Great Date Night Recipe Part 3 of 3!!!

Ooh child...This week has been hectic, including my computer crashing twice. ARGH! Anyway, sorry about the week without an update, I'll make it up when I get back from Chicago, with pictures.

So on to dessert...my favorite meal, though I need to stop eating it so much. One of the other problems with dessert is that it is expensive for something that is usually bad for you. Oh well... The recipe I'm going to give you is for a white chocolate cheesecake with a chocolate sauce. The white chocolate is very subtle, yet amazing, and the chocolate sauce adds a extra kick for those chocolate lovers.

White Chocolate Cheesecake w/ Chocolate Sauce

3 tsp. organic vanilla
1 lb soft organic cream cheese
1/2 lb créme fraîche
1/2 lb organic white chocolate
4 whole organic large eggs
butter or oil (you guessed it...organic)
1 package of Oreo cookie crumbs
1/2 lb organic semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup of organic whipping cream

You can buy the organic chocolate either at a local store, such as the People's Co-op, or online: here is some more reading on making a "perfect cheesecake."

To make the cheesecake first let all of your ingredients to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 300F. Take a cup of the Oreo cookie crumbs and mix it with 3 tsp of melted butter, then put into the bottom of a 9 inch pan, preferably a springform pan. Press the cookie crumbs and butter into the bottom of the pan with your fingers or the back of a spoon and make sure the bottom is covered with cookie crumbs. This part isn't an exact science, just use as much cookie crumbs and butter as needed. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl using a mixer on the lowest setting. Beat until smooth, then while still beating add the eggs one by one, along with 2 tsp. of vanilla. The key here is to beat the eggs and cream cheese as little as possible. Use either a double boiler, or the microwave to melt the white chocolate. Make sure to check the chocolate often so it doesn't burn. Once the white chocolate is completely melted fold the créme fraîche into it. Once incorporated, fold this mixture into the cream cheese and eggs.

Grease the sides of your pan with butter or oil, then pour the cream cheese mixture into your pan. Bang the pan down on a hard surface a couple times to remove any air bubbles. At this point you can either put it into the oven as is, or use a water bath to make sure there are no cracks in the cheesecake. Cook the cheesecake until the center wobbles and the top is golden brown. If it doesn't color, just make sure the center inch or two are all that wobble. It took my cheesecake 1:15 to cook, but I used a water bath which is slower.

You must let the cheesecake cool in a fridge for several hours, to firm up before cutting and serving. To make the chocolate sauce heat the organic semisweet chocolate chips and whipping cream over very low heat in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring continually until smooth, stir in vanilla. When you cut the cheesecake, if you want perfect edges, heat up your knife and wet it a bit before cutting. Serve a slice of cheesecake with the chocolate sauce, and your date will be stunned with the finish. Then surprise him/her even more and let them know mostly all of the meal was organic or local!

Posted by Earl at 08:54 PM | Comments (0)

Local Food Panel on MLK Day

Julie and I attended a food talk and tasting for MLK Day at the School of Social Work called “Building the Beloved Food Community�. It was really nice to see a variety of local foods being produced so nearby. There was a woman from Calder Dairy, a cheesemaker from Zingerman’s, the head farmer from the Community Farm of Ann Arbor, and the director of the Garden Resource Program Collaborative (a Detriot agricultural program). I learned a very important lesson: local food producers take special care in their products that many large companies ignore—and you can definitely taste the difference. The Calder Dairy and Zingerman’s products were phenomenal! After hearing the special treatment they give to the cows at Calder Dairy, its no wonder the dairy tastes so good. (I'm still stuck on dairy!) They do not use artificial hormones to make their cows produce more and they use glass bottles and deliver to your door. Zingerman’s uses Calder Dairy milk for their cheeses. What a great partnership!

A question was asked, “Have you considered selling your food through the university?� This was a great question, because I know I’d love to have Zingerman’s cream cheese for breakfast in the dorm. There are two reasons why it is not a possibility for these local foods right now:

~Not enough food to meet the gigantic demand of the cafeteria
~Tuition increase!!! (Eek!)

Even organic food would lead to a tuition increase—it’s still just more expensive than processed and preserved food. Although these local foods aren’t necessarily organic, they are still valuable food resources for this area because they're fresh. But here’s a question you can ask yourself if you aren’t sure where to buy your milk: Who would I rather support? A family who has been producing great hormone-free milk for over 50 years or a large corporation that calls their cows “producers� and pumps them full of hormones?

Posted by Ally at 02:24 PM | Comments (0)

Michigan Foodways/Key Ingredients: May 2007

While your out on your weekend bike or drive this summer, check out the following events!

Posted by Julie at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)

Growing Hope Prom, Feb 24th!

This was a wonderful opportunity for those of us past our prom prime (read – over 21) to get in on the silk, taffeta and sequins. Growing Hope, a non-profit organization in Ypsilanti that helps community and schools in need to start their own gardens, hosted a “Prom� at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti February 24th from 7:30-11 pm.

The show started at 7:30, with a brief swing lesson from Ms. Amanda Edmonds, the inspiring founder of Growing Hope who is also an alumnus of the University of Michigan.

Since the inception, the organization founded several community and school gardens in the Ypsi area, and offers several Americorps internships and volunteer opportunities. They have a vigorous community outreach program, in addition to holding some of the finest fund-raising events around, generally with a local-organic theme. Check out their impressive work at the Growing Hope Homepage.

The non-smoking venue is only a 10 minute or so drive from Ann Arbor. Even without the Prom, you should check it out - great ABC beer, wide open spaces, and plenty of tables to share.

Posted by Julie at 08:05 PM | Comments (0)

Great Date Night Recipe Part 2 of 3

Ooooh…chicken tonight. Simply put, I love chicken. It’s so versatile. Chicken can be put into nearly any dish for flavor, and protein, without a great increase in fat. When you buy local from a butcher, the taste and tenderness of the dish is just upped tenfold. Also the fresh mozzarella is key. Fresh mozzarella is a much more creamy, mild flavor than the standard stuff we are used to. I’m going to stick with the recipe on this update so you don’t have to listen to me babble too much…

Chicken Breast Medallions Stuffed with Fresh Mozzarella and Parsley

2 (6-8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 ounces of fresh organic mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh parsley

First off you need to make the chicken manageable to roll. To do this you basically need to just pound it with a mallet until it is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. If you don’t have a mallet you can use a rolling pin, a heavy pan, or anything else that is heavy to pound the chicken down. Once you have the chicken pounded down cut the fresh organic mozzarella into thin slices and place on top of your chicken. Chop your parsley and place on top of the mozzarella. There is no need to completely cover the mozzarella, just need enough for the flavor. Roll the chicken up into a tight package, and put toothpicks into the chicken to keep it together.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add your vegetable oil. Put your hand over the oil, when you can feel the heat coming up its time to add your chicken. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, about 2 min per side. Now just cover the skillet and turn the heat down to low and let cook till done through, about 5-7 minutes. Once done take the chicken out of the skillet and let sit for 5 minutes.

Take a sharp knife and cut the chicken into 1/2-inch medallions. Place the chicken on top of the noodles from the previous recipe, and your done with the entrée.

Mmmm…….Cheesecake coming soon…

Posted by Earl at 03:08 AM | Comments (0)

Alternatives to Soy and Cow Milk

I have found alternatives to soy and cow milk: goat, almond, oat, and rice milk. I decided to give these a try, excluding goat milk (yuck). I checked out the local Kroger and was surprised to find all three. I chose the original flavors in each:

Almond Milk: I tried Blue Diamond “Almond Breeze� milk ($2.79 for 32 oz.) It was very nutty smelling and tasting—definitely made from almonds! It has a lighter taste to it than soy milk, but it was also kind of watery. Not organic (boo), but “natural�.

Oat Milk: The Pacific Organic Oat milk ($2.69 for 32 oz.) was good! Thicker and sweeter than almond but not as thick or sweet as original soy milk. Has a great oat-y (kind of chalky) aftertaste! This one was my favorite (even over soy!)

Rice Milk: The first taste Rice Dream Organic rice milk ($2.79 for 24 oz.) was watery, but the aftertaste was good. They used organic brown rice for this rice milk, so the aftertaste has a great brown rice (also kind of chalky) flavor. This one had a sweetness similar to the almond—very subtle.

Nutritionally speaking-

If you’re going for the most protein, soy has the most per 8 fl. oz. Least protein: almond and rice.
Soy, rice, and oat have slightly more calcium than almond milk (which has 20% calcium per 8 fl. oz.)
Goat milk has about 12% more calcium than cow’s milk.
Plain soy has more fat than plain rice, oat or almond. (4g per 8 fl. oz.)
Most carbs and calories: oat milk. (rice is close runner-up)

Posted by Ally at 11:05 PM | Comments (2)

Dinner at the Co-op

Julie and I were taking stock photos the other day at the People’s Food Co-op in Kerrytown. This place is ideal for our organic and local investigation. They sell all kinds of organic items—everything from produce to dish soap. They have a nice local food selection as well, the most variety you will see of any grocery store around town. I was also amazed at their bulk food selection and their giant selection of organic herbs (yessss…I love herbs)

I decided to eat dinner there at their food bar. They have a hot food bar there everyday, and brunch on Sundays from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. On this particular night, they were serving macaroni and cheese, free-range and hormone-free BBQ chicken, all kinds of vegetables, tofu, lentils, and soup. Everything I had was delicious! Some of the food definitely tasted different from what I was used to, like the mac and cheese, but it was a good kind of different. The price was pretty decent, too—for this plate I paid almost $7.

I also gave in to my sweet tooth and tried their locally made organic white chocolate (in the bulk food section) as well—and it was the best white chocolate I have ever eaten. No preservatives or anything! The chocolate alone is worth coming back for, but I’ll definitely be back for their other organic items as well!

The People’s Food Co-op was founded on a vision to reconnect people to local food sources by managing the store cooperatively. This means that members who pay a certain amount can add input regarding the co-ops decisions. Click here for more info about the People's Food Co-op!

Posted by Ally at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)

Great Date Night Recipe Part 1 of 3

So it’s been a bit since my last update. I guess I could treat you to a series of recipes I was saving for later. This is the start of my date night series. I will post three recipes to make a complete date night for you and your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, or whomever else you would like to make a good meal for.

Really this meal should start with a small salad. I’m not going to post a recipe for the salad; I’ll leave it to you to be a little bit creative with this one. For the most part all you really need are some leafy organic greens with a subtle homemade vinaigrette of some sort. Later I’ll have a post for a simple, yet delicious homemade salad.

So this meal concentrates on simple flavor, nothing over the top. Since the salad is over with, I’m going to jump into the first part of the entrée, Peppered Parmesan Spaghetti. This recipe was originally found in a magazine, and then adjusted slightly to my tastes. The sauce for this is olive oil based, and very light, but full of flavor. Parmesan and pepper are both usually accents to a dish, but here they are the main feature.

A couple of the nice things about this dish are that not only is the dish fairly cheap to make organically, but also fast and easy. The dish can be reheated and served with multiple different foods. And it’s even good cold. Because this is for a date night you might want to go the extra little bit and get a good quality small chunk of Parmesan. It isn’t too expensive, and the flavor is just that much better.

To start out you need:
1 lb. Organic Pasta (about $2.89)
Olive Oil (about 12.00 for a bottle of organic that will last you a long time)
Pepper (negligible)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (varies, but you still want organic)

Read the package on the pasta and check to see how much water you’ll need to bring this to a boil. Mine says 1 quart of water, but yours will probably differ. Add a pinch of salt to the water while waiting for it to boil. Take a fairly large frying pan out and turn the heat on to low. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and then a little bit more (it isn’t an exact science). When the water boils add the pasta, and cook until al dente (cooked through, but still firm). This is personal preference; I personally like my pasta slightly al dente for this dish. While the past is cooking, add the ¼ cup of Parmesan to the olive oil and the pepper is also personal preference. Try using about a tablespoon. Stir the olive oil mixture, while letting everything combine. Once the pasta is done, drain it and put the pasta into the olive oil mixture. Lightly toss the pasta to make sure of an even coverage.

Again the focus of this meal is on two foods that are normally accents to everything else, so you aren’t going to be able to cop out with Kroger Parmesan Cheese, well unless your cooking it for yourself. If this is for date night spend the extra dollar or two and get some good pepper and some good Parmesan.

Remember this is only half of the entrée. You will get the other half soon.

Posted by Earl at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

Local Food Systems Conference

Should be a great event; there's even a great student rate! Here's the announcement...

"On Thursday, March 29th the Food System Economic Partnership [FSEP] is hosting a conference as part of their efforts to build a better food system in southeastern Michigan. The conference will run from 8:15 a.m. through 3:15 p.m. and will take place at the Washtenaw Community College, Morris Lawrence Building in Ann Arbor.

Participants will gain an understanding of the local food system and explore opportunities for growth in production, processing, distribution, sales, and consumption of local foods.

Posted by Julie at 02:01 PM | Comments (0)

Leopold Bros.-

I’m not a regular at Leopold’s, though you might think that with my eco-friendly preferences I’d spend many happy hours swigging organic libations and playing board games with fellow green-thinking friends. Leopold’s has a loyal following for good reason – the following are just a few elements that make it a good fit with our ideals.

Leopold’s is an organic brewery – the beer ingredients and the distilled liquor such as gin – are entirely organic. A huge amount of beer hops, grains, and other materials are expended in regular brewing processes – as well as enough water to fill your same pint glass 15 times over. That makes for a lot of waste! To remedy this, the ingenious partners designed their own brewing system. This means that Leopold’s has reduced the material inputs by about 1/3, and reduced the water usage to almost 1:1. That’s pretty amazing!

Unfortunately, what are not amazing are the beer and the smoky atmosphere. As for the brew, the darks are ho-hum, and the lights and reds a little off taste. Perhaps it’s because many of the ingredients have to be shipped from England, as we don’t grow these crops organically here in the US. Happily, though, the gin, vodka and whiskey are quite tasty, and the bartenders make a decent margarita (as a Texan, that’s a complement). The smoke is the inevitable result of a bar that needs its customers, and gives the otherwise placated hippies (such as me) something to complain about.

The pub has all the comforts you would like in a bar – pool tables, big seating areas, no obnoxious table staff (get all your drinks at the bar), and an impressive juke box. There are nightly drink specials listed on the boards behind the bar, and they alert you by phone to let you know when it’s time to pick up that half-price beer or inexpensive but effective long island iced tea. The food is nothing fancy (quesadillas, nachos, wings, etc.), but it’s reasonable in price and made with primarily organic ingredients or hormone-free meat.

Leopold’s is on the south side of the Main Street drag, just before all the lights of town fade away into daytime shops and housing. Established in an old brake factory, the building has been fitted with a super-efficient (and fun!) air system that creates a rippling noise to interrupt any games that may have gotten too competitive. They occasionally give tours of their facility – join in if you have the opportunity, and see one of the few and possible the most efficient organic brewery in the nation.

Check out their newly updated site Leopold Bros Homepage

Posted by Julie at 11:17 AM | Comments (0)

Why I Drink Soy Milk

I drink soy milk. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was a good decision. I have several reasons, mostly because of the things in conventional milk, but also because soy is really healthy, particularly for women.

My reasons for avoiding regular cow’s milk:

1. rBGH = recombinant bovine growth hormone produced by Monsanto. It is given to cows so that they produce 5-15% more milk than normal. All of Europe has banned it, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. When the hormone is injected, it elevates levels of IGF-1, which is the hormone found in several cancers. Basically higher levels of IGF-1 lead to higher risks of cancer.


2. rBGH harms the cows’ bodies. It gives them painful infections like mastitis (on the udders) in addition to birth disorders, increased pus in milk, and organ disorders.


3. Dairy cows live in large shed-like structures with floors of concrete piled with manure. They are fed rich grains, which can disturb their digestive systems. Barely any of these cows have seen the happy green pastures displayed on ads all over the country.


4. Because of the living conditions and rBGH, the cows become sick. So, unnaturally, they are given antibiotics. According to the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), the bacteria resistant to the drugs are given to humans through the milk. This makes humans more resistant to antibiotics.


5. Regular milk tastes watery to me. I grew up on Oberweis milk, which is a lot thicker and has more taste. Oberweis is local to me (I grew up in St. Louis) and although I didn’t know it at the time, they do not use rBGH for the cows. They also use glass bottles to contain the milk. Calder Dairy is a close Michigan dairy farm and has delicious products as well. Other than local and hormone-free milk, nothing else comes quite close.


6. Soy contains isoflavone, a chemical similar to estrogen. This is why soy is great for women. These isoflavones have been known to decrease risk in cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Info here. Studies have shown a 58% decreased risk of breast cancer for girls who ate a lot of soy between ages 5 and 11. This also goes for later age groups, but for each group was a significantly lower decrease (Weil, Andrew. “How Foods Can Affect Cancer�. Time. Nov.27, 2006).

While soy milk contains more protein and fiber than cow’s milk, it has a little more fat than 2%. But with this does not come the cholesterol like ordinary milk. Soy milk also contains about 75% less calcium than cow’s milk. Food is tricky—you really have to pick your battles. It seems than when you win some, you also lose some. But I feel like I am winning a lot more with soy.

(Info for 1, 2, and 4 from Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Campaign for Safe Food)

For more info, check out these websites:
www.hfa.org/campaigns/dairy.html
www.organicconsumers.org/rbghlink.cfm

Posted by Ally at 09:36 PM | Comments (3)

Silvio's... Mmmm!

Looking for the best organic lunch deal in town? Look no further than Silvio’s pizza, just to the rear of Sushi.come in off North University. The pies and hand-tossed, fresher than imaginable, and each unique topping will keep you coming back for more.

For just $5.00 at lunch, you get a slice of hand-tossed pizza (with about 95% organic ingredients!!!), a generous 16 oz. cup of organic soup (at least three choices daily), and the pop of your choice. If you prefer something more nutritious than pop, there is always organic juices to be had. If you have wheat allergies, they even have gluten-free crust.

Silvio Medoro is an Italian native; his craft was perfected there in his father’s bakery. If you are lucky, Silvio will appear while you dine, and ask you your opinion on his newest creation. I tried the “solo mio� pizza – a delicious mixture of chunky fresh vegetables like bell pepper and asparagus, partnered with fresh farmer’s cheese. As Silvio tells it, this cheese originally arrived at the store by accident – but this new creation became my immediate favorite! The salads are also delicious and fresh, but it’s almost a sin to pass up the heavenly crust and killer lunch deal that runs all the way to 4pm.

I’m reassured that my lowly American palate doesn’t lie, as a stream of Italian-speaking customers wash over the close quarters of the restaurant. It’s obvious that Silvio’s has fostered it’s own loyal community. I have been told that Silvio and wife were well-liked regulars to Planet Rock climbing gym as well; before the pizza business became a lifestyle.

The only drawback is the disposable plates, cups and utensils, though the recycling containers for drink bottles, etc. are prominently displayed. Perhaps in the future they’ll find room in the tiny kitchen for an extra dishwasher. I bet they'll let you use a tupperware if you must.

Check out Silvio's Homepage for a full menu. Also, see the reviews posted in the restaurant (not available online without a subscription) for more praise of Silvio’s Pizza!

Posted by Julie at 03:06 PM | Comments (0)

Corporate Sweet Dreams? - Part 2

Nestle was founded on the creation of an alternate for breast-milk, and is infamous for an advertising campaign that left mothers in developing nations feeling that bottle feeding, even with inappropriate formula substitutes, was superior and more civilized than breast-milk. After the recognition of the death of approximately 1.5 million infants a year from contaminated water, a US and European boycott of the Nestle formula started in 1977, and at the turn of this century a ruling in Europe finally confirmed that the company had produced an inappropriate campaign that encouraged this sad consequence.

They also invented instant coffee, which anyone with a taste for good coffee objects to, and which is now a frequent source of coffee for the urban populations of developing nations – even coffee-producing ones like Guatemala. Instant coffee has the highest profit margin of any coffee product, and despite its recent incursion into the world of fair trade, “the reality of Nestle is that 99.9 percent of their coffee is still not fairly traded, but launching this one product has allowed it to be affiliated with the Fairtrade movement.�

So, buy your products from the snack machine carefully (see pic). Nestle owns over 1000 brands, and they are hard to avoid (see their website listing below). But my Co-op Fair-trade, organic coffee and my Cali-baked Suncake (you’re welcome for the free marketing) will quell my hunger for justice and stimulation this lunch hour – and for less than a Starbucks fancy drink and muffin.

Information:

More about Nestle:
Wikipedia on Nestle
Details on Nestle "Greenwashing"

Products I mentioned:
List of Nestle Products
Suncakes
Brewing Hope Coffee, distributed by Java for Justice @ U-M

Posted by Julie at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)