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I just finished taking a fabulous 5 session GMO activist training with Jeffrey Smith. He’s so knowledgeable about GMO’s and about how to pass along the information about them in an empowering way.  This year the focus is to reach the tipping point where consumers outright reject GMO’s.  Monsanto would like us to just eat organic foods to avoid GMO’s but what will really make an impact is when we are telling the processed food companies that we will not eat there products until they are GMO free.  See our ‘What You Can Do’ page for the phone numbers of the Frankenfood Fifteen, https://www.momsforsafefood.org/What_we_can_do.html

They can make their same products, in exactly the same way but without the GMO ingredients. Since I don’t what my kids to be the lab rats for the untested GMO food, I am boycotting any processed foods until they no longer use any GMO ingredients. If we hit them in their profit margin, they will pay attention!

Here’s an article from Jeffrey Smith, posted with permission.

Mom

It’s time to reclaim a food supply without dangerous genetically modified organisms (GMOs). And we can do it—together.

When European consumers said no to GMOs, the food companies kicked them out. As more and more US consumers rejected GM bovine growth hormone, most dairies and brands, including Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Kroger, Dannon, and Yoplait, responded.

No we are joining forces nationwide in the Campaign for Healthier Eating in America—designed to achieve the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMO to force them out of the market.

October is Non-GMO Month and 10-10-10 is Non-GMO Day. Between now and then, we will send out a series of articles you won’t want to miss.

Find out:

•About the serious documented health risks of genetically modified (GM) foods.

•Why children and pregnant mothers are most at risk.

•How scientists who uncovered these findings were threatened, vilified, and fired.

•About the sneaky ways the industry scientists rig their research to avoid problems.

•The way the biotech industry hijacked the FDA and regulators worldwide, and ignored the warnings of their own scientists about GMO health risks.

•Which brands are non-GMO, so you can protect yourself and your family.

•What you can do to make this campaign go viral.

•Why even 5% of US consumers choosing healthier non-GMO brands could achieve a tipping point, eliminating GMOs for the rest of the nation.

After you read these articles, please pass them onto your entire network, and encourage them to do the same.

It is past time for us to look to the government to bail us out of this mess. We are on the top of the food chain, and we can make things happen—together.

Safe eating.

Jeffrey M. Smith

To learn more about the health dangers of GMOs, and what you can do to help end the genetic engineering of our food supply, visit www.ResponsibleTechnology.org.

To learn how to choose healthier non-GMO brands, visit www.NonGMOShoppingGuide.com.

International bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey Smith is the leading spokesperson on the health dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods. His first book, Seeds of Deception, is the world’s bestselling and #1 rated book on the topic. His second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, provides overwhelming evidence that GMOs are unsafe and should never have been introduced. Mr. Smith is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, whose Campaign for Healthier Eating in America is designed to create the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs, forcing them out of our food supply. Watch the free online video today, for the big picture.

Read more great, Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-september-17th/

Read more great, Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/09/pennywise-platter-thursday-916.html

Read more great, Real Food Wednesday posts here:  http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/09/real-food-wednesday-91510.html

You can buy Genetic Roulette by Jeffrey Smith, at Amazon, link below. Highly Recommended!

We’ve had a great bumper crop of tomato’s this year, so I pulled this recipe out of my files.  We’ve made it every summer for a number of years now and it’s always a treat.

Ingredients:

• 6 tlbs. Organic Olive Oil

• 1 medium organic Onion cut into 1/4-inch slices

• 1 medium organic carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

• Celtic salt or sea salt and fresh cracked organic pepper to taste

• Hot Pepper flakes to taste (optional)

• 5 cloves organic garlic, chopped

• 4 pounds ripe, fragrant organic heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch wedges

• 1/4 C chopped organic Basil

Preparation:

Heat large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.

Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the onion, and carrot and season with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes. Cover and gently cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Cover again and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are very juicy, 10-15 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.

Add the basil and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in remaining Olive Oil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. If it’s too acidic, you can add a pinch of rapadura, if it’s too sweet a drop of red wine vinegar.

If you would like a thicker sauce cook down until it reaches the desired consistency.

Serve over any type of pasta – we use organic whole wheat or organic rice pasta –  and enjoy!

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here:  http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-september-10th/

Read more, great, Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here:  http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/09/pennywise-platter-thursday-99.html

Read more great, Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/09/real-food-wednesday-9810.html

Curried Lamb Burgers with Mint Raita

We bought some wonderful grassfed ground lamb and as we love Indian flavors we decided to try these burgers. They were amazing. My husband said it was his favorite burger ever. They were easy to make and delicious too.

Makes 6 Burgers

Ingredients:

Raita

    * 1 cup organic plain whole-milk yogurt (preferably Greek-style)

    * 3 tablespoons chopped fresh organic mint

    * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh organic cilantro

    * 1 1/4 teaspoons finely grated organic lime peel

    * Coarse kosher salt

Burgers

    * 2 tablespoons organic olive oil

    * 1 1/4 cups chopped organic onion

    * 1 teaspoon coarse celtic or kosher salt

    * 2 teaspoons organic curry powder, mild or spicy, your choice

    * 1 3/4 pounds ground pastured, grassfed lamb

    * 3 tablespoons chopped fresh organic cilantro

    * 1 teaspoon organic black pepper

Preparation:

Raita

    *Mix yogurt, mint, cilantro, and lime peel in small bowl. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Cover; chill until cold, at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Burgers:

    * Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Sauté until onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Mix in curry powder and stir 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Cool onion mixture to room temperature, at least 15 minutes.

    *Place lamb in large bowl. Add onion mixture, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, cilantro, and 1 teaspoon cracked pepper. Blend mixture gently; shape into six 1/2-inch-thick patties.

    *Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place burgers on grill. Cook until grill marks appear, about 4 minutes. Turn burgers over. Cook burgers to desired doneness, about 4 minutes for medium-rare.

    *Serve with rice, pita bread or even a bun, with the Riata on top, or on the side as you prefer. Enjoy!

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here:  http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-september-3rd/

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/09/pennywise-platter-thursday-92-2.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/09/real-food-wednesday-9110.html

We belong to a CSA and get a wonderful box of fruit and vegetables from a local farm all year long, so I haven’t been to our local farmers market in a while.

We decided to go a few weeks ago to pick up some summer fruit and see what else was around and when we got there I was astounded; it was easily double the size of last summer.  There were a lot more booths including one selling grass fed meat, it was wonderful.

One of the long time sellers at the market, Eva, has always had the most wonderful fruit and vegetables.  She and her husband sell everything from peaches and plums to apple and persimmons and they are always wonderful, as well as organic.  This time when we went to Eva’s booth she had ‘Non-GMO’ added to every one of her signs, and was telling all her customers that her produce was Non-GMO.  I was so happy to see that she was making so many people aware of what GMO’s are, to me that’s been a big part of the battle, that so many people don’t even know what GMO’s are.

This past weekend we went back and I gave Eva 50 flyers I had from the Institute of Responsible Technology on GMO health risks. You can get a free copy and you can print and distribute them for free at: http://www.seedsofdeception.com/utility/showPage/index.cfm?objectID=gmfree,5176

Or:

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/documentFiles/140.pdf?

If the download links don’t work, find it here:

http://www.seedsofdeception.com/GMFree/SpreadtheWord/HealthRisksBrochure/index.cfm

So this weeks post is about how powerful it is to educate people about GMO’s. It’s time to let everyone know and get them out of our food supply. We did it with rbGH in milk, we can do it with GMO’s in our seeds and food.

And don’t forget to visit your local farmers market. 🙂

Here’s a great video by Jeffrey Smith about the tipping point and how we can see an end to GMO’s in our food supply.

Read more great, Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-august-27th/

Read more great, Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here:  http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/pennywise-platter-826.html

Read more great, Real Food Wednesday post here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/08/real-food-wednesday-82510.html

Grass fed beef is much better for us to eat. Most commercial beef is only raised on grass for a short time (if at all) and then confined and fed grains. Cow are herbivores, and they tend to get sick on a grain diet which then leads to them being given antibiotics, which it seems like we also get through the meat.

Grass fed beef is also more nutritious.  It’s got a lot of beta carotene, vitamins A and E and it’s a natural source of omega 3 fats high in CLA.  CLA  (conjugated linoleic acid) is a good fat that has many great health benefits.  They have been shown to be good for your heart, brain and there are studies showing that they may reduce the risk of cancer. In a study in Finland, women who had the highest levels of CLA in their diet, had a 60 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels of CLA.  It’s also a leaner meat with a wonderful true beef taste. 

When we first started cooking grass fed beef it was a challenge. As it’s lean it can dry out if you overcook it.  Stanley Fishman’s book Tender Grassfed Beef, link below, made a huge difference for us. Every recipe I’ve tried out of the book has been wonderful and now that I understand how to cook grass fed beef I experimented with this recipe.  It turned out great and is our favorite way to make burgers.

It’s a simple recipe and the measurements are approximate.

1 lb. Organic Grass fed Ground Beef

1/2 – 1 small organic onion

½ tsp. celtic sea salt

½ tsp. organic black pepper

I usually take the beef out of the refrigerator about a hour before I plan to cook it, it makes it easier to mix in the onion, especially if you use your hands like I do.

Grate the onion into a bowl, add the beef and the salt and pepper. Mix well and form into 3 or 4 patties as desires.  You can grill them or pan fry them, about 3-4 minutes per side until they are done to your preference.  They are so flavorful that we don’t eat them on buns; just a little organic Catsup if you like it and they are delicious. Enjoy!

For other great grass fed meat recipes, I highly recommend Stanley’s book, Tender Grassfed Beef.

There’s a link to it, below.

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-august-20th/

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here:  http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/pennywise-platter-thursday-819.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/08/real-food-wednesday-81810.html

I’ve never made duck before but have loved it the few times I’ve eaten it out. I thought it would be hard to make so I was hesitant to try it, but this was fairly easy. I found a great source for pastured skin on duck breast, and made this recipe. It was great and my husband who’s never eaten duck before really liked it as well.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

1 cup organic soy sauce

1 cup Sherry

4 6-ounce pastured duck breast halves – with skin on

12 frozen organic sweet cherries, thawed, halved

1 cup organic chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 cup organic beef stock, preferably homemade

1/2 cup ruby (or tawny) Port

1 fresh thyme sprig

1 teaspoon organic cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons water – you could also use arrowroot powder

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) organic/pastured butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, room temperature

Whisk soy sauce and Sherry in medium bowl to blend. Using sharp knife, make diagonal cuts at 1/2-inch intervals in duck skin (not through meat). Place duck, skin side up, in glass baking dish. Pour marinade over. Cover duck with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

Bring cherries, chicken stock, beef stock, Port and thyme sprig to boil in heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 – 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat heavy large skillet – I used cast iron –  over medium heat. Remove duck from marinade. Add duck breasts, skin side down, to skillet. Cook until skin is crispy, about 10 minutes. Turn duck over and continue cooking to desired doneness, about 5 minutes for medium. Transfer duck to work surface.

Add cornstarch mixture to Port-cherry sauce. Bring to simmer, whisking constantly. Add butter 1 piece at a time, whisking until butter is melted before adding next piece. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice duck breasts thinly on diagonal and fan out on plates. Spoon Port-cherry sauce over duck and serve.   Enjoy!

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-august-13th/

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/pennywise-platter-thursday-8.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/08/real-food-wednesday-81110.html

We bought a peach tree a few years ago.  Last summer we didn’t get any fruit, but this year we got 40-50 small peaches. They were not the sweetest, even when ripe, but they were ours, so I decided to peel and freeze them to use in recipes.  I used sucanat and whole wheat flour and it turned out great.

Filling

3/4 cup organic sugar or sucanat

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

3/4 teaspoon ground organic cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground organic cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground organic nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh organic lemon juice

3 3/4 to 4 pounds organic peaches, peeled with vegetable peeler, halved, pitted, cut into 1-inch wedges

Crumble Topping

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic whole wheat or unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned organic oats

1/3 cup cup sucanat  or organic brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) organic butter at room temperature.

3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Stir flour, oats, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture holds together in moist clumps.

Mix in pecans. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

Stir sugar and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in lemon juice, then peaches; toss. Let stand at least 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Set rack at lowest position in oven. Slide foil-lined baking sheet under rack onto oven floor (to catch any drips). Preheat oven to 350°F. Spoon filling into either deep dish pie plate or round deep casserole. Scatter topping over, breaking up large clumps.

Bake pie 30 – 40 minutes. Bake until juices bubble thickly and topping is golden. Cool on rack at least 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.  It’s delicious with homemade whipped cream or raw milk ice cream.

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/pennywise-platter-thursday-85.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/08/real-food-wednesday-8410.html

I’ve made this recipe a number of times now, and it always turns out great.  It’s wonderful served with organic whole wheat (or rice) pasta and organic spaghetti sauce, but they are delicious on their own as well.  It’s fairly quick to make and nice enough to serve to company. Enjoy!

Organic Meatballs

Ingredients

    * 1 pound organic, grass fed ground beef

    * 4 ounces dried bread crumbs – you can use organic whole wheat bread, dried or toasted and ground

    * 4 large organic, pastured eggs

    * 4 ounces whole raw milk

    * 6 ounces grated Romano, Parmesan or a blend of the two

    * 3 ounces grated organic Spanish onion

    * 2 ounces finely diced organic fresh garlic

    * 2 ounces finely chopped organic fresh Italian parsley leaves

    * 2 ounces finely chopped organic fresh basil leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose add more bread crumbs.

Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper and then sprayed with an olive oil cooking spray. Place into preheated oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Read more great, Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-july-30th/

Read more great, Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/07/pennywise-platter-thursday-729.html

Read more great, Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/07/real-food-wednesday-72810.html

Today we have a wonderful guest post by Edwin Shank – Mom

Hello Friends,

Okay, so last week’s Fresh Thoughts on Fresh Food stirred your thinking a little.  Many of you liked it and passed it on to friends, but some of you had further questions… questions particularly about the ‘building of immunity’ approach to health instead of ‘kill all bacteria’ approach to health. Permit me to explain a little further.

As I stated last week, these are my answers, not necessarily the answer or your answers.

Let’s start with an analogy. According to the CDC, there are nearly 3800 drowning deaths per year in USA. That works out to a little more than 10 deaths by drowning per day. For every death caused by drowning there are another 4 near-drownings involving hospitalization, and many times permanent brain damage.

These are sobering facts. This is reality for some families somewhere in America every day. It is only normal for parents and others who care for the health and well being of our communities to ask the obvious question. What can we do to protect ourselves and our loved ones from a similar tragedy?

Since all drowning occurs in water, we might quite logically conclude that water is the enemy and that the best preventive would be to prohibit people from getting into water. Make laws. Pass regulations. Establish a Federal Drowning Prevention agency to enforce the laws. The FDP would arrest anyone who dared to violate the law which obviously was established for public welfare.

You see where I’m going with this. The alternative drowning prevention is to learn to swim and to teach your children to swim. The ability to swim makes you and your loved ones practically immune to drowning while avoiding water like the plague only leaves your family more vulnerable. More vulnerable since you can be sure that sometime in your life, in spite of your best attempts, and those of the FDP, you or your children will find yourselves unexpectedly in water without the least idea how to save yourselves.

Swimming does not make one 100% immune to drowning of course, so the FDP will always publicize a few highly emotional stories per year (complete with videos) in which those who were experienced swimmers still drowned. Parents who dared to risk their children’s lives by attempting to teach them to swim could be prosecuted for willful endangerment and their children taken from them. After all, they were willfully, carelessly, callously ignoring data from the CDC which irrefutably documents thousands of deaths per year caused by water.

I know this analogy is not perfect, so don’t drag me through the coals to tell me so, but there are many parallels.

About 5000 people die per year in America of food borne illness. These also are sobering facts.  And it is only normal for parents and others to ask the obvious question. What can we do to protect ourselves?

Many well-meaning people have concluded that bacteria are the enemy and so have set out to kill… set out to sterilize themselves and their environment. Kill all the bacteria! Fight BAC!  Buy Purell… put a dispenser in every room. Get antibacterial soap. Anti-biotics for every sniffle. Outlaw unpasteurized cider. Pasteurize nuts and almonds too. Outlaw raw milk and raw milk cheeses. These foods may contain pathogens!

There is only one problem with these bacteriaphobic actions and reactions. In spite of our best attempts, in spite of living in constant fear of the microbe and in spite of government efforts to pass food safety regulation… If we chose to live this way, we and our children will someday find that a stray bacterium has penetrated into our sterile bubble… and our artificially protected, flabby immune systems will have no defense against it.

The alternative defense against foodborne illness is to embrace bacteria as a part of a larger eco-system within which we humans try to integrate ourselves.  We focus on life instead of killing. Pro-biotic instead of Anti-biotic. This is what raw milk, raw kefir and raw cheese and raw kombucha tea are all about… building immunity and health!  We learn to swim and teach our children to swim.  Instead of fearing the water we relax and enjoy life as God created it!  We embrace living whole foods. Whole foods full of immunity building probiotic bacteria, living foods full of nutrient absorbing living enzymes. Whole living foods full of unadulterated, unprocessed, unmessed-with, cell-nourishing, cell-repairing raw fats and protein.

Only living foods give life. Only living foods full of a diversity of natural microflora from our local, natural environment can provide the education and information that our immune systems desperately need to actually protect us as God designed it.

God has designed the entire eco-system to live in harmony with bacteria. The sooner we drop our hubris and accept this humbling fact the wiser we will be.

God bless you all,

Edwin Shank

FDA Disclosure Statements

•Edwin Shank is an organic dairy and chicken farmer, not a health professional.

•If it is a medical opinion you seek, by all means, call a doctor (maybe two or three!)

•This information is intended to challenge, or even provoke you to explore beyond the conventional food and health system.

•Please Note: Any statements or claims about the possible health benefits conferred by any foods or supplements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

You can find Edwin’s website here:  http://www.yourfamilycow.com/  – new website will be up shortly!

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-july-16th/

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/07/pennywise-platter-thursday-715.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/07/real-food-wednesday-71410.html

As I’m feeding 3 hungry teenage boys, I look for filling side dishes and this was a great one. I’ve made it a few times now and it’s the most requested dish these days and easy to make as well.  Trader Joe’s has a really nice organic pickle relish and an organic yellow mustard, both were a great addition.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

* 2 – 3 pounds young organic potatoes, yellow or red,  sliced or cubed

* 2 ribs organic  celery, finely chopped

* 1/2 small to medium organic yellow or sweet onion, finely chopped

* 3 tablespoons organic sweet pickle relish

* 1/3 cup organic, preferably homemade, mayonnaise  

* 3 tablespoons organic yellow mustard

* Celtic or sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Boil potatoes in salted water 10 to 12 minutes, or until just tender. Drain the potatoes and spread out onto a cookie sheet to cool quickly, about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine celery, onion, relish, mayonnaise and mustard. Combine cooled potatoes with other ingredients.

Mix well and season with salt and pepper.  Chill in the refrigerator until just before serving.

Read more, great Fight Back Friday post here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-july-9th/

Read more, great Wholesome Whole Foods posts here: http://healthfoodlover.com/hfl/2010/07/wholesome-foods-7-july-9th/

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/07/pennywise-platter-thursday-78-2.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/07/real-food-wednesday-7710.html