It’s getting hot out there, so take off all your artificial additives and enjoy the season and everything it has to offer with cool homemade drinks.

Of course, pure water is the most affordable option and what our bodies really need for hydration. But at this time of year with lots of outdoor parties, picnics and activities we also like to drink things for fun and flavor. What our bodies really don’t need are the artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and sweeteners often found in even the simplest beverages, such as bottled iced tea or flavored water. Do you really want to pay to put things like potassium benzoate, acesulfame potassium and FD&C Blue No. 1 in your body? Well, we sure don’t, which is why we’ve come up with these ten thirst quenching tips for summertime sips that won’t have you gulping at prices or ingredients.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ain’t no cure for the Summertime Blues! Or maybe there is a cure. What about the many blue cheeses available that will make your picnickers do a happy dance? Think sliced blue cheese on burgers — there are some great ones from Wisconsin that are sure to please. From creamy (Buttermilk Blue) to piquant (Salemville Blue), there are a variety of styles and products available to jazz up your summer grilling. Let’s not forget the salad blues, crumbly and delicious — so flavorful you don’t even need a dressing to tie the ingredients together. I even like macaroni and cheese made with creamy Gorgonzola crumbles or a cold elbow macaroni salad with blue. Mmmm…I am hungry now.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t figured it out yet, we are all about cherries these days. While we have lots of great recipes of our own for serving up delicious cherries, we know we don’t have a monopoly on great ways to serve up these seasonal delights. So, we reached out to some of our blogger friends and asked them to share their favorite recipes starring fresh cherries and they certainly delivered. Enjoy!

Read the rest of this entry »

Celebrate summer squash with a chance to win a $100 gift card for your best recipe! It’s week four of our collaborative 8-Week Recipe Contest with food52, an online community for home cooks. If you have a great recipe starring fresh summer squash, go to the food52 contest page to submit your recipe for a chance to win a $100 gift card from Whole Foods Market.

All recipe submissions must meet Whole Foods Market’s Quality Standards, which means that they must be free of hydrogenated fats, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners.

To enter, go to the food52 contest page, create a log-in account, and then follow their instructions for entering. (While we love seeing your recipes, entering one in the comments section of this blog post will not get you entered into the contest.)

Food52 is accepting summer squash recipes starting today, June 28th and ending on July 2nd, so make sure to get your recipe in quickly.

Winners of the eight weekly contests will be eligible to win a grand prize of a $1,000 Whole Foods Market gift card!

Want to get a head start on the remaining contests? Here’s what is coming up next:

• July 5                      Basil
• July 12                    Swordfish
• July 19                    Ground beef burgers
• July 26                    Heirloom tomatoes

Good luck!

What would a summer garden be without basil? Pretty boring if you ask me! I love to think of fresh herbs as staples for exquisite cooking and, come summer, basil is a must-have. Its refreshing aroma and distinct flavor are loved by cooks all over the world and the popularity of pesto simply added to its appeal.

By some accounts, there are more than 60 varieties of basil — all slightly different in taste and appearance. Most of us are familiar with Sweet Basil, which is common to Italian dishes. Other varieties we may recognize are Thai Basil, Holy Basil and Lemon Basil. Although generally green in color, some varieties of basil have beautiful hues of red and purple. A long-time native to India, Iran, Asia and Africa, basil is grown all over the world and you’ll find it in popular dishes from Italy, Thailand and Vietnam as well as right here at home in the U. S.

On the health front, basil has vitamins A and K and is packed with antioxidants, which can help protect against chronic diseases. Studies show that a higher intake of antioxidants can:

• Keep the immune system healthy
• Support healthy blood sugar levels
• Protect against oxidation reactions thought to be responsible for aging
• Keep the brain functioning optimally
• Promote healthy inflammatory reactions
• Support heart health

Ready to take the summer plunge into the world of basil? Here’s how: Read the rest of this entry »

What better way to get your 4^th of July celebration grooving than with that most American of art forms: Rock & Roll! Part of the celebrated Putumayo Kids Playground collection, kids of all ages can shake, rattle and roll to music by a stellar group of established and up-and-coming artists on Rock & Roll Playground.

Grammy® Award winners Dan Zanes and Friends invite you to “bug” and “twist” on the song “Let’s Shake,” while rockabilly royalty Rosie Flores churns out feverish licks on “This Little Girl’s Gone Rockin’.” Grammy Award winner Taj Mahal and Linda Tillery lend an infectious Bo Diddley beat to “Willie and The Hand Jive,” and noted singer-songwriter Peter Himmelman delivers a classic rock performance on “Little Bitty Baby.” Grammy Award winner Bill Harley sings about a slumbering teenage brother in “Sleep the Whole Day Through” and Uncle Rock performs a blues-infused cover of the Steppenwolf classic “Magic Carpet Ride.” Rock & Roll Playground also features 2009 Grammy nominee Brady Rymer as well as Charity and the JAMband; New Jersey’s StarFish; Parents’ Choice® Gold award winner Roger Day; Melissa Green and John Lennon Songwriting Contest winners Rhythm Child.

Enjoy this download of the song “The StarFish Stomp.”

Note: you can simply listen online using the player below, or you can “right click” to download the mp3 file.

Podcast: Download

Like what you hear? You can pick up the Rock & Roll Playground CD in our stores now.

Does your kid like to rock? If so you may want to enter Putumayo’s contest calling for a video of your kid rocking out, air-guitar style, to “The Starfish Stomp.” The grand prize winner receives an in-home concert with StarFish lead singer StingRay and a set of 5 Putumayo Kids CDs! Get details and enter the contest on Putumayo’s site.

Got a favorite rock & roll tune that you play for your kids? We’d love to hear what it is!

It’s easy to put together a great spread for July 4. Whether you get a thrill from making everything from scratch or prefer to leave the work to us, we’ve got you covered.

Approach #1: Let us do the work! You provide the grill, we provide ready-to-grill meat, seafood, veggies and more. Now, it won’t be too easy for you — you’ll have the hard job of choosing from our tantalizing variety of grill-ready kabobs—plain or marinated, with or without fresh veggies. Want to expand the choices? Toss an assortment of our grill-ready specialty burgers on the grill too. Next, stop by the seafood case for some marinated salmon, responsibly farmed and ready to grill, and then head over to produce for some grill-ready veggie kabobs. Don’t forget to pick up great side dishes, bakery-made buns and all kinds of condiments. Grab a watermelon for dessert and you’re ready for guests!

Approach #2: Make some, buy some. You provide the grill, you do all the hard work. But again, we make it easy—just check out our favorite recipes for the 4th below to get a head start on your menu plan. And remember that we grind our meat fresh several times a day right in the store from the same quality meat you see in our case.

Read the rest of this entry »

Diletta Malenchini and her family have been producing estate grown Chianti varietals at their Villa Medicea (Medici) di Lilliano for many decades.  Their estate, originating in the 11^th century, was established as a lookout tower in the heart of the Chianti Colli Fiorentini region outside Florence.

(Diletta Malenchini on the left, Regina McDuffie, our wine specialist in the Middletown, NJ Whole Foods Market during a recent US tasting tour)

Diletta’s mother Marina is a Marchesa and fine host and cook.  We had the pleasure of her company and cooking in 2008, and the experience was an honor and a pleasure.  We toured the grounds and cellars underneath the estate, and can vouch for the true family presence and authenticity of this small business.

The Malenchini Estate is not just about making and selling wine.  Walking about the olive orchards, appreciating the gardens, smelling the lemons from hundred year old fruit trees, and soaking in the Tuscan views is a remarkable experience we hope all of you can someday see.

Diletta is in charge of making the wines, a Chianti of which was made for us exclusively at Whole Foods Market for our current Summer Top Ten wine promotion.  Made from young sangiovese vines, the wine is fresh, vibrant, full of fruit and good structure.  Goes equally well with Osso Bucco, pizza, or eggplant Parmigiano.

Try a glass of Malenchini “Red Label” Chianti, available only at Whole Foods Market stores (that carry wine), and perhaps it will help you to be transported to this special place in the warm Tuscan sun.

Fresh cherries are such a summer treat that sometimes it can be hard to consider doing anything with them other than eat them straight from a bowl. But fresh cherries make a sweet addition to any part of the meal. Try some of our favorite recipes for making cherries the star of the meal.

Cherry-Arugula Salad with Almonds and Tarragon
Cherries and almonds, a classic pair, make a delicious salad combination with tart arugula and fragrant tarragon.

Creamy Cherry Dip
Serve this rich and creamy dip – surprisingly dairy-free – alongside strawberries and grapes or sliced kiwis, bananas and pineapple for dipping.

Goat Cheese Bruschetta with Cherries and Mint
With just five ingredients and five minutes, you can put together this elegant and tasty appetizer. Also try it as a snack or dessert, or serve it as a fresh summer take on a weekday breakfast.

Quick Stovetop Chicken Cutlets with Fresh Cherry Salsa
You can also spoon this family-friendly salsa over pork chops or baked tofu, or serve it with tortilla chips in place of standard tomato salsa. Stir in chopped jalapeños, if you like.

Salmon with Caramelized Cherries
Serve this salmon over steamed kale or flake it over spring greens and baby spinach and toss with the caramelized cherries for a protein-packed salad.

Summer Cherry Pie
Our version of this summer classic uses whole wheat pastry flour and ground cinnamon in the crust. Some of the folks who’ve tasted this declared it the best cherry pie they’d ever had! Consider investing in a cherry pitter and enlisting some helpers—don’t be daunted, but this pie starts with 2 pounds of fresh cherries that need to be pitted.

No-Cook Cherry Vanilla Pudding with Lemon Wafers
Warning, chances are high that you’ll get hooked on this very simple pudding. No worries if your guests aren’t the biggest tofu fans—we bet they’ll be too busy asking for seconds to notice that the pudding is made from silken tofu.

Cherry Compote with Mascarpone
Make a quick compote of cherries, wine and orange juice to serve over mascarpone or on its own.

Cherry Almond Smoothie
This may be the perfect way to kick off a summer day—cherries, almond milk, almond butter and honey.

Cherry-Cucumber Coolers
Top off these fun coolers with sparkling water or sparkling rosé wine, your choice!

Sangria Coolers
This cool sipper is so lip-smacking good that you’ll be tempted to make a second batch even before the first is gone. Change it up by adding other seasonal fruits. Add ice to the blender if you want grown-up slushies.

What are your top cherry recipes? Please share ideas in the comments below!

Recently I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Africa (for the first time!) as part of my work with the Whole Planet Foundation. We attended the Africa Middle East Microcredit Summit in Kenya, which was wonderfully informative and attended by dignitaries from all over the world — including our Foundation’s advisor and the “father of microcredit,” Professor Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank.

After the Summit, our team visited Kibera, the largest slum in Africa and one of the biggest in the world. When impoverished people come in from the countryside to live and find work in Nairobi, Kibera is about the only place they can afford to live, often with up to eight people living in one small hut.

Ingrid Munro founded Jamii Bora Trust in 1999 in order to help the mothers of classmates of her sons — the mothers were beggars in Kibera. That initial group of 50 women beggars who joined together to save money has grown to over 260,000 members of Jamii Bora Trust, which empowers families throughout Kenya. “Jamii Bora” means “better families” in Swahili and, as a microfinance institution, they help families create or expand small, often agricultural businesses, enabling clients to buy a cow or tools for irrigation or seed for their crops. They believe that any family, however poor or hopeless, is capable of getting themselves out of poverty.

In October of 2008, Whole Planet Foundation teamed up with Unitus and Jamii Bora Trust, authorizing a grant of $657,000 to fund expansion of loans in the coffee growing regions of Kenya where Whole Foods Market sources coffee through Allegro Coffee Company, providing access to microcredit for over 70,000 families. Our partnership was formed in order to make a significant impact on global poverty by increasing access to life-changing microfinance services for the working poor.

From Kibera, we headed to Nyeri to visit several branch offices and meet some Jamii Bora Trust members, including a lovely couple named John and Mary. Their loan from Jamii Bora Trust has helped them expand their small farm where they have added rain catchment systems for irrigation and are growing sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, coffee and kale.

Thanks to John, Mary and other Jamii Bora Trust clients who raise kale and a traditional Kenyan meal that we ate just outside of Kibera, we developed this microcredit client-inspired recipe for sukuma wiki. The name translates roughly to “push the week,” implying the ingredient’s stellar ability to stretch meals, making them last to the end of the week. Throughout the country, the popular dish is eaten without utensils, with chapati (a variety of flatbread) or ugali (a type of cornmeal mush) used to scoop up bites instead.

Give this recipe a try and let us know what you think. Seems to me that our countries share a taste for healthy food!