Rachael's blog

I love, love, love bok-choy, and think that it is an excellent addition to nearly any stir-fry. One of my recent  Greener Grocer Fresh Market Bags featured baby bok-choy plus a great stir-fry recipe that I tried and though was really delicious. Enjoy!

Bok-Choy and Shiitake Mushroom Stir-Fry

Do you consider Froot Loops, mayonaise, and Fudgsicles to be especially healthy foods? According to the new "Smart Choices" food labeling campaign these and many other highly processed will be labeled as such, further muddying the waters for already confused consumers who are trying their hardest to make healthy food choices for their families. 

What is the rationale for labeling such foods as those pictured above as healthy? According to Eileen T. Kennedy, president of the Smart Choices board: 

When I first learned that very little cooking actually happens in our nation's school cafeterias, I was truly shocked and bewildered. What in the heck were the students eating if not food prepared in their cafeterias? I suspect that a great many people are unanware that food prep in the majority of school cafeterias consists of reheating processed and pre-packaged foods. In fact, according to The New York Times, less than 20 percent of the nation’s districts cook more than half oftheir entrees from scratch.

This is currently my favorite go-to weeknight recipe. The sauce and vegetables require no cooking and can be prepared in the time it takes for the noodles to be prepared (including the time it takes for the water to come to a boil). Last night, I doubled the sauce recipe and have enough to use for tempeh dipping sticks tonight, which I'll serve with a thai-style slaw. I'd still love the recipe even if it took twice the time to prepare it, it is seriously delicious.

I used buckwheat soba noodles last night, and they were incredible...I highly recommend them for this recipe.

The following excerpt is from a recent NY Times article, "6 Food Mistakes Parents Make":

"Fussiness about food is a normal part of a child’s development. Young children are naturally neophobic — they have a distrust of the new. Even the most determined parents can be cowed by a child’s resolve to eat nothing rather than try something new. As a result, parents often give in, deciding that a bowl of Cocoa Puffs or a Pop-Tart, while not ideal, must be better than no food at all...parents feel like it’s their job to just make their children eat something...but it’s really their job to serve a variety of healthy foods and get their children exposed to foods.”

Summer Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, and Avocado

 The following recipe is one of my absolute summer favorites. I started making it last summer, and it quickly became a staple. Nearly all of the ingredients can be found locally right now. If you've not had great luck with your tomatoes this season, the Greener Grocer consistently carries delicious, local heirloom varieties...I highly recommend checking out their selection. This salad lends itself to experimentation, additions, and substitutions, so have fun with it!

2 small heads romaine lettuce cut or torn into bite-size pieces

1 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob

2 avocados, chopped

After learning last week about the people, customs, and foods of India, our students continued their culinary world tour with a stop in the Middle East. The Middle East is a broad term, and means many different things politically, religiously and culturally. For the purposes of this lesson, the Middle East was defined as being comprised of countries surrounding the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Greece, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt).