The other day, I pulled my bicycle up to one of those nouvelle food trucks that are all the rage in these parts and ordered myself a delicious, healthy, organic falafel. While a group of us was standing on the sidewalk devouring our lunches, impromptu conversations among strangers just naturally started. I ended up talking to the guy who ordered just after me. We chatted throughout our lunches before sharing a cordial goodbye.

I thought later: “That was revolutionary. This is not something that happens in a …

Tags: co-ops , community groups , community housing , community resources , community solutions , cooperative housing , coops , home sharing , housing coops , sharing network

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It’s soup weather again. High protein, tasty lentils make an eco-friendly and satisfying meatless meal. Plenty of vegetables make this soup balanced. And lentils don’t take long to cook, so this can even work as a weeknight dinner. The lemon and spinach give this soup a bit of a Mediterranean flair. If you like, it’s nice garnished with a sprinkle of feta or other Greek cheese.

This recipe makes a pretty large batch of soup so you can take the leftovers to work the following day. If …

Tags: healthy , legume soups , low fat , organic foods , organic recipes , quick and easy cooking , recipes , vegan cooking , vegan recipes , vegetarian recipes , winter recipes

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I’ll never forget the time I first tried an Odwalla tangerine juice. It was back when tangerine juice was a seasonal offering, during a short window of time in January and February.

I’d just finished a long uphill walk on an unusually warm winter day in San Francisco, and that bottle of juice was manna for my thirsty body.

Then Coke bought Odwalla and seasonality went out the window, along with the pure natural taste of unadulterated juice. Now, if you could find a plain Odwalla tangerine juice not all dolled up …

Tags: corporate organic brands , follow the money , food marketing tactics , good organic brands , independent organic brands , organic and natural foods , who owns organic?

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In conjunction with a new report called State of Seafood, Monterey Bay Aquarium has issued a new “Super Green List” of seafood options that are good for both environmental and human health.

The “Super Eight”, as I’m calling them, are low in environmental toxins, high in Omega -3s and farmed or caught in ways that have a low impact on the environment.

Not long ago, here at EcoSalon, I listed my own personal list of 11 sustainable seafood options. It’s interesting to see the …

Tags: buying seafood , cooking seafood , finding sustainable seafood , healthy seafood , how to cook seafood , how to find sustainable seafood , ocean-friendly seafood , seafood recipes , super green list , sustainable seafood

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Wanna be happy and kick Prozac to the curb? Start eating your fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains, beans, fish and olive oil. We’ve long known that a Mediterranean diet is good for the heart, but it turns out it’s also good for the mood.

In a study published earlier this month, Spanish researchers looked at the diets of 10,000 people and found those who mainly ate a Mediterranean diet had lower depression rates than those who did not. The study compiled data from Spanish people who reported their …

Tags: depression , fighting depression with food , fighting depression without medication , food , food and depression , healthy foods , healthy whole grains , Mediterranean diet , mood , natural remedies for depression

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It’s already blustery and rainy in Northern California so it’s time to break out the cold weather recipes. Here’s a healthy, easy, customizable vegetarian or vegan minestrone that allows you to use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Beans make it a stick-to-your-ribs and healthy winter meal.

The beans can cook unattended, leaving you free for other tasks. You can cook the beans ahead and refrigerate them in their cooking liquid for up to 4 days. The soup can be finished quickly and easily on the day you plan to serve …

Tags: how to cook dried beans , how to use dried beans , seasonal vegan recipes , seasonal vegetable recipes , vegan recipes , vegetable minestrone , vegetarian bean recipes , vegetarian fall recipes , vegetarian recipes , vegetarian soups

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On the heels of the devastating article in the New York Times about a young woman who paid dearly for the horrifying practices and lack of oversight in the meat industry, the Center for Science in the Public Interest released a list of the top 10 riskiest foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Some of your favorite foods are on this list, including ice cream, berries and leafy greens, with tuna being the most surprising culprit. Though meat contains some of the most virulent …

Tags: E. coli , ecoli , food poisoning , food politics , food regulations , hamburger , salmonella

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Fall is in the air and my cooking thoughts always turn to simmered meats and vegetables, with lots of warm, spicy layers of flavor. It’s also the time of year to carve our pumpkins in preparation for the ghouls and goblins. Don’t waste your pumpkin seeds! Dry them in the sun and then use them for this authentic Mexican green molé sauce. Of course you can buy them, too.

Toasting the ingredients in a dry skillet is essential for coaxing out the complex flavors of the vegetables, spices and seeds. If …

Tags: authentic Mexican cooking , fall favorites , Mexican cooking , Mexican recipes , spicy Mexican sauces , vegetarian recipes

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Since participating in and blogging about The San Francisco Food Bank’s Hunger Challenge for 7 days in September, I’m more acutely aware of hunger – both its prevalence and its unpleasantness.

People have always been hungry in America, but as more people are thrown out of work, hunger is increasing. A record number of people are applying for food stamps. More than 35 million people in America now receive food stamps. That’s 1 in 9 Americans.

There are many people who make just slightly more than the …

Tags: food banks , hunger in America , hunger problem , hunger solutions , increase in hunger , solving hunger , surplus food

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