Go Buy Now: We The Eaters

My friend Ellen Gustafson released her first book last week, and it’s guaranteed to be a good one. Ellen is a sustainable food activist, food policy expert, social entrepreneur, and all around badass. I met Ellen a few years ago at a TEDx event, where she was giving one of her four TED talks, and she quickly became one of my inspirations.

In “We the Eaters,” Ellen lays out her manifesto - that by changing our dinner plates, we can change the broken food system, and really change the world. She explains:

"We the Eaters" weaves together the global stories of hunger and food insecurity that I saw so often in my work with FEED with the state of our domestic food system that leaves too many Americans unhealthy and overweight. There are concrete ideas about how every Eater, aka each of us, can make changes on our plates to improve the systems that bring us all food everyday.

I love concrete. I can't wait for my copy to arrive. Go buy yours here.

Currently Obsessed With: Soba Noodles

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Friends, let me introduce you to my newest obsession: soba noodles. I'm seeing them pop up all over my favorite blogs, and I'm wondering if soba is the next quinoa or brussels sprouts. These little guys are from Japan and are made from buckwheat flour so they're gluten-free, low-cal, high in protein. Soba also contains all eight essential amino acids, cancer-fighting antioxidants and heart-healthy nutrients. 

Pair them with some veggies and you've got a full on party. 

I made the ginger scallion bowl this week, and I can't wait to try all these other recipes. Do you have any go-to soba dishes? Do share. xo.

Sesame, Ginger + Cucumber Soba Noodles

Soba + Ginger Tahini with Crispy Kale, Shallots + Romaine 

Sweet + Spicy Ginger Scallion Noodles

Soba + Carrot Noodles with Watermelon Radish

 Simple, Salty, Sweet + Nutty Broccoli Soba

Soba Bowl with Kale, Sesame and Slivered Brussels Sprouts

More recipes here, here, and here.

Keep Voting

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Prop 37 didn’t pass last week, but I’m still convinced there is a growing food movement in the US. Just in the last few months, New York passed a soda ban, schools have started to ban Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and the Yes on Prop 37 Movement started a national dialogue over genetically modified food.

Its disappointing, but not surprising, that the Prop was crushed by the herd of Goliaths in Big Food and Big Ag. Companies like Monsanto, DuPont, Kraft and Coca Cola poured in $46 million dollars to oppose the bill and dominated the airwaves. Of course they didn’t want it to pass. God forbid consumers know how their food is made, because it may hurt business. I mean, isn’t the fact that they don’t want us to know concerning? 

I’m done ranting. Cross my heart. I don’t want to dwell on the why, although that’s important. There are much better articles written on that (like this one) that you should read if you are interested.

I want to talk about how we can move forward. Elections are important, but we should never forget that we vote every day by how we live and what choices we make. Companies change when consumers do. Here are some of my suggestions for continuing to vote yes on the Food Movement:

1. Vote with your $ & your choices

Choose local over industrial, and organic over conventional when you can. Sign up for a co-op or a CSA, shop at farmer’s markets, start an urban garden. Search for ones near you at localharvest.org. Seriously, get a CSA. It’s the best. And no, they’re not paying me to say that.

At the supermarket, you can avoid GMOs and processed foods by following Michael Pollan’s rules (and my interpretation of them):

-       Shop the edges of the supermarket (where the whole foods live).

-       Don’t buy food that your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize (put down the go-gurt).

-       Don’t eat anything with more than 5 ingredients, or ingredients you can’t pronounce (I’m looking at you, xantham gum).

-       Don’t eat anything that won’t eventually rot (gross).

And remember, the “all natural” label has nothing to do with being natural. #clevermarketing

2. Ask what’s in your food
I may or may not be that person. You know the person. The one from Portlandia that asks a list of questions and goes to visit the farm before ordering the chicken. If you haven’t seen it, drop everything and watch it now. I'm not joking.

But honestly, the more we ask our farmers, our grocery stores, and our restaurants where their food comes from and what’s in it, the more accountability there is. Win-win.

3. Use your voice

I’m talking to myself here, because I'm disappointed I didn't do more for Prop 37 other than write a blog post and a couple tweets. Get civicly involved on this issue. The amazing thing about our country is that our senators and representatives actually have to listen to us. Call them, set up a meeting with them, attend a town hall meeting. I’ve done it for other issues, and its not that scary, I promise. If you’re nice and not hostile like most people they speak with, you’d be surprised at how easy it is. 

You can also support an organization, get involved in educating others about food, post some signs in your yard. Slowfoodusa.org is a great place to start.

Whatever you do, stay tuned. The Food Movement entered politics, not without struggle, and is growing up. I can’t wait to watch and be a part of what’s next.

Guest Post: Margie's Homemade Veggie Burgers

Hi friends,

Meet Margie. She's been a dear friend, mentor and inspiration to me for almost seven years now. She's an avid cook, a yoga instructor and one of the most socially conscious & responsible people I know. So when she told me she found the best recipe for veggie burgers, I asked her on the spot to guest blog for me. I can't wait to try these out, and I hope you enjoy them too!
xoxo, Tiff

Homemade Veggie Burgers

I chose to “meat reduce” about a year ago for environmental and ethical reasons, but also for my own health.  Most factory farm meats that we purchase have so many hormones and chemicals in them to make the animals yield more meat for the companies to sell.  These animals are fed unnatural diets, mainly consisting of corn.  And corn fattens everything up, including us.  Naturally cared for and fed animals are too expensive for me right now, so I’m reducing my meat intake altogether. It was a challenge for me, though, to do so without feeling like there was something missing from my plate.  I grew up with meat being the star of the meal.  

In an effort to trick myself, and also to supplement my diet with the protein I was losing as a pseudo-vegetarian, I came up with a recipe for my own veggie burgers.  This was inspired by some organic dried beans and lentils I got in my first CSA box, and some onions and veggies that were going bad in my fridge.  This recipe can be made vegan very easily, and most of the veggies can be substituted for whatever you need to use up in your refrigerator.  It is not an exact science, so I encourage you to experiment to find the balance that you like.  However, I will say that the key flavor ingredients here are chickenless chicken broth, sracha (or a full head of garlic if you don’t like heat), and onions.  Don’t skimp on them.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup beans, soaked over night or 1 can organic beans (I prefer black beans, but they all really can work)
• 1 cup lentils
• 2 large onions, diced
• 2 tablespoon of concentrated chickenless chicken broth (vegetable broth will work)
• 2 tablespoons of Sracha, or to taste

(I wouldn’t substitute it for another hot sauce only because I like the spice combination and garlic that it adds, but you might want to)

• 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
• 1 cup corn

Optional Additions:

• Any other veggies you might want to use up (I sometimes throw in a handful of shredded carrots, frozen peas, or boiled potatoes that I’ve cut up into small pieces)
• Seasoned bread crumbs
• Mayonnaise/vegannaise or eggs for binding

If you are using dried beans and lentils, allot for a longer cooking time, and begin preparing the legumes overnight by soaking them in filtered water.  The beans take the longest, so start to cook them first in two cups of water, covered.  Check and stir the beans ever 15-20 minutes to make sure the water has not cooked off, and the beans on the bottom of the pot have started to burn.  This should take about 90 minutes to have the beans fully cooked.  When they are, add the lentils and two cups more of water and chickenless chicken broth.  

If you are using canned beans, simple put the entire can of beans, undrained, in a large pot with two cups of water and chickenless chicken broth.  Add the lentils immediately.  Heat on medium until the lentils have absorbed most of the water.

Take it off the heat, and set aside, covered.  

Start cooking your onion in a pan with some olive oil, and cook until the edges of the onion pieces are brown (about 20-30min).  Add the diced bell pepper, and other veggies, and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until all the veggies are soft.  Add to the lentil mixture, stir, and cook uncovered until the water has cooked off, and the beans and lentils start to break apart, like mashed potatoes.  The consistency should match that of a meatball mixture.  Add sracha, salt, pepper, and any other spices you feel like (sometimes I put in some curry).  Mix everything together, and taste.  Add more spice or seasonings to taste.  

Form two patties from this mixture and put the rest in containers to freeze for later (this is a great make-ahead recipe, and the mixture can be used for meatless meatballs, “neat”loaf, or as a substitute for any other meat dish).  Put a skillet coated with olive oil back on a burner set to high, and wait for the oil to get start to bubble, and brown your veggie patties on each side.  If you want to get fancy, you can coat the patties in breadcrumbs, which help give them a brown crunch on the outside.  

Put your patties on buns or pita, with your choice of toppings, and you’ve made a great, healthy, satisfying, socially responsible veggie burger.

Cooking Class Recipes {Part 1}

Hi friends! As promised, here are several of the recipes from our cooking class. I'm starting with the crostini, roasted carrots and arugula salad because they are so simple to make and definite crowd pleasers. I'm always pleasantly surprised at how people gravitate towards the veggies and the healthy options at parties, and in our cooking class, we couldn't stop eating these 3 dishes. These would be great for a dinner party or potluck, or just any old night of the week.

White Bean and Prosciutto Crostini with Sage

Serves 30

The crostini look beautiful served with a spring of thyme or sage.
Option to make them vegetarian by leaving out the prosciutto.

• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped plus 2 whole cloves

• ¾ cup finely diced prosciutto

• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

• 4 cans organic cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• Kosher salt

• 2 baguettes, sliced on the bias

• ¼ cup finely chopped sage (optional)

Directions:

Add small amount of olive oil, about ½ tablespoon to small frying pan.  Heat up oil.  

Add diced prosciutto and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the prosciutto looks crispy but not burned.  Remove from heat.  Drain prosciutto on paper towel and let cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the 3 smashed garlic cloves, prosciutto, crushed red pepper and 3 cans of beans.  Add ¼ cup of the extra virgin olive oil and puree until smooth.  If the mixture seems too thick add more olive oil; the mixture should be fairly loose.  Taste to see if it needs salt (it probably will).  Add the remaining can of drained and rinsed beans and puree just enough to combine.  The mixture will be a little chunky.  Taste again for salt. Remove from the food processor to a large bowl and reserve at room temperature.  The puree will be very creamy but with some small chunks to it.

Preheat a grill pan or large skillet over medium heat.  Grill the baguette slices on both sides on the grill pan.  When the bread looks slightly charred and is crispy, remove it from the pan and rub each crostini with the raw garlic cloves.

Top each toast with a big dollop of the bean puree and a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with sage (optional) on serving platters to serve.

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Roasted Carrots

Serves 6

• 12 - 18 carrots
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tbl minced fresh dill or flat-leaf italian parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise; if not, leave them whole.  Slice the carrots diagonally into 1 ½ inch-thick slices.  The carrots will get smaller while cooking, so make the slices big.

Toss them in a bowl with the extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet in one layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Toss the carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste and serve.

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Arugula Salad with Tomatoes and Peperoncini

Serves 4

The dressing for this salad is a staple for me. Make it for any of your favorite salads!

Salad:

• 2 cups Organic baby Arugula (Trader Joes)
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
• ¼ cup drained green peperoncini

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Whisk vinegar and oil in a bowl until emulsified.  Put arugula, tomatoes, peperoncini, and onion into another bowl. Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with dressing; toss to combine. 

*If you like Kalamata olives, you can add ½ cup of the olives (pitted) to the salad.

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Let me know if you make any of these & how they turn out! xo.

New York Recap

Hi friends! I'm sorry I've been so absent on the blog lately. I've been traveling a little, working a lot, and getting sick in between.

Anyway, I wanted to share some pics from my NYC trip. We stayed in Brooklyn, which is my new favorite place. It's NYC sans crowds, with the most charming neighborhoods and farm-to-table food. Perfection. We ate a lot, shopped flea markets and found heaven at an all-food market called Smorgasburg.

We only left for Broadway, and Newsies was the ultimate dream. If you get to the big apple soon, you MUST see it. I was geeking out like no one's business, and now I'm scheming up an excuse to get out and see it again. And get back to Brooklyn. Here are some of my insta pics:

The crew.

Best Coffee in Brooklyn.

Charming Brooklyn brownstone.

Ted & Honey for brunch.

Times Square.

Carrying the Banner.

Ange & I at Evita. Channeling my inner Eva Peron with sequins & red lips.

Delicious Colombian food at Smorgasburg.

Farm-to-popsicle pops at Smorgasburg. The strawberry rhubarb was divine.

Posing with our People's Pops.

Brooklyn treats: Mast Brothers Chocolate, candy colored rock sugar & Spoonable chili caramel.

Ending the weekend with a {delicious} bourbon & champagne drink.

Fridays are for MIHO

As if Fridays couldn't get any better already, MIHO has given me another reason to look forward to the end of the week.

MIHO gastrotruck is a farm-to-street food truck and the creators are passionate about bringing sustainable and affordable food to their community. Amen. Their menu changes each week and the food is amazing - some of the best food in San Diego. They change locations daily and Fridays that location is a couple blocks away from our office. Our entire staff is obsessed thanks to my colleague Lauranne, who introduced us to it and swears they have the best burger in San Diego. I think its a close second to Starlite's burger, but we've agreed to disagree, and so far, both #TeamMIHO and #TeamStarlite are keeping it civil.


MIHO Gastrotruck from FortyOneTwenty Inc. on Vimeo.

MIHO is generously giving us a discounted bulk lunch order today and I've never heard such an excited buzz around the whole office. I personally can't stop drooling and thinking about their lamb burger (you can see their weekly menu here).

What are your lunch time favorites? Have you discovered any food truck gems?

The Dirty Dozen: When to Buy Organic

Happy Wednesday! This is one of my first photoshop masterpieces above. Impressive, right?  Okay, its not perfect but I'm still learning.

I have lots to share today about when to buy organic produce, but I'm trying to keep it concise. I talked a couple weeks ago about how variety in your produce is so important. But if you are trying to introduce more fruits and veggies, it can be expensive - especially if you want to buy them organic.

Organic is a funny term, because the term itself is new but the method is old. It's how agriculture has been done for thousands of years. But for the sake of clarity, organic means that the food is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers or growth hormones, and organic is better because our bodies aren't meant to ingest hundreds of chemicals each day.

The term gets confusing because organic farming has now become industrialized, and small farms practicing the best farming methods cannot always afford to obtain the USDA organic label. So, as a consumer, it's incredibly confusing to navigate if organic asparagus from Peru is better than non-organic asparagus from a local farm.

Personally, I try to buy local and organic whenever possible. I'll have to write a later post on why small farms are the best to support, but for now, suffice it to say that farmers markets and CSAs are my best friend (CSA stands for "community supported agriculture" - a weekly box of produce from a local farm). With a CSA or co-op, you get a lot of bang for your buck - mine is $15 a week for a TON of food. CSAs also force you to eat seasonally and introduce variety into your diet. You can find ones in your area by going to http://www.localharvest.org/. I know, I should be a CSA salesperson.

But back to the point of knowing when to buy organic. The good news is that you don't have to splurge on everything. There is a spectrum of what produce is most important to buy organic and what you can get away with buying conventional.

Let me introduce you to the dirty dozen and the clean dozen. (coined by my adorable mom)

The Dirty Dozen are the items you should ONLY buy organic, because they are the most compromised by pesticides. These are:

Apples                              Celery                             Strawberries            Spinach
Peaches                           Nectarines                        Lettuce                   Potatoes               

Sweet Bell Peppers            Grapes (Imported)            Cherries                  Grapes

For example, the wax on an apple seals in all of the pesticides, so you can't wash those off. And according to the Environmental Working Group, celery tested positive for 57 pesticides. Fifty seven.

The Clean Dozen are the LEAST important to buy organic because they are the least comprised by pesticides. These are:

Onions                              Pineapples                         Asparagus                     Cabbage

Avocados                          Mangoes                           Kiwi Fruit                        Broccoli

Sweet Corn(frozen)            Sweet Peas (frozen)            Bananas                        Eggplant

You'll notice that most of these fruits and veggies have a protective peel or outer layer that protects the produce inside. These are the items are where you can save your money and safely buy conventionally grown. (These lists are taken from the book Anti-Cancer, but you can find a slightly different, more comprehensive list at www.foodnews.org.) 

Lastly, I do want to make a one more case for spending a little more money on local and organic food. I believe that the types of food we eat directly impact our health, and that the investments we make in our health now can save us money in the long run. According to Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, in 1960, we spent 17.5% of our monthly budget on food and only 5.2% on healthcare. Since then the numbers have flipped, and we spend 9.9% of our monthly budget on food and 16% on healthcare. So my motto is either pay the farmer now, or the doctor later. No offense, medical community. I still love you.

So whether you want to invest a little more in your food budget or not, I hope the dirty dozen helps you shop a little smarter - to save when you can and spend more where it really counts. Just remember to avoid anything on the dirty list unless its organic. Now go enjoy those fruits and veggies, friends. xo.