GMO in Oregon: A Year of Progress

Last year we posted about what exactly GMO's are and what they can do to our bodies. In a years time two counties have passes measures that prevent GMO plants being planted in their boundaries. Those counties are Jackson (15-119 Ordinance to Ban Growing of Some "Genetically-Engineered" (defined) Plants) and Josephine (17-58 Josephine County Genetically Engineered Plant Ordinance). For now these are the only counties that are able to act against GMO's in Oregon because Gov. K... banned the counties from acting on their own and moved it to a state level, to be dealt with by Oregon's government, however 150,000 signatures have been gathered, which means come November the people will vote on GMO's and determine the fate of the state. The measure Oregonians will be voting on will be require food to be labeled regarding weather or not the contain GMO's.

In the mean time the best way to prevent eating GMO's is to eat certified organic foods, they by definition can not contain any GMO's. Most certified organic farmers are even now having additional testing for GMO's so they can say with certianity they do not contain any GMO's.

Here is some additional information on Oregon's Measure 92

The Non-GMO Project has also taken off like wildfire, in just walking around my local grocery store I am seeing more and more Non-GMO Project labels. This non-profit organization is the only third party verification and labeling for Non-GMO's in North America. They currently have over 20,000 verified products from 2,200 brands,

It's our right to know what is in the food we eat, what has been done to it, and where it comes from, and it's good to hold everyone in the food industry accountable. There is still a lot we don't know about GMO's, so just because we don't know they aren't bad for us doesn't rule out that they are bad.

If you live in the state of Oregon, remember to vote this November because our votes are going to have a huge impact on food labeling and GMOs.

Chill Out Summer Recipes

Healthy Strawberry Banana Popsicle
Need a healthy way to cool down? Why not try out these three ingredient strawberry banana Popsicle. delicious. An inspired recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Ingredients:

• 1 large ripe banana, peeled, cut into chunks, & frozen
• 12 large strawberries, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice (or orange juice)Directions:

Blend all of the ingredients together on high speed until smooth - about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the blender as needed as you go.

Pour the mixture into Popsicle molds. If your Popsicle mold has slots for sticks, you can insert them before freezing - if not, freeze for 2 hours, then put a wooden Popsicle stick in the middle (that is what I did). Continue to freeze for an additional 6 hours or overnight - overnight is recommended for easy removal.

Run Popsicle molds under hot water to remove easily.                       *Taste the mixture before freezing. If you prefer the Popsicle to be sweeter, you may add a bit of honey. If your strawberries and banana are ripe, you shouldn't need additional sweetener.

Grilled Blackberry, Strawberry, Basil and Brie Pizza Crisps.

COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 25 MINUTES

YIELD: 12-16 PIZZA CRISPS

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 (about 1/2 a pound) recipe of your favorite pizza dough
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 16 basil leaves, chopped + divided
• 8-12 ounces brie, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups strawberries, chopped
• 3/4 cup blackberries
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Balsamic Honey Glaze

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the dough 1-2 hours ahead of time.
2. Well the dough rises make the honey balsamic glaze. Add the balsamic vinegar and honey to small sauce pan and simmer until reduce by half. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.
3. When ready to grill the pizzas preheat the grill the high heat.
4. Add the blackberries to a bowl and add about half of the basil. Lightly mash the blackberries with a fork.
5. Invert a baking sheet and generously dust with flour.
6. Divide the pizza dough in half and roll each half as thin as you can, but make sure not to rip the dough. Cut the dough into 12 to 16 squares or circles (I did both). Add the olive oil to a small bowl and brush both sides of the pizza rounds with the olive oil and place on the baking sheet.
7. Carefully add half of the pizza rounds to the hot grill and grill for no more the 2 minutes. The dough will bubble up, this is good! Remove the pizzas using tongs and repeat with the remaining pizza rounds. When all the pizzas are grilled, turn the heat on the grill down to medium.
8. Top the grilled side of each of the pizzas with slices of brie, but make sure to leave a 1/2 inch boarder around the edges so the brie does not melt all over the grill. Then top with lightly mashed blackberries and the chopped strawberries. Carefully return the pizzas to the grill and grill another 3 to 5 minutes, our until the brie has melted and the pizzas are crisp. Top with the remaining fresh basil and drizzle on the honey balsamic glaze.
9. To make the American flag pizza place the the blackberries in the left hand corner of a square pizza crisp and then push the strawberries into the brie in rows. Grill as directed above.