Earthly Eating

Co-op’s have been around for many years now, but some people still don’t see them as an advantage. Many think of co-ops as a place where “hippies” or people who are labeled as “tree-huggers” shop, but you should change your thinking on that.

Co-op’s offer a wide range of fruits and vegetables that not only are healthier for you and your family because they are grown organically or without the use of pesticides, they are also helping to support local farmers as well.

A co-op helps support the local economy and it helps to build a close relationship with the local farmers. This in turn helps them to build their business and provide you and your family with nutritious food that are fresher and better over all.

Co-ops invest their time in the communities they serve as well. The communities they serve are investing in them as well. You too can become a part owner in your local co-op and get special deals and help to keep the co-ops helping the farmers, which help you as well. Go Co-op!
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Holy Mackerel
Serves: 4

Serve with watercress, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Happy Eating!

Over 30 percent of American’s have high blood pressure and everyday that number rises. It is required to check your blood pressure often and especially important as we get older and if high blood pressure runs in your family line. The best way to keep your blood pressure in tact is to keep your weight in check.

Over weight people, no matter what your heritage is tend to have higher blood pressure marks because of the added strain on your heart. This can all lead to strokes and heart disease as well. Keeping your diet packed full of antioxidants and exercising regularly is the best way to keep the pressure down on your blood, reduce your stress levels as well by any means such as aromatherapy or massage and try to fit in some deep breathing as well. Combining this with anti-inflammatory herbs and antioxidant-rich foods can help as well. Try to fit in some garlic cloves, grape seed extract, Hawthorne and magnesium into your diet as well. If you are already on blood pressure medication, check with your doctor before adding garlic and Hawthorne.

• Grilled Sea Bas with Dressing
Serves: 4

1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
5 canned anchovy fillets, chopped up
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbs, chopped fresh oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
4 see bass fillets about 6 oz. each

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the anchovies and whisk until dissolve and remove from heat and cool. Whisk in vinegar and oregano and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the broiler and brush the sea bass with 2 tbs. dressing and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the fish until they are opaque and transfer to a serving plate. Pour remaining dressing over the top and serve.
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Earthly Eating Tip:

*Regular running on a treadmill or on pavement has been shown to delay the onset of age related illness and can help keep you active longer in your life as well. So get out and run whenever possible*

One in every five Caucasian Americas carry a gene that can increase the risk of hypertension and can effect the body’s normal regulations of sodium and the risk is even high with African Americans. This can lead to high blood pressure and even heart issues later as well.

Anyone with heart issues, or failure or even high blood pressure already should keep their salt intake to about 1,500 mg daily. It’s best to read the labels on all prepared and packaged foods before purchasing and cut salt out all together and use herbs or lemon juice instead.

Eating fruits and vegetables can help lower blood pressure and even using earth mineral salts instead of table salt can be a healthy alternative as well.

• Oat and Fruit Crumble
Serves: 4

Olive oil cooking spray
2 cooking apples, cored, peeled, sliced and halved
1 tbs. dark brown sugar
1 lb. blackberries
1-1/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup ground almonds
2 tbs. ground flaxseeds
2 tbs. almonds (Flaked)
2 tbs. honey
2-1/2 tbs, unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease an ovenproof dish with the cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the dish with the sliced apples and sprinkle sugar on top. Cover with blackberries and set aside.

Mix together the rolled oats and ground almonds and sprinkle over the top of the fruit. Sprinkle with flaxseeds and flaked almonds. Drizzle with honey and dot with the chilled butter. Bake for about 309 minutes until the nuts are golden brown. Serve.
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Earthly Eating Tip:

*Eating citrus can help you boost your immune system, add vitamin C to your body and help ward your body of cold and flu symptoms no matter what time of year it is. So dig into grapefruits, lemons, limes and even pomelos as well.*

• Grilled New Potatoes
Serves: 4

1/2 lb. each of red and white baby new potatoes
2 tbs. water
2 tsp. oil
3 tbs. vinaigrette dressing
2 tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbs. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees and place potatoes in the center of a heavy duty foil cooking bag. Drizzle with water and oil and close the bag and seal the sides. Grill or cook in the oven for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drizzle potatoes with dressing and sprinkle with cheese and parsley before serving.

• BBQ Scallop Potatoes
Serves: 6

2 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1/3 cup Salad dressing
2 tbs. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat a grill to medium heat and place potatoes and carrots in a microwave-safe bowl. Add some water and cover to microwave on high for about 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Mix 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and dressing together in a bowl and add potatoes and carrots and mix to combine. Seal in a foil grilling bag and close the sides to secure the contents.

Grill for about 20 minutes and serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

• Pair these dishes with some Marinated Artichoke Salad
Serves: 4

2 can artichoke hearts packed in water
1 garlic clove, minced
4 tbs. flaxseed oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Drain the artichoke hearts and rinse well with water. Place 4 hearts in a large bowl and mash with garlic. Stir in flaxseed oil, lemon juice, vinegar and cayenne pepper. Mix well.

Quarter the remaining hearts and mix well with the dressing. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving on a bed of greens.
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Earthly Eating Tip:

*If your tummy is achy and you aren’t sure what to grab if you are trying to stay on a natural and organic path, grab peppermint essential oil or even mukhwas, which is an Indian after-dinner mint. Learn more about them here.

It’s not always easy to eat fresh through the year and it’s especially difficult when you are at someone else’s house, but if you keep a few tips in mind before eating you can keep your eating as fresh as possible.

• Don’t over do it: When it comes to a serving size, following that is calorie count. If you are going to a snack like a handful of almonds, stick with the serving size only. The more you eat over the normal serving the more you pack on the calories.

• Slip in the healthy additions: Add dark leafy greens to almost everything when you can. You can add then to vegetable and fruit drinks and they won’t leave an aftertaste either. Slip then into salads and into dishes such as soups.

• Get your sprouts: Include sprouts into your diet daily. Look to ones like adzuki, alfalfa, buckwheat, garbanzo, lentil and even soybean and wheat as well. They are vitamin B, protein dense and contain good for you active enzymes as well.

• Go whole food: Look for foods that are considered whole foods like granola and crackers that contain flax and other seeds.

• Invest in what’s healthy: Invest in a juicer, food processor and a blender. They can help you achieve the raw food and healthy food options you are looking for in your diet.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Mustard-Rosemary Grilled Lamb
Serves: 4

Prepare a grill and grill chops over direct heat until desired doneness turning halfway through. Allow to grill for about 15 minutes and reduce heat to medium and cover grill till ready to serve.

Happy Eating!

• Frozen Fruit Smoothie
Serves: 2

1 frozen banana, peeled and sliced
2 cups frozen strawberries, raspberries and/or cherries
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tbs. honey

Place all above ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Serve in chilled glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint and fresh fruit.

• Chocolate Torte
Serves: 14

Cooking spray
5 cups all-purpose flour
4 oz. unsweetened cocoa powder
2-1/3 cups fine sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
10 oz. pitted prunes, pureed in a food processor
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup strong made coffee
Confectioners’ sugar
Fresh strawberries, washed with steams removed

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Spray cooking oil in a 9-inch cake pan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, fine sugar, baking soda, salt and the cinnamon. Mix with a whisk until combined and then add pureed prunes, vanilla, and one egg at a time and then the milk. Mix well until blended completely, but don’t over mix.

Stir in coffee and pour into prepared baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes and allow to cool. Turn out onto a serving plate and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and top with fresh strawberries before serving.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Roasted Beet Salad
Serves: 6

Combine 1/3 cup olive oil, orange juice and 1/8 tsp. black pepper. Cover and shake or whisk in a bowl. Pour over the beets and let stand for 20 minutes and allow beets to soak up flavor. Remove beets from dressing and place on top of salad greens along with organ wedges and walnuts. Drizzle with reserved dressing and serve.

Happy Eating!

• Basil and Tomato Pasta Salad
Serves: 12

8 ounces dried pasta like Rotini
6 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 medium tomatoes cut into wedges
1 cup vinaigrette dressing
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sliced, and pitted ripe olives
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil

Cook the pasta as the package directs and add the green beans in the last 5 minutes of the cooking time. Drain and rinse in cold water and drain once more.

Mix the pasta, tomatoes, salad dressing, and shredded cheese in a bowl and add olives and basil and mix just to incorporate. Refrigerate and top with Parmesan cheese before serving.

• Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
Serves: 12

3 dozen cherry tomatoes
2 tbs. pesto, you can make this homemade or purchased it already made.
2 tbs. fresh parsley
2 tbs. fresh chives
1 tbs. fresh tarragon or dill
1 (8oz.) packaged cream cheese
4 ounces fresh goat cheese or cream cheese
Fresh parsley

Cut off the top of each cherry tomato on the stem end. Don’t cut in half, just cut the tops. Set aside the tops and hollow out the tomatoes and place insides in a bowl.

Combine tomato insides with pesto, garlic, and 2 tbs, parsley and chives. Add tarragon and dill and place the mixture into a food processor. Process for 15 minutes and add the cream cheese and goat cheese. Process until smooth and add to a pastry bag. Pipe the filling into each cherry tomato and garnish with the parsley and dill springs. Place the tomato tops back on and serve.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Shrimp Linguine
Serves: 4

Cook the linguine according to how the package directs. Place the shrimp and frozen broccoli in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Following cooking instructions according to how the frozen shrimp package directs. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir together the shrimp and broccoli mix with the linguine and serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Happy Eating!

When one wants to lose a few pounds the best way to achieve this is with a cleanse. Earthly Eating has ventured into this topic before, but cleansing is not only good for weight lose, which is an added bonus, it’s also great to help get things back on track with your body as well. Here are two great cleanses that can help you achieve balance and harmony as well as drop a few pounds in the process.

• The Lemon Cleanse: This one is rather popular, because of the fact that lemon helps flush out toxins from your body and with that you end up cleaning out your liver and kidneys in the process.

1. Juice of one lemon
2. 32 ounces of spring water
3. 1-1/2 teaspoons maple syrup or organic honey
4. 1 pinch of ground clove or 1/2 teaspoon of whole cloves

Mix ingredients together in a blender for about 30 seconds and strain if needed. Drink first thing in the morning right before you eat a breakfast dish such as raw almonds or half and apple or pear.

• The Liver Flush: This drink is especially helpful in clearing out toxic build up in the liver and it will also help clear out the kidneys as well as the first drink will.

1. 1/2 of a peeled lemon
2. 2 peeled oranges
3. 1 oz. olive oil
4. 3 sprigs of parsley
5. 1 pinch of ginger
6. 1 pinch of cracked black pepper
7. 1 pinch cayenne pepper
8. 1 pinch ground cloves

Follow this drink with 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 100 milligrams of magnesium. Drink 8 ounces of 100 percent vegetable juice or fruit juice and at lunch eat a large green salad. For dinner you can also have four ounces of natural fish or chicken and cook it in organic olive oil.

*Of course this is just a guide, you can follow your cleanse with anything you wish. Make sure what you eat during your cleanse is 100 percent natural and organic though, you don’t want to be eating in what you are trying to rid you body of. Talk to your doctor before trying this or any other cleansing routine to make sure you body can handle the vitamins and minerals during this time.*

Dill is probably most popular added to pickles and other pickling items, but did you know that dill can be added to almost anything to bring out the taste in most common dishes?

Store fresh dill in the freezer and use to pickle cucumbers, cabbage and other veggies like okra. Combine with plain vinegar about 1 quart per 2 oz fresh dill and allow to sit for 4 weeks to use while cooking. Add to cabbage dishes to take away the bloating feeling you get from cabbage as well.

Dill can also be used to aid in lactation as well. Mix 2 oz. dried dill leaves, 2 oz. anise seeds, 2 oz. alfalfa and a bit of honey with 1 cup boiling water. Allow to steep, strain and drink 3 cups a day to help with milk producing for nursing mothers.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Spicy Dill Mayo Dip
Makes 1 cup

Mix together the mayo and lemon juice, and then add the mustard. Top off with the dill and the pepper and mix to combine. Serve with veggies or on top of fresh sliced cucumbers.

Happy Eating!

Peaches come into season about the end of spring till late summer. Of course, you can find peaches in the supermarket any time throughout the year thanks to growers producing them even out of season. Peaches are originally from China and date back as far as the 10th century B.C.

Peaches are a summer favorite for many centuries because of their juiciness and sweet taste you get when you pierce the flesh of a peach with your teeth. With the pit removed the peach makes a great addition to a yogurt dish or even just by itself.

Peaches are antioxidant-rich and contain beta carotene and vitamins A, C and E that help with free-radicals and help to protect cells within the body as well.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Roasted Chicken with Pears and Thyme
Serves: 4

Roast the chicken for about 15 minutes. Baste with juices, and add the shallots, thyme, pears to pan and return to oven. Roast for another 45 minutes and transfer all to a serving platter. Serve hot.

Happy Eating!

When it comes to storing food, a lot of food is wasted before it’s used. There are a few tips that aren’t taken into consideration to help prevent this food waste.

First and foremost it’s best to use leftovers whenever possible. Leftovers such as hamburger or hot dog buns can be made into croutons by cutting into cubes then drizzle with melted butter, sprinkled with salt and herbs then heated in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

You can also utilize eggs that are near expiration by hard boiling them and using them with breakfast or with salads at anytime. Use left over ground beef by cooking it up and refrigerating it to use with taco night or spaghetti night. Also, cooked veggies from the night before can be added to chicken broth in a Dutch oven and combined with beans, seasoning and herbs to make a quick and easy stew.

Storing food is easy if you know what to get into a habit of using before others. Label your fridge shelves. You may think this is silly, but if you have little kids in the house it also helps them to place things back into the fridge with ease. Group items together such as condiments into the door or top shelf, veggies in one drawer, fruits in another and milk, juice or sodas can be placed on the bottom shelf. Be sure and store foods from breakfast, lunch or dinner in clear containers. It’s best to use glass so that you can reheat it if needed. Never store hot items into plastic containers that can leach BPA into the foods. If you store in clear containers you can easily see what you have and what you should use before others.

When you fridge is organized you can then make out a grocery list with easy and not buy multiple items that you already own.

*Click on the label pictured below to help keep track of how fresh a vegetable or other dish is.

Rosemary is quite an awesome herb to use in your cooking and daily meals. It has a Classic flavor and can be paired well with pork and even some chicken dishes. It helps to bring in new flavor notes with biscuits and dumplings as well. Here are a few other dishes that work nice with rosemary.

• Bean Dip: Rinse and drain a can of white beans and place in a food processor along with a sprig of rosemary, garlic, and lemon juice. Slowly pulse till the mixture begins to thin. You may have to use more or less lemon juice to get the smooth consistence. Add a tbs. of olive oil to thin the mixture event more and the get the dipping factor to the dip.

• Chicken: Rub duck with a half mixture of chopped rosemary and kosher salt. Add a few sprigs of berries if serving in a more refined setting. Can be used for lamb and pork as well.

• Deli Turkey: Making a turkey sandwich can get quite and addition when you spread on some rosemary (about 1 tsp.) chopped to 1/2 cup of mayo. Use spicy mustard on the other side of the bread as well.

• Pesto: Mix walnut oil, walnuts, and rosemary and add to pasta or olive oil, kalamata oil and rosemary and serve with fish.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Rosemary Focaccia
Serves: 4

Drizzle the olive oil on each round and spread oil around. Top each one with 1 tsp. rosemary, 1/2 tsp. orange zest and 1 tsp. brown sugar. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Spread with cream cheese and top with cherries. Before serving sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

Happy Eating!

• Chicken Rollatini
Serves: 8

8-thin sliced chicken cutlets
1 cup garlic and herb cheese blend
4 jarred roasted red peppers, halved and cut into strips
Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
3/4 cup bread crumbs

Spread each cutlet with 2 tbs. of the cheese blend and top with the sliced red peppers. Roll them up and secure with butcher’s twine or a toothpick.

Coat the chicken with nonstick cooking spray and roll in the bread crumbs. Heat oven to 400 degrees and place the chicken in a shallow baking dish seam side-down. Bake for 20 minutes and serve.

• Chicken and Potato Stew
Serves: 6

1 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 cups chopped onions and thinly sliced carrots
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. fennel seeds (optional)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, salt and pepper
2-1/4 cups water
1 can chicken broth
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 lb. thawed chicken breasts, cut into 10-inch cubes.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add onions, carrots and cook until soft and browned. Stir in garlic and fennel seeds, thyme, salt and pepper and cooked stirring for about 1 minute.

Stir in water, broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer and stir in chicken. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
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Earthly Eating Tip

*Granny Smith apples have been used in baking since they were first discovered in the Mid-19th century by Maria Smith, but another contender has joined the baking pleasure with apples. It’s the Lady Alice, which is sweet yet tart at the same time. Grows from January to the beginning of June, now is a great time to give it a try with a recipe that calls for Granny Smith.

Happy Eating!

When it comes to getting around the kitchen, quick tips to keep in mind are always helpful, especially if you have a large family or you are cooking for a large group. Here are some Earthly Eating tips that can help you keep the ciaos down in the kitchen everyday.

1. Handy pair of scissors: Whether you have a pair of scissors for cutting hair or cutting fabric, it’s a good idea to keep a pair on hand when you are prepping meals. It can cut down on food preparation time and can help cut through other foods such as pizza, quesadillas, snipping fresh herbs and even cutting up tomatoes and other veggies for quick meals. Keep them in the kitchen though and don’t use them for other cutting means. Be sure and wash them thoroughly after each use.

2. Use your leftovers: Whether you had meatloaf or nachos the night or day before, try to use them in another recipe throughout the week so no food goes to waste. You can do a quick search of the Earthly Eating website to find other ways of using leftovers in new dishes for your family.

3. Keep your kitchen tools handy: If you are cooking up a huge meal and you are thumbing through drawers to find what you need that just isn’t practical, especially if you have been handling raw meats. Keep what you use daily on the counter in a holder or in a nearby drawer with just though in there. When you are organized your kitchen and cooking will show.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Irish Brown Bread
Serves: 4

Whisk together then the buttermilk and honey till combined and add the dry ingredients slowly while stirring to combine. Divide in half and shape into a round. Place on baking sheet side by side and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and baking and additional 10 minutes. Let cool before serving with honey butter or your favorite organic spread.

Happy Eating!

When it comes to shopping for beef, many people, and you know who you are, don’t even look at the label. You trust what your grocer has, or you simply don’t care what kind of meat it is. This trend has grown lately with the economy suffering and those whom have lost their jobs are living on a tighter budget. With this habit of just picking out what is closest or what they think is cheaper is actually cutting into our health and our way of farming this cattle for the meat as well.

When you pick up beef from the market, scan the label. It only takes a few seconds to see what the fat ration is as well as what the animal ate before it was slaughtered. Many packages say “natural” on the label, but a quick scan can tell you a lot more.

Grass-fed cattle that are raised solely on a diet of strictly grass, no grains tend to have less fat content in the meat, lower cholesterol count and even lower in calories than ones raised on grass and grain or just grain alone.

The best beef to pick up is similar to eggs, choose free-range cattle. Free-range cattle have the ability to be as normal to what cattle should be before being slaughtered for their meat purposes. Many cattle feed on grains are shoved into small feeding areas and forced to eat grains before being shipped out.

*Choose organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Even though organic can be more expensive there is a simple list of 12 that should always be purchased organic. The list is referred to as the “Dirty Dozen”. Save the image below to your own computer and print out to carry with you when you shop.

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Imported Grapes
10. Pears
11. Kale
12. Carrots

Happy Eating!