Simple Secrets to Eating Naturally & Joyfully

Time to Start Thinking about Signing Up for the 2010 CSA!

I know that we’re still in the midst of winter and spring/summer seem so far away.  However, farmers with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs are already signing up members for the 2010 programs.  Some programs start as early as late May.  Plus, due to the ever increasing popularity of CSA’s some are already have filled certain slots.  As an example, Muth Family Farm (http://www.muthfamilyfarm.com/print-brochure.htm), which is closest to me, already has filled 3 time slots…  I guess I need to make up my mind quickly, too!

 

If you’re trying to figure out if there’s a CSA close to you or you want your farmer to get more visibility, just go to: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/.  Happy browsing!  

Real Foods Going Hollywood – Or Let’s Say Big Screen

Did you realize that a movie was released on May 26, 2009 to help launch a grassroots movement on fresh foods and people impacting this movement?  Funny, it hasn’t been picked up by any of the major tabloids and hasn’t been featured in the mainstream media.  So, that’s where you come in.  Find a way to host a screening and get the word out.  Here’s a quick synopsis of the film:

 

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

 

For more info, just go to:  http://www.freshthemovie.com/ and go Big Screen!

Delicious Banana Nut Bread – Just in Time for the Snow

I started off this snowy morning with some delicious banana nut bread, which I baked yesterday.  I needed something comforting since the thought of more snow just wasn’t that pleasant.  So, if you’re looking for some comfort food yourself, give the below a try. 

 

Bake Time: 75-80 minutes

Makes 2 loaves.

 

Ingredients:

·   1 cup virgin coconut oil (allow to liquidfy)

·   2 cups sugar (organic preferred)

·   4 eggs

·   1/4 teaspoon salt

·   2 teaspoons soda

·   4 cups flour (King Arthur All-Purpose Flour is best)

·   5 large bananas, very ripe, mashed

·   1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

 

Preparation:

Mix together the liquid coconut oil and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift dry ingredients together; add to moist mixture. Stir in mashed bananas and chopped walnuts. Pour banana nut bread batter into 2 well-greased loaf pans; bake at 325° for about 75-80 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Allow to sit in pan for 10 minutes and then cool on rack. 

 

The banana nut bread typically tastes better and is moister if it’s been wrapped in plastic overnight. I also typically freeze the one loaf.

Crispy Roast Chicken – Sure to Satisfy Everyone in the Family

I was doggedly reading up on the latest snow predictions on the Philly.com yesterday and fortunately found a diversion on the Food & Restaurant page.  There was an article by Elisa Ludwig titled:  Simply delicious … but so tricky to perfect (http://www.philly.com/philly/restaurants/20100218_Simply_delicious_.html?viewAll=y). What caught my attention was the subtitle “Roast chicken is pure pleasure, and the perfect bird a cook’s true challenge.” And the picture of a crispy roast chicken.  Not that I hadn’t just had a wonderful shrimp salad for lunch at the Samson Street Oyster House.  However, I just LOVE crispy chicken skin from a roast chicken.  I can never go wrong in our house if I prepare a roast chicken.  People will eat seconds.  I’m sure to satisfy everyone at the table.  Looking at the various recipes in the article, I decided to extract the one I typically use.  The butter just creates the ultimate crispy skin and juicy meat. The lemon, thyme and garlic give the meat the best seasoning.  So, if you’re debating what to make this upcoming weekend – give this recipe a try.

Roast Chicken

Makes 4-6 servings

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

4-pound free-range chicken

Salt and pepper

1 lemon

Several sprigs of thyme or tarragon, or a mixture of the two

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Smear the butter with your hands all over the bird. Put the chicken in a roasting pan that will accommodate it with room to spare. Season liberally with salt and pepper and squeeze the juice of the lemon over the bird. Put the herbs and garlic inside the cavity, together with the squeezed-out lemon halves-this will add a fragrant lemony flavor to the dish.

2. Roast the chicken in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Baste, turn the oven temperature down to 375 degrees, and roast for 30-45 minutes more with occasional basting. The bird should be golden all over with a crisp skin and have buttery, lemony juices of a nut-brown color in the bottom of the pan.

3. Turn off the oven, leaving the door ajar, and let the chicken rest at least 15 minutes before carving. Stir or whisk the pan juices and serve over the chicken.

- From Roast Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson

Not Just Overgrown Scallions

With that I’m referring to leeks.  Leeks are a savory vegetable and belong in the same family as onions and garlic.  They sort of look like overgrown scallions and can smell pretty strong.  I grew up eating leeks all the time.  I used to typically only be able to find good leeks at Whole Foods.  However, since leeks are gaining in popularity, I’m very happy to see that they are easier to come by. 

 

Leeks are also very nutritious.  They’re rich in Vitamin A equiv., Thiamine (Vit. B1). Riboflavin (Vit. B2), Niacin (Vit. B3), Vitamin B6, Folate (Vit. B9), Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, and Zinc.  Health benefits studied on leeks include their ability to:

 

·   Lower LDL Cholesterol While Raising HDL Cholesterol

·   Reduce risk of prostate and colon cancer

·   Protect against Ovarian Cancer

·   Stabilize Blood Sugar Levels

 

My favorite part about leeks?  They just taste great!  I typically make creamed leeks.  You just slice the stem of the leek, which is white/light green, into thin slices.  (The dark green section can be used to make vegetable broth.)  I then clean the sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water and move over to a strainer with my hand.  The sand/dirt will settle at the bottle of the bowl.  Thus, it’s important not to just pour the leeks from the bowl into the strainer.  Let the leeks drain well.  I then sauté the leeks in a mixture of butter and olive oil.  Once soft, I season with salt, nutmeg, and white pepper.  I then add heavy cream and stir until the cream has been fully absorbed by the vegetable.  Et voila, you have a tasty vegetable dish!  This has actually become my husband’s favorite vegetable dish, and I typically have to stop him from taking a 3^rd or 4^th serving.

Free Market Solution to Food Access?

I caught a repeat of Michelle Obama on Fox News’ Huckabee Show on Sunday (below) and was very intrigued by her discussion of access to food and food deserts being addressed in the current Let’s Move campaign addressing childhood obesity (http://www.letsmove.gov/accessing/index.html). Two things that really stood out where: 1) Mike Huckabee brought up that the free market solution could help address access and help lower prices; and 2) Michelle Obama indicating that access to food isn’t only an urban issue, but also quite prevalent in rural areas as well. So, take a look and let me know what your takeaways are!

Another Quick Option

Following up on the video link to “Eat This for Breakfast” I posted yesterday; I thought I’d add a quick breakfast recipe myself.  I make this breakfast when I have leftover Basmati rice.  It’s quick and simple and can be made on a stove top or in the microwave.  Just mix together leftover rice, agave syrup, cinnamon, almond slivers and milk.  Then cook on the stove stop for about 3 minutes or 1.5 minutes in the microwave.  It’s tasty and satisfying!

Great Tips for a Quick Breakfast

I came across this great video clip on MSNBC Today Show site titled “Eat This in the morning” (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35017294/vp/35407845#35407845) and thought that it was a great follow up to my January 28 blog posting titled:  Breakfast in the Car – Break that Habit – Fast! (http://www.puresimpleyou.com/simple-secrets-to-eating-naturally-joyfully/2010/01/breakfast-in-the-car-break-that-habit-fast.html).  You’ll find some great suggestions on preparing a good breakfast with your limited time in the am!

Lent and Detoxing…

I’ve been hearing a lot of people the last few days talking about what they’ve given up for Lent.  Anything from alcohol, chocolate, sweets to even meat.  Then people are talking about doing a detox.  This one always frightens me.  For me, eating good foods is one of the greatest pleasures.  The thought of living off liquids is absolutely appalling.  So, I decided to check out what my favorite magazine, Whole Living Body & Soul, had on the topic.  I think Body & Soul’s program, titled Whole Body Action Plan (http://www.wholeliving.com/photogallery/action-plan-week-1) has to be the best I’ve seen in all my reading.  The plan integrates a healthy lunch.  You’re not just living off of liquids.  Plus, there are strategies for integrating fitness activities and stress management tools, which are absolutely essential due to the changes your body goes through. 

 

You ask what I’m giving up for lent?  Well, it’s certainly not food…  I have an aim of complaining less.  So, that’s my detox!

So Ready for Spring

I hear a lot of people commenting that they’re ready for Spring and just want the snow to melt away.  I have to agree – I’m so ready for Spring as well.  Well, that leads me then to the infamous topic of Spring cleaning.  While people typically aim to clean curtains, windows and do other major household cleaning, I think it’s important to put your freezer on that list.  Food waste accounts for 12-16% of the trash that goes into the landfill.  I have to admit, I have a tendency to prepare extra during cooking, which typically ends up in the freezer if not consumed in lunches during the week.  As an example this week, I ended up defrosting leftovers from a Christmas Eve dinner at my mother’s (Sauerbraten, Rouladen, Spaetzle, and red cabbage – yum!).  It still tasted very good, but my husband sure was wrinkling his nose when he realized from when the leftovers were.  So, I’ve made a commitment to start emptying out the leftovers in the freezer and to adjust the weekly grocery list until we use what we have.  My challenge to you is to get an early start on your Spring cleaning and use up what you have in the freezer.  You’ll then truly be ready for Spring when it arrives!