iEat Green with Bhavani

iEat Green - An Interview with Fekkak Mamdouh - 03/07/13

An Interview with Fekkak Mamdouh, Co-Founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United

This week, my guest on the Progressive Radio Network is Fekkak Mamdouh, the Co-Founder of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. For those of you who listened to my show a few weeks ago, I had on his partner Saru Jayaraman and discussed the issues revolving around food workers in this country. My conversation with Fekkak will be a continuation of why it is important to raise the awareness of the plight of restaurant workers, packers, and farm workers in this country. Please join me for what will certainly a thought-provoking conversation. Black Rice Pasta with Broccoli in Garlic Sauce 1 package black soba noodles, cooked according to direction, al dente 1/4 cup olive oil 1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets 1 onion, chopped 2 Tbs. chopped garlic 1/4 white wine Salt and Pepper to taste Parmesan Cheese (optional) While the pasta water is heating up, in a heavy skillet or wok, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the onions, and cook on a medium heat for 6-8 minutes, until the onions begin to caramelize. At this time, you can add the pasta to the boiling water. Do not over cook the pasta! Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, then add the broccoli. Cook until the broccoli begins to soften. Add the wine and salt and pepper. Cook for another 3 minutes, and remove from heat. Add the pasta to the broccoli, and toss.

iEat Green - Mary Cleaver - 02/28/13

This week, my guest is a person who is creating that ‘bliss point’ using ingredients that tantalize the mouth and create the desire for more, while using only the highest quality of ingredients. Yes, I am talking about Mary Cleaver, owner of The Cleaver Company and The Green Table.  Mary is the “go-to person” for all the foodie events that happen in New York City. Her commitment to sustainable, seasonally-driven food that is raised humanely, has made her a leader in the Farm to Table movement, and an advocate for purchasing food from local purveyors. I am thrilled to have her join me on my show, and to share with us her passion for “real food.” Roasted Tempeh with Vegetables in Coconut Curry For 20 people 5 cakes organic 3 grain Tempeh (plain can be used) ¼ cup olive oil 2 Tbs Tamari 2 lg. onions, cut in half, then sliced into crescent moons 4-6 carrots, cut into julienne strips 3 heads broccoli 4 small zucchinis , cut lengthwise and then into crescent moons 2 red peppers, cut into strips 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced ginger, 3 inch piece grated 10 cloves garlic 2 Tbs. Aji Marin olive oil 1 can coconut milk 1 Tb. red curry paste 1 Tbs. tamari (to taste) ¼ cup chopped parsley Cut tempeh into quarters, then cut down the middle horizontally, then cut into cubes. Place tempeh on cookie sheet, covered with parchment paper, and toss gently with ¼ cup olive oil, careful not to break the pieces. Roast the tempeh in 450’ oven for 20 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Remove from oven and toss with 2 Tbs tamari. Cover bottom of wok with oil. When oil is hot, add the onions and carrots. Add the garlic and ginger. Continue cooking at med. high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add more oil (or water to steam) if needed. Add the broccoli and stir for a few minutes, then add the peppers and zucchini. Again add more oil or water if necessary. Cook for a few minutes more, than add the mirin. Add the tempeh to the vegetables. In a separate bowl, make a sauce with the coconut milk, curry paste, and tamari. Mix well. Add sauce to vegetables and tempeh. Add chopped parsley. Serve with brown rice or quinoa or noodles.

iEat Green - 02/21/13

Saru Jayaraman is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United) and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley. After 9/11, together with displaced World Trade Center workers, she co-founded ROC in New York, which has organized restaurant workers to win workplace justice campaigns, conduct research and policy work, partner with responsible restaurants, and launch cooperatively-owned restaurants. ROC now has 10,000 members in 19 cities nationwide. The story of Saru and her co-founder's work founding ROC has been chronicled in the book The Accidental American. Saru is a graduate of Yale Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She was profiled in the New York Times "Public Lives" section in 2005, and was named one of Crain's "40 Under 40" in 2008, 1010 WINS's "Newsmaker of the Year," and one of New York Magazine's "Influentials" of New York City. Saru co-edited The New Urban Immigrant Workforce, (ME Sharpe, 2005) and authored Behind the Kitchen Door, forthcoming from Cornell University Press.

Raw Valentine Delight Crust- 1 cup, plus 2 TBS. ground raw almonds ¾ cup Raw Cocoa Powder 6 dates ¼ cup Raw Agave ¼ cup coconut oil pinch of salt Cheesecake Filling: 2 cups cashews, soaked in water for 3 hours, then drained 2/3 cup lemon juice ½ cup Raw agave (can use maple syrup if you are not strictly following a raw diet) ½ cup coconut oil 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 tablespoons of water Ganache Layer- In food processor, combine the following; 1 ½ cup Raw Cocoa Powder 1 ½ cup maple syrup ½ cup coconut oil 1 teaspoon vanilla Raspberry Compote 1 small bag organic frozen raspberries To make Crust Wipe bottom of spring-form pan with coconut oil. In food processor, combine the ingredients. Process until blended. Press mixture into greased pan and work it up the sides, about 1 ½“. Using opposite hand, make the edge of crust smooth and even. For Cheesecake filling: Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pour filling into pie crust. Put in freezer for 30 minutes before adding chocolate ganache. For Chocolate Ganache: Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pour ganache on top of cheesecake layer. Freeze again. For Topping: Puree 1 small box of frozen raspberries. Pour on top of Chocolate Pie and spread out to make a smooth layer. Garnish with fresh raspberries. Remove from freezer, 30 minutes before serving.

iEat Green - 02/14/13

I will be interviewing Fumi Tosa, from the international organization, Table For Two. Table for Two is the only organization I know of, that is trading calories from cultures that are eating too much, and financing cultures that need more. It’s kind of a “cap and trade” deal for food, instead of carbon emissions. To find out more about this unique organization, join me on Thursday at 10am, and learn about the universities that are already participating. Winter Medley with Walnut Sauce Ingredients: 1 lb seitan, cubed 1 onion, sliced ½ butternut squash, large dice 2 parsnips, julienned 2 carrots, julienned 2 burdock root, julienned 1 Tbs garlic, chopped 1 Tbs ginger, chopped 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 portabella mushroom, sliced (or any other mushrooms you like) 8 cups mixed greens (bok choy, collards, kale) 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 t. cardamom 1 cup boiling water 1 Tbs tamari Olive oil 1 (heaping) Tbs. tarragon 1 Tbs. brown rice vinegar ¼ cup chopped parsley Sauce: 1 ½ cup water 1 cup walnuts 2 Tbs. tamari Cover bottom of large saucepot with olive oil. When oil is hot, add onions and burdock root and cook for 10 minutes. Add butternut squash, carrots and parsnips. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add garlic and ginger. Cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup boiling water, seitan, cardamom, and celery. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine walnuts, tamari, and water in food processor. Pulse until smooth. Set aside. Add mushrooms, peppers, and greens to other vegetables. Stir and cover to steam veggies for 5 minutes. Add tarragon, parsley, brown rice vinegar, and walnut sauce. Stir and cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Serve in one half of roasted squash along with Forbidden Rice or noodles.

iEat Green - 02/07/13

Betsy Davidson is the new Editor of the all new “Edible Long Island”, which joins over 70 other Edible magazines across the country. Betsy has years of experience as a freelance writer, as a horticulturist, and as a gardener. She is a passionate mother, grandmother, home gardener, farmer and chef. Betsy helped to spearhead our local community garden, The Gateway Community Garden in Huntington, from the ground up! Over the past two summers, Betsy ran the children’s program at the Community Garden, and was an integral part of the success and heart of the garden. Betsy’s husband, Brad, is a local bayman, so her connection to the local fisherman and farmers at the Farmer’s Markets, makes Betsy the ideal candidate for the new Edible Long Island Magazine.

Savory Winter Stew 1 onion, cut in half, then sliced into crescent moons 3 carrots, cut into rounds 3 parsnips 1 small head broccoli, cut into flowerets 2 burdock root, chopped fine 3 cups butternut squash, cut into small cubes ½ Napa Cabbage, chopped 2-3 portabella mushrooms, sliced or any other mushrooms you like 1 bok choy 1 can cannellini beans, drained 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1 ½ Tbs grated ginger 1 ½ Tbs chopped garlic Olive oil 3 Tbs. tamari (to taste) 1 TBs tahini 1 Tbs. Dark sesame oil 2 Tbs. Aji Mirin cooking wine 2 Tbs Good Tasting Nutritional Yeast Hot sesame oil or red pepper may be added if you would like it spicy Cover the bottom of wok with oil. When oil is hot, add onions, butternut squash, carrots and parsnips. Meanwhile, in small sauce pan, cover burdock root with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook covered for 15 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and ginger to wok. Continue cooking at med. high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Then add the broccoli, bok choy, napa cabbage and mushrooms. Depending on the size of your wok, you may need to do this in batches, until the greens cook down. Once the greens have cooked, add the beans and tomatoes. Add the burdock root, along with the water to the vegetables. Add the nutritional yeast, tamari, sesame oil, mirin and tahini. Add a little water if needed. Cover wok and lower heat. Let all the tastes come together for 5 minutes. Add more tamari or other spices, if desired.

iEat Green - Stephen Brooks - 01/31/13

My guest this week is Stephen Brooks, the director of Punta Mona in Costa Rica. It’s always amazing when we are reminded of what a small world we live in. One of my interns this past summer had done an internship in Costa Rica and was telling me about it. She mentioned Punta Mona, and a light went off in my head. Many years ago, my daughter spent a summer in Costa Rica on an Eco-adventure. She had spent a week at Punta Mona and that was her highlight. She came home and told me I had to go there! I haven’t gotten there yet, but I am so thrilled to have Stephen on my show to tell us about it! - Tofu Banh Mi Slaw: ½ cup water ¼ cup organic sugar ¼ cup white vinegar ½ cup grated carrots ½ cup grated radish (either daikon or red) kosher salt or salt flakes Tofu: ½ tsp. garlic powder ½ tsp. onion powder olive oil tamari (to taste) hot chili oil 1 block extra firm tofu Sandwich: Mayonnaise Whole grain baguette ½ cup cilantro 1 cucumber, seeded and sliced thin freshly ground pepper Combine the carrots and radishes with the sugar, salt, vinegar, and water. Let marinate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, slice tofu ¼ inch thick, and lay out on towel. Pat dry. Season the tofu with garlic powder and onion powder. Sauté in oil until crisp on one side. Turn over and continue cooking on other side until crispy. When finished, sprinkle tamari over the tofu in the hot pan and allow it to sizzle and coat the tofu. Add hot chili oil. Remove from pan and lay out on paper towel to absorb the oil. Prepare the sandwiches on toasted organic whole wheat baguette with mayo, tofu, slaw, cucumber, and cilantro. Add freshly ground pepper and enjoy!

iEat Green - Clean Plates - 01/24/13

Jared Koch, Founder of Clean Plates, graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition with certification by Columbia University, Teachers College in 2005 and graduated from the Global Institute for Alternative Medicine in 2004. He is a health coach, nutritional consultant, and certified yoga and meditation instructor. In 2011, Jared came out with his first book, Clean Plates, Manhattan, which was a directory of places to eat in Manhattan, with a guide to food quality, service, price and most importantly, what type of food it serves, whether it is vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free friendly, or predominately meat. He expanded his guide to include Brooklyn and LA too! Now, he has published his second book, The Clean Plate Cookbook, with the help of chef, Jill Silverman Hough, where he brings his nutritional ideals into the kitchen. Jared believes in offering individuals and groups that are committed to living a more conscious, healthier lifestyle, the education, inspiration, resources, and support to be able to do so. Penne ala Tofu Carbonara Ingredients To Make Tofu Bacon ½ block extra firm tofu ¼ cup nutritional yeast ½ t. smoked paprika ½ t. garlic powder ¼ t. white pepper Tamari Olive oil To Make Sauce 2 Tbs. chopped Shallots 6 cloves garlic, chopped 1/8 t. smoked paprika ¼ t. tamari 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese 2 eggs fresh parsley, chopped Olive oil 1 lb. whole wheat or brown rice penne, or spaghetti 1. Slice tofu very thin, and lay out on towel. Pat dry. Make a mixture of the nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic powder and pepper. Bread the tofu in the nutritional yeast mixture. Coat bottom of heavy sauté pan with olive oil. Sauté the tofu in olive oil until crisp on one side. Turn over and continue cooking on other side until crispy. When finished, sprinkle tamari over the tofu in the hot pan and allow it to sizzle and coat the tofu. Remove from pan and lay out on paper towel to absorb the oil. Repeat with remaining tofu. Slice the tofu into thin strips or small little squares. 2. Bring a large stock pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to directions, al dente. 3. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the shallots and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes, making sure it doesn’t burn. Add the smoked paprika and tamari, stir and remove from heat. 4. In a separate bowl, mix the 2 eggs and parmesan cheese together 5. Drain pasta when finished, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water to add to sauce if needed. 6. Return hot pasta to large stock pot. Add the cooked shallots and garlic, and immediately mix in the egg and cheese mixture. It’s important that the pasta is hot, so that the egg will cook directly on the hot pasta. Add the strips of tofu and parsley, and toss together. 7. Transfer to serving bowl, garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley and serve immediately. 8. Enjoy!

iEat Green - Caryn Hartglass - 01/17/13

PRN host, Caryn Hartglass. Caryn is a vegan and the founder of REAL (Responsible Eating and Living), an organization that delivers easy to use, factual information and services on the benefits of whole, plant-based foods and planet-friendly products. We thought it would be a wonderful experience to have each other on each other’s show. This past week, I ran into Caryn at the launch party of Foodopoly, Wenonah Hauter’s new book, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to talk more about the issues that were brought up in the book.

Stuffed Peppers with Millet

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

8  Large Organic Peppers, Red, Orange or Yellow- Tops cut off and seeds removed

1 large onion, chopped

2 leeks, chopped fine

2 carrots, chopped fine

1 broccoli, cut into small floret’s

10 shitake mushrooms, stems removed, chopped

1 pk. Dried organic mushroom medley,

2 cups millet, cooked according to directions

1 cup cooked forbidden rice

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 can cannellini Beans

¼ cup chopped dill

¼ cup , plus 1 t. apple cider vinegar

2 Tbs, plus ½ t. maple syrup

1 t. garlic

2 cups tomato sauce

1 ½ cup water

½ cup chopped parsley

1 cup chopped walnuts

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

1. In large pan, sauté onions, carrots and leeks in olive oil until soft and caramelized. Add broccoli and continue cooking until soft. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Meanwhile, cover the dried mushrooms with boiling water, and set aside to soak for 20 minutes, until soft.
3. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, beans, dill, vinegar and maple syrup, to sauté pan, and continue cooking for 5 more minutes.
4. Remove pan from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Add the cooked millet, rice, walnuts and parsley and mix together.
5. Drain the dried mushrooms, reserving the soaking water for later. Chop the mushrooms, and sauté them with the shitake mushrooms in olive oil, using the same sauté pan that you used for the other vegetables. Add the garlic, ½ t. maple syrup and 1 t. apple cider vinegar and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add to filling.
6. Stuff the peppers with the filling, and stand them up, side by side in a casserole pan, using a pan that fits them all, so they won’t fall over.
7. Mix the tomato sauce with the water (using some of the mushroom water) and pour it all around the peppers. Cover with aluminum foil.
8. Bake for 1 ½ hours, basting every 30 minutes, until done

iEat Green - Leah Retherford - 01/10/13

Leah Retherford is the farm manager at the Queens County Farm Museum, a historical public farm in Floral Park, Queens. She started gardening with friends in Detroit at Birdtown Community garden. This led to working for the Garden Resource Program in different capacities involving urban agriculture and to attending Michigan State's Organic Farmer Training program. In 2009 she moved to New York City and began working in the Agriculture Department at the Queens County Farm.

Dairy Free Potato Leek Soup 10 organic Potatoes, cut into large chunks 4 organic leeks, tops cut off, cleaned and cut Olive Oil 1 cup Vegetable Broth 1 can coconut milk ¼ cup dried tarragon 1 Tbs. salt ¼ t. white pepper Chopped Parsley for garnish In large pot, sauté leeks in olive oil until they become soft. Add potatoes, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Add more water if necessary, to keep potatoes covered. Add the salt, pepper and tarragon. Remove pot from heat and puree soup until smooth. Add the coconut milk and vegetable broth and continue blending, until thoroughly mixed. Add more salt and white pepper, if desired. Return to heat, and cook for 10 more minutes, allowing flavors to meld together. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve immediately. May also be served as a cold soup.

iEat Green - Foodopoly - 01/03/13

Wenonah Hauter is the Executive Director of Food & Water Watch. She has worked extensively on food, water, energy, and environmental issues at the national, state and local level. Her book Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America examines the corporate consolidation and control over our food system and what it means for farmers and consumers.

When she was 11, Wenonah’s father bought a hardscrabble farm in the Bull Run Mountains of Virginia. There she developed an appreciation for what it really means to grow food — she picked potato bugs, plucked chickens and chopped kindling.

Today, Wenonah is experienced in developing policy positions and legislative strategies, she is also a skilled and accomplished organizer, having lobbied and developed grassroots field strategy and action plans. From 1997 to 2005 she served as Director of Public Citizen’s Energy and Environment Program, which focused on water, food, and energy policy. From 1996 to 1997, she was environmental policy director for Citizen Action, where she worked with the organization’s 30 state-based groups. From 1989 to 1995 she was at the Union of Concerned Scientists where as a senior organizer, she coordinated broad-based, grassroots sustainable energy campaigns in several states. She has an M.S. in Applied Anthropology from the University of Maryland.

Publisher’s Weekly calls her book Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America, “…a meticulously researched tour de force…” In Foodopoly she examines the corporate consolidation and control over our food system and what it means for farmers and consumers.