But after taking a look at the Big Green Cookbook by Jackie Newgent, I realize that there is a little bit more to 'being green' in the kitchen than I had understood. Turns out that cooking and food storage is a substantial source of greenhouse gasses in the environment....we use a heck of a lot of resources in the kitchen without really giving it much thought. The book shows you how to reduce your carbon footprint in the kitchen through a variety of resource-saving tips and tricks. Here are a few concepts that stood out for me: The cool thing about the Big Green Cookbook is that it helped me rethink the way I cook. I never used to think twice about turning the oven on to heat up a few dinner rolls. Now I'm much more likely to heat them in the toaster instead. Veggies and meat are cut into smaller pieces so they'll cook faster. I even reuse cooking water for more than one thing...like steaming and boiling and eventually for dish washing. Oh, and besides all the smart planet-pleasing tips there are over 200 recipes in the book - it is a cookbook after all. :) I tried the Zucchini Panini, which uses the green grilling technique, but I made with yellow squash instead of zucchini. It's like an open-faced sandwich using zucchini as the bread, drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette, topped with tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella cheese. Mmmmmm....super yum!Give me a big pile of organic vegetables and I'll start scheming up a healthy meal for my family. Will it be sauteed, steamed or grilled? Will there be meat or noodles or rice? Once I come up with a plan I'll start chopping and cooking with abandon, thinking that I am doing the planet a favor by cooking homemade food from sustainably produced ingredients.
This sounds like a great addition for my recipe book library. I've never really thought about the effect just cooking a meal could have on the environment either. That panini sounds great!!
Posted by: Andrea Idika | August 14, 2009 at 03:11 PM
I like cooking food using produced ingredients too.I never thought that cooking and food storage is a substantial source of greenhouse gasses in the environment.Thanks for the info!After this,I wanna view that Big Green Cookbook..
seth
Posted by: Jollibee web site | August 18, 2009 at 11:26 PM
I love the tips you featured and can't wait to explore this resource more! At Mission: Clean Kids we always need great ideas for keeping our families healthy.
Posted by: Catherine | August 19, 2009 at 02:26 PM
Hard boiled eggs turn out great (no green ring around the yolk) if you boil for one or two minutes, cover & turn off the heat. Let sit for 20 - 25 minutes, and they're done!
Posted by: Carol | August 20, 2009 at 09:32 AM
That sounds like a fab cookbook. I will have to check it out. Thank you.
Posted by: Jennie | August 24, 2009 at 01:28 PM
Sounds like a great cookbook, I will have to check it out. Thank you.
Posted by: Jennie | August 24, 2009 at 01:29 PM
Sounds awesome. I do the hypercooking. :)
Are there meat recipes in it??
Posted by: Lisa | August 25, 2009 at 04:55 PM