PunchFork: Recipes made beautiful and easy

I love the internet for many reasons, but one of my very favorites is the access to an impossible number of recipes, often with user reviews and pictures so that I know that even I can do it. This has meant countless apps, blogs, feeds and searching to get just the recipes that I want. Then, along comes Punchfork, with its wide screen, full color, magazine-cover-worthy photos. So tempting, so convenient, so user-friendly. Recently I began using Pinterest to keep all of my favorites in a single location, which is engaging and attractive, but it’s not nearly as easy to capture my recipes as Punchfork. And let’s face it, I’m a sucker for good looks and on that front Punchfork can’t be beat. In the “About” section of the Punchfork web page the mission is clear:

Punchfork makes it easier to find the best new recipes from popular sites like 101 Cookbooks, The Pioneer Woman, Epicurious, Serious Eats, Food Network and The Kitchn. We use conversations on social networks to bring you high quality recipes that passionate cooks are talking about right now.

Even more interesting is the explanation behind how the site is powered. They use some social media wizardry to serve you up the most popular recipes from blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

These real-time updates capture the images and cooking instructions and post them on the site where users can save, by clicking a little red heart, and share by email, posting to StumbleUpon, Tweet, or even capture your own link for embedding into your personal blog and other sites. I love, love, love this concept. While I may occasionally continue to “pin” recipes that I find interesting, I’m likely to do my real searching no Punchfork.

Are you using Punchfork? If so, share your opinions in the comments below.

Filed under Recipe, Website | Tags: 101 cookbooks, blogging, DIY, eco-friendly, Epicurious, Facebook, Food Network, health, ingredients, natural, pescatarian, punchfork, recipe, Serious Eats, social networking, sustainable, The Kitchn, The Pioneer Woman, thrifty, Tutorial, Twitter, vegan, vegetarian, weight loss | Comment (0)

An Arresting Video on YouTube: How to Save the Blue Fin Tuna

A friend recently tweeted a link to this video about the decline of the Blue Fin Tuna and their possible extinction as soon as 2012:

It is an animated film that covers the decline in Blue Fin tuna stock as a result of commercial fishing, wasteful tuna farms and increasing consumption combined with the dangers of unenforced international laws. Viewing this film may just cause you to rethink your next maguro sashimi or spicy tuna roll. While we are on the brink and may already be too late to stop the extinction of the tuna, perhaps we can use this as a wake-up call to help create sustainable fishing practices, or even better increase the frequency of your vegetarian meals before the worlds fisheries face total collapse. Japan, accused of paying off countries for votes to help continue whale hunting and dolphin killing is again identified as using these tactics to buy votes from impoverished countries that are members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to allow the continued trade of the endangered fish. A dire warning comes at the end of the video letting us know that we have little time left to make a change. A link to the creator’s website appears where I was able to locate more information about the group producing the video and their cause. Here they summarize their concerns:

The Bluefin tuna is one of the largest predators of the sea, measuring well over 4 metres and weighing more than 750 kg. It’s a warm-blooded, boned fish that can swim up to 90 kilometres per hour. Annually they migrate thousands of miles, crossing the world’s oceans.

For millennia, mankind has fished for the Bluefin. Some of the traditional fishing techniques are still being used today. But commercial fishing techniques were launched in the Fifties. Ever since, Bluefin tuna stocks have been reduced by 97%. And more fishing vessels are being built right now. Almost every country in the Meditteranean is hunting Bluefin tuna.

International laws dictate that a Bluefin has to weigh at least 30 kg before slaughter, guaranteeing at least one reproduction cycle. That’s because a tuna is sexually active from 5 years of age. But in reality the tunas are secretly caught and fattened in farms.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is setting higher fishing quotas than their own scientists advise. And specialists estimate that the real Mediterranean catch is four times the maximum quota. The main reason is because there is almost no enforcement of the international fishing laws, and most of the catches are illegal.

Sushi is the main reason the Bluefin is facing extinction. By far the biggest market for the Bluefin is Japan. Maguro sushi is extremely popular with the Japanese, while the use of Bluefin is a trend. Because up until 20 years ago Bluefin was considered unclean.

Recently, one single Bluefin clocked in at 300,000 euro. The less Bluefin tunas that are left in the oceans the more they will cost. This is also known as the economies of extinction, and is bringing the species on the verge of extinction.

Chances are that the last wild Bluefin tuna will die in 2012. If the Bluefin becomes extinct, it could have a major impact on the fragile ecosystems of our oceans. These ecosystems absorb most of the global warming and gives us up to 80% of our oxygen.

If the oceans die, we die.

How do they plan to change the world? They are collecting monetary and donations of equipment that they can use to intervene in illegal poaching activities. Their plan? “The U.N. World Charter for Nature enables individuals or groups of people to act when there is no enforcement of the international fishing laws. Here lies our focus.”  Here is their wishlist:

 

Their methods may seem extreme, but so is the danger we face if our ecosystem becomes even more unbalanced due to the extinction of the Blue Fin Tuna. I plan to do my part by eliminating tuna from my diet completely and urging my friends and family to do the same. What will you do to help?

Filed under Activism, Environmentally Focused | Tags: 2012, Blue Fin Tuna, CITES, endangered species, EU Subisidies, extinction, ICCAT, Japan, maguro, over fishing, pescatarian, sushi, sustainable, vegan, 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)

Fish Tacos: Made with Love

Ah summer, it’s grillin’ time!  One of my very favorite summer dishes (and a hit among friends and family as well) are grilled fish tacos.  They are super easy and inexpensive to make; one of the best week night dishes you can whip up in a pinch. Jamie and I used to go to the World of Drum and Bass at the Winter Music Conference in beautiful South Beach Miami, FL every March. After a big night of dancing into the wee hours to the world’s best dj’s we’d sleep it off and then park ourselves on the beach. The first thing that we would look for was a little cart parked in the sand that read “Fish Tacos” and “Made with Love!”.  The lady served up the fresh catch of the day grilled and placed on a soft taco shell with a delicious sauce and you truly could taste the love in every bite. While we don’t migrate south every March now we do still crave the flavor and I’ll share with you my adaptation of this tasty recipe.  I know that you West Coasters prefer yours fried and believe me I’ve tried nearly every fish taco joint on the Pacific Coast Highway, but I still prefer them grilled, just like the lady made them in South Beach.

*Note: this recipe is open to many interpretations and subsitutions, go with what you’ve got fresh and tasty. I always include shrimp, salmon, and a white fish, but mix it up with whatever looks good to you.

Elizabeth’s Fish Tacos

1 lb. uncooked shrimp

1 salmon fillet

1 white fish fillet (tilapia, catfish nuggets, grouper cheecks, whatever)

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1/4 Cup olive oil

1 clove of garlic

3 Tbsp lime juice (lemon or orange work well too, but lime is the best)

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 shot of tequila or pinch of kosher salt

1 package of soft taco shells

Elizabeth’s Secret Fish Taco Sauce Recipe

1 cup of fat free sour cream

2 Tbsp mayo

1 tsp lime juice

a dash of cayenne, ancho, and chipotle chili pepper powders (add a little at a time to taste)

Cook and Assemble:

Peel the shrimp and place in a large bowl with the fish fillets. Don’t worry about cutting up the fillets or removing the skin if you have some on your fillet, the fish will flake into smaller pieces and the skin will peel off and you can remove it when you are done. Next, chop or mash a few handfuls of cilantro to release the oils and add to a small bowl. Next, press one clove of garlic into the mixture and add the pepper, salt (or tequila), and lime juice. Mix and pour over the fish and toss.  Allow the mixture to marinate for about 30 minutes (but no longer than an hour because the citrus juice breaks down the fish, and mushy fish isn’t tasty). Make the sauce by combining all ingredients well and toss the fish into a grill basket and onto the fire.  Stir often to ensure that it all gets cooked through evenly.  The mixture will be done when the fish is flaky and the shrimp are pink.  Brush the taco shells with a little olive oil and toast on the grill until they brown lightly and begin to puff up.  Toss the fish on a taco, drizzle with sauce and pretend you are on South Beach and enjoy!

Filed under Recipe | Tags: DIY, pescatarian, recipe | Comments (3)