Living in California has its advantages for lovers of locally grown organic produce. Aside from the beautiful and warm sunny day, my visit to my local Farmer's Market this morning highlighted the fact the spring is really here! (Finally!) Asparagus and sugar snap peas are suddenly available in abundance. One of my favorite farmers at the Los Gatos Farmer's Market was selling the most enormous bok choy I've ever seen -- like bok choy on steroids. I asked about the gigantic size, and he said their soil in Watsonville is rich and fertile. Naturally, I bought some to have for dinner tonight. There are many reasons I'm thankful that spring is here -- more veggies (and bigger veggies, apparently) is one of them!

As I've told you before, I worked with the healthy-food innovators at Santa Barbara's Backyard Bowls to create some new menu items. (More coming soon, too!) The local paper there, the Santa Barbara News-Press, did a nice writeup on Backyard Bowls illustrated with one of my creations, called Spartan Muesli. I thought I'd share the picture with you. (Also: If you're ever in Santa Barbara, make sure you try Backyard Bowls. It's an incredible experience. Tell them Amira sent you!)

I was buying apples at the farmer's market Sunday (as usual), when my favorite apple farmer informed me that I wouldn't be seeing him until next fall (I try to eat seasonally and only locally grown fruits and vegetables). To my dismay, he said that the apple season is over in this area (San Francisco Bay Area). I did the only natural thing one can do; I bought more apples, of course! I ended up with a half of a case of fujis and pink ladies. Walking home for almost a mile with 22 pounds of apples in an awkward box, plus another 15 pounds of other produce in my basket hanging from my shoulder was a challenge (all part of the health plan though). I made it home and, although I was sad about the apple season ending, I was ecstatic to see so many apples in my kitchen. And what best way to celebrate the last harvest of apple season than to bake and eat lots of homemade and whole grain apple pie? I wish I could share some with you all.

On a cold winter morning or a cold winter night, for that matter, there's nothing like baking some delicious winter squash to warm you up -- and even warm up your house. I love baking in the winter, and find joy in being able to use the oven not just to bake things but also to keep the house warm instead of turning on the heater. (See my previous newsletter feature about how to bake winter squash.)

The humble coconut is a truly incredible food. People lost at sea have survived by eating them, even including their husks. I feel lucky to be able to have them all the time (I usually buy a couple of coconuts every time I grocery shop).

I just enjoyed the most amazing coconut ever. Not only it was the most delicious coconut I have ever tasted, but it also broke the record for the quantity of water I’ve ever gotten from a single coconut. It contained a whopping 24 ounces of pure, refreshing and delightfully sweet-like-honey juice. I’m still in disbelief. And its meat was simply out of this world. It was flawless, white as snow, sumptuously sweet, and thick and luscious but still perfectly tender and supple. It was a coconut to remember!

While shopping at the Santa Barbara's farmer's market today for Thanksgiving dinner, I purchased two pounds of grapes. As I paid, the farmer said, "thank you, we'll see you next May." I was shocked and horrified and asked, "what do you mean next May?" He said that grapes season is over, and that I was buying from the very last and final harvest of the season. May is such a long time away and I had to ask again, "not until next May?" Naturally, there was only one thing for me to do. I bought some more grapes, three more pounds to be exact. I got home and my husband was shocked to see the large quantity of grapes I brought home with me. I explained that those were the last local grapes of the season. As the grapeaholic that he is, he was happy and equally delighted that we had five more pounds of grapes to enjoy with the knowledge that we won't have any more until nex May. At least we'll have raisins.

On a recent visit to San Francisco, I enjoyed the best meal and dining experience I’ve had at a restaurant in a long time—it happened at Millennium. From the mouth-watering food to the impeccable service, the innovation and attention to detail at Millennium is unparalleled.

I've eaten at Millennium many times over the years, and it's always great. But unlike most visionary restaurants I've enjoyed, Millennium just keeps getting better and better.

Millennium used to be a tiny restaurant located in some vaguely unfashionable hotel in the not-so-fashionable part of the San Francisco Civic Center. It’s been a few years since it moved to a nicer and trendier neighborhood in the outskirts of Union Square.

One of the many things I love about Millennium is that everything feels real, authentic and down to earth. And yet, seeing, smelling and eating the stunningly beautiful, organic and delicious plant-based food is out of this world.

Millennium strives to provide the most enticing and culturally diverse gourmet food, by taking you all the way around the world in one meal through the use of exotic spices, herbs and farm fresh produce. Millennium’s menu is based upon the seasonality of locally grown produce, but you can find a few signature dishes that are standard on the menu with just minor seasonal adjustments. Each dish is a masterpiece, not just in presentation but also in flavor, influenced by the many ethnic cuisines from around the world. The intricate composition of each dish is clearly a labor of love that took dozens of ingredients carefully selected and assembled to produce the perfect symphony of flavors, irresistible aroma and stunning presentation to engage all your senses.

Like its food, the décor at Millennium is testament to its commitment to sustainability, creating perfect balance between eco-friendliness and elegant upscale design featuring fishnet chandeliers (made from paper sacks) and curtains (woven from recycled plastic bags). Even the votive candles on the tables don’t produce smoke. They’re tiny, high-tech LED lamps that emit a nice soothing light mimicking real candles—and they’re rechargeable.

Strict vegans can visit Millennium entirely guilt-free. Not only the food is completely free of animal products, but at Millennium everything is cruelty-free by design. Even the upholstery has been done with fake leatherette instead of real animal skin. The space is splendidly pleasing and genuinely comfortable featuring earthy color tones of reddish brown hues. With high ceilings and beautiful wooden panels around the bar and kitchen area Millennium has a traditional and old-fashioned charm to it but with an exquisite and inviting modern accent providing a balanced, enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere.

We sat at the table closest to the open kitchen and just a few steps away from where Millennium’s brilliant executive chef, Eric Tucker, spun his magic. A true devotee of organic, plant-based, sustainable and seasonal cuisine, Chef Tucker deserves the highest recognition. He is dedicated to supporting organic food production, sustainable agriculture, local farmers as well as recycling and composting. His commitment to sustainability is uncompromising; the restaurant doesn’t even serve manufactured bottled water in an effort to reduce recycling waste. For one just one dollar, you can opt to drink unlimited fresh carbon & UV filtered water. It’s deliciously refreshing and clean tasting and you can choose still or sparkling water or even both—served nicely chilled.

Chef Tucker’s dedication to creating the world’s healthiest, most sustainable and delicious meals completely free of animal ingredients and without compromising flavor is admirable. His food and restaurant practices are not only the healthy for customers but also for the planet. Millennium deserves an award for being the best and most eco-friendly restaurant in the United States, possibly the world. Chef Tucker is a true organic and sustainable food hero.

My descriptions could never do justice to the incredible dishes I tried—the food is so elaborate and multidimensional that it’s impossible to capture all the details and put them into words. Nonetheless, I’ll mention a couple of the dishes.

The “Pomegranate & Fall Greens Salad” was simply delectable and exquisite. It had shaved fennel, red onion, colorful radishes and pistachios served lightly tossed with tahini dressing. Everything in it was truly seasonal and it tasted divinely.

As usual, I ordered one of my favorite dishes, the “Black Bean Torte.” It’s beautifully presented and made with whole wheat tortilla, caramelized plantain, smoky black bean puree, pumpkin-habanero papazul, cashew sour cream and pomegranate salsa. It still makes my mouth water.

One of the main entrees I enjoyed was the “Seared Macadamia Nut & Forbidden Black Rice Cake.” It was to-die-for. It featured the mild but enticing taste of lemongrass served with cauliflower and coconut cream, sautéed shiitake mushrooms, Asian vegetables and red miso glazed tofu over a kaffir lime and Asian pear salad and red cayenne chile sambal. It was mind-blowing.

The desserts were phenomenal—they took my breath away. But again, I simply won’t even attempt to describe them. Take my word for it. Whether you’re the strictest vegan or the most avid carnivore, next time you’re in San Francisco, treat yourself to the Millennium experience. It will dispel any preconceived notions and myths that vegetarian food is bland or inferior to any other food. It will certainly be the most memorable, meaningful and eco-friendly dining experience you’ll ever have!

Here is good clip of "Here We Grow," an interesting documentary film directed by Craig King, a natural food chef and entrepreneur. It looks at the current state of our food supply in an attempt to help change the way people think about food to make more socially responsible food choices.

A friend of mine recently opened a new organic raw vegan restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, called Rockin Raw. It sounds very interesting. The food has a Peruvian, Creole and New Orleans twist to it. I can't wait to try it.

The raw dishes are prepared below 115 °F to preserve proteins, enzymes, vitamins and phytonutrients. All menu items are prepared 100% gluten free, using local and organic ingredients with a few exceptions noted on menu (exotic ingredients imported from Peru).

The menu looks great and sounds fabulous! If you visit Rockin Raw before I do, drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Missouri's soybean factory farmers are about to harvest the largest soybean crop in history. The reason for the probable record high yields is, according to this article, "good weather and more farmers using genetically-modified seeds." Higher yields mean higher profits, but not without unintended consequences. These profits come at the expense of the long-term negative impact that conventional farming along with genetically modified crops have on human health, the local ecology and ultimately the planet. According to this article, more than 90 percent of soybeans are genetically-modified and "many things are made with (GMO) soybeans including beer, bread, biofuel, cosmetics and pet food." This is precisely the problem with soybeans and why soy gets such bad reputation as being a food that causes many health problems including allergies.

These modern biotech genetically modified soybeans hardly reflect the soybeans that have been consumed for thousands of years as part of the traditional Asian diet. Genetic modification can only take place in labs by scientist whose goals are mainly to create a version of a food that will withstand pests and plant diseases without any regard or consideration for human health.

Shockingly, eighty percent of all fats and oils consumed in the U.S. are made from soybeans. Some of these manufactured oils contain trans fats. The consumption of genetically modified soybeans is widespread, and most people don't even suspect this because, number one, GMO products don't require labels, and two, soybeans and soybean products including isolated soy protein and soybean oil are commonly found as ingredients in foods and beverages just like high fructose corn syrup is. It's hard to find packaged foods that don't contain soybeans, soybean oil or isolated soybean protein. And unless it's organic, it means it's definitely conventional and genetically modified.

The solution: Stick to organic foods and stay away from packaged processed foods. Make you meals from scratch using locally grown organic ingredients.

Omnivores, not to mention vegans, may be shocked--even horrified--to realize that animal byproducts can be found in the most unlikely foods and beverage. Such is the case for wines. Care for some fish guts or cow connective tissue in your wine? The process of fining conventional or organic wine usually involves adding a tiny amount of animal byproducts, including sturgeon bladder, egg albumin, gelatin or casein to the wine. This method makes the remnants of the wine making process (bits of grape skin, seeds or stems) settle at the bottom of the barrel. Fining, according to wine makers, also makes wine have a smoother "mouth feel."

Fortunately, though in the very minority, there are a few wineries that make vegan wines (free of animal ingredients) for those who are pure vegans or simply prefer to leave the fish guts out of their wine. Vegan-friendly wineries simply skip the fining process or employ other animal-free alternatives.

The bottom line is that like all everything else, it’s important to be an educated consumer to make sure that you’re getting what you really want. Always read labels and research manufacturers before you buy anything. And remember that organic doesn’t mean vegan and that goes for not only wine but also beer and other alcohol. There are plenty of resources in the Internet. Do your homework.

Here are examples of vegan wines:

Domaine Carneros makes a sparkling organic wine. They use a fining agent called Clarifiant S, a preparation of sodium bentonite, which is a clay-based product that's free of animal byproducts. (Brut sparkling wine, $26; Brut Rose, $36; Blanc de Blancs $85) All these bubbly wines are vegan and made using organic grapes.

Aum Cellars make their reds completely vegan. They’re also organic and biodynamic. (St. Helena Cabernet, $37)

Girasole Vineyards make their wines with organically grown grapes and processed using sustainable, animal-free processes. (Girasole Vineyards Pinot Noir, $16; Girasole Vineyards Chardonnay, $13)

Frey Vineyards claims to be the first biodynamic vineyard in the U.S. (Organic Merlot, $27; Organic Petite Sirah, $13.50)

I have a local food co-op that I don't take advantage of because it's not very close to where I live. I also have two amazing health food stores nearby and farmer's market I can go to six times a week. I also used to buy things in bulk through a local buying club, but I no longer have the room to store large quantities of anything. I downsized to a small studio to live a digital nomad lifestyle. Nonetheless, I'm determined to re-visit my local coop and explore the possibilities. Here is an interesting article that made me think about food co-ops again. For many of us, it's definitely worth a try.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Monday that it will require bloggers to disclose any "gifts" or payments from companies that make the products bloggers review. This would go for technology bloggers, health and fitness bloggers and any other blogger who gets paid to say nice things about products.

As a blogger who has never accepted payment to express any opinion, I love it! Great idea! Just one problem: The FTC is using a good rule to solve an almost non-existent problem. When someone is persuaded by what is essentially an "advertorial" in blog post format, they might end up spending money on a product that isn't really worthy. In extreme cases, it's possible that a paid post might persuade a reader to try a dangerous health remedy.

But of all the troubles that plague our troubled society, paid blog posts are way down on the list. Why not use the FTC's rule where it would really do some good? For example:

Politicians

Whenever politicians advocate legislation or appointments that benefit contributors, they should be required by law to disclose "gifts" and payments during speeches and press releases, and on their official Web sites.

So, for example, when President Obama appoints Roger Beachy, formerly of Monsanto, to head the USDA’s newly created National Institute of Food and Agriculture, he should disclose the payments behind that sell-out. And likewise for all the other industrial food interests he's put in charge of America's food supply.

Companies spend vastly larger sums to influence government than they do to influence bloggers. And when politicians take money for services rendered, if affects all of us.

Children's TV product placement

The average American child watches several hours of TV per day. According to a study commissioned by the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, American children between the ages of 2 and 7 see an average of 12 food-related ads per day. According to the study, 34% of the ads are for candy and snacks, 28% for breakfast cereals, 10% for fast food, 4% for dairy products, 1% for fruit juices and none for fruits and vegetables.

And that's just the ads. A Michigan State University study found constant references to fast food in children's TV shows – some 2.6 references per hour of programming on children's shows. Many of those references are for the products of advertisers, or represent paid product placement.

During these shows, the FTC should require the actors to stop, address the audience, and explain to children in age-appropriate language that these items are being mentioned because of payments from the companies that make those products. (They should also be forced to disclose to kids that the products mention can lead to cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes, as applicable.)

Doctors

Doctors are being constantly influenced by pharmaceutical companies. In 2007, the pharmaceutical industry spend $22 billion on drug samples, dinners (that include drug sales presentations), hand-outs and other things to influence doctors to prescribe their drugs. They don't do this because they're nice. They do it because they get back more than $22 billion in benefits when doctors are, in fact, influenced.

So the FTC should require doctors who write prescriptions to detail to the patient everything they've gotten from the company that makes the drug they're prescribing. "Pfizer bought my wife and I dinner four times, gave me $6,000 worth of free samples and even the pen I'm using to write this prescription. Just thought you should know."

The FTC's rule that bloggers must disclose payment for opinion or advice is a great one. The only problem with it is that it solves a practically non-existent problem. If applied where it really counts, the FTC might actually improve things. Let's start with the politicians, TV studios and doctors who contribute to the health crisis and skyrocketing healthcare insurance costs by giving bad paid advice.

The new Santa Barbara Whole Foods sure knows how to make an entrance—and a memorable one! I was there at opening time this morning, and I can tell you: It was quite the scene. The opening was more like a red carpet movie premiere, with a long line of people down the block anxiously waiting to enter the newest Mecca for health nuts, granola heads and gourmands alike.

Traffic jams clogged streets within a half-mile radius from the store, with nearby businesses guarding their parking lots with vigilance to keep the Whole Foods riff-raff out. Miraculously, I found one spot in the Whole Foods parking lot. It was located near the main entrance marked as “reserved for low emitting vehicles.” Yes! I thought that would be me, or rather my beloved hybrid Prius. One fellow foodie asked me, “had you been waiting to park for a long time?” No, I smiled, “the spot was free because it’s reserved for low emitting vehicles, which my Prius is,” I told her, still smiling. Other people standing in line and in other cars were looking at me with envy and I walked by them gloating unapologetically.

I walked to the back of the long line to join all the die-hard foodies, who were clearly ecstatic to be at the grand opening of Whole Foods in Santa Barbara after years of waiting. I took a shiny, never-used shopping cart and made my way into the store—but still took the free EO sanitary wipe scented with essential oils, located by the entrance, available for germophobics who like me are into disinfecting everything. Don’t judge! It’s flu season—you can’t be too careful.

Upon entering the building you could immediately feel the positive energy vibrating through the crowded store. Even the local farmers, whom I usually shop from at farmer’s market, were there soaking it all in. I saw at least three of them, and they seemed to be having a good time.

The store is not very big. At just over 40,000 square feet, they’ve done well with the lay out, creatively making the most of it. They have a nice bulk foods section, though I do think they should have more of their bins filled with healthier foods (more grains, beans, nuts and seeds and fewer sweets). I bet CEO John Mackey, who recently admitted that Whole Foods sells "a bunch of junk," would agree with me.

I was also disappointed to see that the store doesn't have freshly ground almond butter. They have two nut grinders for freshly made nut butters, unfortunately, they use both for peanut butter: one for regular peanut butter and the second one for honey-roasted peanut butter. At Lazy Acres, the other big health-oriented grocery store in town, you can make your own freshly ground peanut, almond and even cashew butter. Lazy Acres even offers both conventional and organic almond butters in the grind-it-yourself bin section."

The produce section is surprisingly small, though it might be because Santa Barbara is blessed with an abundance of locally grown produce. We have local farmer’s markets within driving distance almost seven days per week, year round. The prepared cold food section features fresh salads and cooked proteins, including tofu, chicken, fish and beef free of hormones and antibiotics. All of their freshly made salads feature produce from local growers. They had a sign indicating that all their salads are made with locally grown produce from John Givens Farm, which is just about six miles from the store. It doesn’t get much more local than that. Givens farm is one of my favorite organic farms, and they grow just about every kind of vegetable (too many to list) and the sweetest and juiciest strawberries you'll ever taste. You can always find them at the farmer’s market, and they offer some of the lowest prices.

Not surprisingly, Whole Foods in their eagerness to provide customers with a delightful experience, does it again. There were team members (employees) everywhere attentively helping customers. My shopping cart, along with the food in it, disappeared somehow. I picked up a few other items and was carrying them in my arms. A team member ran to get a hand basket and brought it for me to use. And boy, did I need it. Their thoughtfulness is unparalleled.

They were serving samples galore, and quite generous size portions—I ate a couple of meals worth before leaving the store. The food was out of this world. I’ve been to a lot of Whole Foods, but they were serving a few things I’ve never seen anywhere else. The vegan black garlic pizza with apples and red cabbage tasted divine. I also enjoyed a delicious vegan beet salad and a fresh corn and arugula salad, also fabulous. My favorite items from their “make-to-order” sandwich section are the vegan grilled Portobello mushroom with red onions and the vegan grilled tempeh sandwich with baba ghanoush—my mouth is watering just writing about them. I ordered a tempeh sandwich to bring home to my husband to try, and a curious thing happened. They were having technical difficulties with their price label printer. Rather than writing the price by hand or making me wait, they wrote something on it, which the cashier told me meant it was free. That’s what makes Whole Foods stand apart. They really provide a memorable experience to their customers whom they actually consider their “guests.” It's a smart policy because they’re creating customer loyalty.

I also had the pleasure of meeting the store manager, who seemed to be everywhere making sure things were running smoothly. The marketing manager was doing the same. All hands were on deck, and they all seem enthusiastic and happy to be there. From my vantage point, everything seemed to be going well. And I think there is enough room in Santa Barbara for both Whole Foods and Lazy Acres to serve all the enthusiastic foodies and health nuts here. My request to Whole Foods: add chia seeds to the bulk food section, have a nut grinder for freshly ground almond butter and carry the Wildwood Sproutofu, I’ll be a doubly happy camper. Welcome to Santa Barbara, Whole Foods! Glad to have you.

I'm extremely excited because the new Whole Foods Santa Barbara store opens today at 9:00 AM! I have been waiting for this to happen for many years now. Whole Foods had to jump through hoops to make this happen, and had to offer many concessions to the city. But at last, Whole Foods is here and hopefully they'll give Lazy Acres, the largest health food store in town, a run for the money. Although many have the false impression that Lazy Acres is a locally owned store, it's actually owned by a Minnesota-based mega corporation called SuperValu, Inc. According to Wikipedia, SuperValu, Inc. is the third largest food retailer in the United States, and #51 on the Fortune 100. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to do some shopping!

I buy fresh, young coconuts all the time, the ones with white, thick soft husks that come wrapped in clear plastic and are sold at many health food stores. Their outermost layer or skin has been removed and been shaped to have flat bottoms and pointy tops ready to cut open and drink.

Fresh coconuts are delicious and good for you. They're an excellent source of potassium and other minerals, which makes coconut water or juice a superior electrolyte source to other sports drinks. I love to drink the coconut water and also eat the coconut meat.

I had a holistic health counseling client asked me once if pink looking coconut meat and water were okay to eat, but I had never experienced it myself. Yesterday, however, when my husband cut one open, both the coconut meat and the water looked pink, almost purplish. I smelled them both and they smelled normal. I tasted them both and they tasted not as sweet or buttery as usual, but okay (not spoiled). They were clearly safe to ingest, so I drank the water. The meat was not much like meat, so there was not much to eat. It just looked like a translucent, slimy gel like substance.

In doing a bit more research, I confirmed that very young coconuts can look pink, but are okay to eat despite the pinkness. On the other hand, coconuts should not be eaten if they smell bad and look spoiled. When gone bad, they can look gray in color and can really smell bad. But when they’re good, not too young or too mature, they are refreshing and super tasty. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to enjoy the (not pink) coconut in this picture.

Although I avoid eating dairy products, I've always liked the dairy co-op, Organic Valley, because of their great organic production practices, compare to, say, cheaters like Horizon, who were pretending to be organic and got caught in the act. Organic Valley just launched the first of its kind online calculator called Organic Counts!. It will enable each of us to measure the personal impact of our food choices. What a concept! This online calculator will reveal detailed data to consumers about "the toxic burden prevented by their choices of organic vs. non-organic and "natural" foods." All you have to do is go to their web site and select the Organic Valley products you buy to see the amount of toxic waste you're saving us all, and the planet, from. "The Organic Valley calculator invites visitors to put their favorite Organic Valley dairy products into a simulated shopping basket to weigh the positive impact of their organic food choices. As each food product is placed in the basket, the calculator automatically adds up and displays the amounts of pesticides and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers avoided by that product, as opposed to a comparable conventional product. The numbers are derived from a calculation of USDA conventional agriculture data compared with twenty years of parallel data from Organic Valley member-farms." That's cool!

I've always slammed the USDA. But with their new initiative, Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food," they're giving me hope. The USDA's new program is designed to "create and strengthen the link betwenn local production and local consumption." They're actually advocating local farmers and local food! But wait, there's more! The Agriculture Deputy Secretary, Kathleen Merrigan, will host a Facebook chat to discuss local food systems on Thursday, October 1st from 3:45 PM to 4:15 PM ET. I'm so filled with glee I'm beside myself! Don't miss the opportunity to take part of history in the making and, at the same time, support your local farmers. Have you any idea how hard local farmers work to give us farm fresh food? We need their food, and they need our support!

The new farmer's market near the White House is set to launch this Thursday, September 17th. So far it's been reported that 18 local farmers will participate. They'll sell their locally grown fruits and vegetables, as well as locally produced, baked goods and pasture-raised meats, diary and eggs. But don't get your hopes up about buying produce from the White House organic garden. Most of Farmer Michelle's crop will be donated to local food banks. I look forward to checking it out when I go to the D.C. area next month before it closes on October 29th.

Although I’m not particularly fond of riding bikes, Tour d’Organics makes me want to hop on one. This is an annual organic and zero-footprint bike-riding event taking place in Sebastopol, Calif., this Sunday, August 16. You can ride the 16, 35, 65 or even 100 mile course that winds its way through the breathtakingly beautiful Sonoma County countryside. The rest stops are the most refreshing ever, featuring local organic farms where local farmers share the fruits of their labor -- literally. Imagine biking hard, feeling out of breath, hot and sweaty and being handed a fresh, just picked, tree-ripened nectarine! Another motivation is the meal that awaits: a fully organic and vegan meal made from scratch using locally grown fresh and wholesome ingredients. I think I just may have to re-think my aversion to bike riding...