Protein Powerhouse: Tuna and Cannellini Bean Salad

After dying in yoga this morning (thank you, Elizabeth!) I was craving protein.  What I really wanted was a tuna salad sandwich, but with all that mayonnaise and added saturated fat I knew I should eat something a bit lighter and healthier.  Something that would feed my body better.  So, I looked in my cupboard and found a can of cannellini beans and a can of tuna, a classic Italian combination.  Here is the result: Tuna and Cannellini Bean Salad

Ingredients

1- Can of tuna packed in water and drained (I prefer to buy a brand that is MSC certified and pole-caught, such as American Tuna or Wild Planet – better quality tuna and better for the planet, too!)

½ Cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 Teaspoon fresh dill, chopped

1 Teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 Tablespoon lemon zest

Juice from half a lemon

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

*Feel free to change the herbs.  I used dill and parsley because that’s what I had on-hand.  But fresh basil would be delicious, too.

 

Tuna and Cannellini Bean Salad with Fresh Spinach

 

Directions

Mix together the drained tuna and cannellini beans.  Add the fresh herbs, lemon zest and juice and mix.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over a mixed green salad or fresh spinach with lemon vinaigrette.  Drizzle the greens and tuna with a little extra olive oil.  Enjoy!

 

So Good!

 

 

 

Sufferin’ Succotash!

Over the weekend I couldn’t help myself at the grocery store and bought several ears of fresh white corn.  I haven’t had much of this summer sweetie and now that I’ve bought so much I’ll need to come up with some easy recipes.  Here’s a super-quick recipe for succotash—sans lima beans.  This recipe doesn’t require much cooking time, in fact, it’s best to cook only until just heated through.  You want the veggies to still retain their crunch.  This would also be equally delicious raw, served as a summer salad with a homemade red wine vinaigrette.

Sufferin' Succotash!

Yummy veggie confetti

Serves 4

Active Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Ears fresh corn, shucked and cut from cob

1 Red bell pepper, diced

1 Handful fresh Blue Lake green beans, cut into ½ inch pieces (approximately ½ cup)

3 Sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped and reserved

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat a skillet on the stove and add olive oil and butter.  Once the olive oil has heated and the butter has melted, add the vegetables and fresh herbs—except parsley.  Stir the veggies every couple minutes.  Serve once the veggie mixture is heated through and top with a scattering of the reserved parsley.

Enjoy!

Labor Day Weekend

This Labor Day weekend, my boyfriend BH and I wanted to get out of town, but couldn’t find a hotel.  So, instead we opted to stay local and just enjoy Los Angeles.  Saturday I was thrilled to realize the Greek Festival was going on in Long Beach.  For some reason, I simply can’t miss a Greek Festival.  I’m not sure if it’s the food I love (which I do!) or that it reminds me of my vacation in Greece years ago (which it does!)—but either way I love Greek festivals!  So, we braved the heat and wandered in and amongst the booths selling icons of the Virgin, souvlaki, frappes (which always remind me of Greek island ferry rides) and so many delicious things enveloped in crispy, delicate phyllo dough.  BH and I shared spanakopita,—flaky phyllo pastry filled with spinach, feta and fresh herbs—salty kalamata olives, hunks of crumbly feta cheese, and lots of crisp Greek white wine.  Oh, and don’t forget the desserts!  We were seriously full by the time we left.

Spanakopita, Kalamatas and Feta

Juicy Rotisserie Chicken at the Greek Festival

On Sunday we decided we needed to get out of town and headed for the mountains. Gorgeous lakes and clean pine-scented air was just what we needed!  Instead of heading straight to our destination of Big Bear, we first drove to Lake Arrowhead as I was on a pilgrimage for the gorgeous, heavenly and huge cinnamon rolls found only at Razzbearies Bakery & Café.  These are serious pastries.  I wish I had taken pictures—they are that spectacular.  After picking up the goods, BH and I drove on to the village of Lake Arrowhead to stroll lakeside, window shop and take in the gorgeous day.  I knew I wanted to have lunch further up the mountain in Big Bear, so we drove on to Mountain Munchies—a deli that, as a kid, my family always made sure to stop by.  After a day spent in the hot sun we found a great place for dinner in Twin Peaks—The Grill at Antler’s Inn.  BH loved his pasta bolognese, but since I don’t eat beef I had to take his word for it.  Definitely the best place to eat in the area.  I can’t wait to come back and try more of their menu!  Here are some pics from our dinner:

Creamy Tomato Basil Bisque

My dinner from The Grill--Gorgonzola Pear Pizza

BH's dinner of Pasta Bolognese

Monday was a lazy day.  BH woke with a craving for Charlie’s at the Farmer’s Market, so we went in search of pancakes and fried eggs.  This was my first time at Charlie’s, but the diner-style food was great.  Nothing fancy, but really well done.  The real goal of the day was to find a great patio in which to sit, drink a glass of wine and watch the world go by.  We ended up at The Little Next Door and wiled away the afternoon with nibbles and cold drinks.  Here’s a pic of BH, so happy with his chocolate pot de crème.

Chocolate Pot de Creme at The Little Next Door

Full of Chocolate and Wine at The Little Next Door

This was a decadent weekend, to be sure.  Since we didn’t take an official vacation, BH and I took a vacation from sensible eating.  All things in moderation, right?  Back on track this week.

 

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend!

What Exactly is Sustainable Food?

This trendy concept is a bit difficult to define.  Recently The Atlantic  devoted an entire article about the inability to officially define this increasingly popular idea.  But, there does seems to be a broad consensus among experts that sustainable food/eating is a system in which farmer/animal/food/consumer/environment/ are inextricably linked.  One always affects the other.  For better or worse.  Personally, I would like it to be for the better, and I’m sure you would too (you’re already reading this blog, aren’t you?).  And honestly, it seems simple enough to put into practice. Here are some of my simple rules that not only help me think about what I buy (because we, as consumers, have an extremely powerful vote every time we make a purchase) but, also, how it feeds my body and affects the environment:

1. Shop at your local farmers’ markets. (To me, this is the most important and fundamental idea to eating responsibly and healthily.)

Summer Corn at my Weekend Farmers Market

Choose to support your local farmer.  By shopping at farmers’ markets, instead of the big-box supermarket you support and contribute to independent family farms.  You are making the conscious decision, through your elective buying power, to buy and eat food that is picked at its peak of ripeness (more flavor! more nutrients!).  You are forced to eat seasonally—think tomatoes so juicy they burst with sweetness, tender asparagus that is just begging for a drizzle of good olive oil, winter squashes that make you think of curling up by the fire on a chilly autumn night.

Also, by putting yourself closer to the farmer you inevitably lessen the environmental impact that your food has on the world around you.  Less carbon dioxide from shipping, less soil erosion, less pesticides (chances are, the farmers at your local farmers’ market are small enough that their land is diversified.  Meaning, they are not a single crop operation.  A larger variety of crops means less pesticides, richer soil and more nutritious produce.)

2.  Try to Buy Organic Whenever Possible.

Spicy wild arugula

I say this with a caveat, however.  I urge you to seek out organic, because yes, when eating organic food you are getting more nutrients and eating a product that is not laden with chemical pesticides.  But, organic sodas, cakes and cookies do not count.  In fact, they hardly count as food.  Come on, who are you trying to fool?  Choose to buy organic whole foods:

Meat (poultry, beef—preferably pastured raised, meaning they lived on a diet of grass, not corn which is difficult for cows to digest.)

Fish (try to find sustainable fish, choose wild caught—not farmed—for the most nutritional benefit.  Also seek out fish that is lower on the food-chain, meaning, they’re the fish that other, bigger fish eat.  So, whenever possible choose smaller fish, such as wild-caught salmon, mackerel, sardines.  Even better, try to find seafood that is MSC certified, meaning the Marine Stewardship Council has given their stamp of approval.

Eggs (again pasture-raised will offer the most nutrients.  Since the chickens eat a nutritious diet of grass, their diet directly affects the quality and nutrition of the egg.  If you cannot find eggs from pastured chickens, then at the very least, look for organic.

Produce (fruits and vegetables without the addition of chemical pesticides which can, over time, harm the body)

*A Side Note:

Although I say try to buy organic, in truth, many small independent family farms cannot afford to be certified organic by the US government.  This does not mean that they use chemical pesticides, or that their products aren’t treated with respect and care.  They may still operate on a system that takes the welfare of the animal into consideration and their produce production does not utilize harmful pesticides.  When buying from local farmers, talk to them, create a dialogue and learn about their products.  This side note, brings me back to Rule Number 1. Whenever possible, shop at your local farmers’ market.

Gorgeous Heirloom Tomatoes at my weekend Farmers  Market

3. Eat Less Meat

That’s it.  This rule is pretty straightforward.  By choosing to eat less meat your impact on the environment decreases.  The production of animal products (meat, dairy, eggs) produces 40% more pollution than all three methods of transportation combined.

There are many other “rules” I could include, but to me, these are the most basic.  But, perhaps the best “rule” I could give is the most time-honored and practical.  Educate yourself.  Learn about what you eat.  Because meat doesn’t come in Styrofoam packages and tomatoes don’t grow in winter.

Reference:

Pollan, Michael. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. (New York: Penguin Books,  2008).

The Kindling Trust. August 29, 2011. http://kindling.org.uk/sustainable-food-definition

Foodie Revolution?

Yes, I am a foodie.  But isn’t everyone these days?  What makes me think that I have stumbled upon a secret love of food only shared by the select few?  Truthfully, I haven’t.  Years ago, perhaps this idea of a secret foodie club might hold some truth.  Before the advent of Food Network, Ina Garten, and Jamie Oliver the term may have conjured up images of  twenty-something hipsters strolling through their weekend farmers market in search of all things organic and raw, or perhaps it brought to mind snooty sophisticates who prefer their steak au poivre and their duck confit.  Today however, I would argue that the word is neither and yet it is both, simultaneously.  The demand for better (organic, sustainable, artisan) food has increased and supply is constantly improving.  The love and appreciation of food is more prevalent now than ever before.

As Americans today, our choices are vast.  We can just as easily elect to by organic grass-fed beef as we can factory farmed and processed ground chuck.  Our supermarkets are stocked with items once found only online or in specialty stores.  We, as consumers and eaters, can literally eat completely organic if we choose, or buy specialized products such as imported Spanish sardines in olive oil or fresh morels.  This kind of access can turn anyone into a foodie—and it’s great.  It has made the appreciation of food mainstream, which in turn, makes consumers more aware of what they are buying and maybe more importantly, what they are feeding their body.

Perhaps this trend toward food appreciation could someday turn into a unilateral foodie movement leading the country out of our GMO-consuming, factory-farm eating habits.  Might it be possible that foodies lead the way into a more aware and conscious collective demanding good food, raised without hormones, antibiotics or toxic pesticides?  I think so.  Of course, this will take time, but the shift towards whole, sustainable, and artisanal food has already begun.  West coast cities like San Francisco and Portland are producing some of the most exciting farm to table cooking in the country and consumers are taking notice.  There’s a reason why Michael Pollan’s books (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, et al.) appear on the New York Times bestseller list:  Because, fundamentally, the general public cares about what they eat.  And they’re hungry for some guidance.

As a self-professed foodie, I identify with both the organic food buyer seeking out clean and wholesome natural foods, but also with the nutritionally shameless in search of decadent pastries and rich buttercream cakes.  And yes, I am aware of the dichotomy here. How can I preach on about sustainable eating, but also approve the consumption of sugary cakes and cookies?  I think the answer to that question lies in a rationale that is both time-honored and valid—and it’s the most simplistic.  Moderation.  Our bodies do not thrive on chemically processed foods—and we know this.  This information is not new.  However, the pendulum of nutritionally sound eating has swung so far away from sustainable foods that it’s difficult to find our way back to the healthy middle.  It should be a conscious choice to, whenever possible, seek out and eat whole, unprocessed foods.  In fact, make that the goal and focus of each meal and snack.  But, it’s OK to allow an indulgence every now and then, especially if it’s made with whole ingredients.  Make easy swaps, such as whole-wheat flour instead of refined; use organic milk and eggs.  In fact, I think it can be both, and more importantly should be both.  If we are to succeed as conscientious eaters we must find balance between nutritious whole, unprocessed foods, while also allowing ourselves a little decadence, whether in the form of triple-chocolate brownies or blueberry pie.  In order to build and sustain a system of eaters who choose the sustainable food lifestyle, we must also be able to reward ourselves with a little ice cream every now and then.  Preferably homemade.