I am often mistaken for a vegetarian, because I don't eat much meat and will pick a veggie entree at most restaurants, even when meat is offered. Really I'm just a squeamish omnivore - learning about factory farming (from Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma and others)ruined my appetite for most chicken, beef, and pork.
Which is why I was so pleased to find bison for sale at my local cheap grocery. Burgers and fries are a weakness for me; but with wheat off the table (a story for a different day) I'm getting by just fine with the occasional plate of bison burger on a gluten-free roll, with a side of sweet potato oven fries.
Although I did find a package of "grain-fed bison" once (why? why?!), most bison are range-raised, naturally hormone and antibiotic free. Some ranchers do finish them briefly on corn in a feed lot; but mainly they spend their lives outdoors much as they did hundreds of years ago, before being driven nearly to extinction. Back up to about a quarter of a million across north America, they roam under supervision, helping restore ecosystems while grazing.
In addition to being more sustainably raised, bison are leaner than beef and have less cholesterol as well. And as long as you don't overcook the meat, it serves up juicy and full of flavor.
July 28, 2008
July 19, 2008
Fair Trade Chocolate on the Cheap
On my way to the farmers market today, I stopped at Grocery Outlet to get cash back and whatever incidental treasures I could find. I'm not sure how grocery liquidation works; but the story I tell myself is that when first-line groceries can't move their goods quickly enough, and when manufacturers can't distribute as much as they'd planned, these places snap up the overage. Then folks like me cruise the aisles, scoping out deals. There's a ton of twinkies-and-white-bread stuff there - but it's also good for organic shopping on a budget.
Today I found Alter Eco fair trade chocolate bars for 50 cents each. Yep. Not two or three dollars a piece, but two for a buck. No member card required, no bulk purchase. Just basic clearance. Sadly, they only had a milk chocolate variety; but I bought one for a friend and will keep my eyes out for other flavors next time I hunt and gather there.
Today I found Alter Eco fair trade chocolate bars for 50 cents each. Yep. Not two or three dollars a piece, but two for a buck. No member card required, no bulk purchase. Just basic clearance. Sadly, they only had a milk chocolate variety; but I bought one for a friend and will keep my eyes out for other flavors next time I hunt and gather there.
July 17, 2008
Traditional Foods Taste Better When You Eat Them With Your Hands
Visiting the San Carlos farmers market, a vendor's offer of salmon heads for $1 a pound brought back fond memories of sharing food and community where some of the finest wild salmon is harvested - Alaska.
A few years ago, I had the chance to attend a Tribal environmental conference in Sitka, Alaska. Our hosts, the Sitka Tribe, were generous and hospitable, true to their traditions. I really felt at home, from the moment we arrived and were greeted at the airport to the day I left (sad to leave a business trip, for the first time ever). The first night of most guests' arrival, the Tribe welcomed all comers with a ceremony, "the warming of the hands." One highlight was supper, including fresh herring roe harvested from the local waters and shorelines. It brought delight to guests who were raised on it, looking forward to that April delicacy the way I look forward to heirloom tomatoes in July.
Fishermen (and women) from generation to generation, our hosts offered a bounty of fish. One day this included salmon heads, split and roasted on a baking sheet in the oven. The Alaska natives sitting near me compared notes on the preparation, making appreciative comments. One woman turned to me and said with quiet authority, "Traditional foods taste better when you eat them with your hands." And darned if she wasn't right.
How do we build bridges between cultures, if not by sharing the foods we are raised on? How do we begin to understand each others lives and values, if we don't touch - with our hands, not our intellects - the sources of our lives?
A few years ago, I had the chance to attend a Tribal environmental conference in Sitka, Alaska. Our hosts, the Sitka Tribe, were generous and hospitable, true to their traditions. I really felt at home, from the moment we arrived and were greeted at the airport to the day I left (sad to leave a business trip, for the first time ever). The first night of most guests' arrival, the Tribe welcomed all comers with a ceremony, "the warming of the hands." One highlight was supper, including fresh herring roe harvested from the local waters and shorelines. It brought delight to guests who were raised on it, looking forward to that April delicacy the way I look forward to heirloom tomatoes in July.
Fishermen (and women) from generation to generation, our hosts offered a bounty of fish. One day this included salmon heads, split and roasted on a baking sheet in the oven. The Alaska natives sitting near me compared notes on the preparation, making appreciative comments. One woman turned to me and said with quiet authority, "Traditional foods taste better when you eat them with your hands." And darned if she wasn't right.
How do we build bridges between cultures, if not by sharing the foods we are raised on? How do we begin to understand each others lives and values, if we don't touch - with our hands, not our intellects - the sources of our lives?
July 12, 2008
Shh! Don't Tell Them It's Dog Food
We came upon the Merrick line of dog food by serendipity, while dog-sitting for a pup that came with her own chow supply. "Grammy's Pot Pie" seemed unusually swank, made from chunks of chicken meat, potatoes, snow peas, and apples. Little did we know how extensive the line was, until one day when the cat food cupboard went bare (I just wasn't paying attention). Rather than feed the cats just dry food, I opened the big can of wet dog food up and spooned a couple tablespoons into each cat bowl. Then I smashed the dog-sized chunks up, for a feline aesthetic. And both the alarm kitty (it's sunrise! wake up and feed me!) and the nonchalant one were delighted.
Pleasantly, this canned food doesn't smell like the mush most companies make for cats. It smells like cooked stew, ready to be re-heated (for a human). Everyone including me preferred it; so off I went to the Feed and Pet Supply store and looked for a cat food version. They did have it, alright - but only in the little bitty cans. So I held the cans side-by-side and compared ingredients, including fat, ash and key nutrients. Pretty darn close (a bit more fat in some of the dog choices; but there are enough to stick with the lower-fat options and still have variety). So I stocked up, and haven't looked back once.
Now my favorites (I mean their favorites) include Wild Buffalo Grill, Mediterranean Banquet, Senior Medley (they are 12, after all), and Thanksgiving Day Dinner. I keep plenty in the pantry, because frankly, we don't keep that much canned food for ourselves in the house. If we have a disaster, we'll go through the fresh stuff and the freezer pretty quickly. And then we may just arm-wrestle over who gets Grammy's Pot Pie.
Pleasantly, this canned food doesn't smell like the mush most companies make for cats. It smells like cooked stew, ready to be re-heated (for a human). Everyone including me preferred it; so off I went to the Feed and Pet Supply store and looked for a cat food version. They did have it, alright - but only in the little bitty cans. So I held the cans side-by-side and compared ingredients, including fat, ash and key nutrients. Pretty darn close (a bit more fat in some of the dog choices; but there are enough to stick with the lower-fat options and still have variety). So I stocked up, and haven't looked back once.
Now my favorites (I mean their favorites) include Wild Buffalo Grill, Mediterranean Banquet, Senior Medley (they are 12, after all), and Thanksgiving Day Dinner. I keep plenty in the pantry, because frankly, we don't keep that much canned food for ourselves in the house. If we have a disaster, we'll go through the fresh stuff and the freezer pretty quickly. And then we may just arm-wrestle over who gets Grammy's Pot Pie.
July 8, 2008
Diet Pepsi vs. Iced Tea
I love iced tea; but for years my diet Pepsi addiction has caused me to neglect it. I drove my frugal self to Costco to buy the 36-packs, only to find that the more I had on hand the more I would consume. And every time I went out to lunch and ordered iced tea, I felt so well indulged. But at home and work I grabbed that aluminum can instead of brewing a pitcher.
This summer I decided to reverse that trend. Why?
First, it's a little embarrassing to be seen with a can of soda always in hand when everyone knows that healthy food is your passion. They see the contradiction right off. And what can I say, except nobody's perfect ? (and I never did aspire to be Greener than Thou, thank Gosh)
More importantly, I had an niggling fear about the long term effects on my health. The phosphoric acid in colas is hard on the body's calcium supply; and with osteoporosis in my family, I need to take calcium, not give it away. Also, what about drinking from aluminum everyday? Don't those cans get heated in the trucks, just like the cookware we don't use anymore for fear of Alzheimer's? I can't find a credible answer on that issue; but I love my brain and want it work well even after my teeth are nubs and my bones are brittle.
So I did what I often prescribe to others who would go green - made it easier to do the right thing than the wrong thing. I stopped stocking sodas at home or work, and started making iced tea in the morning, to drink with lunch and an afternoon snack (I could make it later in the day, if I bring in some decaf bags). I have really enjoyed a tall, icy cup on demand; and the switch has also plugged a small leak in my wallet. (A couple bucks on tea bags will see me through a whole month.) Only once in the last month have I felt an overwhelming urge to find a vending machine and blow a dollar on 12 ounces of carbonated, flavored water. And you know what? It wasn't all that.
This summer I decided to reverse that trend. Why?
First, it's a little embarrassing to be seen with a can of soda always in hand when everyone knows that healthy food is your passion. They see the contradiction right off. And what can I say, except nobody's perfect ? (and I never did aspire to be Greener than Thou, thank Gosh)
More importantly, I had an niggling fear about the long term effects on my health. The phosphoric acid in colas is hard on the body's calcium supply; and with osteoporosis in my family, I need to take calcium, not give it away. Also, what about drinking from aluminum everyday? Don't those cans get heated in the trucks, just like the cookware we don't use anymore for fear of Alzheimer's? I can't find a credible answer on that issue; but I love my brain and want it work well even after my teeth are nubs and my bones are brittle.
So I did what I often prescribe to others who would go green - made it easier to do the right thing than the wrong thing. I stopped stocking sodas at home or work, and started making iced tea in the morning, to drink with lunch and an afternoon snack (I could make it later in the day, if I bring in some decaf bags). I have really enjoyed a tall, icy cup on demand; and the switch has also plugged a small leak in my wallet. (A couple bucks on tea bags will see me through a whole month.) Only once in the last month have I felt an overwhelming urge to find a vending machine and blow a dollar on 12 ounces of carbonated, flavored water. And you know what? It wasn't all that.
July 6, 2008
Keep the Cat off the Solar Oven
. . . and other solar cooking tips.
My initial forays into using solar energy to cook dishes on my deck have met with some mixed success. Seems that learning to use a solar cooker to its best advantage is like learning to use any new cooking equipment (a wok, a propane grill, a blender. . .).
Rather than make my own cooker, I started by borrowing one, a commercial Sun Oven. Like most models, it offers its own variation on the basic design - dark box with glass lid and reflectors. My first try, a strawberry rhubarb crisp, came out so well I tried it a second time. Even better!
In contrast, my first try at baking ratatouille flopped. I started too late in the day; and temps in the box were enough to warm the dish but not cook it well.
Reading the handy guide and excellent cookbook, Cooking with Sunshine , is getting me over the learning curve. The recipes are tailored for the way solar cookers work; and the tips must be followed for reliable results. Already the time-of-day rule and the tight-cover-to-keep-steam-in rule have shown themselves to be true. And, fortunately, the cat is not interested in napping anyplace that hot and shiny.
My initial forays into using solar energy to cook dishes on my deck have met with some mixed success. Seems that learning to use a solar cooker to its best advantage is like learning to use any new cooking equipment (a wok, a propane grill, a blender. . .).
Rather than make my own cooker, I started by borrowing one, a commercial Sun Oven. Like most models, it offers its own variation on the basic design - dark box with glass lid and reflectors. My first try, a strawberry rhubarb crisp, came out so well I tried it a second time. Even better!
In contrast, my first try at baking ratatouille flopped. I started too late in the day; and temps in the box were enough to warm the dish but not cook it well.
Reading the handy guide and excellent cookbook, Cooking with Sunshine , is getting me over the learning curve. The recipes are tailored for the way solar cookers work; and the tips must be followed for reliable results. Already the time-of-day rule and the tight-cover-to-keep-steam-in rule have shown themselves to be true. And, fortunately, the cat is not interested in napping anyplace that hot and shiny.
July 5, 2008
Solar strawberry-rhubarb crisp
Both key ingredients are abundant at the farmers markets this season; so I've been perfecting my strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe.
Twice now I've cooked it on the deck in a borrowed solar oven. The fruit cooks really well; but the topping doesn't really crisp up. Still, it ends up delicious without heating up the house.
For the Fourth of July it makes a great energy independence dish.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)