Papaya Salsa & more - Dinner a la Buying Club

Since getting all these goodies in our boxes least week, I have been making salsas, fruit platters and lovely salads all week long.

The other night I made a Papaya Mango Salsa to enjoy with the Mexican-Spiced ground Beef, Collard Chips, and fresh organic non-GMO Corn on the cob.

The papaya mango salsa was a big hit - we had a papaya that wasn't quite ripe but had a little mold spot so I cut that away and peeled the fruit, took out the seeds, and chopped it in strips. Then I added some other things. It was really delicious.

Papaya Mango Salsa:

• 1 unripe Papaya sliced
• 1 ripe sweet Mango cut into chunks
• 1 ripe Avocado cut into chunks
• 1 handful fresh cilantro chopped
• 1/4 of a Jalapeno chopped fine (seeds, ribs and all if you want it spicy!)
• 1 juice of a fresh Lime
• Sea Salt
  

We had that with some simple Mexican-inspired sauteed ground beef.

• 2 Cubanelle Peppers sliced
• 1/4 of a Jalapeno, with ribs and seeds if you want it spicy
  
• 1 onion sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon each: oregano, chili powder
• 1lb Grass-fed Bison or Ground Beef
  

Saute up the peppers, onion and garlic, add the tomato paste and spices cook a half minute more. Add the meat and saute until done.

These were locally grown Florida Cubanelle Peppers. They are normally long and pale green. I let mine go a couple days and one started turning red, as you can see.

They are crispy, juicy and mild tasting. Great chopped fresh for salad or in a sandwich, but their shape begs them to be stuffed! Today I just sliced them up and sauteed them into the dish.

Collard Chips were a nice crunchy side dish. We have made them before from Kale but never thought of Collards until someone at the school mentioned it to me so we gave it a go and they are wonderful and surprisingly not bitter at all.

• 1 bunch Collards washed, tough stem removed
• olive oil
• salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut Collards (or any other green) into chip pieces. Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in batches, each in a single uncrowded layer for 10 minutes. Turn once and cook another minute or so until crisp.

For dessert we enjoyed a sweet VERY juicy yellow watermelon, one of our favorite kinds of watermelon.

A fun meal thanks to the Buying Club goodies! Last week's box included:

• Strawberries
• Pineapple or Blood Oranges
• Fuji Apples
• Bananas
• Lemons
• Limes
• Florida Cantaloupe
• Florida Roma Tomatoes (most groups)
  
• Florida Collard Greens
• Florida Yellow Corn
• Florida Cubanelle Peppers
• Florida Jalapeno Peppers
• Romaine or Red Leaf Lettuce
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Scallions
• Hass Avocados
• Broccoli
• Baby Peeled Carrots
• Garnett Sweet Potato Yams

The Papaya and Yellow Watermelon were part of the extra fruit add-on to the regular buying club share in our group.

The club has certainly been a fun way for me to try new things and give old favorites a new recipe. It keeps our refrigerator colorful and fresh and we always have lovely healthy things to snack on during the day. I have appreciated the food, freshness, quality, and variety very much and hope those of you who are in our buying club or another one in your area, are also venturing outside your normal menu and enjoying yummy fresh seasonal organics too!

Mango Salsa & Wild White Pacific Salmon

This week's share from our buying club offered a bounty for Cinco de Mayo fun. I chopped up Avocados, Cilantro, Jalapenos, Scallions, a ripe Mango from the week before, and Tomatoes into this incredible salsa. A squeeze of fresh Lime juice and a shake of Alea Hawaiin Sea Salt and it was unbelievably fresh and tasty with a bite that kept us going back for more.

• 1 avocado, cut into chunks
  
• 1 handful of cilantro chopped
• 1 mango, cut into chunks
• 2 good size roma tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1/4 - 1/2 jalapeno, seeds, ribs and all because we like the heat, chopped very tiny
• 1-2 scallions chopped
• all the fresh juice of 1 lime
  

I used it to top Mahi-Mahi and Wild White Pacific Salmon which topped a green salad and Sweet Potato Hash made up of Chopped Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Red Bell Peppers from a couple weeks ago (a little wrinkly by now), an Onion, and some Jalapeno diced small.

• 2 medium sized Sweet Potatoes, chopped, grated or sliced in thin strips
• 1/4 - 1/2 Red Pepper, chopped
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1/4 Jalapeno, diced thin
• 1-2 Garlic cloves, chopped
  

Heat pan, add olive oil. Add sweet potatoes and cover. You'll want to turn it every couple minutes so the bottoms don't burn. When almost tender add onions, garlic, red bell pepper, jalapeno, and saute until onions are translucent and potatoes are done and getting brown. We have topped this with eggs for brunch last week and today topped the hash on one side and salad on the other with white wild pacific fish.

White salmon is a rare and delectable treat. It has a firm flesh and the flavor of Ivory or White salmon is more delicate than the Red Salmon. It is comparable to regular king salmon in omega 3s and less of a "fishy" taste from regular pink salmon.

Why White? The color variation is due to genetics. Salmon get their typical red or pink color from carotene in the food they eat (crustaceans such as shrimp and krill), but 1% of the salmon are genetically predisposed with an extra enzyme to process carotene rather than collect it. This can only occur in the wild so you can be assured your salmon is indeed "free range" when you buy Ivory or White Chinook Salmon.

Why Wild and not Farmed? Farmed sounds better, we are protecting the wild fish, right? But it's not that simple. When you hear farmed, think agri-business, think of those huge dairy and cattle farms and chicken pens where they sit on top of one another. Ah, it's getting clearer now.

Yes, the fish are raised in confined areas (cages or nets) in the ocean. "Ocean-raised" is another name for farmed fish so don't be fooled there. The fish do not have room to move and are treated much like conventional livestock on top of one another to maximize profit.

They don't get to use their muscles and really swim as they should. They are in close proximity to one another and therefore, like other animals raised in big agri-business, are prone to sickness. They are infested with sea lice (30,000 times more than normally occurring in the sea!)

If and when they get out, (and they DO get out - some by accident while others are let out on purpose to get rid of a sick population of fish easily) they mingle with the wild fish which in turn gets them sick. They infest the surrounding sea with disease and sea lice.

If they are not sick when they get out, the wreak havoc on the delicate ecosystem - they are super-fish that eat more than the regular wild salmon. The farmed fish are genetically engineered salmon and they are sadly taking over the environment.

Since they are in such close living quarters, like the beef and chickens on big conventional farms, they are routinely fed antibiotics. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org), over 68% of all seafood consumed in the United States is imported, and most of it is industrially produced. Most are farm-raised and have little oversight regarding antibiotic drug use. While the U.S. government has standards that should ban imports with high levels of antibiotics in seafood, there is essentially no enforcement.

Farmed salmon have more antibiotics administered by weight than any other form of livestock. Farmed salmon have significantly higher levels of PCBs, dioxin, and other cancer causing agents over wild salmon.

Farmed fish are fed coloring agents (no doubt petroleum-based) to give them that pinkish blush we are accustomed to seeing, otherwise they'd be a blah unappetizing grey.

Farmed fish are fed pellets and undoubtedly contain GMO and soy in the grind. Those pellets DO NOT get converted by the fish to make the powerful omega 3s for us like the wild salmon's regular food. Farm raised salmon doesn't have as high nutritional value. Omega 3s are an essential fatty acid that are most easily found in fatty fish like salmon and tuna. It can be found to a lesser extent in some seeds and nuts including walnuts, chia & flax seeds, but our bodies don't convert the foods into omega 3s the same way so the best source is fish.

We didn't even discuss flavor, there is absolutely no comparison. I always thought I hated salmon until I had real wild salmon. It is delicious.

Wild is the only sustainable approach to fishing as long as they are not using those nets that pick up everything from the ocean killing innocent fish that are destined for nothing more than to be tossed overboard. I choose Vital Choice brand because they sustainably harvest. Their fish are line caught by hand from the pristine Pacific waters. They explain that only two percent of the Alaskan Salmon are caught by line and all of their fish are line caught. Net fishing damages habitats making more species endangered.

Yes, it's more expensive, it's cheaper to throw in a net and catch some and kill a few other things. But then again, there is a lot more nutritional bang for your buck in a wild salmon so cheap is all relative. Our choice of what to buy and feed our loved ones impacts our lives, our future, and our planet so choose carefully and if you think it's too expensive, just eat less of it. Cheap is not food. Choose food not cheap.

Then there was that article in the NY Times about the farmed fish being sold as wild for more money. You are more likely to have wild salmon if it is frozen, unless you live on the Pacific coast, but here on the East coast, I only eat salmon that is fresh frozen on the boat the same day it is caught - it doesn't get any fresher. It is incumbent upon us as the consumers to choose a source we trust and understand the facts.

Farmed salmon are administered antibiotics, pesticides, synthetic coloring agents, growth hormones and GMOs. Wild Salmon is also much higher in heart and brain healthy Omega 3s and just taste so much better. In my mind, and I hope you agree, WILD fish is the only choice. And of the wild fish available, please learn which are safest (lowest in mercury, flourishing in a healthy habitat, and not over-fished) to make a sustainable choice for your table and our future. Check out the Seafood Selector by the Environmental Defense Fund and Seafood Watch by Monterey Bay Aquarium.

This is part of Food Renegade's FIGHT BACK FRIDAYS where people who are fighting back against the dominate food culture blog about our adventures in real food including:

• updates & stories about our Real Food journey,
• tips,
• recipes,
• anything we think others might find useful, helpful, encouraging, or inspiring.

Roast! (and I ain't talkin' Beef)

Sometimes the ugliest* fruit is the sweetest. Sometimes the simplest preparation of meals are the most delicious. And many times, the ugliest and simplest help make eating real food affordable and convenient.

Roasting is the easiest, simplest, quickest, and quite a tasty way to prepare vegetables. The method can be used on almost anything and it's pretty much the same:

1. Cut up veggie into equal sizes.
2. Drizzle on oil and toss to coat.
3. Sprinkle on grey salt or sea salt.
   
4. Lay it flat on a cookie sheet so they are not crowded.
5. Roast at 375F for 10 - 30 minutes until done, usually until they begin to brown.
   

Variations have to do with what vegetable, oil, and temperature.

• You can roast at a higher heat, 425F, for less time. I usually choose that method.
• You can toss in olive, coconut , walnut, macadamia nut, or sunflower oils. Don't use corn or soybean oil or another GMO oil.
• The big secret is not to overcrowd the pan, otherwise they will steam instead of roast.
• Choice of vegetable or mix of vegetables is the biggest change.

Roasting enriches the flavor and deepens the color. It offers variety into our weekly menu and can be done for any seasonal vegetable. It is quick and easy, nutritious and delicious, and comprises of 3 ingredients and some heat.

Here is a combination of Purple and Yellow Cauliflower florets pre- and post-roasting:

NOTE: Roasting does shrink them some AND they are so delicious everyone, including the kids, will eat more so roast more!

Try Roasting:

• Root Vegetables together - try a combination of Carrots, Turnips, Parsnips, Rutabaga, even some pieces of Fennel mixed in
• Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes - cut in similar shapes but try different ones like squares, frie cut, big beefsteak fries, rounds
  
• Cauliflower - see Cauli-power
• Broccoli
• Greens - take out the ribs and cut into equal sized "chips" and roast Kale or Collards. Check out this great blog with pictures and clear easy instructions and yes, even your kids will eat it!
• Asparagus, Brussels Sprouts, Green Beans, Cherry Tomatoes, just about any vegetable can be roasted.
  

The timing depends upon how big or small you cut them and how dense the vegetable is, so check it after 10 minutes, you are looking for the beginning of caramelization and browning on the vegetables. You may need to give them a turn with the spatula mid-way through. Enjoy your veggies - this method is quick and easy and very delicious.

This is part of the Simple & Nourishing Carnival on Keeping it Simple with meals.

* Sometimes the fruit that looks over the top is the sweetest and can be gotten for nothing since no one else wants it. Don't always judge a piece of produce by it's looks, like many things in life, it's what inside that counts.

See more:

• Eat Your Veggies
• Time Saving Kitchen Tips: The Healthy Pantry
  

Carrots, Chlorine, & Kids, Oh My!

The internet is great for sharing information. Unfortunately, it's equally great at sharing misinformation. And as we all know, a little information can be a dangerous thing.

Once again, the email about baby carrots is circulating. This says that it's from a farmer and gives some fancy labels explaining that baby carrots are "dipped in a solution of water and chlorine to preserve them (this is the same chlorine used in pools)." Some of the emails claim the carrots are not real and call them "practically plastic" and others say they are deformed carrot mutations and that is why they are cut up into baby carrots. Even better it goes on to say "You will notice that once you keep the carrots in your refrigerator for a few days, a white covering will form on the carrots. This is the chlorine which resurfaces. At what cost do we put our health at risk to have esthetically pleasing vegetables?" After reading that, how can we feed this to our precious kids?

I checked on snopes and there are some valid points and some clear non-truths. That is in addition to the spelling error for aesthetically. I also took this a step further contacted Bunny-Luv the maker of the organic baby carrots directly and learned:

1. The white residue is evidence of dehydration not chlorine.
   
   
2. Chlorine is not a preservative and cannot be used as a preservative, it has not preservative qualities.
   
   
3. Grimmway/Bunny-Luv uses the same amount of chlorine found in your regular drinking/tap water NOT the levels from a pool. So if you wash your food under your tap water, you are doing the same thing.
   
   
4. Baby carrots are NOT plastic or practically plastic or deformed carrots, they are big carrots cut to size.
   
   
5. Baby Carrots are not cut from mutant carrots, they are just created from regular larger carrots or the tops after processing carrots for other things like frozen or shredded carrots.

This was the response from Grimmway/Bunny-Luv:

"We do use chlorinated water in the processing of our carrots; HOWEVER, the amount of chlorine used is only 4ppm (parts per million) which is the same standard for household tap water. If you wash your vegetable under running water from your faucet, you are getting the same amount of chlorine we use.

Chlorine is not a preservative as it has no preservative qualities. It is used to kill any bacteria that may be present on the surface of the carrot. The dry white that can appear on carrots is not chlorine residue; it is simply evidence of dehydration. Cut and peel any carrot and allow it to sit for awhile and it will turn white. I hope this answers your question."

So baby carrots, at least organic ones, are safe to eat and are a good food to feed our children.

HOWEVER, it is true that Chlorine is a carcinogen. Chlorine is probably the most widely used toxic chemical. It is used in clothing, paper products, laundry bleach, cleaners and scouring pads. We use it to clean, we add it to our pools, we add it to our laundry to get our whitest whites.

Chlorine is readily absorbed through the skin and is toxic when inhaled. Chlorine Bleach, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Hypochlorite, and Sodium Hydroxide can irritate lungs, burn eyes, skin and internal organs (if swallowed). Chlorine can react with other chemicals, like ammonia, to damage lungs. In fact, it was used full strength as a weapon to destroy the lungs of soldiers in WWI.

Once Chlorine gets into our environment, it forms cancer-causing compounds. It is a "hazardous pollutant" according to the Clean Air Act and is on EPA's Right To Know List. It is the chemical most involved (tops the list for children) in poisonings, injuries and even death. Studies show a link between dioxins and cancer as well as reproductive problems, endocrine disruption, and a weakened immune system.

We should make the effort to eliminate it from our laundry, cleaning, and washing. We should also take steps to eliminate it from our showers (which are a toxic mix of chlorine heated next to vinyl shower curtains – a horrible combination - that's another post!)

We buy baby carrots because they are convenient. We can add them to soups and stews. They are an easy kid-friendly snack. They are great for dips and the crudites platter. They save us time from peeling and washing and therefore allow us to add a vegetable to our day easily, even on the go.

Baby carrots are a REAL FOOD made more convenient and much better than opening a bag of chips or pretzels. Please don't stop eating carrots. But do take steps to take chlorine out of your life where possible.

This is part of

Swine Flu & Produce from Mexico

We have been enjoying so many wonderful fruits and vegetables in our shares from the buying club over the last several weeks. When I shop for our buying club purchases, we do first go for local fruits and vegetables, so we get many Florida grown produce items including Florida tomatoes, zucchini, oranges, cucumbers, eggplant, cantaloupe, jalapenos, cubanelle peppers, strawberries, cabbage, kale, collards, corn, and more. But personally, I don't want to live on those things alone.

There are many other fruits and vegetables that don't grow here in Florida and we want to enjoy those too like apples, pears, pineapple (yeah, we can grow 'em here but ain't nothin' like a Costa Rican golden pineapple, c'mon now!), ataulfo mangos, potatoes, garlic, herbs, broccoli, cauliflower, yams, well you get the idea. For a more diverse menu we turn to Georgia, the Carolinas, California, New Zealand, and yes, even Mexico. Mexico together with New Mexico, Arizona and California are the best North American regions for growing consistently good quality fruits and vegetables and therefore the majority of farming is found there, both conventional and organic farms.

Recently in our buying club a few members had concerns about using produce from Mexico due to the swine flu. I want to assure you that there is absolutely no need for concern. There is no way we can get the swine flu from eating produce from Mexico. The fact is that the flu simply cannot be carried or transmitted by consuming produce grown in Mexico.

It's important to remember that most of those Mexican organic farms are American owned. The Mexican farms must meet the same NOP guidenlines as the farms here in the United States. Over the years, I have heard from people hesitant to purchase any food from Mexico based upon rumors they had heard about how things are grown. But we only choose farms that are certified organic. The organic certification in Mexico, like in the U.S. and elsewhere, is important. In addition, we choose Mexican farms with the additional third party PRIMUS certification which means that those farms must adhere to regulations that are far stricter than those of farmers here in the USA. We feel confident personally using and promoting Mexican organic produce and organic third party certified farms outside the U.S.; indeed we think it is essential to support organic farms period.

Of course, supporting a small local farmer is truly important and we do buy locally first. But when we cannot find local produce, we do choose organic over local conventional produce. With every purchase we support the organic industry. This includes smaller farmers and cooperatives outside the U.S., big farms in the U.S., and local farms making a difference by working in ecological harmony with our planet. Organic farming is one family, no matter that some are outside the United States, it's vitally important to support the organic mission. It's better for our future, the future of our planet, our health, our children, and our environment. As a friend of mine said recently "organic farms should not have borders."

When we choose to avoid Mexican organics, we are hurting a small community. When we choose to avoid Fair Trade products, we are hurting a family. These countries rely upon our purchases to support better schools, a stronger community, and even the simple things in life we take for granted like running water, schools for learning, and a clean, safe place to live. The result if we choose to avoid organics from Mexico is clear. If we do not support organic Mexican farms, they will close down. Yes this will have a direct impact on the people living in those communities working those farms, but let us not forget that this will impact us too. Fewer organic farms will exist to meet demand which will in turn cause prices to increase for us.

It's important to make conscious decisions for our planet and informed decisions for our life. Every single purchase we make impacts our life and the lives of loved ones with us, as well as the lives of others we don't see, and our planet. We choose organic for people, planet, and purpose.

Top picture courtesy cbcnews.ca