5 ways to step up your Thanksgiving Appetizer with BraziBites!

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays. There's nothing better than spending quality time with family and friends around good food.

To celebrate we're sharing 5 delicious ways you can enjoy Brazi Bites as an appetizer. Enjoy!

1) Brazi-Bobs  
On a stick with salami, fresh basil, mozzarella & olive oil. Cute & delicious. Check out full recipe here

2) Mixing our 3 flavors in a bowl. Be surprised!  

This is the easiest and most fun way to serve :D Bake about 10 pieces from each bag and wait for the smiles to come.

3) Cheesy-Bacon Appetizer Bites  

For the bacon lover... check out recipe here. Courtesy of blog Around My Family Table.

4) Caprese Mini-Sliders  

Cut pieces in half and stuff with mozzarella and fresh basil topped with cherry tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Courtesy of blog SanBriego.

5) Meat & Cheese Platter

Serve your favorite meats and cheeses and give your guests the option to cut the bread in half to make sliders. We love prosciutto and aged cheddar cheese.

Brazi-Bobs - Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipe

Here is an awesome appetizer recipe for Thanksgiving or a Holiday party this season. It's easy and fun to make and even more fun to eat!

Serving: 4 sticks (4 to 8 guests)

Ingredients:
- a bag of Brazi Bites Original
- salami (8 slices)
- fresh basil (8 leaves)
- fresh mozzarella (2 balls)
- kabob sticks (4)
- olive oil

Instructions
1) Pre-heat oven to 400˚F
2) Place full bag of Brazi Bites on baking sheet lined with parchment paper of lightly greased
3) Bake Brazi Bites as instructed in bag - about 20 minutes or until golden
4) Wash basil leaves and cut mozzarella into triangle pieces
5) Once bread is baked insert ingredients in the stick in the following order: BB piece, salami, BB piece, basil, mozzarella and repeat until 5 pieces of BB are in.
6) Drizze olive oil on top

Serve and enjoy!

What is Tapioca Flour?

Have you ever asked the question "What is tapioca flour?". We hear it all the time! We also frequently get asked "Where does it come from?" or "What makes it different from white, wheat, or other flours/starches available at the grocery store?"

Tapioca flour is one of the main ingredients in Brazi Bites making our products naturally gluten-free, and most of all giving our bread a fantastic texture.

Tapioca flour (or tapioca starch) is harvested from the root of the cassava plant (yuca/manioc which is native to Asia and South America). It has characteristics similar to a potato. It's then grounded into a powder form.

Tapioca flour has the ability to maintain a gel-like form when frozen and cooked with, which is one of the reasons the insides of Brazi Bites are so soft and fluffy!  Other flours use different plants such as grains, beans and often go through chemical or enriching processes. Many of them contain gluten whereas tapioca flour doesn't.

Tapioca isn't limited to only Brazilian Cheese Bread. You can use it to make tapioca pearls, puddings, fufu (an African staple), yuca buns/bread, and more!

We make Brazi Bites with only the finest natural ingredients. All of our ingredients (including tapioca flour) are gluten free and Non-GMO. Tapioca flour helps us achieve that rich flavor and cheesy texture!

What are you thoughts on tapioca flour? Do you use it for cooking in your own kitchen?

Leave a comment below and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more news and updates!

Brazi Bites launching at Whole Foods Southwest & Florida Regions!

We're excited to announce Brazi Bites is coming to Whole Foods Market Southwest & Florida regions.

Our products will be available in their locations throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma & Texas this month and Florida next month.

With the increasing number of requests we've seen from these states recently, we know there will be many happy customers.  Be sure to grab a bag from the freezer on your next trip!

You can now find Brazi Bites at Whole Foods locations in the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Visiting the Central Market in my hometown Belo Horizonte, Brazil

A few weeks ago I visited my hometown of Belo Horizonte, Brazil and got to spend time with family and friends and enjoy some of my favorite foods. Nothing brings back memories like tasting something delicious you grew up eating, right? 

One of my favorite places to visit this time was the local Central Market. It's a hub for artisanal food that has been located in the heart of the city since 1929. It's evolved over time but stayed true to fresh, local foods with nothing highly processed in sight - which I love. The freshest cheeses, nuts, sweets and spices in the region can be found there. 

Not only did I love tasting many of these items but the vibrant colors all around inspired me and reminded me why we set out to start Brazi Bites and share the Brazilian cheese bread (pão de queijo) with the U.S. 

Here are a few of my favorite things from that day. I hope they inspire you too!

Cinnamon, honey, garlic and spices hanging from the ceiling. Had to buy a set to bring back to Portland. 

If you have a sweet tooth you can get dulce de leche and fruit spreads by the Kg. 

Peppers available in all colors, shapes and sizes

Nuts!

More peppers.

Love the yellow on this vintage coffee grinder, reminds of the Brazi Bites yellow. 

Minas cheese is the cheese used to make pão de queijo there. It's soft and salty, with a mild delicious flavor.

Post by: Junea 

Martha Stewart American Made Award

We're so excited to have been nominated for the Martha Stewart American Made Award. Several of our fans nominated us which gave us the opportunity to create a profile and tell our story through the contest.

American Made spotlights the maker, supports the local and celebrates the handmade. The journey culminates in an event this October in New York City. We're proud to make Brazi Bites in our hometown of Portland, OR and be a part of the American Made movement.

Click on the badge below to see our profile and vote for us!

Thank you so much for all the love and support,

Junea & Cameron

Brazilian Cheese Bread with Pork Tenderloin

We posted this pairing idea on our Facebook page last week so we wanted to break it down for you here in the blog. This is a delicious, gluten-free, meaty and fulfilling snack. One of our favorites and very popular in Brazil.

It's easy to make and guaranteed to be a hit at a party or the dinner table. Here is a step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Pick your Brazi Bites flavor. Jalapeño goes great with pork tenderloin but if spicy is not your thing, Original is a nice option too.

Step 2: Cook the pork tenderloin and bake the cheese bread (at the same time)

The bread and pork bake at the same temperature - 400°F - so you can bake them together. It'll be easier and the bread will taste just as delicious. Brazi Bites takes about 20 minutes while the pork takes 12. You can place the bread in the oven first and add the pork after 7 minutes. Both will come out together and should rest for a few minutes before slicing. 

For tips on how to bake Brazi Bites like a pro check our previous post.

Balsamic-glazed pork tenderloin recipe 

Ingredients
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloin









Directions
1. Heat oven to 400° F. 
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Transfer the pork to oven. Roast until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, basting with the glaze twice during the last 5 minutes. Let rest before slicing.

Step 3: Cut Brazi Bites in half and stuff with a slice of pork.

Step 4: Serve and enjoy!

Post by: Junea

Pork recipe from Real Simple

Happy 4th! Stay cool with spicy foods

Temperatures are high in Portland and most of western states these days and everyone is looking for a way to beat the heat. Did you know eating spicy foods can actually cool you off?

It sounds counter intuitive but apparently spicy foods may actually make you feel warmer at first, and then make you feel cooler. This is also one of the reasons why spicy foods are so popular in tropical countries.

To celebrate 4th of July we'll be pairing Jalapeño Brazi Bites with an awesome Summer Corn Chowder recipe from Food52. Check out the full recipe below and some tips on how to bake Brazi Bites Jalapeño like a pro.

Happy 4th of July!!

Tip - Pre-heat oven to 400F before you take the Brazi Bites bag out of the freezer. Pre-heating the oven gives the bites the crispy crust and round shape they're suppose to have. If the oven is cool the bites might end up mushy.

Summer Corn Crowder Recipe

Source: Food 52

Serves 6

• 6medium ears of corn
• 6strips of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1small onion
• 1medium poblano, finely chopped
• 1jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1small celery rib, finely chopped
• 3medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
• 2medium boiling potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1/8teaspoon ground allspice
• Pinch of sugar
• 1small bay leaf
• 2cups light cream, at room temperature
• 1cup milk
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Working over a bowl, cut the corn kernels from the cobs at about half their depth. Then, using the back of the knife, scrape the cobs over the bowl to release all the "milk"; set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, fry the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Crumble and reserve.
3. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the pan. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the poblano pepper, jalapeño and celery and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, salt, allspice, sugar, bay leaf and the reserved corn kernels and their "milk" and stir well. Cook over moderate heat until mixture begins to sizzle.
4. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in the cream and milk and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and season with black pepper to taste. Ladle the chowder into bowls and garnish with the crumbled bacon and parsley.