Earth Day Eats

About author / Sarah Christine Bolton

Coffee addict; professional food writer; food fusion. Her slow cooker recipes go above and beyond your normal crockpot fare.

One of my coworkers refers to me as the “hippie” of the office, mostly because I am from California and eat strange things like tofu and bok choy. I do eat healthy (although I don’t think that qualifies me as a hippie), but it’s not really my fault that I’m a health food nut.

The very day after I got my driver’s license, my mother handed me the keys to her forest green minivan and gave me a grocery list. I thought getting my license would allow me visits to the local coffee shop whenever I wanted, Saturday lunch with college friends, and never having to wait three hours after ballet for a ride. She thought it meant her days of playing caddy for my numerous siblings and making grocery store runs was at an end.

As was mostly the case at age 16, my mom’s opinion outweighed mine. I spent many hours pushing a grocery cart in the local organic foods supermarket. With a grocery list in one hand and my mom’s credit card in the other, I had no qualms about racking up a $300 grocery bill in one cart. It was, after all, organic.

Because of my early experiences with buying organic food with someone else’s money, I was in for a reality check when it came time for me to buy my own groceries. I realized that I couldn’t afford to pay my rent and eat all organic foods. Something had to give.

Just the other day, I met a friend for an after-dinner drink. When she wasn’t flirting with the bartender (he ignored me; he must have noticed my wedding ring before he noticed how hot I was), we talked about everything from psycho bosses to PETA. We both lamented about how expensive it would be to eat entirely organic. Then we griped about how we were probably taking years off our lives by eating commercially-grown food.

Then, she said something that really made sense to me. She said that anytime she was going to eat the skin of something, like a tomato or lettuce, she would buy organic. Anything that could be peeled, she would buy commercial.

It made me realize that the most important thing is to find a balance in the foods we buy. If you can afford to buy all organic and choose to do so, more power to you. But if you aren’t able to, the important thing is to make as many healthy choices as you can. Even at Super Wal-Mart, which is where I currently shop, you can make choices to buy whole grains, lean meats, and fresh vegetables. (They even have a few organic options).

April 22 is Earth Day. To most of us, Earth Day is something that came out those crazy 1970s. But the original intention of Earth Day was to educate people about the impact that they have on the environment. So, on Earth Day this year, take a moment to evaluate your shopping habits.

Try to choose foods in their most simple forms. For example, instead of buying baked beans in a can, which are full of sugar and preservatives, pick up a package of dried, uncooked beans, and make your own recipe. Not only is it much cheaper, but you can control how much salt and sugar is in the food.

Choose pastas, breads, and cereals that are high in fiber and low in sugar. Avoid the boxed pastas and rice, and just buy the plain grains. Again, it’s all about controlling the amount of extra stuff that goes into what you are cooking. You can’t do that if everything is already pre-mixed.

And have a Happy Earth Day.

Serves/Makes: 6

• 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 pounds well trimmed boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper (more if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14.5 ounce size) beef broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 cup dried apricots
• hot cooked couscous or rice
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
• orange peel curl, optional