Tidbits

Quinoa is gaining popularity these days as a vegetable side dish, sometimes appearing as an alternative to rice or couscous.

By EVA BEN-DAVID
Quinoa is gaining popularity these days as a vegetable side dish, sometimes appearing as an alternative to rice or couscous (especially during Pessah, because it's not a grain, even though it looks like one). It's easily digested, rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, plus it's suitable for those who are on a gluten-free diet. Marshal now has quinoa in three colors (black, red and yellow), so it looks more interesting on your plate. The organic tricolor quinoa is sold at NIS 17.90 for a 400-gr. package. Having quinoa for breakfast is another option, with Qinergia organic quinoa puffs, available in the flavors natural (suitable for people with diabetes), sweetened and chocolate. A 250-gr. package, available in the Mega supermarkets, is NIS 20. Deliciously refreshing are the new Yoplait mousse desserts, which can be eaten as is, but are even better when frozen. The mousse desserts that can be put in the freezer come in the flavors lemon-mint, strawberry and vanilla, and are NIS 4.19 a tub. New in the series of Schweppes lightly sparkling flavored water is Schweppes Riesling grapes, a refreshing drink with a subtle flavor. A 1.5-liter bottle is NIS 6.79 and a half liter bottle is NIS 6.50. Sukrazit has two new products in the Sukarlite line: "Kapit lekapit" (teaspoon to teaspoon), a sugar-flavored powder, and a bottle of liquid sweetener, also suitable for cooking and baking. A 750-gr. jar of Kapit lekapit is NIS 29.90, and a 220-ml. bottle is NIS 27; the sweetening ingredient in Sukarlite sweeteners is sucralose. The Pa'amit stores, which sell paper plates, cups, etc., have a tray for making ice in cylinder shapes. These cylinder-shape sticks are great to add to a bottle of water, since they fit through a standard narrow top (most cubes won't). A pair of trays, available in different colors, is NIS 10. Nestlé Nokout are luxurious ice cream treats, and the new flavors disappeared quickly from our freezer. The new Nokout additions this season are vanilla covered with white chocolate; banana-pecan nuts covered with white chocolate; a "sandwich" with chocolate flavored biscuits filled with vanilla-chocolate-chip ice cream (NIS 8.20 each); and a chocolate-vanilla cone (NIS 5.30). If you're looking for a salty snack at a reasonable price, you can try the Karmit mini-salty snacks with za'atar, or the Eastern flavored ones. A 700-gr. jar of these snacks is NIS 20. A new milk-based baby formula on the market is Optimil, which comes in three varieties: Optimil 1 for babies up to six months, Optimil 2 for babies from six months to one year and Optimil 3 for toddlers from one year to three years. A 450-gr. can of Optimil is NIS 46.