Celebrate Spring with Seasonal Produce!

Asparagus, Spinach, & Chevre Quiche

Needed:

1/2 tablespoon olive oil


8 asparagus spears, ends removed and cut into 1-inch pieces


4 cups fresh baby spinach


5 large eggs


1 cup milk


3/4 cup crumbled chevre (goat cheese)


1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


Salt and pepper, to taste


4 green onions, chopped


1 9-inch pie crust

Cook:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pie dough and stick in freezer while you prepare the other quiche ingredients.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the asparagus spears, and spinach. Cook until asparagus spears are slightly tender and spinach is wilted. Transfer spinach to a colander. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Stir in the chevre and mozzarella cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Remove pie crust from the freezer. Place asparagus pieces, spinach, and green onions on the bottom of the crust. Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the vegetables and into the crust.

5. Bake the quiche for 45 minutes or until quiche is set and slightly golden brown. Let quiche stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Prep Time: 20 minutes/Cook Time: 45 minutes/ Total Time: 65 minutes

Label-GMOs Campaign Thanks!

As the signature-gathering season winds down, we would like to thank everyone who helped Earthbeam and San Mateo County support the California Label GMO Campaign. Thanks to you, we were able to gather over 300 signatures to support the ballot proposal to label GMOs in our state.

Stay informed on the campaign progress: http://www.labelgmos.org/ & http://www.facebook.com/labelgmos

Late Winter/ Early Spring Produce

Spring is upon us! Now that the clocks have been turned forward, there's more time for cooking. And with the arrival of new seasonal fruits and veggies, it is easier than ever!

March – April

Produce

asparagus cabbage acorn squash pea greens grapefruit escarole leeks celery butternut squash navel oranges mandarin oranges radishes

Here's some recipes to get you started:

Black Beans & Acorn Squash Chili with Toasted Pepitas

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion (chopped)

4 cloves garlic (chopped)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, in juice

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1 lb acorn squash puree (fresh or canned)

1 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)

1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, finely minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 (15-ounce) cans low-sodium black beans (rinsed and drained)

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 avocado cubed

6 tablespoons low-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté onion until lightly browned, 6–10 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook for 30 seconds, stirring. Stir in tomatoes with juices, broth, and squash; mix until smooth. Add chili powder, chipotle, oregano, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partly covered, for 15–18 minutes, until beans are soft and chili is thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

2. While chili cooks, heat a small skillet over medium-low and toast pumpkin seeds until they begin to brown and pop, 3–5 minutes, shaking pan frequently.

Serve chili hot, topped with pumpkin seeds, cilantro, avocado, and sour cream or yogurt.

From Delicious Living (March 2012) with some substitutions: replaced pumpkin with seasonal acorn squash. You can bake and puree it yourself, or get it in a can.

Chicken Fra Diavolo with Angel-Hair Pasta

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil, divided

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 large cloves garlic, minced, divided

1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, in puree or juice

3 tbsp tomato paste

½ cup white wine

½ tsp dried ground rosemary

1 cup chopped asparagus

8 oz whole-grain angel hair pasta

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/3-1/2 cup shaved Parmesan, Asiago, or other hard, sharp cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.

2. Cut chicken into strips about 1 ½ inches long and ¾ inch wide; toss with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken; cook for 3-5 minutes, until lightly browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining chicken.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tbsp oil, onion, and half of the garlic; cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes with juices, tomato paste, wine, and rosemary. Return chicken to pan, and stir to mix. Reduce heat to simmer and cook. covered, for 5-10 minutes.

Stir in remaining garlic and peas; cook for 5 minutes more, until peas are hot and chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente in boiling water. Drain well, and toss with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. To serve, divide pasta among plates, spoon chicken and sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with parsley and cheese.

Taken from Delicious Living Magazine (March 2012) with substitutions: replaced frozen peas with fresh asparagus.

Earthbeam & the Label GMOs Campaign

Earthbeam is proud to be working with the State of California to remove GMOs from our food source. This will be a long battle, but the start is to inform the public about what it is they are consuming.

Genetically modified ingredients have been in most processed foods in the United States since 1996. GM plants, such as soybean, corn, cottonseed, and canola, have had foreign genes forced into their DNA. The inserted genes from species such as bacteria and viruses, which have never been in the human food supply. These foreign particles have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions, thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ and system in lab animals. Though the long-term effects in humans are still mysterious, there are no doubts as to their severe risk to our health and the health of future generations.

Genetically modified ingredients have already been removed from China, the UK, and other European countries. The United States will be next!

Along with the tireless aid and support of the Label GMOs campaign, Earthbeam is gathering signatures to help pass a law that would require all food to be labeled as to whether or not it contains GMOS. As basic as ingredients and calories, it's our right to know.

Here at Earthbeam, we are committed to providing products without known GMOs.

Stop by to sign the petition! And pick up a snack while you're at it!

Here are some links to help you get informed:

The Campaign: labelgmos.org

Get the Facts: nongmoproject.org

China kicks out Monsanto: naturalsociety.com

UK kicks out Monsanto: naturalsociety.com

Response to Ken Whitman "Will Big Food work in the natural market?"

This month in Organic Connections Magazine, Ken Whitman detailed the recent history of food mega-companies branching out into the natural and organic food market. Does this steer away from the basis that the natural market should be based on? Ken asks us, and we respond:

It is true that mass production, cheap food, and unconscious ingredients have taken their toll on our national health. But as organic and natural food move their way up on the American consciousness, big brands like Heinz, Coca-Cola, Kraft, Kellogg’s, and General Mills adopt natural branches to their “brand portfolios,” as Whitman mentions, to keep up with the changing mindset.

Is this right? Definitely not. To answer Whitman’s question, no factory-economy company can ethically play both sides of the fence. Though it offers more natural options to the everyday consumer, the financial support is split between the GMO-free, fresh, organic business and the globally sourced, unhealthy industries that got us into this mess in the first place.

That being said, as a small business promoting organic, local and positive food ethics, we do our best to offer the highest quality food to my customers. But if we stood by this and this alone, our store shelves would be half empty. We understand Whitman’s point in “trivializing what is a necessary evolution for the health of our population and planet,” and in an ideal world, we would be able to offer only GMO-free, organic food with local ingredients from small farms. But as a retailer, we are stuck in the middle of selling products from independent distributors and the factory-economy companies. Simply put, a business cannot afford to support only the food at the very highest rung on the food chain.

For example, when Coca-Cola bought Odwalla in 2001, we did not immediately take it off of my shelf. Though we disagree with Coca-Cola’s food practices, we could not cut them from our product base without a replacement. However, when Columbia Gorge, an organic alternative to Odwalla, was brought to our attention in 2010, we made the switch. It was a similar situation when Procter & Gamble acquired Tom’s of Maine. After dropping Tom’s, we simply replaced their products with similar one’s offered by Jason, Dr. Ken’s, Weleda, and Bioforce.

We can take action as more wholesome companies emerge from the food world, and it is easy for a manufacturer to take a one-sided stance. But retailers and small markets are an essential step in bringing the food to the everyday consumer. To get this done, we have to stand in the middle of two very different worlds.

As Ken describes, “… the natural market continues to grow and brings with it a change in values. It’s about people and quality of life. It’s about small farms, fresh produce, no GMOs or chemicals, artisanal products and giving back. It’s not all about more for less. People are willing to pay more so a farmer can make a decent living.”

We at Earthbeam are grateful to have customers who are willing to pay more to support the choices that we make as a conscious business and as conscious eaters. As this continues, we can continue to make changes that support the ethics that the business was started on: sustainability, wellness, knowledge, and organic.

Read Ken's article and respond for yourself: http://organicconnectmag.com/wp/will-big-food-work-in-the-natural-market/#.TzBQ1ByyaTw

National Non-GMO Month

October is National Non-GMO month.

Here at Earthbeam Foods, we are committed to offering as many non-GMO products as possible. Though we are unable to offer 100% non-GMO products, we pride ourselves in helping you make educated choices and selling non-GMO products when available.

We support all legislation and progress towards labeling genetically modified foods, including the grassroots-powered 2012 ballot initiative to make the labeling of food products containing GMOs mandatory.

You can help spread the word, make a pledge to non-GMO, and stayed informed at http://labelgmos.org. As reported by www.organicconsumersfund.org/label, “California is poised to be the first state with mandatory GMO labeling laws through the 2012 California Ballot Initiative process.

Of course, there are a lot of untold truths about genetically modified organisms. The first, simple truth is that GMOs are dangerous- to our health, our families, and our communities. In North America, over 80% of our food contains GMOs, the most common being soy, cotton, canola, corn, sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, alfalfa, and squash (zucchini and yellow). The Non-GMO project does a great job of divulging these truths and offering them to the consumer in an accessible and thorough way (http://www.nongmoproject.org/).

It is important to understand that, though organic buying is an important step towards a healthy lifestyle, organic products are not necessarily non-GMO. Organic ingredients may still be genetically engineered because of cross contamination, through pollination or during manufacturing.

You can find a list of Non-GMO approved products at http://www.nongmoproject.org/product-verification/search-participating-products/, many of which we are proud to offer here at Earthbeam.

However, at this time, organic is the most positive change that one can make in their eating and buying habits. Here are Beyond Frankenfoods and Toxics “Ten Reasons to Buy Organic”:

1) Most organic foods are produced without GMOs

2) Organic foods are safe and pure

3) Organic foods & farming are climate-friendly

4) Organic certification prohibits nuclear irradiation

5) Very few cases of food poisoning have ever been linked to organic farms or food processors

6) Organic farming categorically prohibits the use of sewage sludge

7) Animals on organic farms cannot be fed slaughterhouse waste

8) Humane treatment of animals

9) Organic has high nutritional value

10) Organics preserve family farms