Do you need to afford or find all organic produce?
Have you ever wondered which foods you should be buying organic and which produce tends to use very little pesticides? When shopping this could cut your total cost in half, so FoodNews did the research to help you help you stay on budget and chemical-free (or at least lower your exposure).
Here are the “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables, listed in descending order for presence of pesticides, starting with the worst, or highest pesticide load:
- Peaches (highest pesticide load)
- Apples
- Sweet bell peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Grapes (imported)
- Carrots
- Pears
Here are the “Clean 15″ – the least amount of pesticides found, in descending order with the cleanest first:
- Onions (lowest pesticide load)
- Avocado
- Sweet corn (frozen)
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Asparagus
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Eggplant
- Papaya
- Watermelon
- Broccoli
- Tomato
- Sweet potatoes
Source: Environmental Working Group; www.foodnews.org
Yummy Raw Vegan Bacon
I love getting together with my girlfriends for brunch on the weekends, but for many years I disliked most savory dishes on the menu due to my (or really my mother’s) distain for eggs. I was 26 when I first broke that barrier and tried for myself, but up until then evey breakfast and brunch was sweet carbs like pancakes or waffles with a side of bacon to balance it all out. I even had a list of places in Seattle that served the best of the breed, I guess I had to if there was only one savory dish, it better be fantastic.
Now it has been a few years since I have eaten true bacon distant but for the love of this salty treat, I have created a healthy alternative.
So this is a constant work in progress, but there is not better recipe to perfect. So far it looks amazing and is definitely addictive.
Just trying to take this photo I learned a lesson: “When taking food photos, place a sign on the food if you step away” I was in the middle of taking the photo and my roommate, who didn’t realize what I was doing, grabbed a slice right off the top. I turned shocked, to see her with a huge smile on her face, & a thank you. Oh well, one photo survived the attack…
It didn’t take long before this was declared a new favorite around the house. As I continue to work on the recipe I will alter it here. This is a combination & edit of several recipes I have found online. A little sweet, a dash of smoke, spice tricks and lots of salt.
Make your own:
2 medium Eggplants
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 very ripe avocado
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp agave or maple syrup (using 2 different sweeteners activates more ’sweet’ receptors)
3 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayanne
black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke (optional) – call the ‘raw police’ or omit
2-3 tsp Real Sea salt – depending on your taste preferences
Peel the eggplants. Using the mandolin or a peeler, make long slices of the eggplant.
Mix all ingredients in a large container and work onto the eggplant slices. Allow to marinate for 3 hours, taste and adjust salt/pepper.
Place slices directly onto the screen of your dehydrator sheets. This will completely fill a 4-tray Excalibur.
Set dehydrator at 145 for 35 minutes then 110-115 for 18-24 hours.