Stir-fry blog
The Top 10 Biggest Food Stories of 2010
December 07, 2010 at 11:00 AM — foodetteHere's a great piece in The Atlantic that's worth a read as 2010 winds down. What do you hope 2011 will bring when it comes to food safety, politics and agriculture?
And did you know PCC has taken on a stand on many of the top issues the named above? We have advocated for school-lunch reform, support the Non-GMO Project, do not sell products with high-fructose corn syrup as an ingredient and offers an abundance of local and/or organic fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy options and more.
PCC offers two great, easy ways to stay up-to-date on the latest food news: Our monthly Sound Consumer newsletter and our PCC Advocates e-newsletter. And remember: Each meal you buy or create is a chance to show your support for healthy, sustainable foods.
To eat meat or not to eat meat? It's a deep question.
December 06, 2010 at 05:18 PM — foodette
Whether you refrain from eating meat and other animal products or are a conscientious omnivore, you're welcome at PCC Natural Markets. Leika Suzumura, one of our nutrition educators and a Bastyr University-trained registered dietician, speaks to this point as a guest in a recent podcast on the KBCS program "Voices of Diversity." Click here to listen to a discussion on the topic of eating animals with a panel that includes Leika and representatives from the Humane Society, Sidecar for Pigs Peace and Farm Forward.
A very organic holiday centerpiece
November 29, 2010 at 01:20 PM — foodetteSome people are blessed with the gene for craftiness, including Andrea from our incredibly gregarious Community Relations team. Today, we salute her ingenuity with a parade of the "turkey" centerpieces she crafted for our PCC Thanksgiving potluck from winter squash, kale, beans, cashews and other ingredients.
This just begs for a caption contest.
It goes to show that you never know when the creative bug will strike! Hmm ... what could YOU whip up for future gatherings?
He looks a bit bent out of shape, perhaps from slogging through our Seattle snowstorm?
Love the color of this guy.
What a great expression he has!
Kale: It's not just for dinner.
A PCC Thanksgiving
November 29, 2010 at 12:42 PM — foodetteHope your Thanksgiving was splendid! Ours certainly was here at PCC HQ, the latest in a long tradition of such gatherings. Here are a few photos of our feast -- email me at karen.gaudette at pccsea.com or visit us at www.facebook.com/pccnaturalmarkets to share photos of the feast you put together at home!
The spread! Well, part of it. Our potluck covered two additional tables.
Goldie's famous mushroom gravy. Click here for the recipe!
Stuffing bonanza.
Thankful, emphasis on full.
And, to follow up on our Thanksgiving poll, looks like your favorite Thanksgiving sidedish is ... stuffing! Stuffing took first place with 67 votes, followed by mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. Thanks for voting, and don't forget to vote this week for your favorite holiday sweet treat!
They finished their holiday shopping ... without buying anything new!
November 23, 2010 at 01:06 PM — foodetteThe generosity of our PCC community in the past year has helped birds get cleaned after after the gulf oil spill, helped replace stolen food after a food bank was robbed last year and warmed the less fortunate with thousands of donated sweaters and coats. Wonderful!
Most recently, the barrels of gently used toys, clothes and baby gear donated by West Seattle and Fremont shoppers over the past month helped cover the tables at the 3rd-annual CoolMom Holiday Toy Swap 'N' Sale earlier this month.
CoolMom volunteers.
CoolMom is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that unites mothers to take action on climate change through education, lifestyle change and advocacy. This event, held in West Seattle and Wallingford, is one of many the group organizes to reduce waste and consumerism during the holidays. Proceeds support the group's mission as well as family services groups WestSide Baby and FamilyWorks.
More than 200 shoppers turned out for the event.
A few easy ways to reduce waste this holiday season: Give the gift of a PCC Cooks class. Donate to the PCC Farmland Trust and preserve organic farmland forever. Wrap gifts in tea towels, reusable bags or other handy items that don't have to go straight to the waste bin.
When it comes to helping our community, every little bit adds up
November 19, 2010 at 02:16 PM — foodetteA happy Friday indeed! All that PCC Halloween mix you took home to hand out to trick-or-treaters this year added up to a $8,605 donation to Woodland Park Zoo! Thanks for your support.
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Andrea from our community relations team, handing over the check to an incredibly pleased representative from the zoo!
Help preserve organic farmland, sip by sip, with Powers Winery
November 15, 2010 at 11:27 AM — foodetteWant to help save organic farmland from development? If you've purchased Powers Winery Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay at PCC, you're already helping -- and maybe didn't even know it!
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The Kennewick, Wash.-based winery crafted this pair of blends exclusively for PCC and donates $2 from each bottle sold to the PCC Farmland Trust, a local, nonprofit land trust that has saved hundreds of acres from development, from Nash Huber's organic farm in Sequim, Wash. (the source of our wonderful organic carrots) to part of Full Circle Farm in Carnation, Wash. (home to our organic salad mix and many leafy greens).
PCC shoppers donated $1,452 to the Trust via your wine purchases in the month of October alone. That's a grand total of $58,730 since May 2007. Thanks so much for your support in this truly delicious effort. Cheers!
This kitty knows where to shop
November 02, 2010 at 03:24 PM — foodette... and, that our reusable bags (made from recycled plastic bottles) are infinitely useful!
Meet Lily, a feline PCC fan.
Make the most of winter squash
November 01, 2010 at 10:19 AM — foodetteHow do we transform some of these ...
into something like this?
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Or this?
Why, with winter squash techniques from PCC Chef Lynne Vea, of course! Not to mention this winter squash primer with photos and video to help you always be able to find your favorite in a crowd.
Looking for fresh takes on your old favorites? Look no farther than our Recipe Database, home to squash recipes galore.
What are some of your favorite ways to enjoy winter squash? I'm a big fan of butternut squash soup, of pumpkin curry, of roasted acorn halves fragrant with caramelized brown sugar, of savory kabocha, still hot from simmering in a bath of soy sauce and mirin on my stovetop. Dig in!
(Thanks to Tom and Lynne for the photos!).
PCC Cooks class: Northwest Harvest Celebration
October 01, 2010 at 11:23 AM — foodetteIt's my second year at PCC, but I had yet to attend one of Chef Lynne Vea's PCC Cooks classes. Now I can't believe I waited so long.
Let's start with dessert, shall we? Paired with J.K.'s Scrumpy Hard Cider. Sigh.
That Upside Down Praline Apple Tart with Cointreau Creme was the grand finale of her Northwest Harvest Celebration class last night at West Seattle PCC. The new, daylight-filled classroom in the front of the remodeled store sparkles in the sun. I'm excited to see the entire store when the remodel is complete this winter. But first, back to dinner!
Lynne, demonstrating how to flip the apple tart.
She served this lovely bite with a crisp, vibrant, non-oaky Chardonnay from Powers Winery.
She paired this spicy, creamy delight with a rose' from Lachini Vineyards.
This was superb. That sliver of skin-on duck breast was tender, meaty, fatty and crispy all at once. I can't eat enough figs, especially when they're stuffed with Gorgonzola. And that Rosemary Polenta Souffle' up top just rounded this out perfectly. She paired this with Maryhill Cellars' Winemaker's red.
Another fantastic PCC Cooks class. Can't wait for the next. Mark your calendar: The next catalog is out Monday, Nov. 29! And don't forget you can now connect with PCC Cooks on Facebook.