By Julie Morris on May 5, 2010
Undoubtedly: eating organic foods is a good thing. With every organic bite, you’ve just made such a friendly action towards both the planet and your own personal health. I also love that through funneling the money in our food budget towards companies and farmers who respect the earth, we get both a healthier product, and we diminish the amount of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and chemical pollution that leech into the delicate ecosystems around us.
But is it necessary to eat foods with organic standards all the time? Well, ideally, yeah. (And in a perfect world the idea mixing chemicals and food would be absolutely egregious in the first place). However, if a tight wallet, lack of availability, or just unfamiliarity with the organic movement is an issue, chuck the idealism at the door and instead start out by taking on baby step #1: saying NO to the Dirty Dozen list – the worst of the worst non-organic offenders. Sounds kinda like a group of serial killers . . . (just sayin’).
Non-profit research organization Environmental Working Group (EWG) does the bad-food-news homework for us. Each year, EWG puts together a list of the most atrocious crops – the ones that are truly must-avoids in a “conventional” state due to the scary-high amounts of chemical saturation they contain. The foods change a bit from year to year, so it’s not a bad idea to bookmark a site like this to stay in the know.
Sadly, this year’s list includes many of my personal favorite natural foods – but all the more opportunity to support local organic farmers. My general rule is to look for these in organic form, and if it’s not available, I consider a different produce substitution. I take the dirty dozen pretty seriously. Not buying these foods is a statement that this adulterated form of farming is unacceptable to be considered as “food.” And by directing the demand monetarily speaking, we promote the changes in our farming standards so that organic practices may become the profitable norm.
THE 2010 DIRTY DOZEN:
1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes
Two more foods I add on my “always organic list” — Soy and corn products. 90% of conventional soybeans are genetically modified, and above 60% of corn products are as well. GMO’s are a whole new level of dirty, and a person’s health is nothing to gamble.
Get the details on the “why’s” of the dirty dozen at Daily Green.
Posted in Food Politics, Green Tips, Natural Lifestyle, Organic Farming | Tagged Articles, budget, cheap eats, chemical pollution diet, Detox, diet, dirty dozen, dirty dozen 2010, eating natural, environment, environmental protection agency, epa, food, food activism, food safety, fungicides, gluten free, GMO, health, Healthy Lifestyle, healthy living, herbicides, highest pesticide list, Julie Morris, local food, los angeles, natural, non-GMO, nutrition, organic, organic regulation, organic standards, pesticides, plant-based diet, produce, raw food, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian |
By Julie Morris on August 28, 2009
Just like the garden I’ve been in for the last week, it’s been quiet up here on the blog front. I had thought that upon visiting my dad in Eastern Washington last week, I’d be able to take advantage of the beautiful rural settings – carving out some time to read, write, and think. I assumed that my time there would be quiet – the perfect environment for inspiring creativity.
Quiet, yes. But quiet it made me in exchange. The laptop stayed unusually closed, and my mind remained comfortably still as I soaked up the simple complexity of nature around me. I basked in the broad, lazy pastures with resting hay barrels and excited crickets; the frontier-like houses with dirt driveways that crackle deeply from passing cars; the families of cows resting under the shade of lanky pine trees; and then, of course, the gardens. Every house in that pristine setting had a food garden. And as ’tis the season, each garden was absolutely brimming with vegetables, berries, tubers, flowers and all the best bounty that good soil, plentiful sunshine, and a summertime season can offer.
To me, there is something so innately joyous about being able to harvest and gather one’s own food. It’s one of those instinctual “this feels right” type of tasks – you know, like the opposite of walking into a Walmart. And with my dad’s all-organic garden absolutely flourishing this year, frequent harvesting was exactly what I did. Carrots, artichokes, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, squash, greens . . . who knew I was a borderline locust.
Upon nightfall, we’d make grand simple meals of the freshest of fresh vegetables. Here’s what went into our summertime garden salad bowl, which we consumed just about every night. Delicious. When I wasn’t eating it, I was thinking about eating it. Brought to you by nature and what’s perfectly in season . . .
Life Is Good Salad:
INGREDIENTS
2 heads of red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
3 cups shredded carrots
1 bunch chives, coarsely chopped
5-6 sweet Persian (miniature) cucumbers, sliced
3 large hierloom tomatoes, chopped
1 large Hass avocado, chopped
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
DIRECTIONS
Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. I dressed mine simply with oil, lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper.
Ah.
Yes.
Perfection.
Posted in Freshly Made, Health On A Budget, Natural Lifestyle, Organic Farming | Tagged Add new tag, alkaline, antioxidants, Articles, avocado, budget, carrots, cheap eats, chives, easy recipe, environment, food, fresh, fresh herbs, garden, gardening, gathering, gluten free, green, harvest, Healthy Lifestyle, healthy living, hierloom, Julie Morris, lettuce, living, local food, nature, nutrition, organic, pastures, plant-based diet, quick, raw food, Recipes, seeds, sunflower, tomatoes, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, Weight Loss |
By Julie Morris on June 26, 2009
Oh summer and your peak-season produce. You make it terribly easy to eat extraordinarily well using your ripe bounty.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Mother Nature has a stash of aprons hanging out somewhere, because one of the enormous benefits of eating seasonal, local, fresh and simple produce is everything just seems to “go” together. Take some just-off-the vine tomatoes, trim down the thriving basil, shuck an ear of corn, and toss with oil, sea salt and black pepper . . . and there’s heaven. It really doesn’t take Martha Stewart to be inspired or Gordon Ramsay to cook well. And it certainly doesn’t take a cabinet of vitamin pills to be healthy.
Right now two of my favorite foods are in peak season – beets and avocados. And what better way to celebrate the season than with an absolutely luscious Chilled Cream Of Beet Soup. So here’s to you, Nature — you’re good, I mean really good. Get this simple soup recipe here.
Posted in Freshly Made, Health On A Budget, Natural Lifestyle, Organic Farming | Tagged alkaline, Articles, avocado, beets, budget, cheap eats, chilled soup, cold soup, diet, easy recipe, environment, essential fatty acids, farm fresh, farmer's market, food, gluten free, gordon ramsay, health, healthy living, hemp, hemp foods, hemp nuts, hemp seeds, hemp soup, iron, Julie Morris, local food, martha stewar, organic, plant-based diet, raw food, santa monica, seasonal food, seasonal recipe, soup, southern california, superfoods, vegan, vegan soup, vegetarian, Weight Loss |
By Julie Morris on June 23, 2009
Crammed amongst a long but patient line outside of the Nuart Theater in Los Angeles, we stood and waited to view the new documentary FOOD, INC. I was excited to see a film chronicling the business-side of the food industry, and its relationship with the true benefit of what ends up on the fork.
My dear Food, Inc: you do not disappoint.
Tackling some familiar concerning concepts — the inhumanity of factory farming, the danger of pesticides, the fears about genetically modified seeds — Food, Inc. connects all the dots: composing a compelling narrative regarding the loss of Americana agronomics through the introduction of corrupt business, and its consequence of destroying our health for the sake of profit. But doom and gloom is not the only message here, and the film also does an excellent job in offering simple solutions, which can promote positive change in food safety, personal health, industry economics and environmental security.
Since its opening, the film has quickly become the darling of news outlets across the US — one after another praising the message as exceptionally relevant and compelling, while packaged in a well organized, researched, and grounded medium. Food, Inc. speaks our language: It’s pretty clear we want change. It’s pretty clear we want to feel good. And we obviously want to do the right thing.
But there’s one place this love-train doesn’t run, and wouldn’t you know it, that place is Monsanto’s blog. In fact, they’ve developed a whole section of their website to trash-talk the film and the ideas of organic, local, and natural farming that it promotes. In Monsanto’s words:
Food, Inc. is a one-sided, biased film that the creators claim will “lift the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer.” . . .Throughout this film, Food, Inc.:
* Demonizes American farmers and the agriculture system responsible for feeding over 300 million people in the United States.
* Presents an unrealistic view of how to feed a growing nation while ignoring the practical demands of the American consumer and the fundamental needs of consumers around the world.
* Disregards the fact that multiple agriculture systems should – and do – coexist.
Thank you Monsanto. I do believe you have just defined hypocrisy.
Food, Inc. is a documentary that provides a crystal clear understanding of what’s really behind what we are putting on our plate and inside our mouths. Though some of the information may be hard to swallow, the “feel good” part of this flick is clearly in our choices.
Posted in Food Politics, Natural Lifestyle, Organic Farming | Tagged Articles, budget, child nutrition act, depression, diet, environment, environmentally friendly, factory farming, farmers, food, Food Inc, foodprint, genetically modified seeds, GMO, GMO seeds, Healthy Lifestyle, healthy living, Julie Morris, local food, los angeles, Monsanto, natural farming, Nuart Theater, nutrition, organic, pesticide danger, plant-based diet, seed saving, seed svin, vegan, vegetarian |
By Julie Morris on May 27, 2009
I recently replanted my annual herb pot with an ambitious variety of green edibles. The future was bright: fresh, pungent, natural flavorings happily flourishing outside my back door, romantically waiting for their next role in an illustrious whim of kitchen-oriented inspiration.
At least that was the plan.
The slugs ate the dill, the oregano never grew, the cilantro disappeared (in all seriousness… where did it go?), and we’ll just refer to the parsley as “pre-dried.”
On the other hand, the mint is practically taking over the entire garden. So in the spirit of making lemonade out of lemons, I thought it might be a good idea to make chocolate mint ice cream sandwiches out of mint. With off-the-charts levels of cool vibrant flavor, this is a recipe I’m going to be making as much as possible.
_________________________________
Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches
_________________________________
Another persuasive example of junk food without all of the junk. Luxurious and decadent, yet full of living whole foods, this innovative recipe is loaded with essential minerals and healthy fats.
INGREDIENTS:
(For the ice cream):
½ cup hemp milk, almond milk, or other non-dairy milk beverage
2 frozen bananas
½ medium-sized Hass avocado
2 Tbsp agave nectar
½ tsp peppermint extract
1 Tbsp minced fresh mint
several drops of liquid chlorophyll (optional – enhances green color)
(For the cookie):
1/3 cup raw cacao powder
1 cup almond flour (ground almonds)
8 dates
¼ cup agave nectar
1/3 cup raw cacao nibs, plus a little extra for rolling
DIRECTIONS:
Blend: In a blender, combine non-dairy milk of choice, bananas, avocado, agave nectar, mint extract and fresh mint. Blend until smooth. Stir in liquid chlorophyll if desired. Transfer to a small bowl.
Freeze: Freeze the ice cream for 1-2 hours.
Mash: Combine all of the cookie ingredients in a food processor, and process until thoroughly chopped. Form “dough” into two even halves.
Assemble: Use a muffin tin, and line 6 of the muffin molds individually with saran wrap or tin foil. Sprinkle lightly with cacao nibs. Using one of the cookie dough halves, place a spooful of dough evenly into the bottom of 6 the lined and “nibbed” muffin molds. Press firmly to form a “cookie.” Next, fill each of the molds evenly with the partially frozen ice cream. Line an empty muffin mold with saran wrap, and use to form 6 more cookies from the second half of the cookie dough, sprinkling with cacao nibs prior to pressing each time. Top each mint ice cream with a cookie to form a sandwich.
Freeze: Freeze sandwiches for 2 more hours. To serve, simply remove ice cream sandwiches from the saran wrap or aluminum foil and serve whole or sliced, if desired. If wrapped tightly, these sandwiches can keep in the freezer indefinitely for future enjoyment.
Makes 6 sandwiches.
Raw, vegan, & gluten-free
©2009 www.JulieMorris.net
Posted in Freshly Made, Health On A Budget, Natural Lifestyle, Organic Farming, Raw Foods, Traditions | Tagged Articles, avocado, cacao, Chocolate, chocolate mint, Detox, diet, easy recipe, food, fresh herbs, gluten free, gluten free recipe, growing herbs, healthy desserts, healthy living, ice cream sandwich, iron, Julie Morris, los angeles, magnesium, mint, organic, raw food, raw food desserts, superfoods, vegan, vegetarian, Weight Loss |
By Julie Morris on May 27, 2009
___________________
Cheesy Broccoli Bowl
___________________
I grew up on broccoli with cheese – my mother made it once a week. Such a delicious combo! Over the years I’ve turned her family classic into an even more eco-friendly and healthy modern dish . . . without sacrificing any of the flavor. This dairy-free and cholesterol-free version brims with calcium, iron and protein, while also complimented by all the wonderful antioxidants and polyphenols from the broccoli.
I like to serve this recipe “as is” (uncooked), enjoying the maximum nutritional potential of these great superfoods. If you’re craving a warm dish though, no worries — simply steam the florets lightly for a few minutes, then combine with the sauce. Either way, the delicious cheesy flavor and addictive broccoli crunch will have you coming back for a healthy second round every time.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 Tbsp raw tahini
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1½ tsp lemon juice
3 cups finely chopped fresh broccoli florets
1 or 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
water, if desired
DIRECTIONS:
Stir: In a small bowl, mix the nutritional yeast, paprika, and garlic powder together. Stir in the tahini. Pour in the Braggs, lemon juice, and coconut oil and whisk thoroughly. If a thinner sauce is desired, add a little water, a tablespoon at a time.
Combine: Put the broccoli into a larger bowl and pour sauce on top. Toss until evenly coated (for best results, use your hands!) Sprinkle top with hemp seeds and serve. Keeps refrigerated for several days.
Serves 2
©2009 www.JulieMorris.net
Posted in Entrees, Organic Farming, Recipes, Traditions | Tagged alkaline, antioxidants, broccoli, budget, calcium, cheap eats, cheese sauce, cholesterol free recipe, Detox, easy recipe, food, gluten free, healthy living, hemp, hemp foods, iron, low cholesterol, no cheese, organic, plant-based diet, polyphenols, protien, raw food, superfoods, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, Weight Loss |
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