“What’s good here?” I asked my friend as we sat down to a crowded and lively brewpub in San Francisco. “Fried brussel sprouts,” she responded. “Excuse me?” My eyebrows shot up and scrunched together as I looked around at this place that believed in white linen table clothes and handpicked, recycled wine bottles for water carafes. This wasn’t the swankiest of restaurants, but it certainly wasn’t a hole-in-the-wall. I opened the menu and sure enough, boasting a central position on the appetizer list were the culprits: fried brussel sprouts. [Note: they were delicious]

Comfort food used to mean eating things that made you feel great emotionally but were probably less beneficial for you physically. Nowadays however, options with a healthier root are taking over the scene, from chips to cocktails.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are all over the place, from fries to pancakes. Thanks to their nutritional value, they make an excellent alternative to recipes with regular potatoes, and foodies (myself included) just can’t get enough. Test them out at home with this recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Fries from EcoSalon’s very own Heather Brubaker.

Kale Chips

I am new to the kale chip fad, but let me tell you, it’s definitely all it’s cracked up to be. Plus, they’re super simple to make and you feel like you’re getting a good dose of junk food; despite chowing down on plenty of vitamins and olive oil. Here’s a quick and easy recipe:

• Tuscan Kale, rinsed and dried. Cut the leaves lengthwise to remove the stems, which give a very bitter taste
• Olive oil
• Sea salt

Place the kale leaves in a boil and toss with olive oil so leaves are fully covered. Place on a baking pan and sprinkle with salt.

Bake at 250°F for about 30-35 minutes until the kale leaves are crispy.

Kombucha Cocktails

I’ve already extensively covered kombucha here on Foodie Underground (in fact, I’m so obsessed with the stuff I could probably write about it every week), but a recent underground trend with the funky drink is turning it into a mixed drink. Here’s a recipe for a Sparkling Mango Margarita that you can’t go wrong with.

• Flesh from 1 mango
• Juice from 1 orange
• 1/2 to 1″³ piece of fresh orange peel (don’t include any of the white pith)”¦ use the larger amount if you really like the orangey flavor of Triple Sec used in margaritas
• 1-1/2 cups dark tequila
• 1 cup or so Kombucha, any flavor (I had guava and ginger flavored on hand, but most any kind will work nicely)
• 2 cups ice

Blend all the ingredients except the kombucha in a blender. Mix in kombucha, serve and call yourself an underground cocktail master.

Pizza

Yes, you read correctly. Even mainstream foods are taking a healthy direction, including the staple of every college all-nighter. Just ask Naked Pizza, a New Orleans based operation that’s in the midst of turning into a national franchise. Attempting to bring health food to the masses, the founders figured there was no better way than with a food that most of us have a hard time giving up, so they consulted biologists and food technologists to come up with the healthiest pie around. Their crusts are made with 12 whole grains, they’ve even got some probiotics, and the ultimate goal is to get people talking about food by using “this pizza to have a larger conversation with you about the food supply,” founder Jeff Leach told the New York Times. Viva la health food revolution.

Do you have a favorite pop up restaurant in your town? Tell us about it! Either in the comments below, or by using #FoodieUnderground on Twitter.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground. Each week, Anna will be taking a look at something new and different that’s taking place in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to culinary avant garde.

Image: elena’s pantry

Mmmm. CANDY! Just smell the bowl full of those darling, little bars of CANDY. Just look at those chewy bites of CANDY!

Now, walk away. That’s right. Walk away and no one will get hurt.

Halloween is really one of the hardest nights to stay disciplined, to focus on staying healthy and stick to your local, organic fare and not endorse one night a year when it’s okay for kids to rot their teeth and poison their bodies with sugar and trans fats.

We get hundreds of visitors to our suburban-esque San Francisco hood and once the bell starts ringing, it tends to get frenetic. You can’t spend the evening just bobbing for organic apples but you can make some changes in your holiday routine.

Here are some good tips for staying focused for a  healthier Halloween:

1. Plan ahead pumpkin head!

Eat a really big, healthy dinner around 5 p.m. Give your kids a good dinner, too. Usually they’re too excited to eat, so just threaten them: No green stuff, no brown stuff. Growing up, we always had chili dogs on Halloween, but no one will eat that anymore. A veggie pizza is yummy and filling, and toss a massive salad for yourself and your friends. And don’t forget, many good foods stem from the pumpkins you carve, i.e. delicious and beneficial dried seeds, soups and desserts. Pumpkin is one of the super foods!

2. Pluck fruits of the vine, Frankenstein

Here’s something novel. Buy healthy treats to give away so if you have a few it won’t hurt: Organic fruit snacks, like the new ones from Amy’s,  Fair Trade organic dark chocolate squares, Z-bars. Don’t get carried away and give out toothbrushes, though. Everybody hates neighbors who give out toothbrushes. They deserve to get tee-peed.

3. Keep a Healthy Stash, Monster Mash

Keep a healthy, beat-the-blues treat aside for yourself, such as an organic dark chocolate bar, a bowl of fresh fruit or popcorn. I don’t know who made up the rule that giving away candy means you can’t snack on healthy treats throughout the night. Popcorn is high in fiber and I like to season mine with a bit of Cayenne pepper. Look out!

4. Slurp to your heart’s desire, thirsty vampire

Drink tons of water all night (from your reusable bottle, of course). Keep a water bottle by the front door, and keep sipping. Staying hydrated is a surefire way to keep up your energy throughout this high energy night, and to keep yourself from eating unhealthy foods that will just make you feel lousy in the morning  – you know, that Halloween hangover.

5. Sit on the porch and stay present

This is a great night to interact with neighbors, neighbors we are usually isolated from during the busy work week. Pull up a chair on the front steps with your bowl of healthy giveaways and haunt your old friends. It’s good for the spirit!

Top image: Doug88888

Image One: Organic Authority