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Top green cooks transform Thanksgiving dishes

Melissa Segrest — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:41:28 +0000

What if we could reinvent Thanksgiving Day’s traditional dishes?

Could we replace baked yams topped with melty marshmallows with something natural and organic? Could we convert Mom’s canned green bean casserole into a healthier, Earth-friendly dish – complete with crunchy onion bits on top?

What if we asked some of the best-selling organic cookbook writers in the country to overhaul our Thanksgiving table?

We asked, and they answered. Our lineup of top green cooks have whipped up a great alternative menu for Thanksgiving. (OK, we did turn to one expert vegetarian cookbook, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, for a stuffing recipe.)

Myra Goodman is a founder of Earthbound Farm

And no, we didn’t talk turkey. We’ll leave that up to you non-veggie types. Here’s what’s cooking, and who is cooking it:

THE CRANBERRY SAUCE:

Myra Goodman and her husband, Drew, started Earthbound Farm in 1984. What began as a small farm producing organic items became the first company to launch pre-washed salads for retail sale. Today, 150 farmers grow Earthbound Farm’s more than 100 varieties of organic salads, fruits and vegetables.

Myra has been creating her own recipes and cooking with their organic food since she baked and sold raspberry muffins at their first roadside stand. The Goodmans have been featured in People, The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Redbook and more. Her first book is Food to Live By. Next spring, look for her newest book, The Earthbound Cook.

Myra’s recipe for Cranberry Sauce

THE GRAVY:

Jackie Newgent is a registered dietitian, an eco-cuisine expert, chef/instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, and author of Big Green Cookbook (Wiley, 2009) and The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook. Her Web sites are JackieNewgent.com and BigGreenCookbook.com. Follow her on Twitter @jackienewgent.

Her dish for our T-day table is a yummy alternative to heavy flour and turkey-dripping based gravy.

Jackie’s recipe for Earth-Style Sweet Potato-Butter Bean Gravy with Rosemary

THE VEGGIE DRESSING:

Thanksgiving seems to demand a dollop of bread stuffing seasoned with sage. The question is: Can we tinker with this tradition, lower the carb wallop, but still fulfill our need for comfort food? Looking for something a little lighter, but still filling, found us perusing Mark Bittman recipes from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, a award-winning cookbook that rescues vegetarian cooking from the tofu/faux meat/Asian stir-fry rut. Bittman, an omnivore who recognizes the value of a mostly veg diet has been a professional food writer for 30 years, serving up recipes at Cook’s and The New York Times. He’s best known as the author of How to Cook Everything and for his “minimalist” column at The Times.

We chose Pearl Couscous Gratin with Pesto and Goat Cheese, because it’s easy, packs some punch and prepares well ahead of time.

THE ‘GREENER’ GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE:

The green team at Organic Gardening Magazine is always thinking seasonal, natural and healthy. Abigail Poulette, one of the pros there, has a fresh take on a Thanksgiving day dish that is usually anything but natural. Here is her suggestion to turn fall’s fresh, seasonal items into a healthier version of Mom’s green bean casserole.

Jesse Ziff Cool is the author of 7 books, the latest is 'Simply Organic'

Organic Gardening’s recipe for Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Shallots

THE YAM CASSEROLE, REBORN:

Jesse Ziff Cool has been dedicated to sustainable agriculture and cuisine since 1975. She is a writer, restaurateur, spokesperson and consultant for eco-conscious food service, waste management and social and corporate responsibility in the food industry. She is the author of seven cookbooks, the newest being Simply Organic. She operates three restaurants and a catering company. She works with Stanford University education students to build a curriculum around simple, healthy food. She helps guide Stanford Hospital toward organic, healthy food for patients.

Jesse’s recipe for Ginger Yams with Mascarpone

THE REINVENTED PUMPKIN PIE:

Myra Goodman again lends a hand in our virtual green kitchen with her natural recipe for a perfect Thanksgiving Day pie – Pumpkin and Winter Squash Pie.

Myra’s recipe for the Pumpkin and Squash Pie Filling.

Choose from 2 crusts: Sweet Pie Crust or Flaky Whole-Grain Pie Crust

THE ‘GREEN’ APPLE PIE:

Anna Lappé is a bestselling author and speaker on food politics, sustainable agriculture, globalization, and social change. She was named one of Time’s “Eco” Who’s Who. Lappé has been featured in The New York Times, Gourmet, O-The Oprah Magazine and more.

The co-founder of the Small Planet Fund and Small Planet Institute, she lectures and is co-host of public TV’s The Endless Feast. Her first book, Hope’s Edge, written with her mother Frances Moore Lappé, chronicles courageous social movements around the world. (You may recall her mother’s bestselling book , Diet for a Small Planet.) Anna’s second book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen (Tarcher/Penguin 2006) written with chef Bryant Terry, has ideas, tools and menus for healthier lives. Her next book, slated for 2010 publication, is Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It (Bloomsbury).

Anna’s recipe for “Green” Apple Pie

Organic Gardening’s Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Shallots

Melissa Segrest — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:36:41 +0000

This holiday, treat your guests to this fresh, alternative side dish (no cans required!) without depriving them of the best part of green bean casserole — the crispy, crunchy onions!

Shredded Brussels sprouts are the secret ingredient in this casserole makeover.

Late autumn is the best season to enjoy Brussels sprouts since they tend get sweeter after a winter frost. Buy them freshly picked, on the stem if possible. Avoid the sulfurous fumes that Brussels sprouts naysayers complain about by getting the freshest sprouts available (and avoid overcooking). — Organic Gardening Magazine’s Abigail Poulette

Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:

1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed (stems and rough outer leaves)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup flour
1 to 2 large shallots
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Slice the Brussels into 1/8″ ribbons, by hand, using a mandoline or a food processor. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, and add the sprouts, stirring occasionally.

Abigail Poulette of 'Organic Gardening' Magazine reinvents the green bean casserole

While the sprouts cook, thinly slice the shallots and lightly toss in a mixture of flour and salt and pepper. Add 1 ½-2″ of vegetable oil to a medium saucepan and bring to a medium high heat. Test the oil by adding one slice of shallot. When it bubbles and cooks quickly, add the shallots in small batches, watching closely and removing when golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Once the sprouts begin to soften and get some golden crispy bits, add the lemon juice to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with the crispy shallots.

Serves 4. Here is the recipe on Organic Gardening ’s Web site.

More Holiday Recipes:

Jackie Newgent’s Earth-Style Sweet Potato-Butter Bean Gravy with Rosemary

Melissa Segrest — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:33:53 +0000

This velvety, colorful gravy is naturally creamy from the butter beans, not traditional cornstarch or white flour; it’s naturally full-flavored from the sweet potato, onion, and rosemary, not greasy turkey drippings.

Jackie Newgent is the author of 'Big Green Cookbook'

You’ll be using the sweet potato peel, too, which will add flecks of interest. I refer to that as “earth-style” cuisine — you use every part of a food possible. That helps to make this fall-hued recipe green. It’s extra green because you’re using my “lid cooking” technique, which significantly reduces the amount of cooking energy required.

I developed this holiday-inspired gravy to also be exceptionally simple; all you need to do is add everything to one pan, no sautéing or roux-making required. What’s more, as a multi-tasking mealtime bonus, you can savor this gravy as a soup, too! Serve it in cute espresso or teacups to start your holiday meal off with a clever little palate pleaser. — Jackie Newgent

Use organic ingredients whenever possible. Makes 15 servings: 1/3 cup each

INGREDIENTS

1 medium (9-ounce) sweet potato with skin, scrubbed, diced into 1/4-inch or smaller cubes

1 medium (7-ounce) white or yellow onion, finely diced

1 (15-ounce) can organic butter beans or cannellini beans, drained

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, or to taste

1 bay leaf

1 (32-fluid ounces) carton low-sodium vegetable broth

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to a large saucepan*. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high, cover, and cook (lightly boil) until the potato and onion are nearly softened, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let the gravy “lid cook” (cook covered while the burner is off) until the potato and onion are fully softened, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

2. Fully puree using a hand immersion blender, about 1 minute. (Alternatively, puree in batches in a blender, using its hot fill line as a guide.) Adjust seasoning. Serve while hot.

3. If you prefer using nonstick pans for easy cleanup, make sure it’s PFOA-free, like Scanpan CTX. PFOAs are potentially-carcinogenic chemicals which are often found in traditional nonstick cookware.

Per serving: 45 calories, 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 290mg sodium, 9g total carbohydrate, 2g dietary fiber, 3g sugars, 2g protein

Time-Saving Strategy

Prepare this gravy a day in advance. Chill overnight in the refrigerator. Fully reheat just before serving. Stir in additional vegetable broth, if necessary, for proper consistency.

Eco-Fact

Following a plant-based diet can help you shrink your carbon footprint—or “food” print. Actually, the first of my eight “Big Green Cooking Rules” in Big Green Cookbook is “Prepare plant-based meals.” This gravy is vegan! So it’s eco-friendly, health-friendly, and friendly for any of your holiday dinner guests that love their gravy on potatoes, not turkey.

Little Green Cooking Tip

Having good skills with a chef’s knife is helpful when going green. How so? The more finely you dice or slice a food item, like this gravy, the faster the cooking process. That will help use less energy. Plus, you’ll enjoy cooking more when you know the best way to use a knife. Look for a knife skills class at a culinary school near you.

More Holiday Recipes:

Mark Bittman’s Pearl Coucous Gratin with Pesto and Goat Cheese

BKessler — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:24:56 +0000

Increasingly, Americans are becoming “flexitarians,” a recently invented word that describes both vegetarians who aren’t that strict and meat-eaters who are striving for a more health-conscious, planet-friendly diet….

Lots of vegetables can be substituted for either the asparagus or the mushrooms in this recipe; green beans, peas, zucchini, and artichoke hearts would all work nicely. For a more dressed-up look, serve individual portions in four 6-ounce (or six 4-oz) ramekins. The Pearl Coucous can be cooked up to 2 days ahead, making this dish even more appealing — Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Ingredients:

Coucous provides the base for a sophisticated substitute for bread stuffing (Photo: GreenRightNow.)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter, plus more for the dish
1 shallot finely chopped
1 c. chopped wild mushrooms, like morels, chanterelles or porcini (or any variety)
8 oz. asparagus, trimmed and peeled if necessary into one inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ c. cream, milk or vegetable stock
½ c. traditional Pesto
1 egg
2 ½ c. cooked pearl couscous
4 oz. goat cheese

Instructions:

Grease a 2-quart soufflé or gratin dish or an oblong baking pan. Preheat oven to 350.
Put 2 tablespoons oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot or the butter is melted, addthe shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, les than a minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for a minute or two, then add the asparagus and a sprinkle of salt and pepper; cook until the asparagus is just tender, another 5 minutes.
Whisk the cream, pesto and egg together in a small bowl until blended. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside. When the asparagus mixture is done, stire in the couscous and heat until warmed through. Turn off the heat, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
Spread the asparagus and couscous mixture in the bottom of the prepared dish. Driszzle the cream and pesto mixture over it all. Evenly distribute the goat cheese (small clumps are fine) on top.
Bake until the edges and top are browned and bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how deep your baking dish is. Serve immediately or let rest for up to an hour and serve at room temperature.

More Holiday Recipes:

Jesse Ziff Cool’s Ginger Yams with Mascarpone

Melissa Segrest — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:23:35 +0000

When winter rolls around, this simple recipe always comes to mind. As a side dish for a holiday dinner or for an easy, yummy addition to turkey, braised meats or even grilled tofu, everyone seems to ask for more. — Jesse Ziff Cool

Give sweet potatoes a new lease on Thanksgiving life, without marshmallows. (Photo: Bob Keenan, Dreamstime.com.)

Will serve 6-8 (with leftovers). Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:

5 pounds sweet potatoes or yams
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons grated ginger root
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup mascarpone
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into large pieces
3. Cook the potatoes for about 30 minutes or until soft
4. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, warm the butter, maple syrup, orange juice, cinnamon, ginger and thyme
5. When potatoes are cooked, drain and put into a large bowl and mash with a fork or put through a ricer
6. Fold in the ingredients in the pot
7. Fold in the mascarpone
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Serve immediately or put in a baking dish and warm just before serving.

More Holiday Recipes:

Myra Goodman’s Easy Cranberry Sauce

Melissa Segrest — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:18:54 +0000

Look for organic cranberries for this T-day staple. They are among the fruits, which the Environmental Working Group recommends you should seek out as organic, because the conventionally grown berries can have pesticide residues. Homemade cranberry sauce is great any time of year with roast chicken, pork, turkey or a vegetarian meal. The tartness of the soft cranberries in this sauce is balanced by sweet orange juice.

When the dinner is for adults, a splash of port adds a special treat. Since fresh cranberries are not available year-round, buy an extra bag or two in the fall and stick them in the freezer. This recipe is easily doubled or even tripled. Makes about 2 cups. — Myra Goodman

Add some zing to your organic cranberry sauce

Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

Grated zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

12 oz.s (1 bag) fresh or frozen (unthawed) organic cranberries

2 tablespoons port (optional)

Instructions

1. Place the sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

2. Add the orange zest, orange juice and cranberries and let return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer until the berries burst and soften and the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove the cranberries from the heat and stir in the port, if using. Let the cranberry sauce cool to room temperature. The cranberry sauce can be served at room temperature or chilled. It can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 month.

More Holiday Recipes:

Anna Lappé’s ‘Green’ Apple Pie

Melissa Segrest — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:17:20 +0000

I’ve been diving back into my dog-eared Joy of Cooking lately, giving these tried-and-true recipes little eco-twists along the way. For Thanksgiving this year, I’m bringing the apple pie, made from Joy’s simple recipe with a few tweaks.

Anna Lappé brings 'Joy' to an Earth-friendly pie. (Photo: Bart Nagle.)

The Joy of Cooking recommends Golden Delicious apples because they retain their texture and don’t flood the pie with too much juice, but I’ve been using whatever apples I get each week from my community support agriculture (CSA) and it’s been delicious! (A CSA is one of the best ways to get fresh, local food. You become a member of a farm and each week receive a share of the farm’s harvest. Here in Brooklyn, we’ve been blessed with a ridiculous amount of crunchy, flavorful apples.)

Choosing local, minimally treated apples is a great way to reduce your pie’s ecological “foodprint.” Plus, because the apples have been bred for flavor, not for shipping, they’re, well, more flavorful. I also find their skins less tough than store-bought apples, so I’ve found I don’t really need to peel them, either.

The original recipe calls for ¾ cup sugar, but I prefer my apple pie less sweet. Plus, super fresh apples tend to be nicely sweet themselves. Use organic sugar made from evaporated cane juice, which is your guarantee you’re not getting sugar made from refined sugar beets, which could be genetically modified and processed with numerous chemicals.

My choice is Organic Valley butter. Founded by farmers in the late 1980s, Organic Valley is still run by farmers and dedicated to preserving and protecting family farmers. Though it’s a national cooperative, Organic Valley tries to source its products locally. So the butter I buy in Brooklyn comes from farmers in the region, not from all the way across the country. Organic Valley members are also always looking for ways to lessen their environmental impact. – Anna Lappé

(Use organic ingredients whenever possible.)

Try to use apples grown near your community if possible. Photo by Brad Calkins Dreamstime

Follow your favorite recipe to prepare the pie crust.

Makes one 9-inch pie; 6 to 8 slices.

Ingredients:

5 to 6 medium large apples, peel (optional), slice ¼ inch thick and core. Measures about 6 cups
½ cup (or less) organic sugar
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose organic flour
1 to 2 tablespoons strained juice from fresh organic lemons
½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted organic butter, cut into small pieces (optional).

Instructions:

1. Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the apples and sugar.

3. Add flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt. (I prefer a little more lemon and cinnamon).

4. Stir together and let stand for 15 minutes, mixing occasionally.

5. Pour the mixture into your pie crust. If the apples have released a lot of their juices, reserve some of the juice to not overwhelm the pie. Pat down the apples so they’re level.

6. Dot the pie with pieces of organic butter.

7. If you’re making a filled pie, cover with top crust, and seal the edges, trim them, and crimp or flute. Cut steam vents in the top and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of organic sugar and cinnamon.

8. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 350F and slip a baking sheet beneath the pie. Bake another 30 to 45 minutes until thick juices have started to bubble through the vents and the fruit feels just tender when a knife pokes through the vents.

Be sure to let it cool on a rack for several hours to thicken properly.

Enjoy!

More Holiday Recipes:

Myra Goodman’s Flaky Whole-Grain Pie Crust

Melissa Segrest — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:14:08 +0000

The chefs at the Farm Stand use whole-wheat pastry flour and rolled oats in lieu of refined white flour whenever possible in our recipes. Creating a delicious-tasting, light and workable pastry crust was a challenge, but we think the result is spectacular.

Rolled oats and whole grain flour make a natural pie crust (Photo: Anikasalsera Dreamstime.)

This pie dough is extremely easy to make, and as an added bonus, it’s also very easy to handle. The result is a light, flaky crust with a pronounced nutty, buttery flavor.

The recipe can be doubled and the dough refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Let the frozen dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling it out. — Myra Goodman

Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Makes enough for 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie, 8 to 9 inches in diameter

Ingredients:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (see sidebar, page **)
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed

Instructions:

1. Place the white and whole-wheat flours, rolled oats, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process until the mixture is combined and the oats have been pulverized to a flour-like meal. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

2. With the machine running, add the ice water and process just until the dough holds together loosely in a ball, 5 to 8 seconds. Do not allow the dough to form a solid mass or it will be overworked. Test the dough by pinching a small amount between your fingers. If the dough sticks together, it is ready. If the dough is not moist enough to form a cohesive mass, add an additional ½ tablespoon ice water, process briefly, and test again.

3. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper and divide it in half. Form each half into a flat disk. Wrap a piece of parchment paper around each piece of dough to cover it, and refrigerate until chilled, 20 to 30 minutes. (If you intend to chill the dough overnight or freeze it, wrap the pieces tightly in plastic wrap. The wrapped dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the frozen dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling out.)

4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator (for a single-crust pie you’ll need one disk of dough; for a double-crust pie you’ll need both disks), and open the parchment paper to a flat rectangle. If it was refrigerated for more than an hour, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes to soften slightly. (If the dough is too cold or firm, it will crack when you try to roll it out.)

5. Lightly dust a work surface and rolling pin with all-purpose flour. Roll the dough into a round about 1/8-inch thick and 2 inches larger than your pie plate.

6. Fold the dough in half or drape it over the rolling pin and transfer it to the pie plate. Press the dough firmly into the pie plate and brush off any excess flour with a pastry brush. If there are holes or cracks, press the dough back together or patch them with small bits of the overhanging dough.

For a single-crust pie, trim the dough with a pair of kitchen scissors, leaving a ¾-inch overhang. Fold the edge under to form a double layer, and crimp or flute it.

For a double-crust pie, fit the dough for the bottom crust into the pie plate and trim the dough even with the rim. Roll out the second disk of dough. Place the filling in the bottom crust and place the dough for the second crust on top. Trim the top crust with scissors, leaving a ½-inch overhang.

Fold the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust, and crimp or flute to seal. Cut three slits in the center of the top crust with a sharp knife to allow steam to vent as the pie bakes.

More Holiday Recipes:

Myra Goodman’s Pumpkin and Winter Squash Pie

Melissa Segrest — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:12:08 +0000

I look forward to seasonal food this time of year for many reasons, and the amazing flavor of winter squash is a big part of what I love about food in this season. I always choose organic winter squashes because they are grown in a way that protects the environment, but also because non-organic squashes are often treated with a petroleum-based fungicidal wax to extend shelf-life. These waxes are really difficult to remove and are absorbed into the squash’s otherwise delicious flesh — Myra Goodman

Transform the traditional pumpkin pie into something nice and natural (Photo: Denise Kappa Dreamstime_com.)

Lots of aromatic spices add fragrance and flavor to this festive seasonal pie. I like the combination of pumpkin and winter squash purees, but you can use all pumpkin or all squash if you prefer. If you must you can use canned purees – but of course you can also roast your own pumpkins or squash (Instructions below). Serve the pie warm, with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream or crème fraîche.

See directions for making pumpkin or squash purees, after the recipe. Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:
1 disk Sweet Pie Crust dough (Recipe here) or Flaky Whole-Grain Pie Crust dough (Recipe here)
1 cup canned or homemade pure pumpkin puree
1 cup canned or homemade butternut squash puree
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream

Instructions:
1. Roll out the dough to form an 11-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate, pressing it firmly into the plate. Trim the overhanging pastry to ½ inch, and turn it under. Flute the edge of the crust. Then refrigerate it, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

2. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pumpkin and squash purees in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the cream and whisk again to blend.

3. Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell, place on the rimmed baking sheet, and bake until the pie is set in the middle and golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes.

4. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving. (The pie can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.)

How to Make Pumpkin and Squash Purees

“Although you can’t beat the convenience of canned squash and pumpkin purees, making your own is really quite simple and the taste is superior to anything you can buy,” Myra says. “Roasting is the best method, as it brings out the natural sweetness of the flesh and intensifies its flavor without adding extra moisture.

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400ºF.

2. Cut the pumpkin or squash into several large pieces, all about the same size. Scrape out the seeds and fibers and discard (or save seeds for another use).

3. Lightly butter one side of a large sheet of aluminum foil, preferably recycled, and wrap the pumpkin pieces in the foil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet or baking pan and cook until the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a skewer or the tip of a knife, 30 to 45 minutes. Let the pumpkin cool in the foil wrapping. Scoop out the flesh, discard the skins, and mash with a potato masher or hand-held stick blender until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 5 days.

More Holiday Recipes:

Myra Goodman’s Sweet Pie Crust

Melissa Segrest — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:10:02 +0000

This rich, buttery pastry crust is light and tender, perfect for fruit pies and tarts. I find the food processor technique the quickest and least messy method for making pie dough. It’s almost foolproof — just be sure not to overwork the dough in the machine or the pastry will be tough. — Myra Goodman

See directions below recipe on making pastry by hand. Makes enough for 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie, 9 to 10 inches in diameter.

Make your own pie dough for a rich, flaky crust. Photo by Mike Neale Dreamstime

Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:

2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus flour for rolling out the dough
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ cup ice water, or more as needed

Instructions:

1. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process to blend. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

2. With the machine running, add the ice water and process just until the dough holds together loosely in a ball, 5 to 8 seconds. Do not allow the dough to form a solid mass or it will be overworked.

3. Test the dough by pinching a small amount between your fingers. If the dough is not moist enough to form a cohesive mass, add an additional tablespoon of ice water, process briefly, and test again.

4. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper and divide it in half. Form each half into a flat disk. Wrap a piece of parchment paper around each piece of dough to cover it, and refrigerate until chilled, 20 to 30 minutes. (If you intend to chill the dough overnight or freeze it, tightly wrap the pieces in plastic wrap. The wrapped dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the frozen dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling out.)

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator (for a single-crust pie you’ll need one disk of dough; for a double-crust pie you’ll need both disks), and open the parchment paper to a flat rectangle. If it was refrigerated for more than 1 hour, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes to soften slightly. (If the dough is too cold or firm, it will crack when you try to roll it out.)

6. Lightly dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough into a round about 1/8-inch thick and 2 inches larger than your pie plate.

7. Fold the dough in half or drape it over the rolling pin, and transfer it to the pie plate. Press the dough firmly into the pie plate, and brush off any excess flour with a pastry brush. If there are holes or cracks, press the dough back together or patch them with small bits of the overhanging dough.

For a single-crust pie, trim the dough with a pair of kitchen scissors, leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold the edge under to form a double layer, and crimp or flute it.

For a double-crust pie, fit the dough for the bottom crust into the pie plate and trim the dougheven with the rim. Roll out the second disk of dough. Place the filling in the bottom crust and place the dough for the second crust on top. Trim the top crust with scissors, leaving a ½-inch overhang. Fold the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust, and crimp or flute it to seal.

Cut three slits in the center of the top crust with a sharp knife to allow steam to vent as the pie bakes.

How to make pastry by hand

If you don’t own a food processor, here is the technique for making pastry by hand:
1. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend.
2. Add the butter and cut it into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal.
3. Add the water and mix it into the dough with a rubber spatula, using a folding motion to moisten all of the dough. Press the dough into a rough ball against the side of the bowl with the broad side of the spatula.
4. Continue with the Sweet Pie Crust recipe at Step 3.

More Holiday Recipes:

Eat dark chocolate, be happy

BKessler — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:27:46 +0000

Green Right Now Reports

European researchers have found more evidence that the emotional benefits of dark chocolate are real and not just wishful thinking.

They are reporting in a study published in the Journal of Proteome Research what we’ve all been hoping they (or someone) would — that eating dark chocolate regularly, albeit in small amounts, lowers stress levels. And potentially giving people with stress issues one more natural tool in their arsenal, should drugs be something they’d like to avoid.

More precisely, the study found that volunteer subjects who ate dark chocolate every day for two weeks had fewer stress-reaction hormones and chemicals in their bodies. The researchers verified this by testing the urine of these young, healthy test volunteers.

Dark chocolate has been shown to have healthful effects on the cardiovascular system and to act as an antioxidant, but the mechanism for its reported mood-balancing properties has been less explored in the literature, according to the researchers.

Lead researcher Sunil Kochhar and colleagues wanted to find out how dark chocolate might be acting to reduce stress. What they found was that the chocolate altered the metabolism of the volunteers (from the Netherlands) in ways that would be expected to be mood-improving.

Their study, called Gut Microbiota, and Stress-Related Metabolism in Free-Living Subjects, looked at the biological output of volunteers who were rated as having higher than average anxiety after they were put on a two-week program of snacking on 40 grams of dark chocolate each day.

“Dark chocolate reduced the urinary excretion of the stress hormone cortisol … and partially normalized stress-related differences in energy metabolism (glycine, citrate, trans-aconitate, proline, ?-alanine) and gut microbial activities (hippurate and p-cresol sulfate),” they write.

But let’s not fret the technicalities. Eat and be happy.

Choose organic, heirloom or pastured turkeys for Thanksgiving 2009

Ashley Phillips — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:02:23 +0000

By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now

When we think about Thanksgiving, we think about Plymouth, Pilgrims, and of course turkey. What would Thanksgiving be without a turkey?

For the longest time when it comes to food, we’ve gone by the notion that bigger is better. The bigger the turkey, the better it will taste. Unfortunately this process of thinking led to the inhumane treatment of animals and use of growth hormones, in order to turn a quick profit and satisfy customers.

Lately, though, people have become significantly more conscious about what chemicals animals are exposed to, because it directly relates to them when they are putting it in their body. And that has led to some options when it comes to picking your bird from among the 270 million or so turkeys raised in the United States. ( In 2008, 273 million turkeys were raised in the United States, according to the National Turkey Federation.)

If you just walk into almost any grocery store you will see that there are multiple turkeys from which to choose. They are labeled with all sorts of eye-catching phrases such as, pesticide-free, organic and all-natural. But what do these words really mean?

Don’t let the lingo scare you. National Turkey Federation’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Sherrie Rosenblatt broke down the differences:

Conventional: Conventional turkeys are raised in scientifically designed, environmentally controlled barns that provide maximum protection from predators, disease and bad weather.
Organic: An “organic” turkey must be certified by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to have been raised on land that has been free of prohibited pesticides and other substances for at least three years; the bird’s food would also be pesticide free (though that’s no guaranteed that it’s pure in every way). Technically speaking, the turkey produced must consist of at least 95 percent organic ingredients (excluding water and salt). Any remaining product ingredients must consist of non-agricultural substance approved on the “National List” or non-organically product agricultural products that are not commercially available in organic form. Visit the USDA AMS website for more information.
Heirloom: Heirloom turkeys take much longer to raise that a conventional or organic turkey. Because of the added costs, these turkeys are much more expensive than a conventionally raised turkey. The taste and appearance are also much different than a conventionally raised turkey. The light meat is almond colored and the dark meat is cappuccino, with both having a firm texture. Heirloom turkeys are bred from breeds of birds that pre-date the industrial food era, and are typically raised on smaller traditional farms, and let run on pasture or are grain-fed. Can’t find them at your grocery store? Check your local CSA or farmer’s market, or online at Local Harvest.org.

Two other types of turkeys not mentioned are pastured and free-range turkeys. The difference between the two is free-range turkeys are not confined to cages, but “range” can mean within a barn. Pastured turkeys are raised outside and their meat may be richer in omega oils because of their grassy diet.

Over the past few years sales of organic have continued to increase, according to Whole Foods Market.

“It’s a little too early to speak to this for this year since we tend to sell more fresh birds (than frozen). The bulk of the sales generally happen in the two weeks prior to the holidays. We are prepared for and anticipate that the trend will continue,” said Cathy Cochran-Lewis, National Media Relations Coordinator for Whole Foods Market – Central.

While the numbers are rising, it may still be difficult to find just the right turkey. Sprouts, a familiar market to organic shoppers, does not sell any organic turkeys, a spokesman said.

Wegmans has a couple of options for shoppers. The store carries an organic choice, the Jaindl Organic Grand Champion turkey, and their own Wegmans’ Grand Champion turkey, which is not certified organic but is raised in a humane and healthy way.

“The Wegmans Grand Champion turkey is not organically raised; however it is a free range bird that has been raised without antibiotics and no animal by-products in the feed,” said Jeanne Colleluori, Communications & Media Specialist for Wegmans Consumer Affairs.

Whole Foods Market might be the store with the largest variety of healthy turkey choices.

“Our stringent quality standards require that every turkey we sell meets our animal welfare standards, which include no antibiotics, ever, and no animal by-products in the feed. They also are not injected with any solutions or marinades,” said Cochran-Lewis.

Heirloom turkeys are more commonly available at Whole Foods stores. “The flavor and composition of the heirloom turkey is the closest we have to turkeys of yesteryear. The turkeys tend to have dark spots on the skin which is natural to the breed (results in their darker feathers),” added Cochran-Lewis. Another benefit to heirloom turkeys is they require less cooking time due to the lower amount of fat.

Whole Foods also offers other organic Thanksgiving alternatives. THeir 365 Organic brand makes includes stuffing mixes, cranberry sauces, broths, truffles, and caramels and they have a vegan pumpkin pecan pie recipe that will make your mouth water.

You can even skip your trip to the grocery store all together and buy your turkey online this year. Williams-Sonoma offers their California-raised, free-range, Willie Bird Organic Turkey that can be delivered right to your front door. Consumers give the Willie Bird Turkey rave reviews; it’s worth taking a look at.

Organic and Heirloom turkeys are a bit pricier, but they are worth it if you’re seeking a gourmet or leaner taste, and if you want to support the way the turkeys were raised.