As the last scrumptious jars of Green Goddess Organics Heirloom Tomatoes disappear from my shelves I am reminded of the misty fresh sea air in Monterey. Last fall, just before moving back east, my buddies Katie, Robin, Gerick and I canned a heaping pile of the most juicy ripe tomatoes we could find to carry us through the winter.

The tomatoes of choice were a mixture of the five heirloom varieties (Red Brandywine, Yellow Brandywine, Marvel Stripe, Black Crimson and Cherokee Purple tomatoes)  grown by Green Goddess Organics in Hollister and Salinas. This exquisite farm is owned by Madeleine Clark and run by Jerry Simpson. This 3-year-old farm is certified by the Tri-County Organic Farmers’ Cooperative, growing a variety of delicious orange-flesh honeydew melons, icebox watermelons, broccoli, peppers, green onions, summer squash and beets.

We canned about 80 pounds – most of which were “seconds”, secured by our awesome friend Aretah. “Seconds” usually have some surface blemishes, splits or cracks on them. Since they cannot be stored as well and don’t look as pretty as the “firsts,” farms will often sell them at reduced prices when tomatoes are in abundance. The cracks in the tomatoes are usually caused by too much water, when I see them I know it means the tomato is super juicy!  So these are perfect for canning.

It took an entire evening of chopping and sterilizing. Gerick and Robins generous use of their kitchen complete with functioning dishwasher made sterilizing the jars a cinch! We ended up with about 50 quart size jars which we’ve been cooking into soups, pizzas, sauces and salsas throughout the winter – stay updated for recipes!

Photos:  Green Goddess Organics tomato fields off Riverside Road near Hollister, CA; canning galore

What do you do when you feel like you’re dragging your feet and its hours until your next meal?  If your answer has something to do with caffeine, a vending machine or nibbling on some of the chocolates or cookies that are ubiquitous this time of year, I encourage you turn over a new leaf and try thoughtful snacking instead. This is a sustainable way to boost your energy and keep you going for the long run.

The key is how you snack, not what you snack on. When you feel like reaching for something to munch on, check in with your brain to verify that you are actually hungry- not just bored, thirsty or tired. If that is the case, act accordingly instead of eating. Making the effort to take a deep breath and listen to what your body is telling you will give you more confidence and control over your actions.

As far as the snack goes, avoid very sugary foods and those with many ingredients on their label. Try choosing nutrient-rich snacks one with fiber that will healthfully release energy into your bloodstream at a steady rate. A fun way to do this is to combine at least two food groups together, packing the most nutrition in per bite.

Here are some snacks I like:

✴ Whole wheat pita chips & cottage cheese, drizzled with a little honey & cinnamon

✴ Cucumber slices with hummus & olives

✴ Yogurt with some peanuts and grapes mixed in

✴ Celery sticks with natural peanut butter & dried cranberries

✴ Whole wheat tortilla with salsa & black beans

✴ Apple slices with cheddar cheese on wheat crackers

✴ Homemade “trail mix” made by combining nuts, raisins & whole grain cereal

Once you decide on the snack your body is asking for, prepare it and put it on a plate. Do not eat your snack standing up or in the drivers seat! Sit down and enjoy it in a civilized manner, appreciating it and the little break you’re allowing yourself to have from whatever is on your mind. Eating a well rounded snack in a calm environment will reduce your stress levels.  Although thoughtful snacking may be more difficult to do away from home or in a noisy place, it is worthwhile to improvise with your surroundings and find a way to treat yourself right (carrying basic utensils and a key-chain knife prepares you for hungry situations whenever they hit). At first, thoughtful snacking is a little more difficult than scarfing on a bag of chips, but with some practice your mind and body will feel the difference and thank you for making the effort in the long run.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) will be released any day now.

What are the Dietary Guidelines and how do they affect my life? The Dietary Guidelines are essentially a report created by a committee of experts who reviewed the most up to date nutrition science and boiled it down to a series of summaries. The summaries are available for public comment, updated according to comments and lobbying and then published.  The process of updating the science and releasing guidelines occurs every five years (the last go around in 2005 was 80 pages worth of guidelines), and it forms the basis of our nation’s nutrition policies and education as we progress into the next decade.

Most people are probably more familiar with the educational materials that are developed by experts using the dietary guidelines, like the food guide pyramid (the updated consumer facing materials and messages generated from the DGA won’t be in effect until next spring).

While no one knows exactly what the next version of guidelines will say, there are rumblings of salt, sugar and saturated fats restrictions, although experience tells us that the USDA probably won’t actually tell anyone to avoid any foods when the new consumer materials are published.  One article in the Boston Globe piqued my interest because Dr. Nancy Cohen of UMASS Amherst reported that she expects the new guidelines to emphasize fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and foods with omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in abundance in plant and sea foods are an ear-perking topic for me a Registered Dietitian that researches the environmental impacts of fish farming. I was not surprised to learn that the next version of the DGA might include omega-3 fats. Anyone who goes grocery shopping or watches TV has probably heard something about the health benefits of eating omega-3 fats. We all are consuming more and more seafood, particularly fish because of their purported health benefits, right? Whether omega-3s are a miraculous cure all or just another nutrient depends on your perspective, as NYU nutrition professor Marion Nestle has so eloquently pointed out some of the hype is due to industry health claims that may or may not be based on reputable science. I believe that even if omega-3s are never proven to be the panacea some are painting them as, fish is still an incredibly healthful food and have wide nutritional and ecological properties that no one can deny.

The US government has not historically recommended any levels of omega-3 consumption, and although there is a growing body of research being conducted on the health effects of omega-3s, I think it is unlikely that the new dietary guidelines will set allowable amounts or limits for us to eat. It is likely that the guidelines will emphasize that we Americans eat more omega-3s. If this is the case, it is an important time in our history for ocean conservation. I believe that healthcare professionals like doctors and dietitians are just as responsible for pushing the consumption of fish as are the industries associated with selling omega-3 rich seafood products. This is good in some respects because many fish and shellfish products are an excellent food for people to eat and the substitution effect alone (for example eating trout instead of steak) could be responsible for decreasing the risk of heart disease for many Americans. Unfortunately, there are some consequences, particularly negative environmental ones from growing more of certain types of omega-3 rich foods. We could be in trouble if the government overlooks the negative implications and just make blanket recommendations to increase consumption of omega-3 rich foods. The effect of telling people to eat more omega-3s could cause more harm than good.

From my experience working as a Registered Dietitian, I have noticed that the grand majority of doctors and dietitians – trusted sources for food and nutrition advice – are not knowledgeable in food production, especially for seafood. Because of this, these well-meaning health care professionals, dedicated to improving the health of their clients/patients/consumers/other audiences are not aware that their recommendations could be harming the environment. We could be in deeper trouble if the dietary guidelines do not emphasize consumption of sustainable seafoods, the related consumer materials do not include this message and furthermore the qualified nutrition and health educators are not equipped with this information either.

Let me just stop here and explain I am not advocating to ‘save the planet.’  Ecosystems within the ocean, the rainforests, the wetlands and everywhere else in between on the planet is not just some cute campaign that environmentalists are trying to save for fun. Everyone and everything on this planet is connected, when we produce food in ways that damage the ocean there are implications that affect, like dominos, the air we breath and the climate that sustains us. The earth itself, a floating ball of rock and gas, is here to stay in the universe, but it is our existence on the planet that needs to be respected.

I do realize that if the Dietary Guidelines say ‘eat more omega-3s’ that this will not necessarily become a message that is be destructive instead of helpful.  I found hope in one sentence in the Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee’s report published last June which said:

The quantity and frequency of seafood consumption is important, but the type of seafood (those providing at least 250 mg of long-chain n-3 fatty acids per day) also is critical. Increased consumption of seafood will require efficient and ecologically friendly strategies be developed to allow for greater consumption of seafood that is high in EPA and DHA, and low in environmental pollutants such as methyl mercury.

Now I wait with bated breath to see the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and continue to brew ideas about my next steps as an RD who cares about improving the  health of people in my community and my country as well as the land and water that supports us.

While driving through New York state last night, we stopped in Binghamton’s South Bridge Business District for a delightful dinner at The Whole In The Wall Restaurant. We found it using my favorite roadtrip tool Eat Well Guide and were intrigued by the online reviews, especially about the garlic ball.

According to this cozy, down to earth restaurant’s menu, they strive to “serve the highest quality all natural food in a unique and offbeat way.” We could tell right away that the establishment has been pretty sucessful living up to this mission as evidenced by the memorbilia left behind by various pleased customers like Bob Dylan, Phish and REM and the mail order business they now have selling their eclectic pestos (like sundried tomato and ramp flavors), and the fact that the restaurant has been going strong in the same quaint location for 30 years now.

The decor made me smile, earthy and funky but very clean and spacious at the same time. Our waitresses were attentive and friendly. Opening the menu, I kept smiling, with so many vegetables and locally sourced ingredients, organic free range grass fed beef and even brown rice at no surcharge!

We started out with the sundried pesto cheese spread with crackers, Jamacian ginger lemonade and a side salad with the homemade sesame-yogurt dressing.

Old-timey music eminated from an upright piano played by an old man with a calm soothing voice, hitting our ears at just the right volume. We shared a bowl of the famous creamy mushroom soup. After one bite, we knew why this soup is so popular. It is so thick, gravy-like and full of umami. I usually try to figure out what is in awesome flavors are when I find something so delicious as this, but we just decided to enjoy it and not bother thinking about it so much.

Next came the garlic ball. This is no wimpy garlic bread. It is essentially a dense homemade whole wheat roll drenched in garlic butter with parsley. It is chewy, salty, garlicy, gooey, hot and needs to be eaten with a fork and knife. I could understand how someone could not like it – but for garlic lovers like us it was an excellent choice.

Our main dishes – rigatoni with red pepper pesto and lasagna with sauteed bell peppers, zuccini, eggplant, cheddar and creamy butternut squash sauce – were both cooked just right and tasted like they were made with fresh ingredients.

The Whole in the Wall is a golden arrow in the road trip food quiver. I will drool in my sleep looking forward to the next chance I have to stop in Binghamton to enjoy another bowl of their mushroom soup.

While driving through Cleveland on a road trip last weekend, we stopped for dinner in the historic Ohio City neighborhood. We decided to try the first brew pub in Ohio, Great Lakes Brewing Company.We checked out the whole operation – an elegant upstairs bar, dining rooms indoors that had the brew tanks encased in glass, outdoor patios decorated with kegs and flowers, a gift shop, and a basement area reminiscent of European cellar pubs.

We were seated in the dining room near the brew tanks and were presented with a delicious menu with a full selection of beer from light lagers to dark stouts including an organic German ale. We were especially interested in the Cellar Dweller Organic Ale because of our interest in maintaining the viability of agriculture into the future (and to avoid supporting use of petrochemicals because of carbon footprint and effects on our health). They ran out of Cellar Dwellar so we tried the Commodore Perry IPA and the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. Both were well crafted, satisfying, flavorful beers.

The best part about this restaurant is their commitment to sustainability. We were impressed wiht the variety of regional and locally sourced ingredients and sustainable seafood selections on the menu. This is the kind of business that I seek out and want to support, as where the food comes from is equally important to me as the taste. The food did taste pretty good by the way. We started out with the mussels steamed in Great Lakes’ own Dortmunder Gold Lager, garlic with butter, bell peppers and lemon. It was served with fresh hearty warm whole wheat bread for dipping in the broth. Next we ate the chopped Greek salad that was standard, but refreshing and hit the spot. We also tried the Lake Erie Perch with sauteed pea pods in lemon basil sauce. It had a light, tender buttery texture with more flavor than a typical white fish.

Next time I’m in Cleveland I am definitely going to make time to stop in for another scrumptious meal at Great Lakes Brewing Company!

My friend Katie has become the canning conniosseur in my life and we’ve gotten ourselves silly with stickiness on numerous canning projects over the past year here in California. Something that she and I have in common is enthusiasm for tantalizing produce from the farmers market that oftentimes inspires our canning projects. We both adore Inzana Ranch’s fruit and nut stand at the Monterey and Pacific Grove Farmer’s markets. Its one of the best we’ve ever encountered and we both look forward to Tony and Joye Inzana‘s friendly smiles and colorful delicious selection of almonds, grapes, apples, asian pears, apricots, figs, persimmons, kiwis, walnuts and peaches as the seasons change.

Their bright juicy clingstone nectarines inspired Katie to get creative preserving some nectarines for the coming Winter.  Clingstone nectarines are the type that have the flesh attached to the seed in the middle. We’re not sure what variety of clingstones they are, perhaps August Glo, or one of the twenty-one other varieties Inzana Ranch cultivates according to their California producer certificate . She bought about 7 pounds of them which we brought up to Search Ranch, our friends Marie and Jim’s homestead up in Carmel Valley. Katie got the idea to make a light honey syrup from Search Ranch’s own hives instead of boring old sugar from Jordan at Happy Girl Kitchen in Pacific Grove.

With Marie and Jim in their farmhouse style kitchen last Saturday morning, we kicked off an action packed weekend as we chopped, heated and properly preserved these gorgeous symbols of Summer into jars. We learned from the Joy of Cooking that preserving stone fruits in a light syrup requires about 3 parts water to 1 part sugar, and we knew Happy Girl Kitchen’s cherry jubilee consists of a very light honey solution (10:1 ratio) for preserving sweet bing cherries. We tasted the nectarines and Katie knew this fruit would turn out best with a slightly sweeter syrup since a lot of them were a little tart yet.

So here is how we did it:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 cups + 1/2 cup of water
• 7 pounds of nectarines (about 15 cups)
• juice of half a fresh lemon
• 1 bunch of mint, de-stemmed

We sliced the nectarines in uniform slices and squeezed fresh lemon juice all over to prevent oxidation. We chopped the mint leaves and set aside.

We then prepared the syrup, heating the 4 cups of water and honey in a pot slowly while stirring until it completely dissolved. When it came to a gentle boil, the heat was turned down and it simmered for a while staying hot while we sterilized the jars and lids.

We heated the nectarines in a pot with a 1/2 cup water just until they got hot, stirring around a little so they heated evenly.

We filled the sterilized jars with nectarine slices and chopped mint, then poured the hot syrup over the fruit to the point where the fruit was completely covered. Just before covering with sterilized lids and boiling the jars we stirred the jars to removed extra air.

Voila, the taste of California Summer to enjoy from a jar all winter long…

Irish soda bread is a staple in my household – not because we’re Irish, but because it is so easy and a total crowd-pleaser. As far as I understand, it is not really an Irish food but an American invention reminiscent of wheaten bread, I gleaned from my real Irish neighbor as he nibbled on the batch I made this afternoon. This recipe freezes well and thus makes a great all-around snack, for hikes and afternoon coffee breaks at work.  After cooling, wrap individual pieces in aluminum foil. No need to reheat in the oven, just let thaw for a few hours before eating.

The key to cooking the perfect chewy, crunchy, crisp Irish Soda Bread is the pan. While any size or shape glass dish or brownie-type pan will do, a stoneware baking dish is the best because it cooks evenly and perfectly. This recipe is an adaptation from Mary Burke’s Irish Soda Bread recipe published in the Boston Globe Taste section in 2006 and the King Arthur Flour’s 200th Anniversary edition cookbook recipe.  It yields one large loaf (9×5) or about 8 small loaves.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons butter @ room temperature
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup sugar + little more for sprinkling
• ¾ teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ cups plain yogurt
• ¼ cup water
• 1 c. dried fruit (a mix of raisins and cranberries is my favorite)

Instructions:

Set oven to 350 F.
Butter or spray the baking dish(es) with canola oil

In large mixer or bowl: mix the flours, 1/4 cup sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Cut the butter into small pieces and mix into the dry mixture with fingertips.
In another bowl: stir together water, yogurt and egg.
Mix the wet and dry mixtures together well, stir in the dried fruit
Transfer to pans, dividing evenly, sprinkle tops with a little sugar.
Bake 40 min or until tops are golden, and a knife or toothpick comes out clean

I’ve always lived in a do-it-yourself household and prefer to cook most meals for the convenience factor (and, as my husband would point out, because I’m picky about where my food comes from, I try to deny this because I don’t want to seem like a snob but have to admit that the more I study our food system, the pickier I get).

With sustainability always on our minds in the workplace, we naturally stop to think, criticize and evaluate purchases and lifestyle choices that we make at home on a regular basis too. In the food arena, we are making efforts to reduce our carbon footprints by buying locally grown produce, beer and wine; buying bulk and fresh, unprocessed foods to reduce our landfill contribution; bringing our own bags to reduce plastic bag use at the store/ farmers market; and riding our bikes instead of driving. We are also pretty serious about supporting sustainably produced or harvested foods such as fish, meat and dairy- we know that these may or may not have added health benefits over conventionally grown foods, but they are generally more responsible in terms of resource use, pollution, chemical use, animal husbandry and overall respect for the community. As conscious consumers, these are values we like to support.

As eaters, we try to appreciate our food. Michael Pollan stated in his op-ed Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch in NYT Magazine that cooking is a defining human activity and we couldn’t agree more. We grow some of our own food and cook as much as we can. We sit down when we eat, we plan ahead so as not to waste food, and we enjoy sharing meals with good company whenever we have the chance. We are not perfect though. We could always do more- grow more, share more, eat more sustainable fish, eat less packaged breakfast cereal, etc. etc. The facts that 1) obesity rates are inversely correlated with the amount of time spent on food preparation; and b) the average American spends a mere 27 minutes a day on food preparation means that probably a lot of people could be doing a little more.

We also happen to like adventure in my household, so we have decided to spend one afternoon/ evening a week making a dish completely from scratch. The first meal was homemade falafel sandwiches, which in 4 main steps turned out quite laborious, but delicious nonetheless.

This chewy, tangy, spicy, starchy, heart-warming falafel sandwich was perfect for the misty fresh Sunday evening air here in Monterey. We hope you enjoy it.  You can cut down on time by buying tahini and hummus at the store (or making it ahead of time).

Step 1: Tahini

• 2 cups sesame seeds
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup olive oil
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the sesame seeds evenly out on a baking sheet or a thin baking pan.

Place in the oven and open the oven and stir the seeds around every few minutes until they are golden brown, being careful not to let them burn.

Take the pan out of the oven and let the sesame seeds cool for a little while. Next, use a high powered blender or food processor to grind up the sesame seeds. Put all the seeds in the blender/ food processor with 1 tbsp oil and blend on high, adding the remaining oil slowly until the sesame seeds are blended on a thick, smooth paste. Do not add too much oil or it will be too runny.

Tahini can be kept in a jar or even frozen in small amounts for a few weeks.

Step 2: Hummus

I have to admit, the Joy of Cooking’s hummus recipe that we tried was fun to make and definitely edible but did not turn out anywhere close to the best hummus ever, Sabra with the red lid.  We are inspired to try another recipe. Maybe from The Hummus Blog. Adrian also did a roasted garlic hummus recipe on this blog that you can check out here.

Step 3: Falafels

• 2 cups dried chickpeas
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoons ground red pepper – we used mortar and pestle
• 1/4 – 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cucumber
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 4-6 pitas or tortillas

Rinse and soak the chickpeas for at 12 hours (they can be soaked in a bowl of water in the refrigerator). Put them in a food processor with the garlic, onion, lemon juice, parsley and spices. Blend to a rough moist texture. Add a little water if needed.

Let the mixture rest for about an hour. Chop the tomatoes and cucumber into bite size pieces and place in a bowl. Set out paper towels or pieces of paper bags on a surface. Place the pitas into a toaster or oven at about 200 degrees to warm.

Pour enough oil into the pan so that it is 1/4 inch deep. Heat it to medium-high.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir the baking soda into the mixture. Form uniformly shaped and sized balls and fry them when the oil is hot until they turn brownish, then flip. Transfer the falafels when they are golden brown on both sides onto the paper.

Step 4: Put it all together

Spread hummus into the warm pitas. Add generous amounts of tomatoes, cucumbers and falafel to your liking.

Falafels can be frozen and defrosted for quick dinners or a salad topping in the future. Enjoy!

“Hill Country” in the heart of Texas is not only the home of the totally amazing Enchanted Rock, it is the peach growing capital of the state, and home to many German-influenced towns like Fredericksburg.

After a rough, windy day of rock climbing in the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, we stopped into this charming oasis to refuel.  Literally hundreds of Bed & Breakfasts made from converted historic homes and buildings are interspersed in the town along with quaint cafes, German bakeries, boutiques, unique handmade candle shops and ice cream parlors. The Fredericksburg Herb Farm about 6 blocks off Main Street sells various products made with their own organically grown culinary and ornamental herbs (we were sorry to miss it because it closes at 5:30).

We wandered into the Fredericksburg Brewing Company, housed in an 1890′s restored rock building.

The Beer:  From what I could tell, all the beer was brewed right there behind the bar.  I wasn’t expecting much from the beer thinking that I was at a tourist trap instead of a fine brewery.  Boy was i wrong.  I started off with an Enchanted Rock Red Ale.  This beer was absolutely fantastic!  Not too hoppy, a perfect blend of maltiness, and a refreshing finish.  I was already finished with half of it before I realized it is a multiple award winning brew.  I was totally in love!  (In the 2007 Great American Beer Festival it won a bronze medal, and in the 2004 World Beer Cup it won a silver medal.)  Every sip was exactly what I look for in a sip of beer.  If you like red ales, this one will blow your socks off!  The next beer I got was the Pioneer Porter.  Another Award winner (Gold and Silver from the Great American Beer Festival, and a Bronze from the World Beer Cup.)  This was good, but not the best porter I’ve had.  From hitting the lips to swallow it was superb, but I lost it on the after taste.  A bit bitter I suppose.  But still, better than most beers I’ve had.  The last I tried was the Giant.  The Giant is a heavy stout, and I mean heavy!  The head was a rich brown in color and the consistency was thicker than your normal stout.  Due to its 8.4% ABV, I got a 4 oz glass.  It was plenty for me.  I enjoyed it after our meal and was very impressed.  It is nutty and chocolaty, with a roasted finish.  No bitterness, just strong enough, and no pasty aftertaste.  An excellent after dinner, or all-by-itself beer. 

Congratulations to Fredricksburg Brewing Company for brewing fantastic beer!

Tasty as they sounded, we couldn’t bring ourselves to order the German specialties like the Reuben sandwich, schnitzel, sausage, etc (opting for the healthier options as we are trying to detox after living in New Orleans for 7 months!).

We enjoyed a winter salad with pecan vinaigrette dressing; the Monterrey Chicken, grilled with roasted peppers and cheese, and topped with fresh avocado slices; rice and beans; and a loaded baked potato. The pecan vinaigrette dressing was defiantly the highlight, nutty and sweet. I love trying new salad dressings and I’m always looking for new ideas, this was a first for me. Unfortunately I don’t know how they made it or if the pecans were local, I was too tired to ask.