This is just a slight variation of a much-loved salad of ours from Food52. Like the best recipes out there, Food52’s dish can act as a road map. Sub roasted squash for the sweet potato like we did here, sub dried dates in for the pomegranate seeds; take it the Mexican route by leaving out the dried fruit, subbing in scallion for the roasted red onion, pepitas for the walnuts, and cilantro for the mint…you get the idea.
Continue reading “ROASTED WINTER SQUASH, FARRO AND GARLICKY KALE SALAD”
The environment, sustainability, climate change and conservation have become more central topics as of recent. It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed by all of the data; you want to make a difference, but feel helpless as to how you alone can make a dent. In his book “We are the Weather,” Jonathan Safran Foer writes, “Although it may be a neoliberal myth that individual decisions have ultimate power, it is a defeatist myth that individual decisions have no power at all.” You alone may not save our planet by eating less meat, recycling better and reducing your waste, but your actions will encourage your neighbors to do the same and your dedication will inspire your friends and family to follow suit. The small actions you take will lead to bigger steps. Every change you make will help to make a difference.
Red Meat
One of the biggest, and easiest, changes we can make is reducing our red meat (and dairy) consumption. Cows are bred for us to eat. And upon burping and farting, cows produce methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases. Cows also require food, which is often corn – the majority of corn grown in the US goes towards feeding livestock. Not only are cows themselves greenhouse gas producers, but this is magnified by the fact that trees are often cut down to clear land for these cows to graze (and to grow more corn). Trees are our best mechanism for absorbing carbon dioxide and cleaning the air we breathe. Lastly, processing, packaging and shipping meat, milk and cheese comes with a plethora of its own waste and greenhouse gas production.
This is not to say you have to go cold-turkey (more like cold-cow) and abstain from red meat forever. But try to start small. Do yourself, and our Earth, a favor. Cut back on cows! The less red meat and dairy products we purchase and demand, the fewer cows will be bred for our consumption and the more land left for trees.
Tips:
Food Waste
Americans waste 20% of the food they buy. This isn’t just a waste of money, but also wasted energy and resources that went into producing the food. While it may seem that only the food itself goes to waste, we often forget that the zucchini you had to throw out required water to grow and traveled on a truck to get to the market. All of these steps add up.
It can be hard to gauge how much food to buy at the store. Especially if you’re cooking for 1 or 2 people. Herbs/plants like cilantro and parsley are often called for in recipes, yet you only need so much. Perhaps you make a big batch of soup or quinoa dish on Sunday and intend to eat it for the week, but yet get sick of it after a day or two. You’re not alone, and we have some ideas that may help.
Tips to reduce food waste:
Recycling
Recycling is very misunderstood. People often think products can be recycled that in fact cannot (i.e. greasy pizza boxes, plastic bags, coffee cups…). Recycling also holds an aura of sustainability and doing good, yet sometimes the process of recycling certain products produces more waste. This is not to say don’t recycle, but it is to say that the more we reduce our waste in general, the better off our Earth. Food-contaminated plastics cannot be recycled – they taint the recycling plant. Because of this, it’s important that you sufficiently wash the food from your plastic, but don’t use too much water as this negates the benefits of recycling.
The to-go coffee cup at your favorite shop cannot be recycled because it’s often lined in a thin plastic or wax coating. This is a great excuse to treat yourself to a nice reusable mug. Do you love hummus? Perhaps make your own, which means one less plastic container to wash out and recycle. Rather than buy single serving yogurt containers, buy the larger containers. Think twice when grabbing a plastic bag for your fruits and veggies at the farmers market. And if you do, keep these bags to bring with you on your next shopping trip.
Tips & products we like:
Author: Caroline Markowitz – MS candidate in nutrition and exercise physiology at Columbia University, but more importantly granola lover.
As a huge Fall fanatic, I am trying not to jump the gun and use every type of pumpkin, squash and gourd I can get my hands on. Summer is still here and its produce is still delicious. As a way to ease into the new season, I use an old summer recipe and swap just a few ingredients to make the perfect transition salad. In this particular recipe, I use squash and apples instead of corn and tomatoes. Enjoy!
Continue reading “Roasted Delicata, Apple and Arugula Salad with Avocado and Lemon Vinaigrette”
Being Scandinavian, I was raised on my father’s stories of his childhood in Sweden. He described long winters accented by warm and comforting meals, lots of social interaction, and a good amount of singing. I remember my grandfather bouncing me on his knees while singing to me in Swedish, mocking me for disliking herring and deeming me “knickity pickity.” He called me this as if it were my name, accompanied with a devilish grin and a poke in the ribs. (If only he could see me now, and understand how deeply I took his insult to heart by forcing myself to become the adventurous eater and cook that I am today.)
Nordic people have a beautiful outlook on life. A big part of that is something called hygge, a concept that is hard to grasp and difficult to define:
“Generally, hygge is defined as a feeling or mood of comfort, wellbeing, coziness, happiness, charm, safety, friendship. Simplicity, pleasure or intimacy. Hygge means living in the moment, savoring all that it has to offer.”
I try my hardest to embrace this part of my heritage, especially during the holidays. I light candles and put up twinkly lights, savor every moment spent with family and friends, and make dishes that fill my home with familiar scents and memories of holidays past. Food is central to hygge afterall.
But beverages can be hygge too! What is a dense shortbread cookie without eggnog to chase it with? How can one send wishes of good health without a toast to raise in accompaniment? Beverages, especially ones spiked with a little something extra special, refresh the palette, warm the soul and add to the jolly mood of all holiday social gatherings.
Every Christmas since I can remember, the evening’s focal point has been a slow-simmered mulled wine called Glogg. This is a Swedish holiday tradition that I refuse to skip. The concoction is warm from spices, barely sweetened by dried fruit, and deeply nutty from the addition of slivered almonds. It is also deceivingly strong due to the addition of vodka. This combats the loss of alcohol content when cooking the wine, or so my ancestors say. All of this goes into a pot over low heat to marry the ingredients together. The biggest obstacle is being patient enough to wait until it is ready!
So, for this holiday, my gift from me to you is my own family recipe for Swedish mulled wine.
With Love, Kristina
Ingredients
Method
Nothing brings me more joy than a clean, organized kitchen. Not everyone has the time to do a thorough, top-to-bottom sweep each week but there are a few tricks I’ve picked up that make it much easier. That being said, there’s no substitute for a full kitchen overhaul — it’s the difference between a quick sponge here and there and a hardy scrub each week. If you can do a fridge and pantry deep clean once a month, you’ll fall in love with cooking in it!
A happy kitchen = happy chef.
As a “home cook” turned private chef, I treat every kitchen as my own. I’ll admit, it’s not easy keeping up with seven (!) kitchens each week, including my own. That’s a lot of kitchen to cover in one week so maintenance has become second nature for me.
Here’s how it works: First thing you do is open up all the drawers and cabinets. You take a detailed inventory and toss the dusty stuff (i.e. those random gift basket jars of artisanal jam and bulky boxes of pasta with only a few noodles left). It’s best to start with a clean slate so taking everything out and scrubbing the shelves is ideal. Restock as you see fit, keeping in mind the things you use on a regular basis and the things you use less frequently, organizing your go-tos on the bottom shelf and your once-in-a-whiles up top.
For the pantry: Consolidate your nuts and grains. If you’re really looking for a makeover you might consider bulk containers, these range from reusable quart containers to streamlined rectangle ones with airtight lids and classic mason jars. I treat each shelf like a puzzle, optimizing every inch, without too much overlap (or clutter). Baskets are great to combine small items like baking necessities and sprinkle varieties.
A note about salt: If you’re like me, you keep your salt next to the stove for easy access when you’re cooking. Use a bowl you can fit a whole five-finger pinch.
Next is the fridge binge: This is the most fluctuating space in your kitchen so it’s understandable if it’s little harder to keep organized. Here are few helpful hints:
Laura taught me a useful trick for crisper drawers that make weekly clean-outs a breeze. Lining the bottom of your fridge drawers with paper towel not only collects little broccoli bits, it also extends the life of your veggies! I replace them every two weeks.
My favorite soup hack: store leftover soup in your a pot for easy reheating directly on the stovetop.
Food52 has an article about how to keep produce fresh that I consult all the time. Since we use so many herbs in our cooking, my favorite trick is keeping herbs in a jar of water like cut flowers. This works especially well with herbs that still have roots, like most cilantro you buy at the store.
I also invested in vejibags. I love them! It keeps hardy veggies like radish, carrots and celery fresh for weeks! They’re perfect for the veggies lingering in your fridge like leftover celery or ones you’re saving for later. All you have to do is give them a good rinse, wet the bags and ring them out until they’re just damp then put whatever you want inside. They claim to work with leafy greens too, although I haven’t had much luck.
However, there’s a great trick for kale fanatics. Simply, wash your kale in a salad spinner as you normally would, dry thoroughly and wipe out the excess water on the inside of the bowl, then store it in your fridge as is, and voilà, you’ve got kale on hand for a whole week!
Food waste: If your neighborhood has compost pick-up, use it! It has transformed the way I cook and how I feel about tossing the stuff I don’t use from the fridge. Maybe it’s the environmentalist in me talking, or the OCD but it feels so good. I read in the Alice Water’s memoir that when she was a kid her parents recycled and composted so much that they only took the trash out once a week. What a dream!
Other useful links:
The Proper Way to Use the Crisper Drawer in Your Refrigerator
Refrigerator Deep-Cleaning 101
Yours truly,
Charlotte
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