Massaged Kale Salad with Pomegranate & Apple

How to Buy Sustainable Fish & Seafood

Wondering how to buy sustainable fish or sustainable seafood but not sure where to start? Here’s a quick guide to get educated fast.

Is eating sustainable fish and seafood something you’re interested in? The hard part is that once you get to the grocery store, there are so many options and labels that it’s completely overwhelming. Is farmed fish sustainable fish, or should it all be wild caught? What about fresh fish versus frozen: what’s better? Are there types of fish I should avoid?

Alex and I have been eating most vegetarian for the past 10 years (and most of the recipes in this space are vegetarian), but we do occasionally eat sustainable fish or meat. The thing is, we realized there were still some intricacies about buying sustainable fish and seafood that we didn’t understand. Since Alex and I wanted to learn more, we figured you might want to hear it too! So, we’ve called in an expert to set us straight: and luckily, we happen to have a friend who’s an expert on the subject. He’s JD Schuyler, director of the documentary Last Man Fishing (Spring 2019) and face behind Skyler Creative, who’s spent the last 3 years of his life researching this topic. We caught up with JD to ask him about all things sustainable fish and seafood, and his answers are simple, straightforward and insightful.

What are things to look for when buying sustainable fish / sustainable seafood?

Buying sustainable fish and seafood can feel overhwhelming, but there are a few main things to look for to get started:

1. US-caught: For example, buy Gulf shrimp rather than Indonesian shrimp. Overall, the US manages its fisheries better than most countries and US-caught fish are the best bet. 90% of the seafood we eat in the US is imported. Imported seafood runs the risk of being overfished, caught under unfair labor practices, or farmed in environmentally harmful ways. Imported seafood also hurts American fishermen and seafood producers. (This point is geared towards American consumers.)
2. Sustainable gear types: How your fish is caught matters. Look for hook and line as one example of a sustainable gear type. Bottom trawling is considered the most destructive and least sustainable method.
3. Fresh vs. frozen: One big misconception about fish is that “fresh is best.” As soon as an animal dies it begins to decompose. Freezing suspends this process. If a fish is frozen on board the boat on which it was caught and stays frozen until it gets to your kitchen, it will be a much higher quality than a raw fish that has taken a week (degrading every moment after being caught) to get to your plate.

Salmon en Papillote with Roasted Potatoes

Where would you recommend is the best place to buy seafood?

Most seafood counters at grocery stores exemplify the broken seafood system which has too many middlemen and lacks transparency. Always ask where and how your seafood was caught. Community Supported Fisheries are the seafood version of a CSA. CSF’s around the country provide a direct way to purchase quality sustainable fish that reflect transparency and a fair wage to American fishermen. LocalCatch.org has a map that helps you find a CSF near you.

Is farmed fish bad or good?

The farmed fish conversation is complicated because each species and origin represents different questions. If you want only one piece of advice: always always buy wild salmon. Farmed salmon is usually marketed as sustainable fish; however, the fish are fed other wild forage fish, which are not sustainable seafood. The farmed salmon model needs to account for their food supply and their environmental impacts. Salmon kept in pins in the ocean can introduce disease and parasites to wild salmon stocks. Farmed fish can be done well, but it needs more transparency before anyone can get excited about it.

Baked Salmon with Chimichurri Sauce

Are there types of seafood I should never buy?

Yes! Refer to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch List as a reference. This list is not faultless and I’ve heard plenty of complaints from fishermen about the list. But on the whole, I think they attempt to inform the consumer in an honest, effective way.

What other things should I know about how to be a responsible consumer of sustainable fish & seafood?

Being a responsible consumer can be overwhelming and expensive, but knowing how your seafood was caught and how it got to your plate is important. You can be confident that the extra money spent on sustainable fish and seafood will help support values of transparency, sustainability, and fairness. Another great resource is Ecotrust’s Four Simple Steps for Better Seafood Choices.

Thanks again to JD for helping us to understand sustainable fish and seafood! Follow along with his journey at Last Man Fishing and Skyler Creative.

Roasted Tomato Shrimp Over Creamy Polenta

Looking for sustainable fish and seafood recipes?

Want to try out your newly knowledge about sustainable fish and seafood at the grocery store? Here are some recipes to start with:

• Baked Salmon with Chimichurri Sauce
• Salmon en Papillote with Roasted Potatoes
• Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
• Roasted Tomato Shrimp Over Creamy Polenta
• Simple Shrimp and Artichoke Paella
• Open Fire Seafood Paella
• Grilled Shrimp and Vegetable Skewers

 

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/2B1DIrm

Cheddar Chive Biscuits

Tender, flaky buttermilk biscuits infused with sharp cheddar cheese and fresh snipped chives, baked until golden brown and then brushed with melted butter. They’d be a perfect flavorful side dish for your holiday table!

I love me a good biscuit: one that’s light and fluffy with towering tall layers and a tender, buttery finish. These biscuits are all that and more.

I’ve always been somewhat of a biscuit purist, preferring classic buttermilk biscuits to just about anything else.

But when we were tasked with creating a cheese biscuit recipe, it quickly became obvious that cheese is one of the few additions that really make a basic biscuit better.

Let’s just say the cheese has won me over.

These biscuits are buttery and flaky, ultra light and perfectly cheesy. The fresh chives add a nice pop of flavor to contrast the sharp cheddar cheese.

Sure, they’re perfect for breakfast alongside cheesy scrambled eggs or savory breakfast sausage, but these biscuits blur the lines between meals. But I think they’d be great with a broccoli cheddar soup for lunch, or alongside a hearty beef stew for dinner. Or, you know, thanksgiving turkey and gravy and all the fixings (Thanksgiving should ALWAYS have biscuits, if you ask me).

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/2z4Jojc

15 Easy Healthy Vegetable Recipes for Fall

These easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall are cozy and comforting, everything savory pot pies to cozy vegetable bakes.

Fall brings cravings for cozy, and there’s no better time of year to hunker down and cook. Alex, Larson and I love to spend gray fall afternoons in the kitchen. Here are our top 15 easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. We’ve curated our favorites into this list, but of course we have hundreds more fall recipes. All of these recipes are vegetarian and a good portion of them are vegan and gluten free too! The vegetable recipes below are main dishes and side dishes. And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, here’s our list of Fall and Winter Dessert Recipes.

Related: Gifts for Vegetarians | 10 Filling Plant Based Dinner Recipes

Vegan Pot Pie with Sage Crust

This vegan pot pie is one of our most beloved recipes! Earthy potatoes and peppers are slathered in a creamy sauce, along with fried shallots and white beans. And on top, a flaky sage vegan pie crust that you’d never believe has no butter (our secret: coconut oil). It’s truly a masterpiece. (Vegetarian, Vegan)

Tomato Coconut Cauliflower Curry

This tomato coconut cauliflower curry is delicious, nutrient packed, and ready in just over 30 minutes! It’s a crowd pleasing plant-based dinner recipe. It’s easy to put together and full of healthy veggies like sweet potato, spinach, chickpeas, cauliflower and tomatoes.  And this one’s another fan favorite in our easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Red Lentil Soup

This creamy, dreamy red lentil soup is an easy vegetarian dinner recipe that’s ready in under an hour. Cumin, paprika and cayenne bring a flavorful flair. It’s brightened up with lemon and served with fresh herbs and almonds. Serve with a side salad or fresh bread for a full meal! (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice

This vegetarian red beans and rice recipe is budget-friendly meal with ingredients that are easy to find in most grocery stores. This take on Red Beans and Rice can be made on a budget, for about $4 per person. But even better, it’s very delicious and nutrient-dense: full of veggies, legumes, and Cajun spices that pack a large amount of flavor into some humble ingredients. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate

This pomegranate shaved Brussels sprout salad will leave you glowing from the inside out. It’s a study in texture contrasts: the feathery shaved Brussels, the pop of the Pomegranate seeds, and the bright crunch of the apple. It’s vibrant and colorful, covered in a lightly sweet vinaigrette. And the flavor: it’s like eating a bowl of confetti, but the healthy kind! Truly a showstopper in this list of easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Instant Pot Acorn Squash with Pecan Stuffing

This Instant Pot acorn squash is quick to make using an Instant Pot (pressure cooker)! This vegetarian stuffed acorn squash features a rice stuffing with toasted pecans. This rice and pecan stuffing truly makes your kitchen smell like Thanksgiving while you make it! The onion, celery, garlic, and herbs combine to make something that smells just about like heaven. Add to that the crunch and rich flavor of buttery pecans, and you’ll find yourself just eating the stuffing alone. Here’s the Instant Pot we use. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

This sweet potato dinner recipe is easy and delicious: stuffed sweet potatoes with black lentils, fresh herbs and tangy goat cheese. The goat cheese is not only crumbled over the top with black lentils, fresh thyme, and crunchy celery leaves, but it’s mixed into the inside of the potato for a creamy, savory filling. So good. (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)

Quinoa Black Bean Vegan Chili

This hearty and delicious quinoa vegan chili is packed with protein and vegetables. Some secret ingredients: adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chili peppers in adobo, and a white wine vinegar for a tangy finish. It’s so, so tasty: definitely at the top of our easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Do you want to make sweet potato fries in the oven? These crispy sweet potato fries require very little oil to brown in the oven. Our secret? We use a little cornstarch to get a perfectly crunchy fry. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Harvest Vegetable Bake

This harvest vegetable bake is savory and refined: it tastes almost meaty! Perfect for Meatless Mondays or a cozy brunch. It’s a combination of vegetables and baked tofu, topped with cheese and baked until bubbly. (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)

Penne with Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

This pumpkin pasta sauce recipe is delicious and creamy, made with Parmesan cheese and savory spices! Serve it over penne for an easy meatless dinner. Pumpkin puree actually makes for a great pumpkin pasta sauce! It’s got a creamy texture that melds seamlessly with Parmesan cheese. It’s comfy, easy (like 30 minutes easy), and lovely for fall.  (Vegetarian)

Stuffed Delicata Squash Wild Rice and Sage

Delicata squash is a yellow oblong squash that tastes sweet and tender! This stuffing features wild rice with brown butter and sage, along with some vegetables and sharp cheddar cheese. Talk about flavor! (Vegetarian, gluten free)

Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

These broccoli cheese stuffed sweet potatoes are an easy, healthy weeknight dinner your whole family will love. The cheese sauce features a surprise ingredient to make it even creamier: white beans! This tops our list of easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Baked Butternut Squash Chips

Ready in 30 minutes, these baked butternut squash chips are delightfully crunchy. The sweet squash pairs nicely with salty Parmesan and is a great snack! (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)

Lemon Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

The twist on this rosemary roasted potatoes recipe is the lemon; instead of squeezing on the juice prior to roasting, the lemon is thinly sliced and roasted along with the potatoes. This brings out a much more intense lemon flavor. You can even eat the roasted lemon, if you’re brave! (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/2PhrJP6

FreshDirect Names Top Trends for 2019

CBD-infused foods, tech-enabled local organic offerings, and better-for-you beverages are among the top trends for 2019, according to FreshDirect. CBD oil-infused products will first surge in the drinks category, with CBD-infused drinks driving the functional-wellness drink category. CBD will also be prominently featured on more menus next year and as the star of new food products, such as salad dressings, according to the list.

Other forecasted trends on the list include bringing fresh into shelf-stable, high-quality canned fish, oats, premium spice packets, cauliflower, evolution of kids' snacks, and the expansion of local foods. It claims this coming year will bring more innovative, fresh, and sustainable takes on shelf-stable staples — some becoming so fresh that they need to be refrigerated.

Related: Consumers Interested in Cannabis-Infused Food, Drink; FreshDirect Founder Steps Down.

from Food Trends https://ift.tt/2RK50Ib

Easy Calzone Recipe

Chicken Salad Tartine Toasts

Our all time favorite chicken salad comes together in a flash using shredded rotisserie chicken and a bit of mayo for the perfect creamy consistency.

While this versatile chicken salad recipe can be enjoyed on its own or in a tasty sandwich, we’ve opted to serve it open faced on grilled sourdough bread with microgreens and crispy chicken skins.

In a lunch rut? Tired of tuna? Sick of sandwiches? Mix it up a bit with this ultra flavorful chicken salad tartine, topped with fresh microgreens and crispy chicken skins made from the skin of the rotisserie chicken.

Tartine literally means a slice of bread in French, but most often refers to an open faced sandwich (I know, it sounds like it should be a little tart, but that’s actually tartlet, not tartine, which is a different thing entirely).

Tartines feel fancier than toast, more special than sandwiches, even though they are no more difficult to prepare.

Here we’ve taken slices of crusty sourdough bread, brush it with olive oil and grill it to perfection in a cast iron skillet (but if you have a grill grill you could use that too for an added smoky flavor). The prepared chicken salad is then piled on top (go ahead, pile it on) and then sprinkled with crispy chicken skin crumbles and fresh microgreens (although some fresh baby arugula would be lovely here too).

The chicken salad recipe itself is actually quite similar to Taylor’s famous tuna salad, with the main flavoring elements being sweet relish, capers and fresh parsley. A touch of mayo brings it all together into creamy perfection, but not overwhelmingly so.

You could certainly enjoy this chicken salad on its own or as a two-sliced sandwich, but we love serving it as an open faced tartine on a slice of grilled crusty bread (preferably homemade sourdough if you happen to have a loaf handy!)

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/2PKq9VC