Islands, a sister publication to Boston’s.  Although I did notice that there was a Whole Foods Market ad in the magazine (we recently opened a store on Oahu at the Kahala Mall in Honolulu), I was quickly drawn to the recipe photos and, even way back then, knew that I wanted to find some recipes for island cuisine to share in one of my first blogging attempts.

I tried to find some recipes that would seem really authentic to people here in the Boston area.  What foods do people think of when they imagine Hawaii?  In reality, Hawaiians enjoy pork and lots of fresh fruit and fresh fish, but what do we think of as Hawaiian foods?  Pineapples and macadamia nuts; right?  Maybe I’m not giving you enough credit, but my feeling is that many of us first think of these two foods as being very Hawaiian so here are two recipes using them.

Hawaiian Pineapple Stir Fried Rice which you can find on the Edible Hawaiian Islands website and also the recipe which follows which is in their current print issue for Winter 2009.  Both are contributed by Dahlia Haas who also does an amazing job arranging and photographing food for the magazine in addition to creating the recipes!

Wok-Fried Garlic Noodles with Macadamia Nuts

Makes 4 servings

This is a secret family recipe.  Not mine, but from a well-known family restaurant in Los Angeles.  these noodles are the bomb!  I decoded and re-created their recipes in my kitchen.  It took a few visits.  Then I added a few ingredients that i think make this recipe even better!  It’s the finest and most loved dish I make at home.  If you wish, add sauteed shrimp, diced baked tofu, slivers of barbecued pork or seared Chinese sausage.

1 pound thin spaghetti

3 tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, fish sauce or combination

1/2 cup oyster sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons chili oil

Cracked black pepper to taste

2/3 cup minced cilantro

2/3 cup minced scallions

2/3 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

-Fill a pasta pot with salted water and bring to rolling boil.  Add pasta.

-While pasta cooks, heat a large wok over medium heat and add butter, olive oil, and garlic; sautee until golden brown.

-When the pasta is al dente, drain in a colander and add pasta to the wok wtih the garlic and the butter/olive oil, tossing to combine.

-Add worcestershire or other sauces, oyster sauce, black pepper, and chili oil.  Toss together so that strands are well coated.  Add more buter if too dry.

-Garnish with minced cilantro, scallions, and macadamia nuts, stirring well to combine.

Note:  To toast macadamia nuts, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat; add nuts and cook until golden brown, stirring frequently; then chop.  Nuts can be frozen and used as needed.

Again, thanks to Dahlia Haas for the recipes; I hope the time it took to get to them was well spent.  Enjoy.  Aloha.