Are you getting enough Iron? And a recipe for Caribbean-Style Rice & Black Bean Salad

Iron is an essential nutrient, meaning we must eat foods containing iron to get the iron our body needs or we become iron deficient.  Iron has many important roles in our body, the most important being its role in transporting oxygen throughout the body and getting rid of carbon dioxide.  Iron is an important part of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen throughout the body and helps our cells produce energy.  If we don't get enough iron in our diet, we may be tired, weak, and feel cold.   

How much iron do we need daily?

Gender and Age                    Iron DRI 

Males, 14-18                           11 mg

Males, 19                                8 mg

Females, 14-18                       15 mg

Females, 19-50                       18 mg

Females, 51 +                          8 mg

Which foods are good sources of iron?

Iron in food exists as two types, heme and non-heme. Animal foods such as meat, fish and poultry provide heme iron, which is the type of iron that is most easily absorbed. Non-heme iron is found in plant foods, like dark leafy greens and beans.  Non-heme iron isn’t as well absorbed as heme iron, although you can get enough iron in your diet solely from plant sources.  If you eat a primarily plant-based diet, just be sure to eat a variety of iron-rich foods, including beans and vegetables, dried fruits, dark molasses, and enriched whole grains and cereals.  Note that corn and cow’s milk are both poor sources of iron. 

What happens if we don’t get enough iron?

If our bodies don’t absorb enough iron, we become iron deficient.  Iron deficiency anemia occurs when the body’s iron stores are so low that the body can’t make normal red blood cells.  Symptoms include fatigue, pale skin and fingernails, weakness, dizziness, headache and inflamed tongue.

Who is at risk for iron deficiency?

• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding have more blood volume, which requires more iron to transport oxygen to the baby and growing reproductive organs.
• Young children have increased iron needs.  When babies are born, they have enough iron stores for six months.  After six months, their iron needs increase.  Breast milk and iron-fortified infant formula are good sources of iron.  Cow’s milk is a poor source of iron. 
• Adolescent girls are often at risk because of restrictive diets or not eating a diverse number of foods.
• Women with excessively heavy menstrual periods may develop iron deficiency.

What can I do to increase iron absorption from food?

• Eat a varied diet.  If you don’t eat meat, choose a variety of plant-based foods to ensure you meet your iron requirements. 
• Vitamin C helps you absorb the iron in plant foods (especially important for vegetarians), so include a good source of Vitamin C in your meals.
• Proper stomach acid aids in iron absorption, so try not to take antacids.

To help you start fulfilling your iron needs, here is a simple recipe for a Caribbean-style grain salad with black beans.  The salad gets its flavor from cooking the rice in a sofrito--the blend of onion, garlic, peppers and herbs essential to Latin cooking.  

Caribbean-Style Rice & Black Bean Salad

Serves 10 - 12

1 medium onion, cut in large dice
2 garlic cloves
1 bell pepper (red or green), cored and diced
½ bunch cilantro

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

2 teaspoons sea salt
2 cups long-grain brown rice

4 cups water

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 jar green olives with pimientos, drained

zest and juice of two limes

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

First, make the sofrito by putting onion, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cayenne and sea salt in food processor or blender.  Process until very smooth.

Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat.  Add rice and toast for 3 – 5 minutes, or until rice starts to ‘pop’ like popcorn.  Add sofrito mixture to the rice and stir.  Add water and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, and cover.  Cook for about 50 minutes, or until rice is done.  Remove cover and fluff with a fork.  Let cool completely.

Add cooked rice to a large mixing bowl with the black beans, tomatoes, red bell pepper, olives, lime zest and juice, olive oil and cilantro leaves.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.  

Making Meal Time Easy + Wild Rice, Kale & Roasted Tomato Gratin with Browned Yogurt Topping

Happy Monday!  We hope you had a fun weekend and are ready to make this a great week!

We know meal planning can be difficult.  It is, even for us.  Sometimes I stare into the refrigerator and the only thing I can come up with is scrambled eggs.  We all need inspiration.  

Here are a few tips I have found to be most helpful for eating well, along with a recipe for using up leftovers and transforming them into a delicious, comfort-food meal, which also happens to be perfect for Meatless Monday!

--When you get home from grocery shopping, wash and prep all of your vegetables, so they are ready to go when you are.  You’re more likely to eat them and not let them wilt in the crisper drawer.

--Wrap lettuce, greens, herbs in a damp paper towel, place in plastic bag and store in the refrigerator crisper drawer.  They last three times as long, which means no waste!

--Go ahead and chop vegetables for snacking, roasting or sautéing.  You’ll be thankful to yourself at mealtime.

--Cook one pot of grains or beans each week and store in the refrigerator, covered.  These can be used for soups, salads, side dishes.

--Make a big batch of roasted vegetables—broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, whatever you like.  These can also be tossed into salads, heated for a side dish, or just eaten as a healthy snack.

--Repurpose leftovers into a second day meal .  Transform one meal into another by turning the leftovers into a soup, stew, salad, sandwich, stir fries, or egg dish.

--Use your freezer! Anything saucy freezes well, like soup, stew, lasagna, enchiladas, casseroles.  Every time you make a large family-sized meal, freeze individual portions so you always have an inventory for lunch or for single dinners.

This recipe for a kale and wild rice gratin with yogurt crust was  inspired by a recipe from The Yellow House.  This gratin can be made with any leftover grains and greens that you have in your refrigerator.  You could use quinoa or barley, add roasted squash or zucchini—the options are endless!

Wild Rice, Kale & Roasted Tomato Gratin with Browned Yogurt Crust

Makes 6 - 8 servings

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 garlic clove, sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Pinch of salt

1 leek, sliced

1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 cup parmesan, grated
3 cups cooked whole grain and wild rice
1 cup Greek yogurt or 2 cups plain yogurt, strained*
3 eggs
Sea salt
Paprika

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the tomatoes, garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt in an oven-proof dish.  Place in the oven and roast tomatoes for about 30 minutes, or until browned and softened.

In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium-low  heat.  Add the other tablespoon of olive oil, the leeks and another pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring, until the leeks are very soft.  Do not let the leeks brown.  Add the kale and cook until it is just starting to wilt.  Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.

In a large mixing bowl, add the rice, kale, roasted tomatoes, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese and one egg.  Stir together until evenly mixed.  Spread the mixture in a baking dish. 

In another small bowl, mix together the yogurt, two eggs, remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and a pinch of paprika.  Spread the yogurt mixture in an even layer over the wild rice mixture. 
Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, until the yogurt topping becomes browned.  You make turn on the broiler for a few seconds toward the end, just to brown it a little more.  Remove from the oven and let it cool a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy, preferably with someone you love!


*To make a thick Greek-style yogurt out of plain yogurt, just line a fine mesh strainer with cheese cloth.  Pour yogurt on top of the cheese cloth and place the strainer over a bowl.  Place in the refrigerator and let drain for at least 2 hours, or until you get the consistency you want.  The longer you let it drain, the thicker the yogurt will become.  Discard the water in the bottom of the bowl.  

$10 Dinners!

We hear it all the time.  Eating ‘whole foods’ is expensive.  You can’t expect everyone to be able to cook like that.  It’s elitist.  It’s time consuming.  It’s so much cheaper and easier to open a box, bag, bottle or can, or speed through the drive-through.

Untrue! And we’re here to prove it.  With just a little planning, eating real, whole foods can be easy and very affordable.  Cheap, even!

We’ve recently partnered with the Family Meals Project in Ferndale, Washington to help families learn to make nutritious, delicious meals for a family of four to six for only $10 a meal.  We scheduled six classes over the next few months, covering everything from soups and stews to braising meats to rice and beans.  Every class creates an entire meal, including dessert, for about $10 for a family of six.  Classes meet at the kitchen at the United Church of Ferndale and have a capacity of about 14 – 16 students. 

The first class met this week, with an amazing first-time turnout of 16 participants, including several kids and teens.

We gathered together in the kitchen and made a southwestern-inspired meal with the following menu:     

Black Bean Tacos with Homemade Tortillas

Oil and Vinegar Cole Slaw with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Brown Rice with Onions and Poblano Peppers

Grilled Pineapple with Yogurt Sauce

This meal is high in fiber and vegetarian protein, loaded with good-for-you antioxidants, and naturally sweetened with sweet caramelized pineapple and Greek yogurt.  And delicious!  The favorite of the night—rolling and griddling homemade tortillas. 

The total cost for an entire meal:  $2.02, or $12.12 for a family of six, just over the $10 target!  See the bottom of the post for a breakdown of the cost of each dish.  Here are a few strategies for making your family meals more affordable:

      · Shop the bulk bins!  Buying from the bulk bins is cheaper, because you’re not paying for packaging.  Shop a few different stores to see who has the best deals on their bulk products.

      · Keep an eye on sales.  I found Chobani* yogurt for only $1 each for a 6 ounce container!  (*We don’t represent Chobani yogurt, or any other yogurt manufactures.  Other comparable brands include Fage, Greek Gods and others.)

 ·        Make substitutions for more expensive ingredients.  You could easily reduce the cost of the meal by switching out a few of the more expensive items with less expensive options, like substituting chopped peanuts for pumpkin seeds and a banana for the pineapple.  But, it’s a great example of how simple and inexpensive good food can be.

·     Cooking from scratch definitely takes a little more time than just opening convenience, packaged products.  But, cooking together is a great way to spend time as a family.  Even more incentive, a 2012 study by Cambridge University shows people who cook at home live longer!  Here are a few tips for making this meal easy for a busy, working family:

·     Cook a big pot of beans on your day off.  Let the beans cool completely and then portion the beans into plastic freezer bags, enough for one meal for your family (use ½ cup per person as a guide for portion size).  The day before you’re making tacos, just pull the bag out of the freezer and let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  They’ll be ready by dinnertime.

·     Use the same tip for the rice.  Cook a big pot of rice on your day off, portion and freeze.  Both rice and beans freeze beautifully.

·     Cole slaw is a salad that keeps beautifully for several days.  Make a big batch and then use it for lunch, dinner or snacks for several days.  You can vary the ingredients using what you have on hand.

·     If you don’t have time to roll and griddle the homemade tortillas, store bought are just fine, and can be even less expensive.  I found a package of 72 tortillas for only $2.79.  You can buy these in bulk and store in the freezer.  However, if you do have an extra half-an-hour, making homemade tortillas is a great way to spend time with your kids.  Kids really like the job of rolling the dough.

Here are all of the recipes, so you can make your own $10 dinner.  Please feel free to comment and share other ideas for $10 dinners.  We love to hear from you!

Black Bean Tacos with Homemade Tortillas

Black Beans

Makes 5 – 6 cups of beans

1 pound dried black beans

1 onion

1 jalapeno pepper, split in half

3 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin

Pick through the beans, discarding any discolored or shriveled beans.  Rinse well.  In a 5-quart saucepan, cover 1 pound dried beans with about 10 cups of water.  Cover and let sit at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Drain and rinse the beans again.  Return the soaked, rinsed beans to the 5-quart saucepan.  Cover the beans with 3 times their volume of water.  Add an onion, pepper, garlic, salt and cumin.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 60 – 90 minutes.  Check the level of the water and add more if it gets low.  Use the cooked beans for tacos, soup or side dishes.  

Homemade Tortillas

Makes about 15 tortillas

1 3/4 cups masa harina (corn flour)

pinch of sea salt

1 cup hot tap water

Stir together the masa harina, salt and water, then knead it until it's smooth, adding more water or masa harina as needed to make a soft but not sticky dough.  Cover with plastic wrap or a bowl cover, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Heat a cast iron griddle or a pair of frying pans over medium-high heat.  Divide the dough into 15 balls and keep them covered until ready to use.  

Place a piece of plastic wrap over the two halves of the tortilla press.  Place a ball of dough between the two squares of plastic, then press down with the press.  Peel the tortilla off of the plastic carefully, then slap it onto the preheated griddle.  Flip after 30 seconds, or when browning in spots.  Cook on the other side for about another 30 seconds, and then remove.  Wrap in a warm towel to keep warm.  Repeat with remaining dough, stacking the cooked tortillas on top of each other.

Tacos 

1 corn tortilla

¼ cup cooked black beans

oil & vinegar slaw (recipe below)

cheese or salsa, as desired

To assemble the taco, top one corn tortilla with black beans and slaw and garnish with shredded cheese or salsa, if desired.

Oil and Vinegar Cole Slaw with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Serves 8

1 head red cabbage, thinly sliced or grated

2 carrots, grated

¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped

¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

½ teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

6 – 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, toss together cabbage, grated carrot, cilantro leaves and toasted pumpkin seeds.  Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.  Toss vegetables to distribute.  Pour apple cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil over the vegetables and toss again.  Can be served immediately, or allowed to marinate in the refrigerator for up to two days.  Enjoy!

Brown Rice with Onions and Peppers

Serves 8

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 green or red sweet bell pepper, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons cumin

2 cups long grain brown rice

4 cups water

2 cups frozen corn (optional)

Begin by toasting the rice.  Rinse the rice well and strain.  Heat a 3-quart heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat.  Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until rice is fragrant.  Pour the rice into a large bowl and reserve. 

Return the stock pot to medium heat.  Add the onions and saute for 5 – 10 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add the pepper, garlic, sea salt, and cumin and saute until all the vegetables are softened and very fragrant.

Add the rice to the vegetables, stirring to coat with oil.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about 50 minutes without lifting the lid.  Turn heat off and let sit for another 10 minutes.  Stir in corn, if using.   

Grilled Pineapple with Yogurt Sauce

Serves 6

1 pineapple

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon fresh mint (if desired)

Preheat a grill over medium high heat.

Peel pineapple and cut into about 12 slices.  Brush pineapple with olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Grill about 2 – 3 minutes per side, or until char marks appear.

In the meantime, stir together the yogurt, honey and mint (if desired).  To serve, place 2 slices of pineapple on a plate and top with 1 ½ tablespoons of honey yogurt.

***

Here is a detailed cost-analysis of the meal.

Dish	Cost per Meal	Cost per Serving
Black Beans
Makes about 5 cups of beans, 10 - 1/2 cup servings
1 pound dried black beans	$0.99	$0.10
1 onion	$0.25	$0.03
1 jalapeno pepper, split in half	$0.11	$0.01
3 garlic cloves	$0.10	$0.01
1 tablespoon sea salt	pantry	$0.00
1 tablespoon ground cumin	pantry	$0.00
Total	$1.45	$0.15
Homemade Tortillas
Makes about 16 tortillas, Serves 8
1 3/4 cups masa harina (corn flour)	$1.32	$0.08
Bag of masa cost $5.29 and made 64 servings
Cost for ONE Taco
1 corn tortilla		$0.08
¼ cup cooked black beans		$0.05
oil & vinegar slaw (recipe below)		$0.09
Total		$0.22
Oil and Vinegar Cole Slaw with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Serves 8
1 head cabbage, thinly sliced or grated	$2.35	$0.29
2 carrots, grated	$0.41	$0.05
¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped	$0.78	$0.10
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds	$3.41	$0.43
½ teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)	pantry	$0.00
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper	pantry	$0.00
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar	pantry	$0.00
6 – 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil	pantry	$0.00
Total	$6.95	$0.87
Brown Rice with Onions and Peppers
Serves 8
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil	pantry	$0.00
1 medium onion, minced	$0.25	$0.03
2 garlic cloves, minced	$0.10	$0.01
1 sweet bell pepper or 2 poblano peppers, seeded and minced	$0.90	$0.11
1 teaspoon sea salt	pantry	$0.00
2 teaspoons cumin	pantry	$0.00
2 cups long grain brown rice	$1.79	$0.22
Total	$3.04	$0.38
Grilled Pineapple with Yogurt Sauce
Serves 8
1 pineapple	$3.48	$0.44
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil	pantry	$0.00
¼ teaspoon cinnamon	pantry	$0.00
1 cup plain Greek yogurt	$1.00	$0.11
2 tablespoons honey	pantry	$0.00
1 tablespoon fresh mint (if desired)	garden	$0.00
Total	$4.48	$0.55
Total Cost of Meal for EIGHT SERVINGS	$17.24
Total Cost of Meal for ONE PERSON		$2.02