Let's not lose site of the big picture and big problems in the future...

I read Dot Earth pretty regularly and think Andrew Revkin has some really insightful points and great debates about climate science.  This one stopped me in my footsteps.  He shows a graph that plots the decline in arguments/discussions about long term climate consequences and the rise of arguments/discussions focusing on the immediate consequences...like a superstorm...by environmental groups.  He wisely points out that this really misses the point that our earth will change in some big ways in the medium and longer term and these are the issues that really need discussing.  Read the essay and talk about this at this weeks dinner party!

growing food to feed people is more efficient than growing food to feed animals or make biofuel...

A nice Scientific American article about how we can feed 4 billion more people if we focus on feeding people...

excellent article about seafood labelling...

The Conversation has an excellent article about seafood labelling in Australia.  The issues are universal.  Is sustainable seafood possible?

A great NYTimes OpED about the true value (and cost) of home cooked meals

I've been silent recently....mostly busy...but also just following a lot of events with nothing particularly insightful to write about them.  I've been playing around with pickling and veggie burgers...so I bet I'll write some more recipes on those topics soon.

However, I just have to share this very good NY Times OpEd about the value of home-cooked meals and how if we value them, we may have to pay for them.

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

Pay People to Cook at Home

By KRISTIN WARTMAN

Published: May 10, 2013

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THE home-cooked family meal is often lauded as the solution for problems ranging from obesity to deteriorating health to a decline in civility and morals. Using whole foods to prepare meals without additives and chemicals is the holy grail for today’s advocates of better eating.

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But how do we get there? For many of us, whether we are full-time workers or full-time parents, this home-cooked meal is a fantasy removed from the reality of everyday life. And so Americans continue to rely on highly processed and refined foods that are harmful to their health.

Read the rest at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/opinion/pay-people-to-cook-at-home.html?_r=0

Lemon, caper, tilapia

As I've regularly written, tilapia is one of those fish that you should probably eat if you care about sustainable fishers.  Moreover, it's one of the few fishes that are probably properly labeled (see previous blog post).  I've been playing around with this recipe for a while and I think I've finally nailed it.  It's now one of my favorite ways to add some serious flavor to tilapia.

1 cup flour
2 Tbs pepper
6 tilapia fillets
3 or 4 Tbs olive oil
3 or 4 Tbs butter

1 cup meyer lemon juice
3 or 4 Tbs capers (drained)


Mix the flour and pepper together and roll the tilapia fillets through it until they're lightly breaded.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and half the butter and lightly fry the tilapia fillets.  Turn after about 3-4 minutes or so.  When cooked through (6-8 min depending on thickness), remove from heat and blot to remove extra oil and keep in a warm place.

Place the remaining butter, fresh squeezed meyer lemon juice and capers into the frying pan and heat to a boil. While stirring, reduce heat and reduce the volume of the sauce for about 3-5 minutes.  You can add a little corn starch to thicken it a bit if you wish.

Plate the tilapia with rice and pour the luscious sauce over the tilapia and rice.  Enjoy!

Think you're eating snapper?

NGO Oceana released its nationwide survey of seafood labeling.  Much of the seafood we consume is mis-labeled and of all the fish, 89% of fish sold as snapper was not.  It could be tilapia.  It could be another species of snapper.  It could be rockfish.

Why does this matter?  Because if you're trying to buy sustainable fishes, you need to have faith in what you're buying is labelled correctly.

My new motto is that 'it takes a PCR machine to know what fish you're eating'.  Consumers beware!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Day is a perfect opportunity to have a mid-winter festival/party.  We had our annual lab party last night at our UCLA lab and the LA Times came by to write about the festivities!