Spinach is an amazing superfood. It is low in fat and high in protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K, calcium, iron… let’s just say it is loaded with health benefits. The leafy vegetable is quickly becoming the most loved green. Spinach is very versatile as it can be eaten raw, sautéed, baked or blended into your favorite dish to add in those much-needed vitamins.

Spinach gained popularity back in the day, all thanks to Popeye the Sailor Man. In the well-known cartoon, Popeye would squeeze open a can of spinach, consume the greens, and suddenly his biceps would grow to the size of bowling balls, giving him the super power to fight Brutus the bad guy! Parents everywhere used Popeye as the example on why you should eat spinach… it will give you all the nutrients and strength you could ever need! Guess Mom is always right!

Here at Gold Coast Packing we love spinach so much that we grow it year- round. We offer it in a variety of pack-sizes, washed and ready to use (yes, all the hard work is done for you). So, the only thing you need to do is open the package and think of how you want to serve it up.

Spinach is a salad bar staple, and yes, we love it as our dinner salad base, but so much can be done with those beautiful, dark green leaves. You can sneak it into your favorite smoothie, toss it into your favorite pasta, add it to your favorite soup, top a pizza with it, or you can do what we’re doing, and whip up a nice bowl of gnocchi.… the possibilities are endless.

Gnocchi are little dumplings traditionally made from potatoes and flour. It’s typically served in soups or with a hearty sauce. In our Spinach Gnocchi, we are ditching the potatoes and the sauce! Don’t get us wrong, we love potatoes, but we are passing on the extra starch and whipping up a healthier version that’s loaded with all the superfood goodness Spinach has to offer. Our version is drizzled with olive oil and Parmesan cheese, but this can be customized with your favorite sauce.

Thanks for joining us on this Spinach Gnocchi journey. Check out our easy how to video below and when you are ready to make this at home, we’ve also included a printable version.

Recipe Here: Spinach Gnocchi

Original Article Here by Keith Loria

Gold Coast Packing, Inc., based in Santa Maria, CA, is looking forward to attending the PMA Foodservice show this year, and as always, has some big plans for its involvement.

The company invites people to come over to Booth No. 1006, where it will be serving up hash, as well as its complete lineup of value-added vegetables and herbs and salad kits.

“This year we will be showcasing our new Gold Coast Veggie Hash and showing the foodservice world that hash isn’t just for breakfast,” said Crystal Chavez, marketing coordinator for the company. “Our hash is a blend of gold beets, kohlrabi and fennel. It comes washed, cubed and ready to use. Our new versatile hash can be sautéed and served up as the perfect dinner side dish next to your favorite steak, or it can be roasted and placed over a bed of your favorite greens for lunch or it can be grilled up next to your morning eggs.”

Gold Coast Packing finds that PMA is the perfect opportunity to highlight new innovations and connect easily with those in the foodservice industry — important aspects for the company to maintain its success.

“We enjoy sharing what we’ve been working on and getting feedback on our newest offerings from attendees,” Chavez said. “It’s a great event and one that the team looks forward to each year.”

The Gold Coast Packing team has been growing, with the company expanding in recent months. Chavez noted that adding to the team and bringing so much industry talent together to grow the company has made it an exciting time.

“We are working to grow our retail line, and many exciting things are in the works for us,” she said.

Located in the Santa Maria Valley, nestled on the central coast, the company grows, processes and packs an assortment of value-added vegetables all-year round and partners with other growing operations locally and process in its state-of-the-art processing plant, Fresh Venture Foods, which it co-owns with Babe Farms.

White Chavez admits the beginning of 2017 has presented some challenges, the company sees a brighter second half of the year ahead.

“It was a tough spring with tight supply after a very wet winter. We faced some challenges with low supply of some of our items,” she said. “We are looking forward to the rest of 2017, now that our supply is better.”

Summer is in full swing; warmer weather has arrived and the delicious smell of BBQ and grilling has filled the air. You’re probably thinking, wait you highlighted grilling last month, yes, that’s right, we did. We shared how grilling is now a spotlight method for preparing meals, especially among millennials, but, we haven’t had our fill of grilling yet. Plus, the best of summer is still to come, so we want to share more grilling recipes and methods with you. So, stay a while, read on, because we are about to share with you our favorite items to throw on the grill, and we’re not talking burgers and hot dogs, we’re talking Veggies, yes you are reading correctly! VEGETABLES!

Vegetables are often forgotten when planning BBQs. Of course, they make an appearance at your cookout, but they are the side dish, the add on, the afterthought, we’re talking about making your grilled veggies the focal point, the center of your plate. Veggie Centric meals is one of the biggest trends amongst millennials and home chefs, and what’s an easier way to make your meal heavy on vegetables than grilling. Grilling your produce is the best way to go this summer, for so many reasons, it’s a healthy way to cook, it adds a smoky flavor to your veggies, prep work is almost non-existent, and clean-up is a breeze! But let’s be honest, the greatest reason to grill is because, when temperatures heat up why would you want to stand in front of a hot stove or oven to make your meals? Use your Grill!!

Here at Gold Coast we like to be adventurous and try different vegetables on the grill, our favorites are NOT your usual squash and bell peppers. No Sir! We like to cook Broccoli and Cauliflower over that open fire. It gets a nice char and a great sweet smoky flavor! Trust us on this one you will not be disappointed. We offer both broccoli and cauliflower florets here at Gold Coast in various pack sizes. Our florets are cut to the perfect skewering size (super perfect for the grill), washed and ready for your summer recipes.

For this month’s recipe, we are keeping it a little on the simple side, but packed with flavor. We have skewered our favorite crucifers, basted them with a little olive oil (the key to perfectly grilled veggies is ALWAYS brushing with a little oil), lightly seasoned them and then laid them on the grill. But, because we love flavor and because we love Cilantro, we didn’t stop there. Oh No! We made a super tasty Cilantro Chimichurri sauce to add a kick to our favorite grilled vegetables. This easy to make sauce can be used as a marinade for grilled meats, as a salsa for tacos, or anything you want the Cilantro zest with a slight spicy kick.

So as the temperatures heat up this summer, step outside to cook your meals and remember to move your veggies to the center of your plate. Our easy to follow recipe is in the video below, but if a printed version is more your thing, that can also be found with our video. Thanks for sticking with The Produce Navigator, and enjoy using your grill this summer.

Recipe Here: Grilled Broccoli & Cauliflower Chicken Skewers wCilantro Chimichurri

Summer is a few days away, and summer means it’s time to fire up the grill. This summer the (delicious) smell and sound of meals being cooked over an open flame will be more than in years past, and it is all thanks to millennials. Yes, millennials! Millennials are the generation of young adults that were born between 1980 and 2000 (also called Generation Y), and let’s face it, they’re trendsetters. They are the biggest generation in U.S. history, surpassing Baby Boomers!

Millennials are obsessed with food and crave an experience. They use food as an outlet for entertaining and self-expression, which is why grilling is their latest obsession. But, millennials are not the only ones enjoying the grilling trend, ten years ago the average family was using the BBQ, 2½ times during the summer. This year, it’s expected, that families will be eating dinner from the grill 9 times during the summer months.

What is being grilled up is also different than in years past. It is not your typical burgers and dogs, millennials are concerned with how their food is made, where it comes from, and how it’s grown, more than any other generation. Millennials try more bold flavors when they cook but they more often seek healthy options and flavor alternatives. Wellness is huge with this generation, and for them, grilling is a healthy food prep method. Millennials have helped boost the clean eating, healthy eats, carb alternative, and healthy swaps trends.

The latest hashtag phenomenon is Meatless Monday or Meat-Free Monday, where they choose to not eat meat one day a week, (most of the time, obviously, Monday) for their health and the health of the planet. These meals are all photographed and documented on Twitter and Instagram, of course, accompanied by at least a dozen hashtags! The benefits to swapping out veggies for the meat include, less fat and calories, lower to no preservatives and higher fiber intake.

Well guess what Millennials we hear you! We know exactly what you want, and we have the perfect recipe for your #MeatlessMonday #MeatAlternative #Grilling #GetTogether! Let us introduce you to the Grilled Broccoli Mushroom Burger! This tasty burger is made with Gold Coast Packing’s Caulifornia™ Broccoli Bits. We have done all the hard work for you, we got broccoli and cut it up into small pieces, about the same size as a rice granule. It is part of the Caulifornia™ family, along with our award winning Caulifornia™ Snow™. Caulifornia™ Broccoli Bits is available in retail and foodservice packs and ready for your culinary creations.

The burger patties come together quite easily, with common ingredients that you will most likely have stocked at home. AND… guess what?!? You don’t have to be a millennial to enjoy this recipe, and if you don’t care to grill these meat-free patties, they can easily be made in your kitchen on a skillet. So, whip up a batch of these patties, throw them on your grill (or don’t, use your stove you rebel), serve them up on a whole wheat bun or a lettuce leaf (you-carb conscious diners) and don’t forget your favorite toppings! Pickles please!

We hope you have enjoyed this meatless adventure, whether you’re a baby boomer, or from generation X, Y or Z!  Remember you can stick with The Produce Navigator for recipe ideas, produce industry news and a little bit of everything in between, thanks for joining us.

Recipe Here: Broccoli Mushroom Burger

Shopping for produce, or any food item really, can be a little overwhelming. We are bombarded by terminology like organic, gluten free, Superfood… and the list can go on and on but what the heck do they all mean? Which is the best option? What makes this so super? Which one will help me look 20 years younger? (OK, there is no fountain of youth vegetable so that last question, sadly, we can’t answer, but we will help you understand the rest.)

To be Organic, growers must follow strict guidelines and procedures. The following are guidelines from the USDA website.

Organic is a labeling term for food or other agricultural products that have been produced using cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that support the cycling of on-farm resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity in accordance with the USDA organic regulations. This means that organic operations must maintain or enhance soil and water quality, while also conserving wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used. Only products that have been certified as meeting the USDA’s requirements for organic production and handling may carry the USDA Organic Seal.*

Gluten, means “glue” in Latin, and is a protein mainly found in wheat, rye and barley. It allows bread and pasta to stick and keep its shape. (Alright, now the glue name makes sense.) For many of us, eating items with gluten, like cereal, bread or cookies is no big deal, but for those with Celiac Disease, who can’t process gluten, it’s a serious issue. It causes major stomach discomfort and pain, plus many other issues, hence the need for Gluten Free labeling.**

So now that we have learned a little about some of these terms, let’s get to the star of today’s show, The Superfood. A Superfood is defined as a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being. Superfoods contain high levels of much needed vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They can increase energy levels, regulate cholesterol and blood pressure and may help prevent or fight certain diseases and cancer (pretty impressive!) Maybe there is a fountain of youth vegetable, were kidding… or are we?!?

So, what foods are considered super? There are several vegetables that are considered Super, and we grow a few of them here at Gold Coast. Spinach, Broccoli, Kale, Cilantro, Carrots, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts are just a few veggies that will help boost your immune system to super status. Getting all those veggies into your daily diet can be a bit difficult, we get ya, that’s why we have made the perfect solution, Gold Coast’s Superfood Blend! Wait what? Yes, you heard right Superfood Blend! We have tossed together those potent veggies all into one semi magical blend. Our Superfood Blend is a mix of Kale, Red and Green Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli and Carrots. It comes chopped, washed and ready to use.

Our Superfood Blend can be used in a variety of ways, drizzled with dressing and eaten as a salad, sautéed with some olive oil and garlic and used as the perfect side dish, or it can be transformed into a Super Smoothie, like we’ll be doing in today’s video tutorial. Throwing veggies into a smoothie is the easiest way to get extra, much needed vitamins and minerals, and by the time they’re blended up you wont even taste the greenery! So, throw in some Superfood Blend, you’ll know it’s there, but your taste buds won’t and your immune system will get the Super Boost it needs! Check out the video below, to see one of the ways we get extra greens in daily. Thanks for joining us, we hope you learned something and got some ideas on how to make your next smoothie SUPER!

* USDA Organic Guidelines https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/about-national-organic-program

** What is a Gluten Free Diet http://greatist.com/eat/gluten-free-diet-what-is-it-really

Recipe Here: Superfood Smoothie