Little Locavores

New Adventures

2012-10-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

I’m never been much of a regular blogger. Other areas of life, mom, chef, and of course Head Spear of Purple Asparagus, have always taken precedence. Knowing this, I recently decided to make a change to rejuvenate my writing spirit. This decision was inspired a well in part by a change in platform over at Purple Asparagus. Last June, we moved over to Wordpress. After seeing how easy it was to

Purple Asparagus, Purple Monkey and More than Milk

2012-08-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, a feature in Daily Candy caught my eye. It highlighted a new non-profit called More than Milk that organized opportunities for new moms to volunteer with their children. Founded by former teacher, Amy Cahill, More than Milk partners with a different non-profit 4 times a year. More than Milk highlights the partner organization in its newsletter and events. It also allows moms

Porky Goodness: Barbecue Pork Burgers

2012-07-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

With grilling season underway, my family and I like to enjoy a tasty twist on the traditional (and usually leaner) alternative to your standard beef burgers. We love grilled pork burgers, which I serve with barbecue mayonnaise and cabbage-carrot slaw. The slaw provides an easy way to incorporate vegetables and thus more color and more nutrients (like Vitamin C). It also gives the burger a

A Heartfelt Thank You

2012-05-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

Photography Credit, Artisan Events When I posted about my son’s little league snack on Monday, I could not have anticipated that it would generate so much interest! Jeez, Louise. I want to welcome those of you who are new to Little Locavores. In this blog, I write about my efforts and those of my family to eat well. I also often chronicle the work that I do as the Executive Director (or

Snack Attack in the Snack Culture

2012-05-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Every spring, when Little League games begin, three little words strike terror into the hearts of health-conscious parents all over the country: post game snacks. When I hear the phrase, visions of neon colored sugar water and Costco valu-paks brimming with sodium and artificial colors fill my head. I try to advocate balance as my son’s chief dietician. As my mom says, one bag of junk

Supermoms Against Superbugs

2012-05-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone, Two years ago, I wrote about the clear and present danger presented by the over use of antibiotics in the livestock industry in The Morality of Meat. Children dead within days of being exposed to Methicillin Resistant Staph (or MRSA), the development of superbugs resistant to our antibiotics - it scares the shit out of me. Despite all the

Dad, Man the Grill for Mom

2012-05-13T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ah, Mother’s Day: a day for dads and kids to celebrate Mom by making a giant mess out of her kitchen. While I’m sure that there’s a goodly percentage of dads out there who pull off a delicious family brunch without flour on the ceiling and eggs in the cabinet hinges, my husband is not one of them. To read more, visit Williams-Sonoma's Blender blog.

An Open Letter to my Marvelous Mother

2012-05-10T10:30:00.002-07:00

Photo Credit, SC Johnson, Right@Home Dear Mom, Culling out a single food memory from my childhood would be impossible as there are so very many, so here is my open thank you letter to you. Thank you for our family field trips to farm stands on the east end of Long Island. At the time, I had no idea how important it was for me to see real food in its natural state. Thank you for being a

Best Steak Sauce Ever: Staking My Reputation

2012-04-05T18:30:00.002-07:00

I hate superlatives in food. When I see a restaurant touting "the best [fill in the blank]," I turn on my heels and look for another. "Best" in a subjective realm like food is a matter of taste. My best chocolate chip cookie is super thin, with crispy edges and soft chocolate chips. Yours may be soft and chewy with the addition of chopped nuts. That being said, after dinner tonight, I need

Purple to the People: Fig Food Co.'s Carton of Beans

2012-02-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

A lot of cool products come to my attention. Sometimes, I’m asked to review them either in my capacity as a blogger or in my role as Purple Asparagus’ head spear. Other times, I just happen upon them during my many trips to the grocery store. To share these quality products, I start this new series: Purple to the People. These days, most of us know to avoid BPA or bispenol A, the industrial

Dirty Little Secrets Inside the Fridge

2012-02-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Refrigerators hold the dirty little secrets of a family's lifestyle. I learned this while catering when I saw more than my fair share of refrigerators. Are they sugar fiends or health nuts? Look to the fridge. Are they avid cooks or do they eat out regularly - all you have to do is open the fridge. This is one of the reasons I loved Robin's Bite's feature Inside the Fridge. I was tickled when

Egg Rolls and Geo Politics: Cooking Chinese with Kids

2012-01-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

Kids are funny, aren’t they? I don’t know about yours, but my son’s favorite playthings are often not even toys. Give him a map and hours later you’ll find him tracing his way from Maine to California. Google maps and GeoMasters are tied as his favorite iPad apps. Neither he nor I could live without our car’s GPS; we’re simply motivated by different needs. Maps aren’t his only

Cook a Rainbow with Your Kids

2012-01-23T17:15:00.000-08:00

Purple carrots, had only I known you six years ago. . . Unlike many other purple vegetables, like purple Brussels sprouts and sadly even purple asparagus, purple carrots, the ones colored through to their core retain their vivid hue after cooking. Not only do they keep their color, but purple carrots lend it to their partner ingredients in a dish. You won’t find these carrots at your ordinary

Lucky John Hops into the New Year: Black Eyed Pea and Ham Salad

2012-01-16T17:39:00.000-08:00

When growing up, my parents hosted an annual New Year's Day party. In addition to family favorites, my mom filled the table with traditional dishes thought to impart good luck to the eater. Several years ago, my husband and I began hosting our own New Year's celebration and I renewed my mother's tradition. Well sort of. Rejecting the herring (I just don't want money that badly), Hopping John

Diet Food that Doesn't Suck: Salsa Turkey Burgers

2012-01-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

I hate diets. There’s far too much delicious food to be eaten in this world to deprive ourselves of it. And yet, every January, I start one. Sort of. After a month long of indulgences, including a 4 day sojourn to the dining capital of the southern states: New Orleans, I need to recalibrate my eating. Out go the cookies, in come the carrots. Skim milk, turkey bacon, and lots of lettuce

Chuck a Spear at Childhood Obesity: Support Purple Asparagus

2011-12-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit Kelly Angeline PhotographyToday, I read two pieces of frustrating news.The first was a gracious rejection letter from a major grant funder. After careful consideration, blah, blah, blah. Bottom line, yet again, Purple Asparagus will enter a new year nowhere near fully funded. I must admit that even though Purple Asparagus has been in existence since 2005, it’s only been a year since

Giving Thanks

2011-11-23T06:41:00.000-08:00

I spent a little time this past weekend looking through last year's blog posts, reliving dishes made and events transpired.Starting with the death of our family dog, Sam, punctuated by my dad's passing, and three surgeries (1 for me and 2 for my husband) thrown in for good measure, it's been a challenging year. As 2011 winds to a close, I won't be sad to see it go.But today, on this day, only one

Happy (Virtual) Thanksgiving!

2011-11-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

In our household, we don’t really have traditional family recipes. I’ve never subscribed to the notion that a holiday isn’t complete without green bean casseroles or candied yams on the table. Instead, I like to mix it up with new dishes appearing each year.What we do have is a family recipe tradition. As long time readers will recall, my son and I started one of these a few years back. He had

Ummm . . . Doughnuts: Chocolate Glazed Pumpkin Doughnuts

2011-11-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Just last month, I wrote a post for Williams-Sonoma’s Blender blog about the multitude of uses for squash and pumpkin. When cooking for families, the puree can be blended into mac and cheese, smeared onto tortillas for quesadillas, and whirred in a blender with a banana and apple cider for a smoothie. All of these recipes are delicious and nutritious as we like to say at Purple Asparagus. But

Way to Go Girl Scouts: Locavore Badge

2011-11-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

It may or may not come as a surprise, but I was a Girl Scout. And not just a Junior troop dropout. But full on, Brownie to Senior scout. I sold cookies, marched in parades, traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands AND Bermuda with my troop, and even served as the youth representative on my county's Girl Scout board of directors. Seriously.Given this, I can't tell you how tickled I am that the Girl

A is for Apple-licious!

2011-10-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Did you know that October is National Apple Month? We at Purple Asparagus sure do! These days our cars are smelling all apple-licious as we cart varieties like Mutsu, Razor Russet, Scarlet O’Hara, and Lucky Jon’s to Chicago Public Schools all over the city.See Purple Asparagus is a non-profit that educates children, families and the community about eating that’s good for the body and the planet.

Bring a Little Sunshine to the Family Table

2011-10-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

As if on cue, only 1 week after I renounced myself as a blogger, but instead a working mom with a blog, my life went kerplooey. Four days before Purple Asparagus’ biggest event and fundraiser of the year, Corks & Crayons, my dad passed away. He’d been diagnosed with a terminal disease, fibrosis of the lungs, merely a month before. This terrible development was coupled with the abrupt and

Drink, Eat at Corks and Crayons and Support Purple Asparagus

2011-08-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit, Artisan Events Imagine a class full of children swearing that they hate vegetables. Not hard to envision, right? Come back in an hour and watch them swarm the teacher’s desk for any leftovers from their veggie tasting. Believe that? I’ve witnessed this transformation on hundreds of occasions while teaching in the Chicago Public Schools for the non-profit that I founded and run,

Look Ma, No Splint: Purple Viking Potato Salad

2011-08-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

After a long month of one handed existence, I'm back. Some of you may recall that back in June, I had a fight with a wine glass - it's not hard to figure out who won. Surgery and a month in a splint ensued putting a crimp in my two main work related activities: cooking and typing. For the first week, I kept up this site with guest posts, posts written beforehand, and short posts pecked away on

Watch Us Grow: Learn About Illinois Farm Families, Become a Field Mom

2011-08-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

Close your eyes. Picture a farm. Does your mind’s eye see the bucolic scene pictured on many a milk carton full of happy cows grazing around a red barn? Or maybe the only farm you can picture is Fisher-Price’s version for kids. I bet many of us will have no better luck when asked to describe a farmer. Even today, popular culture still portrays our farmers in bib front overalls and hayseed