the edible perspective » Products

random reviews

Ashley — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:44:51 +0000

There aren’t too many products or food items I’m reviewing these days, but when I do accept an offer, I like to give you the rundown of all the items in one post. I try to sensor what I accept and keep them relevant to the blog.

First up.

I am a water bottle fanatic. Seems like an odd thing to love, no?

Well, I’m always in search of the perfect water bottle, and really have yet to find it.

The Bamboo Bottle Company recently contacted me about trying out their latest water bottle. This bottle caught my attention for a few reasons.

sustainable “green” product
BPA free
dishwasher safe

Among other things you’ll read below. Upon receiving the water bottle, the first thing I noticed was…

Whoa, this is heavy!! And there wasn’t even any liquid in it yet.

Pros:

glass bottle
free of BPA
can hold hot or cold liquid
bamboo keeps your hand from becoming hot/cold
sleek, attractive design
dishwasher safe [minus the bamboo]
comes apart for more thorough cleaning
no taste
- plastic [like nalgene] = sometimes plastic tasting + aluminum [like Siggi] = metal taste
the area that you drink from is covered with the cap
- unlike w/the aluminum, screw-top bottles where it’s exposed

Cons:

very heavy
- would not want to take this backpacking, or in my computer bag because of the weight
only holds 17 oz
the green screw on seal is hard to turn

On the fence:

“green/sustainable” marketing strategy
- bamboo is only a small component of this bottle
- yes, bamboo can be deemed “greener” than wood, because of how quickly it can be grown, but where is this bamboo being shipped from? what are the environmental impacts of it’s processing + shipping in comparison to wood?
- the glass is made with 51% recycled glass and the glass portion can be fully recycled if desired

While I really love the idea of this company + water bottle, I think it fell short in a number of areas. The weight + the amount of liquid held are key for me and would prevent me from buying this water bottle in the future. My 2 favorite things about it are that there are no hidden areas for grime + mold to hide, unlike many bottles I’ve tried in the past. It’s very easy to clean. The second thing is that the bottle is glass, which means it’s tasteless and also won’t hold flavors from liquids you put inside.

I hate metal water bottles!

Next up?

Another love of mine.

Beans!! I recently posted about Rancho Gordo beans in my Southwestern Soup recipe. Following that, Timber Press publishing company contacted me to see if I would review The Rancho Gordo Heirloom Bean Grower’s Guide. I was all over this, obviously.

pros:

simple + clear layout
great 101 about beans
large photos
descriptive explanations of each type of bean
- I had NO idea there were so many bean varieties!
serving + preparation ideas for each type of bean
- loved this!
not just a book for bean growers

cons:

didn’t like that the “how to” part was in the back of the book
- to me, you should have learned how to cook the beans and then learned about all of the varieties
would have liked more step by steps for the different bean cooking methods

I love beans!

There are a handful of organic, fair trade coffees offered at Trader Joe’s for exceptional prices. I love the 2lb “Wake Up” blend that costs $14.99. I pick it up when I’m back home in Ohio.

Mama Pea, Lulu, and I ventured to TJ’s today an they had this Bolivian Blend [$7.99/lb] on sample. It’s my new favorite. Maybe because I filled the sample cup with half cream + half coffee. But this was flavorful and smooth, with a noticeable hint of caramel. Can’t wait to grind this up for breakfast!

I’ve talked about this once or twice before, but this is hands down my favorite cottage cheese.

Kalona 2%.

Kalona is a super cool company, featuring organic grass-fed products. They also make milk, creamer and yogurts. The texture and flavor of this cottage cheese exceeds any I’ve had in the past. I recently bought their creamer for the first time and enjoyed it as well.

Next up!!

You know I’m all about natural skincare + beauty products over here!

Hellloooo homemade deodorant! 2.5yrs and still going strong + stink free!

When Beecology, a Cleveland company offered to send me a few products I was thrilled. They sent peppermint + honey body wash, peppermint honey + oat morning soap, and dry skin fighter dead sea mud soap.

Peppermint + Honey Body Wash – I love all things peppermint, especially body wash. The tingle + scent make me feel extra squeaky clean! The virgin hemp oil + aloe that are used in this soap, helped to keep my skin from drying out. My skin has a hard time with the dryness out here in Colorado, so this was perfect. Loved it!

Peppermint Honey + Oat Morning Soap – Loved the fresh, sweet scent of this soap. The ground oats, helped to gently exfoliate my skin. It was perfect to use before dousing myself with lotion.

Dead Sea Mud Soap – A nice light scent, and extremely moisturizing, this soap helps keep my skin from drying out. An everyday soap for sure!

Lollihop! I first heard about this company through Foodbuzz and saw people chatting about it around the holidays. What a fun gift to deliver to someone! This package came the day before leaving for our winter trip to Ohio and Pennsylvania and boy was that good timing. I stuffed almost every single snack in my bag for the plane.

It was my first time trying Glutino pretzels and I was quite impressed! I probably won’t buy them though because of their price. The PopCorners were delicious. Both Chris and I loved them. The FSTG chips, Larabar, and KIND bars were all products I’ve tried before and enjoy. It was my first time trying Oskri bars, which I loved. Such a fun box of goodies!

The one downfall is the price point, but like any gift of this type, they are usually overpriced. ie: flowers, cookie baskets, fruit baskets, etc. I think the variety is great though, and I would much rather receive a box of snacks than a shipment of flowers!

And the last product is another purchase of mine. I’m currently obsessed with Rapunzel vegetable bouillon cubes. I buy the no salt added, so I am in complete control of the salt content. I’m not shy with the salt, but I would much rather decide myself how much should be in a recipe.

They have a light, veggie broth flavor that have been working perfectly in all of my soup + chili recipes. And you won’t believe how much cheaper these are than the cardboard containers!

I can find them for about $2.69, which includes 8 cubes. 2 cubes makes 32oz, which means this whole pack makes 128oz.

$1.99 = 32oz [whole foods organic veggie broth]

$2.69 = 128oz

All it takes is boiling water and stirring the cubes until they break apart. A few extra minutes of work, but well worth it! If you can’t find them in your local grocery store, they’re on amazon as well.

Do you have any new products to report that you’ve tried lately?

Right now the Pea family and I are off to Portland! It’s my first time being in the city, and I’m quite excited. We’ll definitely be making a stop at Powell’s bookstore and checking out a few other sites around the city. The sun is out and shining today too! Perfect for a little family photo-op.

Happy weekend!

Ashley

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breakfast bakes, revisited

Ashley — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:36:42 +0000

There was no resolution making last year.

There will be no resolution making this year.

However, there are things I want to accomplish. Things that have nothing to do with Jan 1st or 2012. Just things.

One undertaking I’ve been meaning to start for quite some time, is revisiting the oven-baked, vegan + gluten free buckwheat bakes. While I already have a large list of breakfast bake recipes, many of them could use a little tweaking. They’re a bit temperamental and vary with every ingredient you add or take away. A few months back, I made the discovery that using plain ground flax instead of flax eggs, works much better. In using this method, I’ve had more success with baked goods cooking fully and not having a gummy center.

With that discovery, and your appreciated comments + substitution questions, the ideas I have for this breakfast creation are endless.

Even with working from home, I’ve grown a bit lazy on baking these in the oven in the morning. When I wake up I want food immediately. I also want to start working immediately and not wait 35min for the oven to go off before my day can start. Look at me, complaining about my own recipe!

The microwave bakes have become so easy. Too easy! While they are tasty and great in a pinch, I prefer the oven-baked versions.

Prepping 2 or more of these at a time, takes only minutes longer than prepping one. You can store them in the fridge for the week, or wrap tightly and freeze. Thaw in your fridge the night before, re-heat in the morning + top with nut butter.

My favorite way to re-heat the bakes is to add a bit of coconut oil in a pan over medium heat, slice the bake in half and brown on both sides. Then sandwich banana + nut butter in the middle.

With 5 total trials, including 2 flops, I have 3 new recipes to share.

Three new breakfast recipes, that you will make time for. Whether in the morning, or at night, you need to carve out a little time to pop these in the oven.

Mornings never tasted so good.

Vegan + Gluten Free Breakfast Bakes

With each new bake recipe, I’ll be trying out different mixes of flours and add-ins. This means I won’t be offering as many substitutions since I know these combinations definitely work. Instead of always using buckwheat flour and adding chia seeds, I’ll explore other methods + ingredients. Tips + substitutions will follow at the end of the 3rd recipe. More options coming soon!

Banana Oat Bake [serves 1]

For those that can never seem to find those pesky raw buckwheat groats, or locate raw buckwheat flour, this recipe is for you. Gluten-free or not, grind up some oats into flour and try this out for your next breakfast. The texture is doughy, dense + delicious.

3T banana, well mashed
5T oat flour
1.5T GF rolled oats
1T chia seeds
1T ground flax meal
5T milk
1/2t vanilla extract
1/2-1t cinnamon
1/4t baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350* [high altitude, use 370*] and thoroughly grease a small baking dish [~5” diameter].
In a bowl, mash the banana completely, add in all the other ingredients and stir until just combined. *do not over stir
Spread the thick batter into the greased dish and bake for about 35min. The top will be set, the edges will be brown and you want a toothpick to come out moist but not gooey.
Release from the dish by sliding a fork around the edge. Top + serve!

Blueberry Banana Oat Bake [serves 1]

A simpler + more cake-like version than above, this bake leaves out the chia seeds and adds blueberries and a little extra flour. With the blueberries + banana, no additional sweetness is needed. Just slather on the nut butter and maybe a sprinkle of coconut, and you’re good to go.

3T banana, well mashed
6T GF oat flour
1T GF rolled oats
1T ground flax meal
1/3c frozen blueberries
1/4c milk
1/2t vanilla extract
1/4t baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350* [high altitude, use 370*] and thoroughly grease a small baking dish [~5” diameter].
In a bowl, mash the banana completely, add in all the other ingredients and stir until just combined. *do not over stir
Spread the thick batter into the greased dish and bake for about 35min. The top will be set, the edges will be brown and you want a toothpick to come out moist but not gooey.
Release from the dish by sliding a fork around the edge. Top + serve!

Cocoa Buckwheat Bake [serves 1]

If you like chocolate any time of the day, this breakfast has your name written all over it. With a little added sweetness, this breakfast will leave your every craving satisfied. Feel free to leave the sweetener out, or add banana for a cocoa banana version. While pumpkin makes an appearance in this bake, it’s taste is undetectable.

3T pumpkin puree
5T raw buckwheat flour
1T raw buckwheat groats
1T chia seeds
1T ground flax meal
1T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4c + 2T milk
1-2t honey/maple syrup
1/2t vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon [opt]
1/4t baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350* [high altitude, use 370*] and thoroughly grease a small baking dish [~5” diameter].
In a bowl, add in all the ingredients and stir until just combined. *do not overstir
Spread the thick batter into the greased dish and bake for about 35min. The top will be set, the edges will be brown and you want a toothpick to come out moist but not gooey.
Release from the dish by sliding a fork around the edge. Top + serve!

tips/substitutions: Oat flour can be ground finely from raw oat groats, steel cut oats, Scottish oats, or even rolled oats. Buckwheat flour can be ground finely from raw groats [not Kasha or toasted buckwheat]. Fresh flours are best stored sealed in the fridge. Fresh ground flax works noticeably better than store bought. Always stores flax seeds + flax meal in the fridge. Baking times will range from 33-40min. To freeze: let fully cool, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag or sealed container. Thaw in the fridge the night before you want to eat. Unsweetened almond milk worked perfectly in all 3 recipes. I have found some oils to be better at greasing dishes than others. Sunflower + safflower oils do not work well at all, but coconut oil seems to work extremely well. I typically smear it all around the baking dish with wax paper. You can also use parchment paper for the easiest release. Also feel free to make these in muffin tins, but bake time will be reduced.

These are definitely my favorite vegan/GF bake recipes to date!

While resolutions aren’t my thing, I’m still extremely excited for the new year. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. So far, things are looking pretty promising!

Ashley

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going gluten free – part II

Ashley — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 06:02:49 +0000

The response to last week’s Why + When I Went Gluten Free post, was better than I had hoped for! I enjoyed reading your experiences + stories, and was delighted to hear that my recipes have been helpful to you. As promised, this next post addresses things beyond the “why + when.” Many of you were interested in hearing about my favorite gluten free products, what flours I use the most, my favorite recipes, favorite GF blogs, etc.

The question + answer format seemed to go over well last time, so I’ll stick with that method again.

[photos that follow are all from previous posts]

*Please note, I am not a doctor, or medical professional. The information below has been gathered through my own research. You should always consult your doctor before changing your diet in any way.*

1. What are your favorite gluten free products?

I actually don’t buy many products labeled “gluten free.” A lot of gluten free products are highly processed, full of unidentifiable ingredients, and lacking in the nutrition department. They’re also expensive! Gluten free bread is rarely on my shopping list, unless it’s on sale or I have a coupon. When I do have GF bread, I keep it in the freezer and eat it only occasionally. So, with that, here are some of the GF products I do buy.

West Soy “original” Tempeh
- West Soy is my favorite tempeh brand, by far. It’s not certified gluten free, but contains no gluten. *FYI – Their 5-grain variety does contain gluten.
Food For Life – brown rice torillas
- At first, I honestly thought these were pretty terrible, but then they grew on me. I love them! They’re not my favorite thing cold out of the fridge, because they are quite tough. However, lightly toast them under the broiler on each side and they become deliciously flakey! I love filling them with cheesy eggs or a combo of flax meal/cottage cheese/jelly/banana [<-good i swear]. The trick is to lightly brown them so you can still roll them up. You can also brown them in a heated pan
Udi’s Millet Chia Bread + Whole Grain Hamburger Buns
- In my opinion, Udi’s make the best gluten free bread out there. It’s also the most nutrient dense you will find. Most GF breads only contain 1-2 grams of protein + fiber, but Udi’s is more in the 3g range. The texture is great of both the bread + buns. You can get a $1 off coupon if you sign up on their site.
Food For Life – Millet Bread
- A unique texture and very dense, this bread is pretty delicious. Great as toast!
Udi’s Bagels
- Whole Grain [photo below] – Again they nailed it with texture, flavor + nutrition. They only complaint is that they are slightly dry, but are still very bagel-like. My favorite is toasting + topping them with PB+J, or making an egg sandwich.
Nature’s Path
- This is my favorite cereal brand, which also includes the line of EnviroKidz cereal. Love the peanut butter panda puffs!! While I’ve probably only bought 3 boxes of cereal since January, there are some great GF options out there. Now I just make my own, which is much cheaper and it never goes stale.
Pure Bars + Raw Revolution
- These are my favorite, in a pinch bars, to eat on the go. If I know a busy week is coming, I try to buy the ingredients to make them instead. It’s a ridiculous savings + doesn’t take much time at all.
Garden of Life – Raw Protein
- After testing a LOT of protein powders, this is my very favorite. It tastes similar to when you add oats to a smoothie. I don’t find it to be nearly as chalky as most other powders I’ve tried. It’s a blend of all raw, sprouted grains, vegetables, and seeds. There are no added sweeteners, or even fake sweeteners, and no weird flavors. To me, this protein powder is REAL food. I do also love hemp protein, but it’s not so nice to my stomach.
Noodles/Pasta
- Lundberg Pasta – Probably the best texture of the GF pastas. I like the penne noodles the best.
- Annie Chun’s Brown Rice Noodles – Super thin + great texture. Perfect for stir fries!
- DeBoles Lasagna Noodles – These are the only lasagna noodles I’ve tried, but you couldn’t tell anything was different about them when they were cooked and layered with lasagna ingredients.
- Tinkyada Fettuccini Noodles – Great texture! Just make sure to test them along the way while cooking. They didn’t take nearly as long as the package directions state. Also, run them through cold water immediately after cooking to help prevent them from sticking together + becoming gummy. I just noticed this brand has giant shells, which I am really excited about. I love ricotta stuffed shells!

2. What are your favorite gluten free flours?

My goal in baking gluten free, is to try and use the least amount of flours as possible and keep out gums + starches. I don’t necessarily think there is anything wrong with using them though. I know they are very popular and result in perfectly textured baked goods. However, I want to keep things as simple as possible, using ingredients that non-GF’ers would want to have on hand as well. It also helps to keep things a bit more affordable.

*If you have a severe gluten/wheat allergy or have been diagnosed with Celiac, please consult with your doctor for a list of all approved ingredients you can eat. Make sure to look for “certified gluten free” flours and grains when shopping and realize even bulk bins can be contaminated.

raw buckwheat flour
- Made from raw buckwheat groats and ground in a blender or spice grinder until powdery. A hearty flour, that seems to hold together decently well. Buckwheat flour has a slight earthy, nutty flavor.
raw oat flour
- Made from raw oat groats [or steel cut oats, which you can find certified gluten free] and ground in a blender or spice grinder until powdery. A slightly sweet, nutty flour, it’s fairly light in texture and doesn’t seem to fall apart when used in baking. You can also make this from regular rolled oats, with very similar results!
almond meal
- Extremely light + fluffy, this does amazing things in baked goods. I just started experimenting with almond meal in my zucchini breads and cannot wait to start using it more. The fat content is obviously high, because it is literally, ground almonds. This is different than almond flour, which uses blanched almonds and is even lighter in texture. You can find almond meal at Trader Joes or online at Natural Grocers [$3.75/1lb]. [Bob’s Red Mill sells it, but it is quite expensive ~10]. How to Make Almond Meal. Almond meal keeps baked goods incredibly moist and cake-like. The trick with almond meal is not using too much, or it will result in your baked good falling apart. It has no holding power at all.
millet flour
- Great for hearty breads + bakes, this flour also seems to hold together decently well. It has a light, almost corn-like flavor. You can also grind this fresh, in your blender until powdery.
masa harina
- Golden corn flour that has been soaked in lime juice, before grinding. Definitely my favorite tasting flour, but not the most versatile for baking. It’s very corn-like in flavor, so you wouldn’t want to use this for things like banana bread, zucchini bread, muffins, etc. However, it’s great for making corn tortillas, cornbread bakes, and tamales.
coconut flour
- Most often, you’ll see me using this for my donut recipes, or a gluten free pancake recipe. I haven’t played around with it too much, but I know it has absolutely no binding power at all. If you’re going to use coconut flour, you will need a lot of eggs! You also want to be careful with this flour, because it is extremely high in fiber. It’s also quite expensive, but I’ve been nursing a bag from Natural Grocers for months. They make a lot of different flours and sell them affordably. Coconut flour is probably the most expensive flour I’ve seen. [about $7/2lbs, whereas Bob’s Red Mill costs about $7/1lb] I think coconut flour is best used as a small addition to gluten free baked goods.
rice flour
- I have only experimented with sweet rice flour, and love the lightness it brings to baked goods. I also use this sparingly, as it doesn’t have much holding power.

[buckwheat millet pizza crust]

3. Which gluten free blogs/websites do you visit the most for ideas + inspiration? [note: these website do not all contain solely GF recipes]

Elana – Elana’s Pantry
Michelle + Lori – Pure 2 Raw
Sarah – My New Roots
Caitlin – Roost
Kristin – Cook Bake Nibble
Shauna – Gluten Free Girl and the Chef
Cinnamon Quill
Chelsey – Clean Eating Chelsey
Google – If I have a question, I Google it.

[lemon basil + grilled corn pasta]

4. What are your favorite GF grains/seeds?

rolled oats, Scottish oats, steel cut oats

These are my favorite breakfast grains. You can find rolled oats “certified gluten free” as well as steel cut oats. I’ve seen a few different brands, but the most common is Bob’s Red Mill. I also love oat bran, but like regular rolled oats, you have to assume it’s been cross contaminated with trace amounts of gluten. I did just find this brand online, selling GF oat bran.

millet
- This grain is cheap, cheap, cheap and very similar to quinoa in nutritional value. I love how light + fluffy it is after cooking. It’s a great dinner side or even made into a breakfast parfait. I buy my millet at Natural Grocers, and you can too!. It costs $1.63 for TWO pounds. Quinoa is typically $3-4/lb.
quinoa
- We still love quinoa over here, but are on more of a millet kick these days. Millet keeps me feeling full, longer and is ridiculously cheaper.
short grain brown rice
- Making creamy coconut brown rice is my favorite.
raw buckwheat
- Buckwheat bakes. Duh.
popcorn
- So much tastier than the microwave bags, healthier, and cheaper!
amaranth
- I do not like this as a cooked grain at all. I only like it in puffed form for cereal. The cooked grain is quite gummy and extremely earthy in flavor.

I urge anyone to give these ingredients a shot. Not just GF’ers! Most of them were in my pantry before going gluten free, and I’ve grown to love them so much. Really, the only thing I miss is hot, crusty bread. mmm I’m definitely getting the hang of this whole gluten-free thing and trying to have fun experimenting.

Check back for another GF post next week! [tips on eating out, etc.]

Also, check back later TODAY for a gluten-free giveaway. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!!

Feel free to leave your favorite gluten free products, flours, baking tricks, and blogs in the comment section.

Ashley

p.s. Don’t worry. The zucchini bread recipes are coming. All THREE of them. Pretty sure I’ve eaten an entire loaf in the past 48hrs, with all of the sampling. And I still want more.

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love grown giveaway!

Ashley — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 06:05:14 +0000

How about a LOVEly, crunchy, giveaway to start your Thursday off right!?

You all know I am a huge fan of Love Grown Foods granola and the amazing business owners, Maddy + Alex. Over the past year, I’ve gotten to know them really well and one of their many amazing traits is generosity. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more generous company. They are hosting giveaways left + right, donating to people in need, educating kids on healthy eating, and spreading love from one end of the country to the other.

After my last visit with Maddy, she left me with an exploding box of granola. Because I like to share, some of this crunchy deliciousness can be yours!

What YOU win: open to *US readers* only

1 full size bag of Sweet Cranberry Pecan granola [gluten free!]
10 bags of mini love in all 5 flavors!

How to enter:

Tell me one way you’re going to SPREAD LOVE this weekend!

Giveaway closes:

Friday @noon EST – it’s a quick one!!

Ashley

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weekend giveaway!

Ashley — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:00:53 +0000

Just popping in for a quick hello this morning and an awesome summer giveaway!

Stonyfield offered to send me their “Summer in a Box,” as a way to kick off one of their latest products…

Organic Frozen Yogurt Bars!!

While I have yet to try them, I have been impressed with Stonyfield’s frozen yogurts, so I know these are going to be delicious.

Along with two coupons for free boxes of their yogurt bars, you will also win some other awesome products.

2 coupons for a box of Stonyfield organic dipped yogurt bars

can’t wait to find these + try them out!

1 coupon for Uncle Matt’s Organic Lemonade + Juices

love their no pulp OJ!

Tom’s of Maine, Beautiful Earth Deodorant

While this bar smells completely amazing, it didn’t work for me at all. It felt a bit gummy/sticky under my arms and didn’t do it’s job. I still have the best luck with my homemade deodorant!

Tom’s of Maine, Daily Moisture Body Bar

I loved this bar of soap! It’s silky smooth on your skin and feels very moisturizing. It also has a nice light scent.

Tom’s of Main, Simply White toothpaste

This toothpaste has a fabulous minty taste and foams up quite a bit. However, I’m still stuck on Himalaya Organique Toothpaste. We’ve been using it for 2 years now and love it.

Badger, After Sun Balm

I absolutely love all of the Badger products I’ve tried. They make great moisturizing balms that help me through the dry Colorado winters! This after sun balm has a calming lavender scent and feels great on the skin.

Dr. Hauschka, Melissa Day Cream

This cream feels nice + light on the skin and has a quite potent lemony scent. My skin definitely felt smoother than after using my typical Aveeno lotion, but the scent was a tad strong for me. This 1oz tube typically sells for $40 and is said to last about 3 months!!!

What a great package of products, right??

To Enter: Leave a comment below telling me the what your favorite natural/organic beauty products are. If you haven’t ever tried one, tell me which you’re most excited to try from this bundle!

Giveaway ends: Monday, 12am EST

Off to enjoy the day! Might be back later with a super fun Friday recap!!

Ashley

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