Video: Al Gore on Peril and Opportunity: Solving the Climate Crisis and Reinvigorating Democracy4/28/2013
Photo: Mary Vincent
On April 23, 2013, Al Gore gave a riveting and engaging Stanford University lecture on the topic 'Peril and Opportunity: Solving the Climate Crisis and Reinvigorating Democracy', and he discussed a variety of food and agriculture issues during the 1st Annual Stephen H. Schneider Memorial Lecture. A full video of his lecture is below. Al Gore highlighted several examples from his new book: The Future Six Drivers of Global Change. For background, the Drivers are:
Gratitude Gourmet is excited to be celebrating our 5 year anniversary in May, and to celebrate, we are giving away a ticket to the June 8, 2013 See Jane Run SF Bay Area Half Marathon and 5K. Just tell us on our Gratitude Gourmet Facebook Page why you want the ticket by May 8, and a winner will be randomly selected and receive an online coupon code for a free ticket. Good luck!! :) Image: Sincerely Nuts Did you know some great attributes of pistachios include: - 6gms of protein per serving - 3 grams of dietary fiber, or about 12% of the daily value per serving - 100mg of omega-3s per ounce which helps reduce bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol - Vitamin B6 which is essential to make the protein in your red blood cells Sincerely Nuts carries Pistachios Meats Roasted (Unsalted) which are my favorite for that snack, salad, or ice cream! :) Share on our Gratitude Gourmet Facebook Page your favorite Pistachio preparation and/or recipe with us. Image Credit: Ronco Are you a fan of snacks without the extra salt, flavorings, colors and preservatives? Make your own healthy dehydrated foods by drying them in a Ronco Electric Food Dehydrator by just slicing the foods thin and placing them on the clear trays and you can have the use of those foods over the next few months without loss of vitamins or nutrients. Herbs and spices dry overnight. Banana chips and apple snacks dry in about a day. How about Edamame for a protein-rich snack. What are your favorite foods to dehydrate and let us know on our Gratitude Gourmet Facebook Page. Credit: BAMCO Cheeseless whole wheat pizza The first food service company to address how food choices can affect our shifting atmosphere, Bon Appétit has celebrated its Low Carbon Diet Day in conjunction with Earth Day since 2008. This year, in a hot new twist, corporate guests and students all across the country - ranging from eBay in San Jose, CA, to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and Gallaudet University in Washington, DC - will get a real taste of how climate change is already endangering certain food crops. To prepare for this year's new theme, "Your Lunch is Heating Up!", Bon Appétit commissioned a review of more than four dozen scientific papers projecting how important crops such as corn, wheat, rice, fruit, dairy, and coffee will fare in a changing climate. Earlier thaws, later frosts, and higher-than-average temperatures; droughts like the ones in the Midwest; and new pests and weeds (ones that thrive in hotter and more humid temperatures) are already affecting these foods, and research indicates the pressures will not let up. Bon Appétit's chefs will use cooking demos - for an almond milk-fruit smoothie, a cheeseless vegetarian pizza, or an edamame burger with carrot-peel topping - to discuss these global agriculture trends as well as encourage guests to choose planet-friendlier foods. The goal of Low Carbon Diet Day, a tradition begun one year after Bon Appétit launched its Low Carbon Diet program: spur café guests to join the company in reducing their contributions to climate change. To help this process, the company created its Top 5 Low Carbon Diet Tips, which include "You Bought It, You Eat It - Don't Waste Food" and "Moooove Away From Beef and Cheese." Bon Appétit has reduced its own purchases of beef by 33% and cheese by 10% since launching the program - and many of the cheeseless pizzas first introduced on Low Carbon Diet Day have become beloved menu staples at its college and corporate accounts. Meanwhile, its new Stem to Root culinary program, from which the LCD Day carrot-peel-topped veggie burger is drawn, is the latest approach in its ongoing campaign to combat food waste. On Low Carbon Diet Day 2013, Bon Appétit will also share the revamped, new version of its online educational companion to the Low Carbon Diet program. The EatLowCarbon.org website uses photos and picture quizzes to show which familiar foods are higher carbon and explain the science behind their carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions scores. "Over the past six years, Bon Appétit Management Company has played a catalytic role in making thousands of corporate and university diners more aware of the relationship between food and climate change," says JoAnne Berkenkamp, local foods director at the Minneapolis-based Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy, which is exploring the impact of climate change on agriculture in the US and around the world. "Climate change is not an abstract concept that exists in a distant future. It's here, and it's affecting our farmers, the food service industry itself, and many of the foods we love. Bon Appétit's work will spur people to think more about what's happening, and to get involved in reducing carbon emissions while building a food system that is more resilient in the face of a changing climate." Did you know…America’s national parks include more than:
Credit: Vegan Secret Supper I'd like to introduce you to a wonderful cookbook called Vegan Secret Supper and a delicious recipe for Sesame Avocado Quinoa Pilaf with Fried Sweet Plantain, Caramelized Ramps & Minted Coconut Cream. Ramps, also referred to as wild leeks, have a short growing season in early spring, and are mostly prevalent on the East Coast. A mix between onions and garlic in flavor, ramps are mild enough to eat raw, and you can use the leaves as well as the stem. Makes 6–8 servings. Caramelized Ramps 2 tsp coconut oil 1 small bunch fresh ramps, greens trimmed off and set aside, and sliced in half salt, to taste In a frying pan on medium heat, melt coconut oil. Add ramps cut-side down and sprinkle with salt. When ramps have turned slightly golden, stir and reduce heat. Cover and cook until translucent and caramelized. Set aside. Credit: Vegan Secret Supper Sesame Avocado Quinoa Pilaf 1 cup (250 mL) uncooked quinoa 2 cups (500 mL) water ½ tsp salt greens from the ramps (above), chopped 1 avocado, cubed ¼ cup (60 mL) chopped cilantro In a saucepan on medium-high heat, toast quinoa for about 1 minute, stirring constantly before adding water and salt. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until water level is just beneath quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to low, and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. On an unoiled baking sheet, spread quinoa to let cool evenly. In a large bowl, combine greens, avocado, and cilantro and add cooked quinoa. Add dressing (below) and stir until combined. Dressing For Pilaf ½ cup Coconut sour Cream (p. 195) 2 tsp sesame oil 3 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper, to taste In a bowl, whisk Coconut Sour Cream with sesame and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Minted Coconut Cream ¼ cup (60 mL) coconut milk 3 tbsp chopped fresh mint In a blender, purée coconut milk and mint until smooth. Set aside. Fried Sweet Plantain 2 tbsp coconut oil 1 sweet plantain, sliced into ¼-in (6-mm) thick rounds juice of 1 lime salt, to taste In a flat-bottomed frying pan on medium-high heat, melt coconut oil. Add plantain and fry both sides until golden brown. Sprinkle each side with salt and squeeze lime juice over plantains just before removing from pan. Drain excess oil from plantains on paper towel if you wish. To Plate: 1 lime, cut into 6-8 wedges, for garnish Place ⅓ cup (80 mL) pilaf in center of a plate. Top with 3 slices plantain and a couple caramelized ramps. Dot plate with Minted Coconut Cream and garnish with lime wedge. Enjoy! :) Mary Vincent & Tezozomoc NRDC announced the winners of the 2013 Growing Green Awards, NRDC’s annual celebration of the nation’s most dynamic food leaders, and I was very lucky to meet them all. Winners include the following, and an NRDC video is below telling their stories. · Young Food Leader Brianna Almaguer Sandoval (PA): addressing food access by infusing urban areas with fresh produce in corner stores. · Food Producer Russ Kremer (MO): tackling antibiotic resistance. · Food Justice Leader Tezozomoc (CA): empowering marginalized communities with sustainable food equity and access projects. · Business Leader Larry Jacobs (CA): championing business innovation in toxic-free organic agriculture. I asked Larry about some of his latest work, and he's working on Semiochemistry which is finding ways to increase good insects. Additionally, a special NRDC Forces for Nature award was presented by Nell Newman, co-founder and president of Newman’s Own Organics, to Susan Clark, Executive Director of the Columbia Foundation, to honor her career-long efforts to advance the cause of sustainable food and agriculture in California and across the country. Susan has roused a robust and growing philanthropic community around the connections between food, health and the environment for more than two decades. |