Exotic, delicious wild morels are a fleeting spring
treat. Photo by Yin Yang | IST.

While dried morel mushrooms are available year round—and are a treasured ingredient in soups, stews and sauces—this is fresh morel season.

These incredibly flavorful gifts of nature, with their earthy and woodsy aroma and flavor, have a distinctive look: a honeycombed, hollow, cone-shaped cap atop a ’shroom that ranges in size from 2 to 4 inches high. Colors vary from blonde, grey or tan to an extremely dark brown.

Morels are gathered by hand in the woods, and brought to specialty markets. Look for the #1 grade, meaning that each mushroom is a whole, young specimen with a white stem.

FOOD TRIVIA: Morels are one of the first species to colonize forests after a fire, which may explain the intense earthy, smoky and nutty flavors that characterize their taste.

Thanks to MarxFoods.com for inspiring this post.

A couple of months ago, we received an invitation to two industry events on the same evening.

One was for the Lightlife brand of vegan “meat” products. The other was to the opening of celebrity chef Todd English’s new restaurant.

We made plans to stop by and taste Lightlife, a product line we’d never tried, and then head to Todd English’s restaurant. Here’s how the evening turned out:

We liked the Lightlife foods so much, we stayed the entire evening, happily tasting everything. We never made it to the restaurant. Could there be a better endorsement of how good the Lightlife “vegan meat” products are?

We are neither vegetarian nor vegan. We eat everything that’s delicious, and nothing that isn’t.

Eating more vegan foods (products without any animal-based ingredients) supports our personal commitment to eating more sustainably. As much a we love meat, cheese and dairy foods, producing them takes a big toll on the planet.

Lightlife’s vegan Chick’n Corn Chowder
is enhanced with “bacon.” Both meats are
made from tempeh, a soy-based protein,
and are delicious. Photo courtesy Lightlife Foods.

The line is certified vegan and kosher by OK. Read the full review. It also explains the differences between tempeh, tofu and seitan.

If you’re looking for delicious, prepared vegan food, also see these Top Picks Of The Week:

The second Annual Hemp History Week ended yesterday.

The national grassroots education campaign aims to renew support for hemp farming in the U.S. Although illegal today, hemp was traditionally grown in the U.S. by many farmers—including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper!

In addition to edible hemp seed, hemp has long been used to make fiber for rope and textiles.

The growing of hemp as a food and textile crop was banned in 1957, due to federal confusion over industrial hemp and marijuana.

While there is pending legislation to change the situation, currently no live hemp plant (specifically, leaves and stems) can enter the U.S. But the seeds and end products containing them can be imported.

Shelled hemp seeds are a delicious addition
to salads. Photo by Elinor D. | Wikimedia.

Hemp seeds are one of the most nutritious foods around. Hemp, along with quinoa, is one of the few plant foods that are a complete protein (containing all the essential amino acids). Hemp seed is packed with protein, omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids (the highest levels of any plant source) and magnesium. The flavor is mild, similar to sunflower seeds.

If only hemp were legal, it would add inexpensive protein to our diet. Instead of appearing only in niche health foods, large manufacturers would use it to add protein to cereal, milk and other foods.

Currently, Americans can purchase hemp seed powder to add to smoothies and other foods; shelled hemp seeds to sprinkle on salads, soups, veggies, yogurt and hot and cold breakfast cereals (very tasty!); and hemp seed oil for salads.

Beyond nutrition, an excellent reason to legalize hemp growing is that it can be a salvation to many of America’s farmers.

It is difficult for many American farm families to earn a living from farming. Farmers earn $25/acre for growing corn. Hemp would yield $200/acre, giving them the income they need to keep their family farms.

Now that you know, support hemp farming. Write to your state and federal representatives. Not only does the federal government need to legalize hemp farming, but each state must also legalize it in order to allow its farmers to grow hemp.

Learn more at VoteHemp.com and follow the link to send a pre-written email, fax or letter to your legislators to let them know how you feel about the status of hemp in the U.S.

And don’t forget to enjoy the benefits of hemp as a high protein nutritional supplement. Start with sprinkling the tiny seeds onto your salads. If you typically eat a low-protein vegetable salad for lunch, it’s just what the doctor (or nutritionist) ordered. Two tablespoons of hemp seed provides 11 grams of protein, as much as a chicken drumstick.

Our favorite hemp food: the hemp bagels from French Meadow Bakery.

Absolutely delish: a mix of quinoa and brown
rice, deftly seasoned. Photo courtesy Seeds
Of Change.

The Uyuni Salt Flats of southeast Bolivia, high in the Andes Mountains, are best known for salt production. But quinoa has been cultivated there by the Incas for some 5,000 years.

Quinoa, pronounced KEEN-wa or KEE-noo-ah, is an exceptionally nutritious supergrain (in fact, it’s the Quechua/Inca word for “mother grain” or “super grain”).

Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain. A complete protein equivalent to milk, it contains all eight essential amino acids and a portfolio of vitamins and minerals. Everyone should eat more quinoa.

Our discovery of the week is a shelf-stable (no refrigeration required), 90-second microwavable package of quinoa and whole grain brown rice from Seeds Of Change.

This whole-grain combo is deftly seasoned with black pepper, garlic, onion, parsley and sea salt. The earthy flavor of quinoa tempered with nutty brown rice is a winner. We consume lots of quinoa and lots of brown rice, and the mixture is magical.

 
Serve it with anything or enjoy it as a high-protein, whole grain snack.

Seeds Of Change products are certified organic by the USDA and QAI. The company contributes 1% of net sales to advance the cause of sustainable organic agriculture world wide.

Print out a $1.00 coupon at SeedsOfChangeFoods.com.

First made by Native Americans, grits are an ubiquitous menu item in the American South. The area from Virginia to Texas is even called the “Grits Belt,” where grits are served for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and that sounds great to us!).

Grits are the hard part of the corn kernel (the endosperm), cut into uniform small pieces. They are related to polenta, which is made from a different type of corn and is usually a finer grind. Another related product, farina, known in the U.S. as cream of wheat, is made from semolina flour.

For the record, corn is classified by the type of starch in its kernels. Dent corn, the premier corn in the South, has a relatively soft, starchy center that makes the best grits. Flint corn, used for polenta, has a hard, starchy endosperm and produces a more granular cornmeal with a better texture (mouthfeel).

Learn all about grits and get the recipe for creamy cheese grits.

You don’t have to be from the South to
enjoy a breakfast of bacon, eggs and
grits. Photo by Sasha Fatcat | Wikimedia.

Infuse tea to make a “marTEAni.” Photo
courtesy Hershey Resorts.

Combine your passions for martinis and tea with a tea martini. Green tea, Earl Grey and chai are three of the more popular teas to infuse.

You can substitute another tea variety in this recipe for an Earl Grey MarTEAni, from Tavalon Tea. The key to any good recipe is to use the best ingredients. So use fine loose tea, not a supermarket brand which typically requires milk and sugar to compensate for the blandness.

(We buy the best tea and, as with fine wine, never add milk or sugar to it.)

TEA MARTINI RECIPE

Ingredients Per Cocktail

*See our Lemon Glossary for the different types of lemon. The “supermarket lemon” is the Lisbon lemon.

Preparation
1. Infuse tea by combining tea leaves and vodka in a large bottle.† Replace bottle top and shake vigorously to distribute evenly. Allow to “steep” for just 30 minutes (no longer, or else the bitter tannins start to infuse). Strain into the vodka bottle.
2. Combine vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 15 seconds to fully incorporate.
3. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with a splash of ginger ale and garnish with lemon wheel.

†If you don’t have an extra bottle, you can infuse the tea in the vodka bottle. Then, strain into a pitcher or other container and pour back into the vodka bottle.

If you read history or old literature, you encounter cornmeal. A flour ground from dried maize (corn), it’s been a staple for millennia, feeding the native populations of the Americas and, later, the Colonials. Ground to fine, medium and coarse consistencies, cornmeal is used to make everything from tortillas and cornbread to cookies and cakes. Like other flours, fine-ground cornmeal is also used to thicken sauces.

Polenta—the Italian word for cornmeal and a cooked dish made from it—has become popular in America through Italian and Continental restaurants. The introduction of polenta to American diets brought it back into the American kitchen, from which many decades ago it was replaced by refined wheat flour.

But polenta is also refined: It is degerminated cornmeal, with the germ and endosperm removed. As with all refined grains, the protein, iron and vitamins are left on the factory floor.

So what can you do if you love polenta?
 

Cornmeal is a whole grain, unlike refined
polenta. Photo courtesy AnsonMills.com.

Substitute stone ground whole grain cornmeal—no recipe adjustments needed to make polenta or any other recipe.

Be sure to read the package label, though: Some stone ground cornmeal is degerminated to extend its shelf life and is no longer a whole grain. (Store whole grains in the freezer if you don’t use them up.)

You can find whole grain cornmeal from one of our favorite brands, Bob’s Red Mill, at natural food stores nationwide (including Whole Foods Markets). Substitute it for polenta in any recipe: to make cookies and cakes (nifty texture!), cornbread and corn muffins, hushpuppies and spoonbread. Old-fashioned cornmeal mush sounds great on this cold day, as we contemplate breakfast options.

If you’re not near a store that sells cornmeal, check out the beautiful heirloom grain products at AnsonMills.com. If you love to cook and eat, be warned: You’ll probably want to order everything.

If your only exposure to hot cereal is instant packages of oatmeal, you’re depriving yourself of a real treat. For us, Cream Of Wheat, Cream Of Rice, grits, polenta and cornmeal mush are some of life’s great comfort foods.

Today’s shout-out is to grits (hominy grits), a versatile hot cereal or side dish to other breakfast foods, lunch or dinner or as a main dish (shrimp and grits are a match made in heaven).

If you don’t like grits, you’ve never had the real deal. Anson Mills’ honest-to-the-core organic-certified antebellum sweet Carolina corn grits have no relation to the gluey, pallid, tasteless grits served up at so many diners.

They’re cold-milled grits, handmade from certified organic whole heirloom seed corn. To our knowledge, they’re the best grits that money can buy. They’re not instant, but they’re terrific: true grits, indeed.

Enjoy cheesy grits or plain grits for
breakfast, lunch or dinner. Photo courtesy
AnsonMills.com.

 
Try them and fall in love with the full-flavor taste of these organic heirloom grains: fresh corn flavor, texture, nutrients and richness with the additional floral flavors from fresh corn germ. This style of grits was popular before the Civil War and was still available until World War II, fresh-ground every Saturday morning in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Fresh-milled hominy grist, right out of the mill, is a food lover’s delight.

Here’s a basic grits recipe from Anson Mills. Add 1 tablespoon of grated cheese (we use Parmesan) to make cheesy grits/cheese grits.

You can purchase grits at your local supermarket, too. They’re fine—we use them all the time. But for a special treat, get the artisan version from AnsonMills.com.

If you’ve been reading all the posts this month, you know why you need to eat more whole grain. It’s easy to do just by switching two of the most-served starches—white potatoes and white rice, both of which supply minimal nutrition—for nutritious, high-fiber brown rice.

When you make brown rice, make double the amount you need. That way, you’ll have leftover brown rice, a very versatile food. It can be used for everything from stuffing burritos and omelets to bulking up soups, salads and wraps to creating a flavorful main or new side dish.

If you don’t have any leftover brown rice on hand, you can quickly microwave a package of frozen cooked brown rice, or cook brown rice from scratch in 12 to 15 minutes in a pressure cooker.

This recipe, from Whole Foods Market, creates an elegant Chinese-inspired rice side, enhanced with fresh pineapple and edamame and flavored with grated ginger and cilantro. (Get the recipe.) Serve it as a vegetarian main course or as a side with steamed fish or roasted chicken.

Photo courtesy Whole Foods Market.

And the next time you open the fridge, look at everything that you can add to leftover brown rice. Scrambled eggs and peas, sundried tomatoes and mozzarella and leftover bits of meat and other proteins are some of our favorites.

Some of our staff eat grilled salmon for dinner every other night for its healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids.

There are many ways to keep grilled salmon interesting. But instead of topping it with sugar-laden chutney, sauces and glazes, take a healthy approach.

In this idea from Whole Foods Market, grilled wild salmon (so much better than farmed salmon) tops a mound of tabbouleh, which is made with whole-grain bulgur wheat. The salmon is marinated in olive oil, fresh orange juice and zest.

It’s topped with a Middle Eastern/Israeli salad of chopped cucumber, red onion and halved cherry tomatoes. We add dill and/or parsley to our chopped salad. In season, substitute chopped vine-ripened tomatoes.

We purchased our tabbouleh to save time, but here’s the recipe to make it from scratch, along with the citrus-marinated salmon.

An extra-healthy salmon recipe combines all
those omega-3s with whole-grain tabbouleh.
Photo courtesy Whole Foods Market.

Find more of our favorite fish recipes.