Green Cuisine

Eating sustainably is an enjoyable way to have a powerful effect on our environment. We share some recipes for delicious, healthy, frugal foods.

Look here for a growing collection...

Homemade Corn Tortillas - If you've ever been in Mexico or central America, you know that the corn tortillas you can buy in a U.S. store bear very little resemblance to the real thing, made from whole, dried corn kernels treated with lime (the mineral, not the citrus fruit) ground and cooked the same day. Freshly-made tortillas are vastly better than the store-bought alternative. And they're fun to make.

Fresh, Homemade Salsa - The real thing, made from fresh tomatoes, chile, herbs, lime juice, and salt.

Summer at the Sea-side Soup - Late summer vegetables, fresh from the garden, combine with the catch-of-the-day to make a fast and hearty, healthy meal.

Grape Syrup - Have you ever made grape syrup? Over home-made vanilla ice cream, topped with a few late-season raspberries, it's a great way to celebrate a bountiful harvest.

Red, White, and Green Supper - Autumn presents a real dilemma: So much food, so little time. This colorful vegetarian meal capitalizes on the cornucopia yet takes little time and effort to prepare.

Masa-Pear Cobbler - Perfect for the cool nights of pear season, this sweet and rich cobbler has no refined sugar and it's gluten-free. Instead of flour or oats, the topping uses masa harina - a meal ground from corn treated with lime.

Honey Oat Pancookies - These egg and dairy free cookies have no refined sugar and are great fun for kids to make and eat.

Vanilla Pecan Bread Pudding - This incredibly easy, non-dairy dessert is a great way to warm a winter's night and use up that stale loaf of bread. It's especially good served hot after an afternoon's play in the winter cold.

Jessica's Tabouli - With fresh herbs and vine-ripened tomatoes from the garden, this is the quintessential summer salad and it's fast and easy too!

Purselaned Beans - A perfect mid-summer lunch or supper. Purselane, rich in nutrients and flavor, thrives in cultivated ground at this time of the year, so weed the garden and eat the weeds!

Strawberry Shortcake - Fresh strawberries are one of life's miracles, especially if they're local, organically grown, and you pick them yourself. When you've eaten your fill of strawberries out of hand, turn on the oven and bake this rich, melt-in-your-mouth shortcake.

Cinnamon-Raisin French Toast with Low-sugar Apple Marmelade Sauce - Here's a combination to brighten up a gray winter morning. Thanks to the natural flavor and sweetness of the apples, it's much less sinful than it tastes.

Winter Pasta with Sausage - An inexpensive, hearty pasta sauce for cold winter nights.

Napa-Tofu Winter Stir-Fry - a welcome change from the heavier autumn soups and stews. A light and warming dish.

Jessica's Real Fruit Fruitcake - This recipe shuns blue orange peel and neon-green cherries for natural dried fruits and tasty nuts. Stuff you would nibble gladly any day of the week. The combination makes a dark, moist cake- a flurry of deep, rich colors and flavors that is truly delectable.

Buttercup Holiday Pudding - A perfect early-winter dessert. Easy to put together. Rich and satisfying to eat.

Roast Loin of Venison with Cranberries - A Native American recipe from Amy Gale's Recipe Archive.

Apple Cranberry Sauce - This bright, piquant accompaniment to Autumn and Winter feasting has all the delight of traditional cranberry sauce for less- less sugar and it's less expensive to make, especially if you're using organic cranberries. The natural sugars in the apples balance the tang of the cranberries without diminishing the distinctive cranberry flavor.

Autumn Bean and Barley Soup - Hearty, healthy, and warming- With a green salad and a slice or two of dark, whole-grain bread, it's a meal.

SQUASH (Naubugogwissimaun) AND PUMPKINS (Ogwissimaun) - A page of Native American recipes- Maple-Pumpkin Cheesecake, Mashed squash, Squash or pumpkin blossom fritters (Pueblo style), Blossom Beignets, Anishinaabeg style, Acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, Pumpkin (or squash) Pumpernickle Bread, and Pueblo Pumpkin/Squash Piñon Nut Sweetbread.

Instant Tofu Jambalaya - This vegetarian delight looks and tastes like a jambalaya, but cooks in a fraction of the time.

Sunny Tofu - A bright, summery, protein and calcium-rich salad made with tofu and a touch of curry.

Black and Red Salad - A dark, beautiful rice salad with black beans, fresh tomatoes and pinoli.

Beach Grilled Tofu - a satisfying vegetarian solution for that summertime, grilled-meat craving.

The Beach Grill - A lightweight, easy to carry grill that will cook a meal on a few handfuls of driftwood- no fossil fuel or charcoal required.

Summer Garden Ragout with Beans and Rice - Tangy and satisfying, a combination of ingredients you'd never think of if you didn't have a garden.