Laura Stec is a chef and author, trained at the Culinary Institute of America, The School of Natural Cookery and The Vega Macrobiotic Study Center. She worked at Seva in Ann Arbor, MI and San Francisco Bay Area’s Left Bank and Flea Street Café before starting her own private chef/catering business - Laura Stec - Innovative Cuisine working for clients such as Google, Harvard University, Environmental Defense Fund, and Sheldon Whitehouse for Senate. Stec is culinary health instructor for Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers, and former chef for Kaiser's organic farmer's market. Since founding one of the first U.S. food and environment organizations in 1989, and working with Palo Alto, CA-based environmental organization Acterra since 1994, Laura has been feeding us with the idea that one the most positive effects we can have on the environment begins on our dinner plate. In partnership with EcoSpeaker.com, Stec consults with institutional food systems on ways to bring in “regionally responsible cuisine” and just completed her first book, Cool Cuisine – Taking the Bite out of Global Warming written with atmospheric scientist Dr. Eugene Cordero of San José State University. Read more at GlobalWarmingDiet.org

Laura Stec--

Your 2009 New Years Revolution

Looking for an updated version of that New Years resolution that never quite seems to get resolved? This year, why not forget resolutions entirely and commit to a revolution instead; the 2009 Food Revolution. Join multitudes of eaters who are jumping onto the taste train as it passes through town, carrying hope for a strengthened local food system and better quality food. Once committed, your year would be filled with clean, whole foods, free of pesticides and full of high-vibes. Great tasting and nutritious, research now even suggests that eating one the revolutionary choices, specifically organic foods, can increase metabolism and possibly help you lose weight (!) (speaking of New Years resolutions…).

Other revolutionary choices include food grown on local farms, animals raised on pasture, seasonal produce, rainforest-friendly coffee and chocolate, “house-made” tap water and others. Great news though - the Food Revolution doesn’t ask you to make “perfect the enemy of good,” wise words from French philosopher and food coach, Voltaire. Take one step at a time, introducing new products and practices each month. Along the way, take a few cooking classes from family or community offerings, and learn how to cook and season foods easily and effectively. You need to really enjoy the food you prepare in order to make permanent changes to your diet. Enjoy the learning process and the discovery that satisfaction in eating is actually not about quantity – it’s about quality. A delicious world awaits you. Salud to your small steps. A toast to your tasty triumphs.

To get started – try these month-by-month seasonal suggestions for fun food finds and appetizing actions. We’re talkin’ ‘bout a revolution, and, well you know – we all want to change the world thru great tasting food!

January

Sharpen your knife – make sure it’s an 8” chefs knife or larger.

Roast root vegetables and winter squashes – they are now in season. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness.

February

Cook some new whole grains (such as emmer, millet, quinoa, hato mugi)

Healthy for you and the environment, introducing new grains into your diet helps reduce a monocropped diet of wheat, rice and meat.

March

Learn to cook up a pot of dried beans.

Small beans cook faster than larger beans. Large beans need soaking. Add kombu sea vegetable for added flavor and health. Don’t add the salt until the beans are ¾’s of the way cooked (or they may never soften completely).

April

Search out pasture–raised eggs for Easter and Spring festivities

As the grass starts growing again, pasture-raised chickens are back on the land. You can taste the difference - these eggs are worth the increased cost.

May

Start a backyard compost pile for yard and food waste.

Set one up for your mom for Mothers Day. It’s easier than you
(and she) might think.

June

Shop at a farmers market - many start in May and June.

July

BYOB (bottle).

30 billion plastic water bottles are thrown away annually in the U.S. This summer, refill your bottles with “house-made” tap water at least once.

August

Buy farmers market vegetables you may have never tried before and grill them at your BBQ. All veggies can be grilled and, like roasting, it brings out the natural sweetness. Carrots, cauliflower and broccoli are especially good grilled.

September

Try out grass fed beef and other pasture raised meats.

October

Support your local bees by purchasing artisan honey products.

November

Test out Green Drinks for your holiday parties.

Green drink recipes include organic spirits, seasonal fruits and sustainable sugars and seasonings.

December

Local artisan food products make great, affordable presents. Don’t forget the rain forest-friendly chocolate.

Take A Bite Out of Global Warming

20% of Greenhouse Gases Generated by Our Food Supply