ArcaMax

Peel or No Peel

There is one major, basic rule of thumb I use to decide if I am going to spend a bit extra and buy organic.

The rule is: Am I going to peel it?

If I am going to peel it, I will likely buy conventional. If I am going to be eating the outer coating (or peel) then I am going to spend, on average, about 15% more and go with the organic version. I think it’s worth it.

The item has no peel? Buy organic.

If it has a peel? Buy conventional.

This is even truer if the product I am buying I am going to be eating raw.

For this column, I am focusing on the avoidance of pesticides. If I were to include the topic of GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) then the list would be longer of things I want to buy organic. I just wanted to keep this simple.

This topic really revolves around the produce department, and if you are buying fresh produce, I want to commend you. Gone for me are almost all canned vegetables and most frozen ones, too. I want my produce to be as fresh as possible.

Let’s start our tour of the produce department and look at what we’d want to buy organic...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Grilled Italian Veggies with Steak

This is super easy. A great summer entrée that comes together in a flash. If you have a grill pan, you can make it in the winter, too.

Servings: Serves 2 - 3 people (depends on the size of your veggies). Can also be doubled or done in big batches for a large party!

Ingredients:

olive oil spray
1 Chinese eggplant, cut into wedges or wide slices
½ large red onion, sliced
1 large red pepper cut into 1-inch wide strips or chunks
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 – 2 Tbl of balsamic dressing
fresh basil for garnish (you can cut it into shreds, also known as chiffonade)
protein of choice: a flank steak would work well, but really any protein you'd like to grill. It is up to you.

Instructions:

Spray the cleaned veggies to prepare them for the grill. Grill to your liking. I like grill marks and I like mine just about to wilt, but with some bite still to them. If they won’t all fit on the grill at once you can do them in batches. I cook the onion first and then the other two. The eggplant is the most delicate. Set aside to keep warm as you grill each item.

Season with grated sea salt and pepper. Put in a bowl and drizzle on your dressing. Toss carefully to coat all of the vegetables.

Serve warm, room temp or even cold.

Grill your steak or your protein to your liking and serve the veggies on the side or under your meat. Your veggie portion is one cup of the mixture.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola