Green Recipies

So, what's the deal? What are organic foods, anyway? Are they better for you? Tastier? Worth the extra cash you may need to fork out for them? The term organic, as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), means that a food has been grown and processed without pesticides, without fertilizers made with sewage sludge or synthetic ingredients,without herbicides,without bioengineering and without ionizing radiation.

• 100 percent organic: contains only organically produced ingredients.
• Organic: contains at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients.
• Made with organic ingredients:contains at least 70 percent organic ingredients-such as soup made with organic vegetables.

Organic animal products- meat,poultry, eggs and dairy foods- come from animals that receive no antibiotics or growth hormones. If a product is labeled organic, it means the farm where the food is produced is inspected annually to ensure that it meets the organic standards of the USDA. To help assure product purity, any company that handles or processes the food on its way to the grocery store must be certified organic,as well.

Preparing your food
Washing and scrubbing fruits and vegetables helps remove bacteria and chemicals that may have come into contact with produce. You can soak your fruits and vegetables or use soap and then simply clean them under running water.

• Wash your hands with warm water and soap before handling fresh produce.
• Peel fruits and vegetables when possible.
• Remove the outer leaves of leafy vegetables.
• Use a different cutting boards- One for meat, One for vegetables and fruits One for bread.
• Use different Knives.
• Use smooth, nonabsorbent cutting boards that are easy to sanitize.

Italian Lasagna Recipie
This Italian Lasagna has less fat and calories, but all of the taste.
Using low-fat cheeses and extra-lean ground beef saves 100 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving.
Ingredients: 1 pound extra-lean ground beef 1 onion, chopped, 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil, 3/4 teaspoon oregano, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 can (6 ounces) unsalted tomato paste, 1 can (8 ounces) unsalted tomato sauce, 3 1/2 cups water, 3/4 pound uncooked lasagna noodles, 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 3 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13 pan with cooking spray.
2. To make the sauce, in a large saucepan combine the ground beef and onion. Cook over medium heat until the ground beef is browned and onion is translucent. Drain well.
3. Add the basil, oregano, garlic powder, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water. Stir to mix evenly.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Put 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the remaining sauce, 1/3 cup cottage cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
6. Repeat until the ingredients are used up. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the noodles are soft and the cheese is lightly browned, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.