November 9th, 2009 by Val
I love cranberries yet I (and most Americans) only seem to eat them during the holiday season. Why is that? Perhaps it’s that the cranberry is undervalued in terms of its versatility. Perhaps it’s that most folks have only had it in the jellied form – or as a juice. We were having a discussion of cranberries over coffee one morning here at Greenfeet HQ and decided the lowly cranberry needed to improve its street cred.
We know our friends are up for a good challenge so we called out on Greenfeet’s Facebook fan page and through Twitter for your best cranberry recipes – the winner to receive a prize package from Greenfeet. You didn’t disappoint. We had some great recipes and ideas coming at us from all angles. The winning recipe is posted below.
I have an amazing recipe for cranberries and orange I’ll post a bit later in the holiday season. It’s worth looking out for. But, in the meantime, I’d really encourage you to consider all the different ways you can utilize this seasonal fruit. Consider cranberry upside down cake, cranberry-tini’s, cranberry chicken salad (YUM!), cranberry quick bread, oh shall I continue? Ok- Throw some dried cranberries in your spinach salad, or add a few to your cookies. Integrating these little beauties into your diet is easier than you think. Speaking of beauties, cranberries are the divas of the berry world.
I mean did you know the cranberry is one of only three berries native to North America that are grown commercially? Yep. And they’re a festidious little berry. They only grow in certain conditions according to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association. Optimum conditions include acid peat soil, plenty of fresh water, sand and a growing season stretching from April to November, including a dormancy period in the winter months providing an extended chilling period, necessary to mature fruiting buds. Hmmm, I could use a ‘chilling’ period for a few months a year myself. I think crannies know what they’re doing.
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Tags: cranberries, cranberry pork roast, cranberry recipe, health benefits, healthy diet, lower cholesterol
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September 20th, 2009 by Val
This recipe is courtesy of Greenfeet Marketing Assistant Tia Newby. Now, this apparently comes from her sister but either way, they are easy to make and tasty. If you have any additions or a recipe of your own to share, please add them in the comment section.
Handmade flour tortillas
3 cups flour (we recommend Organic. Bob’s Red Mill is a great brand)
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
6 tablespoons of vegetable shortening (yes you can use lard but veggie shortening is healthier!)
1 1/4 cups warm water
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Add 6 Tablespoons of vegetable shortening to the dry ingredients. Use a fork to mix together (or, you can dig in and use your hands like Grandma!)
Mix in the warm water. You can use the fork, but we find it’s best to use your flour dusted hands. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes then separate the dough into about 12 small balls.
Set aside for about 10 minutes.
Heat your griddle with a spray of cooking oil.
Either use a rolling pin to roll out tortillas on a floured surface or break out your easy to use tortilla press from Greenfeet and knock ‘em out lickety split!
Place your homemade flour tortillas on the grill for just a bit (usually less than a minute) on each side and fill with your favorite recipes! Enjoy!
Tags: flour tortilla recipe, homemade tortilla, organic flour tortillas
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September 20th, 2009 by Val
I love tortillas. They’re a staple in my family’s pantry because they’re inexpensive, portable and a great way to use up leftovers. I mean have you ever had a warm tortilla filled with leftover heated mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms and a sprinkling of blue cheese? Its heaven deliciously wrapped up. A few months back I was reading an article on making your own tortillas. It intrigued me. I also discovered that tortillas are healthier than I thought. Here are some interesting statistics from the Tortilla Industry Association: Flour Tortillas:
- Are a low-fat food.
- Contain iron & other B vitamins.
- A flour tortilla averages 115 calories and 2-3 grams of fat per serving.
Corn Tortillas:
- Are a low-fat, low-sodium food.
- Contain calcium, potassium and fiber. I recommend organic corn masa whenever possible.
- A corn tortilla averages 60 calories with 1 gram of fat per serving.
- Corn is gluten-free. This makes for a great alternative to bread for those with gluten allergies.
After seeing how easy they are to make and that they wouldn’t kill my daily calorie count I figured I needed to own one. I waved my magical purchasing wand and Wa-lah! We are now carrying a quality tortilla press at Greenfeet.com.
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Tags: corn tortilla, flour tortilla, homemade mexican tortillas, tortilla, tortilla press
Posted in Green Living | 3 Comments »
September 3rd, 2009 by Val
I recently read in our local weekly that a new Community Garden has started here in Chico. I mentioned it to a friend of mine who I figured would be excited about such a development. Instead, she looked at me quizzically and asked “what’s a community garden?” Apparently, I had some explaining to do.
A community garden is simply a piece of land gardened by a group of people to grow vegetables, flowers, trees, etc. It can be anywhere – a vacant lot, school, or church grounds. It may be in the middle of nowhere or smack dab in the middle of an urban hub. A community garden is a glorious thing bringing both people and food together. It’s an opportunity for folks without proper gardening space to enjoy the pleasure of home grown food. According to CommunityGarden.org there’s a lot to love about community gardens. Here are a few benefits a community garden offers:
- Improves the quality of life for people in the garden
- Provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development
- Stimulates social interaction
- Encourages self-reliance
- Beautifies neighborhoods
- Produces nutritious food
- Reduces family food budgets
- Conserves resources
- Creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education
- Reduces crime
- Preserves green space
- Creates income opportunities and economic development
- Reduces city heat from streets and parking lots
- Provides opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections
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July 20th, 2009 by Val
I’m in the middle of reading Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I’ve enjoyed many of Barbara’s books over the years and find myself engrossed in this one. If you’re a foodie, care where your food comes from and have a hankering to grow your own veggies, this is the book for you. If you don’t, well you should read it anyway. It’s really that good.
Now, Barbara’s daughter Camille loves to cook and she shares some really tasty recipes in the book using food they’ve either grown, raised or purchased locally. This particular recipe for Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies was one I had to try and try right now. See, my CSA is overflowing with zucchini. I love it, but everyone in my family is getting a bit tired of it. So, I’m working to come up with creative ways to use it. Zucchini bread is a fave – I bake and freeze for mid-winter goodness. But zucchini chocolate chip cookies? Really?
I was curious enough (and craving chocolate enough) to deal with a hot kitchen (it was 103 outside) to find out what they tasted like. With only basic ingredients, this easy to make recipe is located on the website Animalvegetablemiracle.org where you’ll find all the recipes in the book. It’s in a pdf format so be sure you’ve downloaded Acrobat reader (it’s free).
The results were fabulous. Granted, they’re not Toll House, however they are tasty. You don’t taste the zucchini at all making it perfect for veggie-aphobia kids. My 11 year old and his friend gave them a thumbs up and grabbed a handful on their way out to play. My husband mentioned they were light and cakey and smiled as he gobbled a few more. Excellent! This is the sort of recipe that you can sneak in a bit of nutrition and everyone is happy.
Tip: if you have super persnickety kids who don’t like anything ‘green’, simply grate or chope your zucchini super fine. They’ll never know it’s in there.
Try it and let me know what you think. Oh, and if you have any creative ways to use zucchini, please post it here. My family thanks you.
PS. Like the recycled glass salad/dessert plate featured in the picture? It’s available at Greenfeet and is totally affordable!
Tags: animal vegetable miracle, barbara kingsolver, chocolate chip cookies, cookie recipes, green living, sustainability, zucchini
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