Safeway is Heading Back to Nature
Fortunately I live in an urban area that borders on the suburban so I have tons of access to healthy, natural foods. However, many are not so lucky. As an example, when I go to visit my father who lives in a more rural area, it’s much more challenging to find vegan/vegetarian meat alternatives or healhty organic foods at the grocery store. Even in my daily life, while I do have access to Wegman’s and Whole Foods, they are considerably more expensive than my local Safeway, so I have to be far more selective with my food purchases than I would like. Luckily, Safeway wants your business and is looking to appease those of us who want healthy, natural foods, but don’t want to spend our whole paycheck. They have several brands including their own store label “O” which focuses on organic food products. These have been available for many years, but now Safeway appears to be adding a new natural foods brand called “Open Nature“. According to the website, “Open Nature” is “Food thoughtfully prepared and shared with care“. I love, love, love this concept. So many times I have wanted to be able to pick up a quick, inexpensive meal to go for my family and have left with just a salad or veggies to grill. Even more often when we’ve had friends over for a cookout, party or pot-luck I’ve been saddled with making a tough choice between buying inexpensive foods that run against my moral grain (I’m strictly opposed to factory farming and the heavy handed use of unhealthy preservatives, sweeteners and far too much fat in most prepared foods). While I may not choose to eat meat myself, I can still purchase and make good food for my friends and family and now I have even more options. The new Open Nature product line boasts that it is minimally processed, with no artificial ingredients and it’s 100% natural. How exciting! Read about the new products, including natural meat and poulty products, their plans to expand to other product offerings like bread, pasta, yogurt and more. Finally, you can read more about why Safeway is moving to natural ingredients and humanely raised animals.
From the website FAQ:
What is OPEN NATURE™ Beef?
Under the OPEN NATURE™ brand, you will find premium quality beef that is graded USDA Choice. Additional product claims include:
- 100% Natural
- 100% Angus Cattle
- Raised without Antibiotics
- No Added Hormones
- All-Vegetarian Fed
- Guaranteed Tender
- Product of U.S.A.
- Certified Humane
What are the benefits of barnraised hogs?
The key benefits are animal health and meat quality. Because they are raised in a barn, the animals are not exposed to the extreme temperatures of the Midwest. It also allows our farmers to monitor their diet. Our hogs eat a controlled, 100% vegetarian diet and drink clean water that hasn’t been exposed to pesticides and herbicides. A healthy animal is a happy animal, and provides the best product quality for you and your family.
What types of feed are chickens fed and what is a vegetable diet?
We strongly believe that the flavor of the chickens comes from the feed that they eat. Our feed is made from high quality, nutritionally balanced ingredients. It is composed of approximately 70% corn and corn gluten meal and 15-18% soybean meal, with the balance of the diet made up of salt, vitamins, and minerals. The diet is called a vegetable diet because the protein and energy sources, corn and soybean meal, are all vegetable in origin. NO animal by-products or animal fat are used in the chicken feed.
While, personally I would rather everyone eat less meat so that we can raise cage-free, free range, healthy animals everywhere, I feel like this is still a step in the right direction. While I may choose not to eat meat for personal reason, I have many friends and family members who still enjoy a good meatatarian cookout and this will help me feed them responsibly. Thanks to Safeway for continuing to offer new varieties of healthier foods.
Filed under Environmentally Focused, Health and Wellness, Products | Tags: animals, gluten-free, groceries, health, ingredients, meat, natural, product review, Safeay, thrifty | Comment (1)Pizza Party Leftovers + Polenta = Yummy!
So, if you decide to use my earlier posted pizza recipe for your next pizza party, you are likely to have a few leftovers. If you take those leftovers and mix them with prepared polenta, you can end up with something really, really tasty. Here’s what to do:
Use a pre-cooked roll of polenta and thinly slice little rounds. Next, lightly oil the bottom of a deep dish or glass pan (I used an 11×13 lasgna pan for mine). Place a layer of the polenta rounds down first. Next, cover with sauce. Pizza sauce is great, but if you don’t have enough leftover there are two alternatives. You can use spaghetti sauce in a jar or make your own sauce quickly. In a bowl mix (2) 16oz cans of tomato sauce with (2) 6 oz cans of tomato paste. To the mixture add dry Italian Seasoning or thyme, rosemary, marjoram and garlic. Fresh works easily well. Mix in salt and pepper to taste and pour half over your polenta slices.
*If you want to get really fancy, here’s how I made my sauce. In a large saucepan I added a tablespoon of olive oil and warmed. I then added 1 clove of chopped garlic, a chopped onion, and about a pint of sliced cremini mushrooms. I sauteed until everybody was soft, but not mushy (about 5 minutes) and then added the two cans of tomato sauce and two cans of paste. I stirred on medium heat until bubbly and then poured over my polenta and sprinkled dry Italian Seasoning over top.
Next, layer on your leftover toppings. I used vegetarian pepperoni, green peppers, black olives and shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover with another layer of polenta slices, then more sauce and top with fresh mozzarella cheese. (Shredded works fine too). Cover the pan with aluminum foil and broil on low setting for about 30 minutes to ensure that the polenta is warmed all of the way through. Take the foil off and kick the broiler up to high and cook for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly. Allow to cool and then scoop a heaping pile into a bowl and enjoy. This is the best and easiest way that I have found to use the last of my pizza leftovers and the family loved it.
Filed under DIY, Recipe | Tags: gluten-free, ingredients, leftovers, mushrooms, pizza, polenta, quick and easy, recipe, thrifty, vegetable protein, vegetarian | Comment (0)What’s So Great About This Greek Yogurt Anyway?
My first exposure to eating Greek yogurt for breakfast came from my friend and coworker who swears by the stuff. As a person with a laundry list of gastrointestinal issues I’m no stranger to yogurt due to the probiotic content. I’ve used plain fat-free yogurt in sauces for some time, but I’ve never really learned to love the taste of yogurt. Yogurt became just one of those healthy foods that I knew I had to eat from time to time like celery or seitan. I mean, it’s ok, but I wasn’t going to my list of favorite foods or anyting. So finally, I started poking around and asked, “So what’s so great about this Greek yogurt anyway”? Is it made from goats? Does it taste different? What’s going on here? Rebecca answered that it was higher in protein. Now my interest was really piqued and I began to do a little online research. She was absolutely right, it is higher in protein. According to Healthy Cooking, Greek yogurt is made by straining out the whey (liquid) which makes a thicker, creamier yogurt. Even more fantastic is that unlike regular yogurt, you can actually cook with it and it won’t curdle or separate. This means that you can make healthier, lower-fat versions of some of your favorite creamy dishes!
“Plain yogurt can also easily be substituted for buttermilk or cream when stirring the wet-dry ingredients together, giving the recipe the needed tartness that buttermilk brings and richness that whole cream brings.Plain yogurt can also easily be substituted for buttermilk or cream when stirring the wet-dry ingredients together, giving the recipe the needed tartness that buttermilk brings and richness that whole cream brings.” Read more at Suite101: The Differences Between Regular and Greek Yogurt: How to Best Use Both in Recipes and as Ingredient Substitutions http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_differences_between_regular_and_greek_yogurt#ixzz0lepaIBMn
I decided to pick some up on a recent trip to Safeway and I purchased the fat-free, peach flavored version made by Chobani. Where has this yogurt been all of my life? This yogurt was so creamy and sweet and wonderful that it tasted like dessert, yet it had no fat and few calories (140), but lots of protein (14 grams). This is an excellent distribution of protein to carbs 41% to 59%; Amazing! All of that protein means that you feel full longer and it is an excellent recovery breakfast on strength training days. So, Thanks Rebecca! As for the rest of you, check it out. It tastes good and it’s good for you, and that really is a rare treat.
Filed under Health and Wellness, Nutrition and Supplements | Tags: Chobani, delicious, gluten-free, Greek yogurt, health, ingredients, natural, non-fat, pescatarian, probiotics, product review, protein, vegetarian | Comments (2)Forbidden Rice or Why I Have Blackish-Purple Teeth Today
While my family hasn’t gone fully vegan or even vegetarian yet, we do eat that way most of the time. As a result, we have begun to incorporate new and interesting ingredients to keep things fun, new and flavorful. I’ll be blogging about ingredients that are new to my cooking repertoire, the nutritional information and examples of how I’ve used them just in case inquiring minds want to know.
First up….Forbidden Rice!
I stumbled upon Forbidden Rice
Legend tells us that this ancient grain was once eaten exclusively by the Emperors. Today, this medium-size Chinese black rice can be enjoyed everyday and is prized for its delicious nutty taste, soft texture, and beautiful rich deep purple color. High in nutritional and medicinal value, Forbidden Rice® is rich in iron and considered a blood tonifier. Unlike other black rice from Asia, it is not glutinous or rough and cooks in only 30 minutes to produce a superior flavor, texture, and color.
The website also lists nutritional information and links to recipes. I have used the rice as an alternative base to my vegetable stir fry. It has a different texture and flavor than plain, white rice, but I think that’s a good thing. It definately adds visual appeal to your dish, but remember it will add a purple hue to your entire mouth as well. It looks a bit as if I’ve just had a grape nehi or a puple gobstopper for lunch.
As far as nutritional value goes, it is on a scale of goodness better than glutinous white rice, but not as good as medium-grain brown rice and should be considered moderately inflammatory. If you have GI issues, you may consider limiting the amount of rice you eat. However, for everyone else, rice has no saturated fat, cholesterol and is low sodium and is a good source of manganese.
Enjoy!
Filed under Health and Wellness, Recipe | Tags: gluten-free, health, ingredients, natural, recipe | Comment (0)Crockpot Mushroom, Wild Rice, Lima Bean Soup
This recipe has been modified from the original Butterbean Soup with Portabellas and Wild Rice to use the items I had in my pantry and give it a bit more flavor because I found the original to be a bit bland. While my recipe is no longer fat-free thanks to the addition of a bit of olive oil, it is still vegan and delicious. I’ve been addicted to my crockpot lately and relied on that to slow cook my soup while I was at work and I walked in to a delicious warm meal on a bitterly cold day; a real treat. I also paired mine with a bit of sourdough garlic toast for dinner and then poured the remaining soup over the leftovers from the Wild Mushroom Risotto for lunch today and it is amazing! I’ll break my recipe down to show the steps that I took to prep the night before I began cooking.
Ingredients:
1 lb. Dry lima beans (could substitute butter beans, navy beans or whatever you’ve got in your pantry).
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups water
6 oz mushrooms, sliced ( I used plain old buttons, but cremini would be great).
1/4 cup wild rice
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 – 2 tbsp cumin (to taste)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp smoked paprika
*My family loves smoky, spicy flavors and they really paired well with this dish, but if you prefer you can crank up or turn down the heat by adding or omitting the cayenne
Day 1 (the evening before I planned to serve the meal)
Place the dry beans in a large bowl and fill with water, then set aside to soak overnight. Next, saute the onions in 1 tbsp of olive oil until soft and translucent Add the garlic to the onions and continue to saute for another minute or two, until the onions begin to brown and the garlic/onion mixture is fragrant. Fill your crockpot (I used a 4qt and had plenty of room) with the water, onion/garlic mixture, wild rice, soy sauce, salt, pepper, sage, and rosemary and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Day 2
In the morning, add the beans and mushrooms to the crock pot and cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. After 8+ hours have passed, give the soup a stir and use a potato masher to soften the beans and thicken the soup. Finally, add the remaining spices, top with a swirl of olive oil and serve.
It’s an easy, filling and healthy soup perfect for a cold winter’s day with a crusty loaf of bread and a glass of wine. Enjoy!
Filed under DIY, Health and Wellness, Recipe | Tags: DIY, eco-friendly, gluten-free, health, natural, recipe, vegan, vegetarian | Comment (0)The Cookie Exchange: 4 Dozen Gluten-Free, Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
My mother has decided to begin an annual tradition of exchanging cookies. The idea is that everyone brings four dozen cookies and we all eat lunch, sample the cookies and play games to spend time with friends and kindle that Christmas spirit. The challenge is that we are a motley crew and among us we have meatatarians, country girls, gluten-free gals and some weirdo vegans (ie, mom, and yes that is a tongue-in-cheek reference). Everyone is short on time and funds during the holidays and some of us (ahem) are just challenged in the baking arena, so coming up with an easy, low-cost DIY gluten-free, vegan cookie recipe was tough. Luckily I found a good recipe base online and with just a few simple modifications I present to you:
The No-Bake Gluten-Free, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter “Cookie”
*The term cookie is used loosely here because there isn’t any actual cooking involved 
This recipe makes 48 cookies.
Ingredients:
2 Cups Sugar in the Raw
1 Cup RICE DREAM Rice Drink, Enriched Original, Organic
1 Cup Hershey’s Cocoa, Special Dark
5 Cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quick Cooking Rolled Oats
1 Cup Smart Balance Light Butter
1 Cup Natural, No-stir peanut butter
2 tsp. Vanilla
Directions:
Place oats, peanut butter and vanilla into a large bowl. Next, combine sugar, milk, cocoa powder and butter substitute in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir frequently and allow to boil for about one minute, or until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined, thick and bubbly. Pour the chocolate mixture over the oats mixture and stir well. Really work to combine the mixture quickly because it will thicken and begin to solidify as it cools. Form about a tablespoon of the mixture at a time in your hands like little burger patties and then place onto waxed or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Once you have formed all 48, place into the fridge to cool. You can dust with powdered sugar once cooled to make them look a bit more festive, as in their natural state my daughter and I decided that they look a bit like reindeer poo 
Enjoy!
