Can I have some petrochemicals with that, please?

Why are we putting petrochemicals in our food?  Are they yummy?  That doesn't seem to make any sense to me. 

I used to not see a problem with putting synthetic food coloring in food, then I learned what they actually are, and now I am dumbfounded as to why anyone ever thought that was a good idea.

On another note, lets talk about sugar.  Do you know what color it is?  I'll give you a hint, it's not white.  I always thought it was white.  It's only white after it is bleached.  It starts out mostly brown.

Does anyone actually care if their sugar has a brownish color to it?  Honestly, I'm not offended in the least if my sugar is slightly brown.

So, how do we avoid synthetic additives and unnecessary chemicals in our food when they've become so common?  The best way is not to panic, but to go organic!

Black Beans and Coconut-Lime Rice

1 c shredded coconut
1 can  vegetable broth
(1⁄4 t ea salt/pepper)
(3 T butter)
2  c uncooked rice
1 sm onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded & chopped
2- 15 oz cans black beans, drained
(2 t chili powder)
(1 t cumin)
1 lime
2 green onion, thinly sliced
1⁄2 c cilantro
Sour cream
Mango, peeled sliced    

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake coconut in a shallow
baking pan for 8-10 min. In a saucepan, bring broth,
salt/pepper, 2 T butter and 2 c water to boil. Stir in the
rice. Cook 30-40 min. Turn off heat & keep covered till
ready to serve.

     Heat remaining 1 T butter in a sauce pan; add onion
& poblano pepper, sauté till tender. Stir in black beans,
chili powder, cumin & 3⁄4 c water. Cook over med heat
for 15 min.

     Zest lime peel and squeeze juice into sm bowl.  Fluff
rice w/ fork and add roasted coconut, green onion,
cilantro, lime juice & zest to the rice. Serve bean mixture
over rice. Top w/ sour cream & mango.

Vegetarian Pizza

Here is a vegetarian pizza that is really quite good.  The first time we made this we were feeding five hungry kids.  It was a big hit.  I even got a recipe request from the mother of three of the kids who were visiting us.  I guess the pizza was a big enough hit that she had heard about this pizza from her kids.

2 pizza crusts
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 or 3 oz imitation bacon bits
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin
2 large eggs
½ c milk
¼ t basil

The pizza crusts we used were made of corn meal.  We got them at Whole Foods. They were in the frozen foods section and the brand was Vicolo.

Place each crust on pizza pan. Divide bacon bits,
tomatoes, and cheese on each crust. Whisk eggs,
milk, and basil. Divide and drizzle evenly on each
pizza. Bake @ 425 for 25 min or until egg mixture is
set.

We're Going Carbon Neutral!

 Thanks to the good people at Kaufda and the Arbor Day Foundation, we are now carbon neutral!