The Red, White, and Green

I’ve noticed that I have an easier time whipping up vegetarian recipes (for Meatless Monday and the rest of the week) when I have time to visit my beloved farmers market and stock up on fresh, local fruits and veggies. Part of the reason is that I tend to overbuy a bit when I’m there, since everything is so mouthwateringly beautiful (and reasonable!); and once my fridge is packed with produce, I feel compelled to not let any of it go to waste. (After, all I’ve met the farmers face-to-face who’ve worked so hard to feed me!)

Turns out I’m not the only American with a fondness for the farmers market: There are now 6,132 farmers markets nationwide — a 16 percent increase since last year, and an incredible 114 percent increase over the past 10 years. This, according to the Department of Agriculture‘s newly updated National Farmers Market Directory.

The region with the most growth? The Midwest, which saw states like Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio increase offerings by up to 77 percent.

Not surprisingly, the Golden State still leads the pack, with 580 farmers markets; rounding out the top 10 are New York (461), Illinois (286), Michigan (271), Iowa (229), Massachusetts (227), Ohio (213), Wisconsin (204), Pennsylvania (203), and North Carolina (182).

It may seem surprising to see a surge of farmers markets in a bad economy, but I say these results blast the bias that shopping for local (and even organic) food is somehow a privilege reserved for those with a big enough paycheck for Whole Foods.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Click here to find a farmers market near you.

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Meatless Monday sounds like a pretty simple lifestyle change: One day a week, swap out the meat in your diet for healthier, plant-based foods. But what if you live in an area without any access to plants (i.e., fruits and vegetables)?

It seems inconceivable in a land of plenty like the US, where 40 percent of all food is thrown out, but an estimated 23 million Americans live in areas known as food deserts — that is, places with little or no access to food beyond what can be purchased on a Dollar Menu. Forget the farmers market; these neighborhoods don’t even have a supermarket.

So how can people in these places (who are usually lacking a Whole Foods budget) start eating more fresh produce?

Have them grow their own, says New York City–based organization Adopt-A-Farmbox, which builds and donates planter boxes made from 100 percent recycled materials — complete with organic soil and seeds — to local schools and community institutions so they can start their own urban farming projects.

The inspiring initiative is already collaborating with several schools in Manhattan and the boroughs (including Children’s Workshop School, Brooklyn Brownstone School, and the Garden School in Queens), but needs your help to break the cycle of diabetes and obesity for the approximately 3 million New Yorkers living in food deserts. Click here to donate.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Ayogist

I know, I know — it’s a bit odd to be posting about burgers on Meatless Monday. But let’s be realistic: The whole reason you’ve likely embraced the MM movement is because you are, in fact, a meat eater on the other days of the week. So let’s talk about something that doesn’t get addressed often enough in the whole vegetarians vs. meat-eaters debate, and that is what kind of meat you should be eating when you’re not sucking down sprouts and tofu.

And that, my friends, is grass-fed. As in the grass-fed sliders served at Los Angeles’ food truck sensation the Patty Wagon. Why grass-fed?

• No fossil fuels, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers. Grazing cows eat grass; factory-farm fed livestock are fed corn that comes at a cost of about 1.2 gallons of oil per bushel.
• It’s good for the land. Managed grazing returns vital nutrients (via the cows’ natural fertilizer) to the soil, helping to reduce erosion and fight water pollution.
• It’s healthier. Grass-fed beef has significantly less saturated fat than the factory-farmed version, not to mention higher amounts of the heart-healthy stuff like beta carotene, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids.

And let’s not forget about taste. While Americans have become accustomed to the heavily marbled taste of corn-fed beef, a lot of carnivorous connoisseurs actually prefer the leaner taste of grass-fed. Do these Patty Wagon sliders look any less scrumptious than a fast-food burger?

Photo via Flickr: Nomsnotbombs

Not all of you have access to the Patty Wagon (sucks to be you!), so to find out where to get your grass-fed beef and other meatless animal products (eggs and dairy also come in grass-fed varieties), check out Eatwild.com. And remember: Grass-fed food costs more than factory farmed, but by splurging only on the good stuff, you won’t be able to eat meat every day — which is the way it should be.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Steve Snodgrass

The comments have been tallied after my Eco Etiquette column last week that questioned the safety of Gulf seafood, and quite frankly, I’m shocked: I was fully expecting readers to criticize my hesitancy to support our fishermen in their time of need. I was even bracing for the U-Word.

But lo and behold — and I don’t think this has ever happened on a HuffPost comments board — all 66 commenters (save one) were in agreement: No one thinks that Gulf seafood is safe. You guys wouldn’t touch the stuff with a 10-foot fishing pole.

A few impassioned opinions from the board:

Serve it to BP execs and regulators first to see if it’s really OK. –farmilyman

A few years ago we were at a restaurant advertising fresh salmon from Alaska, flown in to the restaurant. The only problem was that it was not salmon season and there was no fresh salmon to be had, even in Alaska…I suspect the same thing will happen with Gulf seafood: Restaurants will lie to keep people eating at their establishments. Our hearts go out to these folks as they work hard in the fishing industry, but my health comes first.  –copperqueen

Sure, let’s eat the rest that’s not already dead, right? –Siebenstein

If there was another point of consensus, it’s that the possibility of dispersant contamination is truly troublesome. I think this is a founded fear: The FDA spokesperson I consulted while researching the article disclosed that although professional seafood sniffers are trained to detect a mixture of dispersants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (those nasty chemicals in crude), the follow-up chemical tests look for PAHs only.

Translation: The only thing standing in the way of you and Corexit-contaminated seafood is human error.

What do you think? Will you be eating Gulf seafood anytime in the near future?

–Jennifer Grayson

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What do you get when you cross a virtually empty refrigerator/pantry with a hungry pregnant lady so besotted by the 95-degree heat (and no air conditioning) that there’s not even a chance in hell that she’ll venture off the couch to head to the supermarket? Answer: Some seriously creative kitchen wizardry.

You most likely know by now that I’m a big anti–food waste fanatic; so I must say I was rather proud of myself for whipping up this pasta salad from half a leftover bag of gluten-free pasta spirals, a yellow pepper, a tomato, some capers, and a BPA-free can of Eden Organic kidney beans. It may not look that glamorous, but it proved the perfect light-but-filling lunch for a scorching summer day. (Actually, four days, since this recipe yielded enough for that many meals.)

Oh, and did I mention it was Meatless Monday? Make that doubly proud of myself…

Simple Summer Pasta Salad

Serves 4

1/2 bag of pasta spirals (wheat or gluten-free; I like the Trader Joe’s organic brown rice spirals)
1 15-oz. can kidney beans
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons capers

For the dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Italian seasoning (I love the one from Morton & Bassett)

Boil water for pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drain and rinse kidney beans, then combine with with cooked pasta in a large bowl along with chopped pepper, tomato, and capers.

In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients for dressing; pour over pasta salad in large bowl and toss thoroughly to coat. Serve room temperature or refrigerate until cold.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Nearly a third of America's youth are too overweight to become one of the recruits you see here. Photo via Flickr: The US Army

It’s no secret that US agricultural policy (subsidizing commodity products like corn and soybeans that, in turn, are used to make cheap, processed food) is seriously harming the health of our citizens. Obesity rates have skyrocketed in the past several decades since these subsidies were implemented. The average American now eats 600 more calories a day than he did in 1970.

But what about the direct link between our ag policy and national security? An eye-popping column this week from The Washington Post discusses how our pool of qualified military applicants is growing smaller and smaller, due to the fact that the waistlines of our nation’s young adults are growing larger and larger.

This, from a new Mission: Readiness report entitled “Too Fat to Fight,” which cites that 27 percent of our nation’s youth are too overweight to serve in the armed forces.

From WaPo:

The report…calls this trend “a threat to national security” and notes that “being overweight is now by far the leading medical reason for rejection.” From 1995 to 2008, the study says, “The proportion of potential recruits who failed their physicals each year because they were overweight rose nearly 70 percent.”

Within just 10 years, the number of states reporting that 40 percent of their 18- to 24-year-olds are obese or overweight went from one (Kentucky) to 39. In three states — Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama — more than 50 percent of the young adults were obese or overweight in 2008. To reach normal weight, the nation’s out-of-shape young adults would have to lose a collective 390 million pounds, according to the report.

Want to see for yourself how, exactly, we’re getting this obese? Check out this amazing post on ShareitFitness.com, about the sugar content of some of America’s favorite beverages. (Spoiler: One Rockstar Energy Drink has the same amount of sugar as six Krispy Kreme doughnuts!).

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Ivan Walsh

Update: This post was originally published on March 9, 2010. The bill referred to below, H.R. 4363, is still in committee.

When it comes to eating clean for the planet, that glistening sashimi may seem more virtuous than a fast food burger, but here’s the ugly truth: As much environmental damage may have been waged to bring you that jalapeño hamachi as that Big Mac you guiltily stuffed in your mouth after hitting the drive-thru. But how can that be, you ask?

If you saw Food Inc., you’re probably familiar with the concept of factory farming (i.e., livestock pumped full of antibiotics and hormones and stuffed into crowded cages where they stew in their own excrement before being sent off to slaughter). Pretty disgusting, and pretty toxic for the environment: We’re talking mountains of pesticides used to grow feed corn for the animals; the emergence of antibiotic-resistant superbugs; and areas of the ocean that are completely devoid of life, thanks to all that nitrogen-rich waste runoff that finds its way into our waterways.

Unfortunately, the same scenario is now happening with fish, except the factory farms are at sea instead of on land (FYI: hamachi refers to the farm-raised version of yellowtail): Floating sea cages are crammed with fish that are fed unnatural diets like corn and soy and administered antibiotics and other drugs. Their untreated waste is released directly into the ocean, spreading disease and parasites to surrounding marine life.

Unlike with factory farming for cattle, though, we can actually can do something about this, at present: There is currently a bill in Congress that would expand factory fish farming, for which you can take action to help stop. The bill is entitled the National Sustainable Offshore Aquaculture Act, but I’ve read the text of the bill, and I’m not convinced that sufficient measures have been taken to ensure true sustainability.

Click here to sign the Food & Water Watch petition.

While it’s likely that because of dwindling fish populations, the majority of fish we eat in the next decade will have to be farm-raised and not wild-caught, we can at least take steps to make sure that our first priority is protecting our precious coastlines, not appeasing our appetite for cheap sushi.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Today is World Oceans Day. Help protect our oceans by learning which seafood is safe to eat: Check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Super Green List.

Related posts:
Just how unsustainable is Sin City seafood?
Sustainable seafood on the go

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Just got back from four days in Chicago. Walked into my apartment, starving, only to be faced with a completely empty fridge and a meagerly stocked pantry. Oh man! It shouldn’t have come as a surprise; I always try to use up everything in the kitchen before I travel so nothing spoils.

But after all the schlepping, I can’t bear the thought of leaving the apartment to grab some lunch or hit up the grocery store — especially not with the pile of work and unanswered emails I’m facing.

Luckily, I spy a bag of red lentils in the corner of the pantry. Do I have an onion? Check. Do I have a few pathetic stalks of wilted celery? You betcha. Are there any vegetable bouillon cubes to whip up some stock? Hooray! Add a liberal dose of the curry powder in my spice rack, and I’ve got the makings of a hearty, flavorful Meatless Monday soup.

It’s a spartan meal, but after all the fries and char dogs I ate this weekend (OK, only two hot dogs, but that’s a lot for someone who hasn’t eaten one in almost a year), it’s a welcome cleanse.

Quick Curried Lentil Soup

Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed
8 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and celery and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add lentils and broth, cover pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially uncovered, until lentils are tender and soup has thickened, about 45 minutes. Remove pot from heat, discard bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, and puree with a hand blender until soup is smooth. Serve garnished with a dollop of plain yogurt.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Dietary concerns? Don't worry, there are plenty of options for Meatless Monday besides this one. Photo via Flickr: Malias

This post was originally published on July 27, 2009.

I don’t know if it’s because I live in Los Angeles, land of the wheatgrass shot and diet-obsessed (at my favorite breakfast spot, the waiters actually assume you want egg whites; I always have to specify whole eggs), or the rising incidence of food allergies, but a few friends have recently confessed that their dietary restrictions have made it difficult for them to embrace Meatless Monday.

“I can’t eat carbs — I only have three weeks to slim down for a wedding,” said one friend. “Aren’t grains the staple of a vegetarian diet?” Another friend with celiac disease was worried she’d go hungry: “There’s so little I can eat as it is,” she opined. But if you know where to look, and are willing to experiment beyond your eating comfort zone, you can find wonderful recipes for even the most spartan of diets. A few ideas:

Celiac disease/gluten-free. While it is possible to find gluten-free substitutes for foods that normally contain wheat (pizza crust, pasta, bread), I think it’s much easier — and more satisfying — to embrace the foods of cultures that are naturally vegetarian and gluten-free. Think of the legume-based stews and rice of Indian cuisine (chana masala, dal); Italy’s polenta and risottos; and the hundreds of ways to cook tofu, which the Chinese call “meat without bones.” My favorite recipe resource: Karina’s Kitchen, a blog about gluten-free cooking, with an entire section devoted to vegan and vegetarian recipes.

Low carb. Admittedly, a low-carb diet is a challenge as a vegetarian, but remember that we’re only talking about one day a week here. Egg-based dishes are always a good source of vegetarian protein (try my Fresh Summer Frittata), as are tofu stir-frys (just skip the rice, and add lots of crunchy vegetables). And remember: A low-carb diet may help you lose weight in the short term, but overall, vegetarians tend to be slimmer than meat eaters.

Allergic to soy. Again, the vegetarian recipes of Indian and Italian cuisine are a great place to start, because they rely on one of the most nutritious vegetarian sources of protein: beans. (Anti-aging expert and frequent Oprah guest Dr. Perricone names beans in his top 10 superfoods, thanks to their low-glycemic rating and beneficial phytochemicals.) And yes, soy is a bean, but there are hundreds of other varieties for you to try; for a unique treat, check out these resources for heirloom beans.

Got another dietary concern preventing you from enjoying Meatless Monday? Post a comment and I’ll make some recommendations.

–Jennifer Grayson

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This is not my fridge. Photo via Flickr: Susansimon

I didn’t have time to go grocery shopping this weekend, and the contents of my pantry and fridge are looking pretty meager: a bag of lentils, a jar of tomato paste, a can of chopped tomatoes, a couple eggs, a container of yogurt, scraps of cheese, a few eggplants, and some old onions and garlic. I might be able to run out later today to pick up a few items at the store, but first, I like to play a little game called Shop Your Fridge.

I talked about this a bit in a HuffPost column (“Is Wasting Food a Sin?“), but here’s the gist: I pretend I’m on Top Chef and that my challenge is to make a gourmet dinner out of what I have left in the house. Some recent winners: spring pea risotto (Arborio rice, chicken stock, and frozen peas); pasta con le sarde (linguine, sardines, and bread crumbs); and cranberry wild rice pilaf (wild rice, frozen cranberries, and toasted pecans).

Am I being overly thrifty? I don’t think so: Forty percent of all food produced in the United States winds up in landfill, where it decays and emits the powerful greenhouse gas methane).

Today’s added challenge: It’s Meatless Monday.

Luckily, there’s an amazing online resource for pantry leftovers, courtesy of the UK-based campaign called Love Food Hate Waste. You just take a look at this list, click on whatever food you have in the house, and voilà! — a bunch of recipes pop up that’ll turn your odds and ends into gourmet magic. You can also search specifically for vegetarian recipes.

So what’s on my Meatless Monday menu for tonight, based on the seemingly scanty offerings I listed above? Lentil, Aubergine, and Tomato Moussaka — yum! — and all I have to pick up at the store are a couple of peppers and a container of cottage cheese.

–Jennifer Grayson

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