Green Bay, WI (May 2 2010) – Nutorious has been selected as a two time Silver Finalist in the 2010 sofi™ Awards from the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc.(NASFT)  The sofi Awards recognize excellence in specialty foods and beverages in 31 categories and are a coveted industry honor. “sofi” stands for Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation.

Nutorious’ Cranberry Orango Tango Nut Confection and their Top it Off Ooo La La Original  Nut Topping were two of 125 Silver Finalists selected from 1,570 contenders by a national panel of specialty food experts.

“It is an honor to have received not just one, but, two silver sofi Awards again this year” said Jennifer Gille, co-founder of Nutorious. “We are thrilled to have had both a snack and a topping recognized.  This speaks to the versatility of the products; something our customers appreciate.” Nutorious products include handmade gourmet Nut Confections and Nut Toppings, and are available at select stores nationwide and at www.nutoriousnuts.com.

Nutorious’ Blueberry Lemon Merengue and Top it Off Cherry Vanilla Va-Voom were sofi™ Silver Finalists in 2009.  Top it Off Cranberry Orango Tango Nut Topping was also a sofi™ Silver Finalist in 2008.

The sofi Awards are open to members of the NASFT, a not-for-profit trade association established in 1952 with more than 3,000 members throughout the U.S. and abroad. For more information on the NASFT, go to www.specialtyfood.com

“The field was very competitive, with entries up 12 percent from 2009. The finalists represent the breadth and quality of our members’ distinctive products,” said Ann Daw, president of the NASFT. “It is clear that our industry is moving forward with innovation, inspiration and creativity.”

Streusel
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup chopped candied/toasted nuts (Nutorious or other)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Cake
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream (light is fine)
1/3 cup chopped candied/toasted nuts (Nutorious or other)

DIRECTIONS:

Prehat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9-in square pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together all topping ingredients until wet crumbs are formed. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until light. Beat in vanilla, followed by the eggs, adding them one at a time until mixure is smooth.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture, alternating with sour cream in two or three additions, until well mixed. Stir in nuts and scrape into prepared pan. Top with streusel mixture, spreading it into as even a layer as possible.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serves 12.

3 cups prepared brown and wild rice

Vinaigrette

1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c diced onion
3 T Balsamic Vinegar
2 T Dijon Mustard
1 t minced garlic
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

2 c Nutorious Ooo La La Original

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk together juice, onion, vinegar, mustard and garlic. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir together rice, vinaigrette and nuts. Salt and pepper to taste.

1 c quick cooking barley
2 c water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 c Extra virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1/4 c diced onion
1/2 c Nutorious Top it Off Cherry Vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Dissolve bouillon in water, bring to a boil. Add barley. Cover and reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes.

While barley is simmering, cook carrots, celery and onion in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat when onions are opaque.

Toss barley, vegetable mixture and nuts in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp chicken stock
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp diced onion
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Pinch cumin
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Combine ingredients and drizzle over salad.

Salad

INGREDIENTS:

Mixed greens
Spinach
2 cups cubed grilled bread
1 cup Nutorious Cha Cha Chipotle
1 bunch grilled asparagus
1/2 grilled red onion
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup diced pepper jack
Sliced grilled sirloin

DIRECTIONS:

Toss together and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Lay steak on top and dust with shredded Parmesan cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large bag of mixed baby greens (12-oz. or so)
1 large navel orange
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup candied/spiced nuts, slightly chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

Wash and dry baby greens and place in a large salad bowl. Dice orange and avocado into bite size pieces and add to greens with cranberries and nuts. Toss together with dressing* and season with salt and pepper. Serves 4, as a side.

*For my dressing, I used about 1/4 cup citrus vinegar whisked with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and some salt and pepper, then poured it on and tossed the salad (I didn’t quite use it all). Use your favorite light dressing if you don’t want to make your own.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c apricot jam
1/2 t. almond extract
2 lg. Bartlett Pears peeled and cubed
1/2 c dried cherries, chopped
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, cold
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 c. Nutorious Door County Cherry Vanilla Crunch

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix jam and almond extract in small sauce pan. Transfer 3 tablespoons jam mixture to bowl. Add pears and cherries, toss.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Unfold puff pastry and pinch to fill any holes or thin spots. Pierce center of pastry with a fork leaving 1/2 inch around outside edge unpierced. Brush edge with beaten egg yolk. Mound fruit in center leaving approximately 1/2 inch border. Press fruit to compact. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Heat remaining sauce over medium high heat. Brush over tartlets. Sprinkle liberally with Nutorious Door County Cherry Vanilla Crunch. Cool on rack.

4 c All Purpose Flour
1 c Sugar
2 T Baking Powder
2 t Ground Cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 c butter, softened
2 c Nutorious Cranberry Orange, chopped
1 c Milk
4 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Add butter. Mix with an electric mixer on low until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 2 minutes. Stir in Nutorious Cranberry Orange on low speed. In a separate bowl, whisk milk and eggs until well blended. Reserve 1/4 c milk mixture. Add remaining milk mixture to dry ingredients. Mix until just moistened. Gently knead dough on lightly floured surface 5 or 6 times. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Shape each portion into a circle 10 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Cut each into 12 wedges. Place dough on greased full sheet pan. Brush surface with reserved milk mixture. Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.

- NinaW