Going Green!

Happy Taco Tuesday! I’m back! I took a little blog vacation for some personal reasons but also to give myself some time to rejuvenate for this spring blogging season!  So much to talk about, and with spring it full bloom I am so excited to explore the farmers markets and find you delicious new recipes!
But today I want to talk about a food that often gets overlooked, GREENS! Not the most popular food in the world, but once you know how AMAZING they are for you, you might reconsider them as more than a pretty garnish.

Some fun facts about GREENS
• Greens are an excellent source of protein…I repeat, greens are an EXCELLENT source of protein.
• Technically speaking, greens are NOT vegetables
• Greens contain lots of FIBER, both soluble and insoluble, which aids our digestion and is very beneficial to our health. (I could write a whole blog on fiber alone!)
• Consuming greens makes the body more alkaline
• And finally, greens are packed with vital nutrients such as calcium, iron, and zinc to name just a few that keep your body at optimal health. Consider them like taking a multi-vitamin!

Information taken from “Green for Life” by Victoria Boutenko. (Highly recommend this book)

So now that you’re intrigued by how nutritious these greens are for you, let’s talk about how to get them into your diet! My favorite greens include: Kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, swiss chard and arugula. I admit that I was skeptical of liking greens, especially kale (its tough, weed-like appearance didn't help)! BUT, with the right preparation, greens taste delicious!

Below are three recipes, a salad, a smoothie, and a side dish. I’m also including a special recipe that incorporates greens and has a very special meaning in my life.

Arugula Salad

Nutritional Highlights: Excellent source of Vitamin A, C, Folic Acid, Maganese, Calcium, and Magnesium. Contains anti-cancer compounds and omega-3 fatty acids.

Equipment Needed: Salad bowl, knife, fork

Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups arugula, 1 green onion
(sliced), 9 sprigs cilantro (chopped), 1/2 avocado, 1 TBSP flaxseed oil, juice of one lemon, 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Directions: Using a sharp knife, cut green onion and cilantro. Place arugula in a large bowl. Drizzle with flax oil and toss to coat. Add onion and cilantro. Squeeze lemon juice (start with half and add more to taste) and toss again. Slice avocado in half and then into
chunks. Add avocado and pumpkin seeds. Add pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Green Smoothie

Nutritional Highlights: High in Vitamin A, C, K and B6. Great for the immune system. Blending increases absorb-ability of nutrients.

Equipment Needed: Blender

Ingredients: One Banana, 2 cups spinach, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 TBSP parsley, 1 cup ice

Directions: Put all ingredients in blender. Blend on high until liquified. Garnish with extra parsley. Enjoy!

Natalie’s Kale Salad

Nutritional Highlights: Great source of Vitamin A, C and K. Kale is packed full of nutrients and is low in calories. A good source of protein

Equipment Needed: knife, bowl

Ingredients: 1 bunch kale, 1/2 cup white onion, 1/4 cup jalapeno peppers, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, dash of sea salt

Directions: Wash kale. Remove thick middle of leaves, chop finely. Also chop the onion and jalapeno finely. Toss together with the lemon juice and olive oil. Delicious add-ons include guacamole and roasted almonds.

Three easy recipes that you can start making TODAY! Please, give me feedback on how you like them, any variations you tried and other great recipes with greens!
Below, I’ve recreated a very special Pizza, with the help of my brother, and we like to call it Pizza de Matteo. This recipe is being posted in memory of Matthew Chance, a dear friend who happened to have very good taste!

Pizza de Matteo (pizza is featured in my blog picture)

In the oven : Pizza dough, marinara sauce, sliced buffalo mozzarella*

Roll out dough, smear with sauce to your liking and top with sliced mozzarella*. Bake at 425 until golden brown.

After baking, top with : Sliced fresh arugula, large shreds of Parmesan, quartered cherry tomatoes and pearl sized fresh mozzarella balls*

*choose organic

Fold a slice in half and enjoy! Thanks Matt! :)

Recipe courtesy of Eric Zellhart (pizza dough tossing lessons available, haha)

I have a very personal blog I'll be working on for next time, hopefully getting back into the once weekly updates :)

Until next time, cheers!

Zelda F.
Food Enthusiast Extraordinaire

Sugar Baby!

Oops, it's Wednesday! My how the week passes by so quickly! But what an eventful week I have had!

On Saturday, I presented at "A Taste for You", teaching the audience the importance of reading a food label! Using an awesome video that Cindy Gershon, founder of the Wellness City Challenge, helped put together, I provided a simple three step approach to changing the way we choose our food.

Here is a link to the video.

http://wellnesscitychallenge.com/

I also printed business cards and started my recipe book! Below is my very first recipe for you all.

Nut and Seed Brittle

Ingredients:

2 cups sunflower seeds

1 cup cashews

1 cup almonds coarsely chopped)

1/2 cup flaxseed and sesame seeds

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tsp cinnamon

1 orange, zested.

Directions: Oil sheet and lay down parchment paper. Preheat Oven to 350. Put 1/4 cup maple syrup in bowl, mix with sunflower seeds. Add remaining nuts and seeds and maple syrup. Mix well. Add cinnamon and orange zest. Spread mixture on cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, checking after 15 minutes to see if brittle is golden brown. Done when brittle is slightly hardened (not soft and sticky). Enjoy!

Nutritional Highlights:

This high protein snack is great to grab and go! It’s energy density makes it great to take along on a hike or sustain you until your next meal. Flaxseeds provide much needed omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.

To tie this into my theme...

Sustainable Taco Tuesday Rule #2: Read your food labels. Especially look at the ingredients.
1. If there is sugar in the first 3 ingredients, consider it a dessert! 2. Look for 3 grams of fiber per every 100 calories. And 3. NO TRANS-FAT EVER! Easy enough right??

I read a very interesting article this week in the chronicle that explained the different kind of sugars, including stevia and "fake" sweeteners such as splenda. Here is my take. Sugar is sugar is sugar. It's never going to be good for you in mass quantities. Even in small quantities, when not paired with nutrients to slow it's absorption, it can cause major health problems. This is serious business folks. SUGAR. Real health problems. SO, my advice is not to stress yourself out trying to avoid it altogether (or think you are fooling the system by replacing it with the fake stuff), but to become a conscious consumer. Where is the excess sugar in your diet?? Most likely its in the processed, boxed, junk! Right?? It's time to get back to the wholesome goodness of seasonal, local fresh WHOLE FOODS!

Here's a link to the article. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/21/FDHA1C055U.DTL

I hope that you like my recipe and continue to enjoy my blogging! I look forward to your comments and if you have any recipes you'd like to share, please send them my way!!

Much love,

Zelda F.
Food Enthusiast Extraordinaire

p.s. My brother and I had a great Tamaki making session tonight. I'd like to give a shout out to Eric for his inspiring, go with what you've got on hand, style of cooking. YUM!

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Mardi Gras, french for Fat Tuesday, is celebrated as a day of indulgence. Most people think of this as a drinking holiday, but today, I saw it as something completely new.

In honor of my Sustainable Taco Tuesday Challenge, I paid a visit to the Berkeley Farmers Market. What a beautiful day to pick. Everyone there was in such good spirits! I felt so natural to shop for my food based on what the farmers had in stock. And they know so much about their product aka PRODUCE...get it?! Don't know what something is? They'll explain it. Need to know how to cook something. They've got you covered. It's great. Another benefit of frequenting the markets is that its just a great way to keep in touch with the seasons. For instance, I admit that I didn't realize that pear season is just ending! What?? I've been missing out on juicy, delicious pears! For many of you, this may be nothing new, but the point is, it's time we celebrate the seasons of the food we eat! Indulge in the good stuff!

Taco Tuesday Challenge Rule #1: Obey the seasons and your food will always taste great!

It's true. Fruits and Vegetables taste so much better when they are fresh and in season. I have no desire to make salsa right now because I know that tomatoes are best from June until August. And trust me, it has taken a lot for me to come to terms with this. Truth be told, I am willing to wait because I know it will not only taste better, but feel right.

Last night I watched Food, Inc, for the second time. If you haven't heard of it or haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Here's a link to their site. http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-film.php Be advised that this movie may force you to join me in this fight for a more sustainable food system. And I hope it does.

I would like to end saying that though I made it to the farmers market today, I realize it's not possible for me everyday. I still buy un-local, un-organic food when that is all I can afford and is available. And I also admit that my food bills are probably higher than most people's in this country right now. But that's reality. Junk food, laden with subsidized corn is not reality.

So, let's celebrate this week with the joys of real food!
Cheers,

Zelda F.
Food Enthusiast Extraordinaire

p.s. I'm working on some recipes for next week's post!

A Tribute to Taco Tuesday

Long long ago, when I was in college, we used to celebrate once a week in the name of Taco Tuesday. For me, it was an excuse to invite my good friends over and indulge in the many wonders of endless salsa, beer, and laughing. But before Taco Tuesday was born, there was Emily's salsa . And before Emily's salsa...well, that's just it. I can truthfully say that making my first batch of fresh salsa was the turning point in my life as I know it now. So thank you Emily for giving me the gift of salsa. And for the infamous quote "Don't forget the garlic". There are many others that have shaped where I am today and as my stories unfold, you will get to meet them all!

P.s. That beautiful picture you are looking at is the founders of Taco Tuesday.

Now fast forward to 2010. College is long gone and so are the wondrous days of Taco Tuesday in San Luis Obispo, CA. But the spirit of Taco Tuesday lives on in me. You see, the idea of creating delicious food and sharing it with people I care about comes naturally to me. But now I have a new challenge. And this challenge is what has inspired me to start this blog. I have gained an immense amount of knowledge since leaving college (go figure!) and am finally ready to share it with others...in the same way that I enjoy sharing food!


The Sustainable Taco Tuesday Challenge: To create healthy recipes I can share with others that is both sustainable and nourishing for people and for the planet. I'll do my best to post every Tuesday, in honor of Taco Tuesday!

So if you are interested in being a part of this movement towards a healthy food system that supports the earth, supports the body and soul, and tastes great, then you're welcome to keep reading my blogs!

In good health,

Zelda F.
Food Enthusiast Extraordinaire