Heirloom

This is one of the heirloom tomatoes I planted. It's my favorite - I believe it's Mortgage Lifter (I I forgot to look this morning as I was leaving). See how it's meaty and there isn't very much of that watery seed stuff? It's good fresh. In a salad. But mostly in a sandwich. With mayo and black pepper. That's as far as I've gotten. It's so good I don't want to wait to cook it. So I say try those heirloom varieties. They've produced fruit like this with little care. Just some watering.

[Lab Rat] Sweet Potato Fries

Lately, sweet potato fries have been turning up in many of the restaurants I patronize. And that's fewer than it used to be as I am trying to dine in.

When I did the South Beach Diet, which was a rather healthy plan per my doctor, I learned that the white potato we all know and love = death and the sweet potato = okay in limited quantities. [Knowing that white potato = death did not stop me from serving it to my family at Thanksgiving. Should somebody look into that?]

But, I have integrated many healthier carb choices into my life and need to do more so I am always on the look out for things I like to intersect with things I should eat.

Like sweet potato fries. If they are breaded, they are out since that sort of defeats the purpose. I've been making my own by cutting up-what else?-a sweet potato and tossing with a bit of olive oil, cumin and salt. But Saturday as I was walking down the dairy and frozen potato/breakfast aisle, I spotted these sweet potato fries.

They fit all the criteria: little if any breading, could be prepared baked instead of fried and were already cut up and ready to go.

I served them with a homemade steak sandwich. Ignore the white bread bun of death there. Fiscal propriety was at war with health, and fiscal propriety won out - as in use up what you done bought, girlfriend.

Look at all the orangey, healthy goodness. Doesn't orange = beta carotene? There, we've neutralized the white bread bun of death already. The fries are piping hot, crisp and yummy with just a bit of salt.

Lab Rat says "2 thumbs up - more thumbs up if I had 'em".

You can find Alexia Julienned Sweet Potato Fries in the frozen food section of your Publix. Next to the white potatoes.

And if you can't or you don't shop at Publix? Let me encourage you to cut up your own sweet potato, toss with olive oil, light salt and either cumin + chili or just rosemary and bake at 400 degrees until tender. Equally virtuous and yummy.

New "Lab Rat" Feature

This is my new "lab rat" feature - I'll be trying new things--restaurants, food, stores, dog chews, ATMs and more--and reporting here...today's feature is Trader Joe's seasonal Candy Cane Joe Joe's.

Nice packaging. Father Christmas thinks they're quite festive.

They are an Oreo style cookie, with two nice crispy cookie wafers sandwiching the white cream center. But not just any cream center - one with slivers of candy canes in it. The peppermint flavor goes nicely with the chocolate crispy cookie wafer, neither overwhelming the other.

Rating: 2 thumbs up

Another winner from Trader Joe's - but only here for a limited time!