Know the difference: biodegradable vs. compostable

Recently, legislation was passed here (what are the rules in YOUR city/state?) that all yard waste must be placed in either a bin specifically for yard waste or in compostable bags.

It seems that people were angry over this. Compostable bags are not as strong; cost more money; etc. Apparently it worked: Minneapolis doesn’t need to comply until 2013.

However, as individuals we can still do “the right thing” and use a compostable bag. What does that mean? Essentially, a compostable bag will turn into dirt, just like the grass clippings and leaves, in a relatively short amount of time (in an industrial composting facility) and in a longer time in your backyard composter.

These bags are also available for kitchen size.  Yeah!

What about the biodegradable bags?? I think my favorite chain store says their bags are biodegradable, so I can safely use as many plastic bags as I want, right?? I don’t have to make the switch to more convenient, sturdier, reusable canvas bags?? Well, you might want to think again. Biodegradable bags are still plastic and will never turn into dirt. They will break down into teeny tiny little pieces, but those pieces will remain in the landfill, on the beach, on the side of the road, etc. for thousands of years.

Consider using the mulching function for your grass clippings or composting your leaves if you can. If you have to bag them up, try the compostable bags!

A taste of the Mediterranean

Mediterranean stew

I can’t wait to make this with ingredients from my own garden! While waiting for the snow to melt, I got a taste for summer. Enjoy!

NOTE: this is NOT a fast recipe. I am all for shortcuts when they work, but I think the extra care with ingredients will be worth it!

Ingredients

1.5 1bs steak, fat trimmed (omit for vegetarian version)

2 pieces bacon, chopped in very small pieces (use olive oil for vegetarian version)

2 portobella mushrooms

4 zucchini

6 spring onions

2 – 3 T fresh basil leaves. minced

2 – 3 T. fresh parsley, minced

4 cloves garlic

¼  C. red wine

1 – 2 T.  olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 cubes vegetable bouillon

1 C. water

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 large or 2 small cans cannellini beans

Directions

Put wine and olive oil in baking dish large enough to hold the steaks in a single layer. Whisk in salt and pepper. Coat both sides of steak and set aside.

In large skillet, sauté whole garlic cloves in a small piece of trimmed steak fat or olive oil until tender. Remove from heat.

In large stock pot, cook bacon for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Add onion and cook another 10 minutes, adding water as needed to prevent burning. Add basil and parsley; cover and cook until all vegetables are well cooked.

Remove garlic from skillet, retaining oil for future use. Chop garlic and add to stock pot.

Heat skillet and add steaks. Cook for about 10 – 15 minutes, then turn and cook until medium well. When cool, slice in small pieces and add to stock pot. Add zucchini, beans, tomatoes and water if needed - not too much or the zucchini will be mushy. Bring to a boil, lower heat, add bullion, mix thoroughly, cover and cook on low for about 1 hour. Stir a few times as needed.

Serve with chunky slices of bread. Old world rye or foccacia with artichokes are both good.

Super squash for any day

I made this side dish for dinner during the Super Bowl. The original idea was that it would be served in a “bowl” made from the squash itself. But alas, the squash split apart after baking. This was still a success served in a glass bowl.

Ingredients

One winter squash – I used a Kabocha but a butternut would also be tasty, seeds removed and set aside

One vegetable bouillon cube (Rapunzel brand)

One cup hot water

¼ C. leeks, finely chopped

¼ C. dried currants

1 C. bread, toasted and cut into small cubes

Dash pepper to taste

Instructions

Bake squash until tender. In the meantime, heat water in small skillet; add bouillon, stirring until dissolved. Add leeks and cook until tender. Remove from heat. When squash is cooked, scoop out and put into glass baking dish. Into same dish add the bread crumbs , currants and leeks/broth mixture. Mix until well blended. Bake an additional ½ hour, covered, at 350.

Also, wash the stringy parts from the seeds. Place in single layer on baking sheet and salt. Bake for about 15 minutes or until nice and toasted – be careful not to burn. BETTER THAN PUMPKIN SEEDS!

There was only about ½ C. leftover. The next day, I pureed the leftover with a little hemp milk (you can use cow, soy or rice – unsweetened), dash each of turmeric, mustard, cardamom and paprika powders and simmered cauliflower in the sauce until tender. I used orange cauliflower, which made for a gorgeous dish. I really need to keep the camera near the kitchen!!

Be Your Own Regulator

Recently, fish have been in the news. Fish high in toxins. Fish that cost less. Fish hurting the U.S. fishing industry.  An outcry for more government regulation to protect us from these fish (and to keep U.S. fisher folk with a job).

At a time when ½ the people are saying “less government” and a whole lot of other issues are on the table, I would not hold my breath for government regulations to save me from toxic fish. Know the source, know the type, eat less. That 99 cent filet-o-fish sandwich? Probably not a good choice. Even “high end” restaurants are helping their bottom line by sourcing their fish from ever cheaper sources.

Most Americans probably have hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of electronics, but when it comes time to put something into our bodies, the cheaper the better.  Next time you see the same kind of fish from two different sources – ask yourself why one of them is so much cheaper. There has to be a reason: cheap labor, polluted/non-regulated waters, etc.  We also need to think about where we do our own fishing – right here in Minnesota many lakes are polluted from farm, lawn and road chemicals.

In addition to potential toxins, many fishing practices harm other water life or completely wipe out a food source for another creature. The bigger fishing operations often wipe out the smaller ones, with devastating results to villages and families.

Need a guide to which fish are safe? There is a lot of information on the internet (of course!) about this subject. Here’s one link to get you started.

 

Eat Whole Grains

The other day I saw an advertisement for multigrain Pringles potato chips. It reminded me of one of the latest pieces of food advice: eat more whole grains. As the government issues more guidelines, food manufacturers scramble for a way to keep people buying their food. Even though we all “know” Pringles are junk food, we might be tempted to eat them (and eat more without guilt) if they have a purported health value.

Unfortunately, “multigrain” chips are not going to give you the same health benefits as actual whole grains.  For one, multigrain only means “more than one grain.” If you read the ingredients for multigrain Pringles, there aren’t any whole grains. Chips (even the natural brands) are still processed and full of fat and sodium. Another dietary confusion: corn. Although technically a grain, corn is really a starch (sugar), with fewer nutrients and fiber as other whole grains. And, do you really need TRIGLYCEROL MONO-OLEATE or more sugar (which is how they make the Pringles “healthy” snack taste so good.

So, even though it seems like a quick fix to the whole grain guidelines – skip the “healthy junk food” trend. The best way is to eat whole grains in their original, unprocessed form: wheat, oats, barley, millet, rice – just to name a few – are easily introduced as a side dish or added to soup. The key is to focus on variety, and not worry about getting enough or too much of any type of nutrient (since all grains offer a different complement). In other words, don’t eat just whole wheat or just corn to fulfill your whole grain requirement.

If you choose processed foods (crackers, cereal and bread), you must read the ingredients. Don’t rely on the packaging to tell you whether or not it has whole grains. The word “whole” should appear, or it isn’t whole (some part of the grain was removed). To get the most whole grains, make sure the whole grains are listed before the processed grains.

 Also:

Watch other ingredients. In addition to making sure the product has whole grains, you’ll need to make sure it doesn’t have too much sugar, fat or sodium. Many cereal manufacturers are jumping on the whole grain band wagon as well, but they typically have more sugar as well.

Check the bulk bins. Most grocery stores are carrying more options, but you will still find the largest variety of whole grains at a co-op or natural foods grocer. Just keep in mind that you will need to sort (look for bad pieces, rocks or other foreign materials) and wash them prior to using.

Allow extra cooking time. Cooking whole grains takes longer, but the extra few minutes is worth it.

Get a good cookbook. When I first started cooking with whole grains, I relied heavily on “Amazing Grains” by Joanne Saltzman. This book covers pretty much every grain you could encounter, with recipes beyond the standard.

One of the simplest ways to introduce whole grains is to add them to soup. Beef barley. Vegetable millet. Chicken rice (there a probably a dozen different kinds of rice – use a mix). Also easy: add leftover, cooked grains of any kind, to ground meat or meat alternative. Form into patties, balls or loaves. Serve with red sauce, white sauce, etc.

A recipe to get you started:

Ingredients:

½ C. short grain brown rice

¼ C. broken pieces of whole wheat spaghetti

½ C. sliced shiitake or button mushrooms

Handful of chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp. salt (more or less to taste)

2½ C. water

2 T. olive oil

2 T. minced garlic

Directions:

In a large skillet, add olive oil and garlic. Cook garlic for about 5 minutes. Add broken pasta; cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add rice; sauté about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, parsley and salt. Stir until mixed. Add water, bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Serve on the side of just about anything. Or, stir in cooked meat of choice for a complete meal.

Make traditional favorites from scratch

I grew up on green bean hot dish at Thanksgiving: canned green beans, canned mushroom soup, canned onions. I haven’t used canned soup for years – I needed to find a non-dairy way to make traditional foods  – but, I never thought I would replace the canned crispy onions. They just seemed like the one thing that I needed to buy.

Today my oldest daughter was having a feast at school and requested my “infamous” tuna hot dish. I don’t like running to the store for one item; but I didn’t have any canned onions (I use them instead of potato chips, recipe below). I had onions. I had flour, oil and salt. Could I make the onions from scratch? It was so easy I can’t believe I didn’t try it before.

                Happy Thanksgiving!

Crispy onions (for topping hot dishes/casseroles)

Makes enough for one dish

Ingredients:

1 large onion – try yellow, white or red (or all three!)

About ¾ C. flour

½ tsp. salt (more or less to taste)

3 T. olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Peel onion and cut in half. Slice each half very thinly and place into bowl, breaking up onion into individual pieces. Put flour and salt into bowl and toss to coat. Add more flour as needed to thoroughly coat onions. Place into glass baking dish and drizzle evenly with oil. Toss gently to coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Gently stir. Bake for 10 – 20 more minutes, until onions are golden brown. Cool thoroughly and store in tightly closed container for up to one week.

Tuna hot dish

Ingredients:

1 serving crispy onions (recipe above)

4 celery stalks

½ C. fresh parsley

4 T. Earth Balance margarine or butter

1 T. flour

1 C. milk (cow, soy, rice, hemp)

½ C. water

2 6 oz. cans tuna in water (retain juice)

¾ lb. vegetable noodles (any shape), cooked al dente

Salt and pepper to taste

1 vegetable bullion cube (Rapunzel brand)

Directions:

In large pot, melt margarine or butter. Add celery, salt and pepper. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add parsley, cooking until well cooked.  Add flour, stirring until well mixed. Cook until mixture bubbles. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Add juice from tuna, ½ C. water and bullion. Add tuna and mix thoroughly, breaking up large chunks. Add noodles, mixing gently. Place all into baking dish, cover with onions, bake in 350 oven for 15 minutes.

 

Green bean hot dish

Ingredients:

1 1b. frozen haricot vert (French cut green beans), thawed

1 recipe crispy onions

2 C. fresh mushrooms, finely chopped

¼ C. onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

½ t. yellow mustard powder

½ t. paprika

¼ t. dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

3 T. olive oil

1 T. flour

1 C. milk (cow, soy, rice, hemp)

Directions:

Cook celery, onion, mushrooms, seasonings in the oil until tender. Add flour, stirring constantly. Cook until bubbly; slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Simmer for about 10 minutes; remove from flame; add green beans, mixing thoroughly. Place all in baking dish; top with onions and bake in 350 oven for 20 – 30 minutes, or until green beans are cooked.

Chicken soup for the cold

It’s cold and flu season in Minnesota. Time for chicken soup! Researchers still don’t seem to know exactly why, but chicken soup does seem to help a cold. I have a few guesses, but you’ll have to try it for yourself. If you’re feeling a bit under the weather, give this recipe a try:

Ingredients:

One whole roasting chicken

6 cloves garlic

½ C. finely chopped red onion

4 celery stalks, chopped

6 carrots, thinly sliced

2 C. finely chopped kale

2 T. dried sage

Salt and pepper to taste

2 T. finely grated fresh ginger

1 piece lemongrass

½ C. rice (mix of brown, wild, etc. is good)

Directions:

This soup takes two days to make:

Day 1

Slow roast the chicken for 3 – 4 hours, covered, in 325 degree oven. Allow to cool enough to handle.

Remove and discard skin.

Remove and set aside most of the meat.

Place bones in 6 quart soup pot.

Add 4 quarts of water to pan.

Bring water to boil, simmer for 2-3 hours.

Allow to cool, then place in refrigerator.

Day 2

 

Remove pot from refrigerator, skim fat from surface and place in skillet. Remove bones and discard. Set broth aside.

Heat skillet until chicken fat slightly bubbles. Add garlic to fat and cook until tender. Remove garlic, mince and add to chicken broth.

Into remaining fat, sauté onion, then add to broth. Repeat with ginger and lemongrass.

Add remaining ingredients, including chicken meat, to soup pot and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 1-2 hours. Allow to cool, then reheat before serving.

For an extra immune boost, top hot soup with a sprinkle of one or more of these fresh (uncooked) ingredients:

Finely grated garlic

Finely grated ginger

Chopped parsley or cilantro

Crushed fennel or dill seeds

Coarsely ground black pepper (grind it fresh for highest potency – store bought pepper already ground loses it’s flavor pretty quickly).

Bear the heat / bask in the cold

It’s been a while since I wrote for my “52 Weeks to a Greener and Healthier You” page. Somehow, the weeks slipped away and the weekly writing went with them. I am picking up the series here with two tips – one for the beginning of summer and one for the beginning of fall.

Back in May, we broke a heat index of 100 degrees (Minnesota). Stores ran out of air conditioners – this was our third summer without one. Yes, I was hot; yes, we were sweaty; yes, we were a LITTLE crabby. But, it was survivable (apartment dwellers, sick, elderly – this is probably not for you).

 The human body is remarkably adaptable, with peoples living in a wide range of climates across the globe. We’re lucky to have a stucco house, which helps keep it cooler. We kept to the basement or shade, and drank a lot of ice water. We did use fans. We know folks who ran their air conditioner 24/7, and weren’t ever home. It’s not only expensive, but it’s a strain on the “grid” when everyone is running air when they don’t need to.

If you can (think about it for next summer), try to go without air, even on days in the 90s.

Now that nights are dipping into the 40s, even 30s, we still haven’t turned on our furnace. We usually set a goal of October 1 before turning on the furnace, and that usually works. Sometimes we go longer. Again, it’s a matter of a little personal sacrifice perhaps, putting on an extra sweater, drinking hot liquids. But, just think of the savings to your pocketbook and natural resources. And, there may be no need to run a humidifier – simply put your clothes drying rack in front of a radiator or heat vent (seemed to work for me last winter). Of course, I have nearly a load of laundry every day… : )
If you’re a Minnesotan – have you turned on your furnace yet? Happy Fall!

Check your D

When we have a sunny day here in Minnesota, I am reminded of how few we actually have. As our main (historically), natural source of vitamin D, it’s no wonder we end up falling short. A simple blood test can let you know if you’re deficient. We’re not talking pre-1900s deficiency. But, several modern “syndromes” have been linked to a shortage: MS, depression, allergies, more.

We spend more time indoors than previous generations and sunscreen is liberally applied, making more people susceptible to deficiency. A lot of foods are fortified with D, but considering we create around 2,500 i.u. in 15 minutes of sunshine, we are clearly not getting an optimum amount from just food.

 Why are there so many more food allergies today? Something I contemplate a lot: all my kids have some kind of allergy – two of them with food. How? Why? We ask ourselves: we didn’t have allergies as kids, there really isn’t a family history.

Granted, one element is never going to be the panacea: our bodies are too complicated; everything works together. However, there are a few things that point to D as being suspect. Consider:

When I was pregnant with my food allergy girls, I worked in an office. I gave birth during the winter. Not much vitamin D going on here. And, a deficiency can’t be rebuilt with minimum amounts. It’s my theory, but I’m sticking to it. After a year of really bad skin rashes, the youngest is nearly entirely rash free. She still isn’t eating dairy, but is able to eat wheat and other things that bothered her in the past.

Obviously we need to protect ourselves from sun damage, but a little exposure without sunscreen is really important. Extra D supplements are also an option – work with your healthcare practitioner to determine a dose.

How I can do better

I am so busy working on the kid’s health, I sometimes forget to take my own supplements. I only take a multi, the D and a calcium; I like to take calcium at night for relaxation and better absorption – that’s the one I usually forget to take with the after dinner chaos.

Spring clean your body

Spring is a time of renewal: leaves on the trees; flowers in bloom. As humans, we aren’t living as close to nature as we once were. In the “old days” or in traditional cultures, we knew which herbs and foods were good to eat in the spring, because that’s what was growing outside our house!

Nowadays, with everything available all the time (USA), we have lost some of our intuition with regards to food. We might not feel right after a long winter (a certain distance from the Equator north or south), but we aren’t sure why. A few extra pounds? Not enough sunlight? Not enough activity?

Now that spring is here, you can look to your own yard to find some fabulous nutrition – our friend, the dandelion (if you spray your yard, do not eat anything from your yard). Dandelion leaves have a mild diuretic effect, helping cleanse the kidneys. For a medicinal effect, dry the leaves and make a strong infusion (tea). For simple nutrition and mild cleansing, the leaves can be used fresh or cooked. The bitter qualities are great for digestion, and the leaves are high in beta carotene and calcium. They are less bitter when cooked, thus not providing as strong a digestive aid. Mix them with other greens and veggies if you are not used to eating greens.

A few weeks ago I pulled a few leaves and minced them with parsley and sage and rubbed them on a whole turkey breast. I roasted the turkey for a couple hours at 325, then used for sandwiches later in the week. I also tossed a few into the salad.

The dandelion root can be made into a tea, or chopped and used in soups. For a strong “coffee substitute”, mince the root into very small pieces and dry roast until brown. Let dry thoroughly, then use as you would any other tea.

The flower can be made into wine or muscle soothing oil. Years ago someone I know made some dandelion wine. That was strong stuff! I cooked with it more than drank it – I remember it being very strong. Of course, kids all over the nation are collecting bouquets of this flower. I would rather they pick my dandelions than my tulips (my one tulip was snatched from my front yard)!

How I can do better

 I could probably stretch the salad budget all summer long – I just need to remember to go out to the yard (no shortage there). I haven’t roasted the roots for a couple years, so I will make a supply of that to have on hand for an afternoon coffee break. I would like to try the wine, but I am not sure I have the space. The oil sounds interesting as well.

Happy harvesting!!

Let me know if you have any other ideas or recipes for dandelions!