Healthy Food Books Giveaway

In preparation for the new year, we finally went through the cookbook shelves and picked a few that we just don't use anymore. All of them have worthwhile information; but these days we rely on the internet for recipes more than print books. And in our small home, every bit of space counts.

Rather just send the whole pile to the local Goodwill and hope they find good homes, I thought I'd offer them up to friends and other readers. First priority will go to anyone who responds quickly and can take an in-person handoff. After that, I'll use media mail to distribute; and what's left will be donated.

Over the coming weeks, I'll review/promote a few of my favorites. For today, here's the general list:

• Diet for a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappe (1975 ed)
• Recipes for a Small Planet, by Ellen Buchman Ewald (1973)
• Laurel's Kitchen, a Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition (1982)
• Crockpot Cooking (1975)
• Yeast Connection Handbook, by Wm Crook MD (1996) [about candida]
• Joyce Chen Cookbook (1976)
• Learn Chinese Cooking in Your Own Kitchen (1976)
• Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (1998)
• Free to Eat, by Bronwyn Schweigerdt (2010)
• Great American Writers' Cookbook (1986)

Fiber35 Diet - Book Review

During the holidays and other times of year when celebratory foods all seem to be high-fat, simple-carb, and either sugary or greasy, I take refuge in simple snacks like baked yams, steel cut oats, or apples with peanut butter. What do they have in common? Well, besides being yummy and satisfying, fiber.

When I saw Brenda Watson on PBS giving her seminar on the Fiber35 Diet, I thought, "This is so simple - I don't need her book." I jotted down her key tips, researched the fiber content of foods we routinely eat at home, and made a few healthy changes. Focusing as recommended on good eating rather than self-deprivation, I dropped a few pounds, felt better, and re-established some good habits.

A year later, I found and consulted the book for a 'check-up.' Reading it provided useful reminders, detailed medical information, and much better instructions than the ones I had scribbled down. Once I got past the "Amazing! Secret! Miracle!" self-promotion, and the touching vignettes about Watson's clients, I found the nutrition and fitness facts well-explained.

For me, these are the parts that make the book worth owning as a reference:

• A thorough,understandable physiological explanation of how dietary fiber promotes weight loss
• An easy-to-follow plan to assess your current nutrition and achieve personal health and fitness goals
• Sections on boosting your metabolism, exercise basics, detoxification, supplements, hormones, phytonutrients, and disease prevention
• Charts on numerous foods and their fiber content per serving
• Dozens of simple recipes

A Vegetarian Noche Buena Feast

Years ago, our Cuba-born friend Ariela Boronat (yes - the artist) introduced us to a rather different Christmas tradition than my Protestant family's. Christmas day is for going to church, eating leftovers, and resting. Epiphany (January 6, when the Three Wise Men brought baby Jesus marvelous swag) is for exchanging gifts. And Christmas Eve, or Noche Buena, is a family holiday feast night.

A traditional Noche Buena feast may include dishes like arroz con pollo, roasted pork loin, and flan; but it must include these three staples:

• savory black beans and rice (aka Moros y Christianos, the gentle inside-joke name)
• crispy, garlicky fried yucca
• sweet, luscious platanos maduros

Once you've got this trinity covered, serve whatever you like as an appetizer, dessert, or optional additional protein. Just add friends and family, and you've got a feast worthy of Noche Buena.

Fruit Smoothies - Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

This December, I'm thankful for the farmers market strawberries in the freezer. Without them, making fruit smoothies in the winter just wouldn't feel right. Although half the fun of smoothies is the free rein to experiment, to 'customize the food creation experience' (also known as playing with your food), I played around with ingredients just until I found my favorite combination, then stuck with it.

My Fruit Smoothie Blend:

• One nice, ripe banana
• A few chunks of frozen mango
• A few frozen organic strawberries
• Several dollops of plain, nonfat yogurt
• Some not-too-sweet juice, like pomegranate or limeade

Do I measure? No. Every batch comes out a little different, letting me sample and comment as if I had actually been innovative.
I throw all these into a Vita Mix or a regular blender, let them sit to temper a bit, then blend til it's soup. Mmm . . . cool, smooth and sweet like a milkshake, with less of a sugar rush, and ever so much more virtuous. Refreshing in the summer, and a little dose of summer in the depths of winter.

Servings
My version, as described above, serves two. You can also make the whole batch and freeze half, to serve one person twice. Just let it thaw sufficiently to stir all ice crystals in and get the lovely creamy consistency back.

Calories
About 100 per serving, if you use just fruit and non-fat yogurt.

Fat
Zero grams! But considerably higher if you substitute ice cream or a creamier yogurt (really not necessary, if you use a good brand).

Fiber
About 3 grams per serving. Mostly that's soluble fiber, plus a wee bit of insoluble (you need both for a high-fiber diet ). To work more in, try a sprinkle of ground flax seed.

Carbs and Sugar
Some people are worried about all the sugar in a fruit smoothie, either because of diabetes, the candida diet, or a low-carb diet like Atkins.
Bear in mind the sugars in the yogurt are low, and you are having a half banana, 2-3 strawberries, a few mango chunks, and a splash of juice in one serving. If your diet allows that, you are not only ok but also getting the benefit of the calcium, phyto-nutrients, and fiber. Pairing it with some low-fat protein might make it a healthy breakfast food, even with health concerns to watch. And a half-serving, frozen, would make a nice treat when you crave ice cream.

Is there any protein?
Yes! Fruits and vegetables do have protein; and dairy can be a vegetarian protein source, too. Most Americans get too much protein, not too little; but if you are a vegetarian body builder or other type of athlete, try adding some of your favorite protein powder.

Can you make a vegan fruit smoothie?
Yes. With yogurt, the standard version fits well into a lacto vegetarian diet (ie, no meat, but dairy is allowed). In that way, it is like a mango lassi at an Indian restaurant.
To skip the lactose, try a soy substitute, or almond milk or rice milk (plus ice). If your substitute comes pre-sweetened, be aware of issues with candida and diabetes. On the plus side, this version would have no cholesterol.

Honey-Teriyaki Glazed Salmon

 When beekeeper Wayne Pitts appeared on the Bite-size Green TV episode The Buzz about Bees, he was a marvelous guest.  He not only shared humorous anecdotes, facts, and photos; but he also provided a cooking demonstration.  Like many good cooks, he tried a dish at a restaurant and said, "I could make this."  The result became his honey-teriyaki glazed grilled salmon.  Naturally, it's best if made from wild salmon and with honey from your own apiary.  If you can't become a beekeeper by suppertime, visit one at your local farmers market (Wayne can be found in Palo Alto every Sunday) and ask for a local variety.

Honey-teriyaki glazed salmon

Ingredients

• One cup honey, warmed
• One cup teriyaki
• A large fillet of wild-caught salmon
• Fresh leaf spinach, in bite-size pieces
• Two types of fruit, in small chunks (or whole, if berries)
• Blue cheese crumbles (or goat, if preferred)
• Walnut bits (or other nut, as preferred)
• Cherry tomatoes to garnish
• A fruity vinaigrette dressing

To prepare:

1. While warming the grill, fold a double layer of aluminum foil into a tray, and pour a layer of glaze into it. 
2. Place the salmon onto the glaze, and pour the remainder over the fillet.
3. Close the grill and let cook approx 20 minutes (med. heat). 
4. Check to make sure the salmon is caramelizing.
5. While the salmon is cooking, arrange the spinach on each plate.
6. When the salmon is done (and cooled, if you like), place a portion on each plate,  over the spinach.
7. Add the fruit, nuts, cheese and garnish to each plate, and drizzle with dressing.

Enjoy the quiet while everyone digs in.

Catalan Spinach

In the spring and summer, this vegetarian tapas dish provides an alternative to fresh, raw spinach salads. In the winter, it assuages my craving for dark greens.

Catalan Spinach, or espinacas, is quick, easy and full of flavor. It's packed with phyto-nutrients, but not fat or calories. As you might guess, it's from the Catalan region of Spain.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup raisins
20 ounces spinach, cleaned and de-stemmed
1 ounce good basalmic vinegar




Prep:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan, and throw in the pine nuts.
2. When they begin to smell beautiful & sing, add the raisins.
3. Let the raisins plump for a minute, then add the spinach.
4. Toss for a minute while the spinach wilts.
5. Splash on the basalmic vinegar, and toss for another few seconds.
6. Salt to taste.

The spinach should be wilted, but still very green.
Serve immediately.

Platanos Maduros

Fried plantains, or platanos maduros, are a real treat worth the work.
But beware - they can be addictive!

First, find a store (such as El Mercadito Latino) that sells really, really ripe plaintains. The skins should be turning black.
This means that they are full of sweetness, being fully mature, or maduro.

Fried plantains with cuban black beans and crispy yucca

At home, peel them and keep the skins.
Slice them about 3/4 inch thick.

Round One:

• Heat vegetable oil (something with a high smoke point, so it won't break down) in a large skillet, preferably iron.
• When the oil passes the wooden spoon test, place the slices in and stand back.
• Flip and brown the second side, so both sides are lightly browned.
• Remove the cooked plantains, dry them briefly on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

Round Two:

• When the rest of the meal is close to done, bring the oil back up to temperature.
• While it is heating, place the discs between the plantain skins and flatten them.
• Then put them into the hot oil for the second frying, and place on toweling again.
• As they cool, they should firm up but not become crunchy or hard. 

Salt to taste and serve warm.

If you've tried platanos maduros in a restaurant and wished you could replicate them, give it a try! And once you've made them at home, you'll appreciate fried plantains that someone else has cooked for you even more.

Cuban Yucca

Cuban yucca is a garlicy, crispy, chewy savory treat.
Also known as yuca, cassava, or manioc, it starts as a crunchy tuber with tough skin.
I highly recommend buying it pre-skinned and frozen. You can often find it in Asian groceries or Latin markets.

Cuban yucca (r) with beans, rice and plantains

•    1 lb yucca
•    1 tsp salt
•    2 tsp. lemon juice

To prepare:
Place water in a big pot and bring to a boil with the salt and lemon juice.
Boil the frozen chunks - but for only 10 minutes.
Remove the hard white stringy centers.
Drain and cool until you can cut the chunks into smaller bits.
Fry them in olive oil and lots of garlic.
Serve hot.

Moros y Christianos

Cuban black beans are sometimes called frijoles negros (alone) or moros y cristianos (with rice). The dish is both a staple and a celebratory food.

Ingredients:

Dried black beans (use instead of canned)

• 3 cans (15 ounces each) of black beans
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4-6 cloves garlic, diced or crushed through a press
• 1/3 cups olive oil for saute step
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 1 Tbs vinegar

To prepare:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add onion. Sautè until onion begins to soften.
2. Add garlic, green pepper, fresh ground pepper, and stock.
3. Drain the beans. Mash 1 cup of the beans, and add all beans to the pot.
4. Add the salt, oregano, bay leaf and sugar.
5. Allow to simmer for an hour and add the vinegar and orange juice, cooking slowly for up to an hour. If there’s too much liquid, cook uncovered for a while.

Serve with rice.
Serves approximately 8 people; and goes especially well with crispy yucca and fried plantains.

Note: the key to this recipe is the play between the sugar and the acid. If you don't have OJ, use a bit more of both the sugar and the vinegar. Adjust to taste.

Food Banks

As much as I enjoy the latitude to write about renewable energy, green building, recycling, and the whole varied realm of more sustainable living, every so often I can't help but focusing the Green Views from the Peninsula column on food issues.

Last Saturday, my article on the Second Harvest Food Bank ran.  It highlights the fundamental green-ness of all gleaning programs, preventing food from being wasted. Green initiatives, like using hybrid trucks, or solar panels, or high-efficiency refrigerators, are really icing on a very healthy cake.

All over the country, food pantries and feeding programs take on this challenge. If my food bank distributes 45 million pounds of food a year, the vast majority rescued from being plowed under or sent to landfills, imagine what the totals for the United States must be. Staggering as it may be to realize how much food is available in a country where so many can't be sure of their next meal, it helps to know how hard program staff and millions of volunteers work to make certain that as much as possible reach our neighbors who need it.

A Dickens Tea

High tea at Dickens Fair

One of the loveliest things about a Victorian holiday party is having tea in the parlor. In this case, at the Dickens family home. The table was laid with buttered scones, jam fingers, little tea sandwiches, and more.

A proper tea isn't just about the food, of course. Good company is key. We so very much enjoyed meeting the Fezziwigs, Clara Peggity, Miss Georgina Hogarth, Davey Copperfield, and Mr. Dickens and his son. Oh - and Mad Sal - once met, never forgotten. Many thanks also to Thomas and the staff.

Fezziwig Feast

As you may recall, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Ebeneezer Scrooge to a holiday party at the warehouse of the Fezziwigs, a lovely couple who employed him as a young man. Each year, all the workers attended, played games, sang songs, danced to a live band, and enjoyed a feast.

Sumptuous buffet at the Fezziwig warehouse

The Dickens Fair recreates this event, letting visitors enjoy a taste of all the traditional entertainments. Well, except the food and drink. The table is laid to display a spread suitable for a real Victorian holiday party; but for actual edibles one must venture into the streets of London. Fortunately, pubs are plentiful and chestnuts are roasting right on the corner.

Save me, Oatmeal!

That candy jar on the counter. Those leftover meeting treats in the lunch room. The bag of Cornnuts lurking in my cupboard. It’s just too darn easy to graze all day without thinking.

Steel-cut oats with apple chunks

In the late morning and the afternoons during the cool months, I see more and more co-workers leaving our shared kitchen with a steaming bowl of oats. Some are pre-cinnamon and sugared, some plain from a tin of instant, some cooked at home and re-heated in the microwave.

My oatmeal snack is always steel-cut oats, slow cooked at home on the weekend and ready on demand at the office. Since I buy the organic oats in bulk at the grocery, each serving costs less than a nickel. The cooked oats themselves have no sugar and no fat but quite a bit of fiber and vitamins. A cheap, convenient, super food.

But I don’t gravitate towards a bowl of bland virtue, ever. What attracts me so many mornings and afternoons is the lovely texture – a mix of creamy and chewy – and the blank canvas for flavor. Often I am satisfied with just butter and a touch of salt. Or a drizzle of honey, with chunks of fresh apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Or a dollop of jam. Or a spoonful of peanut butter. Sweet or savory, only imagination and available ingredients limit the options.

However I serve myself, I’m always grateful for the satisfied taste buds and nice level blood sugar. Best of all, my bowl of comfort keeps me safe from the mindless snacks I don’t actually want but can fall prey to if they sneak up on me when I’m hungry and unprepared.

Gluten-free Pumpkin Pie Crust

Pumpkin pie with pecan crust

When the days shorten, I start to crave orange foods. Roasted butternut squash, baked sweet potatoes, pumpkins in Thai curry . . . and pumpkin pie. Or pies.

This year, I planned to default to simply baking the filling in ramekin dishes. That is yummy, after all. But Basha would not give up on the quest for a crust that would properly complement the filling.  She found a recipe for a pecan pie crust that is not only gluten-free but also low carb and low sugar. And it went really well with the pumpkin and spice flavors.

The only tricky part of making the pecan crust is deciding how small to mince the pecan bits in the food processor. In the end, I had to taste-test two separate pumpkin pies. Both were delicious; but apparently neither was perfect. Before the days begin to lengthen again, I'm going to have to test more attempts. Somehow, I will make it through the season.

Popping Corn

Ever wonder how corn goes from juicy and crunchy on the cob to hard, dry kernels ready to pop? It doesn't!

Popcorn on the cob, drying

Popcorn, a variety of flint corn, is hard when you harvest it. It lacks the soft starch that makes sweet corn such a treat to eat fresh.

If you buy a cob of popping corn freshly picked, it will need at least 2 months of drying time, even though it seems like the kernels are dry and hard already. On the plus side, as long as you store it in a dry place, it will last as long as you like.

When your kernels are ready, you can make gourmet popcorn in the microwave, on the stove-top, or in an  air popper.

Food by the Boatload

When visitors to Venice complain about the high cost of meals there, I don't hear much recognition of the effort it takes to get food into the city. Yes, prices are higher at restaurants that cater to tourists. And yes, the two-tier pricing system, for drinks and snacks taken al banco (standing at the bar) v. with table service requires decision-making that Americans are unaccustomed to.

Boat on Venice canal unloads to produce stand

But the high price of food overall is not a racket, despite the assumptions of many shocked travelers. Four euro for a can of Diet Coke! (Or 1.50 on the street.) Two and half euro for a single avocado! Seems exorbitant, until you consider what it takes for edibles to reach the neighborhood shop or cafe.

Everything that makes it to the city's interior streets  finishes its trip by handtruck, in small loads with a person attached. That person hand-lifted each parcel off of a small boat that fit through the small canals.

What actually surprised me, given the logistics, was how affordable many staples remained. We had an apartment with a nice kitchen, and so were able to pick up rice, polenta, fresh fish, salad greens, and wine on our strolls through various neighborhoods. The comparability in pricing of some basics to grocery prices at home made me realize how much of our food costs go to the overhead that large stores carry. By practicing those savvy shopper skills we often forget at home, we ate simpler, fresher meals that we lingered over and enjoyed tremendously. That really took the bite out of the occasional restaurant bill.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse with no cholesterol? Hard to believe it could not only be possible, but also delicious.

Although I first tried it after watching it be made, and thus knew exactly what the ingredients were, if it had been served to me with no disclosure, I would just have thought it was a yummy, rich, dark mousse.

The benefits of making this treat vegan are clear - fewer calories, less sugar, less fat, and none of the cholesterol from the standard recipe's cream and egg yolk. Thanks to the soy, it does have protein, calcium, and iron - practically a health food.

My version:

• Silken (and only silken) tofu - one 12-14 oz block
• 6 to 12 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• A dash of vanilla, and a sprinkle of salt
• 2 Tbps agave syrup (optional)

1. Blend the tofu well, melt the chips and beat them in, adding final ingredients while mixing.
2. Spoon into serving cups, and chill at least one half hour.

A half cup serving will feel decadent to most people.

Green Views from the Peninsula

When I was invited to take over writing the Green Views from the Peninsula column for several local sites on Patch.com, it seemed like a timely opportunity to expand from writing about healthy food to exploring other environmental topics, such as renewable energy, green building, green business, and sustainable transportation and land use. A full buffet!

Since I know a little bit about many green topics, coming up with ideas and a general message is pretty easy for me. The next step - connecting a general concept to local activities and resources - is more challenging. But it's also deeply satisfying, taking the abstract to the concrete, the global to the local. In that way, it reminds me of the pleasing switch from writing big-picture on the Bite-size Green website to describing specific dishes and ingredients on this blog.

So far, I've covered topics like proper disposal of pharmaceuticals, wardrobe recycling, and local libraries. But the inaugural column, of course, was about food. How to Manage the Changing Seasons of Farmers Markets came naturally, an easy segue into this new journalistic venture.

Surely I'll work my way back around to food before long. But in the meantime, what subjects would you like to read about?

Floating Farmers Market

In Venice, one reason food costs so much is that it all comes to the islands via boat. Often from a big boat to a little boat, then by a handtruck to a cafe, hotel or storefront. In the case of items like canned soda, all that handling can drive the per-item cost way up.

When the process can be short-cut, food items stay much more reasonable in cost. For example, a boat that fits in the canals and only has to travel from the nearby farming area (such as San Erasmo) can offer produce at rates I would find a pleasant surprise in a grocery store in the United States.

People who live in cities with lots of tourists and inflated costs for basics must always find ways to adapt and manage. In the case of Venice, the best solutions also seem to come with the bonus of beauty. The floating farmers market by Campo San Barnabo fits the bill in every way.

Food Day Goals

Over the last few weeks, Occupy Wall Street has caused much bemusement, some irritation, and some admiration for its lack of a defined agenda. And for the last few decades, Earth Day has inspired a host of actions with no single to-do list driving it.

But Food Day?
If anyone asks, "What's this one about, now?" - the answer is clear and concise:

Gelato Artigianale

For me, the quintessential experience of Italy is getting 'un pallino' (one scoop) of gelato at every little neighborhood shop. Well, not every one. Just the ones with artisan - artigianale - gelato.
My favorite this trip was Il Doge, in Venice's Dorsodoro district. Tucked into a corner of Campo Santa Margherita, it serves a steady stream of locals and tourists from morning til night. Like all the best shops, it boasts 'produzione propria' (our own production, or homemade). And about a dozen flavors are offered each day, with many choices rotating through. If your favorite isn't available today, try tomorrow. I love the freedom to try new flavors, something I rarely do at home when it entails buying (and storing, then eating or wasting) at least a pint. Every day a new discovery - or two, on a particularly yummy day. Gelato artigianale makes an inexpensive, simple but delicious treat, an indulgence for every day. Yes, every day.

National Food Day

Today was Food Day in the US, an event simultaneously disheartening and encouraging.

On the down side, having to declare a day to focus on real food suggests just how far we've wandered from having a real food culture. Would France have a Food Day? Or Italy? No - they have agri-tourism, stores closed mid-day to facilitate long, sit-down lunches, cafes with sidewalk tables for the simple pleasure of lingering over a cup of coffee while people-watching, and protests when a McDonald's is proposed in any historic venue.

On the plus side, the event was well-organized and clearly articulates a manifesto for constructive change. In addition, the publicity includes a host of excellent resources for interested Americans.

The real tests of Food Day's success will be what we do after this inaugural year, and how many years it takes to make the exercise obsolete.

The Incredible, Italian, Egg

Having an apartment in Venice meant getting to cook 'at home,' as well as shopping for the ingredients.  Having not yet mastered the open-area markets or the speciality shops, we picked up basics on the first day from the local grocery.  Sure that we would want eggs for something, I choose the jumbo pack - 6. They were comparable in price to free-range, organic eggs in California.

And the label said (in Italian, of course), "specially for pasta!" Although I did not plan to hand-make any pasta, that still sounded promising.

Breaking the first egg was a revelation. The last time I saw a yolk that rich was from a friend's farm-raised duck. To make sure I didn't overwhelm the natural flavor, I made a very simple omelet with few added ingredients. Marvelous!
Not a mere binder or filler like its factory-farmed cousin, the Italian Egg is a food unto itself, worthy of full enjoyment.

Hunger - Numbers Talk, Actions Speak Louder

Donations sorted by volunteers, ready to be bagged

Think you know what hunger in the United States looks like? Take the Feeding America quiz and see. You may be surprised both at the scale of the issue (50 million Americans without enough food) and by how much the face in the mirror looks like the average food bank user.

I thought I had a pretty good picture of the situation until I volunteered at my local food bank, Second Harvest. It serves roughly 247,000 of my neighbors every single month. Most have housing, which costs more in Silicon Valley than most parts of the country. Most also have jobs, which don't necessarily pay more to keep up with the cost of living here.

Of all the numbers I heard, though, one figure changed how I see my role. I had always thought that picking up a few extra items at the store and donating them was a fun, hands-on way to pitch in. Now that I know that the food bank can obtain five times as much food with a dollar as I can, I'm going to be writing checks, instead. For the satisfaction of hands-on participation, there's always showing up at the warehouse and sorting or bagging donations. That only costs a few hours of my time, and I can see the difference I've made right away. Also, it reminds me why I write that check.

Bison Bison Bison

Bison not amused

The American buffalo is so remotely related to the European buffalo, not to mention the Asian water buffalo, that ranchers prefer its binomial name, bison. Or, in full, bison bison bison.

Most bison still graze the range - they do, in fact, roam. Only a few ranchers try to confine them for a few months and fatten them on corn, to make them taste more like beef. Like cows, they are bovines, biologically geared to eat grass but not corn (which makes them ill).

 Unlike cows, they will not plod towards you when called. If you stand in an open field and call, "Here, bison bison bison," they may stampede.

Except for this avoidable danger, bison is the healthiest meats available, being lower in fat while higher in key nutrients. So if you love red meat, save your splurge at the grocery store for bison steaks or burgers. Be careful not to overcook this lean treat, and when you rapturously say its name, whisper.

After the Bin - Food Donations

Volunteers sorting at Second Harvest food bank

We've all seen the bins out during food drives, during the holiday, big events, and Hunger Action Month. We glean our cupboards or pick up a few extra items at the grocery store, and then just drop them in. Then they disappear. And?

Between the bin and the food being eaten, there are quite a few steps. First, every item is checked to make sure it's safe to give out. Send, each item is sorted into a bin with like items - condiments, protein, canned fruit, canned vegetables, pastas and rice, ready-to-eat pop tops, etc. This step makes it possible for the food bank staff and volunteers to create bags that provide a little bit of each sort of food an individual or family can use.
 You wouldn't want to be the person who gets a whole bag of canned green beans, would you? Much better to have some pasta, some sauce, some canned meat, some veggies, some fruit, etc. Some creativity may be required to put the meal(s) together; but it makes a good kit.
The sorting also makes it possible for food bank staff to evaluate what items they have in abundance, and what is in short supply.  Here in the Bay Area, local banks coordinate and help each other out with over- and under-stock issues.

Food Bank Donations

Hunger Action Month, coming well before the winter holiday surge, is a great time to donate food to your local food bank. When I volunteered recently at Second Harvest, I learned some basic guidelines:

• Fresh produce is welcome, as there is never enough, even in areas blessed with partnerships with local farms
• More than a hint of rust on a canned good will send it to the trash can.
• Large dents or any bulging in a can will also turn it into trash
• Sell by dates are checked, and some items (like baby food) must still be new, while others can be as much as 5 years past the date.
• Boxed goods with small rips or tears can still be used, if there is an interior bag as well

Volunteers sort food bank donations

Food safety is a top priority; and staff always stand by to answer questions from volunteer sorters.

Learning how your local food bank works, and following its guidelines, save time and money for everyone.

Volunteering is a great hands-on lesson; but a website visit or phone call can bring you up to speed, as well.

Tomato Watermelon Salad

Tomato Watermelon Salad

Some culinary surprises are good - like almond gazpacho, for instance. As lovely as that was, however, the best discovery of the summer had to be tomato watermelon salad, garnished with a mild feta cheese and lardons, and drizzled with a red jalapeno vinaigrette.
I could have eaten mine and then stolen the other three plates, had my family dawdled. Alas, they devoured every bite also. Like summer itself, we were sad to see it go so quickly.

Samovar Tea Lounge

The samovar at Samovar Tea Lounge

Samovar Tea Lounge, on the upper level of Yerba Buena Gardens, is a lovely spot for a pot of tea and a snack. The atmosphere is tranquil, and the staff know the tea selection the way a sommelier knows her wine cellar. For the tea connoisseur, just reading the beverage menu is a treat, with offerings not normally found outside a fancy tea shop.

Enjoying the brief heat wave in San Francisco, I ordered a glass of iced chai. Unlike the sweetened syrup mixed with hot milk that many corner coffee shops serve, real chai is simmered in a pot to allow the tea, spices, and milk to meld together. Samovar's was just to my liking, spicy but not sharp with only a hint of sweetness. It perfectly complemented the bowl of coconut milk rice pudding that held me over between lunch and dinner.

Hunger Action Month

September is hunger action month. To find out what you can do in your local community, just visit Feeding America's special site for the month and plug in your zip code. While you're there, enjoy the serio-comic celebrity videos, where folks like Matt Damon portray real people telling their stories (and then get a critique from the person).

Scroll down below the videos, and the link to Feeding America's home site will lead you to lots more information about hunger in America, where to find local food banks if you need help, and how to pitch in if you can.

Walla Walla Sweets

Kew Gardens, outside of London, once hosted an installation of Chihuly's glass art. Some of it, like the giant blue blocks that looked like ice cubes plunked down among hedgerows, bemused us. Others, such as 'The Sun,' simply impressed by its size, color, and complexity. But the most amusing for me were the glass globes floating in the pond, which Chihuly called 'Walla Wallas.'

Looking at the originals, I can see how the onion's shape might have provided inspiration for the art. But I wonder if they float?

Chihuly Onions

Back in 2005, Dale Chihuly had an installation at Kew Gardens, outside of London.

Dale Chihuly's floating walla wallas at Kew Gardens

One of my favorite features was the floating glass he called Walla Wallas. Except for the gorgeous array of colors, the actual sweet onions from eastern Washington do look remarkably like the art pieces.

We wondered, in Britian, how many people would get the joke. And what types of sweet onions are indigenous to Europe? Would we have been among the select few if he had called them Vidalias, instead?

Almond Gazpacho

Almond gazpacho at Lolo, in Portland, OR

For those of us who think narrowly of gazpacho as a cold, tomato-based soup, the wide range of imaginative gazpachos can be startling. Also delicious.

The one we tried at Lolo was thick and creamy, with a drizzle of olive oil on top, and sweet, crunchy grapes for a garnish (offset nicely by the savory hints of cumin and cardamom).

Purple Cauliflower

purple cauliflower - Vancouver, WA farmers market

One of the many things I like about farmers markets is the interesting varieties of produce there. While grocery stores tend to carry just the most well-known, easily recognized fruits and vegetables, family farmers like to experiment, and bring the results to the market to share.  Where else would you find Armenian striped cucumbers, dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes, corni di toro peppers, white eggplant, or even romanescu?  And, of course, someone who can tell you what that odd fruit or veggie is, and how to enjoy it at home.

Berry Seasons

Blueberries and marionberries in Vancouver, WA

Having lived in the northwest for so many years, the biggest shock for me at the farmers market has been the length of strawberry season in central California.  In Seattle, strawberries are glorious for a full month, in a good year. That month very rarely begins in late May, but more typically in mid-June. In the Bay Area,   I have found them beginning as early as February and as late as November. They tend to be a bit too firm and acidic at both ends of the season, but truly succulent at the peak, from June through August.

Blueberries start earlier here too, and seem to peter out a bit earlier than in the Northwest. Up there, marionberries, raspberries and blackberries arrive in late July and can last through early September. In fact, the invasive  species of Himalayan blackberry perfumes the air in August, along bike trails and within public parks. Why go to the farmers market for them when you can take a bucket to the rampant overgrowth within a few blocks of most people's houses?

For a locavore, California's longer seasons for many types of produce makes adhering to a target area (whether a home county, a 100-mile radius, or whatever metric one chooses) a bit easier. But at the same time, there is something about a very short season for a culinary treat that makes it that much more exquisite when it arrives.

Snack Defense

Last weekend, I spent way too many hours in a row indoors on the computer (reading submissions to the Global eBook Awards). The later it got on Friday night, the more I scavenged the cupboards for anything crunchy to nibble while I read. Everything I found came from a bag, in some form of a chip, with salt.

The next morning, I set aside my giant digital stack of books and headed to the farmer's market for some snack self defense.  Tiny seedless green organic grapes and giant Sweet Nantes carrots would see me through the weekend. The grapes were perfect for the mindless eating I tend to do while staring at a screen. And the carrots made excellent chips for dipping into a bowl of hummus. The only corn chips that passed my lips came with creamy guacamole, and went away again when that snack was finished, at the table.

Local Strawberries, All Year

Eating locally necessarily entails eating seasonally, as well - for the most part.  In fact, one of the joys of being a locavore is learning what ripens when in your area, anticipating that time, and making the most of it while it lasts.  Asparagus arrives in the market in spring, and for six weeks we put it in crepes, soups, salads, and grill mixes.  Tomatoes show up in the spring here too, but don't pop with flavor until late June or July (right into September, some years). For months, we go tomato-wild, indulging in caprese, tomato sandwiches, and a multitude of pairings.

organic strawberries fresh from the freezer

For many types of produce, just having them fresh in season satisfies me.  But there are a few items, like strawberries, that I want to use all year long. In season, I put them into many dishes; but in the winter, only into my stand-by breakfast and healthy snack, the fruit smoothie.  For years I bought bagged frozen berries from the grocery, feeling sheepish. Then I realized what a bargain a half-flat of organic strawberries at the season's peak really is; and I started freezing my own.  With a little forethought, it's easy to put up an ample supply for the winter.

Tips:
1. Don't cut or wash them until you are ready to freeze them.  If you need to store them first, put them while they are cool and dry into an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
2. When ready, de-leaf and cut them up in batches, then wash but do not dry.
3. Lay them on a tray, not quite touching, and place that in the freezer.
4. Wait a half hour or so, then transfer them to a bag.  The little layer of frost on each one keeps them from clumping up too much in the bag.
5. Put the bag in the freezer right away, to avoid thawing and clumping on re-freezing.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

"It's a dawn; it's a new day; it's a new life for me, and I'm feeling good!" - Newley & Bricusse

Nearly a year ago, I chatted with a friend about my experiences with wheat (and avoiding it) and she asked me about dairy. Apparently, lactose troubles many who either have celiac or (like me) simply find that avoiding wheat makes them feel much, much better. In addition, not all dairy is equal. At the high end of the scale is sweetened condensed milk, which I only ever drink in Thai iced tea. At the low end are butter and aged cheeses. In between are some mid-level items, like a glass of milk or a cup of yogurt  - but their digestibility does not mirror their lactose content (many people can't handle milk, but have no symptoms with yogurt, probably because of the live cultures that come with it).  In a family of dairy lovers, with one lactose-intolerant child, she had tried alternative products for every dairy category, looking especially for those that everyone in the family could enjoy together.  In the ice cream category, coconut milk-based treats rocked.  Not cheap, and not always easy to find, but fully worth it.

Bearing all this in mind, over the months I've tested a range of dairy products I used to consume without a second thought.  And sure enough, Thai iced tea sets off a ruckus in my insides.  Half and half in my tea? No problem.  A big latte or bowl of cereal? Not too bad, but better with almond milk substituted. Yogurt? Not a burble, and still great for my fruit smoothie. Cheeses? Really varied, but always best in small doses. And then there's ice cream.

What I love about ice cream is its richness, and the elegant mouth-feel of a high-quality, simple ingredient brand (or house-made batch). Sorbets, like popsicles, are wonderful for a clean, icy fruit experience; but they aren't ice cream. Versions made with soy or rice taste off to me; and their thickeners tend to feel funny on the tongue, like a cheap ice cream.  I left the coconut-milk version until last largely because I was afraid they might be as good as my friend claimed, and become an expensive habit.  On my sporadic visits to Whole Foods, a pint seemed exorbitant. But today I found a pint of chocolate at Trader Joe's, for less than a pint of Ben & Jerry's at a Safeway.

Where have I been? !  This lovely concoction is creamy and rich, deep chocolaty, with a strong back flavor of coconut.  Since I adore these two flavors together, that pleases me greatly.  While I am an enthusiastic convert, there are reasons not everyone will want to switch - 180 calories per half-cup serving, 8 grams saturated fat, 16 grams sugar. And the clearly discernable flavor of coconut, which, inexplicably, not everyone cares for.  For you all, try the other substitutes in the freezer section.  As for me - it's a new day!

Attack of the Giant Zucchini

It's zucchini season! That time of year when renegade squashes appear in mailboxes, on the seats of unlocked cars, and upon doorsteps in the dead of night. Those of you who have ever been blessed with a bumper crop of burgeoning blooms, and the overnight wonders that accompany them, will be shocked to hear that I actually paid money for a giant zucchini this week.  At a roadside stand in the San Joaquin Delta, no  less - where they sell peaches and other ripe fruit.

Cats and zucchini - natural enemies.

But I spotted this humongous squash, as big as my forearm and twice as heavy, and all the other produce faded into the background. That's a lot of loaves of gluten-free chocolate zucchini bread, I thought to myself. Self, I said, how much could it possibly cost? One dollar.  I thought about buying two or three, but there's only so much room in my freezer. And besides, you never know when one might show up on my doorstep.

The Dreaded Food Log

Every once in a while, I write down what I eat with annoying precision, for a few days.  Then I look over the log and get a feel for habits and patterns I may not have noticed developing. This time I have added notes on how I feel during the day, and factors like being out in the wind that may be affecting how I feel as well. The main point to the exercise this time is to figure out why my energy crashes at certain times of day and peaks at others.  The sine wave seems to connected to meal times, though not exclusively.

So far, the paper journal holds my handwritten scribbles.  Although I can scan back through and pick out trends regarding protein, carbs, fat, caffeine, etc, it would be nice to have a program that automatically generates data without my having to parse it all out by hand.  Ideally, this app would be non-commercial (I hate signing up for services just to test a device) and very simple on the input side.  If I have to get down to measuring cups of veggies and ounces of meat, I will start modifying my behavior as I go.  While I hope the exercise leads me to do just that, I really need to know what my un-modified habits are first.

Any recommendations for free, simple tools with useful data outputs?

Vegan Latte

Almond milk iced latte

A vegan latte *? Surely an oxymoron. But with the proliferation of "milk" from plant sources - rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and more - there are indeed many choices for making a vegan version of this iconic Italian drink.

My personal favorite uses unflavored almond milk ('regular' or 'orginal') which has just a bare hint of sweetness and a nice creaminess.  A whole cup is only 60 calories, and like all the vegan options, it is naturally cholesterol free.

*Caffelatte is Italian for milky coffee; order a latte and you'll get just milk.

Beauty and the Beets

beets in solar cooker pan

The beets at the farmer's market this weekend looked gorgeous, inspiring me to take them home and roast them in the solar oven.  Washed and plunked into the black enameled pot, with their lush greens chopped off, their only sensual appeal remaining was the earthy, mineral-y smell that red beets exude.

Sliced beets with goat cheese and orange-balsamic glaze

After the knife attested to perfect doneness, I put one in the fridge to chill, then peeled and sliced it.  With a sprinkle of salt on each bite-size morsel, and an orange juice-balsamic vinegar reduction to glaze them, the bites became dazzling jewel-toned eye-catchers.  A little dollop of goat cheese for each rounded out the flavors to create a true amuse bouche.

Moveable Feast for the Eyes

The first First Friday (7/1) at the San Mateo Expo Center, organized by Moveable Feast, provided a cornucopia for the senses. In addition to the tastes and aromas of the food for sale, there was live music.  And the visual panorama was surprisingly varied - food truck range from nearly spartan to downright flashy in their exterior decor. As they grow in popularity with mobile foodies, catching the attention of hungry pedestrians is growing in importance, also.

Armadillo Willy's food truck - Texas BBQ on wheels

Treatbot Karaoke Ice Cream Truck from the Future

Wow Silog truck - traditional Filipino silog style meals

Thai food on the go - House of Siam's food truck

Back of Babaloo food truck - cuban cuisine and art, too

El Ranchito's more traditional food truck look

The infamously-named Naked Chorizo truck

Kara's Cupcakes, with pink boxes from the truck window

Tikka Bytes contemporary Indian cuisine for Silicon Valley and beyond

Off the Grid in San Mateo

There have been a few gourmet food trucks operating on the Peninsula these past few years; but until this summer, all the big events were confined to San Jose, San Francisco, and the East Bay.

Babaloo Cuban Cuisine Food Truck's mobile art

This summer, Sunset Magazine led the charge, adding a handful of the mobile eateries to their usual vendor offerings at its Celebration Weekend.  Then Moveable Feast, which organizes large festival-like gatherings, held its first monthly food truck extravaganza at the San Mateo County Expo Center, on July 1st. The event drew a few thousand people, most of whom paid to park in the giant Expo lot, and featured live music and local clothing and jewelry vendors in addition to over a dozen food trucks.  Lengthy lines pleased organizers and vendors, but frustrated some hungry attendees. The great turnout ensured its continuation through the summer months.

Next Monday evening, Off the Grid, which organizes much smaller round-ups on a daily basis in San Francisco, will conduct a soft launch of its new site, the San Mateo downtown train station. Six to eight trucks are expected to participate.  Street parking downtown gets tight; but attendees can easily walk from the surrounding neighborhood or arrive from farther afield via Caltrain. For those who love sampling food truck fare but don't like being closed into an area with crowds, this smaller gathering should be ideal.

Solar Salmon

Having learned a lesson about overcooking foods in the solar oven, I exercised great care while trying fish in it for the first time.

Salmon with raspberry-chipotle
sauce, in solar cooker.

First, I followed the tip about putting items on trays on top of a platform to raise them up closer to the window of the cooker. Had I planned a side dish (roasted beets, potatoes, etc), I could have cooked them in the black enameled pan that provided the lift for the salmon's tray.
Second, I checked on the lovely salmon fillet before I suspected it would be close to done, just to make sure all was well.  Because the wild-caught fish had been frozen, it let off quite a bit of liquid while warming.  Not wanting to steam it in the solar cooker, I drained the excess off and patted the fillet dry. Next I topped it liberally with a sweet-tangy raspberry-chipotle sauce, and put it back into the cooker.

When I peeked in on the fillet again about forty-five minutes later, it was done, with the cooker's internal temp showing about 275 degrees fahrenheit. Moist but firm and flaky, it also tasted delicious.

Moveable Feast

Moveable Feast is coming to San Mateo, for the first time ever, this Friday evening!
(from 5:30 to 10:30 pm)
What is it? A gourmet food truck gathering.
Where will it be? At the San Mateo Event Center (where the County Fair is held).
What does it cost?  Nothing to get in. Just buy your food.
Will I see you there? That's up to you. I'll be reporting back to whet your appetite for next time.

Solar Yams

This weekend when I roasted yams in my Sport model solar cooker, I forgot that just because you cannot burn foods in it does not mean you cannot overcook them.

I put four yams into a black enameled pan, covered them, and let them bake while I went out for the afternoon.  Had I been thinking, I would have placed them on the sun deck in a spot where the shadow of the house would fall after a couple of hours. That would have 'turned off' the solar oven by remote control, as it were.

When I got home the yams were warm, damp, and squishy  soft.  Not what I had in mind. Nonetheless, they made excellent mashed yams by simply stripping off the pliable skins and stirring the insides together with some butter and seasonings.

Next time, I'll stick a fork in them to test for doneness, just as I would if I put them into the kitchen oven.

Sun Tea

To those who think they've never tried solar cooking, I always ask, "Have you ever made sun tea?"

Surprisingly, not everyone has (What?! Not everyone loves tea? Why not?).

Simple Steps :

1. Fill a clear container (preferably glass or pyrex, not plastic) with water.
2. Add a tea bag or two (adjusting for volume and strength)
3. Place the container in a sunny place until steeped, covered.

As is true with most solar cooking, you can go away and leave the process untended while you do something else.  This kettle will not boil dry.

Power Plants as Fish Choppers

I love wild-caught fish.  So I was a bit appalled, and alarmed, by the news that power plants suck in large stocks of fish along with their cooling water supplies.  This cute little video by the Sierra Club gives the basics, and provides a link to more detailed information, including how to weigh in on the US EPA's upcoming decision on revised regulations to address the problem.

Frozen Yogurt

Speaking of frozen yogurt, I only recently noticed how prevalent shops for the allegedly healthy treat are in the Bay Area.  Somehow, I just assumed that fro-yo had faded away with the arrival of the 90's, like leg warmers (What?! They're back now, too?)

While visiting Oahu recently, we stumbled upon a place called Menchie's, which offers a rotating selection of self-serve options.  Sold by the ounce, it taught me just how many ounces of the low-fat concoction I can handle on a given day. We used the scientific method to craft the perfect make-it-yourself sundae before the vacation was over.

Back home, I started to notice the plethora of fro-yo chains and one-off shops. It was hard to find the self-serve style I had become so fond of, however.  While hunting, I found Harmony Organic in San Carlos and Fraiche in Palo Alto. In addition, I tried out a couple local self-serve shops.

So far, all the self-serve shops lack some of the quality found in the high-end scoop shops. The self-servers use mixes that often taste a bit chemically, while the fancier places boast all-natural ingredients and organic yogurt from regional dairies (Harmony has some flavors from Strauss Family Creamery, while Fraiche sources exclusively from Clover Farms.)

Which is best? Well, fresh and organic win hands down on principle.  But it's hard to beat the pop-in-and-help-yourself option.  When I find a place that combines the two, I'll go steady with it. 'Til then, I'm still playing the field.