School lunches: you CAN take it with you

"Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does." --Michael Pollan, Food Rules











Today's post on the Fooducate blog illustrates another good reason to avoid airplane food (as if the quality isn't reason enough...). As I've grown to love healthy, local food, I find myself wanting to transport homemade meals in an increasing number of situations: to work, on the way out the door to an event, and especially on plane rides or long trips in the car. Gas station food, as Michael Pollan points out, is equally as questionable as airplane food.

Given all the furor surrounding horrible institutional school lunches, and despite some signs of improvement, school is another place where taking a homemade lunch is probably a good option. Relay customer Lisa asked on our Facebook page,

Do you have any suggestions for school lunch alternatives? My middle schooler hates sandwiches, and prefers a hot lunch (they have a microwave in the lunchroom). What can she take that is easy to prepare, travels well, and doesn't involve a sandwich?

While individual tastes, especially for picky eaters, ultimately determine what works best in a school lunch, I've outlined a few strategies and suggestions below based largely on my own experience and ideas found around the web.

The Bento Box: As artistic or slap-dash as you like, the bento box emphasizes fresh foods packed creatively into one box, sometimes divided into sections. Think TV-dinner but prepared with fresh foods. The possibilities are endless; type "bento" into Google or Tastespotting and you'll find inspiration that will last for years. Lunchinabox.net and JustBento.com are fantastic resources as well. A few ideas:

1. A simple bento consisting of steamed rice, salmon, and fresh veggies. Obviously a combination that could be taken in a lot of directions to use left-overs, suit tastes, etc.
2. A summer-themed bento with fresh fruit, sausage, and seasonal vegetables.
3. A creative bento decorated with "spring flowers" made from plums and carrots.
4. An irresistible "brown bear bento."

The Salad: While eating a Caesar for lunch every day probably wouldn't get anyone too excited, with the onset of Spring, the possibilities for salad and salad-related meals only continue to become more deliciously appealing. A few ideas to spice up traditional salad offerings:

1. Mark Bittman's Minimalist column on 101 Summer Salads. Definitely a classic in my book, this article outlines quick salads that require minimum cooking. Everything from a classic five-bean salad to watermelon and tomato.
2. Make lettuce cups or wraps: fill a lettuce leaf with leftovers like stir-fried vegetables, the meat-cheese-rice-veggie fillings of a taco, or fruit, cheese, and nuts. Romaine, Bibb, and Escarole work well. Here's a beautiful example. And another.
3. Grains, beans, and veggies: while it might not be everyone's idea of a salad, mixing whole grains with a high-quality protein and some vegetables is a terrific lunch that carries in one container. Added bonus? Make large portions of grains, beans, and prepped vegetables ahead of time, then toss together the day of. This lentil salad could be re-heated and served over rice at school. My roommates and I made the salad below, with lentils, carrots, cabbage, mozzarella, onion, and balsamic glaze over brown rice. Easy and delicious.

Leftovers: While most leftovers can be brought along and re-heated, having glass tupperware with locking lids (see the picture at the top) makes it significantly easier. Make your or your child's favorites in bulk, then send them along to school all week.

1. Miso vegetables and tofu: pack the tofu separately so that it doesn't get soggy when the vegetables are re-heated. Sauce could also be packed separately for freshness.
2. Vegetable fried rice from Bella Eats: probably one of the best ways to bring an egg along and not have it end up soggy. Also infinitely adaptable. Click here for the recipe if you're reading in Richmond.
3. Sicilian Broccoli and Cauliflower over Pasta: this recipe highlights pasta as another great take-along and re-heat option. Add chicken or another protein if you like.

These ideas are just the beginning! As we at Relay continue to build out our website's capabilities, I hope we'll be able to provide you with even more tools to make school/work/airplane/in a hurry lunches easy.

As always, please share your ideas, questions, and comments to the comments section, to our Facebook page, or to Twitter!

Your Questions: What's in Season?

"A significant part of the pleasure of eating is in one's accurate consciousness of the lives and the world from which food comes." --Wendell Berry, "The Pleasures of Eating"






From Kristy: We've recently started eating more seasonal and local produce... what are the different fruits and veggies available locally and when are they available?

First of all, Kristy, kudos to you. As your family is already discovering, eating locally and seasonally positively impacts many facets of daily life, from your health, to the environment, to the enjoyment of your food. If you don't already read Wendell Berry, I'll link to his essay, "The Pleasures of Eating," quoted above, a second time for emphasis. He eloquently describes how intimate knowledge of the place in which our food is grown can enhance our pleasure in food.

Lucky for us, Virginia is a fantastic place to live if you love fresh fruits and veggies. According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture, the Commonwealth's agricultural output is amongst the most diverse in the nation. Central Virginia is particularly Edenic, as we can draw draw fresh produce from farmers in the fertile Shenandoah Valley as well as from farms surrounding Charlottesville and Richmond.

Further adding to the richness of our produce choices is Thomas Jefferson's example. Charlottesville's favorite gardener constantly experimented with a vast range of plants, both from the Old World and the New World. Today, there's a thriving culture of gardeners and farmers in Central Virginia who want to preserve the seeds of rare and unique heirloom varieties for generations to come. For us, that means myriad heirloom varieties of apple, tomato, lettuce, and a spectrum of rich flavors to enjoy.


So what's in season, then? The Virginia Department of Agriculture puts out a handy chart outlining the basics. For now, I'll highlight what's available in the Spring, and then give you updates as the year progresses!

• Greens and spinach: early on, heartier winter greens are your best bet (kale, Swiss chard, collards). Some producers also grow hydroponic varieties of salad greens, such as arugula, salad mixes, tatsoi, baby romaine, sorrel, and mizuno. As Spring progresses, look out for increasing varieties of spinach and spring salad greens.
• Onions: spring onions are available, as well as the larger orbs.
• Herbs: oregano, sage, rosemary, tarragon, chives, cilantro, parsley, basil, dill, thyme -- these and others are grown in greenhouses year-round.
  
• Potatoes: you're likely to find small new potatoes still available from earlier harvests, as farmers can keep them fresh for several months.
  
• Greenhouse-grown produce: Virginia has a growing scene of greenhouse and hydroponic growers who can make delicious vegetables available even when the weather is frigid. Greens, tomatoes, and herbs are all available grown in this way.
  
• Asparagus: Along with daffodils, a great harbinger of true Spring!
  
• Beets
• Strawberries: available later in the Spring. Also look out for opportunities to pick your own!
  

Most of these locally-available items can be found through Relay's farmers. A great introduction to what's truly local and seasonal is a produce share from Horse and Buggy, available for pick-up from Relay with the rest of your groceries. This week, you would get gourmet greens, lettuce, asparagus, maple syrup (yum!), and mushrooms, amongst other goodies. Produce shares make a great introduction to seasonal eating, as they force you to experiment with foods you might not pick up at the grocery store.

Other Relay vendors who make local, seasonal produce accessible in Charlottesville include Down Branch Farms, Planet Earth Diversified, Meadow Run Farm, and Hardy Farms. Richmond has Down Branch Farms, Planet Earth Diversified, Kruize Farm, and Rain or Shine Greenhouse Gardens. We're talking with more farmers every day to get their produce to you as the season progresses! Be on the lookout for farmer profiles on this blog.


One final suggestion? Try some local Swiss chard before it goes out of season. My favorite winter green, it's as beautiful as it is nutritious. The stems are a rainbow of gem-tone colors. Below is a simple recipe for two:

1 tsp. olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
1 bunch rainbow chard, stems chopped and reserved, leaves in coarse chiffonade
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 1/2 cups beans, cooked, preferably white or heirloom variety
Hard cheese, like sharp aged cheddar, for grating
Sausage (pre-cooked) if desired

Saute the shallots in olive oil for 30 seconds. Add the chard stems and cook until they are soft. Toss in the sausage, if desired, and cook until thoroughly heated through. Stir in the brown rice and beans, heat through. Grate cheese on top and serve warm.

Meatless Mondays

"Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around..."
--Vanilla Sky

Each Monday in Springtime holds the same kind of promise that I feel on the brink of a New Year. On the threshold of the week, I serenely contemplate a blank slate to be filled with goals that seem freshly attainable. Finally organize my refrigerator. Eat the fresh foods I love in the company of good friends and family. Get outside for exercise. Learn new skills. Delve deeply into fascinating topics. Simply savor each moment as it passes.
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A little like the myth about New Year's (whatever you're doing at midnight, you'll be doing all year), Mondays seem to set the tone for the rest of my week. Maybe that's why Meatless Monday has garnered popular enthusiasm. If you can start the week on a high note of health and environmental benefits encouraged by nutrient-dense, plant-based food, then perhaps your food choices for the rest of the week will be seasoned with those good intentions. And luckily for those of us in food-friendly Charlottesville and Richmond, good intentions can also pave the road to delicious, sustainable local meat choices from producers like Tall Cotton Farm, Wolf Creek, and Babes in the Wood!

Myths regarding “going meatless” abound, and one of them is that it’s all or nothing. Be a vegetarian every day, or it's not worth it. False! Meatless Monday emphasizes that meatless meals can bring variety to a full repertoire, even for dedicated carnivores. Mark Bittman practices daily veganism--except at his evening meal. Part-time vegetarianism forces reliance on and discovery of vegetables and fruits you might otherwise shy from.

Just as ethical meat producers in Virginia make carnivorous choices healthier and easier on the conscience, producers of delicious vegetarian options make Meatless Mondays exciting.

• Twin Oaks Tofu (I love what Revolutionary Soup said in its Facebook feed a few months back -- “Oh yeah and Twin Oaks Tofu is totally Organic and the best Tofu I have ever had. Really, it will change the way you think about Tofu and cubed and seared it makes a darn fine Vegan Chili...”)
• A whole range of local growers, from Planet Earth Diversified to Down Branch Farm Produce to Richmond's Rain or Shine Greenhouse Garden to Cville's Hardy Farms.
• CCNO Vegan Food Bars (for a quick snack on a busy day)
• Fresh pastas from Mona Lisa Pasta and Cavanna Pasta make a delicious, gourmet base for serving up top-notch veggies.

So, have I convinced you to give Meatless Mondays a shot? Below are a few of my favorite recipes to get you started. Please use the comments to share YOUR favorite Meatless Monday recipes!

• Spring Pasta
  
• Sushi Bowl
• Mark Bittman's Best Vegetable Soup Ever
• Whole Wheat Cous Cous with Spring Vegetables
• "My Husband is not a Vegetarian" -- Community forum on SeriousEats for vegetarian recipes enjoyable even for non-vegetarians
  
• Lentil and Brown Rice Salad (One-Click Relay Recipe): In Richmond or In Charlottesville
• Kale and Cabbage Gratin -- Think you don't like kale? Try this! I dare you!
  

If you're interested in finding more recipes to inspire your vegetable love, check out How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, The Candle Cafe Cookbook, or Chez Panisse Vegetables.,My go-to online sources are Recipes for Health from the NY Times and 101 Cookbooks.

There is a Certain Celebration

In the north country it is spring and there is a certain celebration... --Mary Oliver







Forget the calendar. While it's been "Spring" for almost a month now, this week has treated Virginia to the kind of sunny, warm weather and lingering evening light that makes me confident we're irreversibly on track towards Summer.

Springtime hosts its own celebration. Bedecked in flowery finery, bathed in gorgeous, glowing lights, the earth beckons us to leave our desks, our stovetops, and our television sets to breathe it all in. Then out come the delicious seasonal treats -- fresh greens, herbs, beets, radishes, strawberries -- our hors d'oeuvres for the party.

In honor of Spring and all the outdoor activities on offer, including Garden Week, soccer games, and the first Fridays after Five, here are a few of my personal favorite portable picnic recipes. Even if they're destined for a tupperware lunch at your desk as you gaze wistfully out at dogwood blossoms, they're a delicious way to partake of Springtime's feast!

Please take the time to post any of your favorite springtime recipes (or activities) to the comments, especially those that fit well into a picnic basket!

Radish and Avocado Salad (One-Click Relay recipe)*

Spinach with Peas and Scallions (One-Click Relay recipe)*

White Bean Burgers (with parsley, carrots, and spring herbs)

Honey Balsamic Bean Salad (delicious with Down Branch’s delicate romaine)

Grilled Cheese and Fried Egg Sandwiches (perfect for fresh free-range eggs!)

Coconut Macaroons (look great for a portable picnic treat)

*You may have noticed on our Facebook page that Relay has just launched one-click shopping recipes in concert with Bella Eats, a beautiful cooking and photography blog by Charlottesville's own Andrea Hubbell. If you check out the new recipes tab at Relay, you can find Andrea's gorgeous recipes linked up to Relay's best local ingredients!