New herbal teas by Wissotzky are the chamomile-honey and the chamomile-mint flavored teas. Chamomile is supposed to have a calming effect, but combined with the mint it's refreshing. A box containing 25 tea bags costs NIS 12. Canola (rape seed) oil is a healthy oil for use in baking and cooking, and Etz Hazayit now has a new, even healthier variation: canola oil with omega 3, something that apparently helps the heart. A 1-liter bottle of Etz Hazayit canola oil containing omega 3 is NIS 20. Ma'adanot now offers vegetable pies and mini-pies that contain no dough or wheat (they're also kosher for Pessah). The pies contain 60 percent vegetables, plus a variety of cheeses; they come with spinach, onion, corn, broccoli, sweet potato or mushrooms. The price for a 750-gr. pie is NIS 35, and a 500-gr. package of mini-pies is NIS 25; you can find Ma'adanot products in the frozen food department of your supermarket. Bornier's Dijon mustard with honey is especially suitable for salad dressings, as an addition to a meat or chicken sauce, or for use on a sandwich. The price for a 235-gr. jar is NIS 13. Strauss Magnum Desire ice cream bars are delicious treats that are hard to resist. The new Desire ice creams are Chocolate Chunks, chocolate ice cream with bitter chocolate chunks and nougat; and Almonds and Chocolate, vanilla ice cream with chocolate-covered almond slivers and caramel. One Magnum costs NIS 8.20, and a package containing six mini-Magnums sells for NIS 28.50. Prigat has a new flavor in its clear soft drinks line: pink grapefruit. Prigat Clear contains fruit, and about 37% less sugar than regular soft drinks. A 1.5-liter bottle costs NIS 5.50. Yoplait is now offering a variety of yogurts with separately-packaged chocolate cookies, chocolate balls, or chocolate covered flakes under the lid, treats that mostly appeal to a young audience. Yoplait On Top yogurts cost NIS 4.79 per container. SappÃ¨ flavored water containing aloe vera cubes may be familiar to those who have traveled in the Far East. For us, the aloe vera cubes were a little weird, but they supposedly contain a lot of vitamins and minerals. The SappÃ¨ drink comes in both apple and grape flavors, and costs NIS 8 for a 300-ml. bottle. If you still need hamentashen for your Purim meal and festivities, the ones from Perach in Yehud are a delicious option, especially those filled with pistachio nuts and the ones made with chocolate dough. The price for one kilo is NIS 95. Less impressive, but still far better than those you buy prepackaged in the supermarkets, are the hamentashen by the English Cake bakeries. The price varies from NIS 40 to NIS 46 per kilo. This bakery also sells a wide variety of oriental pastries.

Tidbits

If you still need hamentashen for your Purim meal and festivities, the ones from Perach in Yehud are a delicious option.