The Six Ingredient Challenge

Have you heard about the about the six ingredients challenge? It is a challenge where you are supposed to try to buy stuff from the store for a certain time with only 6 ingredients in the contents list.  Why? To make sure you eat more wholefoods and fewer artificial additives.

In February I did this challenge for a week but I also got curious and decided to check what we had at home before I started the challenge that contained more than six ingredients. I was quite happy with the result. Most of the things that contained more than six ingredients were in the fridge, mostly some sauces.

Here is a pick of most them, in addition to this we had some bread that contained more than six ingredients and a can of pea soup.

Your turn, what groceries do you have with more than six ingredients at home?

Catarina Holmsten-Carrizo

part of this post has been posted on rulesofgreen.com before

Lunch rice becomes part of dinner

I tried this Thai Rice recipe for lunch the other day. However, there was a lot of rice left after our lunch so I decided to turn the rice into the filling for bell peppers in the oven for dinner. Easy and delicious!

Thai rice recipe (serves 4, or 2 if you want to have leftovers for dinner).

2 dl	rice
4 dl	vegetable stock
2	egg
0,5 tbsp	butter
10 cm	leek, finely chopped (I used normal onion though as we didn’t have leek at home)
1 tbsp	oil for frying
1 box/bag	bean sprouts
1	chili, finely chopped

Cook the  rice with the vegetable stock according to the instruction on the package. Fry the eggs in the butter in a frying pan on both sides and cut into pieces. Fry the leek or onion in another frying pan. When the rice is cooked mix it in with the onion together with the bean sprouts, chili and egg pieces. Serve.

As we were only two people there was some rice left so I decided to reuse the rice for dinner.  I filled some bell peppers that I had cut into halves with the rice and topped them with a sundried tomato and loads of cheese. Yammi!

Catarina Holmsten-Carrizo

 

Permaculture

Do you know the word, “Permaculture”? Some of you may be familiar with this word, but others may not. This word is actually short for “permanent agriculture,” which describes an integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant and animal species useful to man, according to David Holmgren (2002), one of the co-originators of permaculture concept with Bill Mollison. It is also described as consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre, and energy for provision of local needs.

In addition, he adds that he sees Permaculture as the use of systems thinking and design principles that provide the organising framework for implementing the above vision. In his mind, Permaculture is not just the landscape, or even the skills of organic gardening, sustainable farming, energy efficient buildings or eco-village development, but is used to design, manage and improve these and all other efforts made by individuals, households, and communities towards a sustainable future.

Therefore, permaculture is also conceived as being short for “permanent culture” as well. In other words, it can be widely incorporated in all of the areas and aspects in our lives and cultures. I regard it as a philosophical backbone realized through the process of implementing concrete design principles as follows, which everyone who has a long-term vision for our future should have in mind.

1.Observe and Interact -Beauty is in the eye of the beholder- 

2.Catch and Store Energy -Make hay while the sun shines- 

3.Obtain a Yield -You can't work on an empty stomach- 

4.Apply Self-regulation and Accept Feedback      -The sins of the fathers are visited on the children unto seventh generation- 

5.Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services -Let Nature take its course- 

6.Produce No Waste -A stitch in time saves nine. Waste not, want not- 

7.Design from Patterns to Details -Can't see wood for the trees- 

8.Intergrate rather than Segregate -Many hands make light work- 

9.Use Small and Slow Solutions -The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Slow and steady wins the race- 

10. Use and Value Diversity -Don't put all your eggs in one basket- 

11.Use Edges and Value the Marginal -Don't think you are in the right track just because it is a well-beaten pass- 

12.Creativity Use and Respond to Change -Vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be-  

In relation to food waste, we can refer to the design principle 6, “Produce no Waste”, in which it is regarded as important to have a radical perspective that sees wastes as resources and opportunities. Making composts is easy to come up with as an example of it, but, at the same time, if you have been wasting food as consumers, it can also be regarded as an opportunity to change your bad habits into a better one by achieving food literacy more and more!

Seiya Okawara

Parmesan-crusted pumpkin wedges with yoghurt

My first was an accident, a mishap, the result of unintentional volunteer seed spreading through unprotected contact. A certain somebody had thoughtfully deposited half of a mouldy supermarket pumpkin into the compost heap which, much to my annoyance, managed to lodge itself onto the prongs of my garden fork every time I turned the heap. After much cursing, It eventually disintegrated and I spread the compost around the base of my chilli plants as mulch. At this very moment, I had become the unwitting propagator of pumpkins.

The Chinese lady next door told me that pumpkins are ready to harvest once the white splotches turn a yellow, creamy colour. My dad the self-proclaimed 'expert' confirmed this but failed to mention that pumpkins require a few weeks to cure before eating. So excited about picking pumpkins was I, that I cracked one open immediately and made a big batch of soup that tasted like total ASS. 

I thought I'd done something terribly wrong. Maybe pumpkins and chillies are not fitting companion plants and are instead, bitter instigators. Maybe pumpkins DETEST being watered with seaweed emulsion. I was full of self-doubt and loathing and distasteful pumpkin. I wept silently while the pile of pumpkins slowly grew.

A friend of mine offered me a copy of 'Plenty' by Yotam Ottolenghi after inadvertently ordering one too many online. When I chanced upon the recipe for 'Crusted pumpkin wedges with soured cream', the pumpkins too received a second chance lest I be left with a mouldy collection as a permanent reminder of inadvertent mistakes. This recipe has since become a staple that I bake time and time again. The wonderfully crisp parmesan crumb pairs perfectly with the soft and giving roasted pumpkin beneath. Try it. You'll see.

Parmesan-crusted pumpkin wedges with yoghurt
a recipe adapted and completely bastardised from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

half of a pumpkin 

1 dl Parmesan, finely grated

1dl breadcrumbs

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 dl black Tuscan kale leaves, roughly chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely grated

1 tbsp thyme leaves

1/2 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tbsp olive oil

Cut the pumpkin into wedges 2cm thick. Leave the skin on.

Toss with olive oil to coat and arrange onto a tray lined with baking paper.

Bake for 20 minutes at 180ºC.

Toss all of the remaining ingredients together and press firmly onto the sliced pumpkin.

Return to oven for an additional 30 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked through and crust is golden.

Serve with a zesty natural or European style yoghurt dusted with ground cumin.

Cathy Xiao Chen