Making Hummus Artichoke Dip at Winter House

Origin represented Tribe Mediterranean Foods at the 2010 Winter House PR event held in Park City, where various media experts came to experience a variety of great products and participate in numerous fun events. Origin put on a cooking show, showcasing four mouth-watering hummus recipes created with Tribe’s all natural hummus. On the menu was Hummus Crostini, using Tribe’s Roasted Eggplant and Sundried Tomato Basil Hummus; Grilled Flatbread Hummus Pizza; Hummus Mozzarella Pesto Panini; and, my favorite, Hummus Artichoke Dip. The Hummus Artichoke Dip was so good we had to post it!

Tribe Hummus Artichoke Dip
It is hard not to love artichoke dip. This version uses hummus in place of mayonnaise (used in typical recipes) for a lower calorie/fat option, with equal the amount of flavor~ more to love! Serve it hot out of the oven with pita chips, tortilla chips, crackers, crostini toasts, or your favorite cut vegetables. Always a party pleaser.

Ingredients:
1- 8oz tub of Tribe Roasted Garlic Hummus
1-8oz cream cheese, softened
1-14oz can of artichoke hearts, or 2-6oz jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained & coarsely chopped
1-2 scallions, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, beat the hummus and cream cheese together with a hand mixer at med speed until well combined. Stir in the artichoke hearts, scallions, and parmesan cheese until combined. Add the worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.

Pour into a small casserole baking dish, 8×8 or 8×6. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until bubbly and browned. Serve immediately with pita chips, tortillas chips, crackers, crostini toasts, or cut vegetables. Enjoy!

This information originally appeared in the article “Prepare Yourself: Ultra Racing” on BackcountryBeacon.com.

Athletes require special support.  Overlooking the impact of your diet means injuries can occur more easily and will take longer to heal.  Using food to address tissue and joint wear and tear, vitamin and mineral loss, and free radical formation only adds to performance.  Rather than focusing solely on volume, get more out of food by choosing nutrient-dense options like eggs, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, bone broths, and coconut oil.  These choices alongside superfoods like nutritional yeast, spirulina, and goji berries, help meet your body’s higher needs for vitamins (for energy and to combat inflammation) and antioxidants (to repair the damage strenuous exercise can cause).  Healthy fats such as fish and flax oil are indispensable for lubricating joints and minimizing inflammation.  Read the rest of this entry »

This article originally appeared in the Park Record’s Parent section on August 15, 2009, as written by Greg Marshall.

Homemade Snacks Are Better

The biggest challenge to making healthful meals for kids is a lack of time, says nutrition specialist Michelle Larson.  Busy parents often depend too much on pre-packaged goods for brown-bag lunches that are often loaded with sugar, artificial fats and other culprits.

“It’s an easy thing to fall into,” said Larson, who is the co-owner of Park City’s Origin Nutrition.  At the same time, Larson said letting kids overindulge in sweets and snacks can be detrimental, even if long-term consequences, such as diabetes and obesity, aren’t immediately apparent.
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Organic food has many reputations.  Some think it’s a marker of a healthier option for themselves and the environment, while others see it as an elitist, unaffordable, and unnecessary category.  A forthcoming report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has further fueled the debate, stating that there are no significant nutritional differences in organic food as compared to conventional food.  The report also concludes that there are no additional health benefits of consuming organic over conventional food.  This is a review study, drawing its conclusions from a selection of fifty-five previous scientific studies.  Something not considered worthy of their review, however, is the very thing that differentiates organics- the restriction of pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides.
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Stay energized with this nutritionist-approved energy gel. It really works to give you that extra boost in order to finish strong during a challenging workout or race. Because it contains complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat, it works better than the standard gels made of just carbohydrates or simple sugars.
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Have you seen the commercials?  My favorite depicts a couple sitting in the park, blanket spread beneath them; the woman offers her man a bite of a popsicle, two in fact, that’s how much she loves him.  He balks and says, “…it’s got high-fructose corn syrup in it…[and] you know what they say about [that]?”  “What?” she says.  He doesn’t remember and can’t answer, and she laughs at how silly he is.  Then she lays out the facts: “…it’s made from corn, has the same calories as sugar…and it’s fine in moderation”.⁸ (Two Bites Commercial)

You can probably guess that I’m going to disagree.  That’s my gut reaction anyway.  If I’m fair, though, high-fructose corn syrup is an outstanding example of the confusion at the heart of much of the nutrition world.  Depending on whom you ask, high-fructose corn syrup can be shown to be the root of all evil or just another delightful way to sweeten our foods.  So which is it?
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Origin Nutrition was recently interviewed by backcountry.com for an article on backpacker meals. After the writers and staff at backcountry tasted the dehydrated delectables, they came to us for a stance on the meals, nutrition-wise. Check out the article for their opinions on what tastes good, and ours on whether it’s worth carrying on your back.

Propping yourself up on pillows every night so you can keep your dinner down and sleep is not a fun way to live.  If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.  There are millions of Americans that experience acid reflux, costing us a fortune in health care dollars, not to mention a major reduction in quality of life.  Changes in lifestyle and eating habits, as well as taking supplements, can help keep digestive juices in your stomach and out of your throat.  Let’s take a look at what causes reflux and some healthy, healing habits that can help you to live with (or without) acid reflux.  

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Korean kimchi pots

“The science and art of fermentation is…the basis of human culture: without culturing, there is no culture.”¹

This point is illustrated when one recognizes that consumption of beneficial bacteria through food and drink has been part of humans’ diet for as long as humans have existed.  A traditional diet used fermentation to preserve vegetables and milk and to make wine, naturally infusing these foods with beneficial bacteria.  However, as manufactured and preservative laden foods take over many Westerner’s diets, the ingestion of friendly bacteria falls by the wayside.  Not only are we ingesting less beneficial bacteria, but also the growth of harmful bacteria and yeasts are increasing due to diets high in refined carbohydrates and sugars.
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Fifty years ago, the average American household spent twenty percent of their income on food.  Today, this figure has fallen to just ten percent.¹ At first glance this appears to be good news.  It implies that we are spending fewer dollars on food yet still feeding our families.  Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.  The mere fact that we are spending less of our income on food belies bigger issues, and those issues have implications for our personal health, our health care system, our environment and even our foreign relations.
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