Food Day, October 24th is quickly approaching and there are now more than 1200 events being planned all over the country from an “Eat- In” in Times Square to healthier meals being served in schools all over the country! The map at wwwFoodday.org lists all of the events.

Quick reminder: Modeled after Earth Day, Food Day is intended to create and raise awareness about all matters of food from sustainability, nutrition, political issues, and enjoyment. Supporters range from the Harvard and Yale Schools of Public Health, to major chefs (Mario Batali, Alice Waters, Ming Tsai, and Dan Barber), governors and mayors, many of whom are recognizing and declaring it an official holiday in their cities and states.

In the Greater Boston area about 50 restaurants and food trucks will be featuring special Food Day menus!

Food Day is the brain child of Michael Jacobson, founder of the Center for Science in the Public Interest or CSPI : Founded in the early 70’s, CSPI has become the leading consumer activist agency in the U.S regarding nutrition, health, food safety, alcohol safety and sound science. Or perhaps you know its Its award-winning newsletter, Nutrition Action Healthletter, with some 900,000 subscribers in the United States and Canada, the largest-circulation health newsletter in North America.

We asked Michael Jacobson, CSPI’s founder to give you an introduction, so please give him a listen.

Enjoy!

Nina

Let’s face it. When it comes to dinner, we want it all: 

• Easy
• Delicious
• Healthy

I’m no different, even though I’m a cookbook author with 10 books (soon-to-be 11!!) to my credit. Making dinner every night can be challenging.

Fortunately, Farmers’ Markets are now offering all kinds of fresh vegetables and fruits. Cooking is a pleasure. So we invited Dr. Lilian Cheung, a nutritionist from the Harvard School of Public Health, to a Farmer’s Market and were inspired. Using the HSPH Food Pyramid and the newly designed USDA Plate (http://www.usdaplate.com), we brainstormed and came up with all kinds of quick, healthy Asian dishes.

Go to the Recipe section for

• Cantonese-style Microwave-Steamed Halibut with Scallions and Ginger
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Herbal Brown Rice

Enjoy!

Nina

At this same time last year, I visited my dear friend Caroline Courtauld’s English country house, Spencer’s, and its gorgeous gardens (www.spencersgarden.net)

at the height of mid-summer. The stunning 17-acre garden was at its peak and awash in a sea of vivid colors. It was spectacular!!

Unlike most British gardeners, Caroline prefers the French method of growing vegetables alongside flowers instead of the typical English design of keeping the two separate. We feasted that evening on a light spinach soup, steamed zucchini, and the first of the season’s broad beans and pan-seared salmon. All of the succulent, organic vegetables were picked right before dinner.

Caroline & I met on our first trip to China in 1979. We both signed on to one of the first official tourist groups to witness the culturally ravaged (but still extraordinary) country. In addition to being an author and photographer of a number of books on Burma, Hong Kong and China, she is on the board of Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, an organization established by her late friend, Maggie Keswick Jencks (who was a famous author, landscape designer, and painter) and her husband Charles, the noted architect. The fourteen centers offer help for cancer patients and their families, including information, benefits, advice, psychological support, and courses in stress reducing strategies — and everything is free of charge.

Retweet To Win Spoonful and Chinese Cooking Starter Kit Contest

In celebration of the reissue of my award-winning cookbook, Spoonful of Ginger, we will be giving away TEN Chinese cooking starter kits. We’re also partnering with The Crave Company http://thecravecompany.com. The kits contain:

· A 14-inch rolled steel, heavy-gauge wok with wooden handles

· A dome lid that fits perfectly in the wok, transforming it into a steamer or braising pan

· A Chinese shovel that is designed to conform to the sides of the wok, making tossing food in the pan a breeze

· A traditional Chinese handled strainer with a mesh wire basket that is used to scoop food out of a pan of hot oil or water and is an excellent strainer.

· A steamer rack that fits perfectly into the bottom of a wok or any pan and holds a heatproof plate or bowl which contains the uncooked food.

· An autographed copy of the newly-reissued, best-selling cookbook, Spoonful of Ginger, which won both the James Beard and IACP cookbook award for health

To qualify, sign up as a follower on my Twitter account, follow my tweets @SpicesofLife, and retweet  the “#SpoonfulContest” tweets. Ten lucky finalists will be chosen from those followers retweeting the message in the next few weeks.

Upon meeting Nell Newman, President of Newman’s Own Organics, you would never know that she descended from Hollywood royalty, actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

She is extremely modest and understated. She lives in the idyllic seaside town of Santa Cruz, California and is an avid surfer. Like her parents, Nell is passionately committed to making a difference. She was one of the pioneers of the organic foods movement, prevailing upon her father to let her to start a “new generation” of the company years ago when organic products were only beginning to appear in mainstream supermarkets.

Today, Newman’s Own Organics offers an eclectic line of products including pretzels, popcorn, pet foods, numerous types of cookies, balsamic vinegar, dried fruit and coffee and tea. Like her father, Nell not only insists on a high level of quality, but that each food tastes delicious, dispelling the old-fashioned notion that health food is boring. In our interview, she shared some stories explaining the inspiration for some of the products: Her dad adored the combination of orange and chocolate, hence the orange-chocolate bars and the orange-chocolate chip cookies. And Like the parent company, Newman’s Own, after taxes, the profits are donated to worthy causes.

Enjoy!

Nina

Who ever thought that Joanne Woodward’s and Paul Newman’s oldest daughter, Nell, would be a foodie?? It’s true.

Nell’s combined passion for good food and preserving the environment were the prevailing influences compelling her to start a new branch of Newman’s Own called Newman’s Own Organics. Today Newman’s Own Organics is a thriving company by itself with numerous, delicious products. The sale of Newman’s Own Organics products generates money for the Newman’s Own Foundation, which donates money to educational and charitable organizations worldwide. Since 1982 Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own Foundation have donated more than $300 million dollars.

Nell doesn’t give many interviews so I was thrilled when she agreed to meet and talk about the company and share some fun stories about her Dad. We were also excited to taste some yummy, new foods from Newman’s Own.

Enjoy!

Nina

Taza Chocolate is a small, wonderful company that makes extraordinary organic, stone-ground dark chocolate. It’s a true bean-to-bar company located in Somerville, MA, but the chocolate bars are sold in numerous stores nationwide. Come along for a personal visit with Alex Whitmore, co-founder, who apprenticed with traditional chocolate makers in Mexico.

As if you didn’t have enough excuses to eat dark chocolate for the flavor, there’s also the health factor. Among the benefits of chocolate:

• High in antioxidants. Taza chocolate has three times the amount found in milk chocolate.
• Contains mono-unsaturated fat, so it helps lower cholesterol.
• Helps promote blood flow, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Go to the recipe section for a sumptuous, flour-less chocolate cake.

Enjoy!

Nina

Eat superb steamed dumplings or exquisite French pastries? That is the decision you must make when you visit Yauatcha, Alan Yau’s amazing dim sum tea room in London.

Many may know Alan as the genius who created the Wagamama noodle bar (which he sold ages ago), or Hakkasan, the sexiest Chinese restaurant ever, and Besaba Eathai, his wonderful Thai restaurants. I’ve heard that Alan is taking a little break from the crazy world of running and creating new restaurants, I hear Yauatcha is still excellent.

What dish could be more appealing as the weather gets cooler than a plateful of crusty pot stickers??? See my easy recipe.

Enjoy!!

Nina

I visited my dear friend, Caroline Courtauld’s, English country house, Spencer’s and its gorgeous gardens www.spencersgarden.net at the height of mid-summer. The stunning 1 ½ -acre garden was at its peak and awash in a sea of vivid colors. It was spectacular!!

As we toured the grounds, Caroline explained that she prefers the French method of growing vegetables alongside flowers instead of the typical English design of keeping the two separate. The garden has an impressive variety of organic vegetables. We feasted that evening on a light spinach soup, steamed zucchini, and the first of the season’s broad beans and pan-seared salmon. All of the succulent vegetables were picked right before dinner.

In addition to her role as Mistress of Spencer’s, Caroline Courtauld is a distinguished author and photographer of a number of books on Burma, Hong Kong and China, as well as a documentary film producer. She is also a Director and passionately involved in Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, an organization established by her late friend, Maggie Keswick Jencks, (who was a respected author, landscape designer, and painter) with her husband Charles, the noted architect. The fourteen centers offer help for cancer patients and their families, including information, benefits, advice, psychological support, and courses in stress reducing strategies. No appointment or referrals are necessary and everything is free of charge.