Harvest for Hope

Everyone should read this book. I just read it for my book club and it has changed the way I shop for food. We were already on the "buy local" train, and we switched to organic milk over a year ago. But now it is quite different.

Unlike my high fructose corn syrup freak out, I did not clear my shelves of anything non-organic. I gave myself permission to use up what I already had, but replace it with better choices when the time came. I found that there were too many choices (not enough acceptable choices) at my local supermarkets, so I have come to rely on the Food Co-op and Key City Fish. I expect to use the Farmer's Market more this year than I ever have.

We have not become vegetarians. We don't even compost. But I did ask QFC (where I get a latte five days a week) to start offering organic milk as an option. They did, and I am not the only one requesting it. I only buy organic produce, and I especially look for the signs that say it comes from a local supplier. Cheese is now organic, as is all our meat. We are fortunate to have not one but two organic bakeries in the area, one only three blocks from our house. One of them even sells balls of frozen pizza dough. (Sidenote: I made my first pizza a few nights ago -- using just olive oil and garlic as a base, no red or white sauce. I added spinach, chopped salami, kalamata olives, and three kinds of cheese. It was GOOD.)

OK, enough from me. Just read the book. Tell me what you think.

Banana Nut Muffins

These happen to be vegan. They are very tasty, and higher protein than ordinary muffins. Use the ripest bananas you have, for extra sweetness. They are not "beautiful" but more of an every day type of muffin.

14oz (1 tub) SOFT tofu, drained
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1.5 cup whole-wheat flour
1.5 cup white flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin pans with non-stick spray, or coat with butter.

Crumble tofu into bowl of electric mixer. Add bananas in chunks, mix until smooth. Scrape down sides, add sugar and vanilla and process until blended.

In separate bowl, mix together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to the banana/tofu and beat until just smooth. Add nuts and mix (do not overmix).

Drop batter into prepared pans (this makes about a dozen large muffins and a dozen mini muffins). Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until browned, springy to the touch and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan or on wire rack.

These are dense, hearty muffins. Kids love the mini size. They do not crumble, so are not too messy. They keep well for a few days in a plastic bag. Would probably freeze well too.