The Healthy Cooking Coach

What are you doing about your drinking water?

The water you dispense from your tap may be hazardous to your health. Thanks to modern waste disposal, faulty agricultural and industrial practices, and modern disinfection methods our drinking water may be more like poison than nectar. According to a report sponsored by Ralph Nader, more than 2,110 contaminants have been identified in the U.S. drinking water supplies, yet less than 100 are regulated by the EPA.

The chlorination conundrum
Heralded as one of the major disease preventing achievements of the 20th century, chlorination of public water supplies has eliminated water-borne diseases, such as typhoid fever, cholera and dysentery. It has also brought with it risks for a whole new set of diseases.

Once water is chlorinated, the chlorine combines with organic and non-organic pollutants to form more potent substances. When chlorine comes in contact with decaying vegetation, herbicides and pesticides, it forms new and more deadly, carcinogenic compounds including trihalomethanes (THMs) and other endocrine disrupters linked to hormonal, behavioral, reproductive, and developmental disorders, chronic fatigue, weakened reflexes, damage to the immune system, senility, lower IQs, cancer, atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke.

“Trihalomethanes are linked to more than 10,000 cases of urinary bladder and rectal cancer each year, according to an analysis of more than a dozen peer-reviewed, published, epidemiological studies (Morris, et. al. 1992). Other contaminants in America's tap water including pesticides, radioactivity, Giardia, E. Coli, and lead, take a certain but less easily quantified toll on the health of millions more Americans.”
Source: Environmental Working Group.
http://www.ewg.org/node/7655

“During 1994-1995, the most recent two-year period for which federal data are available, more than 45 million people drank water from public water supplies that failed to meet at least one, and often several, federal health standards. Not surprisingly, major outbreaks of waterborne disease continue long after Cryptosporidium in the drinking water of Milwaukee killed more than 100 people and made 400,000 seriously ill in 1993.

"More recently, outbreaks of waterborne disease have occurred elsewhere in the U.S., including a little publicized major outbreak in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1994. The most likely culprit, again, is Cryptosporidium.  But because the fecal-borne parasite is not regulated and is thus not routinely tested for by the local water utility or public health officials, it has been difficult to identify the specific water contaminant responsible for the outbreak.”Source: Environmental Working Group.

Is your tap water safe?
According to experts from the Centers for Disease Control, nearly one million people get sick each year from drinking water, and almost one thousand of these people die from it.Federal drinking water standards are weak, poorly enforced, and do not account for multiple contaminants in a single glass of water. They are set as if people are exposed to one contaminant at a time, which is not the case. Source: Environmental Working Group.

There are so many issues that need to be addressed. Bottom line: city and state governments don’t have the funding to clean up our water supply. But even your could exceed all state and federal regulations, the water could still become contaminated with lead, asbestos, trihalomethanes, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and other pollutants as it travels through miles of pipes to reach your home. For this reason, millions of people are looking for alternatives to drinking tap water.

Is bottled water any better?
Bottled water isn’t necessarily any better than tap water. “In fact, many times bottled water is tap water,” says Michael Blanding, an award-winning freelance writer for AlterNet.org. Roughly 40% of bottled water actually comes from municipal water supplies, not pristine springs. The industry is dominated by three companies, who together control more than half the market: Coca-Cola, which produces Dasani; Pepsi, which produces Aquafina; and Nestle, which produces several “local” brands, including Poland Spring, Arrowhead, Deer Park, Ozarka, and Calistoga. Both Coke and Pepsi exclusively use tap water for their sources; Nestle uses tap water in some brands.

Photo credit right: Wikipedia

According to a four-year scientific study conducted by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in which they tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of water, one-third of the waters tested contained levels of contamination that exceeded allowable limits, including synthetic organic chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic.

Bottled water is a largely unregulated industry. According to the NRDC, "Even when bottled waters are covered by the FDA's rules, they are subject to less rigorous testing and purity standards than those [that] apply to city tap water." For example, tap water is not allowed to contain any E. coli or fecal coliform, but bottled water is allowed some contamination.

The price of the illusion
According to some estimates, 100 billion dollars are spent worldwide on bottled water each year. The average U.S. citizen spends $400 a year on bottled water. Are you one of them? Do you keep your bottled water in your car? Did you stop to think about the extreme temperatures the bottles went through before you bought them? They're in the back of unrefrigerated trucks, warehouses, and loading docks. Do you leave the bottles in your car or garage? Those bottles releases toxic, cancer-causing plasticizers into the water. The more heat they are exposed to, the more chemicals leach into your water. A home drinking water filtration system paired with tainless steel water bottles represents a more ecological and economical solution.

Bottled water: an environmental disaster
Every second 1500 water bottles end up as garbage and 86% of them are never recycled. They end up in rivers, lakes, streams, landfills, and on beaches. They pollute water and destroy wildlife habitat. Manufacturing bottles to meet demand in the U.S. uses up more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel 100,000 cars per year. Worldwide approximately 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water every year. Less than 14% of these bottles are recycled. Those that are recycled are often shipped to China, using more oil. If the bottles are burned in waste disposal sites, as they frequently are, they release more carbon dioxide into the air. It's a lose, lose proposition.

A sustainable solution
The best solution is to invest in a reliable, durable, economical, independently certified point-of-use, home drinking water filtration system. That's what I did almost 25 years ago. I used a Multi Pure Drinking Water System to filter my water for cooking, drinking, ice, beverages, and feeding pets. I enjoy great tasting pure water, conveniently dispensed from my kitchen tap for pennies per gallon. I've shared this solution with friends, clients, colleagues, and cooking students for 24 years. You don’t have to own your own home to use one. Multi Pure makes counter top models for renters and under the counter models for home owners. The systems are independently certified by NSF International under standards 42 (for aesthetic effects) and stardard 53 (for health effects) to reduce one of the widest range of contaminants of concern to health. They come with an unconditional 90-day money back guarantee, 1 year warranty on all connectors, and a lifetime warranty on the housing.

Exploring your options
Pour through pitchers? Faucet mount filters? Reverse Osmosis? Distillation units? Solid carbon block? How do you compare the different technologies? How important is certification? What are the upfront costs? What does the system cost to maintain? Are the filters easy to change? Does the product come with a warranty? If so, how long does it last? What should you buy? What fits your needs?

If you’re ready to save money, ready to stop buying bottled water, lugging jugs, and drinking from plastic containers, if you want better, safer, cleaner water, I can help. Check out my distributor page here.

Contact me through the email link under my picture on the upper right hand corner of this blog. I would be happy to discuss the options and help you compare different systems. I’ll send you the Top 10 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Water Filtration Device. If you purchase a home drinking water filtration system through me I can offer you wholesale pricing and a special gift: 2 stainless steel water bottles with totes or a free shower filter. For more information, click here.

Photo Credits: Multi Pure Corporation

Picazzo’s Organic Italian Kitchen

When I heard Picazzo’s Italian Kitchen had changed their name to Picazzo’s Organic Italian Kitchen, I wanted to check it out, especially their gluten-free appetizers, entrees, and side dishes. Their menu and website expressed a commitment to sustainable principles and practices, including membership Slow Food Movement and Local First Arizona. They recycle, purchase recycled products, support the Sustainable Forest Institute, and advertise that 90% of their ingredients are organically grown.

I made two trips to the Tempe, AZ, Picazzos over a two week period, once for lunch, once for dinner, each with different dining companions to get different perspectives on the food, atmosphere, service, and value. Both people have logged in many more meals out than I have in restaurants around the country and the world and they’re both passionate, discerning diners who like fresh, real food (with as many organic and locally grown ingredients as possible).

Although Picazzo’s offers gluten-free pasta and bread, it was the pizza we were after. Heather has been there more times than she can count. I had been to their Scottsdale location four or five years ago for lunch; a couple times I had picked up their gluten-free dough to make pizza at home.

The first visit
On the first (recent) visit since they went green and organic, I met my friend, Heather. We sat indoors and shared a small spinach salad. It was just the right amount for two and had a wonderful mix of textures: a generous sprinkling of crunchy, toasted pine nuts nestled among crisp spinach leaves with sliced organic Roma tomatoes, thin slivers of red onion, creamy dollops of goat cheese (we had them use this in place of feta), enveloped in a creamy, smooth, slightly sweet organic balsamic dressing ($9.25).

Photos by Rachel Albert, copyright 2010©

Next we ordered one of their vegetarian, gluten-free pizzas, the Pesto and Artichoke Pizza on a gluten-free crust: a crispy crust covered with pesto, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, pine nuts, chevre (goat cheese) and fresh basil. Neither of us eat much dairy and when we do have it, we usually ask our server to substitute goat cheese. Since the pizza already came with goat cheese, we asked them to replace mozzarella with extra pesto. Our server offered us dairy-free soy cheese, but neither of eat much soy and we’re not fond of fake cheese so we passed on that. Our pizza (6 generous slices) came to $20.50.

We liked the slightly dense, rice and tapioca-based crust, the flavor of pesto, which was very mild, the scattering of artichoke heart wedges, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and basil, and the lightness of goat cheese. The crust was a bit crunchier around the edges than we would prefer, but still good. I think a lot of the flavors would have been obscured if it had been made with mozzarella. I thought the pizza was good, but not great. It was lacking something (maybe black olives?). We added more salt and black pepper. I didn’t get a photograph of the pizza; my camera broke before it arrived.

Our bill came to $33.52 before the tip, I pricier lunch than I"m accustomed to, but it was a splurge, and in this case, a business expense. Of the restaurants that offer GF pizza, Heather considers Picazzo’s the best in the Phoenix metro area. I prefer homemade GF pizza but I would go back.

Take two
For the dinner outing I took a fellow foodie with an extensive background in marketing strategies and plans, developing and launching new products, consumer research and packaging, a detail person I thought would be great at analyzing the menu, concepts, execution, and delivery. I wasn’t disappointed.

We sat outside on the comfortable, well decorated patio cooled by misters. We ordered a small Berry-licious Salad, described as a fresh blend of organic spring mixed greens and spinach, strawberries, (dry) French feta, crunchy glazed walnuts, and homemade organic berry-balsamic dressing topped with orange slices.

I was expecting a generous serving of berries; Richard was hoping for a light sprinkling. There were only two strawberries in the entire salad. We agreed that the salad needed more berries or a new name. I liked the crunch of the walnuts; they weren’t too sweet. We thought $9.75 was a lot for such simple and sparse ingredients. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t fabulous either. (Next time I would ask for goat cheese in place of feta.)

When Richard asked our server what the crust was made from he didn’t appear to know but answered something that we knew wasn't correct. We thought they needed to do a better job of training their wait staff. Richard’s take was this: “This is a destination restaurant, it has specific offerings that other restaurants don’t. If that’s your point of differentiation, you need to be an A+ at that. The part that the special needs customer is interested in, such as gluten free, is a part that everyone on the staff should be trained in. They should be able to accurately answer questions about the menu options and they shouldn’t hedge or give half answers. They should have a printout they can get from the kitchen that lists the ingredients in each dish and be able to serve people with special dietary needs.” For people with severe food allergies, incorrect answers could lead to serious health complications.

Our server offered us a sheet of paper with check boxes for ordering a custom pizza. We checked off the gluten-free crust, then marked off the toppings we wanted: tomato sauce, mushrooms, black olives, green onions, and chicken. We didn’t ask for nor did we check mark any of the cheeses. We expected only the toppings we asked for. When our pizza arrived covered in cheese, we were baffled and hugely disappointed. We didn’t order it that way. We were OK with a light sprinkling of cheese on our salad, but we wanted a cheese-less pizza for a variety of reasons.

Buyer’s remorse
I wish we’d sent the pizza back to have it remade without the cheese. After two and a half decades of avoiding fast food, conventional pizza, and many years of dairy-free dining, pizza slathered in cheese doesn't appeal to me or sit well with me. Turns out Richard would have liked to do the same. Unfortunately neither one of us took action when the pizza was delivered (we will next time...if the same situation arises). We ate the pizza and let our server know how surprised and disappointed we were at how it came. He said they put cheese on all the custom pizzas. If we’d only known!

We both thought the check list for ordering needed an overhaul. They had check marks for cheese and we specifically avoided checking them. I don’t think it makes sense to say “check off the topping YOU want on your pizza” and then add cheese automatically. 

Open to feedback
Our server brought us a comment card, which I filled out on the spot. The next week I called Picazzo’s corporate office to give some feedback and offer suggestions. The woman on the other end of the phone was gracious and open to what I had to say. I thanked her for being so receptive (not all restaurant staffers are open to hearing about customer disappointments, although I think they should be!) and she invited me to call anytime with comments. Very cool! That definitely makes me feel better about going back. I'll be much more careful about ordering and sending back anything that doesn't come as ordered. (Heather's had a few occasions where she specifically said, "no cheese" and her pizza came smothered in mozzarella. She immediately let them know and had them re-do her order and they brought her what she asked for.)

About the crust
Richard thought the crust tasted frozen. It was thin and it didn’t puff up. He’s from Chicago, so he knows pizza. We wondered if they received frozen dough and thawed it or if they used a dry mix. He wasn’t impressed. I would have liked a fluffier crust.  I know it's a challenge to create one without gluten, but I've done it. If you want to try GF pizza at home, try Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Mix. I haven't tried it; my friend Richard has.

About the price and the value
Richard thought the pizza was overpriced; $23.50 for a medium pizza with five toppings. I agreed, although if someone has celiac disease s/he would probably consider it a worthy expense, especially for a special occasion.

Richard wondered why the menu said that 90% of their ingredients are organic, yet we didn’t see the word “organic”  in front of many items. Did they figure 90% organic by weight?  That might be accurate if they sell a lot of pasta, pizza, and bread.

When I reread the take away menu at home, I noticed the words “natural and organic” on the “create your own pizza” check list above the column of cheese options. Above the vegetable, fruit, and nut topping list on the same check list, I noticed the words, “fresh and organic.”

When I called their corporate office I found out that they originally put the word “organic” in front of all of the organic ingredients and some of their customers complained that it looked too busy, so they decided to only put the word at the beginning of certain menu offerings. The woman I spoke with assured me that 90 to 95% of their ingredients were indeed organic, including most of the vegetables and all of their cheeses. Maybe they would be better off putting an asterisk next to the non-organic ingredients, since there are apparently fewer of them, with a notation at the bottom that says "Depending upon season and availability, these ingredients may be non-organic."

The service
On both visits we were greeted and seated promptly. Heather and I found the service on the slow side after that (lunch rush). She said it’s been hit or miss on her previous visits. Richard and I thought the salad came fairly quickly but the pizza was slow to arrive and it was harder to get our server’s attention once he set the pizza on our table (again it was busy, dinner rush). So you may want to allow extra time if you go during peak dining hours.

Have you been here to eat? What was your experience? Did you enjoy the food? How would you rate the food,  service, and value on a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the best? Do you know of other gluten-free pizza places you would recommend? Do you have a favorite gluten-free pizza crust recipe, mix, or packed crust? I'd love to hear from you.

Locations
Picazzos has locations in Casa Grande, Flagstaff, Lake Havasu, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Sedona, Surprise, Tempe, and Tucson. In June of 2010 they plan to open a new location in Phoenix in the Esplanade.

Coffee Alternatives

Have you cut back or given up coffee or do you want to? Do you miss the hearty flavor?
You might want to try herbal coffee alternatives made from roasted chicory and dandelion roots. You can use them to gradually reduce the amount of coffee you consume or enjoy them as a solo substitute for it.
   
The roots
Roasted chicory root has historically been used as a caffeine-free coffee extender. In the Deep South, roasted chicory root has been blended with coffee beans for decades to make French Market Coffee.

Roasted dandelion root also makes an excellent coffee substitute. Use of chicory and dandelion roots dates back to ancient Egypt. Herbalists have used the roots to detoxify the liver, remedy acne, age spots, anemia, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, jaundice, spleen problems, gout, gallstones, hepatitis, hypoglycemia, high blood pressure, loss of appetite (in the underweight), liver disorders, rheumatism, eczema, elevated cholesterol, and constipation. 
   
Bitter (but good)  medicine
In addition to a bitter flavor, roasted chicory and dandelion roots contain substances that increase the flow of bile, which is necessary for proper liver function and metabolism of fat and cholesterol, and help with detoxification. Herbalists have used these roots to eliminate a wide range of symptoms for centuries.

Herbal coffee alternatives
My favorite herbal coffee brews include Roasted Chicory & Dandelion Root Coffee (you’ll find a recipe in my book The Garden of Eating) and Teeccino (click here to order info and here for brewing tips). I’ve been enjoying these beverages for 20 years. They’re gluten free, have a strong, robust, bitter flavor that you can’t get from tea. They’re also caffeine-free.

A couple of years ago, my friend Mary told me about DandyBlend, a low-carb, instant herbal beverage with a scoffee-like flavor. Made from the water-soluble extracts of three roasted herb roots (dandelion, chicory and sugar beet) and two roasted grains (barley and rye), it has a slightly sweet taste from the fructose released from the breakdown of inulin, the starch found in the dandelion and chicory roots that’s released during roasting.

Mary liked the rich, smooth, robust flavor, the therapeutic properties of chicory and dandelion root, that the product is instant, and that it’s gluten-free. If you know anything about gluten-free diets you may be wondering how this product can claim to be free of detectable amounts of gluten if it contains barley and rye. Here’s what the company’s website Q & A section says:

DandyBlend is made from extracts of barley and rye, not from barley and rye themselves. The roasted grains are mixed with the roasted roots, ground up, and then the water-soluble components (nutrients, minerals, biologically active substances) are leached out of the mash by hot water, just like when you make tea. The liquid extract, which is collected at the bottom is then spray dried to make the powder that is sold as DandyBlend. Why no gluten? Gluten is not water soluble; it only dissolves in alcohol. Therefore, since no alcohol is used in the extracting process, all the gluten stays back in the mash (that’s discarded during the manufacturing process). Tests done by Eliza-Tek Laboratories confirm the absence of detectable gluten in DandyBlend.

DandyBlend
    * tastes similar coffee but contains no caffeine
    * has no acidity or strong bitterness
    * is sweetened with its own built-in fructose (from the roots)
    * contains all the goodness of dandelion and chicory roots
    * tastes great hot or iced
    * dissolves instantly in hot or cold water
    * may be used in any recipe that calls for instant coffee or espresso powder

How to use it
You can use DandyBlend to make a mild or strong cup. The company suggests mixing 
one level teaspoon of DandyBlend powder in 8-ounces of water to makes a delightful dandelion tea and 2 to 3 teaspoons for a more coffee or espresso-style flavor.

Does it contain any calories?
Each teaspoon of DandyBlend, which makes a very mild tea, contains a little more than 1 gram of carbohydrate and 5 calories. If you’re using it by the tablespoon, you’re getting 15 calories.

Each teaspoon of DandyBlend contains 630 milligrams of dandelion and chicory root extracts. The product is free of additives, preservatives, and artificial flavorings. Some people like to mix it with instant or regular coffee to reduce their caffeine consumption. Others drink it straight. I’ve only tried it on its own. The company has testimonials of people who have used it to wean themselves from coffee who reported that the transition was seamless–--no headaches, upset stomachs, jitters or other symptoms of withdrawal. It also comes in single serving packets.

My preference
I’m used to drinking very strongly brewed Roasted Chicory & Dandelion Root (herbal) Coffee or Teeccino made in a percolator, so I found I needed a tablespoon of DandyBlend in a cup of hot water to replicate the flavor I like. I usually add 2 to 4 tablespoons of full-fat unsweetened (canned) coconut milk and 4 to 6 drops of vanilla stevia liquid. I like it. I think it makes a great addition to any meal, especially first thing in the morning. You can pack it in a thermos. It also comes in single serving packets.

Dandy Blend will travel
If you want to take DandyBlend to drink in a restaurant, at work, when camping, or anywhere else, you can pack the powder in a tightly sealed container then mix it as needed. For an instant and portable alternative to milk, cream, or coconut milk, try powdered coconut milk. (You can order it here, here, and here.) You can buy clear or flavored stevia liquids in tiny travel size bottles or use quick dissolve stevia tablets for sweetening.

Other uses for DandyBlend
You can use DandyBlend to replace instant coffee or espresso powder in brownies, bars, cakes, chocolate sauces, and recipes for ice cream or ice cream alternatives. About a month ago, I used it in a Carob Ice Dream recipe and liked it.

What nutrients does DandyBlend contain?
According to tests done by Chemical Solutions Ltd., DandyBlend contains the following minerals on a per cup (of tea) basis (per teaspoon dry).

iMajor minerals in DandyBlend:
Potassium     22.2 mg
Sodium       3.2 mg
Phosphorus       2.8 mg
Magnesium       2.0 mg
Calcium       2.1 mg
Iron           0.9 mg
Aluminum     0.05 mg
Manganese     0.03 mg
       
Trace Minerals in DandyBlend:
Rubidium     12.0 mcg
Zinc           8.6 mcg
Barium       6.0 mcg
Boron           4.0 mcg
Copper       1.6 mcg
Strontium       2.0 mcg
Chromium       2.0 mcg
Titanium       2.0 mcg

Trace Minerals present but below measurable levels include: 
Lithium, Nickel, Germanium, Selenium, Zirconium, Molybdenum, Rhodium, Silver, Indium, Antimony, Cesium, Lanthanium, Prascodymium, Promethium, Europium, Beryllium, Scandium, Vanadium, Cobalt, Gailium, Arsenic, Strontium, Yitrium, Niobium, Ruthenium, Palladium, Cadmium, Tin, Tellurium, Cerium, Neodymium, Samarium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Holmium, Thulium, Lutetium, Tantalium, Iridium, Gold, Rhenium, Thallium, Bismuth, Uranium, Dysprosium, Erbium, Ytterbium, Hafnium, Tungsten, Osmium, Platinum, Mercury, Lead, and Thorium.

Source: Chemical Solutions, Ltd. Ian Milnes, President. 273 Mulberry Drive, Suite 9, Mechanicsburg, PA. 17050 phone 717.697.7536

The company’s creator, Dr. Peter Gail, has a Ph.D. in botany from Rutgers University. He was a professor at Cleveland State University for 16 years, then left the university to follow his dreams of helping others learn how to use plants for food and medicine. He came across DandyBlend in 1989 and became a distributor. Not long after, he became the sole distributor of this coffee substitute. 

Nature's Garden Delivered, week 3

I received my third trial box of organic produce from Nature's Garden Delivered (to my doorstop) last Thursday morning. My camera was broken and the new one I ordered wasn't due to arrive for several days. Luckily I was able to borrow a camera from a fellow foodie to take the pictures you see here.

Photo credit: Rachel Albert, copyright 2010

Here is what it contained:

• 3 Gala apples
• 1 pint of strawberries
• 1 cucumber
• 2 bunches of Siberian kale
• 4 Valencia oranges
• 1 bunch of red radishes
• 1 bunch of fresh beets with tops
• 1 bound bag of carrots
• 1 green leaf lettuce
• 3 D’anjou pears
• 3 Jersey sweet potatoes (yams)

Photo credit: Rachel Albert, copyright 2010

The produce was delicious. One of the pears was slightly blemished, but that happens with produce anywhere. The key is to use the blemished fruits first before the marred spots soften too much.

Here’s what I did with the contents of my box last week and into this week:

• Apple Apricot Compote (recipe in both The Garden of Eating and The Ice Dream Cookbook)
• Creamy Carrot Soup with Ginger (from The Garden of Eating)
• A salad (lettuce, grated radish, toasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil, lemon juice,  leftover meat)  
• Roasted beets (the picture did not come out well) 
• Sliced strawberries topped with raw coconut butter (my favorite way to eat strawberries)
• Kale with olives, olive oil, garlic, and sea salt (I boiled the greens whole in lightly salted water, plunged them in ice water, drained, squeezed, chopped and tossed them with the other ingredients, then served them at room temp)
• Roasted Silver Dollar Sweet Potatoes 

Photo credit: Rachel Albert, copyright 2010

Here’s what I plan to do with the remaining ingredients:

•   Make a green salad with pears, toasted pecans, the rest of the cucumber, and a tangy, fresh orange and mustard dressing
• Continue cutting the remaining oranges and eating them as is
• Poach the last two pears in ginger tea and maybe dried cherries top with raw coconut butter

As I noted in the previous post, I don't plan to  continue using the service at this time since I have to shop weekly anyway for the cooking classes, cooking parties, cooking demos, video taping, recipe development, and other activities I'm involved in  and my weekly produce needs vary widely. Shopping at the farmers' markets, supermarkets, and natural foods stores near me works best. However, I realize that some of you may find it more convenient to have produce delivered to your door. If you do, I suggest you give this service a fair try. You don't have to commit to a month or more of service. You can cancel at any time, so there's no risk in  signing up and seeing how it works for you.

Photo credits: Rachel Albert, copyright 2010

20% off your first order
If you’d like to try Nature’s Garden Delivered and you live in Arizona, tell them you read about it on my blog and you’ll receive 20% off your first order. Visit their website or call them: (480) 659-4290. If you live in Georgia or Ohio, you can click here and get info about delivery in these areas.
 
If you don't live in these areas, search for farmers’ markets and google CSA or Community Supported Agriculture and your locality. You can also look for co-op buying clubs in your area that include fresh produce.

Online Cooking Classes

I’ll admit it. I had a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea. When KC Miller, the owner and founder of SWIHA (Southwest Institute of Healing Arts), in Tempe, AZ, first mentioned the idea of taking my 5-week Whole Foods Cuisine I and II courses online, I dismissed the idea.

The picture on the right was made by one of my online Whole Foods Cuisine I students. It's the Parboiled Crudité Platter of Seasonal Vegetables with Cashew Dill Dip, (the recipe also works with macadamia or cashew macadamia nut butter).

I’ve coached people by phone, answering their cooking and nutrition questions, but I didn’t see how we could replicate the experience of the on ground cooking classes without a face to face format. Seeing, smelling, and tasting the food is what attracts people to a cooking class, right? 

The plan
When the director of dducation contacted me to set up a meeting with the curriculum developer, I knew they were serious. They’d already taken many of their courses online. The were going to do it with or without me…and I wanted to be in. I spoke with Kathy, the curriculum developer. She took the courses and learned what the students learned, watching from the position of a student and a curriculum designer. We discussed which recipes and techniques we thought the students would want to see on videos, the teaching points we wanted to emphasize with weekly study questions, how we could facilitate interaction between the students from a distance, and my role as a facilitator. In the process, Kathy and her entire family became fans of my recipes and cookbooks and shared them with their friends.

Roll em
We created a taping schedule for the videos utilizing their in house Video Producer and Media Specialist, Merry Lucero, and one of her colleagues, Ben Avechuco. Merry scouted for a kitchen we could use for taping and we settled on Classic Cooking Academy in the McDowell Mountain Ranch area. We set six dates for taping between December of 2009 and April of 2010. We had our last taping session on May 3rd.

Take two
I had so much fun using the clapperboard. You may have seen something similar on outtakes from movies where the director said “cut, cut!” or “take two,” noting the act or scene being re-shot. I recently learned what that board is so important.

A clapperboard is used to assist in the synchronizing of picture and sound; additionally, it is used to designate and mark particular scenes and takes. Merry uses it in editing to sync up the audio and video tracks on the tape from two different cameras.

The loud clang it makes produces a spike in the audio file that allows her to line up two tracks of tape shooting the same scene from different angles. You write on it with chalk, erase, then repeat as needed for different acts, scenes, and takes. In our case, Merry wrote the name of each recipe and the version we were taping.

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about clapperboards

Before taping each new recipe I had to say the name of the recipe than clap the two pieces of wood together loudly. If we had to tape a recipe in parts, for example, because we had to wait for it to finish cooking, the fruit gel wouldn’t release from the mold, I tripped over my words, broke into laughter, or I accidentally flipped a spoon, or spilled something, or  we had to stall taping until a garbage truck backed up to all the dumpsters in the strip mall, then I had to clap the board again when we resumed shooting.

For the first four days of video taping we didn’t have an actual clapperboard, so I had to loudly clap my hands at the start of each new video or segment to mark the audio and video files. By the fifth day of taping, we had an actual board, made by one of Merry’s friends or relatives.

You can see the clapper board above in the picture and YouTube video. Watch the video through to the end to see my blooper, when I put down the squash. There was a funnier scene taping the same recipe where I hit the end of a spatula with my hand and it flipped off the counter. I kept a straight face and kept going for maybe a minute, then broke into laughter and another one of me serving the pie, which was not as firm as I had intended. These scenes are not on the tape but I plan to post them on my blog with a few more bloopers this summer, after Merry gets caught up with editing for the classes. Here's the Vanilla Ice Dream (photo right) and Dark Chocolate Ice Dream (right below) that I made for the camera last week (recipe for Vanilla Ice Dream here and in my Ice Dream Cookbook).
Photo credits: Rachel Albert, 2009

I got so excited, like a little kid with a new toy, whenever it was time to clap the board. I actually wanted to take it home with me. I imagined how fun it would be if something didn’t go smoothly in my own life and I could just whip out the clapboard and say “Cut! Cut! Let’s take that scene again, this time with a little more_______ ” or “with less_______.” If someone said something harshly, I imagined clapping the board and saying, “Let’s take that scene again. Can you say that again, this time with a little more tenderness in your voice?” I know it’s just a fantasy but don’t we all have acts and scenes in our lives we wish we could do over? I would also like a magic wand but I don’t know who would make one that actually works!

Where are we now?
I’m now teaching my second online section of Whole Foods Cuisine I. I have eight students in this section. I had 9 students in the previous section. We plan to launch the first section of Whole Foods Cuisine II in June. Click here, here, or check SWIHAs website for details. Or call the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts at 480-994-9244.

Here are pictures of some of the dishes my recent crop of students made and emailed to the group along with their homework. I think they did a fabulous job of replicating the recipes after watching the cooking videos and reading through the recipes. They’re expressing a lot of enthusiasm about what they’re learning.

Honey Mustard Chicken and Blanched Crudite Platter of Seasonal Vegetables with Cashew-Dill Dip from The Garden of Eating

How does the online cooking class work?

Students are required to do weekly readings from The Garden of Eating: A Produce Dominated Diet & Cookbook (for Whole Foods Cuisine I) and from The Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Cream Alternatives with Gluten-Free Cookies, Compotes and Sauces (in Whole Foods Cuisine II). They are given DVDs that include videos of the recipes and techniques covered in the course. Interactions happen through a discussion board. Students also have the option of sending in some of their assignments as audio files.

Better Barbecue Sauce, photo right, also taken by one of my online cooking students

Each week the students must

• watch the recipe and technique videos that go with the week’s assignments
• answer two discussion questions
• make at least two recipes from the book and/or supplementary recipe packet
• write about their experiences making the recipes
• write about any “ah-ha moments” (successes they had integrating material from the class)
• write about at least one “uh, oh" moment (a challenge they faced integrating the course material and recommendations
• respond to at least two posts made by classmates on the discussion board for the course
• email photos of the recipes they make, if possible
• email cooking related questions; I respond to their questions and posts

Each week I read their posts on the discussion boards, email comments, answer questions, look at the food photos they submit, and grade their participation. It’s a very different format. So far we’ve had very positive feedback and students have found the course life changing (something I hear regularly in the on ground courses).

Click the links below to read more about the course objectives and curriculum and the kinds of recipes covered in Whole Foods Cuisine I and Whole Foods Cuisine II. If you have trouble with those links, check out the web site for Southwest Institute of Healing Arts or call them at (480) 994-9244. If you’d like to take the classes in person, you’ll see a schedule of upcoming dates (scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the dates). To find out about upcoming dates and fees for the online version of the classes, click here.

This is the Spicy Peanut Sauce from The Garden of Eating with a different blanched veggie tray, also taken by one of my online students

15 Tips to Reduce Your Dependence on Disposables

Did you know that the average person throws out at least his/her weight in packaging every month? Do you? Would you like the change that?

Do you use paper towels and napkins on a daily basis? Are you buying and consuming bottled water and bottled teas? Paper napkins? Disposable counter wipes? Plastic utensils and paper plates? Plastic food storage containers? Dryer sheets (aka fabric softener sheets)? Disposable menstrual products? Would you like to lighten your load? Generate less trash? Reduce air and water pollution? Preserve wildlife?

It’s not about guilt or sacrificing comfort
It’s about ecology and economy and how the two can work together. Sure you want to save the planet but you also want to save money, right? How would you like to save $200, $300 or even $500 a year while you reduce the amount of trash you contribute to landfils, the amount of water pollution, and the rate of habitat destruction on earth? What could you do with that money saved? How would you feel about the choices you're making?

It’s easier than think
What follows are suggestions excerpted from my book, The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook, supplemented with additional ideas. Follow these steps and you may find you have less trash to take out less often.

1. Replace disposable plates, cups, and bowls with glass, pottery, wood, and stainless steel products.

2. Replace disposable utensils with stainless steel, bamboo, and wood utensils. Note: For pack lunches and snacks you can use your regular flatware or buy wood or bamboo utensils like these.

3. For potlucks, picnics, pack lunches, and snacks away from home, pack food in Pyrex or Corningware glass dishes with lids, wide-mouth stainless steel thermos bottles, stainless steel food tins, real silverware. Check out these cool metal containers that come in a variety of shapes and sizes here , here, here, and here.

Note: Once sold only in Asian and Indian markets, you can now buy Tiffins online at amazon. I've used the round and square stainless steel food tins with lids for 25 years (and they are still in great shape). They’re lightweight and durable. They don’t absorb odors and they can go from the fridge to an insulated tote or frome the fridge into a toaster oven or the top of a stacking steamer basket.  You can here , here, here, and here.

 4. Use cloth napkins for meals at home and on the go. It’s so much classier, feels nicer against your skin, and requires no additional effort other than tossing them into the laundry basket every few days and washing once a week. (I don’t iron them.)

Note: I’ve probably saved hundreds of dollars by doing this over the past 20+ years. You can buy them inexpensively at thrift stores, garage, estate, and close-out sales. When they become too worn for your comfort, turn them into cleaning rags!

5. When hosting parties, potlucks, and celebrations, use your own cups, plates, bowls, utensils, and cloth napkins, borrow from a friend, or invite guests to bring additional dishware from home. Use disposables as a last resort.

6. If you must buy disposable cups and plates, purchase paper rather than Styrofoam products. Better yet look for biodegradable corn, cellulose, or potato-based products or items made from recycled material. Check out some of the  options here and here.   

7.  If you must buy disposable flatware, look for green products made from 100% recycled and/or biodegradable material. You may want to use them more than once before composting. Click here for some options. 

8. Use paper towels sparingly, infrequently, and only where necessary (e.g., to blot fish, poultry, or meat dry before seasoning and cooking). Use cloth dishtowels and rags to clean up spills and messes made by people and pets. Note: If you’re handy with a sewing machine, use the good parts of a soiled or torn tablecloth to make new napkins.

9. Buy unbleached and dioxin-free paper towels, tissues, and personal care products. You’ll be reducing the amount of chlorine released into the water supply (that injures and kills plants and animals) and reducing your exposure to cancer causing compounds.

10. If you’re a menstruating woman, invest in reusable cotton menstrual pads, natural sea sponge tampons, or a Divacup, Moon Cup, SheCup, or Instead Cup (reusable internal menstrual cups). I know it’s a taboo topic and I’m going to cover it anyway because I’ve been using these products for the past 20 years. At first balked at the idea, but I got over it! BTW: It was a man not a woman who suggested it to me because he thought it would make a difference!) I think it does! Thank you, Don! 

According to the author of the Chic Ecologist blog, a typical woman uses between 8,000 to 17,000 tampons in a lifetime,  which amounts to up to 300 pounds of feminine hygiene related products. While this makes up only about 0.5 percent of personal landfill waste, it still adds up. “In the U.S. alone an estimated 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are disposed of annually.” You have the environmental impact of the waste of the product, the packaging, and the cost of transportation and production. Even if you only use the alternative products 50 to 75% of the time, you can make a positive difference for the planet and save money.

11. Reheat leftovers in heat-proof bowls or stainless steel containers in a toaster oven or on top of a steamer basket rather than using plastic containers in a microwave oven. You can read more about this in my Ice Dream Cookbook.

12. Give up soda and other beverages sold in plastic bottles. Drink water filtered at home and pack homemade iced herbal teas. If you buy bottled juice, buy it in glass whenever possible. Replace plastic bottles with stainless steel thermos and water bottles. Consider investing in several bottles for each member of your household.

13. Invest in a solid carbon block home drinking water filtration system certified by NSF International to reduce the widest range of contaminants. Enjoy great tasting pure water for pennies per gallon conveniently dispensed from your kitchen tap. Note: You can stop the waste of hundreds of millions of water bottles annually and save money. It will only cost about $65 a year for for maintaining this system (buying a new filter annually) vs. buying $200 to $300 worth of bottled water. You'll reduce your consumption of fossil fuels, the amount of material you add to the landfills, and your exposure to harmful plasticizes that leach from plastic bottles into your drinking water.

For information on the water systems I’ve been using and distributing for more than 20 years, click here. You don't have to own your own home to filter your drinking water. Renters can use one of the counter top models; home owners can use under the counter models. Prices start at $225. I would be happy to walk you through the options.

14. Save and store foods in jars. Use jars from mustard, nut butter, tahini, salad dressing, etc., to store nuts, seeds, sauces, soups, stews, salad dressings, leftover meat and meat juices as well as dried fruits, grains, beans and other dry goods. You’ll find more tips for doing this in The Garden of Eating: A Produce Dominated Diet & Cookbook.

15. Invest in at a dozen cotton or canvas tote bags to use when shopping for food, office supplies, and other items.  Two or three bags won’t be enough. You’ll need a large collection and you’ll need to keep them in an easily accessible place. I keep a stack of them in my car at all times. After I’ve emptied the bags in the house, I store them in the kitchen, near the door, making it easy to spot them and return them to the car.

Do you have tips for reducing your dependence on disposable products and reducing the amount of garbage you generate and dispose of each week?

Nature’s Garden Delivers Again

I received my second box of organic produce from Nature's Garden Delivered (to my doorstop) last Thursday morning. Here is what it contained:

• 1 pound of carrots
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 bunch of red radishes
• 2 bunches of chard
• 1 bunch of red lettuce
• 1 bunch of spinach
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 3 jersey sweets (white sweet potatoes)
• 3 apples
• 3 Valencia oranges
• 1 small basket of strawberries

Photo credit: Rachel Albert, copyright 2010

Customizing my order
Once I received notification that my order was ready on line, I logged in, checked it out, and then requested substitutions (you can make up to three per week) for some of the ingredients. As I noted in the previous post about this delivery service, you can adjust the offerings to suit your tastes and preferences. You’re not stuck with foods you don’t like or don’t eat much of. Many people find that enrolling in a produce delivery service challenges them to try new foods and recipes and expand their repertoire. In my case, the substitutions have more to do with the trend in my diet that favors vegetables over fruits. I eat more vegetables (and usually leafy green or flowering veggies) at every meal and fruit maybe once or twice a day, whereas many people eat roughly the same amount of veggies and fruits or more fruits than veggies.

What did I do with the contents?
I steamed the asparagus (nothing fancy) and served half it with olive oil and sea salt as a side dish two days in a row. I steamed the chard on a couple of occasions and used it as a bed for beef short ribs and their pan juices.

Photo credit: Rachel Albert, copyright 2009

The Jersey Sweets  I baked whole and in their jackets in a 400 degree F oven (along with a pan of winter squash halves for an upcoming video shoot. The squash was used to show the various stages of making my Squash Pudding Pie. I served the baked sweet potatoes a few days in a row, warmed in their jackets in a toaster oven, then peeled and mashed with grass-fed butter, ginger juice, and sea salt. Really delicious.

I had an all-day video shoot, the third in a series, for the upcoming Whole Foods Cuisine II Online for SWIHA (Southwest Institute of Healing Arts). This particular day of taping focused on desserts, so I purchased a rotisserie chicken and gluten-free brown rice crackers, tucked a couple of jars of nut butter dip leftover from a cooking class a few days before, and packed the lettuce, cucumber, radishes, and a few of the carrots, along with some homemade Lemonette Dressing, so my assistants and I could make a salad for lunch to feed the crew. (Photo right). The remaining carrots I blanched with broccoli (purchased from a supermarket).

Photo credit: Rachel Albert, copyright 2010

The spinach…is looking ragged a week later (still in the fridge). I plan to sauté or blanch it today. With leftover cooked veggies from another class to eat up, I neglected to use it promptly.

The oranges I sliced and ate at the end of a few meals. The apples I ate, sharing one with a neighbor's daughter who often comes knocking on my door to see (and pet) my cats, ask if she can cook with me (she wants to pretend we're doing a cooking show!), and if she can have some of the fruit she always sees in a bowl on the counter. The strawberries, the best I’ve had all season, I sliced and served with a sprinkling of Swerve, a zero calorie, zero carb, powdered-sugar like version of erythritol that I've been experimenting with.

Camera failure
I didn’t take more pictures of the dishes I made because all week my camera was struggling (and usually failing) to focus. On the day of the video shoot, most of the still shots I took were a total blur. Yesterday, at a restaurant where a friend and I were working on a restaurant review, it not only failed to focus 9 out of 10 shots but the lens froze and wouldn’t retract. I haven’t decided  which camera to replace it with and whether to order online or pick it up locally. My new veggie box (week 3) arrived this morning. I may see if I can borrow a friend’s camera to get a few shots.

The verdict
So far I’ve been very pleased with the produce deliveries from Nature’s Garden Delivered. I enjoyed the convenience of having veggies arrive on my doorstep three weeks in a row. I still had to shop for produce each week because of the amount of produce I eat (I could have paid extra to add more items to my box but didn’t because I wanted to see how I would do with their small box). I don’t plan to subscribe for ongoing service for several reasons:

1) I need two shop for produce at least twice a week anyway for cooking classes, cooking parties, and/or cooking demos; 2) What I have leftover from these events (to eat myself) and what I need to fill in varies widely; 3) I often cook foods in batches and need large amounts of single items (e.g., 3 1/2 pounds of apple for a single batch of apple compote, 6 pears for a batch of Poached pears, 2 pounds of sweet potatoes for a single batch of Silver Dollar Sweet Potatoes, etc) that I would have to special order and pay extra for a lot of ingredients if I relied entirely on a delivery service.

Given my needs, it works best for me to shop at the farmers’ markets and supermarkets in my area.  However, I’m glad I tried it out because now I can share my experience with people who are looking for this kind of service. I highly recommend this company for the quality produce and service they offer. This service would make a great gift for a busy, health-conscious family member or friend who aspires to eat more vegetables and fruits but can’t make it to the farmers’ markets and doesn’t have time to scan the weekly ad flyers for produce specials at supermarkets.

20% off your first order
If you’d like to try Nature’s Garden Delivered and you live in Arizona, tell them you read about it on my blog and you’ll receive 20% off your first order. When you sign up, please type my name in the "how did you hear about us section" on their website.Visit their website: www.naturesgardendelivered.com or call them at (480) 659-4290. For every two people you refer who sign up for service, you'll receive a free box of produce.

If you live in Georgia or Ohio, you can click here and get info about delivery in these areas.

If you don't live in any of these areas, search for farmers’ markets in your area and also google CSA or Community Supported Agriculture and your locality. You can also look for co-op buying clubs in your area that include fresh produce. This is becoming more common.