AFBLT is the BLT for Meatless Monday & Kids Cook Monday

Although bacon is often referred to as the “gateway meat” in vegetarian circles, it comes, undeniably, from an animal (a pig, to be precise) and is not a part of this recipe.  In an effort to offer easy options for meatless meals, this simple and satisfying meal substitutes “fakin’ bacon” for the real thing and adds a small salad sandwiched between two slices of whole grain bread. “Fakin’ bacon” is a smoky flavored tempeh product.  I’m not going to promise that it’s an exact replica of what the pig creates, but it’s definitely a delicious and fun way to try tempeh (considered to be one of the healthiest ways to eat soy beans).

I recently made these with my daughters. While I cooked the “bacon” on the stove, they took care of all the other steps and within no time we all sat down together to assemble and enjoy our AFBLTs (Avocado, Fakin’ Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato).

AFBLT Sandwiches

• 1 package of fakin’ bacon (enough for 3-4 sandwiches)
• splash of oil for frying
• 2 slices whole wheat bread (or of the grain/gluten content of your liking) per person
• avocado, sliced
• lettuce, 2 leaves per person
• tomato, 1-2 slices per person
• mayonaisse
• whole flaxseeds, ground (up to 1 teaspoon for every 1 tablespoon of mayo)
• mustard

Method:

1. Heat splash of oil in skillet to cook fakin’ bacon strips.
2. Meanwhile slice tomato, remove and wash lettuce leaves, slice avocado, and toast bread slices.
3. Heighten the nutritional value of this sandwich by adding up to a teaspoon of freshly ground flaxseeds* to each tablespoon of mayo.  Add mustard to the mixture if you like, or offer it separately.
4. Set out all the fillings (A, FB, L and T) on the table, sit down together and build your own sandwiches. Happy Meatless Monday and Kids Cook Monday!

Interested in trying another tempeh recipe? How about a quick stir fry with colorful vegetables, such as Beans, Tomatoes and Tempeh.

* Flaxseeds are an excellent addition to any diet.  It is, however, important to grind them and keep their oils fresh in order to take advantage of their health benefits.  I recommend keeping a designated coffee/spice grinder in the refrigerator and grinding and using flaxseed meal regularly.  You can read more about their health benefits here.

Note to wheat- or gluten-free eaters: “fakin’ bacon” contains wheat.

Note to meat eaters: If you prepare real bacon for yourself and your children, look for 100% organic, free-range, antibiotic-free bacon without nitrites or nitrates for the highest quality meat.  If high quality meat is not readily available where you are, you might be able to find a good source using the Eat Wild Directory or through the new FarmPlate website.

Apple Charlotte

Hooked on Downton Abbey too?  Then, you’ll remember the exchange in season one between Countess Cora and Mrs. Patmore, the cook, regarding the upcoming dinner for Sir Antony and his favorite dessert: Apple Charlotte.  Her Ladyship describes it as something new and, understandably, wants it served at Downton.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Patmore is not familiar with it, doesn’t even care to look at the “receipt” and is eventually able to convince Her Ladyship to stick with the originally planned dessert: raspberry meringue.

I remembered seeing a recipe (or receipt, as it was called at the time) for Apple Charlotte in my Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook.  I looked it up and thought I would prepare it in honor of the Downton’s second season, being aired on PBS starting this week.

This treat is a perfect marriage of french toast, bread pudding and apple pie, assembled (more than baked) in a lasagna sort of way. Food historians believe it was originally created to use up left-over bread and that the name comes from Queen Charlotte, who was known to support apple growers.  Coincidently, I live in a town named for Queen Charlotte and in a place well suited to apple growing. 

Straight from this wonderful historic cookbook, for Mrs. Patmore and all other cooks, this is Apple Charlotte:

“Cut a sufficient number of thin slices of bread to cover the bottom and line the sides of a baking dish, first rubbing it thickly with butter. Put thin slices of apples into the dish in layers, till the dish is full, strewing sugar and units of butter between. In the meantime, soak as many thin slices of bread as will cover the whole, in warm milk, over which place a plate and a weight, to keep the bread close upon the apples. Let it bake slowly for three hours.”

And now with slight adjustments for cooks in this century:

• 6 slices bread, preferably stale (soft whole wheat for highest nutrition)
• 1 1/2 cup milk (easily substituted with a non-dairy milk)
• 2-3  large apples, thinly sliced (organically grown and unpeeled for highest nutrition)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons butter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Butter a 9-inch pie plate or baking dish.
3. Dip 3 slices of bread in milk and line the bottom of the baking dish with bread.  You may have to cut some of the slices in order to create a full bottom.
4. Layer apple slices in an artistic arrangement (or not), as you like. Drizzle with maple syrup, sprinkle with spices and dot with small bits of butter.
5. Dip remaining 3 slices of bread in milk and repeat step 3 over the apples. Sprinkle again with cinnamon. Cover with a buttered lid or oven-proof plate and press down.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until apples are soft, remove cover and bake for 10-15 more to crisp the top. Enjoy warm or cooled, with a nice cup of tea.

12 Ways to Be Cool in 2012.

Did you feel the heat on Christmas Day?  The South Pole recorded its highest temperature ever: 9.9˚F on December 25, 2011!  That was at the end of a year in which we in Vermont experienced not one, but two 100-year floods in 3 just months, and people around the world experienced either exceptionally wet (with flooding), unusually dry (with drought), and/or unthinkably hot (sometimes with dangerous fires) weather. In fact, 2011 boasted 2,941 extreme weather records in the US alone.  And, then there is the tremendous spike in atmospheric carbon dioxide (worth a click on the link to see what it looks like) which likely provides the explanation for it all.

In 2011, we managed to make weather more of an extreme sport than a recreational activity, which boils down to one simple, urgent thing: 2012 needs to be all about chilling out!   We’ve got to make being cool the theme of the year. Here are 12 ideas (in no particular order, and by no means a complete list) to help you be cool in the new year:

1. Turn off the lights.  When you leave the room, turn off the lights.  My father trained me in the 70s; it’s time for a little refresher. If you think your electric bills are looking a little high, you’ll enjoy lower bills as a result. You can add timers or motion sensors to light fixtures if that helps remember to turn them off.  For the ultimate in convenience, get solar outdoor lights - the sun will charge them, and the darkness will turn them on.

2. Get better lights. In addition to outdoor solar lights, upgrade your indoor bulbs, in fact it’s required. With the end of the incandescent light bulb, organizations like the NRDC have produced online guides to help you decide which lighting options are best for your home and business: LEDs, compact fluorescents… perhaps candles.

3. Unstuff yourself: If you’re feeling stuffed, unstuff yourself this year. Stuff requires cleaning, storage, sometimes lighting, heating or cooling, transportation, etc. all of which requires more energy. If you’re not already familiar with The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-and a Vision for Change, check it out here, then destuff your life and save both money and the planet.

4. Lighten your foodprint. Skipping meat (at least once a week, as the Meatless Monday campaign suggests), and buying local, seasonal produce and products will help reduce the amount of energy your diet requires. Want to read more about it?  There’s a fresh crop of books on the joys and benefits of eating locally, including the piece de resistance: Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do about It.

5. Buy local: Transportation and (temperature-controlled) storage of food and other stuff requires lots of energy.  Buy what you need locally, and you help reduce those costs and you get to support your local economy at the same time. Here’s a fantastic example, worthy of replication every where: The Farmstand Coop.

6. Home Sweet Home: Beyond buying local food and other supplies, consider local vacations, local banking, local education, local heating fuel, etc. Investing in your home is investing in the planet.

7. Getting from A to B: How can you move yourself not in a single-occupied vehicle? Walk, bike, roller skate, cross country ski, bus, train, carpool?  For those times when you have to drive, plan trips to merge errands and outings as much as possible.

8. Dare to share. From cars (such as zip car), to lawn mowers, vacation rentals…  If you don’t really need to own it yourself, share with a family member, friend or neighbor.  In 2009, car-sharing alone was credited with reducing U.S. carbon emissions by more than 482,000 tons.

9. Befriend a sweater, hat and socks: Take inspiration from animals who grow an extra layer of winter fur, add a layer and lower the thermostat. Use a programmable thermostat if that helps to remember to lower your heat settings at night and when going out. Other ways to keep it warm and cozy: pour another cup of tea, sip hot, brothy soups, practice your dance moves, and host frequent house warming parties.

10. New to you. If you need a new sweater, you don’t have to buy a brand new one.  Shop local second-hand stores or host a clothing exchange, where friends come over (house warming party!) and you get to try on each other’s already-been-loved items to brighten up your wardrobe.

11. Grow your food: Growing your own vegetables, fruits and herbs is a great way to bring fresh and nutritious food literally to your door. Having a garden doesn’t have to require a lot of space, even a small plot, or a collection of containers on a back deck, fire escape or window sill can contribute to your health and that of the planet.

12. Practice the 4 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot: See where you can use less, come up with new ways to use what you already have, recycle (or upcycle) what might otherwise become trash, and compost all things biological.

If you’re not totally convinced being cool is the hottest thing out there, check out what thousands of people have been doing to solve the climate crisis.  Check out the incredibly inspirational work, with photos and videos from around the world at 350.org.

Potato-Kale Soup: Food From Here

This all local, organic, vegetarian soup was created in honor of Bo Muller-Moore, Team Kale and the Eat More Kale campaign.  It was sold out on The Farmstand Coop the first week, and so I (as Mama D’s Kitchen) ran it for a second one.  Many thanks to all who supported Bo with soup purchases.

This simple-to-make and warming-to-eat cool season soup is reminiscent of both the well-known Portuguese “caldo verde” (green soup) sans sausage and the cold-weather staple, creamy potato-leek soup.  It consists of a smooth, creamy and thoroughly satisfying base with a smattering of visual and nutritional excitement from the bright green kale.  The ingredients are easy to find at year-round farmers markets as well as most supermarkets.

Potato-Kale Soup

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 leeks, thoroughly washed and white and light green portions chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 celeriac (also called celery root), peeled and cubed
• 3-4 potatoes (such as Yukon gold), peeled and cubed
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 bunch fresh kale (or 1 frozen package, in a pinch)
• 1/2-1 cup milk or cream (optional)
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• grated parmesan (optional)

Method:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in large soup pot. Sauté onions and leeks until translucent and with the appearance of starting to melt (this will add to the soup’s creaminess).
2. Add garlic, potatoes and celeriac. Toss to coat and add vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer until vegetables are soft.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon of butter in a skillet and give chopped kale a quick sauté.  Watch it carefully and take it off heat as soon as the kale reaches a beautiful bright green color.
4. Once soup vegetables are soft, purée either in the pot with an immersion blender, or in batches in an upright blender or food processor, until smooth.  I find the immersion blender more convenient, but a traditional upright blender or food processor produces a smoother soup.
5. Adjust consistency with stock, milk or cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in kale and serve topped with grated parmesan, if using.

To make it vegan: This soup can easily be made without dairy by sautéing in olive oil and eliminating the final addition of milk or cream.  The sautéed leeks, cooked potatoes and celeriac once puréed create a lusciously creamy soup. If you wanted to thin the soup, you can use more stock or an unsweetened dairy-free milk substitute.

To make it Paleo/Primal: Sauté the vegetables in coconut oil, and prepare the soup with your stock of choice. The puréed vegetables will make the soup creamy, so you do not need to add any milk or cream, however adding coconut milk would likely produce a very tasty tropical version of this soup.

To make it non-veg: Substitute chicken or turkey broth for the vegetable broth and sauté thinly sliced sausage with the kale before adding to the potato-leek soup base.

Eat More Kale

Once upon a time there was a humble artist named Bo who made t-shirts.  He called his one-at-a-time silk screening shop “Eat More Kale”.  He was loved by t-shirt wearers, small-scale farmers and kale eaters worldwide, but particularly in Vermont, where he lived.  [I have seeded and weeded in my "eat more kale" t-shirt, and Bo very kindly sent me more than fifty "eat more kale" stickers when I was working with students at a nearby high school to create a new kale chip recipe.]

One day he received a cease-and-desist letter from a large fast food company called Chick-Fil-A (full story here).  Apparently Chick-Fil-A thought fast food eaters would be confused by the Vermont t-shirt maker’s name and their own slogan “eat mor chikin”. No one had ever heard of anyone walking into a Chick-Fil-A asking for a kale burger or kale fries, as the restaurant did not offer any kale dishes (this, ironically was the one thing the two businesses had in common: neither actually sold kale). Still, they felt threatened by the small (though thanks to their bullying action, then quickly growing) appreciation of the vegetable promoting slogan and were pushing legal action to close the t-shirt man down.

 

The people of Vermont, including the governor, and many others worldwide wouldn’t stand for it, and came together in favor of Bo. Governor Shumlin launched “Team Kale” to support Bo’s fight and create a legal defense fund. “Get out of the way, Chick-Fil-A” he declared as he announced the effort to protect all small business.

This was at a time when persevering protesters kept the pressure on Wall Street in favor of Main Street, and Congress (having been gobbled up by Big Food) had just redefined pizza as a vegetable, and was seen as yet another example of big business hubris. In defense of “the little guy” and the right to healthy eating, the people poured their support in Bo’s direction.

They did things such as (and I hope you will too):

• Sign Bo’s petition to support small business here:
• Join Bo on Facebook
• Follow @teamkale on twitter
• Buy a “Team Kale” t-shirt and/or sticker to support Bo’s legal defense fund by clicking here.
• And support both Bo’s efforts and your personal health with a homemade, local, organic and vegetarian Potato-Kale Soup from Mama D’s Kitchen, available the week of Dec 12 at The Farmstand Coop (order by midnight Wed for pick-up on Thursday).  All proceeds will go to “Team Kale”.
• UPDATE: Since the soup special sold out quickly, Potato-Kale Soup will be sold for another week.  Order at The Farmstand Coop by midnight on Wed, Dec 21st for pick-up on the 22nd. And, thank you!
• To support Bo in spirit and your health for real, feast on kale (and all glorious greens)!  Here’s the link for potato-kale soup.

Let’s give this story a fairy tale ending, and let Bo and kale live happily ever after.

Filling up on Pumpkin

“For pottage and puddings and custards and pies
Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies,
We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon,
If it were not for pumpkins we should be undoon.”

Lyrics to popular song in the 1600s

Pumpkins. We buy them whole in October to perform surgery on, and then expect to see them again in November in a pie.  We’ve come to think of pumpkin pie as one of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Probably not. Together with squashes, they are native to New England, and were a common food source for Native Americans.  Early European settlers adopted pumpkin eating, but it was unlikely that they had the butter and wheat flour we use today for the crust until many years later.

According to historians from Plimouth Plantation, the earliest written pumpkin pie recipes are dated several generations after the First Thanksgiving, and then they treat pumpkin more like apples (which are not native and had, by then, been brought over from Europe), slicing it and sometimes frying the slices before layering them in a crust.

This recipe may more closely resemble an early pumpkin pie than what we are accustomed to today (which, if you tend to have it with canned pumpkin, I urge you to read the latest on BPA in cans, and use a real pumpkin instead).  The filling does contain butter and bread cubes, but these can easily be omitted for historical purity.  A simple filling made with spiced milk and eggs is likely that of the original pumpkin pie.

Today pumpkins are recognized as a particularly good source of vitamin A and beta-carotene, as well as vitamin C.  Since they are naturally sweet, they help satisfy our sweet tooth, preventing a sugar craving. Some research suggests that eating pumpkin works well to balance insulin and is therefore effective for pre-diabetes and diabetes.

Pumpkin seeds have many health benefits, including being a good source of protein, zinc, iron and vitamins, most notably vitamin E. Pumpkin seeds also contain tryptophan, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus.

Bread Pudding in a Pumpkin Shell

An Original Pumpkin Pie

• 1 pie pumpkin or other nice-looking winter squash (roughly 4-5 pounds)
• 2 cups milk (or coconut milk*)
• 1/4 cup butter (or coconut oil*), melted.
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 cups stale bread, cubed
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup raisins and/or dried cranberries or sultanas
• 1/2 walnuts and/or pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon each of ground alspice, ginger, cloves and/or cardamom
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon maple liquor (optional, however, the next time you’re in Vermont, you will not be disappointed if you treat yourself to a bottle of “Cabin Fever” Maple Liquor)
• whole nutmeg, for grinding

Topping

• 1 cup pumpkin seeds (although it makes a great deal of sense to use the seeds from your pumpkin, I have to admit that I like the taste of the greenish-colored “pepitas” better)
• butter or oil, just enough to coat pan
• 1 teaspoon maple sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350º degrees.
2. Wash pumpkin. Cut off the top of the pumpkin and clean out the inside.  Brush the top and inside with a little melted butter.
3. Replace cover on pumpkin and heat in oven for 20 minutes.
4. While pumpkin is in oven, scald milk for the bread pudding filling. Remove from heat and add butter and maple syrup.  Pour mixture over stale bread cubes and let sit for 5-10 minutes.  Then add eggs, raisins, nuts, spices, vanilla and splash of liquor.
5. Take pumpkin out of oven, remove the top and fill with the bread mixture and grate some fresh nutmeg over the top.  This time without the top, place pumpkin in a baking dish and bake for 1- 1 1/2 hours or until the pumpkin is soft (cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pumpkin) and the pudding is cooked. Any leftover filling can be cooked in ramekins, which will not need the full cooking time.
6. To make the topping: melt butter in a small skillet, add the pumpkin seeds.  Give them a shake and/or stir several times and watch them closely since they burn easily.  Once browned and starting to pop, remove from heat and sprinkle with cinnamon and maple (or regular) sugar.
7. Remove pumpkin from oven and allow to cool slightly.
8. Serve as boat-like slices with a wedge of pumpkin as the base, filled with bread pudding and how about a nice dollop of vanilla yogurt, creme fraiche, freshly whipped cream or ice cream on top. Sprinkle all over with cinnamon pumpkin seeds.

Thanks to Wilson Farm in Lexington, Massachusetts (my childhood farmstand) and our early American foremothers for the inspiration for this recipe.

* Note to Primal/Paleo eaters: This type of pie can be easily adapted to a hunter-gatherer diet.  Like the early New England settlers, omit the bread cubes and butter, and make the custard with coconut oil, coconut milk and plenty of eggs and spices. The links above connect to these products in BPA-free packaging.

Meatless Monday: Market Day Soup

In the mid 90s, as a graduate student in Ecological Urban and Regional Planning, I was asked to supervise a group of undergraduates in a research project on the viability of farmers markets.  I loved visiting LA’s outdoor food markets, which felt more like a fun outing than doing errands, so I was happy to accept.  I did not fully realize, until several years later, the extend to which the many benefits (environmental, economic, nutritional, community-building, etc.) of these markets would grab me and not let me go.

Today, direct farm-to-consumer sales are growing at a rate of 10% per year, twice that of the regular food sector. Farmers markets are consistently increasing in number with a 17% increase in just the past year.  More are staying open year round, and despite a down economy, they have supported a growth in the number of small and organic farms. Community supported agriculture (CSA) farmshare options are also expanding.  I subscribe to Stonyloam Farm for my summertime vegetables, herbs and flowers, Pete’s Greens for my fall and winter vegetables, and Family Cow Farmstand for a weekly gallon of raw organic milk.  Roughly a year ago another direct-sales option was dreamed up in our little town: the online Farmstand Coop. By cleverly combining the convenience of a 24/7 online meeting place with the small scale supply and demand on a very local level, a year round market for vegetables, baked goods, meats, eggs and more was created. I have been a customer for a year, and starting last week, I am now also a producer, selling homemade soups made from local and organic ingredients served in reusable glass jars. I feel a small step closer to the people I have come to so greatly admire: farmers.

My first Market Day Soup:

Potato-Leek with Kale Ribbons

• 3 tablespoons butter (or olive oil or coconut oil)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 leeks, well washed and chopped
• 4-5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 celeriac (celery root), peeled and cubed
• 6 cups of water or vegetable stock (or homemade)
• 1/2 -1 cup milk or cream (optional)
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• kale, stems discarded, cut in thin strips
• handful of parsley

Method:

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch Oven or other soup pot.  Sauté onions, garlic and leeks over low heat until translucent and starting to caramelize, but not yet turning brown. This should take about 20 minutes, and is worth the wait.
2. Add potatoes and celeriac cubes, stir to coat. Add stock, bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow vegetables to cook, about 15 minutes.
3. While vegetables are cooking, heat remaining tablespoon of butter in a skillet and saute the kale strips just long enough that they become bright green and crispy.
4. Using an immersion blender directly in your soup pot or in batches in a traditional blender, purée your soup to a velvety smooth consistency.  The soup will be nicely creamy without the addition of milk or cream, or you can add one or both of these to adjust consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve warm topped with kale ribbons and parsley for color and crunch.

Our Favorite “Stinking Rose”

Yes, GARLIC!  It can do a number on your breath, but compared to what it does for your health, that’s a small price to pay.

As winter approaches and we brace ourselves for cold and flu season, today is not a day too early to add this easy, and flavorful food to your meals.  Particularly when eaten raw, garlic has antibiotic, antifungal and antiviral properties.  According to Dr. Andrew Weil, garlic works well for the common cold, sore throat, ear infections, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and fungal, yeast and bacterial infections.  Garlic also gets credit for cancer prevention and treatment and for the removal of heavy metals.

When you feel something coming on, make yourself some nice garlic toast: a couple of slices of whole wheat bread, butter or olive oil and then crush a good sized clove of raw garlic on to it with a bit of salt to taste.

A simple all-purpose wellness measure is to add garlic at the end of the cooking time of recipes that call for it.  I used to start by sautéing onions and garlic, until I realized that the heat and cooking time greatly reduces the health benefits of garlic.  Now, I toss it in at the very end, keeping the garlic as raw as possible.

Salad dressings, sauces, spreads (such as pesto) and dips (such a hummus) present easy opportunities to consume additional raw garlic.  Using a garlic press or a sharp knife (chopping very fine), you can add garlic to just about any sauce or dressing.

If the fear of bad breath is keeping you from eating as much garlic as you would like, you can give this method a try.  Put a whole clove of garlic in a spoonful of applesauce and swallow whole.  As long as you don’t cut or chew raw garlic, you won’t have the smelly situation afterwards.

Garlic keeps well so you can stock up the next time you are at the market, but what is really fun and easy is to grow it yourself! Fall is the time to plant it, so don’t wait!  If you don’t already have a garden, you can start with a small patch of garlic this year.  This weekend, turn over a small piece of earth, and plant several cloves of garlic. They will settle in underground until spring, when they will greet warmer and longer days with fresh new shoots.  By early summer you will have interesting looking plants with a curlicue on the top. This is the garlic scape and should be cut off and used as you would garlic. Consider it your first harvest.  Later in the summer, the single cloves you planted in the fall, will have transformed into full bulbs of garlic.  Your second harvest.  A phenomenal rate of return!

Click here for Step-by-step directions for growing your own garlic.  If your ground is already frozen or you do not have garden space, you can grow garlic in containers.

As you watch fall take a few more degrees from the air and few more minutes of light from the day, enjoy one last round of spring-like planting.  You’ll be giving yourself the tasty and very healthy gift of fresh garlic next summer.  Enjoy!

Real Foods Reality

Still surrounded by the aftermath of trick-or-treating, I am trying not to spoil my children’s fun. But the large pile of Halloween candy feels like it is staring me down to see who will win. As much as I advocate for and try to stick to a real foods diet myself, there is room for exceptions.  I had a great teacher several years ago who reminded us that 51% of the time, is already “most of the time.”  So, there are times for a little processed food, but even to the Halloween candy extreme?  Fortunately, there is a growing middle ground, a quickly expanding selection of “health food” candy and treats.  Surveyed with a real foods lens, I would still dismiss them as candy, but on occasion, when looking for something special, a convenient treat, a more commonly accepted snack, a sweet bite in a pinch, there are some decent options.

One of several manufacturers, the Kashi company (owned by Kellogg’s) is making some of these products.  They recently sent me a bag of TLC Layered Peanutty Granola Bars as an example. I tried them with my family and with a group of parents I meet with monthly. For the most part, both children and adults liked them.  The bars are appropriately sized (not too big for children) and the packaging is minimal. Kashi has clearly put some effort into making as close to a real foods bar as possible while also giving it a candy bar appearance, an undeniably sweet chocolately taste, a decent shelf-life and convenient portability. I like the use of numerous grains, the added protein and fiber to lessen the blood sugar rush, and the lack of high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors or flavors. For a full list of ingredients and nutrition information, click here.

At the same time, I would prefer something fresher.  I felt the bars I tried were somewhat dried out, saved only by the thick layer of chocolate on top. I also found the bars too sweet.  As much as I appreciate the recent research on the health benefits of dark chocolate, what sometimes gets lost is that it really should be eaten un- or just barely sweetened to capture these benefits.

But my main concern is with the use of what I am going to assume are genetically modified ingredients. Soy and corn derivatives, when not from certified organic crops, are almost certainly made from genetically modified raw materials. In addition to the chemical pesticide and herbicide residues on these crops, the fact that they have been genetically altered brings with it a whole new wave of potential health problems which researchers are only just beginning to explore.  As an incidental exception, I will jump into the lab, as it were, and participate in the ongoing public experiment of feeding ourselves genetically modified foods, but as a general rule, I stay clear of the most common GM products, which include soy, corn and increasingly other grains as well.  Even though I found Kashi listed as a member of the Non-GMO project, I was not able to find any indication on this product that it is free of genetically modified ingredients.  I would prefer a “new and improved” version, when it contains organic, or at least non-GMO ingredients.

Meatless Monday: Halloween Hummus

The candy gorge that Halloween has become requires some serious antidotes.  Good nutrition complete with filling protein and healthy fats, accented with pureed pumpkin comes together nicely in this easy to make Halloween hummus.  It makes a good dip or sandwich filler for that quick pre-trick-or-treating dinner or hallowed eve parties.

Besides defining the flavor of the season, pumpkins (as well as the other yellow-orange winter squashes) are star sources of vitamins (predominantly A, but also C, B-complex and some E), minerals, fiber and antioxidants (the carotenes among others) and offer brilliant color all year round.

Pumpkin Hummus

• 1 cup chickpeas, cooked (or canned*)
• 3/4 cup pureed pumpkin (or canned*)
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water (possibly more to adjust for consistency)
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (click here for recent article on its powerful health effects)
• 1/4 curry powder (optional)
• freshly ground black pepper
• possible garnishes: additional chickpeas, a splash of olive oil, parsley, cilantro, black olives, roasted pumpkin seeds, pine nuts
• serving ideas: pita bread, crusty fresh bread, crackers, rice cakes, fresh vegetables such as carrot sticks, celery, cauliflower and broccoli florets, cucumber sticks, jicama, apple slices.

Method:

1. Soak, drain and cook dried chickpeas until soft (or drain canned chickpeas*)
2. Roast pumpkin or other winter squash (or open a can of pumpkin*)
3. In a blender or food processor, puree pumpkin, add chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and spices until smooth.  Adjust consistency with olive oil and/or water.
4. Spoon over to a plate, pressing down slightly. Garnish as you like with olive oil, olives, chickpeas, fresh green herbs, roasted pumpkin seeds, ground spices, etc.

*  Having canned foods (beans, stocks, stewed tomatoes, etc.) on hand can make putting a meal together very easy.  However, the research on the health risks associated with the BPA contained in the lining of most cans has me concerned, and so I try to avoid foods in cans or plastic.  When I do buy canned beans, I look for the Eden brand, a company that in 1999 committed to packaging all its organic beans in BPA-free cans.