April/May 2006
Empty
Envelopes for Empty Promises
Steve Bhaerman
Restoring
the Public Trust
Bill Moyers
Nonviolence:
The Link Between Spiritual Development and Social Change
David Kupfer
One
Roof at a Time
Bill McKibben
If
Not Now, When?
Jody Woodruff
Recent
Research Shows Organic Foods Safer for Children
Stephen Leahy
Shop
Smart and Save the Planet
Annie Hoy
What's
in Your Pantry
Mary Shaw
Playing
the Quantum Field
Brenda Anderson
Autobiography
of a Blue-Eyed Yogi
Reviewed by Rachel Bendat
Living
With the Himalayan Masters
Reviewed by Rachel Bendat
The
Oneness Movement
Cate Montana
Book
Reviews
John Darling
Cosmic
Calendar
Salina Rain
What’s
in Your Pantry
Taking Stock of the Basics
By Mary Shaw
It’s no secret, the best buys in most grocery stores have humble beginnings in the Bulk Aisle. You are paying for nothing but the raw potential, minimally processed, nutrient dense foods. The trick is getting into a rhythm of preparing these foods in a variety of delicious, easy to prepare menus. Breakfast can be one of the many whole grain cereal choices from the bulk bins—experiment with some of the cereal flakes like spelt, kamut or the gluten free quinoa. There is also an excellent 7-Grain Mix that many groceries stock. Try blending ¼ cup almonds with 2 cups water to make your own nut milk. Soak ½ cup cereal flakes per person in 1 cup of the milk overnight, and in the morning, cook for 5 minutes. Add raisins or other dried fruit of your choice for a nutritionally perfect breakfast. Experiment with combining the flakes to make your own custom blend cereal. Have some fresh, seasonal fruit with the cereal. Lunch can feature leftovers from dinner with the addition of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Plan dinner around a grain, a bean, and two vegetables—one green, the other a cooked or raw different color choice. These foods combined are the beginnings for an excellent ethnic meal. Beans have strong cultural roots that will guide you to a complete menu—garbanzo beans make a great curry with kale served over basmati rice (East Indian,) or hummus with tabouli, pita bread, cucumbers and tomatoes (Middle Eastern). Refry pinto beans and serve them with spinach enchiladas in corn tortillas with a red chili sauce and steamed squash (Mexican) or combine them with kidney beans to make a Tex-Mex style chili served with cornbread and garlic sautéed collard greens (Southwest USA). Pick one bean for the week, and cook enough on Sunday to prepare 3 or 4 different recipes throughout the week. Look in your favorite cookbooks or online for good, simple recipes with beans. Take a cooking class that features bean and grain cookery. Develop a list of recipes for specific beans.
There are some foods that make the cook’s life easy, and should always be in the pantry, like brown basmati rice, quinoa, and barley. For fast meals include a variety of whole grain pastas—there are many delicious wheat-free pastas now made from rice, corn, and mixed sprouted grains. Beans keep well so a pantry can include several basic varieties like garbanzo, pinto, kidney, black, and white. Pulses like lentils and split peas are basic for menu planning and faster cooking than beans. Extra virgin olive oil and a variety of vinegars are essential to have on hand, and are also available in bulk—remember to bring containers with you to the store. Nuts and seeds are also available for snacks, salads, and blending to make your own nut milk. Basics are almonds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Another great value for in between meal snacks is bulk nut butter, both almond and peanut. Next time you shop take some time to explore the Bulk Aisle, and see what’s missing from your pantry!
Mary Shaw
taught Whole Foods and Advanced Whole Foods at Bastyr University in Seattle.
She is currently the Culinary Education Specialist for the Ashland Food Co-op
where every two months a free to Co-op Owners class called “Pantry Basics”
is offered. The class focus is how to make weekly menu plans using primarily
the bulk and basic pricing foods. Call (541) 482-2237 for information.
