The Green Life

Good Eats

Looking for ways to save money--and energy? Try making your next meal in a pressure cooker. In this recipe, fire-roasted crushed tomatoes add extra zing.

Shiitake Lentil Soup
2 1/2 cups dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 large sweet onions, shredded or diced
5 carrots (4 shredded, 1 sliced)
3 celery stalks, sliced
28 oz. can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
2 heaping tablespoons garlic powder
1/4 cup uncooked wild rice
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice, basmati or long grain
3/4 cup dried lentils
3/4 cup red wine
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth

The day before you make the soup, cover the mushrooms in two and a half cups of water and soak them overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, slice the mushrooms and trim off the stems (reserving any remaining liquid). Saute the onions, carrots, and celery in a few tablespoons of canola oil in the pressure cooker with the lid off. Once the onions have turned clear and the vegetables are getting soft, add the rest of the ingredients, including the mushrooms and remaining soaking water. Seal the lid and turn the heat on high. When the pot starts whistling loudly, lower the heat until it produces a low, steady hissing. Cook for an hour, then turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Let the soup sit for at least 15 minutes, or until the pressure button drops. Stir and serve. For a thinner soup, add a little water. Makes about three quarts. --Wendy Lyons Sunshine

Still cookin? Try the author's recipe for Coq-a-Barley Soup.

Good Eats

In the January/February issue of Sierra magazine, freelancer Wendy Lyons Sunshine exults in the joy of pressure cooking--a time- and energy-efficient way to whip up a meal. This bonus recipe is for a surprisingly thick and hearty soup that has an almost beefy flavor, although it contains no red meat. And the chicken gets so tender you needn't cut it up before cooking. For a lighter, vegetarian version, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth.

Coq-a-Barley Soup
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
4 stalks celery, sliced
2 leeks, sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
7 medium carrots, sliced
1 1/4 cups pitted prunes, quartered
3/4 cup uncooked pearl barley
3/4 cup dried lentils
10 cups chicken broth
1/2 bay leaf

Sauté the chicken, using some canola oil, in the pressure cooker with the top off. Once the chicken is lightly browned, add the rest of the ingredients. Seal the lid and turn the heat on high. After the pot starts whistling loudly, lower the heat to get a low, steady hissing. Cook for 55 minutes, then turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Let the soup sit in the sealed pot for at least 15 minutes, or until the pressure button drops. Stir and serve. If you prefer a thinner soup, add a little water. Makes approximately three quarts. --Wendy Lyons Sunshine

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Good Eats

Sleeping under the stars doesn't have to mean eating meals from a plastic packet. Robin Donovan's new cookbook, Campfire Cuisine (Quirk Books), provides all the advice on menu planning, packing, and food storage--and, of course, recipes--you'll need to get gourmet results in the great outdoors. This recipe is meant to be grilled over a fire pit; others will work just fine on a portable stove. For more excerpts, camping tips, and other information, visit gourmetsgonewild.com.

Fish Cooked With Curried Couscous
2/3 cup uncooked couscous
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins
2 teaspoons curry power
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
11/2 cups chicken broth (water may be substituted)
olive oil or nonstick cooking spray
4 6-ounce fillets of firm fish
1/2 stick butter, cut into pieces

Mix the couscous, green onions, almonds, raisins, curry powder, cayenne, and salt in a small bowl or pot until well combined. Stir in half the chicken broth. Prepare four squares of aluminum foil by spraying them with cooking oil. Place a quarter of the couscous mixture on each sheet of foil, top with one fish fillet and a piece of butter, and sprinkle with salt. Fold up the sides of the foil and pour a quarter of the remaining chicken broth into each pouch. Double-fold the top and sides of each packet, leaving room for heat and steam to circulate. Grill the packets for about 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and the couscous is tender. Serves four.

Good Eats

"Great taste and responsible seafood choices definitely do go together," writes James O. Fraioli in his cookbook Ocean Friendly Cuisine. The mouth-watering recipes he's collected from top chefs all use fish or shellfish caught or farmed in a sustainable manner. This one comes from Karen Barnaby, chef at the Fish House in Vancouver, British Columbia. It features wild Alaskan coho salmon, which is low in mercury. For tips on selecting sustainable seafood, visit seafoodwatch.org and oceansalive.org.

Coho Salmon With Pistachio, Basil, and Mint Butter
6 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
1/4 cup shelled pistachios
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Pulse pistachios, basil, mint, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the butter and lemon juice and season to taste. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until cold. (The butter can be prepared up to four days in advance.) Preheat the oven to 440*F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and arrange the salmon fillets in a single layer. Pour the wine over the fish and season to taste. Bake the salmon until almost opaque on top, about ten minutes. Place two tablespoons of the butter mix on top of each fillet. Continue baking until the salmon is just opaque in the center, about five minutes. Transfer to plates and pour the baking juices from the pan on top. Serves six.

Welcome!

"The Green Life" was launched in the November/December 2005 issue of Sierra magazine as a place to showcase trendsetting people, cool products, and empowering ideas. Quickly we saw that there was too much happening, too fast, to limit our coverage to a few bimonthly pages, and thus this blog was born.

When we devoted our January/February 2005 issue to the burgeoning green-lifestyle movement, we saw there was a huge interest in earth-friendly options for living well. What we wear, where we live, how we get around, and how we spend our money affects not only our own quality of life, but the quality of our environment. Fortunately, style and sustainability increasingly go hand in hand, reaffirming our belief that the best things in life truly are green.

What's your favorite green product? What ideas have made your life a little easier and the Earth a little happier? Share your rants, raves, tips, and questions with other readers and us.

--Jennifer Hattam, editor