An Intro and Recipe from Sabra Executive Chef MaryDawn Wright

April showers have given way to the sunny days of BBQ season. Having just moved from upstate NY to Richmond, VA, I am enjoying the warmer weather the more southern climate brings (I may change my mind in August).

I moved to Richmond last September to work with Sabra as Executive Research Chef. In this position I work to develop new flavors and products for Sabra, combining my training in food science and the culinary arts. I also design recipes using Sabra products and teach people about our many products and their varied uses. I cook a lot! I’d love to give you an example of a typical workday at Sabra, but I don’t really have one! Each day is different. One day, I might be working in the plant with our production staff helping produce a new flavor, the next I may be in our test kitchen cooking and developing recipes for restaurants or for people at home, like you. Another day, I could review new ingredients or traveling and presenting our products at a food show.

Sabra has nearly 20 flavors of hummus and an expanding product portfolio that also includes Greek yogurt-style dips, cold Mediterranean-style salads, salsa, and guacamole. On a purely selfish level, this is great for me, because my favorite cuisines are Mediterranean and Mexican.

Many of our products help simplify the day to day busy-ness in the kitchen, as they are not only great tasting dips, but are healthy ingredients to help make dinner time simpler. As a mother of two boys (10 and 12) I can tell you that, even as a chef, I need all the help I can get trying to put dinner on the table, get homework done and go to sporting events.

To that end, did you know that Sabra hummus makes a great basting sauce for vegetables, chicken and meats? Brush it on a chicken, meat or vegetable kebab or a chicken breast as you are grilling it. It creates a golden brown crust as it cooks. Or brush it on just before you are done grilling so the hummus warms up and accents the flavor of the meat as a warm sauce.

Our Greek yogurt dips can be used as an excellent marinade for chicken. Here is a quick recipe:

Marinated Chicken Kebabs
Makes 4 Kebabs

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into chunks (about 1 inch in size)
1 container Sabra® Roasted Garlic or Onion Greek Style Veggie Dip, divided
1/8th teaspoon turmeric
1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks (about 1 inch in size)
1 small yellow onion, chopped into chunks (about 1 inch in size)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. STIR chicken, ½ container Sabra® Roasted Garlic or Onion Greek Style Veggie Dip and turmeric together in a small mixing bowl. Refrigerate for at least ½ hour allowing the veggie dip to tenderize and flavor the chicken.
2. PREHEAT broiler or grill.
3. ASSEMBLE kebabs, alternating pepper, onion and chicken on the skewers.
4. GRILL on charcoal grill outside or under the broiler indoors. Cook 10-15 minutes or until juice runs clear from the chicken.
5. BRUSH remaining yogurt dip over hot kebabs.
6. SERVE warm with a salad (try our cucumber avocado salad recipe), hummus, rice and warm pita bread for a Mediterranean style dinner.

I look forward to further conversations and sharing more recipes with you. Please let me know how you use our products and if you have any culinary questions.

Passion for food, passion for life,
MaryDawn

Bringing Adventure Seekers and Food Lovers to Sabra's Table

Earlier this month, we welcomed our 2011 Tastemaker Panel -- a select group of bloggers and influencers -- to help spread the Sabra story, share their thoughts and suggestions with the company, and to get an intimate look behind the scenes at the country's favorite hummus maker!

Sabra, which began as a small hummus brand in New York City, has become the leading manufacturer of flavored dips and spreads in the country. Best known for its top-selling hummus, Sabra unveiled several new lines of fresh and healthy dips and spreads to the Tastemaker Panel, including four flavors of salsa, two versions of guacamole, and three Greek Yogurt-based vegetable dips! Throughout its evolution and growth, Sabra has engendered a passionate response from fans who love to help others discover Sabra.

“Whether through our offline campaigns, social media efforts or our nationwide Sabra Taste Adventure Tour, we love connecting with Sabra fans,” said Mina Penna, Senior Brand Manager for Sabra Dipping Company. “The Tastemaker Panel is made up of an authentic and diverse group of people who inspire us with their passion for delicious food, sense of adventure, and passion to discover a healthier lifestyle. We have invited them to the Sabra table not only to help more people discover Sabra, but to share their experiences with us and help shape the Sabra story.”

Our Tastemaker panelists were among the first to try our new products, to visit the Sabra Silver LEED Certified factory in Chesterfield County VA, meet the Sabra brand and new product teams, and get a sneak peek at Sabra’s upcoming marketing and advertising initiatives. The Tastemaker Panel members also shared their thoughts with Sabra on new product development, social media, social responsibility, nutrition and recipes and usage ideas.

Each panel member will be contributing recipes to a downloadable PDF cookbook that will be made available to Sabra’s Facebook fans later this year, so stay tuned. Until then ... several of our Tastemaker Panel members wrote about their experiences, and we hope you will check their posts out!

The Sabra Factory through the eyes of Iowa Girl Eats.

The new hummus flavors, courtesy Chaviva Galatz.

Hailing from Tennessee, Diane Carbonell at Fit to the Finish marveled at how hummus is more than just a dip, while New Jersey-based Chaviva Galatz, aka the Kvetching Editor, highlighted the importance of gravity in the production of hummus at Sabra's factory.

The face behind Iowa Girl Eats, Kristin Porter, detailed the trip step by step, from the green initiatives at the factory to the "Spice Girls," who are in charge of organizing spices for each of the hummus flavors, and Virginia's own Linda Sellers, owner/author of Welcome to Linneyville, took some amazing photos -- she made hardhats look cool!

We were also happy to have The Meal Makeover Moms' Liz Weiss, who used her journalism background to ask some hard-hitting questions, and we want to thank her and fellow dietitian Janice Bissex for sharing their new cookbook, No Whine With Dinner, with our Tastemaker Panel.

Also, although we missed Founder & CEO of Roadmonkey Adventure Philanthropy Inc. Paul von Zielbauer and Deanna Garretson of Domestic Chicky, we look forward to recipes from them and Atlanta-based Renee Ross of Cutie Booty Cakes, too!





For more information on our new fresh products, check out this blog post!

The Taste Adventure: An Update So Far

As some of you may have already known, Sabra has embarked on a Taste Adventure across the country and it has been a huge success so far. We started out giving away free samples of Sabra's Classic Hummus and Stacy's Pita Chips in the sunny streets of Miami, moved up the coast to Orlando, made New Yorkers smile with the free samples, and also recently launched two Sabra Taste Adventure trucks in Seattle and San Diego.

Along the way we had some really cool things happen! In New York City, the Sabra Adventure 2 was tweeted by Thomas Kelly, the warm up comic for Newlyweds and ABC's The View, to bring his audience Sabra hummus and Stacy's Pita Chips and we obliged without hesitation.

Here's a look at the tweet from Thomas:

And here's Thomas with one of our Sabra Brand Ambassadors at the Newlywed show:

It was a great day and the Sabra Adventure 2 team had a lot of fun coordinating the whole thing. We've met a lot of fun people along the way in every city we've been in. Check out photos below of some of the Sabra fans we've encountered thus far.

Our Sabra Taste Adventure teams have been handing out our Classic Hummus and Stacy's Pita chips to hundreds of thousands of people and bringing smiles to their faces along the way. The reaction is pretty much unanimous for those who tried Sabra for the first time at our Taste Adventure Trucks:

"Sabra is the best hummus and now the only hummus I will ever buy!"

"I really LOVE the Pine Nut flavor -- there's nothing else like it!"

"My daughter told me about the free samples and I had to come out and try them for myself!"

We couldn't be happier with the response from the wonderful people we've met and are looking forward to the many more "Taste Adventures" to come throughout 2011. Stay tuned for more updates from the current markets as well as Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, and Philadelphia -- to name a few. If you had a fun experience at one of our Taste Adventure trucks that you would like to share, tell us about it in a comment on this post!

Also, visit us on facebook at facebook.com/sabra for contests, more fun, and product information!

Sabra Welcomes the 2011 Tastemaker Panel

Sabra has announced the members of its 2011 Tastemaker Panel! Adventure seekers, passionate food lovers, writers and thought leaders are invited to the Sabra table to help shape and share Sabra story.

The group will get a special behind the scenes look at the Sabra factory, new products and have a chance to meet with the brand and innovation team as well as Sabra's executive chef.

We know some of your favorite bloggers are here so feel free to tweet a congrats #Tastemakers and ask them any questions about the Sabra experience!

Tastemakers on Twitter:
@reneejross

@lizweiss

@fittothefinish

@kvetchingeditor

@RoadmonkeyCEO

@iowagirleats

@deannagarretson

Sabra Brings Something Fresh to the Table

We are excited to share some big new product news today!

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Sabra to Bring Something Fresh to the Table

Makers of Top-Selling Hummus – Sabra Dipping Company – to Introduce Authentic Dips of the World featuring Sabra Salsa, Guacamole and Greek Yogurt Vegetable Dips

Inspired by some of the world’s most cherished and authentic recipes, Sabra Dipping Company, the country’s leading hummus manufacturer, announced today it will enter several new categories, introducing fresh lines of salsa, guacamole and Greek yogurt-based vegetable dips under the Sabra brand. The company will also expand its award-winning hummus line with two new flavors.

“Consumers are broadening their food horizons and seeking a variety of fresh, healthy and authentic foods and snacks,” said Ken Kunze, Chief Marketing Officer for Sabra Dipping Company. “Sabra has been on trend with hummus and is now expanding into more vegetable-based snacks. What Sabra brings to the table is a fresh approach to some authentic favorites by tapping into the flavors of the world while delivering the same quality and superior taste that has become synonymous with the Sabra name. We are thrilled to give consumers an opportunity to discover new experiences of the world right at their table.”

The array of new products is being introduced now and will be rolled out nationwide in coming months.

Sabra Salsa Sabra will launch its Salsa line in four authentic flavors. Classic, Southwestern Style, Home-style, and Chunky Pico de Gallo salsas feature fresh cut, chunky vegetables delivering a delicious taste that results from using fresh, never processed Roma tomatoes. Sabra Salsa comes in convenient, dip-friendly, recyclable and attractive bowl making it easy to serve. All varieties of Sabra Salsas are fat free, gluten free and kosher. The Salsas can be discovered in the refrigerated section of the deli aisle at club stores and supermarkets nationwide.

Sabra Greek Yogurt Veggie Dips The delicious creaminess of Sabra’s small batch Greek yogurt is combined with fresh vegetables, herbs and spices to create a delicious new line of Sabra’s all natural Veggie Dips. Launching in four authentic flavors, Roasted Garlic, Spinach and Artichoke, Sun Dried Tomato and Onion & Fresh Herbs, the Sabra Veggie Dips provide a much needed, great tasting alternative to fattening sour cream based white dips. With 67% fewer calories and 88% less fat than the leading sour cream dip, this new family of dips is the perfect solution for those demanding great taste and high quality in fresh, all natural products. The Veggie Dips will be available in the refrigerated section of the deli aisle where Sabra products are sold.

Sabra Guacamole An authentic recipe of all natural Guacamole made fresh from Mexican-grown Hass avocados will debut as part of Sabra’s family of health-friendly dips and spreads. Sabra’s take on this favorite dip features fresh avocados and a chunky texture just like homemade. Like Sabra’s other products, the guacamole comes ready to serve in attractive, dip-friendly, recyclable containers. Launching in Classic and Spicy flavors, Sabra Guacamole is all natural, gluten free and kosher and can be found in the refrigerated section of the deli aisle.

Sabra Hummus, New Flavors Sabra’s extensive line of hummus will see the addition of two popular flavors this year. Sabra’s Basil Pesto Hummus blends delicious fresh pesto with Sabra’s creamy classic hummus. The new Buffalo Style Hummus delivers Sabra’s worldly take on an American favorite. Both make perfect healthy dips and delicious spreads. The new flavors will be available where Sabra products are sold.

For more information about Sabra’s new products, please visit www.sabra.com.