I am not a crusader

My Trader Joe’s thing caused a stir on my facebook page. I really don’t want to condemn TJs to hell, but I just had to say, you walk into this rather quaint looking store and the first thing you see is that all the fruits and veggies are prophylactically sealed for your protection. And it blows!

But that gives me a chance to state that my manifesto ain’t so manifest, I guess. I am not a saint. If you saw me, you wouldn’t look at me and think, boy, there goes one green, sustainable mama.

I care about the earth. I think true, local community is what keeps us human and I am working in my own little way to foster that. It’s hard though. What strikes me, though, is how so-called “greenies” especially in the Bay Area, will lie to themselves to get away with, let’s say, buying plastic wrapped produce at TJ’s and somehow thinking it’s way better than Safeway, or Target, or WalMart. We savvy eccofreaks at ground zero are just as susceptible to public relations campaigns, advertising, and corporate bullshit as anyone else. And, if WE WHO THINK WE ARE SO INFORMED do that, then how can we judge those that are not and those, also, who may not have a choice?

So, again, my charge to myself and to you, is BUY LOCAL. Whenever you can. If you do this much, you’re doing a lot. Try not to sweat the rest.

A minor issue with Trader Joe’s

I recently started shopping more at Trader Joe’s. I like TJs, don’t get me wrong. Great prices. Lot’s of organic options. But, it seems very hypocritical to me to promote a store as being so “green” when all the produce in packaged in plastic–and unrecyclable plastic at that. It really bugs me.

I’m starting a campaign to complain about this.

Help me out by going to their site and telling them to stop packaging things that don’t need packaging!

http://www.traderjoes.com/contact_us.html

I ain’t going to the store Sunday Dinner

Salmon, Spinach and Penne Pasta

2 Trader Joe’s frozen salmon filets
Olive oil
1 plastic container of crumbled blue cheese
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 brick of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 can chopped tomatoes
Basic (fresh or dried, whatever you got)
1/2 cup light sour cream
Salt
Pepper
1 box penne pasta

Thaw and poach salmon, flake and set aside.
Thaw spinach in microwave. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in sauce pan. Saute onions until soft. Add garlic. Saute a little. Add tomatoes, spinach, basil, salt pepper. Let simmer.

Put salted water for pasta to boil. Add pasta and cook al dente. When pasta is about 5 minutes from being done, add cheese, stir and turn off heat. Drain pasta but leave a bit of the water. Fold in sour cream and then mix sauce with pasta.

Serve immediately.

Savory Tomato Cobbler

I can’t remember exactly what I did, but this is close enough. It was a huge hit tonight. What was great about it is it did not taste like some sort of pizza, which is always my fear with anything with tomatoes.

3 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped basil
2 tsp sugar
Dash tabasco
1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon flour
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 stick chilled butter cubed
1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
1/4 cup water
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Saute onions and garlic in butter and let cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix tomatoes with 2 TBSP flour, sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, basil, tabasco. Add onions and garlic mixture. Stir well. Transfer to casserole dish.

In a large bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder. Add butter and cut with a pastry cutter until you get a course meal. Add water and stir until mixed (like drop biscuit dough). (add more water if needed). Fold in cheese.

Spoon topping over tomato mixture.

Bake 40 minutes or until crust is brown.

Sprinkle parsley on top.

Let cool before serving so that tomato juices settle.

I made this recipe up, so any alterations/suggestions are welcome.

Loaves and Fishes

Recently, the Gospel reading at Church was the one about the miracle of the loaves and fishes. I became more of a fan of this reading in later years when a friend gave me a different interpretation than the hocus-pocus story I saw it as when I was a child.

My friend, who happens to be a seminary dropout and has now been with his gay partner for nearly 30 years tell me that the miracle of the loaves and fishes is not about a magic trick Jesus performed but one about how the love of God moved people to share. In the days before fast food, cars, grocery stores, and even public houses, people carried food with them. When Jesus spoke to the crowd and then it came time to feed them and the apostles stated there were just a few loaves and fishes, Jesus just tells them to pass it around. My friend says that what really happened was people opened their hearts and their food baskets and those who had extra shared with those who didn’t.

So, the miracle is not magic. The miracle is community and hospitality.

I set out to write this blog about food but I’m starting to think it is more about community, buying local, neighbors. More about about feeding people and neighbors. It’s what I’m thinking about. I’m sick of the myth of the individual. No one is self-made. No one. And it’s time we start looking around and sharing.

Buying local

As an avid communitarian, I have always believed in the idea of buying local. For me, buying local is more important than going all organic because, even if something isn’t totally green, you do gain in greeness by eliminating shipping and traveling.

Buying local must be a pretty good selling point because lately everyone’s into it including WalMart. My local WalMart has these signs that say “Local.” It’s like when people started saying everything was “natural” or “organic.”

So how do you navigate the corporate bullshit and buy local?

Well, BUY LOCAL. Really buy local.

Your local farmer’s market is great place to start. Talk to the people behind the booth. Where are they from? Where do they get their ingredients if they are selling a product as opposed to produce? Ask them if they are organice and how they are certified. And then, LAY DOWN THE CASH AND SUPPORT THEM BY PURCHASING FROM THEM.

I’m not saying you need to do this 100% of the time. I have sheepishly shopped our WalMarts and Targets. But, you really should try to do it whenever you can. It’s hard sometimes, when you try and support a local bookstore and have to pay double what you’d pay online or through a chain, but there are hidden costs to that bargain.

Realistically, our economy functions best with a healthy combination of national stores and local stores. The important thing is to be aware and to do what you can. Just don’t take a sign that says “Local” for granted. Ask. Talk. Interact with your LOCAL community.

For even more information on becoming a “locavore”, visit:

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/eatlocal/

Pantry Enchiladas

This week, we’re trying to save money and clear out the pantry so we’ll be getting creative!

Last night I was able to whip up some pretty good spinach enchildas.

1 box frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and patted dry
1 tsp butter
1/2 chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Couple dashes of hot sauce
5 hi fiber tortillas
2.5 cups enchilada sauce (canned)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend + plus a bit extra

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes until softened. Add spinach and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Add blue cheese, sour cream, hot sauce and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.

Put about 1/2 cup scoops in a tortilla. Roll and place in a casserole dish. Pour enchilada sauce on top. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over that. Bake for about 25 minutes.