Day: June 17, 2009

Pickled Watermelon Radishes

/ Ren

There is some evidence that pickled vegetables help promote digestive health and lower cholesterol.  Health benefits aside, pickling is a really easy and delicious way of preserving the season’s bounty for months to come..

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The basic ratio (Ruhlman) for a pickling brine is 20:1, that is, 20 ounces of water (filtered) to 1 ounce of kosher salt.  To this you may add antimicrobial spices such as garlic, cloves or mustard and (optionally) a little non-refined sugar.

Bring the brine to a boil then remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  Mix in a few ounces of the liquid from a previous batch (if available) to intensify the flavor and color.

Pack the radishes into a clean jar and weight down (I’m using a bag of dried beans), then cover with brine and seal.

Keep at room temperature for about 1 week (or 3 days if you add whey) before transferring to the refrigerator.

While you don’t have to go through all the meticulous sterilizing that canning requires, it is important to use clean utensils and to use at least a 20:1 brine ratio.  Properly pickled, your radishes will have a ph of around 4.6 and will keep for several months.

Breakfast Burritos

/ Ren

“A chicken that in addition to grain has access to pasture and a natural diet of grasses, forbs, and insects produces eggs that are higher in nutrients. Pastured eggs have been found to contain less fat, less cholesterol, twice as much vitamin E, 40-62% more vitamin A and up to four times as much omega-3 fatty acids compared to the standard values reported by the USDA for commercial eggs. Pastured eggs also typically contain higher levels of carotenoids such as lutein and zexanthin.

The other great thing about pastured eggs is the taste! As soon as you crack one open you can tell-that deeply colored yolk carries with it an enhanced nutritional value, and a better, richer flavor.”  LocalHarvest

Pastured eggs, chorizo, fresh peppers, onions and cilantro wrapped up in an organic paprika/cayenne tortilla..

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"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," Hippocrates.

Dice Spanish chorizo, red bell and pickled jalapeno peppers, slice green onions.  Sauté in pastured butter with a little Mexican oregano over medium-low heat until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat fresh tortillas on a dry comal or skillet.

Crack eggs directly into pan with vegetables- rather than sticking, they should float over the thinnest of layers of butter and fat rendered from the sausage.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the eggs onto themselves several times, allowing them to spread back out in between times until set, about 4 minutes.

Arrange mixture in the center of a tortilla (I’ve spread a little chili con queso on mine), fold the edges inward then roll up like a fat cigar.  Pico de gallo makes a great side.


This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays

USDA: Candy Bars and French Fries Are Not Junk Food

/ Ren

Which of the following is considered a junk food according to national school nutrition standards?

A. Hi-C Blast – vitamin fortified sugar water
B. Poland Springs seltzer water – water with bubbles
C. French fries
D. Candy Bars

If you guessed A, C or D you’d be wrong.  Believe it or not, seltzer water is the only item on this list banned as a junk food because it doesn’t contain any vitamins or minerals. Yup, french fries, candy bars, and Hi-C aren’t officially considered junk food.  That’s just crazy when you consider that children ages 6-11 are four times more likely to be obese than children were a generation ago.1 Four times!  Today nearly one-third of all children are overweight or obese, placing them at heightened risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and many other serious diseases.2

momsrising

Time for an update! Sign our petition today — it will be hand delivered to Members of Congress June 24th:

http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/1878/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1925

The petition says: “Please update outdated nutrition standards immediately to ensure our schools provide healthy food for our children!”

In what universe are candy bars NOT junk food?  The USDA’s school nutrition standards were developed in the 1970’s and are no longer consistent with nutrition science or current concerns regarding childhood health. For example, USDA does not consider candy bars, snack cakes, or french fries to be junk foods in schools.  USDA standards don’t even address calories, saturated, and trans fats or sodium.

Right now Congress is discussing ways to reduce health care costs in America. Improving nutrition in schools is one no-brainer answer.

Sign on our petition and we’ll get it delivered to the U.S. Capitol next week.  June 24th is Capitol Hill Advocacy Day for our friends at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.  They’ve offered to deliver our petition along with your comments to our leaders in D.C. In fact, they have already arranged breakfast, lunch and meetings in-between with members of Congress on the Hill.  Let’s make sure they have a huge number of names signed onto the petition along with comments from us to deliver!  Our voices are key to letting Congress know that mothers and fathers care deeply about making sure our children can eat healthy food at school.

Sign the petition today!

http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/1878/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1925

*Can you also forward this email to five of your friends so they can sign too? The more signatures, we have, the more Congress will get the message that our children deserve healthy food.

Thank you for speaking up for all our kids,

— Joan, Kristin Mary, Donna, Sarah and the whole MomsRising.org team

P.S. Want to go help present these petitions on June 24th? http://fs2.formsite.com/OliviaH/FoodInc/index.html Or learn more about the Child Nutrition Promotion and school food? http://www.schoolfoods.org/resources.html

1,2 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Statement Regarding Release of Estimates of Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Children and Teens, http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=31611, Beyond Health Care – New Directions to a Healthier America, Robert Wood Johnson Commission to Build a Healthier America, p. 7. http://www.commissiononhealth.org/Report.aspx?Publication=64498

“We believe that federally funded nutrition programs should provide all children with the healthy food they deserve. This includes low fat and safe dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Schools should be soda and junk-food-free zones and serve food that complements and furthers parents’ efforts to feed their children healthfully.”