EcoFoodie is now Food, Cheer, Song.

EcoFoodie has moved! Please visit www.foodcheersong.com to continue following along.

A Few of My Favorite Things: Gifts for the EcoFoodie in Your Life

The gardner. The home cook. The philanthropist. The entertainer. The conservationist. All of the above. 

Below are a few gift giving ideas for the EcoFoodie in your life.  Unfortunately, this comes too late if you celebrate Hannukah, (apologies for that--I have been sick for weeks and am running behind on life in general) but if you see something you like, do make a mental note for that next birthday, anniversary, or "just because" moment. These gifts are wonderful the whole year round. Happy shopping!

From top left to right:

1. Slow Food USA Ark of Taste Seed Collection: a yummy assortment of seeds from Ark of Taste's catalog of endangered foods. Have your Tennis Ball lettuce, and eat it, too!

2. Double Oven Mitts: From the lovely Provisions store at Food52.com. Such a luxury not to spend 10 minutes tracking down your second oven mitt every time you use the oven.

3. Donate to Save Family Farms: The older I get, the more important it seems to give back for the holidays. Donate in your loved one's name to American Farmland Trust to save farmland and support farmers. Act quickly and your donation will be matched by one AFT's founders!

4. Acacia Salt Cellar: So much easier to season properly when you can just grab whatever sized pinch you need. Bonus: you don't have to worry about your salt caking up in humid weather.

5. Cuisinart Hand Blender: This is one gadget that gets used in my kitchen all. the. time. Soups, smoothies, baby food--infinitely easier than transferring things to a blender. One of my absolute favorites.

6. Grow, Cook, Eat: A great book for the beginning home gardner. Covers all the basics without overwhelming, including lots of yummy recipes. A great way to get inspired over the winter.

7. Personalized Gardening Gloves: Love these more for their stylish simplicity than anything else. Sometimes it's nice to feel the warm soil on your bare skin, but these are great for the days when you can't spend half an hour scrubbing dirt out of your fingernails.

8. Magazines, magazines, magazines: For the food lover in your life, the gift that keeps on giving. There's a food mag for every kind of foodie these days, from quirky, to artsy, to academic.

9. Le Creuset Oval Dutch Oven: Another item that is constantly in use in our kitchen. Gives you lovely, even heating for soups, stews, and roasts. On the pricey side but worth every penny.

10. Slate Cheese Board: Just picked up one of these for myself (happy early Christmas!) from Brooklyn Slate Co. Handmade and gorgeous, perfect for the entertainer in your life. 

Cast Your Vote in the Nature's Plate Award!

For the second year in a row, The Nature Conservancy is running their Nature's Plate contest in cities around the U.S. As part of their overall mission to conserve and protect our environment, the contest is a "people's choice" award for restaurants that use sustainable practices. The final round of voting goes through October 15th, so don't miss your chance to weigh in on the greenest restaurant in your city. If you're not familiar with the restaurants on your list, it's also a great excuse to get out and do some yummy eating that's good for your body and your planet. And if that's not incentive enough, one lucky voter will receive a $100 gift certificate to enjoy a meal at the winning restaurant!


Bostonians, your nominees are:

Area IV, Cambridge
Nourish, Lexington
Red Lentil, Watertown
Taranta, Boston
EVOO, Cambridge

Click here to vote and get some more details on each restaurant. Not from Boston? Click here to see nominees from other cities. And go vote!

Just a Little Nudge: Remembering What (and who) All That Food is For

Mindfulness. It's a bit of a buzzword these days, and it's no wonder why. In a world with so much activity and sensory input (have you seen the blaring TV monitors at the gas station??), we all hunger for ways to feel grounded, for touchstones that we can go back to throughout our busy, screen-filled days. It can be a real challenge to stay present in any given moment when so much is competing for our attention. Take, for example, this working mother of three who too often finds herself responding to frantic work e-mails on her iphone while attempting to feed three children and clean the kitchen. I am the world's best multi-tasker--I have to be with so many responsibilities and people depending upon me. It's the mono-tasking that I'm not so good at. These days I try more often to put the phone down, let the dishes be dirty, and enjoy the lip-smacking sounds of my babies discovering a pluot for the first time. Finding the space to pause in those seemingly insignificant moments transforms them into opportunities for connection, both with those around us and with ourselves. The challenge lies in creating that space, and the more that we have on our metaphorical plates, the harder it can be.

Perhaps that is why my heart broke a little when I read this Times article about how "nudge" marketing is being used to guide supermarket shoppers toward the produce section. It's a fascinating article examining how social scientists are using "gentle" tactics to get people to make healthier choices as they shop. No preaching or judging, just some subtle coaxing. It's genius, really: a divided shopping cart with instructions to use the front half for fruits and vegetables, or giant green arrows forging a path to the produce section...the tactics are so simple and easy (and cheap) to implement. But it was the mirror trick that really got me. A grocery store in El Paso placed mirrors at the front of their shopping carts in an attempt to compete with the flashy, junk food based displays that surround shoppers as soon as they set foot in the store. "'I'm looking at myself, and thinking, O.K., now what?'" said Samuel Polido, a shopper featured in the article. While the effectiveness of the mirrors has not yet been fully studied, that aha moment says so much about the way that so many of us relate to food in this country, and how so much of it is out of our control. Bombarded by advertising and grocery displays that push us toward items whose real food value is questionable at best, we forget how important it is to care for ourselves through the choices we make. We have the power to buy and prepare food that supports the health of our bodies, our families, and our communities, but these days that can be so hard to remember.

With time, perhaps more grocery stores will implement tactics like the ones included in the article. Until then, here are some strategies I use to stay mindful about my food, both when I'm shopping and when I'm in the kitchen.

• Bring your own bags. Sounds simple, but by taking a moment to grab your totes on your way out you are already beginning with mindfulness. You set an intention to shop in a thoughtful way that is good the planet and for your community.
• Shop the farmers' market first. In season, it can be incredibly economical, and in the winter you can treat yourself to a few fresh, local items. You get sunlight instead of florescent ones, fresh food instead of processed, and community rather than commodities. Once you have your market finds, you can figure out what else you need to round out a week of meals that are grounded in whole, healthy, local foods. 
• Stick to the perimeter. Almost all grocery stores stock their fresh food items on the outside--whether it's produce, dairy, meat, or seafood, you will find it all if you just make a lap around the store. Yes, you may need to dip into the aisles for bread, pasta, and a few other basics, but the more you can avoid the interior the more likely you are to walk out with a cart full of real, healthy food.
• Keep your pantry stocked. I can't tell you how many times my husband and I have ended up with mediocre takeout in the past year, simply because we didn't have time to get to the store for basics like grains, beans, or pasta. We sort of gave ourselves a pass with the whole three children under two thing, but we finally have time to do regular shopping again and keep our kitchen full of healthy basics. Even at our most exhausted, we can always find something that's easy to prepare and even faster than waiting for a delivery driver. (Sorry, husband. Your takeout glory days are coming to a close!)
• Cook big. Stewing up some lentils and kale? Chopping peppers and carrots for a pasta salad? Whatever you're cooking, double or triple the quantity and stash the leftovers in the fridge. There's an easy meal for next few times you need it.
• Keep it simple. There's no shame in carrot sticks. In fact, there's no shame in carrots that have not even been chopped if you need a quick snack or a side of veg. You can also slice them and throw them in a roasting pan with a little olive oil if you have an extra ten minutes to prep and a half hour to let them cook (at 350, covered with foil). Either way, don't be fooled into thinking that a microwave dinner is really that much easier than preparing your own. When you're really in a bind, just go basic and you can't go wrong.
• Consult your cookbooks before you shop (or don't). In other words, learn how you most enjoy to be in your kitchen. I get impatient with recipes and have the most fun when I'm improvising with whatever I have on hand. But I have friends who love to work their way through cookbooks and produce elaborate dishes. Figure out what most inspires you and then develop a shopping approach to match.
• Grow Your Own. This year, with a backyard redo and so many babies, we had to put our glorious garden plans on hold. But, we did manage to get a couple of basil plants going. It's so lovely to walk out back and just pick what we need, and gardening makes a great summer project for the littles. Our toddler helped to plant our basils (as pictured) and is now in charge of watering. Mostly though, he enjoys the work of eating it!
• Keep looking in that mirror, metaphorically speaking. In the absence of a mirrored shopping cart, remind yourself whenever you can that what you eat and how you prepare it can provide a wonderful way to nurture yourself, your friends, your family, your community, and your planet. Every day is filled with opportunities to choose fresh food over frozen, the dining table over the television, whole foods over processed. Yes, there will always be nights when we just want a pizza to appear at the door, but the more you can nudge yourself toward eating and cooking with mindfulness, the easier and more enjoyable it gets. 

What are your favorite strategies for staying mindful in the kitchen?

Ecofoodie Goes to Market: Roslindale Village

These days, trips to the farmers' market are a family affair. Gone are the days of strolling perusal and easy chatting. Granted, there are new pleasures to be found in having the assistance of a toddler as I select my squash, but I sometimes wax nostalgic for more leisurely days.

Last Saturday, I actually had the opportunity to head to the market alone (sigh of relaxation), so I took the opportunity snap a few photos. Given that I'm constantly gushing over the bounty I bring home every week, I thought it would be nice to share a few pictures of the market itself. If you are in the Boston area, I highly recommend a visit, even if it means a bit of a drive. The Roslindale Village Farmers' Market really is something special, with kids or without.

**With any luck, this will be the first of an occasional series, featuring area markets throughout the year...stay tuned!**

Adams Park, an urban oasis.

I snuck in bright and early. Two Field Farm was still setting up.

You say tomato, I say, I'll take some of each, please. 

Diced peaches make for a very slippery finger food. 

Totally worth the mess.

My babies smell like peaches. Every night.

Ok, so I do play favorites on the tomatoes.

Nothing beats an heirloom.

Greens, greens greens. 

Oh, and some gorgeous eggplant.

The Fornax stand. We stop here every week.

As my toddler says, We need more yummy bread.

We usually grab a treat as well.

Oat cakes are his favorite.

My jams are not camera shy.

Had a lovely chat with Robin, of Doves and Figs. 

Walked away with the most scrumptious Fig & Cranberry jam.

Apparently I am tomato obsessed. Can you blame me?

Perfect pints from Allandale Farm.

These beauties are organic and only travelled two miles to market.

Can't be beat.

My toddler tried his first apricot this week. 

Verdict: Mmmmm.

Sugar plums.

Can't. Get. Enough.

Fade to purple.

Garlic lover's paradise.

For more info on the Roslindale Village Farmers' Market, including a full vendor list and weekly activities (free yoga! live music! a clown show for the kiddos!), click here. Hope to see you this Saturday!

To Market, to Market: With a List or Without?

This morning, an interesting article popped up on my Facebook page via PBS Food: Five Tips for Farmers' Market Shopping. Hmmm...I thought when I saw the title, sounds intriguing, but how much advice does one really need on how to shop at a market?

Show up. See what looks good. Buy it. Take it home. Seems simple enough, right?

The article did have some good tips though, urging readers to bring their own bags, have cash on hand, and  ask questions. While all of these may seem obvious to the veteran market goer, it is good advice for a novice, in particular the last point--get to know your farmers! What are their growing practices? How big is the farm? Just how local are they? What would be their top pick from the harvest that week? Chatting with your farmer and other vendors makes the market a lot more fun, and the relationships that form can play a key role in holding a food community together. You may, for example, find out that your favorite farm needs volunteers to help with their efforts to get more land, or other things you would never know without stopping to chat!

Three good tips, indeed, but the first two were a big surprise to me: Plan Ahead and Create a Meal Plan. This is the precise opposite of how I shop at a farmers' market. In the winter, when options in New England are limited and I'm making huge batches of soup, a roast, or some other hearty recipe, I do prepare a list for the grocery store and think ahead about what I can get at the winter farmers' market. While I love the fact that we have an ever growing number of year round markets (I even wrote an article on it a while back for Edible Boston), there's no denying that the seasonal repertoire is limited--all of the root veggies and kale a girl can eat! But in July, when markets are in their glory, when new things are popping up every week--now fennel, now squash, now stone fruits!--the best thing about it is not having a plan. It's the brief time of year when I can let the market and all of its abundance tell me what the plan should be. Gorgeous tomatoes and herbs = fresh pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes and basil. Mounds of green and yellow summer squash = grilled squash salad with chive vinaigrette and feta cheese. You get the idea. For me, the market means freedom and inspiration. Stock your kitchen with whatever looks the best and you don't need a meal plan. Just open the fridge, grab whatever appeals, and get creative! Improvise a new dish altogether, or put a spin on a cookbook favorite. Some of the best dishes are born this way, not to mention some wonderful memories when you're cooking with or for the people you love.

Of course, we all approach our shopping and our cooking differently. What's your farmer's market style? Do you come prepared with a list or fly by the seat of your pants? Does your cooking style change from season to season?

Savory Summer Salads...Hold the Lettuce, Please.

I am a salad girl. My husband is a meat lover. Yes, he likes to eat his veggies because he feels better when he does, but if he had his druthers it would be grilled steak tips and pork loin every night for dinner. So, as I stand in the front of the refrigerator in the afternoon and contemplate the dinner menu, I'm always aiming for a veggie victory. I'm looking for more than just dutiful chewing at my dinner table--I want those exclamations of delight. If you have cooked for a finicky loved one (newly picky toddler, anyone?) you know the feeling. Words like yummy, amazing, and delicious have never sounded so sweet.

When it comes to summer salads, I'm faced with an additional challenge: my husband won't eat lettuce. Well, that's not entirely true. He'll eat the wilted, bland, possibly bleach blasted, bagged lettuce from the grocery store. He just won't eat any of the tasty, leafy, crisp, colorful lettuce that's available in abundance at the market each week. What is his problem, you ask? To make a long story short, husband has an issue with creepy crawlies. And, a couple of years ago when I was prepping a gorgeous head of Bibb lettuce, husband spotted a big green grub whose girth was particularly remarkable. For my part, I'm perfectly happy to see that the occasional creature makes it through to my kitchen with my veggies. I buy organic whenever I can, and I see it as confirmation that no one has been blasting my food with harmful pesticides. It is also easily remedied: grub in the lettuce becomes grub in the trash in a few quick seconds, and then you're back in business. But, for my husband, who already has a phobia of things that squiggle (I'll spare you the very dramatic story of the inchworms in the woods), that incident has led to a full blown case of lettuce PTSD. 

So, this year, after the requisite attempt to sneak some fresh lettuce into the mix (failed), I've decided that some creativity is in order. And, as tends to happen when you're forced to deviate from your normal routine, there have been a lot of delicious surprises! We've done grilled veggie salads, leftover veggie salads...throw some vinaigrette on it and add a sprinkle of cheese, and you really can't go wrong! Below are a few of the salads I've put together, but it's more about a method than a recipe. See what looks good to you at the market this week and try out something new!

Grilled Summer Squash Salad

Ingredients

7-8 medium sized summer squash (you can use any variety you want here: zucchini, sunburst, limelight, whatever looks good.)

basil

1-2 spring onions, red or white

feta cheese

vinaigrette (I prefer to make my own--recipes coming soon--but you can use store bought in a pinch)

olive oil

s&p

Slice squash lengthwise, brush with olive oil on both sides, and season with salt and pepper. Trim the onions and do the same. Grill until squash and onions are just fork tender. Be sure to take them off before they get floppy--mushy veggies do not make for a good salad. Chop squash and onions into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Toss gently with vinaigrette, to taste. 

Roll several leaves of basil together and slice thinly to make little basil ribbons. If you want to get fancy, tell your friends you're doing a chiffonade of basil, because you are. Separate the ribbons and stir them gently into the squash along with a good helping of crumbled feta cheese. If you have some sweet little tomatoes on hand, as I did, you can also chop those and add them in for a pop of color. 

We have enjoyed this salad as a side dish with a protein and spooned over whole grain pasta or couscous. Just add some extra vinaigrette while your pasta or grain is still hot and it will soak up all that flavor. Yum!

Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad (i.e. leftover veggies salad)

Ingredients
5 ears cooked sweet corn, kernels removed
1 heirloom yellow tomato
1 handful of grape tomatoes
2 grilled summer squash
vinaigrette, to taste

Chop all veggies, toss with vinaigrette, season with s&p if necessary. Enjoy! Seriously, this was just me using up leftover cooked veggies in the fridge and tomatoes that needed to get eaten. Happy days for husband and toddler alike. Oh, and also me!

Beet & Carrot Salad (pictured at top)

Ingredients

3 fresh carrots, shredded (I don't recommend using supermarket carrots for this--they can be ok for a stew, but in a simple salad like this you want them sweet, juicy, and delicious.)

3 medium sized fresh beets, peeled and shredded

vinaigrette (again, a simple mix of olive oil, your favorite vinegar, and s&p is really the best dressing here, but store bought can also work)

Toss all ingredients and enjoy. Yes, it's that easy. As you can see from the picture above (I'm cheating and using an old one that predates our lettuce problem), this salad is a fabulous lettuce topper. But, it's also delicious as a side or a snack straight out of the fridge. Earthy, sweet, crunchy, and super quick to make. When it comes to summer salads, this is an EcoFoodie favorite.

All of these salads are incredibly versatile, and there are endless variations you can try. Two things they all have in common? They're great as a pot luck side dish, and they always pair fabulously with a crisp glass of prosecco on a hot summer night. Enjoy!

Hello again!

Yes, it's been a while. You may remember that EcoFoodie took a brief hiatus in the fall of 2010 in order to welcome home an EcoFoodie baby. Well, recently the EcoFoodie family has expanded yet again, with not one but two new additions! My apologies for the long silence--as I'm sure you can imagine, it has been a hectic time in the EcoFoodie household!

Now that we have our bearings around here, I will be getting back into action, so stay tuned for some posts about new winter markets this year (hooray Jamaica Plain!), easy winter recipes, and the particular challenges of cooking and eating well with three little ones at home. (Lucky for me, my toddler has an incredible zest for food--broccoli, quinoa, and grapes leaves are his favorites--but getting that good food on the table is not always easy these days.)

If you are also a fan of grape leaves (or baba ganoush, or hummus, or just fresh, simple food), take a look at the article I wrote for Edible Boston this past summer about Seta's Mediterranean Foods. Her delicious dishes are locally sourced and produced, including many ingredients from area farms. Click here to read more, and then go grab some grape leaves for yourself--you can find Seta at a few of the winter markets this year, including Somerville and Jamaica Plain. Tell her that EcoFoodie sent you, and enjoy!

A Hill of Beans

Photo Credit

Blessed with the luxury of my own office, I have the freedom to jazz up my sometimes boring work day with some spicy Pandora or NPR fun. You can imagine my excitement when, yesterday, I heard that Tom Ashbrook would be spending an entire hour talk about beans on On Point. Seriously. I was pumped.

I totally heart beans. I love their many colors and flavors. The fact that they are a comparitively planet friendly source of protein. The nutritional punch that they pack at such a low cost. My husband? Not a fan. He does love hummus, and he will happily eat a sprinkling of cheese-smothered pinto beans hiding out in a quesadilla, but beyond that he begrudgingly chokes down any legume-based dish. For years (seriously) I just stopped cooking with beans. It was too much effort for such a depressing response. Lately, as I think more and more about nutrition for my growing 15 month old, I've been reacquainting myself with the bulk goods aisle at the local market, experimenting with lentils and soups, the message to said husband being: I think you can tough it out. He has, on occasion, remarked that a bowl of lentils was actually enjoyable. Progress! Encouraged, I've been wishing for a source of been information/inspiration, in hopes of drumming up more yummy recipes that can become regular EcoFoodie family fare.

Enter Crescent Dragonwagon, whose new cookbook looks as amazing as her name: Bean by Bean: A Cookbook: More than 200 Recipes for Fresh Beans, Dried Beans, Cool Beans, Hot Beans, Savory Beans...Even Sweet Beans! Seriously, Crescent? How did you read my mind? I just ordered a copy for a mere $9.95 and am already planning a pantry shelf stocked with a beautiful bean display. (Bonus: weekend trip the Container Store for some lovely glass jars!)

Bean-hating husband, watch out. I am going to convert you yet. And EcoFoodie readers, be on the look out for some new recipes and pictures of the beautiful bean station. What are your favorite bean recipes? Tips for working with dried beans?

Click here to listen to the On Point program with Dragonwagon. Happy Weekend!

Winter Warmers

So, the predicted snow never came last weekend...and most afternoons this month have been warm enough for lengthy outings at the park...a reality that is both lovely (having a fifteen month old gives you a whole new perspective on cabin fever) and disturbing (it is February...in Boston). It has definitely not been a typical winter (insert global warming debate here), but that doesn't mean that the nights aren't plenty chilly, leaving us all with cravings for hot, hearty suppers and steaming beverages.

While I've been doing plenty of cooking with my winter farmers market hauls, I've been a little lacking in the inspiration department--I continue to be obsessed with this quinoa dish, which I made a few weeks ago. So, I went searching for ideas and found these seasonal treats from Mark Bittman and Martha Rose Shulman, whose Recipes for Health are both gorgeous and easily adaptable. And, just for good measure, I've included a hot toddy recipe that a dear friend sent my way a while back.

Hope these help to warm your kitchen, your belly, and your heart. Happy eating!

Sauteed Shredded Winter Squash and Cabbage and a Winter Vegetable Gratin

Simmered Beet Greens with Roasted Beets, Lemon, and Yogurt

Root Veggie Recipes (and a lovely ode to some of the season's most under appreciated tubers)

Rock and Rye Toddy

and one from the EcoFoodie archives,

Savory Kale and Sweet Potato Pasta with Prosciutto

Reading for a Snowy Weekend

The weather people are all abuzz with talk of snow in Boston tomorrow, uncertain as to whether we'll get a little or a lot. Regardless of the inches, or of the weather wherever you are, the most recent issue of Kinfolk magazine makes for perfect weekend reading. It is new. It is gorgeous. It speaks to the countless joys and riches to be found in small, simple gatherings. And, as you might imagine, that most often centers around food. Both the photography and the writing are luxurious. Even my rather non-literary husband remarked on the loveliness of the images. As stated by the editors in their manifesto, "Every element of Kinfolk--the features, photography, and general aesthetics--are consistent with the way that we feel entertaining should be: simple, uncomplicated, and less contrived." Amen to that.

If you can't find a copy in your local bookstore, it's worth ordering one on line, which is what I did. Pair with a hot cup of coffee and a still warm bakery goody. Happy weekend!

That Friday Feeling

Hello, friends. Hope you've all had a fabulous week. After a whirlwind (amazing) trip to Hoboken last weekend and an appallingly busy week at work, I woke up this morning in search of that Friday feeling. You know the one. Your step is a little lighter on the way to the train. Your shoulders unscrunch and get loose. The buzz and hum of workaday worries begin to fade as your mind turns easily toward the weekend.

With the week I'm having, that Friday feeling probably won't show up until Saturday. But, in hopes that some of you can indulge in a few minutes of pre-weekend downtime today, I give you Edible Selby. A new collaboration between Todd Selby and the New York Times T Magazine, it might just be the most gorgeous food website I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot. From world famous chefs, to urban farmers, to ice cream makers, Selby has captured food artisans both at work and at home, and the result is lovely.

So here's a tiny sampler to get you started. And when you find yourself with a few free Friday minutes, go grab your coffee, your tea, your hot toddy (if only). Exhale. Enjoy.

Better Late than Never: A New Year's Recipe

Better late than never. These days, between work, baby, and life in general, it has sort of become my motto. I've had to let go of my uber-punctual, schedule-obsessed ways and just take things as they come, do what I can, and accept that I will never finish my to-do list on any given day. Truth be told, it's been a wonderful side effect of the baby madness. There's a lot to be said for taking things one moment at a time.

And so, last night, I finally found myself preparing my good luck black eyed peas. You know, the ones that you're supposed to eat on New Year's Day. Not sure if they still hold any power by the middle of the month but, if nothing else, they tasted amazing. Here's what I threw together last night in order to make good use of some Swiss chard, butternut squash, and onions from last week's market. Easy peasy and oh so hearty on a snowy winter night. Don't have any chard in the fridge? No squash on your countertop? All of the produce used here came from the winter farmers market in Cambridge. They'll be open from 10-2 again today and you can grab all of this and more. Hope to see you there!

**You may notice that lovely little Hop Noir hiding out in the background. This was an impulse purchase at City Feed, and may be my favorite beer of all time. Made by peak organic, a small brewery in Maine, it was an absolute taste treat and a perfect cold weather beer.**

Black Eyed Peas with Swiss Chard and Quinoa


Ingredients
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard (stems chopped and separated from the leaves)
Black eyed peas (canned here because that's what I bought in a rush on NYE--dried would be better)
1 c quinoa (I used white but red would be gorgeous with this)

Bring two cups water to a boil. Add a smidge of salt and the quinoa. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes until the water is fully absorbed. (Check your package directions just in case your particular quinoa calls for something different.) For more flavor, you can use 1 cup chicken stock and 1 cup water, or add sauteed onions, or herbs...the sky's the limit here. For this recipe though, I opted to keep things simple so that the chard could shine through.

While the quinoa is cooking, sautee garlic in olive oil over low heat, being careful not to burn. When garlic begins to soften, add the chopped chard stems. After 3-5 minutes, add leaves. (You can tear these into smaller pieces or leave them whole, depending on their size. I usually opt for tearing.) Cook until tender. Add black eyed peas (very well rinsed if you're using canned) and heat through. Serve over a heaping pile of warm quinoa. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup


Ingredients
2 T olive oil
1-2 T butter (optional)
1 Butternut squash
1 onion, coarsely chopped
Fresh thyme (or dried, in a pinch)
4-6 c chicken stock

Preheat over to 425. Split the squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and roast, cut side up and covered with tin foil, for 45 minutes or until fork tender. When the squash is finished, sautee onion and thyme over low heat in a large soup pot. You can stick to the olive oil here or throw in a little butter--I find the butter adds a depth of flavor without making it overly rich. When the onion is clear and tender, scoop out the squash and add it to the pot along with 4 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender (you can also transfer in batches to a blender of food processor, but if you do not have a handheld blender you should get one immediately--it is quite possibly my favorite kitchen tool). Add more stock or water if the soup is too thick--this will depend on your squash and will be a little different every time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Hey, Paula

There has always been a special place in my heart for Paula Deen. As a child of the south, I ate my fair share of fried chicken and collard greens with fat back. But, thanks to a very health-conscious mother, I also ate plenty of brown rice, kale, and pressed salad--if you don’t know what pressed salad is, don’t ask. And although these days my diet is much more inclined in the latter direction, the deepest currents of my food cravings will forever be tinted by hot buttered biscuits and deep fried chicken livers. My father and I enjoyed those as a special treat when I was young. By the bucket.

For me, watching Paula cook has never been about the search for new recipes or cooking ideas. Nor is it about nostalgia; although there are many who would consider her a queen of southern food, her dishes don't often bear much resemblance to the cuisine that I knew. Too much of it comes out of cans or packages, or simply smothers the ingredients in bread crumbs and fat.  Really, as with many people I know, watching Paula cook is all about the spectacle. Think two sticks of butter seems excessive for one dessert? Paula will use three. And if that’s not rich enough, how about just straight up deep frying it? Yup. Melon balled spheres of butter, breaded and deep fried. I watched her make them. I watched her eat them. I felt sick for the entire 30 minutes, but I couldn't look away. It's a freak show as much as a cooking show. Something you pull up on Hulu on a lazy Friday night when you’re looking to be shocked and amazed. 

Full disclosure: as conscious as I am of what I eat and where it comes from, the notion of throwing all caution to the wind and eating a concoction made from butter, canned condensed milk, and some sort of flavored powder seems sinfully liberating.  We can have our butter and eat it too, all in the spirit of good, crazy, Paula Deen fun. Who wants to worry about something boring like health? I mean, if it tastes good, let's eat it. By the bucket.

Enter diabetes. As most of you surely know by now, Paula announced last week that she was diagnosed a few years ago with Type 2 (also known as adult onset) diabetes. This is, of course, one of the most serious problems facing Americans and our healthcare system today. And, we must all admit, if Paula Dean’s actual diet bears any resemblance to what she cooks on her show, it is no great surprise that she has developed the disorder. I first heard the news in passing, and while my first thought was of concern for her health, it was quickly followed by the idea this here was an opportunity. Who better to reach out to all of us who love rich, fatty, sugary foods and show us a way toward moderation? There are hoards of us, and there aren't may people better poised to reach that audience than the queen of overindulgence herself.  Her bubbly personality can make just about anything appealing, and here was her chance to really put it toward good use.

Instead, Deen has found a very different way to profit from her disease. She came right out of the gate endorsing a diabetes drug made by Novo Nordisk, along with her two sons, neither of whom have the disease. Score for big Pharma and the Deen family, tough luck for the rest of us. With more and more American's faced with diet-related health issues--including the terrible lack of access to fresh food in so many urban communities--I find it particularly devastating to see such a beloved public figure leave her power on the proverbial plate. As a chef, she could be preaching the power of food to impact health and  quality of life. She could transform the way that Americans relate to their pantries. She could help to turn the kitchen into a place where we think first of nourishing ourselves and our families, even with the occasional dinner of fritters and pudding. Instead, she says to us, head to your nearest pharmacy, and leave a little bit of your money in my pocket while you're at it.


In the recent Times article covering Paula's revelation, Anthony Bourdain is said to have called her the "'worst, most dangerous person' on the Food Network," because of the unhealthy nature of her food. (Many would counter that even the fanciest French chefs rely on a whole lotta butter, but I would say that there's also an element of moderation that goes along with that type of cooking, and it is absent in Paula's world.) His comment, while harsh, reflects a reality that I had previously ignored: while I may view Paula's show as a culinary amusement ride, there are many, many people who identify deeply with both the woman and the way she cooks, and there is nothing amusing about failing to consider the impact that your celebrity may be having on the health of thousands upon thousands of people.


Is Paula Deen personally responsible for our epidemics of obesity and diabetes? Clearly, she is not. Is she personally responsible for turning these issues around? Again, certainly not. But there is no denying that with a shift in her message she could use her considerable power to help the very people who are responsible for her remarkable success. Shame on her if she doesn't.

New Year, New Markets

Somehow, over a year has passed since I posted on the growing trend toward winter farmers markets in Massachusetts. And, somehow, I have managed to put together only one post since that time. Yes, it would be easy to feel embarrassed and chagrined at such a poor blogging performance, but I'm inclined to go easy on myself--new babies, full time jobs, and freelancing do not a busy blogger make, at least not around here. But, it's a new year and I'm newly organized, so you can expect to be seeing a lot more action on the Ecofoodie scene. And, although it may seem repetitive, I wanted to start with a quick note about this year's winter market bounty.

Since that second-to-last post, the number of winter markets in Massachusetts has mushroomed, and they are absolutely worth a (weekly) visit. This winter, Bostonians (and near-Bostonians) can find winter farmers markets in Cambridge, Somerville, and beyond, and there are three (yes, three!) markets in Boston proper--one in the Belvedere Arcade at the Prudential Center, one in the South End, and another in Dorchester. Amazingly, every one of these markets will play host to fresh produce from multiple Mass farms, including Red Fire, Enterprise and Winter Moon, which grows exclusively winter root crops. (If you have not yet tasted a Winter Moon carrot, get thee to a market this weekend and try a sample--you will never buy a supermarket carrot again!) Many of these new urban markets were born out of a desire to improve year-round access to fresh, healthy food, particularly for low-income residents. (The Boston Bounty Bucks program allows SNAP users to get 50% off of their market purchases up to $20, and all of these winter markets are participating.) There's also a wealth of things to do while you shop, from cooking demos, to live music, to educational activities for the kiddos. Personally, my son and I stumbled into a little slice of perfection last week in Cambridge: mama sipped coffee and nibbled an almond croissant while baby danced and toddled to a little acoustic guitar. Saturday morning heaven.

Since the holidays, we've been heading to a different market every week and happily warming our bones with the harvest. Sweet roasted beets and carrots, potato and kale soup, and even a little greenhouse salad mix for a grassy, oh-so-fresh taste of summer. This weekend we'll be checking out the scene in Dorchester, and I promise to post some pics.

To read more about how these markets are changing the face of their communities and to see the full list of market locations and times, click here to take a peek at my most recent article for Edible Boston. Happy shopping, and even happier eating!

A New (Yummy) Twist on Pumpkin

When it comes to pie, pumpkin is not my favorite. I'm just not a fan of the often goopy texture--I'd much rather have a slice full of crisp, cinnamon apples or crunchy pecans. I do love the flavor of pumpkin though, so when I got a pie pumpkin in my farm share recently, I got inspired to make something delicious. I adapted the recipe below from one I found on Epicurious, and the result was amazing. Light, fluffy little treats full of fall spice and pumpkin goodness. I only got to enjoy one as the rest were destined for my son's birthday celebration at daycare, where they were reportedly devoured with much zeal by a roomful of toddlers. I'll certainly be making them again soon. And if you have a spare pumpkin leftover from Thanksgiving (even if it's in a can), I recommend you do the same!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Ingredients

1 sugar pumpkin (aka pie pumpkin)--you can also substitute one can of *real* pumpkin here

2 c all purpose flour

2 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1.5 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground ginger

1/8 t ground cloves

1/2 t salt

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

3/4 c packed light brown sugar

1/4 c sour cream

1/4 c applesauce

2 large eggs

1 t pure vanilla extract

Directions

Pumpkin

Apparently pumpkin can cook up relatively quickly in the microwave, but I tend to opt for roasting when it comes to my root vegetables. It's easy, tasty, and you don't have to worry about cleaning up messy orange explosions. Simply slice the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with a little olive oil and roast cut-side down on a sheet pan at 350 until soft. Cooking times can vary depending on the moisture content of your pumpkin, but I would start checking for doneness after about half an hour. In the meantime, you can rinse your pumpkin seeds, toss them in a little salt and oil and throw them in the oven as well! Just give them a stir every few minutes until they're nice and crispy. Bonus.

Muffins

Preheat oven to 400. Butter your muffin pan if it's not nonstick.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, pumpkin , sour cream, apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into muffin tins. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a fork comes out clean. Best enjoyed while still warm along with a steaming cup of tea or cider. Yum!

Note: If you want to add a little texture, the Epicurious recipe calls for plumped golden raisins (just soak them in hot water for five minutes before adding to batter) and pumpkin seeds in the muffins, as well as some pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top. A dab of cream cheese frosting would also do quite nicely...

Photo courtesy of Sultry, via Flickr creative commons

Winter's Bounty: Find Some Local Inspiration in the Snow

Today marks the second blizzard of the season for Massachusetts, and while it's certainly lovely to cozy up to a snowy window with a steaming cup of tea, this weather can make the fresh, local bounty of the farmers market season feel like a figment of the imagination. Around this time of year I often face a bout of the winter blues, not just because I'm so uncomfortable in the bitter Boston cold, but also because I find myself at such a loss in the kitchen. The refrigerator that has been overflowing with greens and tomatoes all summer, then carrots and kale through the fall, is suddenly bare, bereft of vegetables and of inspiration--a couple of turnips in the produce drawer just don't cut it. Neither do the supermarket staples of pale, limp lettuce in a plastic bag or washed out tomatoes from Mexico. What's a New England girl to do when her CSA has ended and the coldest months of winter still remain?

Last year I found some respite in the winter farm share from Enterprise Farm, which operates under the mostly-local idea of an East Coast food shed: lots of food from Massachusetts and some from family farms along the coast. It's certainly better to get a couple of zucchini from Georgia than from South America somewhere. This year, thanks to the amazing folks at Red Fire Farm, we'll be getting a truly local farm share through the heart of winter, with a mix of storage veggies, greenhouse greens, and products made by area vendors from the local summer harvest. What will such a share really include? I've been wondering the same thing, and with the first share arriving tomorrow I finally know what deliciousness awaits: there will be shallots, butternut squash, celery root (hooray!), carrots, and spinach, just to name a few. And we'll have pickles from Real Pickles and frozen Red Fire green beans. I can already feel the creative juices flowing...celery root soup? radish salad? roast butternut squash with a spinach and shallot stuffing? The possibilities will be endless once again, and EcoFoodie recipes will be soon to follow!

For those of you without a regular Winter CSA, do not despair. Thanks to the ongoing work of the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets and the many farmers and vendors with whom they partner, winter farmers markets have become an increasingly common affair. There are weekly markets across the state throughout the season, with all kinds of goodies to be discovered. For all you Bostonians, there are markets in Dedham, Natick, and Somerville--no matter where you are there are fresh, local ingredients nearby. So slap on those snow boots and head to the market this weekend. Much yumminess and inspiration await!

To find a market near you, click here and type 'winter' into the "Enter part of the name of a Market" field.

Photo by paige_eliz via Flickr Creative Commons.

Old Ideas for a New Year

Sometimes the best new ideas are the ones that aren't new at all, but rather a rediscovery of methods and means whose wisdom has been known for ages. When it comes to cooking, this idea is heralded repeatedly by those who advocate for slower, more local eating. The Slow Food movement, in addition to working toward food that is "Good, Clean, and Fair," points us back to vanishing cooking styles and heirloom ingredients, along with the increasingly uncommon practice of sitting down to enjoy a meal we've prepared with family and friends. Michael Pollan, one of the most prominent voices in the local food movement, tells us: "Don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize as food." Simple enough, and an easy way to navigate around the many processed food-ish creations that inhabit our modern supermarkets. Mark Bittman, cookbook author and writer for the New York Times, is also a voice for more planet-friendly eating, and as part of theTimes' New Year's section on sustainability offers an alternative to the countless diet crazes that emerge at this time of year: "Chop, Fry, Boil: Eating for One, or 6 Billion."

The concept is easy to embrace: three simple recipes--stir fry, rice and lentils, and a chopped salad--that can form the foundation of a lifetime of healthy cooking and eating. As Bittman states, they are techniques as much as recipes. Once mastered, they can be adapted to fit any locale or time of year, incorporating local, seasonal produce and whatever personal flourish the chef desires. Also important, they can all make for full meals without meat, an element that can be difficult to find in planet-friendly form. For so many of us who have fallen away from cooking in our daily lives, these easy, classic meals provide a re-entry point into a healthy, fulfilling relationship with our kitchen, one that can be passed on to our children during the evening hours in place of so much excess screen time.

Personally, I'm going to start with the rice and lentils. For years now I've been swayed from such dishes by my bean loathing husband, but maybe with a little extra flair I can win him over...full report to follow in the coming weeks.

Click here for the stir fry recipe, here for rice and lentils, and here for chopped salad.

Happy New (Old) Eating!

Sweets for Your Holiday Sweet, Local Style

At this time of year, amidst the festive flurry of holiday parties and visits, many of us find ourselves scrambling to identify just the right gift for our loved ones (especially those of us with a newborn at home, who may not have had time for the usual latte and window shopping...sigh). This can be especially tricky when one of those most dear to us is particularly difficult to gift.

My father, a hard working academic who is perpetually immersed in the writing of one paper or another, is just such a person. What to get for the professor who eats, sleeps, and breathes Finance? Every year I consider a variety of possibilities and, just as quickly, rule them all out. An interesting book on an economic issue? (Nope--he probably knows it all already.) A nice tie or sweater? (This seemed good for a while, but Lord & Taylor can only carry you so far.) A gadget for the grill? (Nope. Dad does like to grill, but he's not a gadget kind of guy.)

Finally, a few years ago, I stumbled upon a simple solution: turron. For those of you not familiar with this treat, turron is an almond-based, Spanish Christmas candy, of which I consumed copious quantities when I lived there. I had a hankering for it over the holidays and was searching for it on line when it hit me--dad loves almonds, he loves simple flavors, and, in spite of his remarkable self restraint, he definitely loves sweets. Three boxes of Turron de Alicante were soon en route to his doorstep that year and were devoured within 24 hours of their arrival...or so the story goes. Sweet success! Now, each year, in addition to whatever attempt I make at an inspired gift for my father, there are always a couple of boxes of turron, sure to please and to give him a rare opportunity to overindulge.

Of course, the one thing that could make this gift even better is if it were locally made and crafted. After all, shipping candy all the way from Spain to New Orleans is not the most sustainable practice. Thankfully, with the steady rise of the local food movement, many foodie entrepreneurs are creating delectable treats with local, seasonal ingredients. And, with so much care and craftsmanship behind these products, the quality often surpasses that of the mass-produced name brands that many of us associate with holiday fancies. Such is the case with the remarkable sweets made by Valerie Conyngham of Vianne Chocolat, whom I recently wrote about in the winter issue of Edible Boston. Based in butter and cream from small, local dairies, her chocolates are infused with local products and produce. Her strawberry balsamic chocolate includes a strawberry jam from the Copley farmers market, and her fall flavors include pumpkin seeds and apple, two unusual companions for chocolate that could only come from being locally inspired. The brilliance of giving such sweets as a gift is that, in addition to the exceptional, creative flavors, you're supporting local business and agriculture and the many individuals who work so hard to make local, sustainable eating a truly viable option, even when it comes to fine chocolates. You can tell your special someone that, in addition to the fun and tasty treat, you've made a contribution to a very important cause in his or her honor--sweet success, doubled!

For more information on where to find Vianne Chocolat or how to order on line, visit Valerie's website. And, if I were you, I'd pick up a little box for myself as well. After all, such thoughtful, responsible holiday shopping deserves a little reward!

Happy Shopping, Happy Eating, and Happy Holidays!

An Ecofoodie Baby

Welcomed into the world on November 3rd,

currently cause for much joy, exhaustion, and a short Ecofoodie hiatus.

Back soon!