Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

The Easiest, Fastest, Tastiest Summer Lunch: A Mezze Plate

3 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 06/17/09

Clockwise starting with the pretzels: Happy Herbert’s Spelt mini-pretzels, Hawthorne Valley Farms lacto-fermented Dilly Beans, Sabra pine-nut hummous, organic Cali fig, organic local carrot, organic local pear, herbed goat cheese, organic green grapes (on sale).

I’m a busy Eco Chick and I like it that way; I run two websites, am working on my next book, do public speaking, travel/research near and far to keep up with all that’s new in green, teach, run a home (I do most of the house cleaning and lawn and garden care myself) care for a dog and two cats, work out six days a week, and have a very active social life. I love my life but a few months ago I recognized that it could use a bit of balance.

So I started closing my computer at a reasonable hour, extended the time I spent working out, am reading a lot more novels (which I LOVE) and made a promise to myself that I would eat more healthfully, which included these basic ideas:
-eating a wider variety of non-wheat carbs (Spelt, quinoa, oats, and wheatberries)
-doubling my produce intake
-cutting out pretty much all processed foods
-reducing alcohol consumption
-limiting dairy to small amounts and mostly goat- or sheep-milk products (lower in fat and much tastier!)

But I didn’t have much time, especially in the middle of the day for lunch, and then I hit upon an idea: The Mezze plate (a middle-eastern appetizer or main meal composed of various appetizers) which can really be made up of whatever’s on hand (I mix and match ethnic foods with abandon). Balance the carbs, produce and protein yourself, watch the calories, and voila! The fastest, easiest lunch ever!

Try any of the below combined with a generous quantity of fresh, raw, local, in-season fruits and veggies; I like to listen to my body and really try to figure out what I’m craving so that I’m paying attention to what I really need:

-edamame salad with sesame seeds (high in protein and fiber)
-baked sweet potato (I buy the small ones and bake 3-4 at once and keep them in the fridge: high in beta carotene and fiber)
-tabouli
-nut butters (try almond, macadamia, or Brazil nut rather than peanut for variety)
-kale (cook a bunch of kale with organic olive oil, salt and pepper and you can keep in the fridge for a week)
-bean dips (kidney and white bean with spices and herbs is always an easy one)
-lactofermented veggies (kimchi, sauerkraut, or others)
-bottled artichoke hearts (low-calorie liver cleanser)
-big dill pickles
-Japanese (nori) seaweed salad
-black bean and corn salad (I mix black beans with Trader’s Joes Corn salsa)
-Organic corn chips
-cold soup (gazpacho or cucumber is great in the Summer!)
-hard boiled (organic, free-range or local) eggs
-high quality, small batch hard cheeses made from raw sheep, goat and cow’s milk (keep this quantity small as they are quite nutritious but also high in calories)

I finish my mezze plate off with a generous portion of organic dark chocolate, almost every day. If you follow my Twitter stream, you’ll see which ones I’m trying, but I’ll also be posting about all my faves soon!

Food, health, lunch

What to Do with Overripe Summer Fruit? Make a Delicious Crisp!

3 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 06/11/09

The crisp with chopped fruit, before oat topping

If you’re like me, and have a crazy-busy life, sometimes you come home after three days of running around, and realize that all that delicious fresh fruit you bought at the farmer’s market is….turning (into compost, slowly, on the counter).

I find this incredibly upsetting. It makes me sad to think about those farmers in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut who went to all that trouble to grow my food, bring it all the way to my town, and then it ends up as compost! Having been raised by my grandma, a born-and-bred Manhattanite who lived through the Depression, I have have not only the guilt about tossing food (that’s the NYC part!), but also the skills to figure out what to do with it! Doris Ross, my grams, always did something with old stuff, even if it became dog “porridge”.

So I stared at the overripe strawberries (just starting to develop a fuzzy layer of mold), the drying-out blueberries (and some ancient frozen ones), the mushy nectarines, and thought about blending them, but was a bit worried about the mold. There was just a bit, and I knew it wouldn’t kill me, but it could be dangerous (I’m not a mold expert) AND even a little mold has a strong flavor. I would have to cook it to kill the mold. OK, baking then. And then all of a sudden I saw it, in my mind’s eye: a perfect, healthy fruit tart to eat for breakfast!

I got to chopping, removing any seriously rotty bits and washing off all the mold. I just threw it all in a glass pie dish (see directions below) and voila! It was extra-sweet since the fruits were overripe so I needed to add only a small bit of sweetener. SO GOOD!

Starre’s Superripe Summer Fruit Crisp

-Enough fruit to come up to edge of baking dish (I used about 3 cups of strawberries, blueberries, figs and nectarines to fill a standard pie dish; I bet old grapes, peaches, pears, apples or any fruit other than melon would work well)
-2 cups oatmeal (I actually used the rest of my Dorset Cereal’s organic meusli)
-handful of organic sultanas (better than raisins as they are quick-dried and retain more flavor)
-handful organic pumpkin seeds (any nut or seed would work, almonds or walnuts, etc.)
-tablespoon of organic flax seeds (for easy Omega-3′s)
-1/3 stick organic butter (I like Kate’s from Maine, which wins butter-yumminess contests all the time)
-2 tablespoons organic light brown sugar
-1 tablespoon agave
-cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
-1/2 teaspoon organic lemon zest

Chop fruit into bite-size chunks (as if you were making a fruit salad) and place in baking dish, mixing with lemon zest and then sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg to your liking. I like a bit more cinnamon than nutmeg, but quite a bit of both.

-Top fruit mixture with 1 tablespoon light brown sugar and agave nectar. Fresh ginger would also be a good addition here, but I was out.

In a bowl, mix oats, 1/3 of a stick of butter (melted or at least smooshy), flax seeds, sultanas and pumpkin seeds.

When well blended, spoon on top of fruit and flatten out, covering the fruit with a layer of oat mixture.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 35-40 minutes (prepare for your house to smell amazing!!)

Oh, the beauty! And it was really, really delicious, which is why I’m compelled to share it with you!

Serving suggestion: Sheep’s milk yogurt tastes GREAT with this crisp scooped on top of it. I like Old Chatham Sheepherding Company’s, which is made in upstate New York and available at Whole Foods in Westport, Connecticut near where I live.

crisp, Food, fruit, summer

Sara Snow's – Fresh Living: The Essential Room-By-Room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family and Home

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by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 03/18/09

I first became familiar with Sara Snow when I was pregnant and on bed-rest. Between reading baby books and eating I watched her Discovery show Get Fresh with Sara Snow and enjoyed her ease and playful approach to environmentalism. I love how Sara always mixes stories of her childhood into her day-to-day recipes for green living. This adds a personalized touch to her passion for all things green.

Growing up the daughter of Tim Redmond, co-founder of Eden Foods, informed Sara’s life as a green foodie and all around eco-advocate. In her new book, Fresh Living: The Essential Room-By-Room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family and Home, Sara traverses the modern home, discussing every aspect of our lives and what we can do to connect more with nature and minimize wasteful practices. This unpretentious guide is an easy read that is full of useful information. Sara discusses everything from how to maintain a green lawn naturally (or better yet, how to plant wildflowers and indigenous greens that attract butterflies and deter mosquitoes,) to how to decorate a toxin-free baby nursery.

Sara gives detailed lists of what ingredients to avoid in beauty products, toys, household cleaners, and pretty much anything else one may have in their home or garden. Comprehensive definitions explain the origins of chemicals, how they are used and what is most harmful. These days many products, including purported “organic” or “natural” items, contain dubious ingredients. The explanations of scientific terms really help one to weed through the ambiguous marketing language of greenwashing. There are also recipes for how to make your own cleaners and home products that are totally natural and inexpensive.

A small part of the book I really enjoyed was the simple reminder that house plants are good. They bring the outside in, clean our air, and promote healthy chi. Sara shares a list of the top fifteen plants to have indoors to remove various pollutants from the air. These days people spend hundreds, even thousands on air fresheners and purifiers. Plants!

The description of composting is user friendly. Sometimes composting can seem detailed or labour-intensive, but Sara keeps it simple with a description of what we need and what ingredients can assist in maintaining a healthy compost, even for those living in urban areas.

An important theme reiterated throughout the guide is that there are real dangers in our environment, but we can be empowered by educating ourselves and creating an atmosphere that is fresh, vital and thriving. This book would make a sweet gift but is also an excellent resource to just have handy around the house.

atmosphere, Baby, Beauty, beauty products, book, books, decor, eating, farm, FDA, Food, garden, Green Living, greenwashing, health, Home, Organic, Outdoors, Personalized, Plants, recipe, urban, waste

Tell the USDA to Regulate GE/GMOs

2 Comments

by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 03/17/09

Genetically modified organisms were not sufficiently tested before entering our food chain. Today, more than 60-70% of packaged foods contain ingredients that have been genetically engineered. Loopholes have allowed industry to avoid disclosure regarding genetically altered food products and it is time to demand testing and regulation. Concerned citizens have the chance to voice their concern to the USDA.

The folks at FoodDemocracyNow! have sent out a simple form letter that you can copy and paste. It is time to stop experimenting on our bodies. Do you really want to eat a tomato that contains the genetic information of a grouper?

Here is a copy of the form letter – send yours! You can also contact your local legislators, join grassroots activist groups and work to strike up dialogue with anyone who cares about what they eat!

How to Submit Comments to the USDA:

Include “Docket Number APHIS-2008-0023” at the top of your correspondence or in the subject line of your email.

Online Instructions:

1. Click here to send your comments to the USDA electronically or go to:

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=0900006480903a8e

The result with Document ID number “APHIS-2008-0023″ is the Interim Final Rule for comments on Importation, Interstate Movement, and Release into the Environment of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms

2. Click on the “Add Comment” icon and follow the instructions on the next screen.

Tell USDA to: 1. Withdraw the proposed rule; 2. Release the EIS for public review and comment and to be used as a basis for further rule-making; and 3. Suspend all new GE crop approvals until the above has been satisfactorily completed and unless and until GE crops are proven safe.

SAMPLE LETTER (Please cut and paste)

To whom it may concern,
Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023
Regulatory Analysis and Development
PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8
4700 River Road Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.

Re: Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023, Importation, Interstate Movement, and Release into the Environment of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms.

I am very concerned about the risks posed by genetically engineered crops. They threaten human health, family farmers, and the environment. I urge USDA to withdraw the proposed rule, publish the Environmental Impact Statement for public review and comment, and suspend all new GE crop approvals in the interim.

After USDA releases the EIS, a comment period of at least 90 days is needed so the public has the opportunity to fully participate in a transparent process on this important issue. This will not only aid in the development of the final EIS but also in the drafting of a new proposed rule. The current proposed rule does little to close the loopholes in the regulations the rule is designed to replace and it creates more gaps than it fills.

Sincerely,
Your Name Here!

car, design, farm, Food, fur, health, local, spa, trike, USDA

Get The To a (Green?) Nunnery! And Lots More.

1 Comment

by Starre Vartan · 03/06/09

Yay Episcopalian nuns, they’ve gone green! (I was raised Episcopalian but am a damn pagan these days, but still, I’m proud of them). Also, watch for the scary ‘ghost nets’ and OMG!!! Schnozzberries! Another fine ep of Zaproot for your green amusement (and horror).

fish, Food, Organic, religion