PRODUCT REVIEW: Rigoni di Asiago organic spreads

The Rigoni di Asiago company was kind enough to send me samples of a few of their organic spreads to try. We received:

1 jar Nocciolata, an organic hazelnut spread with cocoa and milk, gluten free, no trans fat, no palm oil, no artificial flavors, aromas or colors, made with skimmed milk, raw cane sugar and cold-pressed sunflower oil.

1 jar Fiordifrutta Strawberry & Wild-Strawberries

1 jar Fiordifrutta Pink Grapefruit

1 small jar Seville Orange

2 small jars Apricot

According to the company documentation, Fiordifrutta fruit spreads are organic, and each jar contains 3 pounds of fresh fruit naturally sweetened with apple juice. They contain no sugar, and are gluten free, low glycemic index, low calories, certified NON GMO, and have many different flavors available.

So, this morning the girls and I taste-tested the spreads. We spread mutli-grain waffles with each spread and tried them out. Here are our opinions:

Nicciolata (chocolate-hazelnut spread) -- rich, creamy, chocolatey, sweet . . . a yummy treat. We all liked it.

Strawberry & Wild-Strawberries -- Very fresh strawberry flavor . . . Emily said it tasted like wild strawberries. We all liked it very much.

Pink Grapefruit -- Slightly bitter. Emily hated it. Aimie and I felt it was just okay . . . not something we would go out of our way for.

Seville Orange -- Very strong bitter taste. We all disliked it. Aimie (very bluntly) said it tasted like rotting oranges.

Apricot -- OUR WINNER! We loved this jam. Great flavor and taste. Aimie said it was the perfect blend of tartness and sweetness. We all wished we had gotten a large jar of this flavor as the two little jars were cleaned out in short order.

Final thoughts . . . I'm happy to find products made with organic ingredients without artificial colors or flavors, are processed with low temperatures and natural ingredients--and they are gluten-free for those of you watching that--just steer away from the citrus flavors. For more information or to find US stores that carry these products, go to the Rigoni di Asiago website

Consumers have the right to know!

If you are in California and debating on how to vote on the Label GMO Initiative . . . here is some information that may help with your decision . . . and remember, a vote to Label GMOs is not saying your are pro-gentically enginneered foods or against them . . . just that you believe it is our right as consumers to know what is in our food and how it is grown so we have the choice whether to buy and consume those foods.

California’s “Label GMO” Proves Pro-GMO Camp Wrong
Key Argument of the Pro-GMO Camp Dismantled by New Legal Analysis

July 10, 2012 — A grassroots initiative that will be on the ballot in September promises to give Californians the right to know whether they are consuming foods with genetically engineered ingredients. The rest of the country is watching this legislation carefully, since if California requires such labeling, national food manufacturers will likely use the labels in other states as well.

Proponents of the initiative point to the numerous scientific studies indicating that GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, can cause genetic changes in mammal offspring. “Scientists are seeing birth defects, high infant mortality rates, and sterility in hamsters, rats, and livestock fed genetically engineered soy and corn,(1)” said Gretchen DuBeau, executive and legal director for the Alliance for Natural Health USA.

One of the main charges against the “right to know” initiative, according to the website StopCostlyFoodLabeling.com—the funding for which comes in part from the Council for Biotechnology Information, whose members include Monsanto, Dow, and other GMO companies—is that the initiative would “create…frivolous and costly lawsuits” and would lead to abusive “bounty hunter”–style lawsuits that allow plaintiffs to keep a “bounty” of 25% of civil penalties collected. Critics point to the many abusive lawsuits that were spawned by Proposition 65, a California initiative passed in 1986 that concerns toxic chemicals.

However, a recent legal analysis of the Label GMO initiative has found that it would not in fact spawn frivolous lawsuits the way Prop 65 has.

The paper, authored by noted legal scholar Dr. James C. Cooper, a former Federal Trade Commission official and an adjunct professor of law at George Mason School of Law, found that the Label GMO initiative contains “important differences [which] substantially reduce the potential for Label GMO to foster the type of abusive private litigation associated with Proposition 65.” The paper also determined that the initiative offers California businesses multiple exemptions and greater legal certainty, allows businesses time to cure GMO labeling violations, and does not include the controversial bounty fees found in other California laws.

“The opponents of GMO labeling have been misleading the public and the media,” said DuBeau. “The opposition is playing fast and loose with the truth, and this paper is a wake-up call. Now there’s no excuse for the biotech companies’ misinformation. They are entitled to their own opinions—not their own facts.”

The report’s (http://www.anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Prop65-and-GMO-Label-Initiative.pdf) key findings:

- Label GMO provides seven years in which producers can gradually reduce the GMO exposure of their products from no more than 5% to zero.

- So long as food or supplement producers have a sworn statement from their supplier stating that, to the supplier’s best belief, there are no GMO elements in their ingredients, the producer is immune from suit.

- The producer is also immune from liability if the food is certified organic and certified GMO-free by an independent organization. No doubt it will make sense for food producers to help create an independent certifier.

- Once a violation has been identified, the producer has 30 days in which to correct it, in which case there is no liability.

- There is no “bounty” for plaintiffs who initiate lawsuits.

“The Label GMO initiative is very popular with California voters. Opponents know this, and are doing whatever they can to defeat it,” DuBeau noted. “This report soundly disproves one of the opposition’s main arguments, and exposes their campaign’s use of scare tactics.

“It’s all about citizens’ right to know what’s in the food they’re eating,” DuBeau concluded. “Is anything more basic—or reasonable—than that?”

For more information, go to The Alliance for Natural Health.

More on antibiotics and meat

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the problems of antibiotic abuse on factory-farmed animals. Since the FDA doesn't seem to be doing much about this problem, The Center for Food Safety is hope consumers and retailers will stand up against this abuse. Since Trader Joe's responded positively to pleas to eliminate genetically-engineered ingredients in their products several years ago, they are a great place to start on this campaign. Click on this link to sign a petition urging Trader Joe's to "source and sell only meat and poultry raised without antibiotics."

Cooking for One

Though my cookbooks are geared for families, I'm often asked for tips and suggestions on cooking for one, and since this is an issue I too face at times, here are my ideas on the subject.

There are two issues that I see:

1) It often seems too much trouble to prepare a meal (and do all the cleanup) just for yourself.

2) Most recipes are geared for multiple people.

I know that when my kids are with their dad, it can be tempting to fall into a bowl of cereal for dinner or maybe heating some frozen thing--not the most healthy or satisfying dinner, that's for sure. But I have found a solution that works well for me. One that gives me healthy, yummy meals with not too much work.

My solution?

Cook like I would if my kids were there. In other words, make a full meal for 4-6 people. However, the beauty is I can cook foods that I really like that the kids don't . . . like eggplant or mushrooms for example. Or curries and spicy foods. So yes, I have to spend one night cooking a full meal but then . . . leftovers! So for the next few meals, I have premade food that just needs to be heated up. Or you can use the cooked foods to make other easy meals. Like I'll roast a big batch of veggies and then mix them into pasta for one meal or put them in a salad for lunch.

Of course, there are days when I am inventing dishes or trying a gourmet recipe and I hit on something so good, I really want to share. But I've found that usually it just takes a phone call or two before I find someone willing to come over and share a meal with me :) And that's really nice too.

Feel free to share your cooking for one ideas with me as well.

Veggie Pasta Salad

In the winter, soup is my staple food. I make a big batch at a time so we have enough to last for a few days for dinners, lunches, etc. Well, in the summer I do the same thing but with salads . . . especially hearty salads made with potatoes, beans, or grains. This pasta salad that I made this weekend that was a such a hit with my kids. We had some for dinner, took some to the beach, and the kids even ate it for snacks. It would be a great choice for a potluck as well.

Veggie Pasta Salad

I basically used all the veggies from my trip to the farmer's market and herbs from my garden, so don't feel like you have to stick to this exact combination. You can also add cooked beans or some crumbled feta cheese.

1 cup asparagus cut into bite-sized pieces
1 yellow summer squash, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
2 cups green beans cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups chopped kale (packed)
1 pound penne pasta
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup black currant champagne vinegar (or flavor of your choice)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Prep:
Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Blanch asparagus by putting in boiling water and letting cook a couple of minutes, until bright green and slightly tender. Use slotted spoon to remove asparagus to a colander. Immediately rinse with very cold water to prevent it from cooking further. Repeat with squashes, beans, and kale. When veggies are cooked, use the same boiling water to cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta.
To Assemble salad:
Put pasta in large mixing bowl. Add cooked vegetables and remaining ingredients. Toss together and chill until ready to serve.

Makes at least 10 servings

Right to Know on Ballot!

It's official! The California Secretary of State's office announced that the Right to Know initiative to label genetically engineered foods will be on the November ballot for California. This would be the first law in the United States requiring labeling of a wide range of genetically engineered foods.

The initiative requires labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - which are plants or meats that have had their DNA artificially altered by genes from other plants, animals, viruses, or bacteria, in order to produce foreign compounds in that food. This type of genetic alteration occurs in a laboratory and is not found in nature.

Polls show nearly unanimous support across the political spectrum for labeling of genetically engineered foods. Nine out of ten voters in the U.S. and in California back labeling, according to recent polls (see Mellman 2012, Reuters 2010, Zogby 2012).

I hope you will vote for this initiative in November. It's not about whether you are for or against genetic engineering . . . but that you believe that we, as consumers, have the right to know what is in the food we eat, where it comes from, and how it was grown. This article has more information.

Quick Hot Cereal Alternative

A few weeks ago, I posted an alternative to processed cold cereal . . . well, today I'm posting an alternative for processed hot cereals. Now, hot cereals are typically less processed than cold ones but the less processed they are the longer they typically take to cook. This hot cereal uses leftover cooked brown rice and is ready to eat in minutes. We call it:

Breakfast Rice Pudding

Place cooked brown rice in a saucepan with enough milk (dairy or nondairy) to cover the rice. Sprinkle on some cinammon and a dash of vanilla extract. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until warm. Serve with fresh or dried fruit. We also like to sprinkle on chopped nuts or seeds.

Tip: Whenever you cook grain or beans for dinner, make extra. The leftovers can be used for future dinners, lunches, and as in this recipe . . . breakfast. You can find lots of other recipes for hot and cold cereals in The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook.