Just in time for the holiday, the Honey Board has a few recipes to recommend — for the grill. Honey is a pretty common ingredient for marinades and sauces. These recipes capture that sweet-spicy combination of flavors I personally love.

Before you go for the tongs, the Honey Board has a few pointers on why this food is sustainable AND an eco-friendly choice:

• Honey is an all-natural food that leaves a small eco-footprint.
• Purchasing local honey encourages growth of the local economy and reduces production waste.
• Many farmers have hives on their land, in part because bees are responsible for one out of every three bites we consume.
• If it weren’t for honey bees, we would suffer from a limited supply of oranges, apples, blueberries, cucumbers and strawberries.

Recipes for your holiday cook out include Grilled Tofu Kabobs with a Honey-Chipotle Glaze.

Grilled Tofu Kabobs
Chipotle Marinade:
1 cup vegetable broth
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup tamari soy sauce
1 chipotle en adobo, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion powder
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro

Tofu Kabobs:
2 14-oz. pkgs. extra-firm tofu
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch circles
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
12 cherry tomatoes
1 cup pineapple cubes

To make Chipotle Marinade: Whisk together broth, garlic, honey, soy sauce, and chipotle and adobo sauce in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Add onion powder, mustard and cilantro; mix well.

To make Tofu Kabobs: Slice each block of tofu in half horizontally, and, in cross-hatch pattern, make two slices vertically and two slices horizontally for total of 36 tofu cubes. Place tofu in nonreactive 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour marinade over tofu, cover and refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.

Set and light fire using coals or mesquite about 30 minutes before cooking time. Soak bamboo skewers in hot water for 20 minutes. Alternating ingredients, thread tofu, vegetables and pineapple cubes on skewers. Place kabobs over hot coals on well-oiled grill rack. Cook about 10 minutes, or until done, turning once and taking care that vegetables don’t burn.

Grilled Tofu and Sautéed Asian Greens
1 (14-oz) block firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon peeled, finely grated, fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or dried hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 (5-oz) bags Asian greens or baby spinach

Cut tofu crosswise into 6 slices. Arrange in 1 layer on a triple layer of paper towels and top with another triple layer of towels. Weight with a shallow baking pan or baking sheet and let stand 2 minutes. Repeat weighting with dry paper towels 2 more times.

Stir together soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic, and Tabasco in a glass pie plate. Add tofu slices in 1 layer and marinate, turning over every couple of minutes, for 10 minutes total.

Spray grill rack or pan with nonstick cooking spray. Heat grill or grill pan to medium heat. Remove tofu slices from baking dish, reserving marinade. Grill tofu slices 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until browned and crisp on the outside.

While tofu grills, heat vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté greens, tossing with tongs, until beginning to wilt. Add reserved marinade and sauté, tossing, until greens are just wilted, about 1 minute. Lift greens from skillet with tongs, letting excess marinade drip off, and divide between 2 plates.

Serve greens with tofu slices.

Honey on the Grill Recipes for Omnivores:
Barbecued Pork Sate
Baby Back Ribs with Cranberry Barbecue Sauce

Related Posts
Green Diva’s Honey-Herb Sauce
Honey Curried Cauliflower
Seven Tips for Greening Your Barbecue

Landi, pictured here in her ‘bee bikini’, got together with fellow, bee buddy, Joe Treimel to show off their live bee apparel and accessories. Joe sported a bee beard. This all took place last weekend at the Essex County Environmental Center.

Read more about Landi and what is happening to honey bees in one of my earlier posts. Here’s a crazy story I saw yesterday morning on CNN.com about 12 MILLION honey bees that swarmed a Canadian highway after a truck carrying them flipped over!

My favorite honey & herb sauce . . .

We usually put this on grilled tuna, but it could go on a variety of things, including grilled tofu. It is a wonderful sauce that I can never make enough of! It is great this time of year because I have most of the ingredients in my garden, and of course I get the best honey from my local bee lady . . .

Ingredients

1 c. parsley
1/4 c. dill
1/4 c. olive oil (I usually mix 1/2 flax seed oil)
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
3 T. honey
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground blacks pepper

your favorite capers

Wash and pat dry the herbs and throw everything but the capers in a blender or food processor. Voila! Spoon it onto your favorite fish or veggie protein and add capers.

NOTE: you can adjust any of the seasonings AND the oil and vinegar to your own taste. I’ve actually done this with cilantro, parsley and used lime juice.

Check out these other sweet GO posts
Oh Honey. Eat. Drink. Better Series This Week
Honey - The Cure for Just about Everything
Pollen - The Bees Knees?

So what’s a couple trying to eat well to do?  Here are five tips for eating out if you are a “mixed-eating” couple like my husband and me, after the jump.

1.  Ethnic, ethnic, ethnic.  This one is tricky–my husband wants to stay close to the holy trifecta of Americanized ethnic foods: Italian, Chinese, and Tex-Mex.  Those choices are fine, and usually very accommodating, but I can make pasta at home, and many Tex-Mex joints use lard in their cooking.  I’ve found Thai to be close enough to Chinese for my husband to find something he likes, but provides several out-of-the ordinary options.  Most Asian cuisines are very veg-friendly, and Indian cuisine is largely meat-free.  Many African cuisines, such as Ethiopian, have just as many meat-free menu items as meat-based.  An adventurous palate can help find a much wider variety of promising restaurants than if you were to stay with the same old places.

2. PIzza.  Half-and-half pizzas may have just saved my marriage.  Widely-available, the endless varieties and styles make pizza crucial to our eating out (and eating in) rotation.  One of the best restaurants I’ve been to in terms of equal eating opportunities for vegetarians, Pizza Luce in Minneapolis, not only has plenty of meat-free pizzas and pastas, but almost everything on the menus has a vegetarian, if not vegan, alternative.  Multiple vegan options, clearly marked as such, let you know that a restaurant knows what it is talking about.

3.  Don’t be afraid to ask. Although some chefs might stick their noses in the air at the thought of vegetarian or vegan cuisine, quite a few others are glad to create a meat-free, off-the-menu dish.  You just have to ask.  Sometimes, particularly if I’ve made reservations, I’ll even call ahead to let the chef know that there’s a vegetarian in the party.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the creative, thoughtful dishes chefs have made just for me.  In addition…

4.  Become a regular. When you find a place that you both like, visit often and spread the word to your friends.  Let the restaurant know they are doing  good job.  A restaurant is much more likely to cater to your needs if you routinely patronize their business and you won’t get stuck with the same old veggie pasta while everyone else enjoys something more creative.

5. Go where the farmers grow. Now is the perfect time to ask your favorite farmers market vendor to which restaurants they sell.  Chances are that a restaurant who takes the time to buy local will want to showcase that local produce, hence menu items that showcase veggies, not just meat.  I often see the owner/chef of one of my favorite St Louis restaurants at our farmers markets, so I know he’s going to have meatless entrees, and, as a bonus, is trying to patronize as many local growers as possible.

For those mixed-diet couples out there, what are your favorite types of cuisine or restaurants that make it easy to dine out together?

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes designed to showcase produce gathered from local farms or grown in my own garden.  

We’re in full swing with the growing season in the mid-Atlantic region.  I certainly enjoy all the fresh produce spilling out of my garden, but none tickle my taste buds quite so much as Swiss chard and sorrel.  For those of you not familiar with these delightful greens, here’s a little primer that should get you well on your way to enjoying both!

Swiss Chard 101

Unless you’ve grown up in the South or with a southern cook, you probably haven’t been exposed to a lot of cooked greens in your diet.  Swiss chard is the superstar among the greens family that includes kale, spinach, beets and collards.  It literally is off the chart in Vitamin K (great for your bones) and Vitamin A (good for vision and warding off cancer).   In addition to that, it’s got loads of fiber, iron, potassium, magnesium and even some calcium.  All in a mere 35 calories per cooked cup!  Pretty impressive, eh?

I know what you’re thinking though… how does it taste?  Surely something so healthy is going to be gross.  Nope.  It’s quite tasty and easily added to a great number of dishes.  Two of the most common ways of preparing Swiss chard are sautéing (as we’ll be doing with today’s recipe) and using it in soups.  You can also throw it into just about any stir fry and any baked dish that might normally call for spinach (such as a quiche or lasagna).  It’s great over pasta, rice or spelt, and it’s flavor, while a tad bitter, melds nicely with just about anything.  It also retains a nice bright color after being cooked so for once your kids might not think the green stuff on their plate is slime.

When selecting Swiss chard, look for perky full bright green leaves and flexible (not too stiff, not too wilted) stems.  The smaller leaves will cook faster but become next to nothing after a few minutes in the pan.  Larger leaves will hold up more in the pan but will take longer to cook and sometimes be a bit chewier.  I like to aim somewhere in the middle for leaves that are about the size of my outstretched hand or a little bigger.

Sorrel 101

Sorrel’s a little funny.  It started out as a rather common plant growing in many European pastures.  Cows are quite fond of it.  It seems that peasants took to collecting it for salads and then eventually it made its way into French cuisine and now it’s considered rather gourmet.

With a tangy, bright flavor, sorrel is a favorite in soups and sauces, particularly those that are cream based.  Due to its intense flavor, it has the unusual designation of being both an herb and a green (generally, plants harvested for their leaves are considered one or the other).    I can’t vouch for this myself, but it’s supposed to be excellent with lamb.  I personally most enjoy it in pesto or quiche. 

It is very high in Vitamin C and A, which is why it was used to prevent scurvy back in the day.  It was also ground into a paste to use as an antiseptic on the skin.  It was also used in folk medicine as a diuretic so don’t eat too much of it!

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Sautéed Swiss Chard and Sorrel over Spelt
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 15 stems)
1 bunch sorrel (about 6-8 stems)
5 cloves of garlic
1 large shallot
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
½  c. vegetable or chicken stock
2 c. spelt, cooked according to directions
salt and pepper
grated parmesan cheese

Mince the garlic and shallot.  Removing the stems, roughly chopped the sorrel.  For the Swiss chard, if you are using larger leaves, cut around the main vein in the center and then remove the tough stem.  If you have really young/small leaves, you do not need to remove the vein.  Roughly chop the Swiss chard.

Place two tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil in a skillet.  Add shallot and garlic and sauté until golden.   Add the chopped greens and stir briefly to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir again.  Add half cup of stock and reduce heat to low.  Allow greens to simmer until most of liquid is absorbed and greens are tender.  Add additional salt and pepper as needed.

To plate up, mound up spelt and grate some cheese over it.  Then mound the greens on top and grate some more cheese.  Serve with sliced tomatoes or other fresh seasonal vegetable on the side.

(serves 2) 

While we cook almost everything on the grill during the summer months (and quite often the rest of the year), we have a few rainy-day summer meals we like to fall back on. It was an extremely stormy Sunday this past weekend, so we had a pizza night, which is why you are getting the pizza post.

You don’t have to have all the home pizza making bells and whistles, but they do help. We have a wonderful wooden pizza ‘peel’, which is the giant wooden spatula thing that helps get the pizza in and out of the oven. We also have a pizza stone, which is a great cooking element that you put in the oven rather than putting the pizza directly on the rack. Pizza peels and stones aren’t very expensive.

Easy Crust

Pre-made While you can usually find some frozen brands in the supermarket, we are fortunate enough to live in New Jersey, where there are perhaps as many pizzerias as there are bars or Starbucks (or bars & Starbucks combined!). We have a couple of local pizzerias that we are friendly with and they will sell us (or give us) dough. We obviously don’t do it often enough (or probably well enough) for them to feel threatened by the competitive aspect.

Ready-to-use, pre-cooked  Here’s an interesting category. I’ve tried some of these and am usually excited by the concept and disappointed in the results. However, we just tried one this past weekend that was a winner - Rustic Crust. We tried the All Natural Tuscan 6 Grain Old World Pizza Crust and loved it.

do-it-yourself  NOT really an easy crust . . . you are on your own with this one. Haven’t gone this rustic yet, but I hooked you up to a mess of good recipes, including a gluten-free one.

Sauces & Toppings

Here’s where things can get really colorfu. Depending on your taste - you could have a GREEN pizza, by using some type of pesto or by creating a ’salad’ pizza (see recipe below). Aside from the traditional RED tomato sauces, you could try my very favorite BBQ sauce pizza (see recipe below). You could go for the WHITE variety by using mostly cheese.

They types of cheeses, vegetables, meats, fruit, etc. are an endless list based on your favorite combinations. Of course, soy cheese can be used, vegetarian sausage and meat substitutes are available so that vegetarian versions of old standbys can be produced.

The Basic How-To

When using raw-dough(either homemade or from your local pizzaria)

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. have fun with the rolling, pounding, and stretching it to whatever shape you want - and whatever shape you need to use to fit either your pizza stone or a baking sheet or your oven!
3. brush on a little olive oil and pre-bake just the crust for about 8 minutes, but don’t let it get too brown.
4. slather on sauce and toppings and bake again for about 15 minutes, watching to make sure things aren’t burning.

With pre-made crust

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. slather on sauce and toppings and bake again for about 15 minutes, watching to make sure things aren’t burning.

Green Diva Pizza Recipes

BBQ Style Pizza
This is a variation on some of the delicious BBQ Chicken pizzas I’ve had in Massachusetts and California.

Ingredients
BBQ Sauce (I like a nice smokey type sauce - my personal favorite is Annie’s Naturals Organic Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce)
Roasted Garlic (about one head)
Smoked Mozzarella (thinly sliced)
Carmelized Red Onion (carmelized or just raw, but thinly sliced)These are the basics, but you can add some organic, free-range BBQ chicken bits or use BBQ’d veggie/fake chicken bits too.

Just spread the BBQ sauce on the crust generously, add toppings as per your taste, bake, and yum!

Salad Pizza
My kids’ favorite!

Ingredients
Your favorite green salad
Basic tomato pizza-style sauce

Spread the tomato sauce on generously, bake for about 10 minutes, then add salad and bake for another 5 minutes to wilt the lettuce and slightly cook other veggies and let everything kind of fuse to the pie a bit.

Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil
Very simple, traditional, but always good . . .

Ingredients
Your favorite tomato/pizza sauce
Fresh mozzarella (grated or sliced)
Fresh basil leaves (washed)
Sliced tomatoes (your favorite kind - we usually use sweet grape tomato halves)

Variations: Red Onion (thinly sliced); Black Olives (sliced)

Additional Seasonings
Of course, you can further personalize based on some dry additions at the very end, such as hot pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, maple pepper (our family favorite!), salt, pepper, etc.

The variations are endless, which makes pizza one of the more creative things you can prepare in your cocina. Kids can get into the action at almost any age. So, have some pizza fun when you can’t get outside to grill dinner this summer.

My first step though is getting rid of all of the wonderful food I’ve got stored up, but will now be eating less of, like grains, beans, and soy products. I can’t think of a more delicious way to clean house than this red lentil recipe I created last night.

I’m still stuck on what to name this dish. My husband called it “Mediterr-Indian” because of the spices that borrow from both cultures. It’s pretty low on fat, and good for people with food allergies, as it’s nut, soy, and wheat free, and of course, vegan. The recipe for the lentils, and the roasted cauliflower after the jump:

Lentils:
2 Cups dry red lentils
1 Small yellow onion
2 Cloves garlic
1 Cup chopped mushrooms (button or crimini)
1 Tbsp. Veg. Oil
2 Tbsps tomato paste
1/4 Tsp Tumeric
1/4 Tsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Mediterranean seasoning*
1 Tsp salt
Sherry
Vegetable broth

Cauliflower:
1 head cauliflower
3/4 C Veg. broth
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 Tsp nutritional yeast
1 Tsp whole cumin seeds
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch rosemary
Cracked black pepper

Rinse off your lentils and then put them in a pan, covering with 2 cups of liquid (I used a mix of water and vegetable broth). Simmer, covered, on medium heat until all the liquid has been absorbed.

While they cook, pre-heat your oven to 375. Chop up your cauliflower into bite-size pieces and place in a roasting pan. In a bowl, mix all of the sauce ingredients well, and then cover the cauliflower in it, tossing so that all the pieces get coated. Toss in the oven.

In a skillet, heat up your oil (any kind will do) and a small amount of vegetable broth, to get the pan coated. Chop up the onion, and saute it in the pan. Next add the chopped garlic, and chopped mushrooms. Use a little Sherry, or white wine to deglaze the pan, and get all those good flavors.

Now, add your spices: the tumeric, paprika, and Mediterranean blend. (*I have a pre-mixed blend that contains oregano, thyme, rosemary and fennel.) Next, add the tomato paste and mix well.

By this time your lentils should be finished. You may want to mash them up a little with a fork or potato masher. Add the veggies from your skillet directly to the lentils. As you mix, you’ll want to add some vegetable broth, as well as your salt. Use as much as you need to give everything a nice creamy consistency.

If your cauliflower hasn’t browned yet, you may want to turn the oven up to a higher heat. The lentils can sit, sauteing for a little while, while it finishes. Once it’s all done, serve side by side. I garnished with some fresh parsley.

Hot yummy meals like this certainly make going raw seem like an impossible challenge. In my next post though I’ll discuss why raw foods are great not just for your health, but for the planet. In the mean time I’ll be savoring my warm lentils while they last, though!

Like other mainstay international dishes, this Greek dish has various versions — and spellings: “Spanakopita” for “spinach pie” and “spanakotyropita” for the more detailed “spinach and cheese pie.” But the short gist is an abundant bowl of cooked spinach and herbs mixed with feta and eggs, nestled in between buttered layers of phyllo. By accident once, we bought puff pastry sheets instead of phylo dough which worked surprisingly well. Combinations of spinach and Swiss chard work equally well.

Harvest those local greens and enjoy!

Recipe after the jump.

Spanakopita

Ingredients:
2 lbs. fresh spinach (about 5 c. frozen)
1 large onion, finely chopped
¼ c. olive oil
1 lb. finely crumbled feta cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 t. dried dill
½ lb. phyllo pastry dough sheets
(defrosted)
½ c. butter, melted (1 stick)

Directions:
* Wash fresh spinach, pat dry and chop fine.
* Sauté onion in olive oil until soft and slightly browned. Add spinach and simmer to remove excess moisture.
* Crumble cheese and mix in eggs and dill. Combine with spinach mixture until well blended.
* Line a 9-in. x 13-in. pan with 10 buttered sheets of phyllo. Pour in spinach-cheese mixture. Top with 8 buttered sheets of phyllo.
* Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Serves 8.

From Edible Earth: Savoring the Good Life with Vegetarian Recipes from Inn Serendipity

What is your favorite summer kale recipe? 

Here’s one of mine . . .
Kale is not one of my favorite veggies, but somehow Green Diva Jen, (AKA Jenifer O’Neill) has been slowly converting me. She contributed this recipe as well as the actual dish for our wonderful staff picnic last year (photo was taken on my back deck!). She seems to find great ways to get more kale into the mix!

Ingredients

1/2 head kale (any variety)
1/2 head green cabbage
1/2 head red cabbage
4 large carrots
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or umeboshi plum vinegar
1 cup your favorite mayonnaise
1 tablespoon honey
Freshly ground pepper
Splash of water

Instructions

Wash, pat dry and finely shred kale and cabbages. Peel and grate carrot. Put vegetables in a large bowl. In small bowl or measuring cup whisk together mayonnaise, honey, vinegar, pepper and water. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss. Refrigerate. Best if it sits a bit before serving. Lasts several days in the refrigerator.

got any other cool kale ideas for summer?

photo by Daryl Ann Filandro for Relevant Times

EveryKid comes in three flavors: awesome apple, brilliant berries, and grape (sold exclusively at Whole Foods). The powder can be taken directly or mixed with water, and it is recommended for children over the age of four. At first, my daughter thought EveryKid was strange, as she is used to a chewable multivitamin; however, in subsequent days she requested EveryKid over her regular Rainbow Light’s chewable NutriStars. EveryKid is organic. Since I only feed my children organic food, it makes sense to give them organic vitamins. Dr. Charles Benbrook, Chief Scientist of The Organic Center explains:

All kids need wholesome, safe foods that protect their growing bodies from pesticides, chemicals, and unknown risks from genetically-modified crops. Nourishing young bodies with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants each day is equally important, because growing up is serious business.EveryKid whole-food complexed multivitamins are a great way to fill any nutrient gaps in kids’ diets, so that they build a lifelong foundation for good health.

EveryKid is naturally gluten-free and 100% vegetarian. Each powder packet contains the following Daily Value from cultured ingredients:

• Vitamin A (100% as beta-carotene) 5000 IU 100%
• Vitamin C 60 mg 100%
• Vitamin D3 400 IU 100%
• Vitamin E 30 IU 100%
• Vitamin B1 1.5 mg 100%
• Vitamin B2 1.7 mg 100%
• Niacin 20 mg 100%
• Pantothenic Acid 10 mg 100%
• Vitamin B6 2 mg 100%
• Folate 400 mcg 100%
• Vitamin B12 6 mcg 100%
• Biotin 300 mcg 100%
• Vitamin K 80 mcg 100

Nutrients are cultured in organic media that may contain: organic milled soy, organic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae), organic maltodextrin, organic gum acacia, organic orange and lemon peel - natural sources of bioflavonoids, organic carrot powder, organic alfalfa powder, enzymes and Lactobacilli (L. acidophilus, L. bifudus, L. rhamnosus).

New Chapter Organics uses whole foods, rather than synthetic chemical isolates common in most other vitamin and mineral supplements. Cultured, probiotic, whole food nutrients are more readily absorbed by the body. I am glad there is now an organic choice for parents wishing to supplement their diet with vitamins.

Related posts on vitamins:

• Vitamins: Back Up Your Child’s Diet

• Herbal Remedies: 8 Natural Methods for Relief from Childhood Canker Sores

• Herbal Remedies: Natural Pregnancy Tea Recipe

• Food Synergy: Why Nutrients Should Not Stand Alone

The dishes have such complex flavors, in combinations I’d have never thought up. One of my favorites was a lemon basil sorbet we had for dessert that was outstanding. They sell several cookbooks, but I’ve always shied away from it, as I’ve heard (and would have to imagine) that the recipes would be too complicated.

Instead during our meal this weekend, I tried to guess how some of the dishes were made and see if I could emulate them myself. This recipe is based on an appetizer we had, but I paired it with a side salad as a full meal.

Of course the greener and more authentic option would be to make your own gnocchi from scratch. However, it’s fairly time-consuming, and the two times I tried making it previously resulted in a big floury fail. I didn’t have a hard time finding it made without egg (it’s debatable which is the “true Italian” way) but here’s one recipe if you want to give it a shot.

While you boil the water for your gnocchi, start on the sauce. In a food processor combine:

1 Cup cashews (I used roasted because that’s what I had on hand, but you’ll get a lighter flavor if you choose raw cashews)
9 oz. roasted red peppers
1/4 Tsp paprika
1/4 Tsp garlic salt
Sprinkle of cayenne and black pepper

Start mixing, and as it goes add in 3/4 Cup milk of your choosing. (I used soy.) Blend until you’ve got a nice creamy consistency.

Once your water is boiling, add the gnocchi (I used a 14 oz. package). In a frying pan melt a heaping tablespoon of butter (or Earth Balance) and about 1/4 tsp of sage. It should start sizzling just about the time your gnocchi start rising to the surface of the water.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the risen gnocchi to the pan. As they cook, flip them so they brown on both sides. In a small pot heat the red pepper sauce for just a few minutes. Once the gnocchi are a nice golden color, serve them in a bed of the red pepper sauce.

While the results were no Millennium, they were very flavorful, and relatively quick to prepare. And we didn’t even need reservations.

Readers: got a favorite veggie restaurant in your neck of the woods? Let me know in the comments!

All of a sudden, I came to the edge of a cliff, staring down into the deep canyon below. ‘Hmmm, this canyon wasn’t here yesterday,” I noted, as the tiger quickly caught up to me. As I looked down, at the bottom of the canyon stood a second tiger, ready for dinner. I saw a small branch growing out of the edge of the cliff, and I quickly jumped and grabbed the branch, dangling precipitously over the cliff drop off, but hey, I figured I’m still alive.

I look up to see not only tiger number one snarling down at me, but two voracious mice, chewing away on my branch. But as the branch started to crack and my life flashed before me, my eye catches a strawberry, dangling from its vine. Not just any strawberry, but a perfectly ruby red ripe beauty, moist with morning dew. And I reach out, picked it and ate that strawberry.

You can probably figure out my fate in this fable, a Midwestern version inspired by a Buddhist tale. But the lesson is that each one of us is symbolically hanging from that dangling branch. The tiger represents death – which will happen to all of us eventually. The mice represent time – we all receive a finite amount in our lifetime. We don’t know the ultimate path our life’s journey will take or when it will end. This story reminds us to embrace the moment, live fully in the present and leave no sweet seasonal strawberry behind.

With strawberry season in full gear,make strawberry eating a symbolic, spiritual act with every berry you pop in our mouth. Take full advantage of whatever life offers on your plate today, from crunchy late spring pea pods to fresh strawberry pina coladas, from an e-mail from an old friend to a creative late-night energy burst. Live, eat and love in the here and now – the strawberry season, as well as my six-year old begging me to help him dip some in chocolate, will be over all too soon.

If you need any more promoting to celebrate the strawberry, here’s my favorite strawberry dessert, which only works well with peak ripe berries:

Strawberry Whip Cream Roll

Cake Ingredients:
6 eggs, separated
¾ c. sugar, divided
1 c. ground walnuts
¼ c. dry bread crumbs
¼ c. all-purpose flour
1/8 t. salt
Powdered sugar

Filling Ingredients:
4 c. fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Directions:
* In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add ¼ c. sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
* In a separate mixing bowl, beat egg yolks and remaining sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Combine walnuts, bread crumbs, flour and salt. Add to yolk mixture. Mix well. Gently fold in egg white mixture.
* Line a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. jelly roll baking pan with wax paper. Grease the wax paper with butter. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes. Invert cake onto a clean kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool on a wire rack.
* In a mixing bowl, bean cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating until stiff peaks form.
* Unroll cake; spread with filling to within ½-in. of edges. Top with sliced berries. Roll up again. Place seam side down on serving plate. Chill until serving. Dust each slice with powdered sugar before serving.

Serves 12.

From Edible Earth: Savoring the Good Life with Vegetarian Recipes from Inn Serendipity

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes
designed to showcase produce gathered
from local farms or grown in my own garden.  

With the rising costs of food (and everything else to boot), I’m sure I’m not the only one who has vowed to be more frugal with menus by using up what’s already in the fridge before heading to the market.  To this I say, “here, here!!”   That was until I started looking around my own fridge and realized I should have taken on this resolution about four months ago - moldy cheese, sad-looking shriveled carrots, and dried out halves of onions that I was sure I’d use up the next day but forgot all about and ended up cutting a fresh onion.   Frugal I am not.

Instead, those bright and shiny new bunch of beets I’d plucked from the farmer’s market immediately caught my attention.  I know I had opened the fridge with the intention of salvaging something that might otherwise go to waste, but as it was, I thought I’d give the beets a chance before they too shriveled up in the crisper drawer.  After all, the spring beet season is fast drawing to a close. 

The flavor proved to be superb for this Sauteed Beets with Mustard and Lemon recipe.   Since my beets were rather small, they were actually boardering on sweet.  Thus, I upped the lemon juice and later wished I had upped the chile pepper too.  Adjust your seasonings according to personal taste and the quality of your beets.  I’m sure you’ll agree this dish is deliciously light and a beauty to behold on the plate!

What’s your favorite recipe for beets?  If you’re still stumped and want a few more ideas, check out these links:

Beet Salad with Orange and Fennel
Early Spring Sunshine Salad
Vegan Mint Chocolate Cake 
Roasted Beet and Cucumber Salad

SPICY SAUTEED BEETS WITH MUSTARD AND LEMON
Adapted from 5 Spices, 50 Dishes

4 or 5 medium beets
2 T. peanut oil
1/4 t. mustard seeds
1 small chile pepper, slices into thing rounds
Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of one lemon
1 T. minced cilantro

Scrub beets well.  Cover with water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until tender – about 20 minutes depending on the size of the beets. Drain and let beets cool before sliding off their skins.  Chop beets into half inch thick wedges.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat.  When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, covering to avoid splattering.  Once seeds stop sputtering, add chile pepper slices and stir once before adding beets and salt.  Toss to coat with oil and then cover and let beets steam over low heat for another 5-6 minutes.

Remove from heat and place in serving dish.  Toss with lemon juice and cilantro.  Serve warm or cold.

(serves 2)

Halloumi has a high melting point which allows it to keep its shape and firm consistency when cooked. It is a fresh cheese, prepared much like mozzarella from goat’s or sheep’s milk. While it comes from Cyprus and is common throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East, I first encountered it when I lived in Brazil where it is served as a beach snack. A good place to look for Halloumi is a Mediterranian or Middle Eastern grocery, but some supermarkets have started to carry the cheese. I’ve even found it at my farmer’s market, where one of the vendors is like-minded when it comes to grilling. Preparations after the jump.

Brazilian Beach Skewers

Brick of Halloumi
Olive Oil
Molasses heated and/or mixed with some water to form the consistency of syrup
Dried Oregano in a shallow dish
Wooden Skewers
Trust

I know this sounds weird, but it is ridiculously delicious. Fire up the grill, soak the skewers in some water for 20 minutes. Cut the halloumi into cubes with each face about the size of a postage stamp. Slide the halloumi pieces onto the soaked skewers, brush the grill with olive oil and grill the cheese until it is golden brown with black grill marks. When you have finished, drizzle the molasses mixture on top and roll in the oregano.

Halloumi, Watermelon and Mint Salad

Halloumi brick, cut into 1/2-3/4 inch thick medallions and grilled
Half a watermelon
2 handfuls of mint leaves
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt + pepper
honey

This is a traditional Cypriot flavor combination that tastes incredible. Cube equal parts grilled halloumi and watermelon and toss in a bowl with torn mint leaves, olive oil, salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar and honey.

Halloumi Sandwich

The combination of tomato, cucumber and feta is classic in Greco-Turkish cooking and this sandwich is an opportunity to play with that. I would brush crusty bread with olive oil and balsamic, grill it along with the halloumi steaks (and maybe even some pieces of eggplant). Top the sandwich stack with tomato and cucumber slices and basil leaves.

Enjoy!

Photo Credit Salimfadhley under a GNU Free Documentation License

Super Easy Vegan Cucumber and Pumpernickel Bread Hors d’Oeuvres

Ingredients:

• Cocktail pumpernickel bread

• Vegan light canola mayo

• Sliced organic cucumber (leave the skins on!)

• Fresh basil and/or dill (optional)

Assemble:

Spread a light layer of vegan mayo on each slice of pumpernickel, then top with a thin slice of cucumber. If desired, add a fresh sprig of dill or basil to the hors d’oeuvres.

I can’t eat pumpernickel bread without remembering a certain waitress at a diner in Ithaca, NY. When ordering pumpernickel toast, the rather large waitress replied, “You want pump toast?” The way she said “pump toast” was hysterical, and my friends and I cracked up laughing. We imitated the waitress for days, and twenty years later, I still do.

Image: umext.maine.edu

More kid-friendly vegan recipes:

• Simple, Vegan Kid-Friendly Soup : Eco Child’s Play

• Mmm…Vegan Chocolate Cake : Eco Child’s Play

• Organic, Vegan Blueberry Oat Muffins : Eco Child’s Play

• Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies : Eco Child’s Play

My favorite snacks often come from my local farmer’s market, the bulk bin at the co-op, or recently, from my own plot in my local organic community garden! I work from home and am always busy, so sometimes I make them ahead of time on weekends and stock the fridge and cupboards so that I have a quick stash of healthy snacks available to grab quickly. I’ve been known to crowd my desk with small plates of munchies while working. Hey, snacking happens, it might as well be good for you!

So, to the delight of green-minded grazers everywhere, I present my top ten favorite healthy sustainable snacks. As an added bonus, these recipes are all vegan. So dig in.

1. “Ants on a Log”

   No, I’m not advocating eating ants. This has been one of my favorite snacks since childhood. Simple, easy to make, and deliciously crunchy, the old celery + peanut butter + raisins standby can be spiced up a bit by trying different nut butters and other dried fruits, such as cranberries or blueberries.

2. Homemade energy bars

   I originally started making homemade energy bars using a recipe from my old Co-op. Basically, it involves mixing brown rice syrup with almond butter, and balancing those sticky wet ingredients with a sufficient amount of oats, nuts/seeds, and dried fruit. I spread out the mixture into a glass brownie pan, and store it in the fridge. It’s much cheaper and more sustainable than buying individually wrapped energy bars!

3. Soygurt with fresh berries and granola

   I love WholeSoy & Co’s Soy Yogurt. Often the large tubs only come in plain or vanilla, so I make it more exciting with a handful of granola and fresh seasonal berries. Organic raspberries and blueberries are my favorites.

4. A cold, frothy fruit smoothie

   Smoothies take a little bit of advance preparation, but are super-quick to make. I freeze berries and other fruit ahead of time for them (strawberries, raspberries, sliced peaches, blueberries, and bananas all freeze well). Then I add whatever juice I can find in the fridge, a splash of hemp milk or rice milk, a handful of hemp seeds and/or a scoop of hemp protein powder, and a banana. Frozen fruit makes for a very cool, creamy drink, but if you don’t have any frozen, you can add a few ice cubes.

5. Trail mix by the handful

   One of my favorite things about the bulk section of the co-op is all the different kinds of trail mixes. I love inventing my own mixes with different bulk ingredients. Unusual and healthy dried nuts, seeds, and fruit like pumpkin seeds, goji berries and pistachios make a great mix. And sometimes I throw some raw cocoa nibs in there to get my chocolate fix.

6. Fruit leather

   Another snack that requires some advance preparation is fruit leather. It’s basically just pureed fresh fruit flattened and dehydrated, but it tastes like candy. It’s easy to make in a home food dehydrator with fruit leather trays.

7. Freshly picked salad

   I have been lucky enough to start a plot in my local community garden this spring, so lately some of my favorite snacks involve greens and veggies I harvest from the garden. Spinach salad with strawberries and a strawberry vinaigrette is one of my favorite quick salads, and lately I’ve been harvesting and eating bok choy, romaine, arugula, and radishes.

8. Crackers with nut butter

   Crackers are truly one of the greatest foods invented - up there with pizza and the sandwich. They’re portable, crunchy, and completely versatile. I like topping mine with sunbutter (made of sunflower seeds), almond butter, or peanut butter. Sometimes a little jelly helps, too.

9. Tortilla chips and homemade salsa

   I hope to make lots of homemade salsa this summer with the bounty from our tomatillo, tomato, chile, and cilantro plants. My favorite tortilla chips to pair with any dip are the “no salt added” blue chips made by Garden of Eatin’. I’ve heard you can make tortilla chips at home, but so far I’ve been too lazy.

10. Spring rolls

    The other night I made a batch of spring rolls for an appetizer with our Asian-themed dinner. I had the leftovers for lunch today and I’m hooked. The beauty of spring rolls is that you can stuff them with just about anything. I prefer marinated tofu, mung bean sprouts, finely chopped cabbage, fresh mint and cilantro, grated carrots, and itty bitty broccoli florets in mine. If you need a recipe, this one looks yummy. Thai peanut sauce has got to be the best spring roll dipping sauce ever invented.

If you need some extra snacking inspiration, check out the adorable lunch box filler ideas at Vegan Lunch Box or a list of vegetarian snack ideas at iVillage. Happy Grazing!

Related Articles on the Green Options Media Network:

• Seven Eco-friendly Options for Less Junky Junk Food
  on Eat.Drink.Better.
• Green Eggs and Planet: Top 10 Healthy Snacks for Kids on Eco Child’s Play
• Eat Food. Not Too Much. Translated. on Eat.Drink.Better

Photo by jslander on flickr, under a Creative Commons license.

I changed up the ingredients a little bit, and Spring Roll Salad was born. Depending on what you’re in the mood for, you can make this more of a green salad and go heavy on the lettuce and cabbage, or more of a pasta salad, heavy on the vermicelli.

I’ll simply list my ingredients and let your taste guide the quantity.

Green cabbage
Romaine lettuce
Mint leaves
Basil leaves
Carrot
Green onion
Peanuts
Sesame seeds
Mung bean sprouts (optional)
Vermicelli noodles
Seasoned sauteed tofu (see directions)

Start with your noodles. Directions may vary according to the type of vermicelli you buy, but generally the package will tell you to soak it, and boil for just a few minutes. While you’re working on the noodles, get started on the tofu.

Chop about 1/3 block tofu into small pieces. In a small frying pan, heat up some soy sauce, garlic salt, a tsp. of canola oil, and if you have it, just the tiniest drop of sesame oil. (Flavor goes along way with this stuff!) Sautee the tofu pieces , continuing to flip until they get browned on all sides.

Once the tofu and the noodles are cooked, set them aside in a bowl in your fridge to cool. In the mean time, chop up all the peanuts and veggies (except the sprouts which can stay whole) and combine in a large bowl. Toss in the noodles and tofu when they’ve cooled.

For dressing I went store-bought again. I found a super yummy ginger dressing from a company called Makoto (although there’s nothing