Step One on the way to avoiding GMO's (chicken pot pie)

I am a biology instructor. While that doesn't make me an expert, it certainly helps with the understanding of the new it topic in the news: gentically modified organisms, which are commonly called GMOs. 

A GMO is a biological organism, such as an animal, plant, or bacteria, that has been altered at the genomic level, in its DNA. The implications of this technology is phenomenal. From blue jeans to insulin to your favorite cereal, all are made or influenced by GMOs. It's an amazing concept really, take a little piece of DNA from a bacteria resistant to round-up that is put in corn and voila! Round-up ready corn. And the same concept applies to all GMOs. 

Now the question is, what does that mean for us Americans (who don't have labeling on GMOs like most of Europe), and our diets? I'll let you think on that for a while.

Meanwhile Chicken pot pie using local and GMO free ingredients! The only way to guarantee you are eating a GMO free diet is to eat organic or from local farmers you have talked too. Most local farmers will tell you what they grow and how they treat their crops. If they won't, don't buy from them!

You will need:
1 carton Pacific cream of mushroom soup (it's GMO free!)
2 large carrots, diced (buy organic or local)
1 potato, peeled and diced (organic or local)
1 cup peas (organic or local)
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup corn (organic or local)
1 cup milk, divided (organic)
1 cup flour (organic)
1 tbsp sour cream (organic)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vinegar
1/4 c. shredded cheese
2 cups cooked chopped chicken, preferably local
Olive oil or organic cooking spray

Here's How:
1. Mix the flour, 3/4 c. milk, parsley, vinegar, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. Mix soup, remaining milk, and sour cream in a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. 
4. Coat an 8x8 baking dish with oil. Add in chicken cream mixture. 
5. Top with biscuit mix.
6. Bake for 25-35 minutes until biscuit is brown and cooked through. 
7. Serve warm with a salad or fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

GMO labeling

Vermont became the first state to mandate GMO labels. In the NY Times just one week ago, a new article appeared in the blog The Consumer entitled "Information Not on the Label". Obviously, GMO's are a hot topic. But why?

A GMO or genetically modified organism, is an organism, typically a bacteria or plant, that has been altered to contain DNA (the genetic material that codes for all life) from another species of organism. For example, Bt corn is a variety of corn plant that contains a toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacteria. This toxin allows the corn to be insect resistant in order to reduce pesticide use. Other examples include papaya designed to be resistant to a virus that almost wiped out the plant in the 1990's, and E. coli altered to produce cotton for blue jeans. GMO's are also used to produce life saving medications, such as insulin for diabetics. 

But the issue at hand is not the safety of GMO's. Or why or where they are being used, though those issues certainly come up. The issue is whether GMO's in our foodstuffs should be labeled. The FDA has no opinion of GMO's being labeled, but supports companies that voluntarily label their food, "provided that such labeling is truthful and not misleading."

People want to know what they are eating. Whether the food is safe, nutritious, organic, heirloom, genetically engineered, whole, or processed. 

My question to you is this: What do you think? Do you have an opinion? Do you know enough about GMO's to form an opinion?

I strongly encourage each and every one of you in the ether to tap on your keyboards and research GMO's. You'll find a lot of opinions and very few facts. And that, my friends, is the problem. There is just not enough research on GE foods and organisms to know what the long term effects can be. Just to make it a little easier, look at the table below. I have put some pros and cons of GMO's and GE foods for you so that you can make an informed decision.

Pros and Cons of GMO’s

Pros:	Cons:
Food: (includes Golden rice, soy, corn, papaya, squash, etc) Drought tolerant crops Pest resistant Less pesticide use Higher nutritional value Higher yields	Food: Less variety No research on long term side effects Increases use of high fructose corn syrup Encourages processed foods
Medicine: (includes insulin, chemo, and antibiotics, and more) Higher yields Faster turnarounds Reduces costs Greater availability	Medicine: No known cons
Industry: (includes cotton, dyes, biofuels, etc) Higher yields Reduces costs Environmentally friendly	Industry: Rougher textures What if the plants cross-pollinate or the bacteria escape and grow in the wild?

What do you think?

~Suzanne~

Eggs Benedict: Suzanne Style

It's egg season again! And by egg season, I mean summertime! For those of you who don't know, local eggs are much harder to find in the winter because chickens will stop laying as the days get shorter. Commercial farmers force their chickens to lay in the winter with grow lights, which is rather cruel to the extent they do it, but small farmers usually just let their chickens be, well, chickens. 

Anyway...eggs!
Now a typical Eggs Benedict is a layered creation of an english muffin with Canadian bacon, topped with a poached egg and slathered in Hollandaise. About the only thing my version has in common is the Hollandaise and the egg. 

This Eggs Benedict has a buttermilk biscuit with local breakfast sausage, a slice of fresh tomato, and a poached egg, smothered in homemade Hollandaise with herbs. 

Now, lets get started.

Eggs Benedict: Suzanne Style, for 4

You will need:
2 biscuits (homemade is the best!), sliced in half.
5 eggs
4 sausage patties (I vote for local, but your choice)
4 slices of tomato
1 stick butter
2 tbsp lemon juice (I would say fresh squeezed, but this is where I always forget to buy lemons and end up using bottled juice. Oh, well, sigh)
1 tsp dried herbs, such as parsley, oregano, and thyme or 1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs
5 cups water
1 tbsp white vinegar

Here's what to do:
1. Cook the sausage patties on a skillet or griddle at med-high heat until cooked through. Flipping once, after about 5 minutes. Cook the 2nd side for 3-5 minutes until done. Place on a plate covered with a paper towel. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, crack 4 of the eggs into 4 separate small bowls. I know this seems excessive, but when poaching eggs, it's important you work quickly and have the eggs separated.
3. Add the water and vinegar to a pot. Whatever you do, don't forget the vinegar. It keeps the whites together! Boil on high until bubbles start to form. Reduce heat to a simmer. For poached eggs, you want the water to be constantly boiling, but not rolling. 
4. Gently add the eggs one at a time, and cook for 3-5 minutes. The eggs are done when the whites look like fresh balls of mozzarella. Remove with a slotted spoon.
5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over med-low heat. Whisk in the lemon juice. 
6. Now comes the tricky part. In a small bowl (one used earlier is fine), crack and whisk the 5th egg to combine it. You need to cook the egg into the sauce without scrambling it. A lot of cooks use a double-boiler, it's a little less temperature sensitive, but really, who has the time?
7. Add the egg to the butter and lemon and whisk constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and continue whisking until a thick (but not scrambled) sauce forms. Add in the fresh herbs.
8. On a plate, layer the biscuit, sausage, tomato, egg, and hollandaise. Serve warm with fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

I know this is a complex recipe. But I know you can do it with patience and practice!

Best, 
Suzanne

Crab Cakes

Hi All!

I know it's been a while since I have posted anything. I have been supper busy! But I have definitely been cooking. Maybe I should make a requirement to blog about food once a week for the rest of year, except I think the time for New Years' resolutions has come and gone. But not to worry, I didn't forget about you! Below is my recipe for crab cakes. I hope you enjoy!

30 minute recipe! Yay!

Ingredients:

2 cans crab meat (2 pink or 1 pink, 1 lump) or 2 cans tuna meat

1 egg

3/4 c. Panko bread crumbs, divided

1/4 c. mayo

1/2 tsp. chili paste

1 diced sweet red chili pepper

1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dried tarragon, dill, or oregano

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 c. panko, 1 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp parsley, and 1 tsp dried tarragon. Set aside.

Mix remaining ingredients together. 

Heat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. 

Form fish mixture into 5 patties. Dip in panko mixture to coat. Place on cookie sheet. 

Spray fish cakes with more cooking spray to coat. Place in oven. Cook 10 minutes until lightly browned.

Remove from oven. Flip fish cakes and return to oven for 5-10 more minutes until other side is also crispy.