Peach Salad

My friend Sam gave me the recipe for this yummy salad as a great way to use the delicious peaches in abundance right now. I tweaked the recipe just a tad. I encourage you to experiment with flavors.

Green Lettuce of Your Choice

Peaches

Red Onion

Feta

Basil

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Thank you Sam!

Today's Rewards

Green onions, pecans, figs, peaches, broccoli, scones, eggplant, pesto, and tomatoes. Yippee!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

LIQUID INGREDIENTS

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

DRY INGREDIENTS

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup finely shredded zucchini

10 ounces chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine liquid ingredients in a large bowl

3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate, small bowl and then blend into liquid mixture.

4. Stir zucchini and chocolate chips into other ingredients, mix well. Drop spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon.

5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Local

http://www.silverlakelocal.com/

Tonight I truly enjoyed dinner at Local in Silverlake. I am so happy that local, seasonal foods seems to be catching on as a restaurant theme on this side of town. I had Fried Chickpeas with Pico de Gallo, Local Sea Bass with Snap Peas, Fennel, Grape Tomatoes, Greens & Toasted Almond Yogurt, and one of today's specials of Bok Choy & Eggplant. I loved each item! My dinner partners had Jidori 1/2 Chicken and the Sea Bass on special. We all really enjoyed our meals and made plans to have breakfast at Local next Saturday. I'll keep you posted on our breakfast experience.

Please visit this local, organic restaurant in Silverlake. It was an outstanding dinner experience.

Today's Rewards

Zucchini, eggplant, cantaloupe, red and green peppers, and peaches! What will I make this week? Stay tuned.

Food Inc.

I finally watched Food Inc. last weekend and was amazed at how in line the documentary was with the themes of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and this blog; the beauty of eating sustainable foods and the importance of supporting small, local farms.

But it also opened my eyes even more to the attention we must give the food machine in this country. America's industrialized food system puts profit ahead of consumer health, the American farmer, and our environment. Rampant obesity, E. coli outbreaks, and epidemic levels of diabetes are all indicators of the shocking flaws that exist in our food system.

What can I do?

1. Purchase organic, local foods. The following website is an amazing tool in the search for local farms, markets, restaurants, and more.

http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home

2. Buy organic or sustainable food with little or no pesticides. The use of pesticides is associated with cancers, autism and neurological disorders, especially amongst farm workers and their communities.

3. Demand job protections for farm workers and food processors, ensuring fair wages and other protections. Farm workers are the backbone of our agricultural industry and, at the very least, deserve basic workplace protections.

http://www.ufw.org//

4. Tell schools to stop selling sodas, junk food, and sports drinks. It is unacceptable that one-third of children and adolescents in this country are overweight or obese. You can start voicing your opinion by signing the petition to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act at the following link.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/reauthorize-a-robust-child-nutrition-act

5. Go without meat one day a week. Most of the 10 billion animals raised and killed in the US annually for our food supply are raised on factory farms under inhumane conditions.

6. Educate yourself. If you haven't already, please watch Food Inc. You should also visit their website which has many more suggestions for taking action.

http://www.foodincmovie.com/

How to Cut a Watermelon

A watermelon can appear daunting to cut up. Have no fear.

1. Wash the outside rind with regular soap or a vegetable wash. Everything that the knife touches on the outside of the melon will contact the flesh.

2. Trim the end off of both sides.

3. Stand the watermelon up on one side and cut in half (along a dark green stripe to get seeds on the outside of wedges.)

4. Set half down and slice in to wedges.

5. Cut the watermelon away from the rind. (This photo shows the dangerous way to do this. Instead please cut the rind away on a flat surface, not in your hand!)

6. If desired, cut wedges into chunks.