June 18, 1995|By Karol V. Menzie
The arrival of summer doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite coffee: Just try it on ice. Toddy Products of Houston has developed a device that helps produce a good glass of iced coffee. It's called the Toddy Coffee Maker, and it makes a concentrate that can be mixed with water and poured over ice for a smooth, full-bodied coffee flavor. The concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.
Besides Coffee Coffee, the Toddy Coffee Maker (about $25) is available at Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffee stores, and at the Coffee Mill, in both its Belvedere Square and 36th and Chestnut locations.
A wellspring of wellness
A new cookbook from the editors of the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter includes a nutrition guide and more than 250 recipes that are low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals. The book, a successor to 1993's "The Wellness Lowfat Cookbook," is called "The Simply Healthy Lowfat Cookbook" (Rebus/Random House, $24.95). Here's a sample from the chapter "Meatless Main Courses":
Sauteed Vegetables and White Beans Provencale
Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise into half-rounds
6 ounces green beans, halved lengthwise
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 19-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
In a large nonstick skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion and garlic, and cook until onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until pepper begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and green beans and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, basil and white beans, and cook until tomatoes have softened and vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes.
Delicious competitions
* 16th Annual National Oyster Cook-off. Recipes due by Aug. 1. Grand prize $1,000. Four categories: hors d'oeuvres; soups and stews; main dishes; and outdoor cookery/salad. For details, write National Oyster Cook-off, c/o DECD, P.O. Box 635, Leonardtown, Md. 20650.
* 5th Annual Newman's Own & Good Housekeeping Recipe Contest. Recipes due by Aug. 1. Grand prize $50,000 for winner's favorite charity. Dishes can use a number of Newman's Own products.
For contest rules and other information, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Newman's Own, Inc. & Good Housekeeping Recipe Contest, P.O. Box 8010, Westport, Conn. 06888.
Tidbits welcomes food news -- new products, food-related news events, local cookbooks, mail-order finds, openings and closings restaurants and food shops. Send press releases to Tidbits, Attn.: Karol V. Menzie, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278.
