A real time-saver at the supermarket

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You can save time shopping in Teaneck. 

I stopped at the Stop & Shop in Teaneck for a half-gallon of lactose-free milk on Friday and discovered a real time-saver -- a portable scanner that allows you to check out and bag your groceries as you walk up and down the aisles.


When you have everything you need, all you have to do is scan another bar code in the self-checkout lane, swipe your credit card and sign -- and you're on your way.


You also can get credit for reusable bags and redeem coupons. 


The system -- called "EasyShop" -- has been in place for more than a year in Teaneck, according to another shopper. You pick up your handheld scanner just inside the entrance by scanning your store card.


The system is ideal if you shop once a week for a large number of items, which you can scan and place in reusable bags as you guide your shopping cart through the store.


I bought a half-gallon of Stop & Shop Lactose-Free Milk ($3.49), Nature's Promise Organic Lemonade ($2.99) and naturally raised Australian Lamb Chops ($6.49 a pound). 


Nothing was on sale, and I paid more than I would have at my usual supermarket, ShopRite.


I also noticed that items on sale, such as Tropicana Premium Orange Juice, cost more than ShopRite sale items. For example, two 59-ounce bottles of Tropicana were $6, compared to $5 at ShopRite.


But Stop & Shop has a much larger selection of organic and naturally grown or raised items than ShopRite -- all sold under the Nature's Promise label.

I fell hook, line and sinker

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From Holland, a platter of heart-healthy seafood.

Heart disease kills nearly 1,400 people a day in the United States -- 500,000 every year -- so you have to wonder whether we are eating ourselves into the grave. 


I had open-heart surgery last September to repair damage from a heart murmur, which isn't diet related. But I didn't require bypasses to get around blockages in my coronary arteries from an over-consumption of animal proteins.


I have always loved fish, and two years ago, I stopped eating meat and poultry. I haven't had butter or cream for decades, and fruit satisfies my sweet tooth.


A monthly newsletter from an importer, the Mazzetta Co. in Highland Park, discusses heart-healthy seafood and increasing shortages of beef and poultry. 


February is National Heart Month, according to the company. "Protect your heart by eating seafood," the newsletter says. 


I've fallen for that argument hook, line and sinker.


Mazzetta imports the farmed Black Tiger Shrimp I buy at Costco Wholesale under the "Seamazz" name. Here are excerpts from the newsletter:

"Every year, heart disease takes the lives of over half a million Americans, and it remains the leading cause of death in the United States.  This devastating epidemic leaves no one untouched; its victims are fathers and daughters, grandparents and siblings, and friends.  Every February, we remember the steps each of us can take to reduce the risk of heart disease and recommit to better heart health for all Americans.

"People with heart disease tend to have something in common: Many have spent decades eating too much saturated fat and not consuming enough fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins like seafood.  Many people with heart disease try to banish fats, but they're missing out on lots of foods that can protect the heart. Fish, avocados, nuts, and olive oil-they're all fatty, and they can all help keep you alive.  In fact, Omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish have been shown to prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure, and slow the buildup of plaque in the arteries.  Large studies suggest that Omega-3 fatty acids from seafoods can lower the risk of heart disease by more than 35% and can reduce the risk of sudden death from heart attack by more than 50%."

Rising beef prices

"The price of beef has hit an all-time high in each of the last four months, and experts expect cattle prices to rise even more throughout the year.  An agricultural economist at the University of Missouri has projected an average price $5.10 - $5.15 per pound of beef in 2012.  The rising price of beef began in 2011 when blistering heat and drought killed cows and grass and also sparked wildfires that consumed 4 million acres of pasture in Texas and Oklahoma.  At the same time, U.S. beef exports grew 23 percent while beef imports fell 12 percent - adding even more pressure on an already tight supply chain.

There is now less beef on grocery shelves and in restaurants, per American, than there has been since 1952.  Likewise, the U.S. supply of poultry, pork, and turkey continues to decline albeit far less dramatically than beef.

Unlike these other proteins, seafood is experiencing increases in production.  Pangasius and shrimp farming in Southeast Asia continues to grow and higher volumes are expected through 2013. Additionally, Chilean and Norwegian salmon farming will continue to experience greater outputs which will allow more affordable market prices.  The seafood industry as well as retailers, restaurants, distributors, and foodservice organizations need to be prepared to take advantage of this opportunity to promote seafood as a cost-effective, nutritious, delicious, and readily available protein."

 

Here is a link to the newsletter:

Seamazz Newsletter

According to its Web site, Mazzetta was founded in 1987 and is "one of the world's leading, fully integrated, direct importers of premium-frozen seafood."

"The company manages all of the intricate steps involved in identifying, harvesting, processing and delivering an uninterrupted supply of fish and shellfish from sustainable resources worldwide.  

"Mazzetta's customers include restaurants, retailers, distributors, hospitality and foodservice organizations across North America."

I brake for fish -- not bread

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Brussels sprouts are a frequent side dish to the fish, chicken, veal and pork in Jerry's Meals To Go. They are a low $7.99.

As I drove past Balthazar Bakery in Englewood the other day -- without lifting my foot off the accelerator -- I reviewed how drastically my diet has changed, and the benefits I've received.


When Balthazar opened a retail store in its production bakery just before Thanksgiving in 2002, I lived around the corner.


I'd walk over to pick up a wonderfully crusty baguette or a dozen dinner rolls and, once in a blue moon, an extraordinary fruit tart.


Even after I moved to Hackensack, Balthazar remained my main source for bread, and I'd stop in every couple of weeks to stock my freezer with dinner rolls and cut-up baguette for sandwiches.


I supplemented that with pocket bread, za'atar bread and spinach pies from the Syrian bakeries in Paterson -- I always had them in my freezer or refrigerator. 


But I gave up bread more than a year ago to lose weight, so on Monday, I kept on driving until I reached Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood, where I bought a $7.99 Meal To Go -- a multi-course, restaurant-quality dinner.


And because this month marks the 2nd anniversary since I stopped eating meat and poultry, I bought a Jerry's meal with blackened fillet of sole, rather than one with pork, chicken or veal.


The side dishes were a half-dozen grilled shrimp in the shell, Brussels sprouts, vegetable frittata and a small block of macaroni and cheese. All I needed to complete my dinner was a home-made salad and a glass of wine.


The next night, I prepared green-shell mussels from New Zealand I had purchased at H Mart -- they are blanched on the half shell and frozen. I sprinkled on some grated cheese and dried herbs and baked them in the oven for about 20 minutes.


Tonight, we're having fresh wild-caught haddock fillets from Iceland that I picked up today at Costco Wholesale ($7.99 a pound).


I went to Costco after meeting friends for lunch at the Grant Street Cafe in Dumont. I had a Greek salad and black coffee, and they had sandwiches or an omelet with lots of bread and french fries.


At Costco, I also purchased 4 pounds of frozen, cleaned U-15 farmed shrimp from Vietnam (13 to 15 shrimp to the pound) for $36.99 or about $9.25 a pound with a $5 instant Costco coupon.


By giving up bread and meat, and going to the gym five days a week, I've lost a lot of weight. I weigh 190 pounds, compared to a high of 228, and my cholesterol is around 140 -- much lower than before, when I ate meat and took a cholesterol-lowering pill.. 


Balthazar Bakery, 214 S. Dean St., Englewood; 201-503-9717.


Jerry's Gourmet & More, 410 S. Dean St., Englewood; 201-871-7108.


Costco Wholesale, 80 S. River St., Hackensack; 201- 487-5471.

Guess what's in your premium orange juice?

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Here's a report from ABC News on how premium-not-from-concentrate orange juice is made, using "flavor packs."


A video report on arsenic in apple and grape juice blends follows the video on orange juice.


How healthy is juice?


Another report, from Wellness and Equality, described as "a progressive health blog," discusses how a fungicide was found in shipments of Brazilian-sourced orange juice, which is used in some premium juice blends sold in the United States.


What's in your orange juice?


None of the reports discuss the taste difference between premium orange juice and those from concentrate.


To my son, Tropicana from concentrate tastes "funny," and when I tried to substitute it for Tropicana's premium juice, he took one sip and refused to finish it.


I bought both Tropicana juices at Costco Wholesale last May, and the one from concentrate was only .03 cents less per ounce than the so-called premium juice. I was able to get a refund for the concentrate.

Your first challenge is finding the place

Fort Lee, New Jersey (Photo credit: Dougtone)
You'll find a popular Korean restaurant only a couple of blocks down Fort Lee's Main Street (at Center Avenue, above). 

Editor's note: Today, I report on a visit to a popular tofu restaurant that has been operating under the radar since late 2010, and on our first meal from a vegetarian restaurant.

A popular restaurant specializing in Korean comfort food has been packing in customers for about 15 months in an out-of-the way location in Fort Lee.


BCD Tofu House opened in late 2010 in the Fort Lee Town Centre, a shopping plaza best known for its large Borders bookstore, which closed at the end of April 2011.


On Saturday, we visited the restaurant for the first time -- after I learned about it from my Korean barber, who lives in Fort Lee -- and were handed a pager. We waited about 30 minutes for a table.


The restaurant already was full shortly before 5:30 in the afternoon. The shopping plaza is elevated above Schlosser Street and businesses face an interior parking lot, so unless you know it's there, it is easy to miss.


BCD Tofu House probably is the only Korean restaurant in North Jersey with a playroom for children, including a TV and climbing wall. Next door, is a large Korean bakery and coffee house.


The menu lists 10 soft-tofu stews ($9.95 at lunch, $11.95 at dinner) -- including curry and dumpling -- with a choice of spiciness: Plain, Mild, Regular, Hot and Danger. Additional toppings are $2. Brown rice is available at no extra charge. 


But the restaurant also offers about 20 other traditional Korean dishes, including pancakes, cold-noodle soups, bibimbap and japchae.


We had four tofu stews, ranging from "Mild" for my mother-in-law to "Danger" for my 14-year-old son, who dares Korean restaurants to make his food as spicy as possible. His Sprite cost $2.95.


Although the signature tofu stews are a couple of bucks more expensive than at nearby competitors, you receive seven free side dishes -- including a small, whole fish -- compared to four at other places. 


We also ordered a seafood-vegetable-tofu pancake ($9.95 small, $17.95 large) from the list of appetizers. 


We got our side dishes or panchan after we ordered.  The restaurant serves a deliciously spicy cabbage kimchi, but we didn't care for another version made with raw oysters.


My seafood tofu stew, which I ordered "Hot," was the spiciest I have ever had, and I gagged on the first few spoonfuls. It contained a large mussel, small clams and shrimp in the shell, and I broke a fresh egg into the bubbling broth to poach and eat with my brown rice.


The waitress explained later that our table was so full with stone bowls of stew, side dishes, water glasses and hot-tea cups she brought our rice in small metal bowls instead of the larger traditional stone bowls.


We liked all of the food, even the thick pancake, which glistened with oil but didn't taste greasy, but we could have done without the long wait for a table, the crowds and the noise.


We would have had plenty of food even without the small pancake. With seven side dishes, fresh egg and rice, this soft-tofu meal is a belly buster. 


It looks like the next time we hunger for soft tofu, we'll return to our favorite, So Gong Dong in Palisades Park, a smaller place where we rarely have to wait to be seated.


The first BCD Tofu House was opened in Los Angeles in 1996 and named after a Korean city, Buk-Chang-Dong. Today, there are 17, including restaurants in Korea, Japan, Southern California, Washington State, Manhattan and Fort Lee.


BCD Tofu House, 1640 Schlosser St., Fort Lee; 201-944-2340.
Open 7 days from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. 
No reservations taken. 


Web site: The House That Tofu Built



Veggie Heaven


Don't judge Veggie Heaven in Teaneck from its plain exterior or all the unused space inside.


If you're looking for a totally meatless meal, this is one of the few places in North Jersey to find it.


"Meat," "seafood" and "poultry" are made from bean curd, taro root, wheat gluten, mushrooms, yams and other vegetables.


We tried the Chinese-style vegetarian restaurant for takeout on Friday night, and liked most of the dishes we tried. The woman who took my order and seemed to be running the place said she is from Malaysia.


Veggie Heaven does best with straightforward vegetable dishes and curries, but not so well with seafood and meat substitutes. 


We loved the Seafood Okra Soup with Ginger ($7.95), which provided four small bowls of thick broth and crunchy, green okra. However, eight assorted dim sum ($6.50) were leaden and tasteless.


We also liked Dried Sauteed String Beans, another crunchy vegetable ($6.25 small, $7.95 large). And the sauce in the Curry Vegetarian Chicken was perfect spooned over white or brown rice ($6.95 small, $9.95 large).


But we all agreed the Crispy Vege Jumbo Shrimp ($13.95), described on the menu as "stir-fried soy shrimp," were pretty awful.


I stopped eating meat about two years ago, but the rest of the family still enjoys beef, poultry and other meat, so it's not surprising this was the first time we tried Veggie Heaven.


Veggie Heaven, 473 Cedar Lane, Teaneck; 
201-836-0887. Closed Mondays.


Related articles

• Changes in the Asian food scene (doyoureallyknowwhatyoureeating.blogspot.com)
• Kimchi is the star of a Korean meal for 10 (doyoureallyknowwhatyoureeating.blogspot.com)
• Pizzeria is displacing Vietnamese restaurant (doyoureallyknowwhatyoureeating.blogspot.com)
• New tofu house seeks foothold (doyoureallyknowwhatyoureeating.blogspot.com)

Why you should avoid fast food

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A KFC restaurant in Merseyside, England.

A man who stopped at a KFC restaurant was attacked by other customers and lost part of his ear.


Here is the full story from the BBC: No chickens crossed the road

Fairway prices aren't the real shock

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Fairway Market's California roll is made with an artificial sweetener and a preservative.

I drove over to Fairway Market in Paramus today to pick up a few items during its "shock price" promotion, but the real surprise was the ingredients list for one of the sale items.


I picked up the 9-piece California roll for $3.99 -- which is made in the store --  and tried to read the long list of ingredients in very small type. 


I did a double take when I saw "aspartame," an artificial sweetener, and "potassium sorbate," a preservative. They also were listed on rolls with raw fish.


I mentioned the ingredients to a woman ahead of me in the checkout line when I saw she had picked up a salmon roll. She said couldn't read the list, because she didn't have her glasses with her.


Whole Foods Market in Paramus, ShopRite supermarkets and H Mart also make sushi and rolls in their stores, but I haven't tried any recently and haven't paid attention to the ingredients.


At Fairway, I bought three Fuji apples at 99 cents a pound, three 1-pound packages of Campari tomatoes at $1.66 each and Fairway Organic Fair Trade Coffee Beans (Turkish grind) at $7.99 a pound.


The "shock price" promotion runs through Feb. 9.