Average Americans Drink 300 Gallons of California Water Per Week

Americans eat an average of 3 1/2 California-grown walnuts per week = 7 gallons of H2O*

The New York Times published this piece yesterday:
Your Contribution to the California Drought. With stunning visuals it illustrates the amount of some foods grown in California that the average American eats each week. This includes ALL AMERICANS, not just Californians. It is a moving message about the interconnectedness of the food system and environment in California and EVERYONE in the United States. A must-read.

Americans eat an average of 1.75oz. of California-grown beef per week = 86 gallons of H2O*

*Photos from NYT link above

What does Earth Day have to do with the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans?

The following is an op-ed that I wrote that was published in Environmental Health News today--which seems appropriate since it is Earth Day.

If you read this and feel compelled, please follow the link at the end of the piece to submit a public comment to the USDA to consider as they finalize the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

No Water Left to Water Down the Dietary Guidelines

By Michelle Hauser

Environmental Health News

Controversies generated by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s (DGAC) recommendations raced through the media like wildfire. 

For the first time in history, the DGAC recommended that Americans consider the environmental impact of their food choices. Following this to its logical and scientifically-supported conclusion, the DGAC also recommended that Americans eat less meat. Not surprisingly, the meat industry finds this recommendation unpalatable and is sending a loud and clear message to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). They advocate that the dietary guidelines should focus on nutrition—focusing on the environmental impact of meat is a serious overreach and a recommendation that should be ignored.

It’s ultimately the decision of the USDA, along with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), whether or not the DGAC recommendations become the official 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This process is important because the Dietary Guidelines influence foods available for school lunch programs, WIC and SNAP benefits. They also have a major impact on Americans’ food choices and agricultural production.

The “eat less meat” message has been shot down or watered down since it appeared on the scene in 1977 as part of recommendations proposed by George McGovern’s Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs (a committee that predated the DGAC). After much outcry, the message was changed to, “choose meats, poultry, and fish that will reduce saturated fat intake.” Given the links of red and processed meats with heart disease and some cancers, “eat less meat” has continued to be part of the discussion when considering new dietary guidelines, but it has never gotten foothold.

The 2015 approach to the message of “eat less meat” is one of environmental sustainability. The DGAC report states, “access to sufficient, nutritious, and safe food is an essential element of food security for the US population. A sustainable diet ensures this access for both the current population and future generations.” It goes on to describe sustainable diets as higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods. The added benefit of such diets is that they are also healthier for us than current US dietary practices. These recommendations leave plenty of room for people to keep eating meat. They simply highlight the importance of considering the environmental impact of our food choices. This means focusing on sustainable meat production and cutting down, not cutting out meat.

We cannot continue disregarding the energy, land, and water use required to keep up our system of agriculture. This message was driven home recently when the snowpack in the Sierras was measured at a mere 5% of normal, causing Governor Jerry Brown to issue a mandatory 25% water reduction for the state of California. Nearly one-third of California depends on the snowpack for water—including some of the country’s most productive farmland in the Central Valley.

It is scary to contemplate the consequences of the unrelenting drought both on life in California, but also on the availability of food in the US. 

California produces nearly half the vegetables, fruit and nuts grown in the US. It also produces more dairy than any other state and ranks number four in cattle production. The cattle production is particularly environmentally intensive since an estimated 5-20 pounds of feed grain are required for every pound of edible beef.

It is irrational to think that our dietary guidelines can be created in a silo that ignores ripple effects on the environment. The drought is causing dire consequences for California right now, and these effects will soon spill over to the rest of the country if things don’t change soon. The resources needed to feed everyone are not unlimited. 

We do ourselves a great disservice by not planning our food choices according to these limitations. We will likely find ourselves limited by environmental factors—namely water—in the near future. However, if we haven’t put planning and forethought into how to deal with this, we will be forced to limit intake of environmentally-intense foods, like meat, but won’t have the benefit of  advanced planning on how to do so. 

Creating dietary guidelines that take the environmental impact of our food choices into account is required to make sure that we have plentiful and diverse food choices for generations to come.

There is a period open for the public comment about the DGAC recommendations and the 2015 Dietary Guidelines. If you would like to submit a comment, the deadline is May 8.

Michelle Hauser, MD, MPA is a Chef, Post-doctoral Research Fellow in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Stanford, and an Internal Medicine-Primary Care Physician in Redwood City, California.

The Potato Salad Flip: Healthy Potato Salad + a Quick Lunch On-the-Go

Potato Salad Flip: Mediterranean Veggie Potato Salad

An often repeated theme in my advice to eat healthy and well is to amp up the vegetables and decrease the carbs in a recipe. This decreases quickly-absorbed carbohydrates that cause fluctuations in blood sugar and lead to excess hunger. Replacing some of the carbs with fiber- and nutrient-rich vegetables also decreases total calories while making you feel full longer.

Using an oil-based dressing--such as a vinaigrette--also works with your body's hormones to help tell your brain that you are full. You do have to be careful when using oil-based dressings because, while they are healthy, they are high in calories. The trick to getting the most flavor without excess calories is to toss your salad with just enough vinaigrette to make the salad glisten, but not enough to pool in the bottom of the bowl.

Using herbs (basil is used in this recipe) helps add flavor without extra calories.

This recipe is called the "potato salad flip" because it replaces most of the potatoes with vegetables and the traditional mayonnaise-based dressing with a healthy vinaigrette. I love this recipe because it's easy to make any number of servings when you have limited time and keeps from breakfast until lunchtime at room temperature if needed. The recipe below is for a single, large serving.

Potato Salad Flip: Mediterranean Veggie Potato Salad

Ingredients:
1 small waxy potato (red or yellow work best, avoid Russets), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 handful of broccoli florets
1 handful sliced zucchini
1 handful diced red bell pepper
1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved
3 large basil leaves, rolled up and sliced thinly (this is called "chiffonade") or chopped
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-1/2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar
5 olives of your choice
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Microwave (or boil) cubed potato until a fork can be inserted easily, but not mushy--about 3-4 minutes.
2. Microwave broccoli, zucchini and bell pepper 3 minutes in a bowl covered with a plate.
3. Toss together potatoes and cooked vegetables and allow to cool to room temperature. Alternatively, if you need to hurry, transfer the mixture to a cool container and place into the freezer for 10 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, basil, olive oil, vinegar, olives, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
5. Serve or pack in a container with securely sealing lid and take for a quick lunch on-the-go.

Makes: 1 serving

Hints:
--Make different variations by trying different vegetables, herbs and vinaigrettes.
--For additional protein, add a few cubes of smoked tofu, cheese or grilled chicken. If you do this, make sure to refrigerate the salad until shortly before ready to eat, however.

Coconut Oil & Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Coconut Almond Cranberry Cookies (Vegan)

I'm not going to lie - these aren't the healthiest cookies. 

But, they are delicious and have some redeeming health qualities!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Almond Coconut Cranberry Cookies

These cookies are golden, craggy, crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, filled with big chunks of almonds, chocolate and dried cranberries, and accentuated with crispy bits of shaved coconut.

Drooling yet?

Now that I have your attention, there are a few healthy attributes:

• Half of the flour is whole wheat
• Cholesterol-free
• Omega-3's from flax seeds
• Heart-healthy fiber from old-fashioned oatmeal & almonds
• Dark chocolate
• Not necessarily healthier, but meet the following diet requirements: egg-free, dairy-free, vegan.

Reality: these cookies may be better for you than the alternative without the healthy attributes, but they still have plenty of sugar and calories. They are a treat, not a health food.

What about coconut oil? 

One of the nutrition questions I get asked most is whether coconut oil is healthful or harmful. There answer is complicated. In the 1980's highly processed tropical oils (palm and coconut) got a bad rap due to their high saturated fat content. Since then, science has guided us away (rightfully so!) from the "all fat is bad" mantra. We then went through a phase that accepted oils that are liquid at room temperature - monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) - as healthy but saturated fat as evil. More recently, there have been an increasing number of studies to show that all saturated fats (SFAs) are not created equal. For example, virgin coconut oil increases HDL (good) cholesterol more than it increases LDL (bad) cholesterol and therefore has a favorable effect on the overall cholesterol profile. There is no evidence that coconut oil increases heart disease. In fact, the countries in the world that have the highest intakes of virgin coconut oil, and have not yet turned to the Western Diet, have very low rates of heart disease.

Choosing coconut oil:

My recommendations are based on available information. There are many unknowns when it comes to coconut oil, however, so sometimes I just have to make an educated guess.

• I use virgin (aka. pure) organic coconut oil. This has a distinctly coconutty flavor, but lacks the processing with hexane and hydrogenation of many of the non-organic, refined coconut oils.
• Look for the terms "cold-pressed," "expeller-pressed," and "centrifuged" as this means that the extraction of the oil from the coconut was likely not done with chemicals.
• Look for extra virgin, virgin or pure coconut oil.
• Avoid "refined" coconut oil unless it's organic. Refined coconut oil has very little coconut taste, but if it's not organic, it likely went through chemical extraction, hydrogenation and bleaching.
• Bleaching is often used to help hide the color and taste of rancid oil.
• Hydrogenation is what is definitely bad for you and increases risk of heart disease.
• Hexane and other organic solvents used in chemical extraction can be safe if regulated and handled properly, however, hexane is a known neurotoxin, so I tend to avoid it in food when possible.

Back to cookies!

Oatmeal Almond Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies - Recipe

Just out of the oven (on a silicone baking mat on a 1/2 sheet pan)

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoon ground flax seed (can substitute 2 medium eggs for flax and water)

4 Tablespoons boiling water

½ cup Earth Balance (1 stick), or unsalted butter

1/3 c + 1 Tablespoon virgin coconut oil (can substitute 1 more stick of Earth Balance, but omit salt)

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (can use regular whole wheat flour, but it will taste "wheatier")

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped (leave some nearly whole)

¾ cup shaved coconut, unsweetened

¾ cup dried cranberries

1 cup chocolate chips

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Stir together flax seed and hot water, set aside and cool to near room temperature before using. Alternatively, you can omit flax and water and replace with 2 medium eggs.
3. In mixer, beat together Earth Balance, coconut oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar for 3 minutes.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together both flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt until thoroughly combined. Stir in almonds, coconut, cranberries and chocolate chips.
5. In mixer, beat in vanilla extract until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down sides of mixer, then add flax/water mixture and beat just for 20-30 seconds just until well combined.
6. Add half of the dry mixture to the mixer and mix for 5 seconds, just to somewhat combined. Then, add remaining half of the dry mixture and mix 5-10 seconds, just until you no longer see dry flour.
7. On baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mat, drop by 2 Tablespoon (or 1 heaping Tablespoon) size balls with at least 3 inches between cookies and press down to flatten slightly.
8. Bake on bottom rack of oven for 6 minutes, then rotate pan and move to top rack for an additional 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven with edges are just beginning to turn golden.
9. Let rest on pan set on a cooling rack for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to cooling rack to finish cooling to room temperature before storing in an airtight container.

Makes: 2.5-3 dozen cookies

Quick Tips: Tangerine Season

It's citrus season - the time of year when the juiciest oranges, lemons, limes, mandarins, pomelos, grapefruits and tangerines can be found. The season generally runs through late fall until spring. In addition to having the tastiest citrus fruit this time of year, it is also the cheapest part of the year to buy.

Just-picked Tangerines

Budget tip: buying seasonally usually means you're getting produce at the time of year that it's least expensive.

If your only exposure to fruits and vegetables is a traditional American supermarket, it's difficult to tell what is and is not in season. The best gauge in that situation is to look at prices regularly. As prices on certain items start to dip, that's a good indication that there's a surplus on the market...or the store just needs to get rid of that item. 

At least once a season, I suggest looking online in your area to get a sense of what is truly in-season. In the late spring, summer and early fall, you can also go to farmer's markets to see for yourself and support your local farmers. Another great seasonal way to eat and support local farms is to buy a farm share or sign up for a CSA (community-supported agriculture). The basic idea behind these are to pay money ahead to a farmer, so that they have a sense of what monetary resources they can depend on for the season, and then the farmer gives you a weekly allotment of fresh-from-the ground fruits and vegetables. To learn more about farm shares and CSA, check out the post My First Foray into CSA. 

Nutrition: 1 large tangerine has about 60 calories, 12 grams of naturally-occurring sugars, 2 grams fiber, 1/2 your daily vitamin C requirement, as well as a small amount of calcium, folate, B vitamins, vitamin A and potassium. 

Radish Enoki Avocado Tangerine Salad - YUM!
Find this gorgeous picture (credit Yunhee Kim) and recipe from the book, Feast, at Serious Eats

Chef tips: These are the easiest to peel citrus fruit! Look for fruit that is slightly heavy for its size with pebbly skin and no deep grooves (i.e. the one in the center of the picture above has deep grooves and if purchasing, you should avoid that one) and no signs of soft spots or mold. Tangerines taste best eaten at room temperature and will last about a week sitting out in a bowl. Refrigerate if you plan to keep them longer, but let them warm to room temperature before eating for the tastiest fruit. 

Tangerines are great for a quick snack or to slice and put in green or fruit salads. Use segments as a garnish. The juice is fantastic in custard desserts, sorbets, cocktails, marinades and quick breads. The zest is also great in quick breads (muffins, scones, pancakes, breads). The peel can be boiled in sugar syrup to candy it. This can be eaten as is or dipped in dark or white chocolate for a decadent treat. Whole tangerine peel is also used in marmalade and in Szechuan cuisine.

*To learn how to zest citrus fruit, check out the end of this post .

Health Research: Tangerines and other citrus fruits contain many anti-oxidants and phytonutrients that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Studies in the last few years have looked at a flavonoid called nobiletin which has been shown in mice to reduce atherosclerosis (plaque and blockages in blood vessels), fatty liver, prevent weight gain and keep blood sugar in the normal range (reduce insulin resistance) compared to mice who where given the same diet and living conditions but no nobiletin. More research is needed in people, but preliminary studies suggest that this compound could play a role in prevention and treatment of breast cancer and liver cancer as well as treatment of depression. Further studies are being conducted on all of the above as well as in Alzheimer's disease.

Vegan-Vegetarian Thanksgiving Menu: update with stock recipe

What's on your Thanksgiving menu?

Growing up, I always knew exactly what would be on the table. Everyone was assigned to bring their "usual." There were always hits and misses, both with the food and the level of drama, but everyone ate their fill and was, overall, thankful for spending another year together.

As an adult, traditions and dietary needs have changed. It seems that there's always a vegetarian at the table now and many people want to lighten up the classics. In this spirit, I am reposting last year's Vegan-Vegetarian Holiday Menu which gives some vegetarian main-course options - from stuffed acorn squash to info on widely available faux turkey products - as well as a new take on some of the classics but without the heavy cream sauces, marshmallows and grease. There's also a different recipe for Acorn Squash Stuffed with White Beans and Kale in another post earlier in the month. The sides from the Vegan-Vegetarian Holiday Menu are guaranteed delicious! For your omnivores, now is probably not the time to sub out the turkey or turkey gravy (there will be real and faux turkey at our house this Thanksgiving), but everything else can can be made plant-based and no one will feel like anything is less delicious or decadent than the "usuals."

This year, I will be making some of these items and experimenting with some new recipes...check back after Thanksgiving for the results of those experiments!

In my busy preparation, I decided to try out a new, intriguing vegetable stock recipe. In all honesty, it has been years since I took the time to make vegetable stock. After doing so last night, I am kicking myself for wasted years! The result is a super easy, delicious broth that would be great alone and will definitely elevate the taste of my stuffing, gravy and other dishes needing stock this Thanksgiving. I also made plenty of extra to use in soups and stews throughout the cold months as well.

Pros of homemade stock (versus store-bought):

• Sodium-free
• Taste is SO good - no store-bought comparison is available!
• Less food waste (see below)
• Can be made for nearly free!

Cons of homemade stock (versus store-bought):

• Takes planning
• Requires freezer space for storage

The reason that homemade stock can both reduce food waste and be nearly free is that you can keep a container in your freezer where you put all of your carrot, celery, onion, mushroom, garlic, parsley, thyme, eggplant, sweet pepper, tomato, green and green bean scraps into the container. Once you have enough to make stock you can just dump the contents into a pan, cover with water to 1-inch above the ingredients, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer gently for 40 minutes. To make a good stock great, add some or all of the aromatics shown in the recipe below to your vegetable scraps. Strain out the vegetable scraps, and use the stock in a recipe or portion the stock into containers and freeze for later use. That's it!

Warning: do NOT put broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, starchy vegetables, brussels sprouts, beets, artichokes, asparagus, turnips, rutabagas or corn in stock. These vegetable will either give a strong, "off" taste to the stock or make it very cloudy.

If you want to try a specific recipe for my favorite stock, here you go:

Vegetable Stock

Vegetable Ingredients:

1 medium onion, quartered (no need to remove the skin)

1 large carrot, chopped roughly into 1-inch pieces

The leafy end of a bunch of celery (approximately the top 1/4 of the bunch), roughly chopped

Greens of 3 leeks, washed well (the white parts are used in most recipes, use them for something fancier than stock)

3 cloves garlic, smashed (no need to remove the peel)

3/4-1 ounce mixed dried mushrooms (I used a $1.99 package from Trader Joe's) or 3-4 ounces shiitake mushroom stems (the inedible parts of the mushroom) or other fresh mushroom scraps

1 (4-inch) piece of kombu or kelp, optional (gives body to the stock)

Aromatic Ingredients:

3 bay leaves

6 sprigs thyme

1 small handful of parsley stems (or 6 springs of parsely)

1-1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds or greens from 1 small bulb of fennel (aka. anise)

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a large stock pot (at least 1-1/2 gallons). Add water to cover by 1 to 1-1/2 inches.

2. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Turn heat down until stock is at barely a simmer and cooking for 40 minutes.

3. Strain out vegetables and either use stock or portion into containers and freeze for later use.

Yield: 3+ quarts.

A New Project - My Everyday Meals

I was reflecting on this blog/website's content the other day and realized that I wanted to add a parallel project that has a similar flavor, but a slightly different focus.

The Vegan Breakfast Sandwich - want some bagel with those veggies?

ChefinResidency.com's content is meant to teach, in a detailed and easy-to-understand way, about how to cook and eat delicious, healthy food that won't take forever or break the bank and doesn't require a lot of special skills. Another goal is to help people to better understand what a healthy diet is and to dispel nutrition myths. The time that it takes to create each post - cooking, documenting, photographing and/or recording video, writing and editing - is substantial. Best case scenario, I get a post published every week or two.

When it comes to mealtimes, my husband always asks, "are you going to put this on your website?" Generally, because of the time limitation, the answer is no. We both agree that it is a shame that people can't see the delicious plant-based dishes that we eat on a regular basis!

Vietnamese Rice Noodles, Herbs & Vegetables with Spicy Lime Dressing

You see, people frequently ask us, "what can you eat?" This is because I am vegan and my husband is a flexitarian (vegan most meals, fish thrown in a couple times per week, but won't pass up a delicious steak if it's put in front of him) - and we're from the Midwest, raised on meat, potatoes and more cheese than anyone should ever eat. A vegan diet is one in which someone eats no animal products - no milk/dairy products, eggs, meat, fish or poultry. Most people are confused by my food choices knowing how I grew up, that I went to French culinary school and taught traditional cooking methods for years (including some butchery!). They think that I now deprive myself of all of that deliciousness - something they never could/would do.

While, I do occasionally think about the amazing tastes of some of those French classics, I can honestly say that I don't feel the least bit deprived being vegan. To non-vegans, this sounds unbelievable - I know, I've been in your shoes. This is why, I decided to succumb to Instagram and start sharing some of our weeknight meals.

Follow my everyday meals at: http://instagram.com/chefinresidency

Stir-fried Asian Vegetables with Basil-Lemon Sauce & Fried Cashews

To make sure that I am able to keep this up, I'm just posting the picture and a brief description. No editing, no recipes, no fuss. I am excited to see how it goes! Of course, if you're dying for a recipe, let me know and I'll try to tell you what it is - very little of what I'll post will be from a recipe since I rarely cook by recipes. The recipes that I share on the blog are made by me carefully documenting what I do in the kitchen so I can share with you later (again, lots of time required).

Spicy Yellow Curry with Lemongrass Tofu & Brown Rice

Elephant in the "room": no, I do not expect that everyone will become vegan nor do I proselytize about this to people on the street. I recognize that this is a personal choice that I've made for a variety of reasons - including that vegan is a healthy diet that is very low (compared with most others) in terms of it's stress on the environment and resources required to produce food, it's cholesterol-free and those that eat vegan have the lowest rate of obesity. It has also been shown to be an effective treatment for heart disease and diabetes and lengthens telomeres (aging is associated with shortening of telomeres). When done right, it also provides plenty of all the nutrients you need to stay healthy. If people are interested in learning more about a vegan diet, by all means, let me know and I'll write future posts on the topic!

However, I recognize that these reasons are not important to everyone. What should be important to everyone, though, is being the healthiest, happiest version of yourself you can be. Who doesn't want to add life to their years? Part of this includes eating right. Part of eating right is increasing the number of plant-based foods in your diet - vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes/beans and healthy oils. The goal of this website is to help you do that regardless of your dietary framework. Look for an upcoming post on "What is a healthy diet." This will highlight what a healthy diet is for those with a variety of preferences and restrictions - including omnivore, flexitarian, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, etc.

Whole Wheat Linguine with Marinara and Basil Flowers, Sautéed Chinese Broccoli with Red Peppers & Toasted Artisan Bread with Garlic Oil

Finally, whether it is about this new project or the website, I would love your feedback (good or bad - I can take it)!