Posts Tagged ‘ food ’

Homemade Granola

Packaged cereal has become a breakfast staple in America, but we gave it up long ago. In fact, we stopped buying cereal regularly long before I before I began this whole sustainable quest of mine, mostly because even after two (expensive) bowls full of cereal, my boys were hungry again by mid-morning. It just didn’t stick with them. Instead, I make homemade granola and I do it without a recipe. That means no measuring. Which means I can throw together a batch really quickly. Here’s how I do it: Oil the bottom of a large roasting pan to prevent sticking. Fill the pan to the halfway point with rolled oats. Add “extra” ingredients like puffed millet, chopped nuts, flaked coconut, or sesame seeds (whatever you have in the cupboard) so that the pan is about 3/4 full. Pour one-half to one cup of honey or maple syrup over the dry ingredients, stirring it in as you pour. Bake in an oven set between 300-350 (F) degrees. (The variable oven temperature allows you to cook the granola while you’ve got something else in the oven, making the most of your heat.) Stir every 10-15 minutes* for about an hour or...

Local Food Event: Taste of the Hawaiian Range

By Kris Bordessa

I did something kind of out of the ordinary this weekend. I went out to dinner. But this wasn’t just any dinner. It was the annual Taste of the Hawaiian Range, a Big Island food event that brings prominent chefs together with locally raised and produced food items. Thirty-five restaurants were on hand, each preparing an assigned cut of grass fed beef, mutton, or feral pig. It is a meat heavy event, this one. Attendees browse their way through booths, picking up small plates of a variety of dishes, giving them a chance to “dine” at some of Hawaii’s best restaurants. It was my first time attending, and I was wowed. The Hilton Waikoloa Village was packed with residents and visitors lining up to sample some of the island’s delicious fare. Our favorites included the ginger beef stew from Honolulu-based Umeke Market, the luscious feral pork tacos from Roy’s (topped with a sprinkle of what I think was a smoked salt), and the green papaya salad presented by the community college culinary students. There was lamb bacon, lilikoi-papaya sorbet, Kona coffee, goat sausage, island-grown blueberries, and ferments. The longest line, though? People waiting to sample the Rocky Mountain oysters. (I skipped...

Trick: Brown Bananas

By Kris Bordessa

If you’ve got overripe bananas but no time to whip up a batch of banana bread, stick them directly in the freezer. No need to peel them and put them in a plastic bag. When you’re ready to bake, put the frozen bananas – which will have turned an ugly dark brown – on a plate to thaw. Once thawed, simply cut off one end of the banana and squeeze the fruit out of the skin. The texture will be a bit runny but it’s perfect for blending into a batch of bread. No waste, no plastic. This post inspired by a conversation on the Attainable Sustainable Facebook page about the ridiculous concept of pre-peeled bananas. Yes, really.

Guest Post: Muffin Tin Snacks on the Go

By Kris Bordessa

My friend, Brette Sember, has a new cookbook out! In The Muffin Tin Cookbook, she shares recipes for appetizers, side dishes, entrees, and dessert — all made in muffin tins. Today, though, she’s here to talk snacks. Here’s Brette. ### My kids are in their teens now, but I swear I still have crumbs at the bottom of my purse from all the snacks I’ve packed over the years. I’m still hitting the pantry for portable snacks before picking up youngest from school and shuttling him to lessons, practice, meetings, and medical appointments. Easy on the go snacks are like gold in my kitchen. But I don’t want anything packaged, processed, or that is not “real” food. My solution is to cook snacks in my muffin tins. Yes, muffin tins. Not only do they allow you to make individually portioned snacks, but silicone muffin tin liners are non-stick, colorful, and reusable—the perfect way to transport snacks. Muffin tin cooking is a great way to get kids interested in cooking and eating healthy foods, too. They love choosing the liners, arranging food in the cups, and seeing the transformation when it comes out of the oven. There’s something about food that is...

Parents Need to Eat Too

By Kris Bordessa

One thing I hear – a lot – when I talk about living a more conscious lifestyle is that, yes, that’s all fine and good. Until you have kids. Babies have a way of interrupting things, don’t they? Less time for yourself, less time for tackling things like recycling or gardening or even cooking. Well, take heart. Debbie Koenig may not be able to help with your recycling or gardening or any of the myriad other chores that often go by the wayside when you are raising kids. But cooking? She’s got you covered. Her book, Parents Need To Eat Too is filled with healthy, easy to make recipes that just might prevent you from falling into the fast food trap. My kids are teens now and do much of their own cooking. I’m beyond the oh-my-gosh-when-will-I-ever-sleep stage. And yet, thumbing through the review copy that the publisher sent, I found a ton of recipes that I’d actually make. Zucchini and Spinach Risotto? Why, yes please! And the fact that the meals are so easy to pull together means I’ll have time to spend in the garden growing some of the ingredients. I’ve got my eye on a few...

Is that Banana Irradiated? Here’s How to Tell.

By Kris Bordessa

You know how you start out innocently on the internet and see something of interest so you click? And pretty soon you’ve disappeared down a rabbit hole and your dishes still need to be washed and laundry needs to be hung and you never planted those seeds? That’s how this started. I don’t recall how I came across this information, what prompted me to say, “Hey, wait a minute!” and dig a little deeper. I had no intention of writing about irradiated food but here I am. Will this make you more self-sufficient? Maybe in a roundabout way, if you decide that you’d just as soon avoid treated food. Maybe not. Maybe you don’t care if you’re eating irradiated food. Me? I want you to at least know what you’re putting in your mouth and have the opportunity to make a conscious decision. That benign looking graphic up there indicates that a food product has been irradiated. This FDA website says: FDA requires that irradiated foods bear the international symbol for irradiation. Look for the Radura symbol along with the statement “Treated with radiation” or “Treated by irradiation” on the food label. Bulk foods, such as fruits and vegetables,...

June Challenge – One Local Ingredient a Day

By Kris Bordessa

I’ve written about our goal of including at least one locally produced ingredient in each of our dinners. As farmers market season kicks off in the USA and gardens begin to offer up some produce, I invite you to commit to doing something similar. (If you’re in another part of the world, this may be a bit more difficult, but play along if you can – preserved foods from your garden count!) Our June challenge is to use one locally produced ingredient at least once a day – breakfast, lunch, or dinner. If you already include at least one local or home grown ingredient in your diet each day, push yourself further – aim for something local at every meal. Besides locally grown fruits and veggies, your ingredients might include pasture raised meats, eggs, local dairy products, honey, herb teas, baked goods, or fresh caught fish. Are you in?

Ten Tips for a Healthy, Sustainable Diet on a Budget

By Kris Bordessa

Over on the Attainable Sustainable Facebook page, I posted this video of Robyn O’Brien discussing America’s food system at TEDxAustin. It’s a very compelling video in which Ms. O’Brien offers a calm and concise look at the foods we’re feeding our families. For instance, did you know that genetically engineered corn is regulated by the EPA as an insecticide because it releases insecticides as it grows? Tortilla chips, anyone? After seeing the video, Sophia, one of my Facebook followers wrote: How can the average (poor) family of five eat on healthier food? I’m wanting to, but stumped. It’s a valid question. Learning about some of the atrocities in our supermarkets is the surest way to convince oneself that organic is the way to go. But organic food is expensive. It’s a sad day when food grown and prepared naturally is the alternative and not the norm, but that’s a whole ‘nother story. I live in a state that is notorious for its high food prices, so I’m all too aware just how costly it is to eat well on the cheap, but some of my tactics may work for you: Stop buying food products and start buying real food....

Choose Unbleached Flour

By Kris Bordessa

The difference between bleached and unbleached flour in the final product (and cost) is negligible, but by purchasing the unbleached version you will eliminate chemicals and toxins from your food and our environment. Using chlorine, bromates, and peroxides in processing our food seems crazy, doesn’t it? Especially when there is a better alternative sitting right next to the bleached flour on the store shelf.

An Unexpected Source for Canning Jars

By Kris Bordessa

If you’re planning to try your hand at preserving this summer, but still shopping the grocery store aisles until then, consider choosing products that come in glass canning jars. These jars have threads that will accommodate canning lids and rings so that rather than simply recycling the glass, the jars can be added to your collection. I have quite a few of these kinds of jars. The only drawback is that the labels leave a sticky residue, but that’s a small price to pay for being able to use the jar over and over again. Both Classico and Barilla pasta sauces come in canning-type jars (Classico has a few organic options, too) as do certain brands of fruits. I’m sure selection varies by region, but look for glass jars that have raised measurement markings on the outside.

Reader Favorites

Posts Tagged ‘ food ’

Homemade Granola

Local Food Event: Taste of the Hawaiian Range

Trick: Brown Bananas

Guest Post: Muffin Tin Snacks on the Go

Parents Need to Eat Too

Is that Banana Irradiated? Here’s How to Tell.

June Challenge – One Local Ingredient a Day

Ten Tips for a Healthy, Sustainable Diet on a Budget

Choose Unbleached Flour

An Unexpected Source for Canning Jars

Join Me!

e-book

Search the Site

Welcome

The Author