Hunting for Organic, Local Winter Produce?

Shopping for organic produce in the winter can be expensive and a challenge, but there is a bigger bounty of produce available than you might realize. Eating seasonally, which is essentially eating locally, makes it more manageable. If you get over the idea that you should be able to eat anything you want anytime of the year, you will provide yourself with exciting opportunities to try new foods and seasonal recipes.

The winter organic produce list below is general — the region you live in may provide more, or less. Also below are links for finding winter produce recipes, as well as local and seasonal food in your area. And be sure to try our winter recipe pick — Sunset Magazine’s delectable seven-vegetable couscous dish with a Moroccan spice mix!

Winter Organic Produce

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, leafy greens (kale, chard, spinach and more), cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, apples

Tips for Healthy Winter Eating

• Eat what is seasonal and local — produce that is not seasonal or local has typically traveled a long way
• Buy a winter CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share
• Utilize Environmental Working Group's list to identify foods highest in pesticides and buy organic whenever possible — some of the “best-to-buy organic” veggies on our winter produce list are apples, spinach, potatoes, lettuce, and kale
• Remember that soups are a hearty, traditional winter dish that can be customized to make best use of your available local produce

CSAs, Winter Farmers Markets and Local Food in Your Area

The Daily Green – Enter your ZIP code in the “get local info” box on the home page to find organic, local, and seasonal food in your area from stores, farms, farmers markets, and CSAs

Eat Well Guide – This guide also uses your ZIP code to direct you to local, sustainable, and organic food sources in your area.

Sustainable Table – Check out this seemingly endless list of shopper’s guides to sustainable eating, and more.

Natural Resources Defense Council – This great resource provides an abundance of information about seasonal and local eating, and what and where to buy organic and local

Locavore Network – This invaluable resource for information on local, organic food makes organic shopping easier.

Try our top pick for a
delicious recipe using winter produce!

Turn Holiday Distress into De-stress!

It’s the same story year after year. The holidays are approaching and visions of holiday stress are dancing in our heads. This was going to be the year we were going to keep it simple, keep it healthy, and spend more time with the ones we love.

Don’t distress...de-stress! Organic.org has done some of the footwork to help with that. In addition to our 2011 Top Picks for organic, sustainable, and unique holiday gifts, as well as 2011 unique recipes, we have put together a collection of links – handy resources for you to search for holiday recipes, entertaining ideas, and holiday gifts. Have a cup of chamomile tea, light a lavender candle, sit back, and enjoy.

TOP PICKS FOR 2011 UNIQUE HOLIDAY GIFTS

Our top 5 picks for 2011 from some creative and artistic companies with unique products, and a commitment to sustainability and a healthy planet.

INSULATOR PENDANT LIGHT from HIPCYCLE. Upcycling at its finest! This ultra-cool hanging pendant light uses old glass insulators that, until the 1970s, were used with telegraph lines, telephone lines and electric power lines.

JUST SOAPS CERTIFIED ORGANIC SOAP, handcrafted by a one-of-a-kind bicycle-powered soap blender!

ORGANIC COTTON CLOTHING from UNITED BY BLUE. But there’s more! For every product purchased UBB removes 1 pound of trash from our world’s oceans and waterways. It’s a dual purpose gift.

RECYLED BABY/TODDLER CLOTHING from PLUM (called the Netflix for baby clothes!) Monthly subscription for re-used, boutique, organic clothing. Genius idea!

From ARTICLE 22, PEACE BOMB BRACELETS are made with repurposed Vietnam War scrap metal by Lao artisans. For every bracelet sold, three square meters of land is cleared of unexploded bombs– “saving lives and limbs in the process.”


Our collection of links to other unique, gift ideas

• Treehuggers 2011 Gift Guides provide unique ideas for a variety of interests from the animal lover to the foodie to the design junkie.
• Greentoys uses recycled milk jugs as the main ingredient in creating their toys.
• Etsy is an artisan site for truly unique, one-of-a-kind gifts.
• Uncommon Goods offers unique and unusual gifts; handmade, recycled, creatively designed.
• Local Harvest helps you search for CSAs in your area, by ZIP code. Provide the fresh, organic produce lover with a CSA membership.
• Earthlust creates beautiful stainless steel water bottles, no BPA, with several designs of limited-edition art.
  
  

SIMPLE, UNIQUE ENTERTAINING IDEAS AND RECIPES

Keep your holiday meals simple by focusing on one part of the meal. If a turkey is the end-all for your family, buy an organic turkey, brine it for tenderness (or buy it already brined) and roast it to perfection. The rest of the meal can be simple: oven-roasted potatoes with fresh rosemary, an organic field greens salad, and a simple dessert that can be made ahead of time.

One way to add a special touch, especially if you decide to have your holiday meal catered, is to spend time on beautiful garnishes. Frosted grapes around your turkey or whole cranberries with some fresh rosemary and sage make it look and feel homemade! Whatever you use for garnish can also be used for decoration–large vases full of cranberries, fruit, or herbs can add color and aroma. Figs are another beautiful garnish. Try putting a few cranberries onto a fresh rosemary spear and add to a vodka cranberry for a simple and festive holiday cocktail.

Our top picks for some unique holiday recipes are below, along with a collection of links for recipes, entertaining and decorating ideas. Remember to keep it SIMPLE. You can have a fabulous yet simple holiday, and in the process have less stress. And more time to spend with your family.

TOP PICKS FOR 2011 UNIQUE HOLIDAY RECIPES

ITALIAN CHARD STUFFING This recipe, from Myrecipes.com and Sunset magazine is just the ticket for an easy holiday meal. If you are trying to cut down on the amount of dishes you make, this one will fill the bill for several categories–a stuffing with chard, Italian sausage, and lots of herbs is three dishes in one! Try it without the sausage if you have vegetarians on your guest list. And use organic ingredients when possible to make it extra tasty and healthy!

SLOW ROASTED PLUMS Watch this video that walks you through a quick and easy dessert recipe for sugar roasted plums.

SLOW COOKED BALSAMIC ROOT VEGETABLES Get out your slow cooker for this one. Saves room in the oven and produces a fabulous and unique vegetable dish. Make sure you buy organic vegetables for this dish!

SCALLOPED SWEET POTATO STACKS This may require a little more time, but your guests will be delighted by this scrumptious and unusual take on the sweet potato! Using organic dairy products in addition to sweet potatoes will produce an unforgettable taste.

STUFFED ROASTED HENS WITH PESTO OIL DRIZZLE Williams-Sonomas recipe brings you something different and delightful for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years...you name it!


Our collection of links for other recipes and entertaining ideas

• Tastespotting.com brings together a collection of unique and delicious recipes with beautiful photos.
  
• Eatingwell.com is a great resource for a wealth of healthy holiday recipes.
• Find classic, delectable gourmet recipes and holiday tips from Epicurious.com, a tried and true go-to site.
• To keep it real simple check out Real Simples holiday tips, gift suggestions, recipes, and more.
• The handy recipe finder at Readyseteat.com lets you look for a recipe based on your main ingredient and filter by “healthier recipes.” Provides prep time, total time, nutritionals, and—get this—you can enter your ZIP code and it will show you where the recipe ingredients are on sale in your area! Now that’s stress-free meal planning!
• Organic Valley has a handy searchable gourmet database, along with downloadable coupons! Includes lots of gluten-free recipes.

Happy stress-free holidays from Organic.org!

A Seductively Healthy Valentine’s Dinner

What can you do to make a special Valentine’s Day dinner for your sweetie? Make it hot, make it healthy, and make it easy!

Studies show that spicy foods can raise your heart rate, cause flushing, and generally mimic some of the effects of sexual stimulation. For centuries, chiles and other heat-inducing ingredients have been added to love potions and other sensual aids to increase desire.

What’s a better aphrodisiac than showing someone that you love them enough to prepare deliciously healthy foods? Pomegranates, those exotic fruits containing a multitude of sensual, fleshy seeds inside a thick rind, not only offer a luscious crimson color but also come packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals.

Try this fabulously different recipe on your honey for Valentine’s Day. It’s sweet, spicy, inherently healthy, and couldn’t be easier to prepare or clean up.

Piri-Piri Pomegranate Chicken
“Piri-Piri” is an African term for hot and spicy. Control the amount of fire by adjusting the amount of cayenne pepper. This recipe is presented as mild-to-medium heat.

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 cup parboiled brown rice
1 cup water or broth
2–3 pieces chicken
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses*
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. cayenne
Salt, to taste
18-20 Brussels sprouts, trimmed with shallow “x” cut into stem end
1-1/2 cup baby carrots, halved
1 cup oyster mushrooms, sliced thickly
Seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray or wipe the inside of a 2-quart Dutch oven and lid with olive oil.

Pour rice into pot and add liquid. Stir gently to coat grains and smooth into an even layer. Set chicken pieces on top in a single layer.

In a small bowl, mix together ketchup, honey, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Drizzle 1/2 mixture over top of chicken. Drop in Brussels sprouts and carrots and add the remaining mixture. Top with mushrooms and pomegranate seeds. Cover and bake for about 45 minutes or about 3 minutes after the aroma wafts from the oven. Serves 2.

Notes
You can use any combination of boneless, bone-in, skinless, or skin-on chicken pieces in this recipe.

* Look for pomegranate molasses in Middle Eastern markets or specialty or health food groceries.

Elizabeth Yarnell is author of the award-winning cookbook, Glorious One-Pot Meals: A new quick & healthy approach to Dutch oven cooking. Visit her at www.gloriousonepotmeals.com.

Organic Chocolate Marshmallow Cream Cupcakes

Making some delectable chocolate goodness for your loved one could be the perfect route to the heart! corpusbonvivant.blogspot.com/organic-chocolate-marshmallow-cupcakes

Here are some great drink recipes from Jay Esopenko and Melissa Gugni, owners of Drink. Event Bartending in San Francisco, to celebrate Valentine’s Day!



Love Potion #12
2 oz. organic 100% pomegranate juice
1 1/2 oz. Square One™ organic vodka
1/2 organic blood orange, squeezed
1/2 lime, squeezed
1/4 to 1/2 oz. simple syrup (50% raw sugar–50% water, dissolved)
Cranberries for garnish

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake vigorously for 10 seconds and strain into a cocktail glass. Float 3 fresh cranberries for garnish.

Raspberry Bliss (non-alcoholic)
6 organic raspberries
2 sprigs of fresh organic thyme
1/2 organic Meyer lemon
1/2 oz. simple syrup (50% raw sugar–50% water dissolved)
3 oz. sparkling water

Directions:
Remove the leaves from 1 sprig of thyme and add with 5 raspberries to a shaker. Muddle. Add lemon juice, simple syrup and ice. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling water and garnish with the remaining raspberry and the remaining sprig of thyme.

Earthbound Farm’s Famous Maple Almond Granola

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups (18 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shelled, raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups slivered or coarsely chopped raw almonds
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup, preferably Grade A Dark Amber
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Place the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the maple syrup and oil and stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
3. Spread the granola on a roughly 12 by 17–inch rimmed baking sheet. Bake the granola until it begins to brown, about 25 minutes, then stir it with a flat spatula. Let the granola continue to bake until it is light golden brown, dry, and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Stir the granola at least once more as it bakes and watch it carefully during the final minutes because it can burn quickly.
4. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack, add the raisins, and stir to combine. Let the granola cool completely. Transfer the granola to an airtight container. It can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 month or frozen for up to 6 months. You can serve the granola straight from the freezer. It doesn’t get hard and it thaws almost instantly—just pour on some milk.

Are You a Chocolate Lover?

During the Valentine season, chocolate sales increase immensely. Teach your kids and others around you the importance of buying Fair Trade chocolate. Log onto
ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/29/global-exchange to get the details!