SMORGASBORD: Postal food drive . . . Snacks with a kick . . . 'Food of Life' makeover . . . Fab falafel

Postal food drive

Letter carriers from Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and the area will be participating in their 19th annual food drive Saturday.

Area residents will receive grocery bags during the week, donated by Super One Foods, in which they can place their donations. Nonperishable foods and toiletries will be accepted.

Letter carriers and retirees will team up to take the donations to the post office, where they will be sorted.

Donations will go to the local food shelves at Red River Valley Communication Action, The Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul.

Last year’s nationwide food drive yielded 77 million pounds.

Snacks with a kick

A microwave visit transforms a frozen Naanwich from Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Foods into a hot lunch or snack.

The trio of flavors (yummy chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken and vegan-friendly garden vegetable) are $2.99 per 5.5-ounce Naanwich. They are available at stores nationwide and sukhis.com.

‘Food of Life’ makeover

Now, there’s a beautifully expanded new version of the unparalleled 1980s guide to Persian cuisine, “Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies” (Mage Publishers, $54.95).

When Najmieh Batmanglij’s “Food of Life” first was published back in the mid-1980s, it was probably ahead of its time. American cooks still were concentrating on the cooking of France and Italy, and even Indian cooking was somewhat on the fringe. The book got a few really good reviews but remained something of an obscurity.

Rice is at the heart of Persian cooking, and there are 60 pages devoted to it in the new book. This may seem excessive for those whose idea of rice cookery is limited to boiling a bit of basmati. But if you’ve ever tasted a perfectly made tah-dig (fluffy rice served with a delicious cap of crusty golden fried rice), you’ll appreciate the care and artistry that is required.

For the faint of heart, there are also half a dozen “cheater” tah-digs — crusts made with lavash, potatoes or just plain rice stained with saffron. And in this updated version of “Food of Life,” there are also instructions for preparing many of the dishes in a rice cooker.

Fab falafel

These plump heat-and-eats from Falafel Republic come in traditional (onion, parsley, spices) and rich roasted garlic. Heat up the chickpea-and-fava-bean creations. Dip in hummus as an appetizer. Or stuff in warm pitas with lettuce, tomato, cukes and a yogurt drizzle.

Gluten-free, dairy-free, nine per pack, the falafels sell for $5.99 at stores nationwide or visit falafelrepublic.com.

Tags: life, food, smorgasbord