A Very Sunny Curry and Surprises

Enjoying the week off.  A couple weeks ago, having no time or preparation to deal with the unexpected hatching, I discovered a dark tiny speck about the size of a comma on our white cupboards.  When I went to brush it away, it hopped.  It was a baby grasshopper.  Then, in other parts of the house, about thirty more.  Apparently, eggs had been laid in the rosemary plant I had taken in and placed on top of the radiator.  The heat caused the nearly mature eggs to end their stasis in the cold and hopping things were everywhere!  After two failed attempts to create a place to hold them, where they either escaped to get stepped on or eaten by spiders, or stuck to the duct tape, or possibly suffocated, I got the survivors into a large plastic bin with a lid I cut slits rather than holes into.  I also cut a large window I stretched nylon over and taped in place to allow more air through.  In the bottom of the container is a small tupperware bottom with compost and bird seed that has started sprouting, topped with twigs and a pine cone for perching.  The grasshoppers have grown about 30% every week.  They are lighter now and have striped legs.  No wings yet.  I've watched them eating leaves and carrot peelings, grooming themselves, crawling up leaves and twigs, and eliminating waste.  They sometimes hang out together.  In the beginning, they were mostly on the ceiling.  Now they chill from various perches.  The seeds seem t be growing faster than the guys chew them, but we'll see if any adjustments need to be made.  So far, with habitat #3, everything is chill.

Christmas day a hawk landed in the tree just beyond my parents' deck.  I got some blurry pictures through the screen before it took off.  Tuesday we went to the Audubon with the kids.  Lots of finches.  I found some milkweed seeds.  Then it was the movies and mini golf.  I'm still fighting off cold #2 this month.  The sage/thyme tea helps, but the cough suppressant is key to getting any sleep at night.  I ran out, but we restocked this morning.  Managed to survive drive to and from NYC to take the fam to the Met.  Glad the kids enjoyed the sensory-overload of thousands-of-years old art in a museum the size of Newport.  Caricatures from DaVinci and Daumier, among others.  Seeing old favorites, like Chuck Close and Dali.  Visits from O'Keeffe.  Very exquisite Africa exhibit.  Saw lots of mythical beasts from my daughter's new board game, which I pointed out.  It was her who found the centaur figure in the glass case, however.  Lots of sphinx.  Even a siren.  It's a bird kind of week.

Hanging out today.  Made curry with buttercup squash and green apple.  It's a bright, orange touch to a wintery day.  For New Year's, I'll be making "Money Bags', or steamed dumplings with spinach, feta, and pine nuts.  I've made them many times, but I'm adding a new local twist.  I'll let you know how it turns out.   

Gluten-Free/Vegetarian Option

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A Very Sunny Curry

Taste of India

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Prep: 20 minutes  Cook: 30 minutes  Makes six servings

2 cups peeled, cubed buttercup squash

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 tsp. curry

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4-1/2 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 green apple, peeled and diced*

olive oil for cooking

yogurt for garnish (optional)

A different kind of stir-fry, this combines the spices of Asia with with sweetness of squash and bite of tart apple.  Cook rice.  Boil squash until tender, about 10 minutes, reserving liquid.  Sauté onion in 1 tbs. olive oil until translucent, stirring frequently to prevent browning.  Add squash, spices, raisins, and apple, stirring after each addition.  Add cooked rice and mix well over med/low heat.  If necessary, add reserved liquid to keep mixture from sticking to pan.  Serve with broiled chicken or lamb or as a dish in itself.  Top with plain yogurt, if desired.

* Wait to cut apple until last moment, or place pieces in cold water with a teaspoon of lemon juice to prevent browning.

Sacred Spuds

On the fifth day of Hanukkah, my true love fried for me a somewhat nutritious latke...

Let's face it, fried potatoes are not exactly healthy.  Or are they?  Potatoes, especially the skins, provide some vitamin A and calcium, but a whole lot of vitamin C, iron, and fiber.  There's also potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folate, pantothenic acid, choline, and betaine.  Some have called it the perfect food.  My recipe also includes carrots, onions, and buttermilk, providing more potassium and vitamin A as well as calcium from the milk.  You do need some fat to be able to absorb certain nutrients.  So while you shouldn't eat all your foods fried, it's the holidays.

Boxty is an Irish potato pancake gaining popularity in restaurants.  There are dozens of recipes for both boxty and latkes.  The commonality are the grated potatoes, which will fry much crisper by draining the starchy liquid.  I also grate them into cold water with lemon juice before draining to prevent discoloration.  Who wants a gray potato?

This diverse South American tuber certainly gets around!  Latkes symbolize the oil that lasted eight days when there was only enough for one day after the Macabees reclaimed and dedicated the temple.  In other countries they fry fish or chicken, but in Russia and the Ukraine the potato was more readily available.  Boxty (and its buttermilk) is sometimes served as part of St. Brigid's Day, February 1st or 2nd.  She is the patron saint (and pagan goddess) of the hearth, milk, butter, dairy animals, tools, and poetry.  So no matter your reasons, may they all be delicious!

Vegetarian/Vegan Option

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Boxty Latkes

Taste of Ireland Meets Jewish Russia

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Prep: 25 minutes  Cook: 30 minutes  Makes 28 four inch pancakes 

2 pounds organic Yukon Gold potatoes

1 medium organic onion, diced

1 organic carrot, grated

1 tsp. fresh ground coriander

1/2 tsp. each salt and white pepper

1 cup buttermilk (soy milk for vegan)

1 cup unbleached flour

lemon juice

1 tbs. butter or olive oil

oil for cooking

Did you know potatoes are full of vitamins, particularly the skins?  Cut up 3-4 scrubbed potatoes, leaving skins on.  Boil until tender, 10-15 minutes.  Meanwhile, saute onions and carrots in butter or olive oil until golden and set aside.  Grate 2-3 scrubbed potatoes into bowl with cold water and a splash of lemon juice to prevent discoloration, also leaving skins on.  Drain in colander, pressing down with masher and squeezing water out with hands just before adding to batter.  Mash drained boiled potatoes with buttermilk, vegetables,  and seasonings.  Stir in grated potato.  Add flour a little at a time, until absorbed.  Batter should be thick.  Heat 1/4” of oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Drop batter by spoonful, cooking 4 inch pancakes 2-3 minutes per side.  Drain on towels.  (Pancakes can be kept warm on a cookie tray in a 250ºF oven.)  Serve with butter, breakfast meats, sour cream, and/or apple sauce.

No Cupcakes Allowed!

Once again, I was stuck on a treat for my daughter's holiday party, where there can be no nuts, dairy, or, goodness, cupcakes!  For Halloween I adapted an idea for the graveyard from Family Fun Magazine.  This time, I though I'd make snow men from cucumbers, but the ones I purchased were not very white inside.  My spouse reminded me we had a tree-shaped pan, and my ideas for sculpting hummus into a tree shape instantly became easier.  Adding green food coloring, my frequent flyer hummus ingredients went into the Magic Bullet blend and got scooped into the pan.  I cut roasted red pepper strips for the garland and ornaments.  The mini cukes got sliced and inserted as well.  So if you're looking for a quick and pretty dish for that last holiday party, here it is:

Vegan

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Hummus

Taste of the Middle East

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15 oz. can of chick peas

5 tbs. lemon juice

3 tbs. tahini 

2 tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

While I can’t claim local ingredients for this recipe, making it yourself will result in less plastic in the landfill.  The can the chick peas come in is recyclable.  Lemon juice and olive oil are common staples in most American households.  You can find tahini in most markets today, usually with organic or ethnic foods, but the recipe can be made without it.  You can also mix in diced red pepper, garlic, or parsley.  Hummus is a good source of protein, iron, dietary fiber, and vitamin C.  

Drain and rinse chick peas.  Place all ingredients in blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Great with cucumbers, celery, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, pita chips, and more!  

Twas the Week Before Christmas...

Green Holiday

Twas the week before Christmas

and stashed into the house

was a pile of brown bags

and a second-hand blouse.

A brand-name, nearly brand new,

retailing for fifty, but I got it for two.

Now I will wrap it in style 

without adding my footprint:

I cut open the bags and 

take out sponges and tint.

While I cut out my stencils, 

using old cards with care,

I knew I my design would be

something so fun to tear.

Choosing red, silver, green trees–

Other designs would do too–

I’m not lost on irony,

Giving earth her true hue.

Hoping she enjoys my art,

and this gift will warm her heart.

Baked Brie:

Thaw puff pastry.  Place round brie in center.  Generously top with home-made cranberry chutney.  Wrap as shown.  Bake at 375ºF 35-40 minutes.

Cranberry Chutney (for canning and gifts)

6 half-pint jars

1 tsp. grated orange rind

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

1 bag (12 oz) cranberries 

   (I add an extra bag toward the end of cooking to make it chunkier)

1 1/4 cups finely chopped onion

1 1/4 cups chopped glace pineapple

(optional, I don't use)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp. peeled, grated, & finely

chopped ginger root

1 cup red wine vinegar (I use apple – same acidity)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup golden raisins

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup water

Combine orange rind, orange juice, cranberries, onion, pineapple, garlic, gingerroot and vinegar in a large pan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil gently, covered, until cranberries soften, about 15 minutes. Stir sugar, raisins, mustard, spices, and water into cranberry mixture. Boil gently, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 20 minutes. Mixture should be slightly runny and will thicken upon cooling.  Pour into sterilized jars, using 1/2 inch headspace. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Source:jschell@nettally.com at Home-Canning Online

Don’t be the 78%

…who don’t recycle water bottles.  That’s right, close to 78% of the 70 million water bottles used every day don’t get recycled.  Even when they are recycled, they are often made into cheaper plastics that go on to be used only one more time.  Perhaps they reincarnate as a playground, getting years of use.  Perhaps you’ll spot the ghost of one later as a plastic bag, stretched and torn in a tree as its petroleum composite slowly breaks down.  In the decade between 1997 and 2007, bottled water sales jumped from 13.4 gallons per person to 29.3 gallons per person (U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2009, June). Bottled Water: FDA Safety and Consumer Protections are Often Less Stringent than Comparable EPA Protections for Tap Water. Retrieved June 2010from http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09610.pdf_).  Add energy and transportation costs to the energy and materials used to make the product, and you have water where 90% of the cost went into production and marketing.

Better yet, invest in a reusable water bottle.  What water bottle is best?  Some tout stainless steel or aluminum, as they are cleaner and more sustainable than plastic.  There is concern a plastic bottle left in a hot car may leach BPAs, PCBs or other chemicals into the water.  Think also of where you are going to use it.  Will it fit in the cup holder?  The ceramic ones can be heated in the microwave but often have silicone lids that spill if you’re walking with them.  For me, who has to walk over a mile to the bus, a tight-fitting lid is key.  Plus, if I have access to a microwave, I have access to a cupboard to store a mug I can pour my beverage into to heat.  Then make sure you are using the water bottle, travel mug, or shopping bag.  Sometimes have to repeatedly tell a clerk I’ve brought my own bag or argue with baristas to fill my clean, reusable cup.  (Maybe the ceramic one looked too much like a disposable one.)  At the drive-thru, it’s even more difficult.  My solution has been to brew my coffee at home or work (I use a press pot).  Regarding the unbagging of my merchandise at department stores, I’m close to writing a letter to Target to train their cashiers better. 

It would be so much better just to have plastic bags banned, and some supermarkets have stopped carrying them.  Many stores also sell reusable bags, but cashiers continue to be in the habit of bagging in plastic without question.  Trying to ban bags and non-recyclable containers outright is difficult, as lobbyists will fight for the right of a business to pollute.  There were efforts to ban plastic bags in California , state-wide and town-by-town, with large resistance from corporations.  Meanwhile, the state spends $25 million collecting the bags for the landfill and 8.5 million cleaning them up from streets and highways (Clean Air Council. (2009, May). Why Plastic Bag Fees Work.).  Only 1% of bags even get recycled, the friendly boxes at the entrances of supermarkets being part of that.  And for the $4000 it costs to recycle one ton of bags, the resulting material is sold for barely $32 (Clean Air Council. (2009, May). Why Plastic Bag Fees Work.).  Why become a slave to such an inefficient system that only makes money for corporations?  Use a reusable bag.  Ireland has added a 15 cent surcharge to plastic bags, resulting in a drop to 27 bags used per person per year in 2008 as opposed to Britain’s 220 (Webster, B. (2010, January 18). Boris Johnson sets an Olympic goal for London to be Britain’s First Plastic Bag-Free City. The Times. Retrieved June 2010 from http://timesonline.co.uk).  And, they’re making money that could go into further improvements in waste management.  We need to treat where we live as an island, where nothing “goes away”.  Nantucket has done just that, mining its own landfill for raw materials and setting up a used merchandise store to keep yet more out of the little space they have.

The good news is some corporations are realizing they can appeal to consumers AND save money while helping the environment.  Beverage companies have reduced packaging 46% since 1990, despite 24% increased sales (American Beverage Association. (2010). “Packaging.” Environment. Retrieved June 2010, fromhttp://www.ameribev.org/environment/packaging/.).  However, if that decrease is from the smaller caps on water bottles, it’s barely a dent compared to eliminating water bottles altogether.  Think of all the trash generated by packaging in general.  Think of that when you pick out toys for those on your holiday list.  My daughter uses the wood crate with green lining her Melissa and Doug instruments came in as a corral for her horse figures.  Of course, let’s not forget sometimes the box is the most fun part.  At my school, students make robots out of the packaging I collect at home: rings from orange juice and half-and-half, plastic bubbles torn off cardboard backings, numerous tiny boxes…drink stirrers become axles for pasta wheels secured with a bit of Plasticene and the students race their working robot cars with bubble tops and strange parts before writing about what each part does.  Feel free to make your own robot, or some other fun or useful device with your trash at home.  I use a party platter tray (which I didn’t buy) as compartments in my junk drawer.  It may be the neatest place in the house!

You can also effect change with your wallet: only buy food and goods with little to no packaging.  It’s an over-all boycott of packaging that if enough people did, corporations would notice and respond.  Some companies now advertize they use less packaging.  (They’re also saving money.)  In the case of water bottles with smaller caps, you’ll be saving the money over buying the bottled stuff by investing in a Britta filter instead.  Perhaps your money will go into improving municipal water supplies…where there’s demand, there’s attention.  Most bottled water is just filtered tap water anyway.  And not all spring water is clean anymore.

More important: Don’t act alone.  What is the break room like where you work?  Is there recycling?  We have a number of people who make sure the right containers are being used, training the less inspired to recycle. Remember, people had to be trained to throw something away in the first place.  Make it easier for people to be more earth-friendly by providing the right tools for the job.  The average office worker uses about 500 disposable cups a year (http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html).  No wonder, when my one plate gets used by everyone, I hide my mug, and all the silverware I brought in has disappeared.…Sometimes people need to trip over the recycling bin before they use it.  Perhaps we need silverware with GPS.  We at the very least need longer-term solutions.  While I'm at it, you can recycle electronics FREE Saturday, Dec. 10th, at the Audubon Society in Bristol, RI.  For a full list of what they will accept, check here.

Just cleaning up the mess is not enough, when you haven’t corrected the behavior.  Every spring, my family cleans out the woods behind my house, mostly of water bottles and plastic bags.  There is one steel garbage can that is mostly ignored and no recycling bin.  At my dojo, we noticed the trash cans over-flowing with iced coffee and bottled water containers.  There is no recycling pick-up in that plaza.  (Consider also: 84% of residents of the northeast have curbside recyclables pick-up, while only 30% of southern residents do.  The south also has over 5 times as many landfills (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2009, November). Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States Detailed Tables and Figures for 2008. Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. Retrieved June, 2010 fromhttp://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008data.pdf).)  Solution: we got a large blue container, labeled it clearly, and released it into the wild.  People responded by using it.  We take it home once a week to put out with our own recyclables.  We even suggested our dojo sell a reusable water bottle.  When they offered it, we bought two.