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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[Watch Food Revolution trailer on YouTube]

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is proving a big hit for ABC, but it remains to be seen whether the show will really spark a movement toward healthier eating in our nation’s junk-food plagued public schools. It’s to be expected that the forces of resistance against Jamie (curmudgeonly cook Alice, the snarky Sean Hannity-esque radio host) are played up for the makings of good dramatic television, but I’m betting that much of the opposition is the real deal.

Food journalist Michael Pollan wrote last year in a New York Times Op-Ed piece that “reforming the food system is politically even more difficult than reforming the health care system.” To see the truth in this statement, one need look no further than big ag’s efforts to thwart Baltimore City Public Schools’ adoption of Meatless Monday in its school cafeterias.

And while the cable news crazies’ reaction to the BCPS Meatless Monday effort seemed overblown and self-serving (Glenn Beck: “…You’ll throw me in jail, my last meal will be a giant steak”), you have to wonder why no other school districts have yet followed suit. Could the meat industry lobbyists be winning? The push to make Mondays meat-free at New York City public schools is, as of now, the only other school effort I know of, and it’s still under consideration.

God forbid we try to take mystery meat patties out of the mouths of babes.

–Jennifer Grayson

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There are two complaints I frequently hear from people who are willing to give Meatless Monday a shot, but can’t seem to make it through a whole day of vegetarian eating:

#1 Meatless meals aren’t satisfying; and

#2 healthy meatless meals are too time-consuming to prepare.

I admit, I sort of agreed with this statement to a certain extent, but have been willing to work through the occasional hunger pang (raw veggie wraps), gastrointestinal distress (tofu chili), and time commitment (soaking beans) in my quest to find a mostly meatless diet that I can not only live with, but actually be excited about. Notice I say agreed, in the past tense; all of that changed when I came up with the recipe for these easy/healthy/filling Cal-Mex style Lean Bean Tacos, now a Meatless Monday standby.

I know, bean tacos sound kind of boring — not to mention a far cry from the real deal I’ve become greedily accustomed to, living just a short drive from some of the best taco trucks in Los Angeles — but I swear, these are truly delicious in their own right. So much so that I crave them even when I’m not trying to eat vegetarian. And at less than 15 minutes to prepare from start to finish, there’s no excuse not to whip these up for your healthy Meatless Monday dinner tonight.

Lean Bean Tacos (adapted from Cooking Light’s Chipotle Bean Burritos)

Serves 2

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (I recommend Eden Organic — BPA-free and easy to digest, thanks to the addition of kombu seaweed)
2 tablespoons salsa
4 corn tortillas
1/3 cup pre-shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sour cream

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and salt; cook for 30 more seconds. Add water and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in salsa. Using a fork, lightly mash beans.

Place tortillas in a small pan over low heat; cover pan and warm tortillas for a couple minutes, until steaming. Place two tortillas on each plate, and divide the bean mixture among the tortillas. Top each taco with shredded cheese, chopped tomato, avocado, and sour cream. Serve with hot sauce.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Need more inspiration for fast and healthy vegetarian meals? Check out the Quick-Fix Vegetarian.

More Meatless Monday posts:
Forest Whitaker’s slimmed down Oscar look: He’s a vegetarian!
Meatless Monday: Farmers market enchiladas

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I’ve worked hard to eliminate most plastics from my daily existence. Health concerns are a part of it; we really don’t know the cumulative effects of plastic packaging additives like bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. I also can’t reconcile using a material that is made from fossil fuels, or that takes thousands of years to break down in a landfill, or that pollutes Texas-sized swaths of the ocean — even if that material is recyclable. Thus, I’ve swapped plastic grocery bags for canvas totes, Tupperware for Pyrex, and the occasional bottle of water for my trusty Klean Kanteen. And at my next doctor’s appointment when I need blood drawn, I’m going to request glass collection tubes instead of the traditional plastic. (Kidding! There are some instances where plastic is still necessary.)

There is one plastic product, though, that I’ve recently started using, because I think the eco pluses far outweigh the eco negatives, and that’s Debbie Meyer Green Bags. I know they’ve been around for some time, but I never considered using them because: a) they’re made of plastic and b) I generally don’t trust anything sold via infomercial. But the last time I saw my stepmother-in-law, she showed me the still-crunchy two-week-old celery in her fridge courtesy of Green Bags, and I decided to give them a try.

What a difference they’ve made! How much money I’ve saved! I used to have to throw away half of my farmers market purchases. (The run-of-the-mill fridge that came with my apartment seems designed to turn carrots into rubber within hours, even in the “crisper” drawer.) Now, my produce lasts for weeks, and nothing ever gets wasted. I also find that I’m eating more fruits and veggies, since I can buy more and not worry about it all spoiling.

Yeah, Green Bags are plastic, but they are recyclable; you can also reuse each of them up to 10 times. And considering that 40 percent of all food in the United States is thrown out — making food waste one of the largest contributors to climate change (thanks to all that methane once it rots in the landfill) — I consider Green Bags a necessary trade-off.

Debbie Meyer, I don’t know who you are or why your name has to be on the box, but thank you.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Click here for more tips on how to stop wasting food.

Related posts:
The Dasani PlantBottle: Can you feel less guilty about drinking bottled water?
Why aren’t Angelenos using those green bins?

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Photo: CowPots

It’s very rare to come across a perfect green product. In most cases, the inventions are an improvement on the original, but still have their own eco flaws: Compact fluorescent bulbs markedly reduce energy usage but contain mercury, a toxic chemical that pollutes the environment; canvas shopping totes cut down on paper and plastic usage but are often manufactured in China or India.

But once in a while, something comes around that is so sustainable, so ingenious, you have to wonder why no one thought of it before. I give you — CowPots.

You know those plastic pots that seedlings come in when you buy them at a nursery, that get thrown out (or sometimes recycled) right after you plant that seedling? Well, CowPots are made of composted cow manure, so you can just plant the whole thing — pot and all — right in the ground. Within four weeks, the pots biodegrade, nourishing the soil and the seedling at the same time.

Their brilliant design solves two environmental problems at once: What to do with all that waste on a farm that would otherwise pollute the water and land with excess nitrogen, and how to eliminate unnecessary fossil-fuel based plastic products that take thousands of years to break down in a landfill.

And no, CowPots don’t smell. The patent-pending manufacturing process eliminates all odors, as well as any harmful pathogens. They’re also super reasonable: A 12-pack of 3-inch pots will set you back about $6.99. Click here to buy.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: With spring right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to start off a summer of sustainable eating by planting a vegetable garden. Click here to find out what to plant in March.

Related posts:
Small steps to sustainability
Spotted: Parking strip vegetable garden

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