Meatless Monday: May 2013 CT Food News

I was prepared to write a simple post with a nice recipe in honor of today’s holiday. Instead, I have chosen to write about a couple of topics that have “my knickers in a twist,” as they say in the British comedies.

TOPIC Number 1:

Last week Connecticut came very close to being the first state in the nation to pass legislation requiring GMO labeling. Products containing Genetically Modified (GMO) ingredients would have been required to be labeled as such for sale in CT supermarkets. 

It didn’t happen. Why it did not is a complicated tale. Here’s the short version. 

Two bills, HB 6519, An Act Concerning the Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food, and HB 6527, An Act Concerning Genetically Engineered Baby Food, were overwhelmingly approved by four legislative committees. 

The Speaker of the House refused to call these bills for a vote.

Two state senators amended a bill concerning eggs, SB 802, with the GMO labeling language. The CT Senate passed SB 802 overwhelmingly with a vote of 35-1.

Speaker Sharkey insisted on a series of restrictive amendments before allowing the House to vote on the bill. Eventually the House passed and sent to the Senate a much weaker bill. Required labeling would only go into effect AFTER GMO labeling legislation is passed in five other states with an aggregate population of 25 million.  AND, two of the states must include New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island. 

If you think this sounds restrictive, read this analysis from CT Environmental Headlines for more details and other loopholes.

GMO Free CT is calling for a vote of "NO" on this new bill.

TOPIC Number 2:

On May 21, Stanley Lubman, a blogger for the Wall Street Journal, wrote a post titled, “Why Americans Should Worry About China’s Food Safety Problems.” The author made reference to the dominance of Chinese imports in some food categories, — 80% of tilapia, 27% of garlic, and 16% of frozen spinach consumed in the U.S. in 2011. He also reminded us of the numerous recent reports of the serious violations of food safety in China, and pointed out what a tiny percentage of Chinese imports are actually inspected by the FDA.

It was the frozen spinach statistic that sent me running to inspect my freezer. In general I am a careful reader of labels, especially since I discovered in September 2011 that my Nature’s Promise green beans had come from China! This discovery had prompted me to start a Change.org petition demanding that Stop & Shop start sourcing their organic green beans in the US. You would think I’d learned my lesson.

Imagine my dismay when I discovered that the frozen organic spinach in my freezer, packaged by Providence, RI company Woodstock Farms, and sold in my local co-op, was grown in China! I’ve already registered my protest. 

All I can say is, “Read those labels carefully.” Things aren’t always as they seem.

Happy Monday. Look for a recipe next time.

Have a great week.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Saturday Short Subjects: The Growing Threat of EAB

Since 2006, Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Awareness Week has been held the week before Memorial Day, with the goal of educating as many people as possible about the destructive powers of this tiny invasive pest and the ways they can help to prevent its spread. 

The beautiful, destructive adult EAB

Why this particular week? The Memorial Day weekend marks the start of Summer vacation season — when Americans are on the move — camping out, spending time in their weekend cabins, and building campfires. One of the main messages of EAB Awareness Week is : DO NOT MOVE FIREWOOD.

Although the mature EAB Agrilus planipennis beetle can fly, moving firewood has accelerated its spread. EAB’s natural range is Russia, northern China, Japan, and North Korea. It was first discovered in North America near Detroit in 2002, most likely arriving in this country in packing material. EAB has since been detected in two Canadian provinces and 19 states in the northeastern US.

In Asia, the EAB is kept in check by its native predators, three species of non-stinging parasitoid wasps. In North America it has no enemies.

One would not think that such a beautiful and minute creature could wreak such destruction. It only targets ash  Fraxinus trees. EAB is a killer in its larval stage when it feeds internally in the ash’s cambium and phloem layers, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients, and leaving telltale galleries. All ashes are at risk, although green ash is the favorite. Trees under stress are the most susceptible. EAB is responsible for the loss of tens of millions of trees in SE Michigan alone, and tens of millions of others elsewhere.

On Monday of this week, the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection released the news that the Emerald Ash Borer had been detected in Hamden, a town bordering on the City of New Haven. A homeowner submitted a report and photos of EAB galleries in a dying ash to the office of the state Entomologist who then confirmed the findings. First detected in Connecticut last summer by a CT master gardener, EAB has now been found in nine towns in New Haven County. 

A quarantine regulating the movement of ash nursery stock and ash materials from within New Haven has been in effect since then.  Regulations are also in effect regulating the movement of firewood from out-of-state into Connecticut. 

I can’t say this enough. DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD.

The states and provinces where EAB has been detected have joined forces to create and maintain a website, www.emeralashborer.info, with the latest information about this pest.

What else can a concerned citizen do to stop the spread of this pest?

First, learn and watch for the signs of EAB infestation. 

Report it. 

If you are a homeowner with prized ashes on your property, learn about the options for protecting them. There are a variety of systemic insecticidal treatments available, but they currently require a commitment to annual application. 

Non-stinging wasps from Asia are now being raised and released in a controlled program in the hope that they will help control EAB, but it is far too early to tell.

The most important action remains. DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD. Pass it on.

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Meatless Monday: The Mighty Avocado

The avocado appears on many Superfood Lists, for good reason. A heart-healthy fruit, it is rich in both polyunsaturated fats and mono-saturated fats, which help to lower cholesterol. Avocados are an excellent source of vitamins B6, C, E, and K, as well as folate, lutein, magnesium, and potassium. They are high in fiber and have been shown to boost the absorbency of fat-soluble nutrients in foods with which they are eaten.  

Check out these healthy facts about avocados (and a salad recipe) at WebMD. 

Thanks to a Member Appreciation Day at the Elm City Market a while back, when the giveaway was an avocado, a lime, and a head of garlic, I discovered that making your own guacamole is a snap. With a ripe avocado or two on hand, and a lime in the refrigerator, you can whip up a batch in no time.

When you make your own, the color is a lovely bright green, the taste is incredibly fresh, and you can make it is garlicky or as salty as you wish.

Make Your Own Guacamole 

INGREDIENTS

2 large avocados, slightly soft when squeezed

1 large lime

3 large cloves of garlic crushed (more or less to taste)

a pinch of salt

In a large bowl, mash the avocados with a fork (or a potato masher if you have one).

Add the juice from the lime. 

(An old-fashioned two-part glass juicer works really well.)

Add the crushed garlic.

Add a tiny bit of salt to taste.

This recipe couldn’t be much easier. I think you will agree that DIY fresh guacamole is the best you’ve ever tasted. Give it a try!

Guacamole is great on chips, but is also delicious in a bean/rice bowl, on a salad, or as a sandwich or burger topping. You can even enjoy it on its own, right out of the bowl. 

Enjoy!

Have a great week.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Saturday Short Subjects: Viewing the Earth Over Time

Earlier in the month it seemed we had reached an ominous milestone. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that on May 9 the daily average of atmospheric CO2 recorded at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii reached 400 parts per million for the first time. That number has since been revised downwards to 399.89. [Not quite 400, but nothing to celebrate.]  

Environmental activists have long been calling for immediate action to reduce  atmospheric CO2 to 350 ppm, what many experts believe to be the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. You can learn more about the science behind this number here. 

Just about the time the Mauna Loa story broke, the Google | Official blog unveiled “A picture of Earth through time.” Google worked with the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, and TIME to compile more than a quarter-century of images of Earth taken from space and turn them into an interactive time-lapse experience. It’s pretty difficult to deny global warming after witnessing the remarkable images of the Columbia Glacier Retreat in Alaska between 1984 and 2011. 

There are many other featured sites including the Growth of Las Vegas, the Drying of the Aral Sea, Dubai Coast Expansion, and Amazon Deforestation. 

Prepare to be amazed and saddened. The next time you meet a climate denier, you will know just where to send him or her. 

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Meatless Monday: Claire’s Moroccan Sweet Potatoes

Claire’s Moroccan Sweet Potatoes has been a favorite in our house for longer than there have been “Meatless Mondays.” We first enjoyed it at my cousin’s house during her New Haven years. She lives in Denmark now, but I think of her every time I make it.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes is Claire Criscuolo’s  unique vegetarian take on a traditional Moroccan meat dish. In Claire’s version, chickpeas and walnuts supply the protein, making it a complete meal and a perfect Meatless Monday dish. It is also excellent when served on a grain — a good way to stretch the dish when serving a crowd.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes 

Preheat your oven to 400°F

INGREDIENTS

6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 medium carrots, peeled, and cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices

1 large yellow onion, peeled, and sliced into 1/4-inch rings

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup golden raisins

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/3 cup of water

One 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained.

1/4 chopped walnuts

• In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, oil, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, raisins, and salt and pepper. Toss well.
• Pour the water into a 9’ x 13” glass baking dish.
• Turn the sweet potato mixture into the dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake for one hour.
• Remove the foil and stir in the chickpeas and walnuts. 
• Continue cooking, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender.

This delicious dish takes a bit longer to prepare than last week’s tofu stir fry, but it is worth the time and effort. This one-dish meal is excellent when heated as a leftover, if you should be so lucky.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes is one of many delicious recipes in Claire’s Corner Copia Cookbook.Published in 1994, it is New Haven restaurateur Claire Criscuolo’s  first (and still my favorite) collection of recipes. If you can get your hands on a copy, check out Claire’s photo on the back cover. Such a kid! But I guess we all were back then. We  love you, Claire — always have, always will! 

Have a great week.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Saturday Short Subjects: Rock to Rock Overachieves!

The final tally is in. Earlier this week, Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride 2013 organizers announced the final statistics for this year’s event, the 5th annual ride.

The fundraising goal was $150,000.

The 1,100 riders in Rock to Rock 2013 recruited 2,388 donors, who contributed more than $152,000  — surpassing the fundraising goal by over $2,000! 

FYI, on April 20, Rock to Rock participants collectively biked more than 16,000 miles (over halfway around the globe) for the benefit of 23 different environmental organizations in New Haven!

Chris Randall, who took the photos of these two happy riders, was out and about documenting the day’s events. 

For more images from Rock to Rock 2013, check out this page at the website IloveNewHaven.org.

And, save the date of April 26, 2014 for next year’s ride!

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Meatless Monday: Tofu to the Rescue

Tofu is  a regular item on my grocery list. High in protein, a good source of calcium, and relatively low in calories, it is an excellent meat alternative in stir-fries, and can be turned into a delicious faux egg salad. 

As great as tofu is, however, I will admit it is not without a few challenges:

• The tastiest stir-fries are the ones in which the tofu has been marinated in advance. Some people may be fond of the taste of bare naked tofu. I prefer my chunks of tofu when they have soaked up all the delicious flavors of a homemade sauce. 
• Fresh tofu has a relatively short life span. Despite my best intentions, I have more than once discovered that the package of tofu in my fridge is past its expiration date.
• I care about GMOs, and it has become hard to find organic tofu, and even harder to find organic tofu made in the USA.

I recently discovered the answer in the Elm City Market. The perfect product comes in a Tetra Brik® box and can be found on the shelf in the ethnic food aisle —Morinaga Silken Tofu. Silken tofu is available in a variety of textures, is non-GMO, is made in the USA, requires no refrigeration until it is opened, and has a shelf life of several months.

AND, the solution to the last-minute problem was printed on the box! A delicious dinner in under an hour:

Morinaga Tofu Stir Fry 

Preheat your oven to 400°F

Stir the following ingredients together:

• 6 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 2 tsp. honey
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger [2 tsp. dry ginger if you don’t have fresh on-hand]
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Lightly oil a baking dish.

Cube the tofu and place it in the dish in one layer.

Pour half the sauce over the tofu and bake for 30 minutes.

While the tofu is baking, slice a bunch of green onions.

Prepare additional vegetables of your choice for the stir-fry 

(about 6 cups). 

[If you are in a pinch, you can use veggies from your freezer.]

When the tofu is done, sauté the onions in oil for 1 minute.

Add the remaining vegetables with the remaining sauce, cooking until crisp tender.

Gently stir in the tofu.

Serve with some rice, pasta, quinoa, or other grain.

Voilá! One delicious dish in almost no time!

Have a great week.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Saturday Shorts: Hope

We lost a beloved spruce last fall in the snowstorm that followed Hurricane Sandy. We had planted it the year we got married, cared for it, watched it grow, and used it as a backdrop for photographs of many happy events – a new baby coming home, family visits, graduations… Not to mention that the spruce had provided shelter for countless winged residents and passers-through. You get the idea. It was an important tree.

Conditions in the back yard have changed. It is shadier than it was years ago. We have changed, too. We decided to take all we’d recently learned about the importance of native plants to heart and embarked on a search for a native tree that would thrive in our little shady urban plot, a tree that would be “easy on the eyes,” resistant to disease, and an attraction for native wildlife.

After much research we chose the American Hornbeam or “Musclewood” (Carpinus caroliniana),  a member of the Birch family, and native to much of eastern North America. The smooth gray bark and fluted trunk of a mature specimen suggests a strongly-muscled limb (to me, an animal leg), hence its nickname. In fact the trunk is one of the tree’s most attractive features, particularly during winter when its limbs are bare.

You may not see it now, but in a few years this tree will be buff! 

The tree is slow-growing, to a height of 30 feet with a spread about the same. The American Hornbeam is not considered a particularly showy tree. In spring it has flowering catkins. In fall its leaves turn yellow to orange-red, and it bears small nutlets. Songbirds in particular are attracted to this tree for its fruit and the shelter it offers. 

Yesterday this American Hornbeam was planted in our yard, not far from where the spruce once stood. It has been watered well. Its leaves are starting to unfurl. 

My husband had just wondered out loud how long it would take the birds to notice the new addition when the mockingbird, who has been claiming our yard as part of his territory for the last few weeks, landed in the tree and then used it as a diving board for a plunge into the adjacent bird bath.

Much like deciding to have a child, planting a tree takes a leap of faith. You hope it will thrive. You hope it will be a benefit to the world around it. You hope you will see it to maturity. [In this case, we hope it will be a backdrop in many happy photographs.]  We hope…

I hear the mockingbird singing.

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).