Best Of The British Isles

 St.David's Day, the national holiday of Wales was a few days ago. St Patrick's is next weekend. Despite what others have said the UK and Ireland does have some wonderful food. It could be Devon cream teas with rich fruity scones or a Sunday roast, with roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and thick gravy.

So here's the question  - what is your favorite British and or Irish food. I would have today I love colcannon, that flavorful mash with spinach and kale added. I love added huge blobs of plant butter too for creaminess. There's also fish and chips(the vegan version with Gardein's fish fillets)These are the perfect meal for me. 

What do you like? Let us know with an answer or even a picture.

CBD Teas The Latest Trend

CBD or cannabidiol is everywhere these days. It can be found in lotions, shampoos, edibles and now potables. CBD Living has added three flavorful loose leaf teas to its' long list of CBD products. Are they any special than regular loose leaf brands? Not really? Are they flavorful? Absolutely.

CBD Living manufactures a wide variety of CBD products. There the edibles which include milk and dark chocolate bars, tinctures, soaps, lotions and even suppositories. Their teas are loose leaf and , popular right now. They come in an array of flavors, from matcha to blackberry. I love tea so I had to try three flavors that appealed to me.

Their chai tumeric tea is the best chai I've had in a long while. The mix contains 150 mg of CBD (a cup has only seven All CBD Living's teas have this amount added) but also has turmeric along with organic ginger and cinnamon chips plus orange peel for a nice citrus aftertaste.

Another favorite is the coconut which is loaded with coconut shred and extract.It is blended with green Rooibis Tea and full spectrum hemp extract - which is the pure oil extracted from the hemp plant. It has a lovely tropical taste and the tea would be good iced on a hot summer's day

Another fruity flavor that not only soothing but delicious is the mango herbal tea. This drink has mango extract as its' top note flavor and organic dried peach as the bottom note which give the tea a bright, fruity flavor. As with the coconut there is also full spectrum hemp extract. Again this would be a great iced tea during the warmer months.Next on my list are their other teas - matcha , Berry Black and Passion Green.

CBD Living Loose Leaf Teas are the perfect antidote to today's super busy world. Brew them, and enjoy the rich flavor and the calming effect they have. It's like a vacation in a cup.

Aleppo Peppers A Syrian Treasure

Syria's vicious and long civil war has made many forget about the country's cuisine. It was well known for its' bulgar and kefti,hummus  and parsley salad. The country was also the top producer of the Aleppo pepper, a fiery spice that gave the food its' kick,

Tom Verde, an expert on Islam and Middle Eastern history wrote this informative piece about Syria's contribution to the global culinary table. The Alepo pepper is part of the capiscum family, and grows in pods. The result is a naturally oily pepper that is first partially ground and then  coarsely ground with olive oil and a bit of salt. The mix is then left to completely dry out which results in ruby red, slightly salty flakes that can keep well in the freezer thanks to the oil.Due to the fighting and bombing, acquiring the Aleppo pepper is hard, especially for Syrian home chefs and restaurants here in the States. One restaurant owner, Nidal Hajomar, owner of Aleppo's Kitchen in Anaheim, California has to rely on his wife's parents for the spice. They still live in Khalidiyah, in northwestern Aleppo and can still buy fresh peppers. They make the mix at home and ship it to Mr. Hajomar. The pepper ,though , is now being cultivated in the States, in Virginian nurseries, the Midwest and Southern California. Home chefs can buy it at their local spice shops or Walmart. They can also be grown in your backyard too. You can either  buy the seeds or young plants at various nurseries.

What makes the Aleppo Pepper so special? The taste. According to Chad Lowcock,  owner of Race City Spice Works says that the flavor is slightly tomato-y, with a background sweetness. He has created a chutney like sauce called Roasted Aleppo and Cayenne Shaata,  the last a medium hot combination of of cayenne, fresh garlic and the dried flakes from Turkey and Greece. The blend is then hydrated in red wine and fresh Aleppo  peppers from local markets are  roasted and added.Other chefs like its' taste - a departure from other chilis thanks to its' fruity and citrus-y flavor. There's a bit of sweetness to it which makes it perfect for sauces along with for marinated and raw fish. Syrians use it for more traditional dishes such as hummus, kebabs and muhammara, a red pepper dip that 's both hot and sweet thanks to pomegranate syrup. You can try these but you can experiment with it by adding a shake or two into ground beef for Syrian meatballs but also try it in such traditional dishes as tabbouleh and hummus.

Aleppo pepper is a reminder of delicious Syrian cuisine. It can still be used in traditional dishes, yet also can spark up new ones. It truly is a treasure that needs to continue , despite the strife.