Elana’s Pantry

Elana’s Pantry in the Denver Post

This past fall, the food editor of the Denver Post wrote an article on “addictive” food blogs. Not only was I surprised to find my blog in it, I was dumbfounded that Elana’s Pantry was mentioned in the same piece as Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks.

Swanson is everyone’s favorite food blogger. Her recipes are revolutionary; she always thinks out of the box when she whips up a dish. While I sometimes find her concoctions a bit too time consuming for someone with two boys underfoot, I am nevertheless, a big fan!

A couple months back, she posted a coconut chocolate pudding with curry. Given that I went dairy-free last year, I was intrigued by this recipe and used it as a basis for my own gluten-free, dairy-free, naturally sweetened chocolate pudding.

Chocolate Pudding
1 (14) ounce can coconut milk (not lite)
1 pinch celtic sea salt
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
5 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup dagoba chocodrops

1. In a saucepan, heat coconut milk and salt over medium heat
2. Sift the arrowroot powder into the pot, then whisk vigorously by hand or with a hand blender for 2 minutes
3. Whisk in agave and vanilla
4. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes; add chocodrops, stirring vigorously until melted
5. Chill for half an hour, until cool
6. Serve

Serves 4

Celiac in People Magazine

As a Waldorf mother, I never thought I would confess to reading People magazine. Recently though, I decided to come clean; I am addicted to, and read this weekly rag voraciously, and not just in the dentist’s office.

In my struggle to come out of the closet – mostly to myself, my husband and children are fully aware of the addiction – I pretend that this purchase is in the name of sociological research. I tell myself that as an entrepreneur, I really need to stay on top of happenings in mainstream America.

This week, as I was conducting my “research,” I found an article on celiac disease. The most under diagnosed disease in America can now claim its fame as a fully recognized malady, given that it was featured in People (circulation 3.8 million).

Last weekend, I timidly confessed my People habit to another Waldorf mom, thinking I would be branded with a scarlet “P.” To my surprise she actually asked me to save my old copies and pass them on to her. I guess she has some “research” to do as well.

Fed Fights Mad Cow Testing

Creekstone Farms wants to protect your health. The USDA, however, is against this.

This premium producer of high quality beef sued the USDA for denying it permission to test their cattle for mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (bse). Creekstone Farms has their own slaughterhouse and processing facility. They do not use hormones or antibiotics and feed their herds pesticide free grains. They want to take their high standards one step further and test their herds for bse.

An additional driver of their decision to (try to) begin testing for mad cow disease: the company wishes to begin exporting their product to the lucrative Japanese market. To export to Japan Creekstone must test for bse. Japan does not allow meat into the country that has not been tested.

Ok, let me see if I have this right. In Japan you can’t eat a steak that hasn’t been tested for mad cow disease. However, in the United States, a government agency that allegedly protects consumers, has denied you the right to know if it is safe to eat the steak on the plate in front of you.

In March 2007 a federal judge ruled in favor of Creekstone, giving them the right to test their cattle, effective June of the same year. In a stonewalling maneuver directed by the Bush administration, the USDA has appealed the ruling, effectively delaying implementation of testing until the court challenge has played out. Thus another chance for us to see the true colors of Bush II –wealth over health.

Gas Guzzling Gangstas

The hot topic this summer is fuel economy.

Unless you’re a lobbyist for General Motors, Ford or Chrysler, that is! While Japan is kicking some serious butt with the Toyota Prius (more than a million sold to date), the big 3 are trying to buy their way out of increased mileage standards.

Check out Mark Fiore’s video Innovations in Energy, a hilarious snapshot of energy policy in our country.

Lions and Tigers and Lunchboxes, Oh My!

During the last month, a couple of consumer safety issues featured in the news media caught my attention.

The first was a story in Newsweek which concluded that more than 50% of children’s shampoo contains para-dioxane, a cancer causing agent. Now I know why I wash my children’s hair with plain old warm water; it’s not just because I adore the way they smell like freshly washed puppies after a bath…

The second piece of news was more distressing than the first. The Consumer Product Safety Commission found lead in 1 out of 5 lunch boxes they tested for the substance. Did they pass this information on to you and me? No.

The CPSC released a statement that claimed there were “no instances of hazardous levels” of lead in the lunchboxes they tested. Hmm…sounds like the commission is not quite living up to its name; maybe they need to change it to the Business Profit Safety Commission.

Bush to Sell Woods

The Bush administration’s federal budget proposal contains a recycled, yet innovative idea. A tree sale! Sell more than 300,000 acres of federal forest land, then use the cash to finance rural schools.

What I like best about this plan? The little Bush can kill two birds with one stone!

Once he finally succeeds in selling our trees, no rural areas will remain. The country will become one big strip mall and those cumbersome rural schools won’t weigh us down anymore. Really now, won’t you be happy when all schools are conveniently located in urban areas, near fast food chains, where they should be?

I say, mission accomplished!

A Rose by Any Other Name

According to Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet - 1594), “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” unless it’s not actually a rose, that is.

Unfortunately, when it comes to avocados, we have a problem here. More specifically, guacamole. You see, Kraft is calling a green dip it makes “guacamole.” However, this dip is in fact made out of soy bean oil, corn syrup and green food coloring. Well, let me not exaggerate, 2% of its ingredients are made up of avocado.

Brenda Lifsey, of California has filed a lawsuit against Kraft Foods Inc., because it is making a fake food and calling it guacamole. Hats off to Brenda!

For more on this story go to The Independent.