I must admit, the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. It's hard to go wrong when you combine a weekend of good friends, fireworks and BBQs... Especially when those BBQs incorporate the beginnings of the sweet summer harvest. We're just now starting to see a few summer favorites in our own CSA shares; from summer squash and strawberries to green beans and cucumbers... And the first of the season's tomatoes shouldn't be far behind.
So for my part, I've been dreaming up a delicious menu all week that will incorporate some of our own and our neighboring farm's bounty, and that will suit the tastes of the vegetarian and carnivorous, the dieters and the indulgent. So without further ado, let's take a look at the potential menu...
• Lemony White Bean Hummus with garlic and tahini
• Forks Farm grilled chicken
• Green leaf salad with new cherry tomatoes, Zebulon red onion and feta
• Bikini Zucchini Salad (a clever name for a delicious diet-worthy mix of raw zucchini and lemon dressing, with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts, Parmesan and basil)
• Grilled sweet white corn
• Homemade buttermilk biscuits
As for a sweet ending....
• Black Raspberry-Blueberry Pound Cake
and
• Vegan Coconut, Chocolate Chip, Pecan cookies based on this recipe (okay, so this last one isn't exactly local, but I am a true believer that no holiday is complete without a bit of chocolate)
There are still hours left until the final trip to the farmer's market tomorrow- so things could still change, but come Saturday I know that I'll be enjoying at least a few of these summer dishes. And how about all of you, what favorite foods have you excited for this weekend?
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Chocoholic? Nah, just a big fan...
A good piece of chocolate has about 200 calories. As I enjoy 2 servings pers night and a few more on the weekends, I comsume 3,500 calories of chocolate a week, which equals one pound of weight per week.
Therefore...
In the last 3 1/2 years, I have had chocolate caloric intake of about 180 pounds, and I only weight 125 pounds, so without chocolate, I would have wasted away to nothing about 6 months ago!
I owe my life to chocolate.
HA! That is something I read in a little paper called "The Fish Wrapper" and thought...now that's a novel idea! I love the thought of owing my life to chocolate. And that made me think about how raw chocolate or 'cacao' as it is called amongst the superfood set, is grown, because the rainforest could very well owe it's life to chocolate. You see, cacao is best grown in the rainforest so when we buy it, we are supporting the financial viability (and therefore sustaining life there for it's inhabitants) of the forest 'as is' and not needing to cut it down to make money...pretty smart! Below you will find my top 7 reasons to be stocking up on raw Cacao in the form of nibs, powder, or mixed with organic sugar in a scrumptious organic bar or truffle!
1. Magnesium: Cacao seems to be the #1 source of magnesium of any food. Magnesium balances brain chemistry, builds strong bones, and is associated with more happiness. Magnesium is the most deficient major mineral on the Standard American Diet (SAD).
2. Iron: Cacao contains 314% of the U.S. RDA of iron per 1 ounce (28 gram) serving. Iron is part of the oxygen carrying protein called hemoglobin that keeps our blood healthy.
3. Chromium: Chromium is an important trace mineral that helps balance blood sugar. Nearly 80% of Americans are deficient in this trace mineral.
4. Anandamide: Anandamide (The Bliss Chemical) is an endorphin that the human body naturally produces after exercise. Anandamide has only been found in one plant — Cacao.
5. Antioxidants: Cacao contains the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food in the world. By weight, Cacao has more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai, pomegranates, and goji berries COMBINED.
6. Help to save the rainforest by buying products that can only grown in a healthy and sustainable rainforest system.
7. One word: YUM
find more info and products:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16354380#email
http://www.rawcacao.com/
http://www.sunfood.com/
Therefore...
In the last 3 1/2 years, I have had chocolate caloric intake of about 180 pounds, and I only weight 125 pounds, so without chocolate, I would have wasted away to nothing about 6 months ago!
I owe my life to chocolate.
HA! That is something I read in a little paper called "The Fish Wrapper" and thought...now that's a novel idea! I love the thought of owing my life to chocolate. And that made me think about how raw chocolate or 'cacao' as it is called amongst the superfood set, is grown, because the rainforest could very well owe it's life to chocolate. You see, cacao is best grown in the rainforest so when we buy it, we are supporting the financial viability (and therefore sustaining life there for it's inhabitants) of the forest 'as is' and not needing to cut it down to make money...pretty smart! Below you will find my top 7 reasons to be stocking up on raw Cacao in the form of nibs, powder, or mixed with organic sugar in a scrumptious organic bar or truffle!
1. Magnesium: Cacao seems to be the #1 source of magnesium of any food. Magnesium balances brain chemistry, builds strong bones, and is associated with more happiness. Magnesium is the most deficient major mineral on the Standard American Diet (SAD).
2. Iron: Cacao contains 314% of the U.S. RDA of iron per 1 ounce (28 gram) serving. Iron is part of the oxygen carrying protein called hemoglobin that keeps our blood healthy.
3. Chromium: Chromium is an important trace mineral that helps balance blood sugar. Nearly 80% of Americans are deficient in this trace mineral.
4. Anandamide: Anandamide (The Bliss Chemical) is an endorphin that the human body naturally produces after exercise. Anandamide has only been found in one plant — Cacao.
5. Antioxidants: Cacao contains the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food in the world. By weight, Cacao has more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai, pomegranates, and goji berries COMBINED.
6. Help to save the rainforest by buying products that can only grown in a healthy and sustainable rainforest system.
7. One word: YUM
find more info and products:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16354380#email
http://www.rawcacao.com/
http://www.sunfood.com/
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