Gratitude Gourmet (tm)

Check out this article for 6 Healthy Uses for Coconut Oil.  It also includes a Creamed Spinach Recipe.

I'm now writing articles for CTN Green's Wellness blog page. My latest article on Green Food Trends is here for your reference.  I'm very happy to be sharing these trends with more communities to show that we can be good to the planet's living things and systems and enjoy gourmet food!

COK's 2009 MTV advertising campaign features two of their most powerful ads, "Exploring Your Food" and "A Side of Truth," which ask viewers to think about where their food originates. They hit the national MTV airwaves on February 23. You can see the videos here.

A new Pasta Pomodoro menu will be available to all locations on March 3rd. I was lucky enough to preview their new menu and visited their Noe Valley San Francisco location on 4000 24th Street with a friend where I tried several vegan items, and my friend tried vegetarian selections. 

I pleasantly discovered from Colleen, our fabulous server who is very aware of vegan and vegetarian differences, that Pasta Pomodoro will make some selections vegan if requested. Also, many of the greens are Organic.
Appetizer
The Insalata di Spinaci (spinach, red onions, tomatoes, pine nuts, and balsamic dressing) was made vegan, and was fresh, tasty, and delicious. Entree
The Capellini (tomato sauce, roasted garlic, basil, and olive oil with the whole wheat fusilli pasta substitution) was made vegan. It was the first time I tasted whole wheat fusilli, and the flavor and hearty texture blended well with the fresh tomato sauce.
Side
The Farro (organic farro grain roasted with garlic, olive oil, spinach, and tomatoes) was made vegan, and was also a new food for me. The blending of the spices and farro were perfect, and it could have actually been an entree! 
Dessert
Now....the best part of every meal....dessert!  I tried the Pear Sorbet. The smooth and fruity sorbet would be perfect with a nice dessert wine for dinner.
Green Practices
Pasta Pomodoro's owner and chef, Adriano Paganini, believes that adopting green practices is essential in today's business world. "We have a responsibility to our communities, where we live and work, to eliminate waste, to improve our environment and to make a difference where we can," said Paganini.
Finale
In closing, the innovative menu, flexibility for vegans, staff knowledge, and healthy and delicious foods allow me to recommend Pasta Pomodoro.

The impact of one voice; the power of many. On Thursday, March 5, 2009, A POWERFUL NOISE Live will appear in 450 movie theatres across the United States. This one-night event will feature the acclaimed documentary followed by a town hall discussion broadcast live from New York City to each theatre. A POWERFUL NOISE Live begins at 7:30pmET/6:30pmCT 5:30pmMT/8pmPT(taped). Panelists include Madeleine K. Albright, Natalie Portman, Christy Turlington Burns, Nicholas Kristof, Dr. Helene Gayle and more. Find a Theatre/Buy Tickets.

Sylvia Earle: Here's how to protect the blue heart of the planet (TED prize winner). This is a must-see video.

The goal of the Awards is to raise awareness and celebrate outstanding achievements in water conservation through best practices, efficiency and innovation. Awards are presented in the following categories: government agency/water utility, business, organization, individual, most improved, and multiple benefit. The deadline for applications and nominations is March 6, 2009. The Awards will be presented Monday, March 23, 2009 in conjunction with World Water Day.

Alice Waters recently wrote an op-ed article NY Times article regarding US Food Policy, the national school lunch program, and the changes which need to occur.  Drawing by Tamara Shopsin

Chelsea Green recently published this excerpt from Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener’s Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting by R. J. Ruppenthal.

The Berkeley Ecology Center provides the public with reliable information, tools, hands-on training, referrals, strategies, infrastructure, and models for sustainable living. They run Berkeley's residential curbside recycling program, the Berkeley Farmers' Markets, Farm Fresh Choice food justice program, Terrain magazine, EcoHouse demonstration home and garden, the Ecology Center Store, and a variety of Information and Climate Change Action programs. The California Food and Justice Program is doing great work as well.  Photo: Ecology Center