So, tonight’s show is all food. We have two interviews folks. The first is with Kendrya Close, Executive Director of the Food Shed Alliance, which is based not far from our studio in Blairstown, NJ. The Food Shed Alliance is an amazing organization that has helped to support and promote area farmers and bring more awareness to the surrounding communities through a variety of events, including really yummy farm-to-table dinners hosted at some of the local farms. Kendrya will tell us about all their wonderful programs.

Then, our second interview will be with Misty Krupier, owner of a Brooklyn-based food business that is dedicated to using locally sourced food that is sustainably and responsibly grown. Through her business, Lucas Fine Foods, Misty will be starting a program to provide healthy lunch boxes for local kids. Can’t wait to hear more about that!

And of course, if you haven’t already heard, it is National Farmer’s Market Week, so if you haven’t been to yours yet, make sure to get to one this week – the harvest is ripe for the taking!

Tune in and turn on a friend!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
7 – 8pm EST
HomeGrownRadioNJ.org

Yummy Thai Coconut Fish Soup

Wayne and I have been going to Princeton, NJ one Sunday a month for a couple of months to a unique, healthy dinner club. It was founded by the mama earth of Princeton area herself, Dorothy Mullen - local vegetable garden educator, holistic nutritional advocate and certified addictions counselor. She and co-founder of Suppers for Sobriety, Cindy Foss have launched several ‘Suppers for’ programs to help people find ways to employ ‘nutritional harm reduction’ to address problems relating to blood sugar, ADHD and recovery from alcoholism and addictions.

These dinner/meetings are a wonderful blend of social interaction as the group works together to prepare a meal, informational, sharing about concerns or questions relating to food/nutrition/health, and of course always a fabulous and healthy meal.

We’ve joined in a group of ‘couples’ that are exploring additional ways to support their recovery through ‘nutritional harm reduction’. Wayne and I consider ourselves fairly informed (well, at least I do) about nutritional issues, but there is ALWAYS something new and interesting. However, these dinners are cleverly designed to accomodate people with all levels of nutritional knowledge.

This past meeting we talked about blood sugar and the consequences of consistently allowing it to drop severely. Yikes. But, we also had an extraordinary meal. Following are the recipes that Wayne and I replicated two weeks later and shared with the kids with great results.

Healthy & Colorful Chopped Salad with Dried Fig Dressing

Ingredients
Veggies
2 cups jicama (chopped into 1″ cubes)
1 yellow pepper (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1/2 head cabbage (chopped finely)
1 bunch kale (stems stripped out and chopped finely)
2 cups sprouts
1/2 red onion (chopped finely)
1 cup walnuts (chopped finely)
1/2 cup chives (chopped)
1/2 cup parsley (chopped)
1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)

Dressing
About 10 dried figs
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flaxseed oil
Juice of 1 orange
2 cloves garlic
Stevia (sweeten to taste)
Salt (to taste)

Instructions
The chopped veggies are kind of self explanatory – wash, chop and put in large bowl. The dressing is best done in a food processor. Put the figs in with some of the vinegar and run for 30 seconds or so, then add the other ingredients pouring the oil in slowly towards the end. Mix the dressing in with the veggies and voila! Of course, you can substitute some of the veggies or herbs to accomodate your or your family’s taste.

Thai Fish Soup

Ingredients
Olive Oil to coat bottom of pot
3 onions (chopped)
3 red peppers (chopped)
2″ piece of fresh ginger root (grated or minced finely)
1 1/2 lbs. salmon, (cut into 1″ cubes)
1 lb. cod (cut into 1″ cubes)
2 cans coconut milk
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp. red pepper flakes OR 3 hot chili pepper (chopped)
1 lb. firm tofu (cubed)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp. sea salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
1/4 cup (Thai) basil (chopped)
10 oz. spinach chopped)

Instructions
Coat the bottom of a large soup pot with olive oil and add chopped onions and saute till soft. Add red and hot peppers and ginger and cook till soft and onions are transparent. Add fish, coconut milk and broth and cook till fish is cooked through. Add tofu, lime juice and salt to taste. At the very end of cooking add spinach and basil and cook till just wilted, then add the chopped cilantro.

eat. blog. be merry!
GD Meg

Professor Lauren Bergey will moderate the panel and there is a yummy organic lunch provided by Burden Free foods, a New Jersey-based sustainable and healthy food catering company, run by Martine Marcus.

There will be music by the fabulous Kathy Moser and an eco-fashion show featuring some of the wonderful clothes provided by Joy Organic.

Dr. Deborah Diamond Fisch has done a great job putting this event together and it’s FREE and it’s not just for women so, if you can make it, come celebrate with us!

The festivities begin @ 10:30am. For directions see the Centenary College website. With questions, please call 973.539.1008