Chaos, Conspiracy, Carrots

But I’ve been seeing signs lately. Yesterday, I went to hear Will Allen, who heads the nonprofit Growing Power.  At 60, Allen still has the build of the pro basketball player he used to be and the forearms of the farmer he is. He’s an urban farmer.  Okay, he does have a 30-acre farm in rural Wisconsin, but Growing Power also has a farm in residential Milwaukee. Allen creates sustainable urban farms and vegetable gardens in Chicago, Kenya, the Ukraine and hopefully soon somewhere near you.  His sustainable farm systems are on a scale that puts my postage stamp-sized garden to shame, yet he says I’m on the right track.  He says we all need to grow our own food.   He spoke to my heart when he said, “We cannot have sustainable communities without a healthy food system.”

Allen spoke at Temple Israel yesterday, a talk that came about because the temple’s rabbi Jody Cohen had been thinking of how in Leviticus, farmers allowed those in need to harvest fruits and vegetables from their land. Cohen wants to make that happen now at Temple Israel, in the middle of impoverished Overtown.  You know, I just get to thinking that we’re inherently design flawed as a species when people like Allen and Cohen prove me wrong and make wonderful things happen.  They bring out the better part of my nature.  Must hang with them more.

So I was blogging away about how fresh, sustainable food is a right, not a luxury and urban farms put what seems like a dream within reach, that growing healthy food improves our health, our lives, our connection with our food and with each other when the doorbell rang.  It was my postman (who does not ring twice) delivering my copy of T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study.

Campbell’s study has come up in almost all my nutrition research but I’d resisted buying the book because 1) I’m cheap and 2) I’m already on board with his message — a vegetarian diet can save your life.  But in the name of due diligence, I bought the book, here it was and I flipped it open.  “Good nutrition creates health in all areas of our existence,” Campbell writes. “All parts are interconnected.”  Spooky.

See?  It all comes back to the same thing — caring, whether it’s caring for ourselves, our communities, our planet or about what’s for dinner.  I can multitask and do it using these gorgeous organic carrots from my community farm share.  It’s a divine conspiracy.

Tomorrow — what to do with a cow.

Yum

Tunisian Roasted Vegetables

Yield: 4

The recipe that launched 208 posts (and counting). As I wrote in my first-ever Meatless Monday post, it’s kinda spicy, kinda sexy, very easy, very healthful and your plate will be a meat-free zone. You can take quadruple bypasses off the menu, rack up serious positive personal and global karma and who knows, you might start looking forward to Mondays.

Serve over whole grain couscous, brown rice or quinoa and/or greens.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced into strips
• 3 carrots, sliced lengthwise into strips
• 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into strips
• 2 ribs celery, sliced lengthwise into strips
• 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered (or halved, if small)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon harissa* (Moroccan chili sauce) or your favorite chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan or line it with a silpat or sheet of foil.
3. Take your sliced vegetables by the handful and plop them all into a large bowl. Add the minced garlic. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, tomato paste, harissa, cumin and lemon juice. Stir until it forms a thick, smooth sauce. Pour over vegetables. Mix in gently to coat.
5. Spread vegetables on the baking sheet or roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes, giving vegetables a stir halfway through. They’re done when tender and tips are dark and roasty-looking.
6. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Notes

* Available at Middle Eastern markets and many natural food stores.

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