Summer 2009

Hi Friends: Welcome to the first issue of BIG GREEN COOKLETTER! I hope you find it helpful in keeping you thinking and eating green. Please share any feedback: jackie@biggreencookbook.com.

Cheers to the planet and your palate,

THE CURRENT STATE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Government Report on What’s Happening in the U.S.

The facts speak for themselves. Our planet is hot … and it’s getting hotter. A comprehensive report on global warming has been released by the United States Global Change Research Program. It details the effects of climate change in this country. We indeed can expect higher temperatures, earlier snowmelts, rising sea levels, and much more. Here are the ten key findings of the report:

Go to the full report: Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States

ECO-FACT:
World population to hit 7 billion by 2011

EARTH-FRIENDLY TIP

Waste Not

If you know you can’t eat the entire recipe and you don’t want to plan for leftovers, consider halving a recipe. You need to be eco-conscious before you plan to cook, not just when you’re cooking. Less trash and less landfill waste is always a good goal to keep potent greenhouse gases out of the environment. And it’s always a green idea not to be an over-consumer from the get-go.

Still have excess food? If not able to eat it, compost what you can. Why? Compost can:

• Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.

• Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste.

• Remove solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from storm-water runoff.

• Capture and destroy 99.6% of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.

For more information about composting in your area, go to
http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/composting/live.htm

LEAN ‘N’ GREEN LIFESTYLE

Tips from Kate Geagan, MS, RD

Who better to get slim and eco-savvy tips from than America’s Green Nutritionist™, Kate Geagan, and author of Go Green Get Lean. Try implementing these three tips this season to keep your bod — and our planet — healthy.

• Eat less red meat. The amount of beef in your diet is one of the biggest factors in your global impact. Instead, swap vegetables for red meat two days a week (even more if you can)!

• Celebrate 1-ingredient foods. Beans. Fruit. Fish. You get it — use these as the mainstay of a healthy diet.

• Practice Hara Hachi Bu. This literally translates in Okinowan as “eat until you are 8 parts full”. Eat less. Take less — and give your brain time to catch up with your stomach.

PLANET-PLEASING PRODUCTS

Eco-Fancy Food and Beverages

The 55th Summer Fancy Food Show was held this summer in New York City. With more than 140,000 specialty foods and beverages from the U.S. and more than 70 countries, there were lots of exciting new products, like bacon-laced lollipops (but I may never get the nerve to lick mine!), every imaginable and nearly unimaginable flavor of honey, and salty confections. The hottest flavor: blood orange. While in this “culinary heaven,” I searched out trendy, tasty products that were eco-friendly and health-friendly. Try a few of the newest, finest standouts that made my list!

Tea Forte Cocktail Infusions

What it is: A beautiful pouch with a blend of fresh teas, herbs, and spices that instantly and naturally infuses vodka, gin, rum, or other spirits with exotic flavors and lovely hues. Try it with Square One Organic Vodka or Tru2 Organic Gin. No hot water required.

Why it’s good for you: Tea, herbs, and spices all provide various health-promoting antioxidants. And one alcoholic beverage a day for women (two for men) may provide heart-health benefits.

Dave’s Gourmet Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

What it is: An all-natural pasta sauce made with Oregon butternut squash, fresh garlic, onions, and roasted red pepper. So move over marinara … at least sometimes.

Why it’s good for you: It’s a deliciously easy way to boost veggies. Butternut squash is loaded with beta-carotene and potassium and is a significant source of fiber and calcium.

Sukhi’s Samosas & Chutney

What it is: Authentic Indian, restaurant-quality, frozen appetizer or snack. Perfect when you need something fast but you don’t want “fast food.”

Why it’s good for you: It’s one of the most taste-tempting ways to be a vegan — or at least a part-time one. Plus, this natural, properly-portioned finger food provides plant-based goodness from potatoes, peas, cilantro, and lemon. Want to go lighter? Try a Sukhi’s Lean Fare item, like Dal Saag.

Numi’s Organic Puerh Tea

What it is: A certified organic, fair trade tea made from raw leaves of ancient tea trees which are then oxidized and fermented. From there, they may be further aged. It comes in bags (for hot tea) and bottles (for iced tea).

Why it’s good for you: Independent studies suggest Numi’s Puerh tea provides more antioxidants than standard green tea — which help to protect healthy cells from damaging free radicals. Plus, 1% of Numi’s net profits from their Puerh boxed teas or bottled iced teas go towards social, environmental, and sustainable causes!

SEASONAL ECO-CONSCIOUS RECIPE

Pounded Pesto-Dressed Pasta and Spinach Salad with Walnuts

Makes 8 servings: 1 1/2 cups each

Every once in a while we all need a bit of comfort. (Especially now when the economy and many of our own bank accounts seem so unsettled!) Luckily, this salad recipe is loaded with good nutrition — and good fats. So go ahead and enjoy this recipe for a fully satisfying taste of green comfort. Then simply keep fat calories in check the rest of the day to make this entrée a guilt-free pleasure.

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, or to taste
• 1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 3 packed cups fresh basil
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound whole wheat radiatore, chiocciole, or other short pasta shape
• 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup freshly grated organic or locally-produced Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1. Mash up the pine nuts, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the zest, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a large molcajete or mortar with a pestle, gradually adding the basil and oil until all ingredients are well incorporated. Alternatively, puree ingredients in a food processor. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Bring 8 cups fresh water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Stir in the remaining salt. Stir in the pasta and bring back to a boil. Cover and turn off the heat. “Lid cook” (cook covered while the burner is off) for the same amount of cooking time suggested on the package, about 10 minutes; drain. Toss or stir the drained pasta in the pot along with several ice cubes to cool; drain again.
3. In a large serving bowl, toss the pasta with the pesto sauce. Gently toss with the spinach and, if using, the cheese. Adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with the walnuts and the remaining zest to serve.

Per serving: 450 calories, 27g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 260mg sodium, 47g total carbohydrate, 7g dietary fiber, 2g sugars, 12g protein

BIG GREEN HAPPENINGS

Be part of the BIG GREEN COOKBOOK community

COOK:

Mark your calendars: Wednesday, September 9. Come cook with Jackie at The Institute of Culinary Education. Sign up for Green Cuisine with Jackie Newgent: Tastes of Fall. Award-winning cookbook author Jackie Newgent will share with you planet-pleasing and dozens of creative tips — for luscious, low-carbon cooking based on her newest book, Big Green Cookbook. You’ll be guided in seasonal preparations that use her innovative eco-friendly cooking techniques, such as “lid cooking” and “green sautéing.” Recipes include: Fresh Local Applesauce; Autumn Black Bean Salad; Raw “Cream” of Tomato Soup; Grilled Artisanal Cheese Sandwich; Loaded Veggie Curry; Pressure-Cooked Spicy Bean and Turkey Chili; Savory Squash Burrito with Raw Tomatillo Salsa; Fig Newgent’s; and more.

LOOK:

Find out more about what Jackie’s been up to. Read her latest articles, see or hear her recent media interviews, and more. Check it all out on her Web site, Facebook fan page, or Twitter.

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