| Pass the SooFoo |
| Friday, 11 March 2011 17:54 | |||
 San Francisco, California, March 2011— Punxsutawney Phil may not have seen his shadow last month, which predicts an early spring, but try telling that to that part of the country that’s been buried under snow or freezing rain most of the winter. Even so, spring is around the corner, and one of the things you might look forward to is something called SooFoo — a delicious and nutritious mixture of American grown brown rice, grains and lentils. As it expands its distribution throughout California and prepares for its national roll-out, SooFoo is inviting home chefs to experiment and see how SooFoo can add a nutrient-filled, flavorful twist to traditional recipes, as well as inspire innovation in the spirit of its creator, San Francisco inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Maurice Kanbar. www.SooFoo.com
Looking back for a moment, SooFoo is suggesting a hearty recipe that owes its genesis to adversity. Last Thanksgiving, SooFoo donated 250 lbs. of its product to “Gobble Gobble Give” to help feed hundreds of needy families in Silver Lake, California. Says organizer Barry Walker, “We were challenged on how to cook so much SooFoo, so we had our first-ever SooFoo taste test throw down. Thirteen amateur chefs each picked up about ten pounds of SooFoo the night before. We had a panel of judges and everything. People cooked it with turkey, bacon, veggie style, all ways. It was great. “ The winner was LA Cinematographer Jacob Pinger, who was cooking at Gobble Gobble Give for the first time. With only hours to create a masterpiece, he created SooFoo Stuffed Peppers. “This recipe is moist, but light on sauce,” he says. “It really lets the earthy/nutty flavor of the SooFoo come through. The bit of curry enhances that earthy vibe, but all the little diced bits of tomato, zucchini, corn and red bell pepper keep the rice open and moist. I like to be generous with the ground black pepper to give it some bite, and that bit of lemon on top gives it a real Mediterranean flare for a perfect summer patio meal. Serve with a cold glass of crisp white wine. Yum!” Here’s the recipe: SOOFOO STUFFED BELL PEPPERS (by Jacob Pinger) Serves 4 35 minutes prep| 65 minutes total Ingredients: 1 cup SooFoo 5 green bell peppers (big ones!) 1 small onion, chopped small 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tomato, diced 1 zucchini, diced small 1 red bell pepper, diced small ½ cup frozen sweet corn 4 cups vegetable stock 3 tablespoons olive oil ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ½ teaspoon of curry (more if desired) A pinch of oregano 1/3 cup grated Romano/parmesan cheese lemon wedges salt and pepper To Cook: Bring vegetable stock to boil and stir in SooFoo. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Cut the green bell peppers in half (lengthwise) and scoop out seeds and pith. Blanche peppers in boiling water for three minutes. Remove with tongs and drain open side down on paper towels. Sauté the onion in olive oil for a couple minutes, then add salt, the garlic, cumin seeds and curry. Sauté a few minutes more until onion is almost cooked, then add the tomato. Cook for another few minutes. Stir in onion/tomato mixture into SooFoo once it has cooked 35 minutes and keep cooking it for an additional 15 minutes. It shouldn’t dry out! After the 15 minutes are up, stir in the zucchini, red bell pepper and corn. Add a bit more salt and pepper to taste. Place the green bell peppers on an oiled baking dish and fill them with the SooFoo mixture. Sprinkle the cheese and a bit of oregano on each one. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 15 minutes. Before serving put a little more salt and pepper on top (if needed), and squeeze a touch of lemon on each. Inventor, entrepreneur, author, film producer and master distiller Maurice Kanbar created and honed his “perfect” combination of 9 ingredients over time after making SooFoo for himself in his own San Francisco kitchen. Kanbar called it SooFoo because it’s “super good food.” SooFoo is available in many California and Nevada Whole Foods, as well as more than 100 other gourmet supermarkets and health food stores throughout California and Nevada. National distribution is falling into place; in the meantime customers can order direct from the web site: www.soofoo.com. For recipes or to submit recipes please visit us at: www.SooFoo.com. SOURCE: SooFoo
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