vegetable lineup

i worry about the quality of the food we eat. i buy organic food as often as possible. i wont buy milk or mozzerella cheese or root vegetables that arent organic and natural (no preservatives, gums, etc). i do this not because i think this food is perfect and so worth the money. i buy it because it is something i want to support. things done the right way. things done with less chemical interference.  

i am suspicious of chemicals. they have their place of course. but less on my table and in my children. i know we are bombarded with pharmaceuticals in our drinking water and every imaginable pollutant in our air and oceans. but less is more. less is what i want. 

i am serious about putting more green on the table at dinner. at least 7 vegetative items at dinner seems like a good place to start. the meal above had okra, green beans, roasted yukon gold mini potatoes, mache lettuce, carrots, leeks, frisee, radiccio, and some fruit types (with seeds) tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers. the vegetation is the star of the meal. what protein source we serve with it becomes less important. as it turns out we ate all natual air chilled chicken tenders with it. i feel a little guilty about this, but they taste awfully good, like fried chicken without the oil all over my kitchen. anyway i also hope that the farms that grow these organic foods care a little bit too about doing things the way they should be done. with a little more care. i am probably dreaming. but maybe not. anyway. i am trying to influence my family to eat more green in general. 

as luck would have it there was a fun article in the nytimes science section about food influence yesterday. it generally says each household has a food gatekeeper, an influencer. the individual that is doing the cooking matters as does what their food habits are. according to the article, i am definitely the gatekeeper around here. luckily i am vegetable crazed. and when i take the survey to find out what my cooking personality is, i come up as a healthy cook with a generous dose of innovation. phew. right where i want to be. who is the gatekeeper at your house? and what is your cooking personality? take the nytimes survey here.