Category Archives: Going Green and Sustainable

Tofu Turnaround

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Let’s face it, not many of us are that tickled by tofu.

But Oakland’s new organic tofu producer, Hodo Soy Beanery, might just make you bonkers for bean curd.

That’s because Hodo’s products are made by hand, using much thicker soy milk to create its products. The results are tofu products with a very rich, creamy and fresh “beany” taste.

The factory was started by former financial consultant, Minh Tsai, who grew frustrated that he couldn’t find tofu as fresh and flavorful as he grew up eating in Vietnam.

Now, Tsai sells a variety of tofu and prepared tofu salads at Bay Area farmers markets and select gourmet grocers.

Besides prepared tofu salads, Hodo also produces what is thought to be the only fresh, organic yuba (tofu skin) manufactured in this country. Trays of soy milk are steamed until the proteins rise to the surface and form a skin. Then, each individual skin is lifted from each tray by hand and hung to dry, before being folded up into bags to be sold.

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Meet the Food Gal at “Silicon Valley Reads”

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For the past two months, a flurry of activities have been held throughout Silicon Valley, all surrounding that most illuminating, must-read book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan.

March 19, noon to 1:30 p.m., you’re invited to sit in on a free panel discussion about this eye-opening book that outlines just how detrimental our industrialized Western diets are to our health. This event, one of many by “Silicon Valley Reads,” is designed to help promote reading and literacy in our communities.

Yours truly will be on the March 19 panel, along with Chef Charlie Ayers of Calafia Cafe in Palo Alto, and noted author and peach grower extraordinaire, Mas Masumoto. The event will be moderated by my former San Jose Mercury News colleague, Leigh Weimers.

It will take place at Adobe Systems Park conference room in the East Tower lobby, 321 Park Ave. in San Jose.

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New Food Gal Veggie Seeds Give-Away — Plus Winners of the New Peet’s Coffee

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You can almost feel it in the air, can’t you? A little more sunshine peeking through, a little more daylight lingering at the end of the day. Yes, spring is on its way. And you know what that means?

Time for planting, of course. Yes, even for those with not-so-green thumbs like myself, this is the time to start thinking about the wondrous possibilities that we can nurture in our very own little window pots or in raised beds in the backyard.

To entice you further, the kind folks at the Cook’s Garden, a gourmet retailer of vegetables, lettuces and herbs, is allowing me to do a great give-away: Three winners will receive the seeds necessary to grow most everything in that colorful salad shown above. (OK, except for the cheese and olive oil, you wise guys.) Not only that, each winner also will receive a beautiful artisan oval cutting board to cut all those home-grown veggies on.

Call it the ultimate do-it-yourself salad when you grow the Myway Arugula, Lettuce Baby Red Mix, Tomato Persimmon and Tomato Carmelita, all by yourself.

When harvest time rolls around, slice the tomatoes about 3/8-inch thick, and alternate them in a row on a serving dish. Layer Myway Arugula and Lettuce Baby Red Mix over the top. Next, add slices of your favorite cheese over the top. Finally, whisk together olive oil, crushed garlic, dill, chives, salt, pepper, wine vinegar and dry mustard to taste. Drizzle over salad, and enjoy.

Here’s how to score those seeds and cutting board: Name the fruit, vegetable or herb that’s most like your personality, and why. Enter the contest by the end of the day, March 13. The three most clever or memorable responses will win. Contest results will be announced on March 15. Participants must reside in the continental United States.

To get you started here’s my own response: Kabocha squash. It’s Asian like me, as well as a little sweet, very versatile, and distinctive. It’s resilient — you can buy it, stick it on the counter, and it’ll keep just fine for quite a spell all to its self. It’s a bit starchy, too — and I never met a carb I didn’t like.

And without further adieu, here are the five winners of the last contest, who will each receive a bag of the new Peet’s Uzuri African Blend coffee:

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New Peet’s Coffee Food Gal Contest and Winner of the Global Knife Give-Away

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For the first time in eight years, artisan roaster Peet’s Coffee is adding a new blend to its line-up of beans.

Uzuri African Blend, available  starting March 3 at all Peet’s coffee houses and at Peets.com, will help generate greater income for 6,000 small farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Pronounced ”oo-Zur-ee,” the name of the new coffee means “excellent” and “beautiful” in Swahili. The name was chosen by East African farmers who are now producing the coffee to Peet’s exacting standards, and in the process, earning 30 percent more for their crop. That’s not insignificant, considering that coffee farmers typically live in extreme poverty, earning less than $2 a day, according to TechnoServe, an organization that empowers people in developing countries to build businesses to improve their lives, and which is collaborating with Peet’s to produce the coffee.

The new blend, which also will be available through March 31 on grocery stores nationwide, is smooth as can be with a subtle fruitiness to it. A 12-ounce bag sells for about $9.99.

Five lucky Food Gal readers will get a chance to try the coffee for free, too. Peet’s is generously allowing me to give away five 12-ounce bags of the Uzuri African Blend, one bag to each of five winners.

Contest details: Deadline to enter is the close of the day, March 6. Five winners will be announced March 8. The contest is open to only those in the continental United States.

To enter: Describe something that perks you up. The best five answers get the coffee.

Here’s my own answer to what perks me up: The smell of garlic sizzling in a hot pan. Just-washed laundry when it comes out of the dryer. Going for a long hike with a good friend on a perfect spring day — then pigging out on cake afterward. Fetching the mail, because I just never know what goodies are going to show up on any given day.

Now, it’s your turn…

And without further adieu, let me announce the grand prize winner of the Food Gal Global knife contest, in which I asked folks to describe something sharp and something dull. Faced with an unprecedented number of incredible entries (more than 70), I’ve decided to choose two runners-up, as well, who will each get a cookbook from my vast collection. Here are the winners:

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Wines that Care

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Sip wines that not only tantalize the palate, but do good for the planet.

Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants has introduced a new wine program, “Wines that Care,” at its nearly 50 hotels nationwide, including its San Francisco properties such as the Hotel Monaco, Hotel Palomar, and Hotel Triton.

At the hosted nightly wine hour at each of its properties, a featured winery of the month will be spotlighted for its dedication to the earth and local communities. All of the wines have been hand-picked by Kimpton’s wine director and master sommelier, Emily Wines (and yes, that is her real name).

Among the featured wineries are: Barefoot Wine (Modesto, Calif.), which works with the Surfrider Foundation each year to encourage locals to clean up beaches to make them “barefoot-friendly.” Banrock Station (Australia), which has contributed to the preservation of native ducks in New Zealand, flamingos in Kenya, and the re-introduction of otters in Holland. And Hayes Ranch by Wente Vineyards (Livermore, Calif.), which has worked hard to minimize water use, reduce non-organic wastes, and revitalize soils.

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