SustainLane - Healthy Chillin' and Grillin'

June 2008
Edition 56

Greetings!

A long time ago, the choices for dining locations were slim: 1. Beside the fire inside a cave. 2. Dining on the run (often from a large animal) and 3. Beside the fire outside of a cave. Today's newsletter is about the latter: what we in modern times call the barbecue.

The great American barbecue brings back times of the simple feast enjoyed with friends and family in the wide open spaces. It's a celebration of nature and freedom. So why not keep it green, too?
Keep reading for healthy and sustainable barbecue beverages, condiments and implements.

Watch this week's Green Video of the Week for a DIY about how to make your own barbecue sauce, and read up on the latest green grillin' news in our In the News section.

"Skinny Dip is absolutely, positively, my favorite beer! It is has the warm, rich taste of a thick, dark beer while retaining a soft, light texture. It goes well with many types of cuisine. It is amazing with burgers, wonderful with pasta and pizza, outstanding with..." click here to read more

Have you ever tried Skinny Dip? How about a different New Belgium brew or summer beer? Write a review at SustainLane.com and tell everyone about your experience!

Meet SustainLane at Green Drinks NYC

Do you like hanging out with people as dedicated to sustainability as you? Do you happen to live in New York?

If you answered yes to both those questions, come check out Green Drinks in Manhattan this coming Tuesday, June 10th. SustainLane is sponsoring the event, so you can meet our team, support a great cause, and connect with other greenies, all at the same time!

Green Drinks NYC is a networking organization for individuals committed to environmental responsibility in Manhattan. We host monthly events that provide a platform for developing and exchanging ideas, finding green jobs, and forming lasting partnerships and friendships. Join us on Tuesday, June 10th from 6-10pm outdoors at Solar One - enjoy organic signature cocktails, wine, beer, a Chipotle taco bar, fresh fruits and veggies and other snacks as you mingle and network with other environmental enthusiasts. For more info, visit www.greendrinks.org.

Featured Business: Annie's Naturals

Are you buying quality, organic, local, meats, then smothering them with corn syrup grade ketchup? Abendigo R. thinks it's time to take back the condiments with Annie's Naturals.

Click for Annie's Naturals
Four Stars

Organic Ketchup

"Name brand ketchups are chock-full of unnecessary sugars. Just check out any bottle. This organic ketchup from Annie's has fine ingredients in it and well-balanced flavors. I'm amazed at this company's ability to deliver..." click here for more

Four Stars

Organic Mustard

"Organic, besides being good for you and the planet, just tastes better, 9 out of 10 times. Annie's Naturals organic honey mustard has nice tangy flavor..." click here for more

Four Stars

Organic Worcestershire Sauce

"Made from stuff like apple cider vinegar, chicory root extract, and molasses, Annie's Worcestershire works great. You can still craft a Caesar salad or a Bloody Mary, or you can use this as a condiment, and get yourself some..." click here for more

What do you thinks of Annie's Naturals condiments? How about any Annie's Naturals products? Write a review at SustainLane.com and let everyone know!

Grill Safe, Healthy and Sustainable

Everybody loves a barbeque, but not all grillmasters produce equally tasty, healthy, or environmentally friendly food. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Grilling Hazards

When meat is cooked at high temperatures, the amino acids that make up the muscle protein react with creatine, another chemical found in muscle, to produce heterocyclic amines (HCAs). The National Institute for Cancer Research has declared HCAs suspected carcinogens, and evidence suggest they increase the risk of cancers of the breast, colon, stomach, and prostate.
In addition, black smoke and flare-ups produced when grease drips onto the coals or heating element contains other carcinogenic compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that can be deposited onto your food.

Keeping Your Food Safe - Marinate It!

Scientists aren't sure why, but marinated meats contain 92 to 99 percent less HCAs than un-marinated meats. You can also try mixing up your menu: grilled pizzas, quesadillas, vegetables, and fruits don't produce HCAs. The maxim here is "no meat, no problem."

Propane Vs. Charcoal

In pure environmental terms, propane is better than charcoal. It doesn't require any accelerants (lighter fluid) to start, and you can turn it on, use it, and turn it off as soon as your done. As for food safety, it is easier to control temperature and prevent flare-ups with a propane grill, and charcoal grills are more likely to form PAHs. Plus, if you don't let the lighter fluid burn off before grilling with charcoal, you may wind up with fumes in your food.

If you're a die-hard charcoal griller, either buy a coal heater that only requires newspaper to get those briquettes going, or make sure you go easy on the lighter fluid and give it a half hour to burn off before you start grilling. Also, keep meat away from any direct flames. Following these safe techniques won't make you a master at the grill, but it'll make sure the food you serve up is safe.

Staff Pick: Solar Cooker

It may not give you the intense heat necessary for burgers and dogs, but a solar cooker can work magic on anything that requires a nice, slow cook. Just ask SustainLane site producer Jenn A.

Click for Solar Cookers

Cooking With the Sun...

"I was on a camping trip where everyone brought a giant pile of eggs for their contribution to communal meals. This was no ordinary camp ground -- they had a solar cooker on the premises. A friend and I conspired to make meringues with all the eggs-- we whipped eggs for an hour. We put several dozen gorgeous meringues on cookie sheets in the solar cooker and the results were incredible. The temperature was perfect and they came out...." click here to read more

Have you ever used a solar cooker? Write a review at SustainLane.com and share with our community!

Sustainable, Healthy Grilling in the News

Here are a few stories to warm up your grill:

The omnivore's green grilling guide from Nat Geo.

10 Easy Ways to get a Green Party Started.

DIY Alert: Make your own charcoal igniter.

Tales From the Grill: Healthy grill recipes from Mother Earth News.

Thoughts about these headlines? Email us at community@sustainlane.com and let us know!

Lentil, Bulgar and Mushroom Burger Recipe

Want to mix it up with something a little healthier than ground beef, but don't want to deal with a soggy Boca? Here's a tasty homemade veggie burger recipe provided by Chef Eric Tucker of San Francisco's Millennium Restaurant, guaranteed to be easy enough for anyone to make at home:

Lentil, Bulgur and Mushroom Burgers

1 � cup cooked brown lentils, (sub French Lentils or Black Beans)

1 � cup cooked bulgur or short grain brown rice

2 T olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped fine

1/2 cup celery, chopped fine

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. Cremini, shiitake, or button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced about 1/4 inch thick (about 6 1/2 cups)

� c dried porcini, toasted and ground

2t tamari

1 cup raw unsalted cashews

� c vital wheat gluten or up to 1 c chickpea flour

salt and pepper to taste

12 burger buns for serving

In a large skillet, saute the onions, celery and garlic in the oil until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and saute until wilted. Add the tamari and porcini powder, saute 1 minute more, place in a mixing bowl along with the lentils and brown rice. Mix together

Grind the cashews with � of the lentil mixture until a fine meal. Place back into the bowl. Knead in the gluten flour (or chick pea) Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400*. Line a sheet pan with parchment, oil the parchment. Use a 4 oz scoop for regular sized or 2 oz for small plate size. Form into patties. Bake 4oz size for 15 minutes, 2oz size for 7-10 minutes. Burgers are cooked through when they feel firm to the touch after cooling. This cooks the gluten flour through so they are firm enough to be handled prior to grilling. Now toss them on the grill for those great scorch marks and grilled flavor, put on a bun and serve.

Forward This Newsletter - Win a SustainLane Tote Bag

Do you like greening up from the tips and tidbits you get from SustainLane every Wednesday? Think you know someone else who might like it too?

All you have to do is forward this newsletter to four or more friends/colleagues/associates and copy spreadtheword@sustainlane.com on the e-mail (we won't collect your friends' information; it's for verification purposes only). Then sit back and relax, and see if you're one of this week's lucky three!

Green Video of the Week - Make Your Own Barbeque Sauce