Eat. Drink. Better.

Going Meatless on Mondays doesn’t have to mean deprivation of all your favorite foods. By making some simple changes to recipes, you can easily swap out the animal products for vegan options. Here is a simple veganized muffin recipe, so you can start your Meatless Monday off with delicious, healthy, energizing and decadent baked good.

Tibetan Goji Berries are regarded in Tibet as the “Fruit of Longevity and Well Being”. Goji berries have been traditionally regarded as a food that offers your body longevity, strength-building, and sexual potency. Goji’s are a complete protein source and a low calorie snack that strengthens your immune system, increases energy and helps to curb cravings. It has one of the highest antioxidant contents in all food, which helps to fight free radicals, keeping you young and vibrant. Goji’s contain 18 amino acids, vitamin C, beta-carotene, 20 rare trace minerals, vitamin B1, B2 and B6 and vitamin E.

In honor of this Meatless Monday, let’s boost our energy, keep ourselves looking and feeling young and chow down on some delicious vegan, anti-aging muffins.
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Just like many other social phenomena that are good for the environment, the exploding trend of people growing their own chickens in the backyard has its naysayers.  Naysayers come in a wide variety of stripes.  For example, the widespread understanding that global warming is real and that we’re causing it has its naysayers, many of whom stand to lose a lot of money when their oil and coal has to internalize the cost of the pollution they’ve been making us pay for since their inception.  Or those that say that electric cars are not realistic…sure there are naysayers…wait, is there a trend here that the oil industry is against everything good?  Hmm…

But I digress.  Suffice it to say, there are naysayers who don’t want us to live well, to live with a lower carbon footprint by producing our own food.  Kimberly Willis and Rob Ludlow, co-authors of Raising Chickens for Dummies, can be counted among those that are dispelling these myths and empowering the people.  Read the rest of this entry »

The September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition will publish a widely distributed study that contradicts previous research pointing to health benefits of organic over conventional. The release of the study findings made headlines across major news sources such as CNN and UK news outlets like The Independent and Daily Mail. So, is organic really not any better for you?

The debate continues, and there are more studies showing organic produce has more nutritional values.  There is also some interesting research that shows the variety, or cultivar, makes more difference than organic versus conventional, giving heirloom and pre-industrial agriculture varieties a nutritional advantage. Additionally, buying fully-ripened local produce can also be better for you. In the end, organic is less about nutrition than it is about the absence of pesticides and chemicals and sustainable methods. Read the rest of this entry »

The next season of Top Chef may just be a little greener when it premieres on August 19 as Chef Preeti Mistry brings a sustainable approach along with her knives

Chef Preeti Mistry runs Charlie’s Café at Google in her job as an Executive Chef for Bon Appétit Management Company. An average day on her job includes 2000 made-from-scratch, seasonal, farm-fresh meals. Both Google and Bon Appetit have made a strong commitment to local farm-sourced ingredients as well as sustainable practices in the kitchen. Will Chef Preeti be able to bring the green to Top Chef Season Six? We ask her in this Eat. Drink. Better. interview.

EDB: 1. As your bio on the Bon Apeiti site quotes you, “…  my commitment to how I source my ingredients and more importantly why has been reinforced in such a way that I don’t think I could cook any other way.” Were local sourcing and a sustainable approach available to you in the Top Chef competition, and if not, how did you adjust to the change and not being able to source ingredients?

Chef Preeti: Honestly, it was quite difficult because we are essentially given the ingredients we are given, and one does not have a choice if the ingredients are part of the challenge.  Furthermore, when allowed to purchase our own ingredients there was not an option of where to source them from.  I adjusted by focusing on what looked good and healthy. Not much grows in a dessert so at the end of the day you look at what products do not seem like they have traveled too far or been sitting around for too long.

Interview continues after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Beware: This Saturday night, August 8, is “Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Night.” As a Midwest gardener, I’m guilty of using all forms of sneaky tactics to deplete my zucchini abundance on our farm this time of year. But most of all, I’m on the lookout for new ways to use zucchini and other forms of summer squash in creative, tasty recipes.

These Zucchini Snacks do exactly that: use zucchini in unexpected ways. When I serve this to guests at our Wisconsin B&B, Inn Serendipity, everyone seems to “taste” something different – from noodles to soy sauce – none of which are actually in the recipe. With a dash of culinary creativity, zucchini can “take on” various flavor entities. Call her the secret agent of the summer garden; summer squash can take bring an interesting dash of mystery to your table.

These Zucchini Snacks can be served either as a warm dip or on toasted bread pieces. The recipe works equally well with frozen zucchini (and can be a nice toasty warm-up comfort food during the winter months); just defrost and drain the zucchini. No need to add the extra salt to extract the water. Read the rest of this entry »

I come from a “barbecue town.” Correction, I come from, arguably, The Barbecue Capital of the Free World. This is, of course, Kansas City. Now, all of you in Memphis can protest along with the Brisket Brigade from Texas. But, there it is. I’ve thrown down the grill mitt.

Because of my location, I can stand on just about any corner of my hometown, inhale deeply, and smell wood smoke and meat. If you are of the meat-eating persuasion, and know your ‘cue, then you know the power of this smell is enough to make you forget all about green concerns and dive onto a platter of ribs like a starving dog on a meaty bone.
Problem is, few of these establishments are using sustainable, ethically-raised meats, and well, wood smoke is not the most environmentally-friendly cooking method. I’ve had to give up the very culinary tradition my hometown is world famous for. It’s tough being an ethical eater sometimes.

How does an eco-conscious omnivore with a weak spot for ribs get around this?

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Are you are a blues fan, dig eclectic jazz, or have your iPod memory maxed out? Like food? Ever notice how many songs have food metaphors in them? Ready to play on a Wednesday? This quick little quiz will see if you can name the song and band for each of these lyrics that include “food.” Bonus questions can help those of you with more, uh, conventional music taste score well. Ready? Game on.

1. “Baby, the way you eat that oatmeal pie just makes me wanna die.”
2. I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes”
3. “One more cup of coffee ‘fore I go”
4. “If I had my little way I’d eat peaches everyday”
5. “Tangerine trees and marmalade skies”
6. “Coffee and a roll, hash browns over easy, Chile in a bowl with burgers and fries, what kind of pie?”
7. “The other day I had a cool water sandwich and a Sunday-go-to-meetin’ bun”
8. “Now I like sweet candied yams and I like home made ham hocks.
9. “You men eat your dinner, eat your pork and beans.”
10. “Well I’ve moved into the jungle of the agriculture rumble, to grow my own food”

Bonus Questions:
1. What is the 1962 classic Blues instrumental named after a member of the Allium family?

2: List five artists or bands that have a food item as part of their name. Give yourself one bonus point for every additional five you can name.

Answers after the jump.

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I shouldn’t have been surprised to discover that the bread I’ve been making for my family costs between $1.00 and $1.50 per loaf.  Comparable bread at the grocer/bakery will run $4.00 or more a loaf.  The variation in price depends on add-ins which provide flavor and texture.  This recipe is simple, quick and tasty.  We bake it twice a week.  This is a great project to have the kids help you with, they LOVE to knead and roll the dough.  The dough making only takes 10 minutes or so (the rest is rising/baking time).  This is a modified version of a recipe found at Sweet Simple Living.

Simple Whole Wheat Bread (Makes 2 large loaves) Read the rest of this entry »

Last month, Canada, the United States, and Australia announced unprecedented plans to join forces and commercialize genetically-engineered wheat, saying that biotechnology was crucial to the future of the wheat industry. The National Farmers Union of Canada, however, immediately refuted the tri-country claim, pointing out “the overwhelming majority of farmers in Canada are still opposed to the introduction of genetically-modified wheat.”

On June 1, fifteen organizations across Canada, the United States and Australia publicly confirmed that opposition with the release of “A Definitive Global Rejection of Genetically Engineered Wheat“, a powerful document speaking out against biotech wheat.

But the battle against GM wheat is not a simple one, nor is it restrained to select countries.

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Weeks ago I wrote “The Healing Dish: Shiitake Mushrooms and Organic Baby Bok Choy” and now I have a new healthy meal to share.

The other evening for dinner we enjoyed this soothing organic miso soup stewed with fresh ginger and napa cabbage, carrots and organic sweet potatoes, and delightful enoki mushrooms.

Healing ginger imparts a sweet, tangy, yet delicate flavor that soothes and delights the tummy. Napa cabbage is a nice stew vegetable and enoki mushrooms have a soft texture and delicious mild flavor. Carrots and sliced fresh sweet potatoes (or yams) make this miso very hearty.

Keep reading to learn the recipe and more about the healing powers of this simple dish. Read the rest of this entry »