One More Recipe Before We Get Back On Track

Broccoli & Cauliflower Sauteed With Garlic

Okay, I'm gonna lay one more popular dish from Stroh's on you before we switch topics. I call this a dish rather than a recipe because there really isn't that much too it. All of the ingredients in the dish can be easily accessed as organic ingredients for just about the same price as conventional. Because Broccoli and Cauliflower are ground crops, purchasing Organic puts that many more layers in between you and harmful contaminates and bacteria from irrigation water. If the price on fresh broccoli or cauliflower at your local market is just too unreasonable, frozen vegetables work the same.

Personally, the ingredient that really sets this dish off for me is the Olive Oil. Don't be afraid to be generous with the dosage for this dish !  I used to have two different olive oils on hand here at our house, one inexpensive olive oil for cooking, and one that was a little more pricey for vinaigrette's, drizzling, etc. But now I stick to just one bottle Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil produced right here in California. With so many different types of soil and climates here in Cali, there are literally dozens of  varieties out there each offering their own distinctive flavor and characteristics. If you look around you can always find a good one on sale for less than conventional Olive Oil. Store brands like Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Ralphs also offer their own line of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. But remember, the product is not 100% ORGANIC unless it states so on the label and has an approved certifying agent.

Ingredients:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Garlic
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Crushed Red Chile Pepper
• Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper 

First start a pot of water with a dash of salt and bring it to a rolling boil. Only use as much water as you need. In other words, don't overfill the pot with water it takes that much longer to bring to a boil. As with all green vegetables you must bring the water to a rolling boil before you start the blanching process. Next prepare your Broccoli and Cauliflower. If you are using frozen vegetables than you are ready to go but if it is fresh you need to separate the Broccoli into florets or bite sized pieces. Its my theory that bite sized equals more surface area for the garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil to stick to !
Peel the skin off of the garlic and mince, or use a garlic crusher. Set this off to the side, we'll use it later. When the water is ready add the Cauliflower first and blanch for about four minutes or until just tender. Remove from water and add the Broccoli to blanch next also for about four minutes or until tender. I add the Cauliflower before the Broccoli so I don't color the water green which will in turn color the Cauliflower. 
Place a large skillet or frying pan on medium high heat and add about four to five tablespoons of Olive Oil. Place your minced or crushed garlic in the oil and let it turn golden in color. Remember, golden food is good food. Now add the blanched Broccoli and Cauliflower and either stir it, or if you're brave enough, toss it in the pan to coat everything with the oil and garlic. Saute this whole mixture for about five minutes and add the salt and pepper to season and the crushed red chili pepper. 
Pour the mixture from the pan into a bowl and stir in more Olive Oil until the Broccoli and Cauliflower has a nice sheen to it, but not so much that it will saturate it and gather at the bottom of the dish. Taste it and see if it has the right amount of salt and pepper and hit it with a dash of lemon juice to tie it all up.
This dish is great right away and in my opinion tastes even better cold. It can easily hold in the refrigerator in a sealed container for a couple of days. I hope you enjoy !
 
  

A Simple Recipe For You

This Chicken Avocado Salad recipe works great all year long and we used to make tons of it at Stroh's. While there are almost always several varieties of fresh avocados available at your local farmers market or supermarket to choose from, sometimes there aren't any on hand that are ripe yet .  If the avocado isn't quite ready yet, a great technique to help the avocado along in its ripening process is to place it in a paper bag at room temperature to help it ripen for a couple of days. I first came across this technique here in California when my produce purveyor slipped me a case of rock hard avocados. One of the guys in the kitchen put them in a paper bag and sure enough within a couple of days they were ready to go ! As it turns out when Avocados ripen they naturally produce ethylene gas. Placing them in the bag traps the gas and allows the process to speed up.

Recipe - Chicken Avocado Salad

Ingredients for about four servings: 

• 3 Chicken Breasts                                                       
• 4 Avocados
• 1/2 bunch Fresh Cilantro                                           
• 2 - 3 Lemons
  
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil                                                  
• Cider or Champagne Vinegar
• 1 Red Onion                                                                 
• Kosher Salt / Fresh Ground Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Start off by rinsing off the chicken breasts and patting them dry with a paper towel then lightly season them with olive oil and salt and pepper. Sear the chicken breasts in a skillet about four minutes or until golden brown and flip them over and place the whole pan in the oven to finish cooking them off. If you aren't sure if they are done and prefer a thermometer than you will need to hit 165 degrees at the center. When they are finished place them directly in the refrigerator to cool. 
Next, cut the ends off of the onion and then cut in half. Make one more cut at a right angle to the face of the onion and shave off razor thin slices. You can do it! Just take your time, keep your fingers out of the way and use a good sharp knife that feels comfortable in your hand. If the onion makes you cry too much put it in the freezer for ten minutes before you slice it and this will reduce the tears.
Pick the leaves off of the cilantro and finely chop them. 
Take the chicken out of the fridge once it's cool and dice it into small bite sized cubes. 
In a mixing bowl combine the chicken, shaved red onion, and cilantro and gently mix them together
Slice the avocados in half and remove the pit, then remove the avocado from the skin.Dice the avocado by placing it on its face and make several evenly spaced cuts lengthwise, and one through the center of the piece by running your blade parallel with the cutting board through the avocado. Next, cut the avocado width wise to create a small dice. Add the diced avocado the the mixing bowl and gently mix the ingredients together. 
Squeeze the lemon juice from all of the lemons to flavor the salad and keep the avocados from turning brown. Add a few tablespoons of the vinegar and a liberal amount of olive oil. Salt and pepper to season and enjoy !

What Does An 'Organic' Label Mean ?

The badge of honor, the mark of excellence, a symbol you can trust. You know the one I'm talking about. You've all seen it by now. The prominently displayed USDA ORGANIC logo. What does this logo mean and who gets to use it ? Thankfully enough it's pretty straightforward and easy to understand.

In the last blog I discussed a couple of points about taking control of some single ingredients in your kitchen. These are easy to identify as "organic" because there is only one ingredient to deal with. Often these single ingredient items are certified by any one of roughly 60 certifying agents authorized by the USDA to do inspections. Examples of single item ingredients are produce, milk, cheese, meat, and eggs. These products have the USDA seal on them and carry the certifying agencies name on them as well.

For the rest of the organically labeled foods out there (with more than one ingredient) there are four simple categories of which you should know and understand.

The first category is 100% ORGANIC . If all of the ingredients in a product with the exception of water and salt can proclaim to be certified organic than the product can proudly proclaim 100% ORGANIC in a prominent position on the front of the package. Sometimes the manufacturer of the product will choose not to use the USDA ORGANIC logo and will instead label it as 100% ORGANIC,which is your assurance that this product is in fact organic. You will also find the words CERTIFIED ORGANIC BY followed by the name of the authorized certifying agency, along with its seal. An example of this found on many products here in L.A. is the C.C.O.F. seal or California Certified Organic Farmers.  Only a farmer who sells less than $5,000 a year worth of product is exempt from having to become certified.

The second category of labeling is for packaged foods which contain 95% - 99% Organic ingredients by weight, not including water or salt. These products are are allowed to label themselves as ORGANIC, or the phrase 9X% ORGANIC. In most cases you will still see the USDA organic seal, but it is optional. You will definitely see the emblem of the certifying agency and an ingredients list clearly identifying the organic items, along with the words CERTIFIED ORGANIC BY followed by the certifying agency name and seal. You will not see the claim 100% percent organic. A perfect example of this in my house is our peanut butter. 98% of the peanut butter is made from organic peanuts. But the sugar and oil that make up the other 2% are not organic. The words 98% ORGANIC is found on the label along with the certifying agency which in this case is the C.C.O.F.

The third category of labeling is for packaged foods which contain 70%-94% organic. These products can use the phrase MADE WITH ORGANIC INGREDIENTS on the package along with a list of the main organic ingredient names on the main display of the package. The percentage of organic content and the USDA-authorized certifying agent seal may be used on the main display panel that contains at least 70% organic ingredients. The USDA seal is not permitted on any of these products and doing so could result in a $10,000 fine per incident.

The fourth category of labeling is for packaged foods which contain less than 70% organic. These products have some organic ingredients, but the total organic content is less than 70 percent of the product not including water or salt. You won't find the word ORGANIC in big letters on this package. It is strictly forbidden. You wont find any sign of organic emblems from anybody on this package, either. Certifying insignias are prohibited. But you could just possibly find the words X% ORGANIC INGREDIENTS, and the specific organic ingredients will be identified in the ingredients list.

Hang on, not done yet.... we just covered organics. Organics are regulated and the definitions are clear, with assured boundaries separating the different degrees. But what about all of the other labeling claims made out there on packages found on the supermarket shelves ? Very few of them are federally regulated and their definitions can be dodgy at best.

The first that comes to mind is the "All Natural" claim. It implies that there are no preservatives , colors, artificial flavors or other synthetic additives. This claim does not tell us how anything was cultivated or raised. Of course the apple used in applesauce is "all natural", or the pig that was butchered into bacon is "all natural" there are no synthetic apples or pigs. Even apples sprayed with pesticides are identified as "all natural" simply because they are not synthetic. Another close variation of this claim is "100% Natural Ingredients.
There is also the famed "Antibiotic Free", another unapproved and unverified claim. It is also about as unclear as can be in the sense that the the USDA actually does sanction two similar claims:"no antibiotics administered" and "raised without antibiotics". There is a strong implication here that the producers did NOT use antibiotics in their animal feed. But even though the USDA is supposed to be accountable for proper use of these claims, it presently has no verification system in place. Only organic-labeled meats are truly verified to be antibiotic free.
Another one that is out there which is one of my personal favorites is "Free Range". This is a partially regulated, general claim implying that a meat or poultry product, including eggs, comes from an animal raised in the open air or that it was free to roam. The USDA regulates this claim for poultry only, not beef or eggs.

and with a little practice you will see right through many of the ridiculous claims out there. Almost all of the information above can change at a moments notice that is why it is important to check out a few websites from time to time to stay up to date. To check out the U.S. National Organic Program, and to get the latest changes in food labeling procedures, go to the Website www.ams.usda.gov.nop and see for yourself.

When you open your cupboard.....

When you open your cupboards or fridge, whats in there ? Are you proud of whats in there ? If we all actually lived by the proverb "you are what you eat", would you be happy with yourself ?
Chances are if you thought about it for a moment you wouldn't be. So let's take a moment to look in our cupboards and see whats in there.

There can be some very simple changes made towards an organic movement in your life that we tend to overlook at first. I think that when people first think about the term organic and how it applies to the food that they are able to readily purchase, the first thing that comes to mind is the fresh produce. Fruits and vegetables so far have taken the limelight when it comes to the household Organic ingredient list and sometimes the prices can be alarming to say the least. This can be really discouraging to someone who is interested in making the move to Organic. It doesn't leave a good impression and has made many a instant critic of it all.

So let's overlook the fresh produce for a moment and take a look at the dry goods in your kitchen. For our family these include things like sugar, flour, rice, oatmeal, quinoa, asst. beans, spices, cereals, etc. These items are really the building blocks for just about all of our meals as well as yours. Even if you are eating out a lot, or buying ready to eat meals, these ingredients are essentially still the foundation to finishing touch for the food on your plate. Just like fresh fruits and vegetables, dry goods are grown in some type of a field, paddy, or grove before they are processed into the final product ready for market. This is why they are equally as important to be Organic as the "fresh" produce that we buy.

Another reason to focus on the dry goods is that it's really the easiest area to take control of first. The dry goods in our kitchen last for weeks at a time, so resupplying them is easy. Start with the flour and sugar then move to grains and cereals and so on. When you buy it in bulk and put it in your own reusable glass container it will probably be cheaper than buying the paper sack of conventional flour or sugar anyhow. I guarantee it will also taste better and make a far superior final product. After looking around for glass containers, I found that the best price and styles offered for glass containers come from IKEA.

So there you have it, by simply replacing some dry goods in your kitchen for the same price if not cheaper, you have already made some huge changes in your diet, in your life, and for the environment.

Where to begin

Many families and individuals change their diets for a multitude of reasons. For our family it was a news report that stated Staph Bacteria was found in over 40% of the meat at local supermarkets here in Los Angeles.The change for our family would be to a kitchen filled with all organic ingredients from which we would cook our food with now on.
As a family we had already been pretty conscious of what we ate. We ate almost all of our meals at home, dining out maybe twice a month at most on average. I had been to culinary school and knew a thing or two about food and technique so it was natural for me to prepare all of our meals at home where we could have complete control over what we ate. It's not that we are militant about any one type of food or other, it was simply that we enjoyed food prepared in our home more than in a restaurant.
Now that we are about three months into this new diet there have been many changes in how we eat and how we think about our food and their respective sources. It wasn't easy, but we got our daily food bill for two adults and two children, three meals a day and snacks (kids eat a lot !) down to under $30 a day. This also on occassion includes some things like paper towels and soap which could easily burn up that whole $30 in an instant. As a natural bi product, eating this way has also effortlessly changed some of our spending habits and consumption habits by realizing that at times, we are consuming just way too much for no good reason whatsoever.
So I would like to dedicate this blog to helping people understand why they should consider a set of rules when it comes to what they eat. I'm not asking you to eat raw food, go on a two week master cleanse, give up the devils white sugar, or even become a vegan. All I'm asking is that you give it a try. Be more aware of what you are eating and what you are feeding your family. Start adding organic ingredients into your kitchen. Ask yourself where did this food come from ? Who grew it?  Is there a single component in the ingredient list that has even actually grown in a field of soil ? Can this food hurt me if I keep eating it at the rate I am eating it ? More to come.....