Category Archives: Going Green and Sustainable

Locale to Your Door

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Locale's Miso wild salmon bowl.
Locale’s Miso wild salmon bowl.

These days, there are many ways to get prepared food delivered right to your door, be it from restaurants or meal kit services.

Bay Area-based Locale offers yet another option, one with some interesting advantages.

It was co-founded in 2020 by Chris Clark, who worked for a time in investment banking and venture capital. Like so many of us, he struggled to maintain a healthful diet while working long hours. So, he came up with Locale, a prepared meal service with dishes that are high in protein, fiber, and organic produce, and contain no processed ingredients.

Each meal is packed not in a plastic takeout container, but in a large reusable glass jar. The food needs only be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop to enjoy. The jars can be left for pickup with your next order or simply reused or recycled on your own.

Six Locale meals delivered to my door in an insulated tote bag.
Six Locale meals delivered to my door in an insulated tote bag.

Locale makes deliveries each Monday to as far north as Marin, as east as Sacramento and as south as Carmel. The meals arrive in insulated totes, and are designed to be consumed within that week.

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Holiday Goodies For You (Or Others), Part II

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The Perfect Pair gift pack from Ancient Olive Trees.
The Perfect Pair gift pack from Ancient Olive Trees.

Ancient Olive Trees Perfect Pair

Marin County’s Ancient Olive Trees company knows a thing or two about olive trees.

After all, it’s been tree farming full-time since 2007. Its lush olive trees have been planted on the grounds of the Frank Gehry-designed Tin House in Los Angeles, The Broad Museum in Los Angeles, and many wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties.

So, it only makes sense that in 2015, it started crafting its own extra virgin olive oil, as well as balsamic vinegar.

Any cook or enthusiastic eater is sure to appreciate its Perfect Pair ($69) snazzy gift set that features a 375ml bottle of each.

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Patagonia Provisions’ New Tinned Sardines

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Grilled bread with summer tomatoes and new Patagonia Provisions Sardines in Coconut Curry.
Grilled bread with summer tomatoes and new Patagonia Provisions Sardines in Coconut Curry.

They may be little, but they pack a punch — in more ways than one.

Patagonia Provisions, the eco-conscious food division of the outdoor gear company, just debuted its newest product: tinned sardines.

If you needed a reason to eat more sardines, just consider: They are a great source of omega-3s, protein, calcium and vitamin B-12. Because they feed on plankton, as opposed to other fish, they don’t have the high levels of mercury that larger fish often contain.

The sardines for Patagonia Provisions are caught by family-owned fishing boats off the coast of northern Spain, where the silvery fish are plentiful and sustainable.

Two new varieties of sustainably-caught sardines are now available.
Two new varieties of sustainably-caught sardines are now available.

I had a chance to try samples of two new varieties: Sardines packed in extra-virgin olive oil, and sardines in coconut curry.

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Spoon Up Sensational Shells with Miso Butter and Scallions

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An easy pasta recipe that's ever so creamy -- yet has no cream in it.
An easy pasta recipe that’s ever so creamy — yet has no cream in it.

Not that I need any excuse ever to eat more pasta, but “Anything’s Pastable” sure has me jonesing for it voraciously.

That’s because the new cookbook (William Morrow), of which I received a review copy, is full of creative and craveable pasta dishes, the kind that don’t take all day to put together but are so full of flavor that you’d swear that they did.

The book is by Dan Pashman, a two-time James Beard and Webby Award-winning creator and host of “The Sporkful” podcast, and the host of the Cooking Channel’s “You’re Eating It Wrong.”

This is a man so obsessed with pasta that he actually spent three years to create a brand-new shape, cascatelli, which he swears excels in the most crucial aspects of “forkability,” “sauceability,” and “toothsinkability.”

Named for the Italian word for “waterfalls,” its initial run of 3,700 boxes sold out in less than 2 hours. Not only that, it was named one of the “Best Inventions of 2021” by Time magazine. It’s now a runaway hit, sold online and at retailers that include Whole Foods.

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Eats & Treats, Part II

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It sure looks like caviar -- but it's not.
It sure looks like caviar — but it’s not.

Caviart

They are tiny and black, boast a briny taste, and look for all the world like caviar.

But these are not sturgeon roe by any means. In fact, they are vegan and made from seaweed.

Caviart was developed by Danish Chef Jens Moller, who sources sustainable seaweed in France to make these plant-based pearls in Denmark that are free of gluten, soy, cholesterol, and fat. They have no calories, either.

I had a chance to try a sample. The pearls glisten and are more minuscule than typical caviar. They don’t necessarily have the initial crunchy pop of real caviar, but they have a delicious sea taste that’s a little earthy and a lot savory. There’s also a depth of flavor, thanks to the additions of turmeric, cayenne, leek, dill, tarragon, and laurel. So, it’s not solely salinity that you taste.

Use it any way you would the real deal.
Use it any way you would the real deal.

The mock caviar is a perfect way to dress up the holiday table because it makes any dish more festive. It’s ideal for vegetarians and vegans, and tasty enough to pass muster with gourmet carnivores.

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