Eat Cleaner Living Tip – Lucky #13 // Burgers that Won’t Leave You Lusting for Moo

Lucky #13: Let me tell you friends…we’ve never seen so many ground beef recalls packed together in a few weeks as we have recently.  About 1 million pounds worth.  Fraught with hormones and food borne illness fears, it’s enough to have converted this once carnivore into a meat-no-more.   Even as standards rise in the fast food industry, the environmental and health impacts from frequent beef eating is hard to stomach. 

So what’s a burger loving lady or lad to do?  Plenty to feed the bun-loving craving, from turkey to tofu, vegetarian burgers to vegan patties that wow the tastebuds and won’t leave you lusting for moo. Plus, they fit with the Eat Cleaner philosophy by eating lower on the food chain.  
For a Turkey Twist, Oprah featured Mar-a-Lago’s Turkey Burger as a favorite of hers and posted the recipe.  If you want the Veggie route, you can check out the recipe featured at La Vida Locavore that is fit for Vegan consumption as well.  The beauty of this post is that others in the community have offered their favorite recipes, including an interesting Mushroom burger recipe video.  You learn something everyday when sharing knowledge online.  

It’s all about adding flavor, so this is where you get can get creative.  Place them between a whole wheat bun or wrap them up in our favorite Ezekiel sprouted tortillas.  Get your 5-9 of veggies and opt for a wrap of crisp romaine lettuce and fill with a myriad of good-for-you fun like spicy daikon sprouts and sliced avocado topped with  roasted tomato salsa.  Add a slather of pesto or horseradish mustard for added kick.   My favorite?  Vietnamese style, with bean sprouts, cilantro, grated carrots and spicy peanut sauce. And of course, give those veggies a bath in Eat Cleaner Fruit + Vegetable Wash before gobbling.   We managed to convert the whole family and not one nose wrinkle from the lot!

Eat Cleaner Living Tip #12/2010: Tasty waves of grains

#12:  Tasty waves of grains – Our Eat Cleaner mantra includes eating less processed foods, including complex carbohydrates like whole grains.  They’re a great source of fiber and nutrients like  B vitamins, vitamin E, selenium, potassium, magnesium, iron and even antioxidants. Lucky for us, the selection of wholesome choices are aplenty.

One of our favorites is the ancient grain quinoa, which can be cooked and served as a side or a substitute for rice and pasta when paired with veggies and a grate of goat’s milk cheese.  It also dishes up essential amino acids which also makes it a “complete protein” and an amazing food all by itself.   How about quinoa for breakfast?   Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa is a great way to start off your day with a riff on the oatmeal goodness.  (Takes me back to when I was growing up… my mom used to prepare a warm cereal made of pearl barley studded with golden raisins and topped with chopped almonds and shredded coconut.  On a cold day, there’s nothing better.)

There are a myriad of other Ancient grains to consider such as farro, amaranth, millet and teff.  NPR had a great piece recently about Going with Whole Grains and how you can incorporate all these different grains into your diet and add variety by doing so.  Where to find these power packed pearls?  Try your local natural food store and shop the bulk bins whenever you can to cut down on excess packaging. Green never tasted so good.

864,000 lbs. of beef recalled – E.coli

E. coli in Beef

**Please note: Recall includes product from 2010 as well as 2008!**

WASHINGTON, January 18, 2010 - Huntington Meat Packing Inc., a Montebello, Calif. establishment, is recalling approximately 864,000 pounds of beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The problem was discovered during a Food Safety Assessment (FSA) by FSIS personnel. The FSA led to the determination that a further investigation of establishment records was warranted. The investigation is ongoing and the following products are subject to recall.

The following products, consisting of all ground beef products produced by the plant from January 5, 2010 to January 15, 2010, are subject to recall:

• 40 lb. boxes of “Huntington Meats Ground Beef”
• 40 lb. boxes of “HUNTINGTON MEAT PKG. INC. BEEF GROUND FOR FURTHER PROCESSING”
• 40 lb. boxes of “BEEF BURRITO FILLING MIX”
• 10 lb. boxes of “IMPERIAL MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF PATTY”
• 20 lb. boxes of “IMPERIAL MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF PATTY”
• 10 lb. boxes of “El Rancho MEAT & PROVISION ALL BEEF PATTIES”

Each box bears the establishment number “EST. 17967″ inside the USDA mark of inspection on a label. The products were produced between January 5, 2010, and January 15, 2010, and were shipped to distribution centers, restaurants, and hotels within the State of California. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

During a subsequent review of the establishment’s records, FSIS also determined additional products produced and shipped in 2008 to be adulterated because they may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. As a result, the following products produced from February 19, 2008 to May 15, 2008, are subject to recall:

• 40 lb. boxes of “Huntington Meats Ground Beef”
• 40 lb. boxes of ” HUNTINGTON MEAT PKG. INC. BEEF GROUND FOR FURTHER PROCESSING”
• 40 lb. boxes of “BEEF BURRITO FILLING MIX”
• 10 lb. boxes of “IMPERIAL MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF PATTY”
• 20 lb. boxes of “IMPERIAL MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF PATTY”
• 10 lb. boxes of “El Rancho MEAT & PROVISION ALL BEEF PATTIES”

Each box bears the establishment number “EST. 17967″ inside the USDA mark of inspection on a label. The products were produced between February 19, 2008, and May 15, 2008, and were shipped to distribution centers, restaurants, and hotels within the State of California.

While these products are normally used fresh, the establishment is taking this action out of concern that some product may still be frozen and in commerce.

FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these recalled products. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers (including restaurants) of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef or ground beef patties that have been cooked to a temperature of 160° F. The only way to be sure ground beef is cooked to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature.

Media and consumer questions regarding the recall should be directed to the company owner, Robert Glenn, at (888) 894-8242.

This recall from:  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_004_2010_Release/index.asp