Let’s Break Flatbread Together
Date: January 24, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
Last week we posted about the new green pizza chain, Pizza Fusion. While we applaud the large-scale venture, a reader asked why we had overlooked the local, sustainable, organic, and nitrate & hormone-free pizzeria right in our very own backyard. Indeed we are aware of the splendor that is Mill Valley’s Small Shed Flatbread and - per your request - we now wish to pay them homage. From farm to flatbread, it would be an understatement to say you can taste the difference. Toppings are artfully arranged on the crispy dough and you can dine on your pie in a comfy, inviting atmosphere. The same reader who reminded us to mention this Marin staple also said, whenever he visits San Fran, he goes out of his way for Small Shed… maybe you should consider our little eatery when planning your next trip (even if it is just around the corner). Just an aside, we try to find things that are more ubiquitous and that all of our readers can enjoy, yet some local gems are worth sharing, especially when our readers are compelled to mention them.
Nice Butte Creek
Date: January 21, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
If you’ve ever driven through Chico, you’ve had the pleasure of looking up at a sign that reads, “Welcome to Butte Creek” and maybe had a little chuckle, too (or perhaps that’s just us). But now, this little locale’s garnered a real spot on our map, with none other than the Butte Creek Brewing Company, serving up quality, organic ales and lagers. Though B.C.B.C.’s beers may tread lightly on the planet, there’s nothing light-tasitng about this full-bodied collection. Sip with fortitude - confident that no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides made their way into your glass… or into the soil, air and waterways from whence the ingredients came. Let’s all raise a recycled glass to Martin Luther King!
“Saving the Earth One Pizza at a Time”
Date: January 18, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Stores & Resources
Pizza Fusion is coming to a city near you - or perhaps it is already there. It was bound to happen: eco-friendly pizza. It could have been fresh, organic ingredients and delivery in a hybrid, and we’d have doled out the kudos. But they’re going above and beyond - everything from the non-toxic cleaning supplies to the recycled signage (with non-VOC inks) to the spudware utensils (made from, you guessed it, potatoes) and the restaurants, themselves, built according to LEED specifications, all screams green! The employees, apparently a happy bunch, are also sporting organic cotton uniforms, and customers get a discount for bringing back pizza boxes for recycling. Word on the street is the vegan brownies are oh so good and the decor’s not half bad, for a chain. To check out the locations, click here. We’re salivating here at the ecofabulous offices - for Northern California is yet to see an opening. We are longing for our little slice of eco-heaven.
Is Dave Trying to Peanut Butter us Up?
Date: January 16, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
Blogging trailblazer Dave Pell is known for his commitment to being green, but his is a slightly different interpretation. One of the wittiest writers in the blogoshpere, Davenetics occasionally stumbles upon something delicious. He was the first to discover Zoe Organic Olive Oil, but it has been a while since his midnight munchies provided any ecofabulous fodder. Thankfully his peanut butter obsession has finally paid off. Parkers Farm natural peanut butter is totally authentic and so natural that it is kept in the refrigerated section of a wide variety of stores like Wal-Mart, Hy-Vee and Rainbow Grocery. Grab an organic apple or celery stick and dig in! Thanks Dave.
A Shot at Organic Love
Date: January 11, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
I thought I was a vodka girl, but ever since I took my first shot of this 100% pure and organic agave tequila, I feel more festivo. The amazing Felipe, from El Duende de Don Felipe, personally produces El Perdido, an ultra premium tequila that made its successful debut at the Gorgeous & Green event last month. Besides the fact that Felipe and his partner, Marc Ryan, are leading the “spirited” environmental movement south of the boarder, El Perdido gets an extra green star because Felipe uses the entire agave plant in a variety of applications - the flower spikes are dried as fiber for eco-friendly surfboards! El Perdido launches in stores and restaurants throughout California next month and will, most likely, be available at BevMo. Their website is soon to be updated with all of the official, and pertinent, info for those of you who want a shot at love (they recommend you use a snifter, not a shot glass, but I have a hard time putting down the organic lime).
Spice Up Your Family Love Life
Date: January 10, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Kitchen, Lifestyle, The Home
The best-kept secret to great pancakes is a dash of vanilla and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Chances are when you reach for the spice rack, you’ll find at least a couple of dusty caps and half-used jars with stale grounds. If one of your resolutions this year is to bring back the family breakfast (or any meal for that matter), make sure to look for the Morton & Bassett organic label in your local specialty store. Their USDA Certified 100% organic spices are renowned for their superior taste and exceptional quality. All natural and salt-free, they are also KSA kosher certified and do not contain MSG. With seeds, leaves and beans this fresh, you can bet that this is one rack that won’t get dusty.
Mixt Up Dining
Date: January 8, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
Mixt Greens is a true testament to the fact that San Francisco’s got its green on. It’s one of - if not THE - most sustainable eateries around. For the salad lover in all of us (though these are anything but typical mounds of lettuce), the trio that brings us the two LEED-certified eateries makes the environment as important as the delectable food they serve. Their “Eco-Gourmet” menu serves up organic, local and sustainable fare in compostable corn-based take-away containers, cups, straws, lids and bags. Mixt then recycles and composts at least 80% of their daily waste.
The New Latte is “Mate”
Date: January 2, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
Yerba Mate Tea has been gaining some headway as a less stimulating alternative to coffee that is also gentle on the stomach lining - great for all of us with caffeine-sensitive constitutions. Its leaves contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids and abundant antioxidants, making it one of the healthiest drinks around. Guayaki is the of this lovely leaf: organic, rainforest-grown (with reforestation programs) and fairly traded from South America. Guayaki also offsets their carbon footprint through solar power purchasing and is involved in a number of environmental/social efforts. For the most conscious way to consume your mate, buy their bags in bulk and brew it at home, but on the fly you can pick up one of their choice bottles like Empower Mint or Pure Endurance at most health-food stores (Whole Foods carries it). Coffee is yesterday’s news; Yerba Mate is making headlines. And don’t forget to recycle or reuse the glass (we fill them with filtered tap water when we finish one and then stick it in the fridge for crisp hydration). Note; mate does have a unique flavor.
A Flute Full of Ecofabulous
Date: December 29, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
It’s that time again - when we bust out the bubbly stuff to reflect on the year past and predict what the next has in store. Three words: Iron Horse Vineyards. Their iconic sparkling wines have satisfied the sophisticated palates at such high profile events as the Reagan/Gorbachev Summit Meetings which ended the Cold War and the White House Millennium Dinner when the highly anticipated clock turned from 1999 to 2000. With 170 acres in Green Valley, Calif., there’s no need to have Champagne shipped in from France. And these are sustainably grown grapes to boot. Our VIPs at Gorgeous & Green enjoyed Iron Horse Sparklings, and to do it right this New Year’s Eve, we say support the local and usher 2008 in with some serious style.
Siphoning Soda
Date: December 26, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
A little while back we posted about a nifty contraption that would cut down my waste production while still gratifying my avid bubble fancy, the Soda Club Bubbler. To check it out, click here. Now we’ve found a more portable version (and a very sleek one at that). This stainless steel soda siphon (as they’re calling it) allows you to instantly create sparkling water on the fly. All you do is pour in some water (filtered tap hopefully), screw on the soda charger, shake and release the lever for seltzer that stays carbonated for days. Just think of all the bottles you could save using one of these.
