I spend a lot of time thinking about other people's guts. Customers tell us what's good for them and what's not. The lists, both sides, are long, and perhaps less clear than a freshly harvested olive oil.

So, I have cherry picked the ones I think about on a day-to-day basis.

Of course, one way to look at these things is by what we eat. We are what eat.

There are some facts involved here, and as we all know facts are not set in stone, just a passing fancy, that can change with a tweet or a post.

FYI there is limited data that chocolate is good for your gut. But I firmly believe it is. And FYI shipping chocolate right now is not a good idea.

Let's face it, this is the number one thing. We need more fiber (fibre) in our diets. Can't have too much (you can) and you would be hard pressed to eat so much!

Fibre is the common thread for people who live into their 100s. Fibre feeds the gut microbes in our intestines and thus creates thicker mucus walls and thus a better barrier between body and the bacteria that makes digestion happen.

So, eat your veggies, eat what is in season, eat beans, eat legumes, and skip the fibre supplements. Frozen blueberries are a great option and, of course, dark chocolate.

Other things to eat or drink: yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, whole grains, leafy greens, lean protein, fruits, avocado, brown rice, oats and lots of water.

The bad news is avoiding these things - manmade foods as in more chemical than actual food that is grown in the wild.

Refined sugars including high-fructose corn syrup which disrupts the gut bacteria and thus creates inflammation. And the artificial sweeteners, they may even do worse things to the microbiota than refined sugar which leads to glucose intolerance and other stuff.

A sad one is limiting the big, juicy, perfectly cooked steak. Which I have spent most of my life perfecting my method of cooking....

Fried foods, which are often fried with bad oil, will take longer to break down, and have limited fibre.

It's summer and finding foods that are relaxing and satisfying that fall into these criteria are not as easy as one would like...but I am working on it.

Today we are sharing a bunch of "small plates". All of them are easy and most are quick to make. And all fit into the "yummy" category as summer needs yummy.

Click Here To See last week's new Olive Oil!

This is absolutely one of our go-to recipes, as it is not only delicious and very popular with our guests, but we can also make it easily with ingredients from our pantry (except for the parsley and lemon, which we usually have on hand, but can also either be omitted or substituted with lemon olive oil).

It only takes about 5 minutes to prepare. It has very few ingredients, but the key is that all the ingredients have to be top-notch. We use the best tuna we can find!

See the Tuna Butter Recipe here!

Recca capers are grown on the island of Pantelleria and preserved in native sea salt by Agostino Recca. The island of Pantelleria is 70 km away from Africa and 85 km from Sicily. It is considered by many culinary aficionados as the ultimate source for capers.

These are small "non-pareil" Pantescan capers, full of flavor. Being preserved in sea salt means that none of the aromatic flavor has been lost. These Agostino Recca non-pareil Pantescan capers are a fabulous find indeed!

Shop now for Recca Pantescan Salted Capers - Non-Pareil!

Scalia is known for its anchovy fillets packed in extra-virgin olive oil - yes, extra-virgin! Many companies, especially those available in the grocery store, use second-press oil or less flavorful oils - like sunflower or soybean. In addition, these anchovies have been aged for at least 12 weeks, which means richer, more complex flavors.

About Anchovies

This little fish is a small, warm water relative of the herring, a Northern European staple. And, just as the peoples of the north salted their herring to preserve them, the anchovy has long been salted by fishermen and packers in the Mediterranean, where it is a staple.

Anchovies are packed in one of two ways; brined fillets that are packed in olive oil (the good ones are packed in olive oil!) in jars or cans, or the whole salted fish packed in large cans of salt. Of the two, salt-packed anchovies are often preferred for their meatier flavor.

What is most important about these little Sicilian blue fish is that they are only caught during the proper season (otherwise they would have a mushy texture when they are preserved) and cleaned and salted as soon as possible after they are caught. Because of Scalia's attention to detail, it is possible to discover the flavor and texture of the ancient Mediterranean.

From one end of the peninsula to the other, Italians use these little, aromatic, preserved fish in almost any conceivable dish. Whilst in the south, they seem to show up with practically the same frequency they use olive oil, and they are a common addition to numerous sauces, salads, and other dishes in the north.

Shop now for Scalia Anchovy Fillets in Olive Oil!

This flavorful Middle Eastern dip recipe has been adapted from Paula Wolfert's, Cooking from the Eastern Mediterranean, to use either prepared roasted bell peppers or piquillo peppers, saving time in the kitchen! This versatile dish is often served as a mezze and enjoyed with pita bread or crackers, or as a topping for grilled meats or vegetables. Makes 2-1/2 cups.

See the Muhammara recipe here!

I love these nuts! And though I eat them out of hand every day, I am really enjoying them the most in baked goods!

Just lightly baked and they make the perfect bite, crunch, and the flavor is just that much more than out of hand.

Probably the most beautiful walnuts you've ever seen—with a buttery taste to match. All the health benefits of walnuts (Omega 3 fatty acids) with the addition of red polyphenols. These California organic red walnuts are a perfect upgrade to our recipes.

Shop now for California Red Walnuts here!

It's a pretty fascinating spice. It has been in foods for thousands of years, it's mentioned multiple times in the Bible, it has been used for medicinal purposes, and - get this - it has been used for preserving bodies in the mummification process in Ancient Egypt. All this from a tiny, skinny seed.

Cumin (origin - Sumerian - gamun) comes from a flowering plant in the Apiaceae family, commonly known as the carrot family.

Native from the Mediterranean to India, ours come from Morocco and the same spice "shop" in the Agora of Casablanca, where our Saffron comes from. Kept handy like salt and pepper by the ancient Greeks, it is still part of the table setting in Morocco today.

When this spice arrived at the warehouse, the shop was instantly filled with the smells of the Agora! Unlike the ground cumin that has been in a jar for who knows how long, this freshly ground Moroccan cumin was just ground by hand with a mortar and pestle! This is the way buying Moroccan spices online was meant to be. Besides, you can't beat the price of this ground cumin.

Use cumin to make your own Ras el Hanout, Garam Masala, or add it to your next lamb burger or curried cumin potatoes. If you use black pepper in a recipe, then you can switch it up with cumin.

This might be the best alternative to Canola/Rapeseed oil, Vegetable/Soy oil!

Shop now for Fresh Ground Cumin!

Known as "caster sugar", this superfine cane sugar has granules that are very fine and dry. A superior quality sugar, it is the workhorse of professional Pastry Chefs because it dissolves so easily in batters and doughs, leaving them very smooth. Especially appreciated for genoise, other sponge cakes, and meringue. It also dissolves very quickly in liquids, so it's great for iced tea.

Shop now for Superfine Caster Cane Sugar!

Dried chili flakes - the kind you see at your local pizza place, or what you can use when the recipe just calls for "red pepper" or just plain "chili flakes", with no other modifiers, like Espelette or Aleppo. Or, when you want to add red pepper flakes atop your pizza.

Shop now for Red Pepper (Chili) Flakes here!

Easy to make, plan 12 hours ahead. Mix, wait, eat!

See the Olives Marinated in Orange and Thyme-infused Olive Oil Recipe here!

Vinagre de Jerez, by Sanchez Romate, is a genuine sherry vinegar, made in the traditional way in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. It is sweet and delicately acidic with distinct almond notes. Spanish sherry vinegar is notoriously delicious with tomatoes: tomato salad, tomato gazpacho, and more.

Sanchez Romate sherry vinegar, or more properly "Vinagre de Jerez," is considered by some to be the finest vinegar in the world. It's wine vinegar made from sherry, the famous Spanish fortified wine. "Fortified" means that when the grapes ferment into wine, neutral spirits are added, contributing flavor and character (and alcohol content).

Real Spanish sherry vinegar is produced in the province of Cādiz on the Atlantic coast, inside an area known as the "sherry triangle."

Vinagre de Jerez owes its pedigree to the unique viticultural region where it's made (the area's location near the ocean, the chalky soil) as well as to its maturing process, called the solera system. As it matures over years, the sherry passes through a series of many oak barrels, all the while being mixed with wines of various ages.

Unlike wine, vinegar does not have an exact vintage due to this mixing, which imparts unique character. The result is vinegar that strikes the perfect balance between acid and sweet, delivering layered flavors reminiscent of wood, leather, and earth.

This particular Sanchez Romate sherry vinegar is made from 100% palomino grapes, and since it is a "reserva", it is aged in oak for at least three years.

Shop now for Sherry Vinegar - Sanchez Romate Reserva!

Olives are old. Cultivated olive trees spread from Asia Minor to the Mediterranean basin 6,000 years ago and predate written language.

Many of us grew up knowing olives by color or by whether they were pitted or stuffed. We knew them as this delicious, soft vegetable placed on salads or pizza.

As our culinary knowledge has expanded, we have learned that olives, by the time they arrive in the palm of our hands, come in many colors. These colors are based in part on when they are plucked from the tree: green is sooner, black is later or riper. Riper is not better, just different.

There is no such thing as a green olive tree or a black one for that matter. Like humans, olives all start the same, with the same structure; they just look different when they ripen, and depending on the brining, they taste different, too.

And then there is variety. The big four - green, black, pitted, and stuffed - are not varieties. In fact, there are over 2,000 varieties of olives grown in warm climates around the world.

We have learned that the mighty olive is a drupe, a fruit (not a vegetable) with a single pit, like a peach or a cherry.

Unlike their sweet brethren, olives contain a compound called oleuropein. This is the bitterness that fills the olive. Olives off the tree are not filled with joy; instead, they are filled with bitterness from the oleuropein.

To achieve the desirable love you know, you have to cure them, a fermentation of sorts.

Curing removes the yucky taste of oleuropein and phenols from the olives, resulting in quite a tasty treat!

Understanding the curing process may result in knowing which olives you prefer. The curing of olives can happen in the sun, in salt, in lye, water, or brine. Lye is the fastest and water takes the longest, and brine-curing can take up to a year.

In the end, olives should never be mushy; soft can be okay, firm is good, and color will vary. Stuffed olives are delicious and have a dedicated shaken and stirred following.

These large green Italian olives are from Cerignola, Italy and have recently become incredibly popular! They are big and beautiful! If you have a small mouth, you might have to bite off a little at a time. The pit itself is as big as some olives. The saltiness of the brine and soft, firm flesh is delicious and satisfying, so much so that one olive, plus sucking on the pit, lasts longer and is more satisfying than a bag of potato chips!

This is one of my all-time favorite olives. The big, mouth-filling olive is firm, with a great crunch, lots of meat to eat, and just the right brine; they are soooo good! Get some giant green olives here!

Shop now for Fratepietro Bella de Cerignola Green Olives in Brine!

4 ingredients, a little heat, fresh rosemary and a great snack for the porch!

See the Fried Almonds with Rosemary Recipe here!

These are good! Like hazelnuts from Piedmont and Sicilian pistachios, Marcona almonds from Spain are prized the world over. Some even say Marcona almonds are the finest in the world.

Almost round and very flat, Marcona almonds look different from California garden-variety almonds, and they have a richer, more intensely nutty flavor.

Our Spanish Marcona almonds are toasted in sunflower oil and lightly salted, and the result is a crisp, tender, and super-flavorful almond. If you haven't had them, try them at least once and you might be hooked for life!

You might think that almonds in olive oil would be better, and they might be when freshly oiled and eaten soon after. But we discovered that by the time they arrive from Spain, they taste oily and we find we prefer the almonds in heart-healthy sunflower oil.

Try a small handful of these flat almonds with a spoonful of Lehua Honey. A quick snack and a great combination.

Shop now for Marcona Almonds!

Pimenton de la Vera is a paprika made from luscious red peppers (pimientos) grown in the La Vera microclimate of Spain's Extremadura region.

When harvest begins in the fall, entire families get involved. The mature peppers are placed in drying houses, where they are smoke-dried over oak fires - the mark of genuine Pimenton de la Vera.

The dried peppers are then stone ground into a powder. La Dalia Pimenton de la Vera is D.O. protected - Pimento de la Vera was the first pepper to receive such designation in Spain.

Dulce is the "sweet" version of this smoked paprika (rather than hot-spicy); its hint of sweetness flows through its smoky warm flavor.

The flavor of smoked pimenton is much more complex than Hungarian paprika and is an absolutely essential ingredient for many Spanish dishes.

Use Pimenton de la Vera in all the ways you normally use Hungarian paprika and savor its depth of flavor and smoky complexity. We especially love Pimenton de la Vera on Roasted Chickpeas - a delicious, healthful snack.

Pimenton de la Vera was the first chile pepper product to be granted a DenominacAon de Origen, or controlled name status. Family history and expertise are the soul of Pimenton "la Dalia," a company that has long honored the land, its people and their traditions.

Shop now for Pimenton De La Vera!