Kiva Health Food: Hot Smoked Paprika and Sweet Smoked Paprika #Review #SmokedPaprika

When I first began to cook, I started with blended spices and herbs. Such blends are easy to use and take the guess work out of finding a balanced flavor, however you usually are charged for fillers like with most products of this kind. If the flavor notes are savory, you get salt and if you get sweet, you get a plethora of sugars to choose from and making up 50% of the product you just purchased. After a year of trial and error, I finally learned to purchase individual ingredients and let me be the one in control of flavor!

Kiva offers you with pure products and what you see, is what you get. Sounds so simple but in a world where sodium and sugars are not the only fillers, you get products that are made with higher standards from Kiva:

• All Kiva products are non-GMO certified.
• Kiva uses a third-party testing facility to ensure purity and safety.
• Eco-friendly methods are used by Kiva from Sustainable Farming to cultivating in smaller batches.
• Kiva also minimally processes everything from their Superfoods to their spices.

The food word has changed dramatically in the last 20 years and we now know more about food processing to ingredients that sound healthy-ish but are not. There is no excuse when it comes to not knowing where to buy from because there are still good companies that take pride in what they make like Kiva. My first products to try from Kiva, is their paprika and they sent me two kinds to review.

• Kiva Sweet Smoked Spanish Paprika-

With my father originating from Spain, paprika was highly used at our home. We made on a weekly basis a Paprika chicken dish, which was braised chicken thighs and are paired it a simple vegetable (whatever was in season) saffron rice. I am very familiar with this pepper spice that is usually made by air drying the chili peppers, however smoked versions use a fire to add flavor, and the woods will enhance and even add to the taste. Kiva’s sweet version is made in the La Vera region of Spain. Their peppers are hand harvested and are dried by using Holm oak. The oak toasts the peppers nicely and adds a nice true smoked flavor. No fake liquid smoke used here! You don’t get a sugary sweetness but a mild pepper flavor, which differs from the hot version. The sweet version also usually has the seeds removed to decrease any bitterness, which you usually find in the “bittersweet” Agridulce version. This sweet version plays well with seafood, rices to even spreads. I also used the Kiva sweet version over avocados that I added to a simple salad and the flavor complemented the simple vinaigrette I made very well. You will use less dressing when using Kiva’s sweet smoked paprika because flavor is there and it did not need sugars to notice it!

Sweet Paprika & Chives Shrimps. The shrimps were grilled on skewers!

 

 

• Kiva Hot Smoked Spanish Paprika-

Like it’s counterpart, the Hot version of Kiva’s paprika is smoked for 14 days to increase intensity and richness. You get chili peppers that have been ground to produce a light powder that delivers those smoky notes, which derive from the Holm oak. Holm oak trees is the only wood used if you are making true Pimenton from the La Vera region of Spain, so think of it like Champagne, you can only call it that if comes from the grapes that came from that region of France. The Holm oak also produces acorns, which is a food source for Iberico pigs of this region. I like to pair the smoked hot version with pork tenderloins to create a nice rub and it gives roasted potatoes a beautiful hue and peppery taste, that you can only find in paprika from this region. Kiva’s paprika is milled perfectly and no bitterness or fillers are ever detected. You get true spice from the peppers without the high price tag!  I also halved potatoes and we grilled them over charcoal, added sour cream and a touch of butter with a nice sprinkle from the hot smoky paprika.  It’s a tater you cut to eat and enjoy every bite!

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Retail Price Point: The duo costs $10.99 via Amazon or $11.80 from Kiva’s website

Connect with Kiva and their other Superfoods at:

• On-line
• Link to product on Kiva’s website
• Amazon
• Facebook
• Twitter
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• #SmokedPaprika

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Kiva Health Foods.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

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Klout: Fair Trade Moms Make a World of Difference #Perk #FairTrade

Here’s another great Klout perk to share and I list the Fair Trade boxes in my top 10 perks to get. The boxes are filled with wonderful goodies and are always a hit in my home. I have become a fan of many of the brands and have continued to purchase them all, just because of my introduction via these great Klout Perk boxes. This one was smaller but did not disappoint!

Included were 6 items from 4 different manufacturers that adhere to the Fair Trade global practices of delivering goods from workers treated fairly. Fair Trade USA is not a charity but a global organization that helps developing communities improve their quality of life, and also make it possible for us to enjoy the goods they produce. This can range from clothing to foods, but always knowing that the symbol on the package goes beyond just a simple promise. It’s a social movement constantly improving and finding ways to do things not only better…..also, the right way.

 

Numi Organic Tea– An indulgent tea and in a Chocolate Spice flavor. You think chocolate and tea does not seem right and you start associating it to maybe being a light latte or some thinned out hot chocolate drink. This is none of that! It’s a clear and light chai tea, which has nice soft notes of dark chocolate with just a hint of spice. It’s smooth and delightful and kills any sweet tooth craving you may have. The box comes with 12 tea bags and is also non-GMO certified. I enjoyed this blend and found that the chocolate taste is very present but balanced well with the tea leaves, plus you can adjust the strength by letting it steep a little longer. This is on my “buy again” list.

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Alter ECO chocolate truffles– I received my parcel in the start of the hot weather and also that week we got a nice little heat wave. My truffles were hot and liquidy inside and thankfully only one oozed a little outside of it’s wrapper. I quickly put them on a dish and into the fridge they went. I kept hoping the truffle would stiffen up and remain edible. Even though I did not enjoy these chocolates in their prime state, they still held up well regardless of their not so fair arrival. The truffle center that is soft stayed in place, so it seems I was lucky!

I received the Black Truffle and the Velvet Truffle. I can say that both had a very smooth consistency and were velvety soft with the difference pretty much being one was a dark chocolate and the other a milk. The Black truffle was very smooth with no bitter after-notes or a waxy consistency left in your mouth. It melted and dissipated nicely……sort making me wish I had another. The Velvet truffle was pretty great for being milk and had a rich flavor, smooth but not super milky. You taste the chocolate and for being a milder variety, I wished I had 2 more of these after I finished. I can say the truffles peaked my curiosity and Alter Eco Foods has a pretty large assortment of treats that I hope to try in the near future. Their brand goes beyond chocolate and you have Rices to Quinoa and even Sugars to choose from. My opinion is that if a stressed out little melted truffle can taste this good……can you imagine one in it’s prime state? I know, let me just ponder about it a little more 🙂

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Nutiva Virgin Coconut Oil– I was so happy when I saw this bottle and Nutiva did not just include a sample packet, but a full size bottle. There is a reason why you visit the site and the product in the standard size is sold-out. Not all oils are created equal and this non-GMO oil takes the Coconut experience to whole another level. Clean and pure in taste, this comes from using fresh Organic coconuts in production. I baked delicious cookies that were moist in the inside and crisp on the outside and the pineapple chunks just gave them that tropical burst I was looking for. Nutiva makes everything you can get out of a coconut from flours, sugars, oils to you got to check out what an “o’ coconut” is! They also carry Hemp, Chia and Red Palm derived products. I got lost on their site just checking out everything they make!

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Fair Trade pin– I know it’s just a pin but I love this little stuff and I can now take pictures of my Fair Trade certified products with a pin by it! That makes the blogger in me happy and yes, I still have it in it’s plastic so it remains beautiful and shiny 🙂

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Runa Clean Energy– A Guayusa based drink that comes in an array of flavors, I was able to try the Lemon Lemongrass variety. I chilled mine before enjoying it. The product is a natural energy drink without the crash or too speedy feeling. You get a “pep in your step”, with no after-burn, plus it’s refreshing and tastes great. The lemon is nice too…think of a sweet tea that is not super sugary, so your thirst in quenched and you get that extra energy to go about your day. One bottle is only 50 calories and that is something your waist line will appreciate with Summer around the corner. Runa also carries other products made with Guayusa from the bottles to energy drinks and even loose leaf tins.

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I recommend checking out the companies above by simply clicking on the titles and please read on how they grow, make, cultivate, to how they get products to your door via the Fair Trade practices. Many have other advantages to being Organic and using non-GMO ingredients. To a healthier Summer 2014 and better choices!

You can also become a Klout member buy visiting Klout and all you need is a Facebook or Twitter accoount.  Simple and takes less than 3 minutes and you can start enjoying Klout Perks too!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Fair Trade USA and the above named companies.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.