Friday Food Finds: Popped Water Lily Seeds, Veggie Shots, Potato Chip Chocolate, and More!

Have you heard the great news? Radio host Taylor Strecker is back with a brand new show, the appropriately titled Taylor Strecker Show, which can be streamed live on weekdays from 8-10 a.m. ET and accessed on demand.

So what does this mean for you and us? Well, we are excited to announce the official return of Friday Food Finds! It’s here where we take on the super difficult (eye roll, we know) task of sampling some of the latest food offerings. From grocery store items to Instagrammable NYC fads, there is nothing we won’t eat, drink, and give entirely authentic and brutally honest opinions about.

Check out the show here and a round-up of this week’s products and feedback below. Happy snacking!

Bohana Popped Water Lily Seeds (Soulful Spice)

Bohana

Okay, so these aren’t the most exciting things in the world (unless you’re at a street market in India, where they’re prepared with extra oil and are ridiculously addictive), but if you’re looking for a healthier alternative to popcorn that is said to lower inflammation and boost antioxidants, these may be the snacks for you. They sure beat cheese puffs, at least, and it’s pretty cool to think that these seeds are harvested from actual giant water lilies in Asia.

Cape Cod Waves Chips (40 Percent Reduced Fat, Sea Salt)

Cape Cod

When it comes to potato chips, Cape Cod gets it right. They always maintain a perfect ratio of crunch, grease, and salt, and these “healthier” varieties with ridges more than deliver in the “omg, give me a carb ASAP” category. Taylor made the brilliant recommendation to dunk these in a homemade French onion dip, so brb because we’re already grabbing a bowl and all of the necessary ingredients.

Chuao Potato Chip Milk Chocolate

Chuao

Holy crap. As soon as the segment ended, this was the only thing we continued to eat and finish. There is nothing better than a good sweet and salty combo and these worth the temporary break in diet. Chuao, a Venezuelan chocolatier, prides itself on developing innovative flavor profiles, so we can’t wait to get our hands on something else.

My/Mo Cashew Milk Mochi Ice Cream (Strawberry)

My/Mo

It’s a well-known fact that mochi is effin’ delicious and these bundles of vegan goodness deserve a round of applause. Due to cashew milk’s creamy consistency, you don’t feel like you’re sacrificing the familiarity of dairy for a perfect summertime indulgence. And at only 100 calories per serving, it’s the perfect late-night treat that won’t make you cry into your pillow about not having abs. That’s a doughnut’s fault.

Zupa Veggie Shots

Zupa

If you have an aversion to vegetables, you definitely won’t like these. While we appreciate the company’s mission to provide organic, soup-like juices, there’s just no getting around some of the strong flavors associated with kale and turmeric. That being said, health nuts will go crazy over these and we were big fans of the “Digestion” concoction that boasted vinegar, tomatoes, and habanero. Who doesn’t love a little spice to liven up a tedious work day?

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Oreo Promises to Use Sustainable Cocoa

Here’s some news about Oreos that, for once, doesn’t entail the launch of a crazy new flavor. Mondelēz, the multi-national snack conglomerate responsible for the cookies, has promised to use more sustainably grown and supplied cocoa. That’s a way better idea than putting pop rocks in the cream!

The ingredient will now come from farmers who are a part of the brand’s Cocoa Life program, an initiative that supports sustainable production methods, as well as the welfare of the farmers behind it.

Glenn Caton, president of Northern Europe at Mondelēz International, had this to say in a statement. “To bring the iconic Oreo brand under Cocoa Life is a special moment for us as we continue to expand the program and move closer to our target of empowering 200,000 farmers and reaching one million people in cocoa-growing communities by 2022. Through Cocoa Life, we want to become an accountable partner for our cocoa farmers, not just a buyer. Cocoa Life truly transforms communities by delivering real and measurable improvements for cocoa farmers.”

Oreo has promised that these changes will be implemented by the end of next month, just in time for Earth Day. Packaging will also be updated to make consumers aware of this initiative as well.

It’s an especially timely effort, as scientists have been warning of a possible chocolate shortage, given the high demand. In recent years, climate change has had a huge negative impact on production in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, where nearly half of the world’s chocolate supply is harvested.

While Oreos may not be the healthiest snack choice (they’re also not vegan, in case you were wondering), you can at least feel good about making a choice that supports sustainability efforts. And if the planet gets its act together, hopefully they’ll continue to be around for another century of sandwich cookie goodness!

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Starbucks Will Come with Cancer Warnings in California

A Los Angeles judge has ruled that Starbucks and other coffee retailers in California must put cancer warnings on coffee beverages sold in the state. A non-profit recently sued over 90 coffee sellers on the grounds that they were violating state law that claims companies need to alert consumers if their products can cause cancer.

In the case of coffee, the culprit is acrylamide, a chemical byproduct from the roasting process. On Wednesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle ruled that coffee companies hadn’t presented proper grounds to show that there’s no significant risk from the carcinogen.

According to the judge, “While plaintiff offered evidence that consumption of coffee increases the risk of harm to the fetus, to infants, to children and to adults, defendants’ medical and epidemiology experts testified that they had no opinion on causation.”

“Defendants failed to satisfy their burden of proving … that consumption of coffee confers a benefit to human health, ” he continued.

Scientific evidence regarding the health and safety of coffee has oscillated over the years. Many concerns have been eased given the beneficial impact of the drink. It’s even been linked to preventing heart disease and dementia. And in 2016, the World Health Organization moved coffee off its “possible carcinogen” list.

However, the Council for Education and Research on Toxics wants the coffee industry to remove acrylamide from its drink altogether, claiming that warnings aren’t good enough. They had previous success getting potato chip companies to remove it when they sued them years ago, but coffee companies claim its impossible to remove the chemical without compromising the taste.

The defendants have several weeks to challenge the ruling. If it stands,  it could have major implications for the coffee industry, which will face stiff financial penalties. It may also influence policies far beyond the state in years to come.

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How to Cook Asparagus on the Stovetop

Hello spring and hello asparagus! What’s your favorite way to cook asparagus?

I love them grilled, roasted, baked in to a frittata, or made into soup. But if I’m honest with you, the method I use most often to cook asparagus is to shallow boil them on the stovetop.

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