Green Options

For this week’s Thrifty Thursday, the title is not referring to saving seeds for planting (which is an entirely thrifty activity for those of us that garden).  Nope, I’m talking about the seeds that come inside those tasty winter squash, especially butternut squash and pumpkins. They make a tasty, fiber-filled, mineral-rich snack and are infinitely customizable to your own tastes.  Learn how, after the jump…

Although fall means the end of summer’s abundance of produce, the end-of-season crops are nothing to sneeze at.  Butternut squash, with its earthy sweetness and versatility, can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.  I whipped up this simple, hearty soup from local squash, then froze the extra for quick lunches throughout the season.

What makes this soup extra special is its creamy sweetness and vanilla flavor; it’s practically a dessert soup.  You can alter the sugar to taste, but I like the hint of sweetness that the small amount listed here provides.  Roasting the squash imparts a deeper, richer flavor as well.  The recipe, after the jump…

Hershey’s, in an attempt to counter rising food costs, has replaced the cocoa butter in many of its candies with vegetable oil, effectively changing their product from “milk chocolate” to “chocolate candy”.  Cocoa butter is the ingredient that gives milk chocolate it’s creamy mouthfeel, and it will be noticably absent from Whachamacalits, Mr. Goodbars, Milk Duds, and Krackels, although Hershey’s claims that Hershey Bars, Kisses, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups will remain unchanged.

Sigh.  Why bother with any of them?  Although Hershey’s has made attempts towards more fair trade practices, they’re far from green or ethical.  There’s several other ways to get your chocolate fix while supporting responsible companies. Find out how, after the jump…

Sorry, vegetarian and vegan Eat Drink Better readers.  This tip is for the omnis! We recently made the move from a vegetarian kitchen to a sometimes-omnivorous kitchen.  Without getting into the nuances of both my husband and my’s food preferences, we’re more likely to eat at home if I cook meat sometimes, and I’d rather save the money and eat at home where I can control ingredients.  One thing I recently tried as part of this new arrangement was cooking a whole chicken. Why deal with a whole chicken when you can buy the convenient prepackaged boneless skinless breasts?  Because you can save a ton of money by buying a whole bird.  Find out how, after the jump…

Have you seen those food memes making the rounds of the blogosphere? A meme is kind of a “tag-you’re-it” of the blog world.  Someone posts about something, then links to a few other bloggers they know, who are then tagged to do the same thing.  It’s usually a list of questions to answer or a list to check off.  These food memes are lists of 100 different food items that foodies of that persuasion should have tried, and bloggers identify which items they’ve actually tried, then add up their score.  It’s an interesting way to examine just how adventurous your palate is and where you stand in relation to other food enthusiasts.   There are three version of this particular meme: an omnivore 100, a vegetarian 100, and a vegan 100.  I’m trying out the vegetarian 100 (and you can, too) after the jump.

After reading Robin’s post last week on easy weeknight meals, I was craving that comfort food classic, tomato soup and grilled cheese.  I’ve been eating it in various incantations since I was tiny, and I wanted a refined, yet simple version of soup.  I looked through several cookbooks for a filling soup that only required ingredients I had on hand, and when I saw Deborah Madison’s Summer Tomato Soup, I knew I would try something similar.  I literally made and enjoyed this dish today and wanted to pass it along.

Word on the street is that as the economy worsens, cookbook sales rise.  Isn’t that American?  Wouldn’t one think that cookbook check-outs at the library might go up instead?  Perhaps it has.  Chosen method of procurement aside, I’m not begrudging you the investment in a superior culinary tome–I spent too much time looking at one yesterday, although I was able to walk away without a purchase.  But I also already have a good library of cookbooks at my disposal that I’ve picked up over the years that allow me to cook great meals, from whole foods, in my own kitchen.  If you’re a fledgling home cook, or just someone looking to eat at home more to save a little money, here’s a list of comprehensive cookbooks, vegan, vegetarian, and meat-eater, that have proved themselves to me time and time again.

Wake up, American drivers!  With gas prices through the roof, you’re undoubtedly sharing the road with record numbers of cyclists.  And guess what?  Those cyclists have just as much right to the road as you do.  If you expect them to obey the rules of the road, you’ve got to understand how to share that road with cyclists.

Apparently, No-Impact Man Colin Beavan was riding his bike in New York City when he was almost sideswiped by a Mercedes.  When he knocked on the window of the car to alert the obviously-unaware driver of his presence, the driver rolled down the window and said, “Get your hands off my car, you f***ing a**hole.”

The driver?  New York State Senator Jeff Klein.

So you’re telling me you’re not going to [...]

Sometimes when I think about what to cook for dinner, my brain hurts.  There are just too many factors to consider, including:  what’s in the pantry, what I feel like, what needs to be used up, what my picky husband will actually touch, what I would actually prefer.  This is a result of living in a country where our choices and options regarding food are so mind-bogglingly vast for many of us.  It’s terribly easy to fall into a rut of only eating five or six different dishes that you know you’ll like, but that can get so tiring.  So what’s a conscious cook to do when looking for fast, healthy, meal ideas?  Find out, after the jump…