Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 Updated for 2010

The Dirty Dozen list has changed again!

For organic newbies, the "Dirty Dozen" are the 12 most pesticide-contaminated fruits & vegetables, even after washing. I have to say I'm super-glad that spinach & potatoes have dropped off the list! I posted the updated Dirty Dozen list about a year ago.

Here's a sneak peak at the 2010 Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 list!

So Delicious Coconut Product Coupons!

You guys REALLY need to get over to Coupons.com, click on "Foods" and scroll through. You will find 3 great So Delicious coconut product coupons (on page 6 for me!), which Coupons.com has let me print 4 times so far!

Quick!

The Dirty Dozen List: Updated

The Dirty Dozen list has changed!

For organic newbies, the "Dirty Dozen" are the 12 most pesticide-contaminated fruits & vegetables, even after washing. I have to say I'm super-glad that spinach & potatoes have dropped off the list!

You can view the full list, or print out a wallet size of the top 15 on both the "clean" and the "dirty" list.

Recent Food Adventures

While Eva was here, we also shared some Hemp Omega Caesar Salad. It took me awhile to gather all the ingredients, but I'm glad I did! Roy even warmed up to it. Next time I make it, I'm going to tweak the recipe a little, and then I'll share my version with you.

I also made several crockpot creations from the Crockpot Lady's blog. I was eyeing a butternut squash at the organic farmer's market a week ago, but shared with the woman working the booth that I was hesitant to try it (I'm not a big fan of traditional squash). She said since I'd been a loyal customer all summer, she'd give me a small one for free to try! So I made this CrockPot Butternut Squash Soup early in the week. It was surprisingly good. I also made some more Crockpot Apple Butter on Friday, minus the sugar & vanilla. Then I made Autumn Sausage Casserole on Saturday. It was quite good, but I wanted there to be more of it. So next time, I will maybe double the recipe except for the sausage; the sausage to rice ratio was too high. I also added celery and celery leaves to make it more like a stuffing, which was a nice touch.

On a totally unrelated note, there is something being filmed this week about 2 blocks from my house, and I cannot figure out what it is. We're guessing that they are using the baseball field, based on where parking is prohibited, but I'm so curious to know! I know sometimes they film the baseball games over there because I've seen them on local TV, but I can't imagine they would need to block off all the streets just for that. Besides, isn't it a little late for baseball games? It's freezing outside! Filming starts tomorrow, so we'll have to go over there and see what's up.

Vegetable (or Fruit) Confession

I have a confession to make.

I didn't, until tonight, know for sure what okra looks like.

We got some callaloo greens in our organic produce delivery this week. I found a soup recipe on-line that calls for okra, so I headed to the store. I knew they had it in the freezer section, but I saw what I thought was okra in the overripe fruit & veggie rack. So I grabbed a pack and started asking random customers, "Do you know if this is okra?"

I asked 3 people. No one knew.

So, I bought it anyway.

I went to the Arabic produce store, and they had what I thought was okra. So I asked the woman working there if it was okra, and it was.

I think the only time I've had okra, it was battered and deep-fried. Pretty sad!

More Fun Recipes to Try

Today, I bought a bunch of new, fun things at the farmer's market. There are 2 farmers there - one is organic, the other is not. The organic farmer is just getting started and doesn't have a huge selection, but I also go to his booth first as I try to support organic farming whenever I can. Today, I bought baby red potatoes, sweet green peppers (both of which are on the Dirty Dozen list, which are the 12 most pesticide-contaminated fruits & vegetables, even after washing), as well as black cherry tomatoes, a fun and tasty treat! I bought cabbage, curly parsley, carrots, cauliflower, and swiss chard from the other farmer.

You all probably know that I'm an extrovert. Well, I saw someone eyeing the beets and had to mention that I had used them in a salad just the night before & they were quite good. The person was intrigued that I had eaten them raw, asked if they were too hard (no, they were about as crunchy as a fresh carrot), and commented that they must be better for you that way. I think I may have mentioned that I used up all the beet greens, as well as some rainbow chard that I had purchased the week before, making smoothies and was trying to find a use for the beets. The cashier must have overheard because he started asking me about green smoothies, and the woman next to me started listening in as I shared Green Smoothies 101. The original man (with the beets) told me I should write a book :)

So upon arriving home, I decided to make use of my wealth of knowledge & made some sweet cole slaw :)

Brenna's Sweet Cole Slaw
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I use organic canola mayo)
2 tablespoons honey (I use raw & local honey)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (I use raw & unrefined)
2 tablespoons brown mustard
1/2 medium head of cabbage, sliced
1 medium beet, peeled & shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 apple (I used yellow delicious)

Mix first 5 ingredients. Set aside.
Stir fruit & veggies together. Toss with dressing.

The beets do a wonderful job of making this treat especially pleasing to the eye.

Then tonight, we dipped our cauliflower & black cherry tomoatoes in Creamy Kickin' Dressing, a recipe I've been wanting to try from Kristen's Raw.

Creamy Kickin' Dressing
2/3 cup water, or more
1 1/2 avocado, pitted and peeled
2 prunes
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Mexican Seasoning (I used this Taco Seasoning that I mix myself)
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Blend until creamy and enjoy this thick, creamy and kickin' dressing over your next salad or with chopped veggies.

I altered the original slightly & added an extra half of an avocado (the original recipe just calls for 1 avocado) because it is quite spicy. You could also leave off the cayenne pepper if it's too spicy, or just sprinkle a little in. Either way, it's really good, and you can't even taste the prunes!