Alberta Co-op Grocery

Crowd Pleasing Nachos!

Posted February 8th, 2012

by Rex, Working Owner

(These were recently served as a demo at the Co-op, and the customers and staff alike raved about them.  So, in the interest of spreading the good word, here you go! – Theresa)

Ingredients:

• 1 big bag of tortilla chips
• 1 15 oz can Amy’s black bean chili (medium)
• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed free of can goop
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1 bunch lacinato (dino) kale, rinsed & chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs gluten-free tamari
• 1 14 oz tub salsa, whatever your heat preference
• 1 cup cheddar-style Daiya for us vegans, or Pepper Jack Tillamook, grated
• 1 bunch green onions, finely sliced into fancy rings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small sauce pan, combine chili and rinsed black beans.  Heat over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until thickened a bit.  Add salt and pepper to taste if you like.

Meanwhile, heat a cast iron skillet (preferred, but not required) over a medium-high flame, add olive oil and sautee those onions 4-5 minutes, stirring/tossing occasionally, until they’re translucent and golden delicious.  Dump them into a prep bowl to cool enough to handle.

Use the still-hot pan (and still slightly oiled) to cook up the garlic and kale, with a lid for the first 2-3 minutes, but NO added water.  Add tamari at the last moment, toss, and remove from heat.  Greens should be bright green, not even close to approaching brown, as they will cook a bit more in the oven, and there are few things worse than brown greens.

Spread a fairly even layer of chips onto 2 baking sheets (or all on one if you’re going for the giant heaped look), spoon on some generous globs of beans, layer on the greens, sprinkle sauteed onions over, more spooning of salsa, and a layer of Daiya/cheese.

Place in preheated oven for 9-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Serves many.

Tags: appetizers, cheese, vegan, vegetarian
Posted in Food and Drink, Home and Garden, Recipes

New Cheese From Tillamook!

Posted January 10th, 2012

by Theresa

I’m pretty excited about the extensive variety of new cheeses Amber, our perishables buyer, has elected to bring in fromTillamook Creamery.

Not only are they a local staple here in Oregon, but I’ve recently learned that Tillamook is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative, too.  Each farmer-owner, as they’re called, has a farm that produces milk for their co-op, which means that the proceeds from Tillamook Cheese go right back to the people that are contributing to its production.  Additionally, all the farmer-owners associated with Tillamook Creamery live on or near the land they’re farming, which means that their quality of life is intrinsically connected to the health of the land and their animals.  A  nice incentive to keep things on the farm sustainable and clean.  No artificial growth hormones in this dairy.

And now, let me briefly run through the breadth of new products we’ve gotten in this week from recommendedCreamery:

3 Year Vintage Aged White Cheddar

After 3 years time aging, this cheese comes out of hiding and is rich, sharp, and a delight texturally.  Highly recommended.

2 Year Vintage Aged White Cheddar

This white cheddar is like the kid brother to its 3 year aged counter part.  The texture is softer, the flavors are slightly less sharp.  Overall just a bit more mild, yet still delicious.

2 Year Aged Smoked Extra Sharp Cheddar

The smokey flavor on this aged cheddar is clear and strong.  If you like smoked cheese, this is going to be the winner for you.  I thoroughly enjoyed tasting it, but it’s the kind of cheese that I can’t eat too much of (believe it or not, such a cheese does exist).

Garlic White Cheddar

This was a hit amongst staff at our informal taste-test.  Roasted garlic flavors permeate the whole loaf of cheese, yet aren’t overpowering.  You can still taste that white cheddar!  I could see this being a great compliment on an otherwise plain sandwich.

Hot Habenero Jack

This was my personal favorite out of the ones we’ve gotten in.  I love  a good pepper jack cheese, but using habaneros instead of jalapenos was a genius move on the part of Tillamook Creamery.  There’s an element of heat that I always anticipate in a regular pepper jack, but it wasn’t so spicy as to be inedible.  A real crowd pleaser, for sure.

Pepper Jack

This pepper jack was nice.  Not as spicy as the habanero jack, but a good, classic pepper jack cheese.

Smoked Swiss Slices

I had previously never heard of smoked swiss, so I was really eager to taste this one.  Swiss is never one of my favorite cheeses, but I really enjoyed this one.  The smokey flavor is mild, and acts as a really nice compliment to the usually sharp taste of swiss cheese.  I could see this being delicious on a burger.  Is it summer yet?

Tags: cheese, co-op, gluten-free, local
Posted in Announcements, Food and Drink, General Information, Spotlight