Eating What's In Season...

Eating what's in season is a way to help the environment and ensure you are getting fresher and riper produce.

Eating what's in season in your local area helps reduce the environmental impact of the shipping costs, pesticides, and large amounts of water used.  

Eating what's in season will fill your belly and satisfy your taste buds with fresher less processed food.

Eating what's in season means visiting your local farmers, farmers' markets, or having fresh, local produce delivered to your home or office.

Eating what's in season helps support your local economy and local farmers.

Eating what's in season gives you the opportunity to branch out try new food and recipes.

Eating what's in season means reading the labels and signs at your market to find out where the food comes from. The closer, the better, the fresher and more nutrients.

Eating what's in season means searching for local produce options. The Internet is a great resource and websites like Local Harvest can help as well as the rest listed at the end of this blog.

Eating what's in season differs from region to region but here is a sampling:(see links below)

Spring

Fresh growth, leafy veggies such as spinach, chard, parsley and basil plus asparagus and rhubarb.

Summer

Cooling fruits and veggies such as strawberries, plums, corn, summer squash, peppermint and cilantro

Fall

Warming foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, root vegetables, peppers, persimmons, eggplant, pears, tomatoes, onions and garlic, ginger, and peppercorn.

Winter

Keep the warming foods coming. Keep eating what's above for fall plus winter squash, turnips, cabbage, mushrooms, kale, cranberries, and pumpkin.

We at That's Vegetarian want our recipes to be more flavorful by using fresher, riper, more nutritious ingredients because we are eating what's in season!

These websites offer interactive maps for you to find out what is in season in your region and resources to help you find them.

Epicurious.com

FieldToPlate.com

SustaibableTable.org

EatwellGuide.org

The World's Healthies Foods

USDA.gov

Baked Stuffed Zucchini

End of the zucchini in your garden and time to start warming up the houses in parts of the US.  Here is a recipe that is light enough to satisfy the palate for the Indian Summer we are having in Southern California and warm the houses and bellies for those of you in Buffalo and across the northern part of the country. 

It is has over 25 grams of protein in each serving (1 whole zucchini) with 23.9g in 3.57 oz (100g) in the Cannelini Beans  and 2.25g in the 1/4c cooked quinoa alone.  If you are watching your waistline, although the dish contains healthy oils, the fat can be reduced by decreasing the amount of almonds and oil used.  The recipe contains fat from healthy sources and our body does needs fat to help with absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, brain development, energy, healthier skin and cells, making hormones, protective cushion for organs and pleasure - they taste oh so good.(1)

Prepare the Stuffed Baked Zucchini or any of the other wonderful recipes and and you'll find yourself saying "That's Vegetarian?!"

Stuffed Baked Zucchini (Vegan Optional)

1/2 c Quinoa, rinsed

1 c Water, vegetable broth, or combination of both
4 Zucchini, medium halved lengthwise  

1 15-oz can Cannellini beans, rinsed
1 c Grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 c Almonds, chopped (about 2 oz)
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 c Parmesan (3 ounces), grated (Eliminate for Vegan)
4 t Olive oil

Heat oven to 400° F.

In a large saucepan, spray the bottom with olive oil, put in the quinoa and toast for a few minutes over a medium high heat. When they start to brown, add the water/broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Arrange in a large baking dish, cut-side up.

When the quinoa is cooked, fluff and fold in the beans, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, ½ cup of the Parmesan, and 3 teaspoons of the oil. Spoon the mixture into the zucchini. Top with the remaining teaspoon of oil and ¼ cup Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake until the zucchini is tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 15 minutes for quinoa, 30 minutes for zucchini

Serves 4

Level of difficulty - Intermediate.

10PP for a full zucchini. 5PP for half. Reduce to 9PP by using half the amount of almonds, and 8PP if you use only 1t olive oil and a little spray on the top.  
Printable Baked Stuffed Zucchini Recipe

To Be or Not to Be Organic. That is the Question.

There are so many articles out there that say "Buy this organic..." then another one says "No, buy this organic. Arrrggghhhh which is it? Then the environmental impact of pesticides.  What to do?

First and foremost, eating your fruits and veggies is most important. If you cannot afford organic, it's okay.  Clean your fruits and veggies with an appropriate scrub/rinse. You can buy the veggie wash from the store or you can make your own with common household items. Do you know which household ingredients go a long way in reducing the pesticide residue on your foods?  Click here for more.

Here is what you can do to get rid of the pesticides in a friendly way:

• Baking soda ~ Using, a clean sponge or cloth, sprinkle, scrub, and rinse!
• Make a spray bottle with 1t vinegar (white or cider) and fill the rest with water. Make a separate spray bottle with 1/2t hydrogen peroxide and water. DO NOT MIX TOGETHER IN ONE SPRAY BOTTLE TO SAVE A STEP!!! Creates a Peracetic acid which in no bueno to consume. Then rinse.
• Add 1/4-cup vinegar and 2 Tablespoons salt into a sink full of water and let sit for 15 minutes then rinse.
• Combine 2T vinegar, 1T lemon juice, and 1c cold tap water in a spray bottle, shake well, and apply to your produce. Rinse
• 4T salt and juice of half a lemon in a sink full of water, soak for 5-10 minutes, less for leafy greens and berries. Rinse. 

Why buy organic? Many people buy organic because of the amount of pesticides that are usually used on that particular crop that will absorb into the food and/or stick as a residue which will be passed onto the consumer, aka your body. I'm not going to get into the politics or more specifics, check out the links below for additional reading.

Here is a quick list that I gathered from multiple resources¹ that agreed on what to get organic:

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Stone fruits - peaches, apricots, cherries, nectarines
5. Leafy vegetables - spinach, kale, collard greens, lettuce
6. Grapes
7. Sweet bell peppers
8. Potatoes
9. Blueberries

What other foods are recommended organic and why?  

It is also suggested to find organic meats and dairy products because of the hormones that are used. Coffee because of the countries it comes from. Raisins and wine because they are made from grapes. There are also the ideas of eating foods in season so it doesn't have to be imported and travel long distances to get to you. Imported foods have different standards on pesticides used vs. domestic. Cantaloupe is one of the foods that is okay domestic but organic imported. The fruits and veggies with peels have less concern because the pesticides don't penetrate as much and they are peeled off. But with bananas there is a concern on proper harvesting and sustainable farming. Those are the issues that I will leave for you to decide.

Here is a list of what doesn't need to be organic because minimal pesticides are used for this particular crop and/or they don't absorb as much of the pesticides.

1. Onions                                                                                                                                           

EWG's Dirty Dozen Cheat Sheet              2

2. Corn

3. Pineapples

4. Avocado

5. Asparagus

6. Sweet peas

7. Mangoes

8. Eggplant

9. Kiwi

10. Mushrooms

11. Cabbage

12. Watermelon

13. Sweet potatoes

14. Grapefruit

Organic is great if you can fit it in time wise and financially. If not, use one of the helpful tips to eliminate the majority of the pesticides. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, organic or not, EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGGIES!!!!! Your body really does need the nutrients they provide that you can't get in such glorious form anywhere else.

Check out the other blogs for links to watch the video, print the recipe, prepare any one of the dishes and you'll find yourself saying "That's Vegetarian?!"

1

TheDailyGreen.com 

Wikihow.com 

PlanetGreen.discovery.com 

Real Simple 

Environmental Working Group (EWG) 

Why Eat Organic 

Care2.com 

2  

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/