Our Newly Planted Lemon Tree
Caring about our communities, the environment and our planet shouldn’t be a one day thing. Working to decrease our impact on the planet should be a continuous process. However, Earth Day is also the perfect time to make a personal pledge to start a new good habit.
Here are a few ways to make a difference:
Turn out the lights when you leave a room. It does make a difference.
Taking a shower uses less water than filling a bathtub and a water-conserving shower head is even better.
To decrease waste, purchase durable, long-lasting products that can be reused, refilled or recharged. If you do use disposables, choose those made with recycled/recyclable materials.
Adjusting your thermostat down just 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer could save energy consumption.
Buy groceries such as grains, beans, cereals, pasta and snacks from bulk bins when available to avoid excess trash. Plus, being able to buy just the amount you need means no wasted food.
Use reusable cloth bags when shopping to avoid using paper or plastic bags.
Compost your food waste to reduce trash that goes to a landfill. Add the compost to your garden for nutrient-rich soil.
Plant a tree. A single tree can absorb up to 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
These are just a few suggestions to incorporate an Earth Day mentality into your daily routine.
The more unprocessed foods you eat — especially plant-based foods — the healthier you and our planet are going to be. While a meat-centered diet deepens our ecological footprint and contributes to pollution, a plant-centered diet requires fewer resources and supports long-term health. But you don’t have to go completely veggie to reap the benefits; try gradually adding a few meatless dishes to your weekly menu. Try some of these delicious, earth friendly recipes.
Broccoli Calzones
Spinach can be used in place of broccoli.
8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- Flour, for rolling dough
- 2 (1 pound each) fresh or frozen pizza dough balls, thawed if frozen
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded (6 ounces) mozzarella cheese
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- Homemade marinara sauce, recipe below
Directions
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion; cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broccoli, garlic and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and cool.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Make the calzones:
Divide each ball of dough into 4 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, stretch each piece out, first to a 3-by-4-inch oval, then stretch again, this time to a 6-by-8-inch oval. (Let dough rest a few minutes if too elastic to work with.)
Stir cheeses into cooled broccoli mixture; season generously with salt and pepper.
To assemble the calzones:
Spread a rounded 1/2 cup broccoli mixture over half of each piece of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border; fold over to form a half-moon. Press edges to seal. With a paring knife, cut 2 slits in the top of each calzone.
Using a wide metal spatula with a thin blade, transfer calzones to 2 baking sheets lined with parchment; reshape if needed.
Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Serve with heated marinara sauce.
To freeze: Prepare recipe through step 3. Tightly wrap each calzone in plastic; freeze until firm. Transfer calzones to resealable plastic bags; label and date. Freeze up to 2 months.
To serve: unwrap calzones, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets; bake without thawing until golden, 35 to 40 minute
Homemade Marinara Sauce
Makes about 3 cups.
Ingredients
- 1 28-oz can whole peeled Italian tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1⁄2 small onion, finely chopped
- 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Put tomatoes and their liquid into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Set aside.
Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, bay leaf and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes along with the oregano and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 20 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Soup
6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh plum tomatoes, (about 12), cored and halved lengthwise
- 1/2 pound carrots, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
- 10 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 large eggplant, (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) no salt added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, for serving
- Toasted Italian bread, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. with racks on the top and the bottom.
On one rimmed baking sheet, toss together tomatoes, carrots, garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread in a single layer, with tomatoes cut sides down.
On another rimmed baking sheet, toss together eggplant, chickpeas, Italian seasoning, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread in a single layer.
Place both sheets in the oven (tomato mixture on top rack). Roast until tender, tossing mixtures halfway through, about 45 minutes.
Using tongs, peel off and discard tomato skins. Puree tomato mixture (including juices) in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to a large pot.
Stir in eggplant mixture; thin with 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Serve, sprinkled with basil and garnished with toasted bread, if desired.
Wild Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh spinach, stems removed and washed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced, divided
- 1 pound ricotta cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 pounds wild mushrooms, (chanterelles, oyster and shiitake), trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup Madeira wine
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
- 4 1/2 cups milk at room temperature, divided
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 one-pound package lasagna noodles, parboiled
Directions
Melt 1 tablespoon oil in large pan over medium heat. Add half the garlic; saute until light golden, about 1 minute. Add half the spinach leaves, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain spinach in a colander. Repeat with the remaining tablespoon of oil, remaining garlic and spinach.
When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze to rid it of liquid. Roughly chop spinach; place in a medium bowl with ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half of the mushrooms; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Saute until mushrooms are softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Deglaze the skillet by pouring 1/4 cup Madeira into the hot skillet with the mushrooms and using a wooden spoon to loosen bits cooked onto skillet. Cook mushrooms until liquid has almost evaporated. Transfer cooked mushrooms to a second bowl. Repeat with another 1 tablespoon of butter, the remaining mushrooms, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 1/4 cup Madeira. Add to the first batch of cooked mushrooms.
Set aside in a small bowl one-third of the cooked mushrooms to use for the topping. Add ¼ cup of chopped parsley to the remaining cooked mushrooms; stir.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add the flour; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Slowly add 4 cups of milk; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Remove pan from the heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the nutmeg and 1/2 cup grated cheese. Set aside 1/2 cup sauce in another small bowl.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
To assemble the lasagna:
Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a greased 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Place a layer of lasagna noodles in the pan; spread 1 cup spinach mixture, 1 cup mushroom mixture and 1/2 cup of sauce on top of the lasagna. Repeat layers several times.
For the last layer, place a layer of lasagna noodles on top; spread 1/2 cup sauce over the lasagna noodles. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese. Bake lasagna until the top is golden brown, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.
Just before serving, heat the remaining reserved one-third mushrooms, reserved ½ cup sauce, remaining half cup of milk and ¼ cup parsley in a skillet over medium heat. Spoon some of the mushroom sauce over each serving of lasagna.
Green Bean, Orange and Feta Salad
4 servings
Ingredients
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 8 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved
- 2 navel oranges
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta (6 ounces)
- 1 head romaine lettuce (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved and roughly chopped
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or nuts of choice
Directions
In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, cook green beans until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain green beans and spread on a baking sheet to cool.
Using a sharp knife, slice off both ends of each orange. Cut off the peel following the curve of the fruit. Halve fruit from top to bottom, and thinly slice each half crosswise.
In a bowl, whisk together oil and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Add feta, oranges, lettuce, onion, nuts and green beans. Toss to combine.
Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti
Makes about 48
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons brewed coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup hazelnuts or other nuts, chopped and toasted
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease large cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, beat together egg whites, oil, coffee and vanilla.
In a large bowl, stir together flour and remaining ingredients until well mixed.
Pour egg mixture onto dry ingredients and stir until combined. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide in half.
Shape mixture into two 12″ by 1″ logs; place both on the prepared cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool 10 minutes.
Transfer one log to a cutting board. Slice diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick biscotti.
Arrange biscotti, cut side up, on cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining log, using a second cookie sheet, if necessary.
Bake 20 minutes; turning cookies over after 10 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight jar up to 1 month.
