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Shrink Your Cookprint

kh — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:58:31 +0000

40 Ways to Shrink Your Cookprint

By Kate Heyhoe

Reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, and rethink how you cook, shop, and eat. Learn all about cookprints here.

To shrink > think:

1. Energy-efficient kitchen zones
2. Water conservation and reuse
3. Lower hot-water usage and temperature
4. Energy-Star appliances

5. Small appliances as fuel-savers
6. Electric teapots over cooktop boiling
7. Avoiding peak power hours
8. Unplugging appliances
9. Renewable energy sources
10. Lower-emission grilling
11. Nontoxic, biodegradable cleansers
12. Regular over antibiotic cleansers
13. Reusable cloth napkins
14. Recycled and recyclable products
15. Plants over animals
16. Non-CAFO products
17. Local
18. Organic
19. Seasonal
20. Sustainable
21. Energy-efficient ingredients
22. Weather-sensitive cooking
23. Cooktop before oven
24. Induction burners
25. Passive cooking over active fuel use
26. Skipping the preheat when possible
27. Toaster ovens
28. Convection cooking
29. Microwave cooking
30. Simultaneous baking
31. Multitasking boiling water
32. Fuel-efficient cookware
33. Nontoxic cookware
34. Farmers markets and direct from farms
35. Fewer grocery trips
36. Shelf-stable over frozen
37. Minimal packaging
38. Bulk-buying
39. Aseptic and glass over cans
40. Extending food storage
41. No food waste
42. Green-conscious grocery stores
43. Low-carbon restaurants

You’ll find more details about why each action works in Cooking Green, which is full of recipes, tips and strategies.

Vegetarian Cookbook Round-Up

tw — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:54:45 +0000

Here is a selection of vegetarian cookbooks with sample recipes that have appeared recently on the Global Gourmet website.

100 Best Vegetarian Recipes

V Cuisine: The Art of New Vegan Cooking

Vegetarian Times Fast and Easy

The New Vegetarian Grill

Full List of Vegetarian Cookbooks

Loofah: Cleans Good, Tastes Great!

tw — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:02:25 +0000

I used to buy these crazy looking squashes in Asian markets decades ago, long before I knew what they were. They’re long, deep green, with ridges all around the outside, and kind of spongy inside, so they sop up sauces readily and have a pleasant springy texture. I later realized these loofah squashes are the fresh versions of the loofah sponges used for bathing, and now for dishwashing and vegetable scrubbing.

Also known as luffa or luffah, the loofah is ecologically greener than natural sponges, which are harvested from the ocean and in some places, running scarce. They’re also more sustainable than cellulose sponges, which are manufactured from wood. I’ve seen loofah kitchen sponges in colorful shapes (red chile peppers, from Loofah-Art), and in natural straw color. They’re easy to grow, too, and some backyard gardeners split their loofah harvests between edible veggies and drying as sponges.

Cook up *Stir-Fried Luffah with Diced Shrimp and Garlic* and read details about loofah at Global Gourmet’s page on *Luffah Squash*.