National Geographic’s The Green Guide

I served on the advisory board for National Geographic’s recently published book, Green Guide: The Complete Reference for Consuming Wisely. It’s filled with practical advice about greener living, from healthy eating to green remodeling to eco-friendly travel. Check it out on Amazon.com.

Good Green Cooking: Caponata

In the summertime when I was growing up, our fridge would often be stocked with mason jars filled with my mother’s caponata, a tomato and eggplant stew that tastes of summer in every bite. She would make a big pot on the weekend, and during the week, when she got home from work on hot nights, this refreshing dish would be ready to ladle out.

Makes 3 quarts.

2 medium eggplants, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes

Recommended: Path to Freedom

Path to Freedom video brochure. In this 18-minute web video, meet Jules Dervaes and his three children, eco-pioneers who have turned their Pasadena, California, home into an integral urban homestead. Highlights include alternative energy systems, chickens, ducks and miniature goats, and an edible landscape that produces three tons of organic food each year on one-tenth of an acre. pathtofreedom.com

Good Green Cooking: Egga

I begged this recipe off of architect Cate Leger, whose mother Toni Putnam picked it up while traveling in Greece. The vibrant color of this easy souffle-like dish will brighten any meal. Serves 4.

8 eggs
1/2 to 3/4 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed (see note)
2 cloves garlic
Leaves from 2 to 4 sprigs of fresh basil
1 lb. fresh spinach, larger stems removed (or 4 red peppers or 4 medium zucchini, cut into chunks)

Recommended: Mouth Revolution

The Mouth Revolution. Don’t miss this flash movie featuring mouths around the world demanding real organic food. Created by Free Range Studios, the folks behind Store Wars and The Meatrix. Sign on to the mouthifesto against GMOs, pesticides, artificial ingredients and trans fats. Your mouth will thank you.  mouthrevolution.com 

Refrigerator Madness

As the average U.S. house size increases, refrigerators seem to be multiplying like rabbits.

Sun Frost’s RF16, a super-efficient refrigerator with a freezer on top, consumes a miserly 254 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. Info: www.sunfrost.com

While it isn’t yet keeping me awake at night, I have to admit that I’m a tad alarmed by all the refrigerators popping up in American homes.

Convenience is king, and as the average house size continues to increase, refrigerators seem to be multiplying like rabbits to fill up all that space.

In luxury homes today, I often see several refrigerators in the kitchen: a large primary refrigerator, a smaller snack and beverage fridge for the kids, and maybe a wine cooler for the adults. If there’s a bar in the great room or living room, there’s likely a compact fridge underneath it. The master suite might have its own mini fridge holding milk for the morning cappuccino, or there might be a refrigerated drawer in the bathroom for medicine and cosmetics.

Peek in the garage or basement and you’re likely to find another full-size refrigerator or freezer.

Good Green Cooking: Minestra Verde (Green Soup)

On chilly nights my mother, who was Italian by nature although not by blood, would make a heartwarming soup similar to this one. Try it when you need a break from the holiday season’s rich meals. I adapted this recipe from The Silver Spoon (Phaidon, 2005), an encyclopedic cookbook of Italian home cooking.

Serves 4 as a first course, or serves 2 as a light meal with crusty Italian bread and a salad.

1 lb. Swiss chard
Salt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra for serving
3 eggs, lightly beaten
6 cups no-chicken broth (I like Imagine brand) or homemade vegetable stock.

Trim thicker stems from chard. Add chard leaves to boiling salted water and cook until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and cool. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then shred.

In medium bowl, mix chard, Parmesan, eggs, pinch of salt and 1/4 cup of broth. Bring remaining broth to boil in medium pot. Stir in chard mixture. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve with extra Parmesan.

Buon appetito!

Recommended: Food Not Lawns

Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community, H. C. Flores, 2006. Activist and urban gardener Heather Flores shares ideas for transforming city backyards and suburban lawns into “paradise gardens” that provide food, increase natural habitat and help us reconnect to the earth and our communities. chelseagreen.com

 

Getting a Green Life: Urban Permaculture

Up close and personal with worm composting.

This summer, I didn’t go to the beach. Or to the mountains, for that matter. I stayed home and took a six-weekend course in permaculture design. Offered for the first time by the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, this course was unique in the permaculture world in that it focused more on urban than rural issues.

Although hardly a household word, the concept of permaculture design has been around for more than three decades. Originally formulated by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, permaculture is now practiced across the planet.

So what is permaculture?

Good Green Cooking: Panzanella (Tomato & Bread Salad)

Wondering what to do with that stale hunk of crusty bread? Don’t throw it away! Cube and toss with fragrant late-summer tomatoes and basil for a hearty salad. Serves 2.

1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups days-old Italian or French bread, cut in 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks
1/4 cup Kalamata or Niçoise olives
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

In a medium bowl, mash minced garlic with pinch of salt. Add vinegar and then whisk in oil until well blended. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. Salt and pepper to taste. Let stand 10 minutes to allow bread to absorb dressing. Buon appetito!