COLORFUL RICE & BEANS
Procrastination is the thief of time. ~Edward Young (1681 – 1765)
FOOD SAFETY
Marion Nestle alerts readers to the food safety bill currently before the US Senate. The S 510 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act has succumbed to delay for no good reason. If not passed this session, it will have to be reintroduced in the next session, giving the food industry yet another leg up on having their way with the food supply.
A quick email to both of your senators will deliver impetuous, reinforcing the fact that the majority of Americans support it. Find the appropriate websites by googling ‘Senators’ and your state, and dash off a note telling them to pass the legislation before adjourning the first week of August. Remember, they work for us.
Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, and co-producer of the documentary Food, Inc writes a lengthy article in the New York Times, summarizing the process:
Almost one year ago, the House of Representatives passed the Food Safety Enhancement Act with bipartisan support. A similar bill, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, was unanimously approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in November. This legislation would grant the Food & Drug Administration, which has oversight over 80 percent of the nation’s food, the authority to test widely for dangerous pathogens and improve the agency’s ability to trace outbreaks back to their source. Most important, it would finally give the agency the power to order the recall of contaminated foods — and to punish companies that knowingly sell them.
Not only is this bill is supported by the most Americans, the President, the House of Representatives, the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, and the Food Safety Working Group chaired by Health & Human Service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack,
This bill is supported by an unusual set of advocacy groups: the American Public Health Association, Consumers Union, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the United States Chamber of Commerce and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, among others. Last week, a poll for Consumers Union found that 80 percent of Americans want Congress to empower the FDA to recall tainted foods.
He ends with:
What the legislation actually seeks is some restraint on unchecked corporate power. We’ve seen what happens when Wall Street is allowed to regulate itself and when the oil industry is allowed to regulate itself. How could it possibly make sense to let the food industry continue to write its own rules?
How, indeed? Unchecked corporate power, however, may be the reason why it hasn’t yet passed. Sending an email today will tell the Senate that you’re serious about wresting power from special interests and returning the government to the people, at least where food safety is concerned.
BEANS ON A MEATLESS MONDAY
Here is a rice & bean dish, Black & Yellow Rice & Beans, that supports the premise that foods that are appealing to the eye will also be appealing to the mouth. Made with white beans and black (forbidden) rice, you can reverse the colors using black beans and white rice. Tumeric, a wonder spice that contains healing properties, and gives either the white beans or the rice a golden yellow color. It is often used as a more economical substitute for saffron, a spice which renders a deep, rich yellow coloring.
Make no mistake; be sure and use unrefined rice like basmati (either white or brown). As a color and flavor variation, use green bell pepper instead of red. I prefer red because it is sweeter; green is more savory and has that disctinctive green pepper flavor.
Beans and rice are great to eat as a food combination, forming a complete protein. A little beans and rice goes a long way to putting protein on your plate, and is great with other vegetable dishes. Plain yogurt can be added as a condiment to cool down spicy beans. This dish is savory but can be easily spiced up by adding: chili pepper, cayenne pepper, Chinese hot oil, hot sauce or Tabasco sauce. Try it and see what suits your family’s tastes.
