From the category archives:

Living Green in the Kitchen

Bulk Up, It’s the Green Thing to Do

by Joi on August 26, 2010

This is as timely as it is entertaining and educational. Here’s a fun, food and green living-related YouTube video that you’re sure to get a lot out of.

The video went live last week, and is part of a series of two videos that follow savvy shoppers on a trip to their neighborhood grocery store, exploring how they save money (up to 96 percent), packaging and time by shopping in the bulk foods aisle. The video series was developed to celebrate National Bulk Food Day, which occurs on October 23, 2010.

A Little Information Before You See the Video:

Appealing to the soccer mom and the penny-pinching couple alike, shopping in the bulk foods aisle has quickly become one of 2010’s hottest trends, according to the Wall Street Journal. Celebrating this boom in bulk shopping and upcoming National Bulk Foods Day on October 23, 2010, the Bulk is Green Council is proud to announce the launch of the first of a series of two YouTube videos that follow everyday shoppers on a trip to their neighborhood grocery store, documenting how they save time and money while shopping green.

“Budgets are tight and people are thinking twice about how far their dollar takes them,” said Bart McKnight, founding council member and Category Manager for Trade Fixtures. “We decided to document the experiences of real people to better understand how Americans are getting creative with their purchasing decisions, and we think that these videos will teach people a thing or two about to how to make cost-effective, eco-friendly choices at the grocery store.”

The first YouTube video, which can be viewed at www.youtube.com/BulkisGreenCouncil follows a 40-something man and a mom and her son on their quest to gather the 11 ingredients needed to make a wholesome natural snack. The man shops in the regular aisles of the grocery store, while the mom and child shop exclusively in the bulk foods aisle. The drastic difference in total cost and time required of each is then compared.

The second video in the series follows a different set of shoppers who are prepping a gourmet dinner for a group of friends, and will be launched in time for the first-ever National Bulk Foods Day on October 23.

“The videos reveal some interesting information about how people shop for food today,” said Clint Landis, founding member of the Bulk is Green Council and Chief Marketing Officer for Frontier Natural Products Co-Op. “We suspected that the mother and child shopping natural in bulk would save money – anywhere from 30 to 96 percent – but we were surprised to see the little boy had fun selecting all the ingredients from one aisle. He actually taught his mom how to shop in bulk, while the single man shopping in the regular aisles had to run all around the store to find what he needed and ended up pretty frustrated.”

The Bulk is Green Council launched the YouTube campaign as part of an ongoing effort to educate people on the environmental and economic benefits of shopping natural and organic in bulk. Founded in 2008, the council includes industry leaders Hain Celestial Group, SunRidge Farms, Frontier Natural Products Co-Op, Trade Fixtures, and Lundberg Family Farms.

The Bulk is Green Council invites YouTube viewers to share their own experience shopping in bulk by posting their story in the video’s comments section at http://www.youtube.com/BulkisGreenCouncil, or by contacting the council at www.BulkisGreen.org.

Put ‘em Up! A Guide to Drying, Freezing, Canning, and Pickling Food

by Joi on June 7, 2010

I was recently sent a copy of Put ‘em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling by Sherri Brooks Vinton and, after devouring ever page, I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

For a lot of reasons, I’m drawn to the concept of preserving foods at home. Health, safety, and economic concerns are leading many cooks to explore the notions of freezing, canning, drying, and pickling their own foods.

Besides, it’s just crazy fun!

About Put ‘em Up: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide

PRESERVING IS BACK, AND IT’S BETTER THAN EVER. Flavors are brighter, batch sizes are more flexible, and modern methods make the process safer and easier. Eating locally is on everybodys mind, and nothing is more local than Heirloom Salsa made from vine-fresh tomatoes or a quick batch of Ice-Box Berry Jam saved from the seasons last berries. Even beginners who never made peach jam or dill pickles in their grandmothers kitchens are eager to pick up preserving skills as a way to save money, extend the local harvest, and control the quality of preserved ingredients.

The step-by-step instructions in Put ‘em Up will have the most timid beginners filling their pantries and freezers with the preserved goodness of summer in no time. An extensive Techniques section includes complete how-to for every kind of preserving: refrigerating and freezing, air- and oven-drying, cold- and hot-pack canning, and pickling. And with recipe yields as small as a few pints or as large as several gallons, readers can easily choose recipes that work for the amount of produce and time at hand.

Real food advocate Sherri Brooks Vinton offers recipes with exciting flavor combinations to please contemporary palates and put preserved fruits and vegetables on dinner-party menus everywhere. Pickled Asparagus and Wasabi Beans are delicious additions to holiday relish trays; Sweet Pepper Marmalade perks up cool-weather roasts; and Berry Bourbon is an unexpected base for a warming cocktail.

The best versions of tried-and-true favorites are all here too. Bushels of fresh-picked apples are easily turned into applesauce, dried fruit rings, jelly, butter, or even brandy. Falling-off-the-vine tomatoes can be frozen whole, oven dried, canned, or made into a tangy marinara. Options for pickling cucumbers range from Bread and Butter Chips and Dill Spears to Asian Ice-Box Pickles. Something delicious for every pantry!

Recipes in Put ‘em Up Include:

  • Pickled Asparagus
  • Wasabi Beans
  • Beet Relish
  • Grannys Chow-Chow
  • Cantaloupe Agua Fresca
  • Asian Carrot Slaw
  • Easy Bake Tomato Paste
  • Curried Cauliflower
  • Sweet and Sour Pickled Onions
  • Cherry and Black Pepper Preserves
  • Pickled Jalapenos
  • Three-Chili Hot Sauce
  • Preserved Lemons
  • Candied Citrus Rind
  • Heirloom Tomato Salsa
  • Oven-Dried Sweet Corn
  • Bread and Butter Chips
  • Roasted Garlic Butter
  • Dill Pesto with Feta
  • Dried Pear Chips
  • Watermelon Agua Fresca
  • Heirloom Watermelon Jelly
  • Sugar Plums
  • Classic Strawberry Jam
  • Sweet Pepper Marmalade
  • Salsa Verde
  • Oven-Dried Tomatoes
  • Pickled Watermelon Rind
  • Strawberry Vinegar
  • Pickled Beets with Dill
  • Frozen Carrots
  • Many More!

Chapters in Put ‘em Up Include

  • Making Jams and Jellies
  • Making Salsas, Chutneys, and Relishes
  • Making Butters, Sauces, and Ketchups
  • Food Preservation Method: Refrigeration
  • Food Preservation Method: Freezing
  • Food Preservation Method: Infusion
  • Food Preservation Method: Drying
  • Food Preservation Method: Boiling Water-Method
  • Blanching
  • Resources
  • And countless recipes, tips, and techniques!
Recipe: Watermelon Agua Fresca (Page 286)

1 small melon or half of a large one, rind removed, fruit cut into large chunks
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1. Set a fine-mesh sieve or colander lined with dampened cheesecloth over a bowl.  Puree the melon in a blender or food processor, working in batches as necessary.  Transfer the pureed melon to the sieve as you go.  Let drain fully; compost solids.
2.  Pour the melon juice into a pitcher.  Add the water, sugar, and lime juice and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Serve over ice, with a splash of seltzer, if you like.
Refrigerate without ice or seltzer for up to 3 days or freeze juice in 8 ounce servings for up to 3 months.

About the Author: Sherri Brooks Vinton

Sherri Brooks Vinton is the founder of FarmFriendly LLC, which helps chefs, restaurateurs, and food organizations support local agriculture.  She is a former governor of Slow Food USA, and a member of the Chef’s Collaborative, Women’s Chefs and Restaurateurs, Northeast Organic Farmers Association, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.  She is the author of The Real Food Revival and lives in Connecticut.

Put ‘em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling is a wonderful book for the cook who is new to home preserving as well as for the seasoned pro. Honestly, all the information you need is right in these pages.

The book is bright, beautiful, and very enjoyable to read. The recipes are clear, easy to follow, and can’t be found anywhere else. Shake a leg and order your copy from Amazon today. Your family will sing your praises all winter long – in between bites, that is.

Put ‘em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook

Positively Ingenious Shopping Bag for Mothers

by Joi on April 26, 2010

The Reisenthel Mother Child Shopping Bag (Red), above, is one of the most ingenious, clever, and downright adorable things I’ve seen in a while.  I’m addicted to shopping bags because I’m addicted to the prospect of living green and saving our world and animals from the evils of plastic and wastefulness.

I’m addicted to straight-up adorable things because I’m a girly girl.

This Mother-Child shopping bag speaks to every corner of my heart.  Available in 4 colors (red, sand, navy blue, and kiwi green), this would make an outstanding gift for any and all mothers you know.

Product Description:

Because the little ones are always proud to give the grown-ups a hand, the MotherChildBag by Reisenthel® is equipped with an extra handle to allow allow them to help Mom or Dad carry home the shopping. Another bonus? They’re so engrossed in the task that they stay close to their parents in jostling crowds.
Features:
• Safe shopping for parents and children
• Tear-proof polyester fabric
• With extra handle to grip and help carry
• Eye-catching front print
• 1 inner pocket with zip fastening
• 1 interior mobile phone storage pocket
• Bag can be slung over the shoulder with 2 long handles

Size: 17 1/3″tall x 17″wide


Reisenthel Mother Child Shopping Bag (Red)

Be a Hero for Wildlife With Dawn Dishwashing Detergent

by Joi on January 21, 2010

If you even remotely know me, you know that I am greatly identified by my love of animals and children.  While I suppose I’d fall under the classification “Tree Hugger,” I’d much rather be known as an “Animal Hugger” and “Human Hugger!” (Since everything that has a face depends upon trees, I’ll always answer to “Tree Hugger” though, and proudly so.)

What does that have to do with Dawn?  Well, plenty.

I’ve actually used Dawn since I first got married.  There are pictures of us in our first apartment, with Dawn proudly sitting by the sink!  I’ve always loved the smell of Dawn and the fact that it can stand up to anything I cook up in the kitchen.

Something else I love about Dawn is their concern for wildlife.  For over 30 years, Dawn has been doing its part to help save wildlife. Not only have they donated funds to important conservation projects,  they have donated Dawn dishwashing liquid to clean wildlife affected by oil spills.

Recently Dawn made it possible for all of us to get involved and make a difference. When you buy a bottle of Dawn and activate your donation online, one dollar will be donated towards the International Bird Rescue Research Center and the Marine Mammal Center.   After you contribute, you can connect with other animal lovers on the Everyday Wildlife Champions’ Facebook page and discover even more ways to celebrate and help wildlife.

On the back of each bottle of Dawn is a code of numbers – you simply enter the code at http://www.dawnsaveswildlife.com – it takes less than a minute!

The bottle shown above is actually the one I always get – I am somewhat obsessed with seals and polar bears.  And cats, wolves, and possums.  And raccoons, rabbits, and birds.  And sharks, dolphins, and whales.  And… okay, if  it has fur, feathers, or fins – I’ve got nothing but love for it…

EDIT:  I linked to Dawn’s Facebook Page.  I could have sworn I did in the first time around.  Geez.  See, boys and girls, this is what happens when you try to work in the morning after only 2 cups of coffee.  Sit and stare out the window until 4 cups, begin work with number 5 – I forgot my own rules.

Spaghetti Scrub by Goodbye Detergent: Ingenious!

by Joi on January 10, 2010

This is one of the coolest, slickest, and funnest things I’ve come across in a while. The Goodbye Detergent Spaghetti Scrub is a spaghetti-like cleaning scrub that doesn’t even require detergent to clean! If you’ve gone all out (say, baked on barbecue sauce, meatloaf, or lasagna), it would require just a tiny amount. Can you imagine how much could be saved on detergent?

The Spaghetti Scrubs are completely natural – made from corn cobs and peach pits. They’re from Goodbye Detergent and can, best I can tell, only be purchased online. Fine by me, I love shopping online. My husband would say that I loved shopping, period. And I’d have to say that my husband knows his wife. Period.

From the Website:
Spaghetti Scrubs last for months and because of their unique shape, they’re pliable enough for trickier cleaning jobs and tight spots such as corners, whisks, and behind faucets. The best part is they dry quickly and completely so there’s never a stinky or moldy sponge in your sink. After you’re done cleaning, just rinse them, and hang on the faucet to dry.

  • Reusable scrubs last for months
  • Unique pliable shape
  • Great for peeling vegetables
  • Lack of mold and bacteria
  • No smell or rust
  • Save money and the environment by reducing the need for soaps

Click the following link to purchase one of these ingenious scrubs from Amazon – Goodbye Detergent Spaghetti Scrub.

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate: Happy Valentine’s Day Indeed!

by Joi on January 6, 2010

As you know, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.   And if you’re anything like me, if it’s a special day, you HAVE to have great chocolate and plenty of it.  Actually, I have to have great chocolate every day, but I digress.

Chocolate doesn’t get any better than Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate – which is why I write about it so frequently here on Get Cooking:

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Give Us Reason to Celebrate

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate: As Chocolate as Humanly Possible

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate is Still the Best Chocolate on Earth

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Has Done it Again and I Love Them

Obviously, I’m hooked.  There’s one thing you’ve surely noticed about me by now and that’s that I am extremely Brand Loyal.  If I find a brand of chocolate (Green & Black’s), shredded and sliced cheese (Sargentos), Gourmet Cheese (Beemster’s), dishwashing liquid (Dawn), etc. that never lets me down – I never let it down. I stick with it and I praise it to the hilt.

Green & Black’s Organic chocolate most definitely fits this bill.  Take it from the world’s most addicted  chocoholic – this is top of the line, delicious, creamy chocolate.

We all know that chocolate is a necessity year round, but  Valentine’s Day is custom made for it.  Nothing says “You’re Special” better than the gift of premium organic chocolate.  Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Green & Black’s has introduced its first U.S. exclusive flavor to its family of premium organic chocolate bars. Green & Black’s new Peanut bar is a blend of premium 37% milk chocolate with a delectable combination of caramelized peanuts and a hint of sea salt.

How over-the-top incredible does that sound?!?!

Below is an outline of chocolate-y wonderful ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day the way it was intended to be celebrated.  These ideas are courtesy of Green & Black’s and I hope you’ll let them inspire you to go all out this Valentine’s Day.

Whether you’re single and celebrating with a group of friends or planning a romantic evening for two, Green & Black’s has enlisted Micah Carr-Hill, their Head of Taste, to create a romantic menu for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day!

Singles: Wine and Chocolate Pairing Party

This year, avoid the crowded restaurants and host an intimate wine and chocolate pairing party that your closest friends won’t soon forget.  Your guests will fall in love with the latest wine pairings just for Valentine’s Day including:

  • Green & Black’s Toffee and Zinfandel

Chocolate, toffee and wine…three of life’s great pleasures. It’s never truer than when pairing the rich, dark-fruit characters in the wine accentuate the chocolate’s buttery sweet toffee flavors.

  • Green & Black’s White and Chardonnay

This may just be the world’s perfect pairing. The silky smoothness, creamy texture and vanilla finish of Green & Black’s White is perfectly complemented by the tropical fruit and hint of oak in a classic Chardonnay.

  • Green & Black’s Dark 85% and Syrah

Intense! This is the only way to describe the pairing of Green & Black’s Dark 85% and a rich Syrah. The complexity and sturdy structure of the wine softens and enhances the dark, intense chocolate.

Couples: Romantic Chocolate Tasting for Two

There’s nothing better than chocolate to set the mood for a romantic evening for two.   Candles and rose petals are great, but nothing will show your special someone they’re the sweetest than a passionate chocolate tasting.  Take these tips for an at-home chocolate tasting from Green & Black’s:

  • Conduct the tasting like you would a wine tasting
  • Choose up to six of your favorite flavours  to taste
  • Start with the lightest variety (White) and finish with the darkest (Dark 85%)

Green & Black’s is a chocolate that makes no compromises. The great tasting chocolate made from the world’s finest organic ingredients also gives back to the environment.

In celebration of the launch of the new Peanut bar, Green & Black’s is offering a special $1 off coupon for customers.  Visit www.greenandblacks.com for a downloadable coupon which can be used at select retailers, including Target.

************

Target is pretty much my home away from home, so it’s where I get all of my Green & Black’s chocolate candy.

Strawberry Banana Frosty Recipe with Organic Ricemilk

by Joi on December 28, 2009

I’ve been straight up addicted to Rice Dreams Vanilla Rice Drink for quite a while now. It sits deliciously on my list of Top 10 Favorite Healthy Foods and Drinks. Recently, I tried Full Circle’s Organic Original Ricemilk and was very pleasantly surprised. In fact, when my Top 10 list grows to a Top 20 list, you’ll find Full Circle ricemilk amongst the winners.

Full Circle Ricemilk is low in fat, with no soy protein and no cholesterol. Of course, none of that would mean jack if it weren’t good – which it most certainly is!

On the back of my most recent container was a great-sounding recipe for a Fruity frosty. I thought it sounded like something you might be interested in, so I thought I’d share.

STRAWBERRY BANANA FROSTY

Makes 3 Servings

3 Cups Full Circle Original or Vanilla Ricemilk, chilled

1 Ripe Banana

1 Cup Strawberries

Place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.…. and call me when they’re ready!