If you are shunning butter and looking for an oil to use for a variety of different cooking purposes as well as to benefit from healthy fats, the following list will serve you well.

I list three main oils as well as a few others that are incredibly versatile, common and cover all your fatty needs. While I am a personal fan of butter, I find that its cooking temperature is quite low and I have trouble cooking certain dishes in the manner I desire. Oil generally has a higher cooking temperature and thus stretches further than butter in the kitchen. Below are great options that keep you satisfied in the kitchen and still fuel your body with healthy fats.

Oils are generally a better alternative to butter for those trying to avoid saturated fats. However, like anything in life: everything in moderation!

These delicious oils uses stretch far and complement just about any dish you have in mind. Keep your portion sizes reasonable and use just enough oil to get the job done without overdoing it. You’ll know the line when you cross it. With that said, enjoy!

Olive Oil 

Olive oil is one of the most versatile of oils. In its unrefined, raw form, olive oil is rich in mono-unsaturated fats and phytochemicals. When put up against other fats, extra-virgin olive oil also showed to give individuals a higher sense of fullness. Olive oil is best consumed cold-pressed. This process creates little heat and thus maintains the nutritional integrity of the oil. That means you should avoid “pure olive oil,” “light olive oil,” or simple “olive oil” labels for maximum flavor and nutrition, at least when eating it cold. If you are heating the oil, a pure variation is enough, as using a high-quality oil wouldn’t make much of a difference since the heat will biochemically compromise its nutritional composition anyway.

Best when: raw or lightly cooked.

Canola Oil

This oil is a great source of essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which your body cannot make on its own. Canola oil is great for cooking and can resist heat very well. Omega-6 fatty acids are harder to come by, and striking a proper balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is a key to keeping health in check.

Best when: cooking with high heat, saving money

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has been written about extensively these days, and for good reason. Coconut is high in saturated fat, but not that kind that will clog your arteries and negatively affect your health. In fact, coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides that are shorter than those found in animal fats. Because of this, your body can metabolize them efficiently and not store them in the body. Other benefits are on account of its lauric, caprylic and capric acid content. Lauric acid fights off bacteria and viruses. Caprylic acid contributes to healthy digestion and balances gut bacteria. Capric acid has anti-microbial and anti-viral properties.

Best when: replacing butter, cooking with high heat, raw, looking for a unique aftertaste

Other Oils

Take your cooking to the next level by using any of the following oils: safflower, avocado, sesame, sunflower, grape seed, and almond oil. These alternative vegetable oils are high in polyunsaturated fats, which can lower blood cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease. They may be more expensive, but they are always fun to work with now and then.

Best when: splurging money, looking for a fun alternative

Related on EcoSalon

20 Unusual Uses for Olive Oil

Is Coconut Oil Good for Your Skin or Just a Pain in Your Pores?

20 Foods to Banish Belly Fat

Photo Credit: horaceko

The post Healthy Fats: A Guide to Smart Cooking Oil Choices appeared first on EcoSalon.

Keeping a well-stocked food pantry isn’t just beneficial to your cooking, it can also help in cleaning and other domestic uses. Here are six common food pantry items that you can easily use to do many other things with that aren’t food related.

1. Baking Soda

Baking soda is a wonder ingredient when it comes to the home. Well known as a non-toxic cleaning agent, it’s often used as an odor neutralizer. You can also use it to make your own toothpaste and as a freshener when you wash clothes and linens. Coffee and tea stained all of your mugs? Wash them with baking soda, or soak them overnight.

2. Coffee

Don’t get rid of those coffee grounds; they improve your compost, give you shiny hair and even help to exfoliate your skin. You can easily make your own exfoliating scrub by mixing a tablespoon of coffee grounds with half a tablespoon of olive oil. For an invigorating touch, add in a drop of your favorite essential oil.

3. Vinegar

If you’re looking for a natural hair conditioner, look no further than your pantry for apple cider vinegar, which you can use as a rinse for your hair. White vinegar works well as a fabric softener and is also commonly used as a non-toxic cleaner around the home. Just use a half water/half vinegar solution to clean down surfaces.

4. Olive Oil

Besides being an excellent addition to food, olive oil has a multitude of uses. It works as a natural eye makeup remover, shoe polish and even bath oil. You can also use it if you’re out of your usual skin moisturizer.

5. Salt

You can use salt to clean out grease stains in the oven, and it also helps to soothe bee stings as well as canker sores and sore throats. Because of its texture, it also works well as an exfoliant. Massage a mixture of salt and olive oil into your skin, leave it on for a few minutes and then wash it off for skin that feels fresh, clean and invigorated.

6. Honey

You can use honey to make your own lip balm. And because it has antiseptic qualities, you can use it to clean cuts and scrapes. It also works well as a moisturizer, which you can easily make at home by mixing a spoonful of honey with two tablespoons of warm water and massaging the mixture into your skin. And it’s nature energy boost. Try a spoonful of honey if you’re lagging.

Related on EcoSalon

20 Unusual Uses for Coconut Oil

20 Unusual Uses for Olive Oil

20 Unusual Uses for Garlic 

Image: Johnny Hughes

The post 6 Food Pantry Items You Can Use Around Your Home & In Your Beauty Routine appeared first on EcoSalon.

Don’t be swayed by commercials, the best rejuvenating hair treatments for shiny, healthy hair are those you can make at home from kitchen ingredients.  Here are 8 of our favorites that you can make at home!

Let’s be honest, your hair requires a little love from time to time to keep it shiny and healthy. But you don’t have to break the bank and buy a ton of salon-grade products to do so. The best hair treatments are those you can make at home in a few easy steps. Plus, by making your own, you know exactly what goes into the mix. Here are our favorite DIY hair treatments that will instantly rejuvenate your hair.

For each treatment, simply mix together and apply starting at the roots and working your way down. Be sure to cover all your hair. Comb through with wide tooth comb, and leave in for 15 – 20 minutes (the longer the better). Wrap hair in shower cap or warm towel to seal in heat. Then cleanse hair as normal.

Making your own hair treatments is better for the environment (and often your wallet). Enjoy and have fun!

1. Avocado and Coconut Milk

Open avocado and remove seed. Mash avocado with fork and slowly add in coconut milk while whisking, until the mixture reaches a conditioner consistency.

2. Eggs and Olive Oil

Crack open 2 – 3 eggs, and beat together. Add in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and mix together. (You might have to shampoo twice to get the egg out, but it’s incredibly moisturizing.)

3. Avocado, Argan Oil, Honey and Tea Tree Oil

Open one avocado, remove seed and mash together with fork.  Add in 2 – 3 tablespoons of argan oil, 2 tablespoons of honey, and 4 drops of tea tree essential oil. Mix together until all blended.

4. Potato, Aloe Vera and Honey

Cook one medium size to large potato (depending on the length of your hair) until potato is soft (usually about 45 minutes at 375 degrees). With a fork mash potato in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of aloe vera (you can use aloe gel or snap some off from your house plants—the fresher the better). Add 1 tablespoon of honey and mix together until all blended.

5.  The Miranda Kerr Special

In an interview with Elle France, Miranda Kerr said she relies on this hair treatment for a healthy shine. “Minimum once a week, I mix both and I leave the mixture on as long as possible. This is a homemade recipe that my mum taught me and I still haven’t found a better one to repair my hair after the shows.” Mix together 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of lemon juice.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil and Cool Water

In a sealable bottle, mix together 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 1/2 cups cool water (the colder the better). Shake together and apply over hair. Don’t fear the smell of this one, the apple cider vinegar vaporizes quickly and doesn’t leave your hair smelling like feet.

7. Rosemary and Olive Oil

Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of dried rosemary into a medium size saucepan and heat until warm. Strain ingredients through a cheesecloth and apply mixture throughout hair.

8. Simply Coconut Oil

This is my tried and true hair care treatment that I use at least once a week. Simply apply virgin coconut oil through hair and comb through. Works like a charm and it’s really simple!

Do you have a secret DIY hair treatment for your hair? Tell us in the comments below!

images: thenailbeautique, JIGGS, boughtbooks, Flооd, mateoruescas, hamad M, Jonathan Cohen, Myra Zafi, Phú Thịnh Co

Related on Ecosalon: 

7 Foods for Shiny, Strong, and Youthful Hair

A Guide to the Most Safe, Eco Friendly Shampoos for All Hair Types

The post 8 Rejuvenating Hair Treatments From Your Kitchen for Shiny, Healthy Hair appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnIs that oil extra virgin or a whore?

“There’s a book you have to read.”

My father was calling me, and with two very well read parents I take their recommendations seriously.

“It’s called Extra Virginity.”

I tried not laugh into the phone. I held it together. “Um, ok…”

“It’s about olive oil.”

Of course.

It’s not everyday your parents tell you to reach for a book with the title Extra Virginity, but given that it was all about olive oil and the olive oil industry, I figured it was worth a try.

There are many food products that we spend a lot of time thinking and about. Wine and cheese immediately come to mind. But olive oil is not really one of them. Despite a tradition as rich, if not more, as wine making, olive oil has gotten the short end of the stick in our specialty foods obsession.

Something you put on salad. Something you drizzle on pasta. If you’re really up on the times, maybe you even bake with it. But as with many products, there is more to olive oil than meets the eye. Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller takes us on an in depth exploration of the world of olive oil, reminding us that the world of craft production and quality goods isn’t always what it seems.

In a day and age where we’re over saturated with words like “local” and “artisan” it’s hard to know what to purchase anymore, and when stores begin touting cold-pressed, extra virgin bottles of green oil, do we really know what we’re buying? We would like to think that we do, but as is clear in Extra Virginity is that things aren’t that simple.

I remember one of my favorite excerpts:

Zaramella laughed his gruff laugh. “I brought the supermarket oil last,” he said, “because it would have ruined your palate for the good ones, as surely as if you’d gargled with cat piss.”

… He pointed the neck of the bottle at me like a gun, then he lifted his glasses to read the label. “It says what every olive oil says: 100 percent Italian, cold-pressed, stone-ground, extra virgin…”

He shook his head, as if unable to believe his eyes. “Extra virgin? What’s this oil got to do with virginity? This is a whore.”

On a quest for olive oils that had more positive connotations, I caught up with Mueller to learn about olive oil, why he wrote the book and tips for choosing good olive oil.

AB: Why olive oil? What inspired you to write this book?

TM: Like so many things in life, olive oil happened to me almost by accident. I’d been living in Italy for over 10 years, surrounded by olive trees, when I had a conversation with my editor at the New Yorker about what I’d write about next. Among the topics we kicked around, olive oil seemed like it had the most promise – a “tasty” assignment, easy and quick. Six years later, I’m still digging, still learning, still being amazed almost daily at the beauty and murk of this storied substance.

AB: In the rise of the artisan craft food movement, do you think that olive oil is getting the attention it deserves?

TM: Yes and no. On the one hand, olive oil has recently seeped into the consciousness of a number of food opinion leaders, chefs, commentators. Consumption is rising swiftly, quality olive oil shops are springing up nationwide. BUT, there’s zero government control of olive oil quality (the FDA has openly abdicated its legal role), and ignorance of what quality olive oil means is still rampant. Lots of bad oil, sometimes adulterated, is being sold as ” extra virgin olive oil” throughout America.

AB: What would be your top three recommendations for picking good olive oil?

TM: 1) Harvest date: must be fresh (within the current harvest year).
2) Who made this, and where? Specific producer and specific location of trees as well as oil-bottling.
3) Mention of specific cultivars (though by no means a guarantee of quality, I’ve found mention of specific olive varieties on the label tends to indicate a more professional/serious oil-maker.

AB: What is the one benefit of olive oil that you discovered while writing the book that surprised you the most?

TM: It’s MAGIC at curing diaper rash: fixed up my baby girl’s cardinal red butt in 1 application!

AB: Do you know of any other industry that is as “scandalous” (in terms of fraud, etc) as olive oil?

TM: The news is full of stories of cheating, in honey, fish, milk, saffron, etc. For me, 1 of the things that makes olive oil fraud so scandalous is that people specifically choose olive oil for health reasons, and yet, if they get an adulterated or low-grade product, they’re being cheated of those. Fact is, though, that olive oil is just the tip of a much bigger iceberg of food fraud: the questions I’m asking about olive oil provenance, authenticity, standards, testing, should be asked about nearly every food in our supermarkets.

AB: How much olive oil do you use yourself on an average day?

TM: An alarming amount. You should see me dress a salad! I can say that our family goes through 1.5 liters of olive oil per week.

AB: Favorite dish with olive oil? 

TM: One of the most delicious and surprising: drizzle a bitter, pungent, dark green olive oil on top of a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Remarkable counterpoint of sweet, bitter & pungent – raises the ice cream to a new power!

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: Truth in Olive Oil

The post Foodie Underground: The Scandalous and Sublime World of Olive Oil appeared first on EcoSalon.

Cauliflower brings the flavor and bulk sans the guilt.

Vegetable casseroles are where it’s at. Because the dish is a casserole, you feel a bit indulgent, which takes care of all those cravings for comfort, while not sidetracking your healthy lifestyle. This recipe calls for cauliflower and red pepper, but I’ve used many different vegetables – mostly root vegetables – in their place, such as broccoli, shredded carrot, celery root, beets, Crimini mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, and artichokes. The only “heavy” ingredient is shredded cheese. Use any raw goat or sheep cheese you can find, and there is no worrying weather your body will be able to process it all.

But today, the focus is on cauliflower, which is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals. It helps protect against free radical damage, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Cauliflower also boosts brain function and because of its fiber content, promotes digestive health.

Cauliflower Casserole

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower head
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup shredded raw goat or sheep cheese

Directions:

Remove the core and stems of the cauliflower so that only the florets and a bit of their stems remain. Remove the inside flesh and seeds from the red pepper, and then chop it finely. Dice the garlic.

In a pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the cauliflower, red pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir for 1 minute and then add the water. Immediately close the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. This allows the cauliflower to steam and soften. After 2 minutes, remove the lid, stir the vegetables, and then transfer them to a casserole dish.

Sprinkle with cheese and place in the oven to broil on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

To share or not to share? Either way, enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Recipe: Cauliflower Casserole appeared first on EcoSalon.

Easy substitutions for a plant-based lifestyle. 

One of the nasty pitfalls of becoming vegan or pursuing a more plant-based, healthy lifestyle is the allure of vegan or low-calorie products. These packaged goods mock the “real” thing with often not so forgiving preservatives, colorants, and other additives. That’s why one of the biggest challenges is finding simple, within-hands-reach ways to replace the most common ingredients with their vegan or healthy (and just-as-real) counterparts.

Brighten your kitchen, nourish your heart, and spread the love with these animal-friendly and nutritional kitchen substitutions.

Eggs

If you aren’t eating an egg-centric dish, chances are that a recipe calling for eggs is looking for either a binding or leavening agent. Eggs are viscous and hold ingredients tightly together, which is why they appear in most baked goods, burgers, and creams. They also help to leaven, or “rise” baked dishes. Depending on what you’re making, the replacement will change accordingly.

To replace one egg in a baked recipe, alternatives that have worked for me in include:

• 1 tablespoon a of ground flaxseed mixed in 3 tablespoons of water and allowed to sit until the mixture thickens
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or potato starch
• 1/2 large banana, mashed, but only for sweet recipes
• 1/4 cup applesauce, but only for sweet recipes

Keep in mind that the replacement should adjust according to the recipe. The flaxseed mixture wouldn’t work in a smooth batter, so opt for another alternative. If the recipe calls for more than two eggs, add some baking powder – 1/2 teaspoon per additional egg – as it will help with the rising effect.

For the pure purpose of binding ingredients in a mixture, the options are wide and varied. Instead of one egg, you could use 1/2 avocado, 2 tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons nut butter, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, or 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast. Anything viscous and thick enough to hold things together without changing the taste will work. The dry replacements work best in mixtures with a liquid element.

Milk

This is probably the easiest of the bunch, because there is a hot market for dairy-free “milk” these days. Peruse the health section aisles at your grocery store and choose from the array of rice, almond, hemp, coconut, and soy milks. Avoid brands with too many additives – sugars, flavoring or preservatives.

Whenever I have the ingredients on hand, I like to make my own almond milk. All you need is 1 cup raw almonds, enough water to soak them in overnight, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and 3 cups water. Soak the almonds in the salt and water overnight. The next day, rinse them and toss into a blender. Blend them with 3 cups of water until thin. Separate the almond milk from its fibers with a cheese cloth. Drink immediately and store in the refrigerator.

Cheese

Dairy cheese can be replaced by any store-bought soy or rice-based cheese, but these often include strange ingredients that are necessary to achieve the same texture, taste, and look of cheese. They are also not much more forgiving in terms of calories and fat.

Luckily, these vegan alternatives make things a bit more interesting and are easy enough to make on the regular:

• white cheese dip
• sweet potato cheese
• basil cashew cheese

Keep in mind that when it comes to cheese, nutritional yeast is your most trusted accomplice. It has a cheesy flavor that, when paired with a creamy base, can mock cheese to the T (or C).

Gelatin

Ever wonder where gelatin comes from? It’s a protein obtained by boiling animal bones, tendons, ligaments, hooves, and skin. Not necessarily the kinds of things you associate with jellied candies, toaster pastries, cereals, and Jell-O.

Alternatives include carrageenan, agar-agar, fruit pectin, and locust bean gum.

Butter

In sweet recipes, you can replace up to 3/4 cup butter with applesauce. Replace the rest with a vegan butter substitution, such as Earth Balance. In cooking, where butter is scant, use a vegan substitution.

Oil

Oil has little benefit when it is cooked, literally, to death. Oil biochemically changes when it is heated, and it loses many of its nutritional benefits. Opt to enjoy oils in their raw, extra-virgin states. The healthiest raw oils include olive oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, walnut oil, sesame oil, flaxseed oil, and peanut oil. When cooking, use coconut oil – it has a high burning temperature and can withstand heat.

Buttermilk

To replace buttermilk, simply combine 1 tablespoon of white vinegar with 1 cup of vegan milk, such as almond, soy, coconut or rice milk.

Sugar

In baked goods, marinades, and sauces, maple syrup is a great replacement for sugar. In fact, I find that it gives the dish a deeper, more complex flavor, making it more unique and enjoyable to eat. You can replace every 1 cup of sugar with 3/4 cup of maple syrup. This requires that you reduce the dominant liquid in the recipe by 2-4 tablespoons, for consistency’s sake. Pick and choose with the liquids – you don’t want to sacrifice an important taste, so don’t reduce the oil or vinegar measurements when you have 2 or 3 cups of milk to take from. To offset maple syrup’s slight acidity, you may choose to add 1/4-1/2 teaspoons of baking soda. If the recipe calls for sour cream, buttermilk, or sour milk, skip the baking soda.

In tea and coffee, there is no need to reach for sugar anymore. Stevia is the only sweetener out there that has a zero-glycemic level and zero calories – to say nothing of its a-little-goes-a-long-way poster child status. Stevia is 300 times sweeter than sugar and if you find a brand that fits your tastes – I am a NuNaturals fan – you won’t be able to leave the house without it! I prefer liquid stevia, because it’s seamless to use and easy to carry around in my purse. A few drops later, and my beverages taste like liquid gold. One 2-ounce bottle tends to last me 3-4 months.

Some manufacturers have come out with powdered versions that can replace sugar in recipes. There are also sugar and powdered stevia mixes that aim to reduce sugar, but not completely nix it.

ALSO CHECK OUT: 

Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Sea Salt

Make Your Own Vegan Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Recipe: Vegan Avocado Alfredo Sauce

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

Images: Furry Scaly, Robert S. Donovan, Tétine, Jeffrey W, MRBECK, Aylin Erman

The post 8 Substitutions for the Most Common Kitchen Ingredients appeared first on EcoSalon.

The tomato comes out of the garden and into a sauce.

One of the best things about summer are the variety of fresh tomatoes that are available at the food markets right now. My favorite tomato is the local Beefsteak tomato. The may look ugly but the taste is rich and flavorful.

I can’t get enough of them so I eat tomatoes almost every day, preferably with just a simple vinaigrette on a slice of homemade sourdough bread topped with mozzarella. The tomatoes are also great in a watermelon salad with feta cheese. Another of my recent favorites is a tomato salad with red onions, celery and middle eastern string cheese. The string cheese is often spiced with black cumin (Nigella sativa) which gives this pleasant cheese an interesting flavor.

As an appetizer, a fresh tomato salsa, spiced with cilantro, chili and garlic is never wrong. If I’m starving and too lazy in the summer heat I turn pretty much the same thing into a cool tomato sauce for pasta.

Fresh Tomato Sauce
(serves two persons)

2 large tomatoes
½ red onion
Fresh chili pepper (amount depends on how spicy you want it)
Plenty of chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar*
3 tablespoons olive oil
A dash of lime juice
One teaspoon mustard
Salt & pepper
Honey (optional)

Topping (suggestions)
Freshly grated Parmesan
Toasted sunflower seeds

Wash the tomatoes and chop them into smaller pieces. Chop the onion and the chili (adjust the strength to your own liking) into tiny tiny bits and pieces. Rinse the basil and chop the leaves roughly. Place all the prepared ingredients in a bowl and squeeze in 1-2 garlic cloves.
Mix together vinegar, olive oil and mustard. Season with lime juice, salt & pepper. If you like you can also add some honey to the dressing but if you are using a sweeter mustard that may not be necessary. Serve this cold tomato sauce on your favorite pasta topped with freshly grated parmesan and toasted sunflower seeds.
Enjoy!

* It works perfectly well with other kinds of vinegar such as balsamic, apple cider or white whine vinegar.

Illustrated Recipe by Johanna Kindvall

The post Recipe: Fresh and Summery Tomato Pasta appeared first on EcoSalon.

All that flavor…all that fat.

Cool Ranch Doritos remind me of those days I’d peer into the bag, desperate to find the chip with thickest layer of spices. It was a game with a sensationally savory reward. Little did I know the nature of the gift – or so I thought it was – that I was really giving my body.

One serving, or 12 chips, of Cool Ranch Doritos contains 150 calories, nearly half –8 grams – which come from fat. It also has 180 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, and only 2 grams of dietary fiber.

The bottom line is that with ingredients such as sodium acetate, artificial color, sodium, caseinate, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and maltodextrin, not only are you stuffing yourself with 16 grams of empty carbs but also you are ingesting a lot of nothing “real.” Some of these synthetic ingredients are just downright dangerous. Doritos contain MSG, which is a flavor enhancer that can trigger headaches, sweating, facial pressure or tightness, a rapid or fluttering heartbeat, chest pain, nausea, and weakness.

The following recipe starts from scratch, using simple ingredients that pack a serious flavor punch. With the right combination of spices and a few minutes to spare, you’ve got yourself a bottomless bowl of your favorite chips. Enjoy!

Homemade Spicy Cool-Ranch Doritos

Servings vary

Ingredients:

1 large potato or 2 small potatoes (white or sweet)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Slice the potatoes into thin strips, just thick enough so they are not transparent.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the spices and mix.

Add the sliced potatoes to the spice bowl and toss until all sides of each potato slice are evenly covered.

On a greased baking sheet place potato slices side by side, each with its own place so that they bake evenly and to a crisp. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and place in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 40 minutes or until the potatoes have crisped, but not burned.

Enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Revamping Doritos appeared first on EcoSalon.

Create a new summer food staple to add to the family recipe archives.

Zucchini is a summer staple in my kitchen. It’s light and versatile. I like to pair it with Italian flavors, such as goat cheese, tomatoes, and basil, and create unique variations of antipasti. This recipe bakes zucchini slices and rolls them around in basil and sun-dried tomato while being mixed into soft goat cheese. The result is a poppin’ appetizer or snack.

And you’re getting more than just a delectable, bite-sized treat. Zucchini is a powerhouse of nutrition. It contains only 36 calories per one cup and improves digestion, prevents cancer, lowers cholesterol, is anti-inflammatory, reduces blood pressure, and contributes to vibrant and glowing skin.

But, don’t take my word for it. Incorporate zucchini into your diet and see for yourself – starting with this recipe!

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Sliders

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchini
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Dash of sea salt
• 3 ounces soft goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Dash of salt and pepper
• Dried mint for garnish

Directions:

Slice along the length of the zucchinis, cutting pieces 1/4-inch thick. Layer them on a greased baking sheet, season with sea salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until the zucchini is elastic, able to bend freely without falling apart. You could alternatively grill the pieces, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side.

While the zucchini is cooking, in a small bowl combine the goat cheese basil, and sun dried tomatoes. Mix until evenly combined.

When the zucchini has finished cooking, place 1-2 teaspoons of the goat cheese mixture on the end of each piece. Roll the zucchini unto itself, starting with the goat cheese side.

Serve with a garnish of fresh or dried basil, mint, or oregano. Enjoy!

Bon Appetit!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Recipe: Zucchini and Goat Cheese Sliders appeared first on EcoSalon.

Define “ethical food.”

The further food has to travel, the worse it is for the environment, right? It’s the reason we equate shopping locally with being ethical. Problem is – it’s rarely that simple. As Robin McKie outlined at the Guardian back in 2008, it’s quite possible for air-freighted food to be greener than locally-sourced produce – so working out which is more ethical can be tricky, to say the least.

Part of the issue is what constitutes “ethical.” Are we talking about nothing but carbon footprints, or are we factoring in the human cost? After all, the positive economic impact on local businesses is part of the argument for shopping locally – so could the reverse be true? Could there be a situation where the right thing to do is ship food in from elsewhere?

That could be the case with Greece, as Adam Davidson suggested at the New York Times this week. EU law stipulates that for feta cheese to be legally permitted to carry the name, it must come from Greece. That hasn’t stopped other countries producing their own carefully rebranded feta-clones, of course – but since the luxury food market is all about authenticity, Greece has an opportunity to make a dent in its formidable economic deficit.  It could export of its most famous – and uniquely branded –  foodstuffs, from feta to Kalamata olives to the regional olive oils still regarded as the world’s finest, and it could do so at luxury-goods prices. In doing so, it would improve the lives of countless Greek workers, many of which are already turning back to the land to make their living…

What’s wrong with this picture? Greece’s regulatory infrastructure is shambolic, corruption remains a major issue (so some of that money would inevitably be creamed off the top by the unscrupulous) and this potential “agricultural revolution” requires solidarity and a leader – but as Davidson suggests, it’s tantalizing that part of the solution to Greece’s current woes could come from the very things it’s been doing so well for thousands of years.

If we decide burning extra carbon to help a beleaguered country is the ethical thing to do, of course.

Image: Linda Cronin

The post Local Food Is Ethical? Tell That To Greece appeared first on EcoSalon.