Marilu Henner's Blog, page 162

A shopper's guide to buying organic … or conventional

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) developed a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides that you can download to keep in your purse or wallet – or get the iPhone app.

A group of experts tested and ranked 50 popular fruits and veggies for pesticide levels and came up with the following handy list.

The Dirty Dozen – should buy organic!

1. Apples

2. Sweet bell peppers

3. Blueberries

4. Celery

5. Cherries

6. Peaches

7. Strawberries

8. Nectarines

9. Spinach

10. Collard greens/kale

11. Potatoes

12. Grapes (imported)

The Clean 15 – can buy conventional!

1. Onions

2. Avocados

3. Sweet corn (frozen)

4. Pineapples

5. Mangoes

6. Sweet peas (frozen)

7. Asparagus

8. Kiwi

9. Cabbage

10. Eggplant

11. Cantaloupe

12. Watermelon

13. Grapefruit

14. Sweet potatoes

15. Honeydew melon

 

Meatless Monday recipes from Marilu's table * Veggie burgers and corn on the cob

We're getting ready for Memorial Day weekend (in the USA) and the summer grilling and picnic season.

Read the recipes through because they both require some advance prep time – totally worth it, though!

This burger would NOT be good to freeze and reheat – make them the day you want them. When I made them last year, all the meat eaters gobbled them up!

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Veggie Burgers

adapted from Grilling with Chef George Hirsch

Green * Makes 4-6 burgers

1 can (16 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and mashed

2 Tablespoons uncooked oatmeal

One package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely shredded cooked carrot

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup Nayonaise or Veganiase

2 Tablespoons chopped scallions

1 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley or cilantro

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the olive oil. Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 burgers, pressing firmly. Chill for 2 hours. Before grilling, brush burgers with olive oil. Grill 4 to 5 minutes on each side, turning only once. Serve on multi-grain rolls with mustard and ketchup.

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Garlic Grilled Corn on the Cob

Blue * per serving

One ear of sweet corn for each person – corn needs to have the husk still attached.

Per ear of corn:

1 teaspoon Olive oil

1 clove minced garlic

a few squirts of Bragg's Liquid Aminos

a pinch of dried basil (or your favorite herb)

a light dash of cayenne

Carefully pull the husks down on your cobs, but don't detach. Clean off all silk and wash corn, then soak in cold water (mainly for the husks – they need to be soaked before the corn goes on the grill).

Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Pat dry only the cob parts of the corn, and then brush on the seasoning mixture. Put the husks back up around the corn, twisting the tops to keep the husk closed (or tie with string that has also been soaked in cold water). Throw these on the grill and let them grill over the moderately hot part of the grill for about 45 minutes (they will char, but don't let them burn) or till they feel as tender as you like. You can also roast these in the oven.

 

Spirit Sunday * Together we can make a difference

 

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Amazon.com Widgets

Proceeds go to the Japan Red Cross to benefit disaster victims of Japan's Earthquake/Tsunami and to the American Red Cross for the victims of recent tornadoes in the southern United States.

 

Why buy organic?

The use of pesticides in farming has been linked to immune system diseases, nerve damage, and disruptions in the endocrine system, which regulates hormones and fertility.

~ Marilu Henner

 

How important is it to buy organic produce?

Is it worth the extra expense?

A recent article in VegNews answered these very questions. "Organically grown produce identifies a method of farming that is sustainable, earth-friendly, and pesticide-free. Several studies have found that certain nutrients including calcium, iron, vitamin C, magnesium, and phosphorus, tend to be greater in organic produce when compared to their conventional counterparts. Further, conventional produce might actually be harmful to your health. The chemicals sprayed onto the crops are potentially cancer-promoting and toxic to your central nervous system. It's a win-win situation for your body and the planet to select organic whenever possible."

Eating fruits and vegetables – organic or not – is of the utmost importance! Don't avoid them because you can't afford the organic variety. Because of strict government-mandated restraints on organic farming, production costs more which means the produce is more expensive. Use common sense when choosing organic vs. conventional. To protect yourself from the potential dangers, go organic for the following:

Any item you intend to eat with the skin (potato, berries)

Produce you will use the skin of (zest of citrus fruit)

A food you consume a lot of on a regular basis

 

More on Unforgettable

Unforgettable

Poppy Montgomery (late of Without A Trace) stars as a police officer who has that funny memory quirk — you may remember Marilu Henner talking about having it a few months ago — where people remember every single thing that's ever happened to them. If words like "mentalist" are going through your head, remember: CBS knows what works for them.

 

Marilu involved with new CBS drama!

The new [television show] "Unforgettable" is about a murder investigator who has the unusual ability to recall events from her life, like actress Marilu Henner, who was featured in a "60 Minutes" feature about this condition and is a consultant to the new drama. The fictional investigator's power of recall, however, doesn't extend to details about the unsolved murder of her sister.

"Unforgettable" will fill the Tuesday time slot currently occupied by "The Good Wife," which moves to Sunday.

~ Wall Street Journal online

 

"Unforgettable" stars Poppy Montgomery ("Without a Trace") as a former detective with a rare condition that lets her remember every day of her life in detail. (It's a real condition, "superior autobiographical memory," that was featured on "60 Minutes"; one person who has it is actress Marilu Henner.) Unfortunately, she can't remember the details of her sister's murder. Dylan Walsh also stars.

~ St. Louis Dispatch online

 

How organic are your body care products?

There is no government regulation of organic claims on body care products (lotion, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.), so those labeled as organic could have as few as one or two actual organic ingredients. That's all it takes to be called organic! Here are a few suggestions:

Read labels to determine amount of organic ingredients.

Select products that use post-consumer recycled plastics to decrease production of plastics and reduce the release of greenhouse gases.

Check out some of the bigger retailers that now have their own line of organics (Whole Foods, Safeway) which tend to be more reasonably priced. (Still read the labels, though!)

 

The 36-hour solution

Give any problem or drama 36 hours and watch it change.

I can't tell you how many times I have seen this happen. You could almost set your watch by it. Whenever I get upset about something, 36 hours later, I have a completely different perspective.

I don't know why 36 hours is the magic number, but it really is. It gives you time to digest it. It gives time for you to stew in it. It gives you time to come up with "Plan B." It usually makes your life a lot easier.

~ Marilu Henner

 

So don't rush to judgment.

Don't rush to action.

If something is a problem, give it a little time and watch it change.

If it's not going to change in the universe, at least it may change in your mind so that you can change it in the universe for yourself.

 

Meatless Monday recipe from Marilu's table * The great kale!

Yes, the exclamation point is part of the recipe's title – that's how good this kale is!

To remove kale from the stems, hold the washed leaf with the stem in your left hand and grab the leaves with your right hand, starting with your hands next to each other. Pull your hands apart, stripping the leaf from the stem. When it no longer pulls apart, the stem is probably thin enough to add with the leaves.

If that doesn't work for you, fold the washed leaf lengthwise on a cutting board so the stem/folded side is at the top and the leaf/open side is next to you. Use a knife to cut along the stem in one long slice. With a little practice, you can pile up a couple of leaves this way.

Ponzu sauce is now available in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets, but if you can't find it, just use some orange juice concentrate. Ponzu is a citrus-y sauce, so this works as pretty good substitution.

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The Great Kale!

Green * Serves 4

2 bunches kale, washed and stems removed

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce

1 Tablespoon ponzu sauce (or use orange juice concentrate)

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

In a large pot of boiling water add kale and cover. Cook for about 12-15 minutes. Strain and chop into large pieces. In a large sauté pan add olive oil, sesame oil, and garlic. Sauté about 1 minute (don't let the garlic burn), add soy sauce, ponzu, rice vinegar and ginger mix, and then add the chopped kale. Toss in pan about 2 minutes. Serve right away.

 

Some reasons to avoid dairy and meat

Warning – video contains some graphic images.

Find out more about The Gentle Barn and Mercy for Animals.