RECIPE > Watermelon Blueberry Gazpacho Recipe

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, eating watermelon is synonymous with sunny and warm summer days!  So this is exactly the type of gazpacho we’ve come to love.  Introducing our refreshing, crisp and summery Waterlemon Blueberry Gazpacho recipe!  And for those in the Southern Hemisphere, summer is just around the corner, so clip this recipe and enjoy it in a couple of months when organic watermelon and blueberries are in season!
 

Watermelon Blueberry Gazpacho Recipe

 
Please share with your friends and family!
 

Servings: enough for a starter gazpacho for 10 people
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes

Here are the ingredients for the Watermelon Blueberry Gazpacho Recipe:

5 cups seedless watermelon, cut into 1/4 inch dice (preferably organic)

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice (preferably organic)

1 medium cucumber peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice (preferably organic)

1/3 – 1 cup red wine or fruit infused vinegar

1/2 – 1 cup cilantro, basil and/or mint leaves, chopped (preferably organic)

1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced (preferably organic)

1/2 medium red onion, chopped (preferably organic)

1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped (preferably organic)

1/2 medium orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped (preferably organic)

1/3 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (preferably organic)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ripe Hass avocado, peeled and cut into slivers (preferably organic)

Here are the preparation directions for the Watermelon Blueberry Gazpacho:

Step 1: Pureé 4 cups of the watermelon, the blueberries, half of the cucumber, and the vinegar in a blender or food processor.

Step 2: Add all but 1 tablespoon of cilantro with the onion, yellow pepper, orange pepper, red pepper and jalapeño. Then process until finely chopped.

Step 3: Pour into a bowl and stir in the remaining watermelon and  cucumber. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Step 4: Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours.

Step 5: Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with avocado and remaining cilantro. Serve chilled.

Of course, Just Add Good Stuff promotes healthy, organic and raw foods as much as possible … so the closer it is to its natural state, the better and more nutritious the ingredients will be for your mind and body.
 
Here are some photos of the end result!
 

UPDATE > The Organic Industry Chart > Who Owns Organic Brands?

 
Just Add Good Stuff recently published an article about how organic brands are being acquired by large conglomerate companies.  The original chart was published in 2002 and updated in June 2009 by Phil Howard, a respected professor of Agriculture at Michigan State University.  Since then, the Organic Food Industry Chart 2013 has been published.  And here are the scary findings.

As noted previously, many of today’s ‘organic brands’ are not independent.  On the contrary, our organic industry has been completely transformed through the acquisition of organic companies by larger conglomerates.  This is happening at a frightening pace and it’s surely not going to stop any time soon.  Here are the latest acquisitions of organic brands by conglomerates worldwide as outlined in the May 2013 Organic Food Industry Chart by Phil Howard.
 

PEPSI purchased Naked Juice in November 2006.

COCA-COLA purchased Odwalla in 2001 for $181 million and Honest Tea for $43 million (40% equity) in February 2008 and then full 100% equity in March 2011.

NESTLE purchased Sweet Leaf Tea in May 2011 and Tribe Mediterranean Foods for $57 million in September 2008 through the Israeli subsidiary Osern Group in which Nestle has 50.1% equity stake.

DEAN FOODS purchased Horizon Foods in July 1998 with 13% equity stake and 100% equity for $216 million in January 2004.  In April 1999, Horizon bought out The Organic Cow of Vermont (now under Dean Foods).  Also, Dean purchased Alta Dena in May 1999 and White Wave/Silk in May 2002 for $189 million in May 2013.

MONDELEZ (formerly a division of KRAFT) bought out Green & Black’s in January 2010 and Boca Foods in February 2000.  They also own 100% equity in Back to Nature in September 2003 but in August 2012 they sold a majority stake to Brynwood Partners.

PERDUE FARMS bought Coleman Natural (May 2011) which owns Petaluma/Rosie (January 2002), Hans (August 2003), Draper Valley Farms (August 2007).

DIAMOND FOODS bought Kettle in February 2010 for $615 million.

MILLER-COORS bought out Crispin in February 2012 which owns Fox Barrel (January 2010).

HILLSHIRE BRANDS (formerly Sara Lee) bought Aidell’s Sausage for $87 million in May 2011.

JAB/D.E. MASTER BLENDERS (formerly Sara Lee) bought Peet’s Coffee & Tea for $1 billion in August 2012 and Tea Forte in January 2012.

HERSHEY FOODS owns Dagoba as of October 2006.

SNYDER’S-LANCE owns Late July in a minority stake purchase in December 2007.

CAMPBELL SOUP CO. owns Wolfgang Puck (July 2008) and bought Bolthouse Farms for $1.55 billion in July 2012.

M&M MARS bought Seeds of Change in 1997.

CONAGRA bought Lightlife in July 2000 and RALCORP (private label organic foods) for $6.8 billion in November 2012.  Ralcorp also bought Lovin Oven and Bloomfield Bakers for $140 million in March 2007.

GENERAL MILLS bought LaraBar in June 2008, Food Should Taste Good in February 2012, Cascadian Farm in December 1999 which owned Muir Glen back in March 1998.

TREEHOUSE FOODS bought Naturally Fresh for $25 million in March 2012 and Sturm Foods for $660 million in December 2009.

POST FOODS (spinoff from Ralcorp in 2012) owns New Morning and Erewhon as of January 2013 and bought Hearthside Foods (cereal division) in May 2013 for $158 million.  Hearthside bought Willamette Valley Granola in May 2010 and Peace Cereal and Golden Temple in September 2011.

FOSTER FARMS bought Humboldt Creamery in August 2009 for $19.5 million.

JOHN B. SANFILIPPE & SEN bought Orchard Valley Harvest in May 2010 for $29.5 million.

DANONE (Dannon) bought 92% equity stake in Happy Family in May 2013 plus Stoneyfield in October 2001 (40% equity) and January 2004 (85% majority equity).  Stonyfield also owns Brown Cow (February 2003).  In November 2009, Stonyfield brand licensed to CROPP (Organic Valley) for fluid milk.

J&J SNACK FOODS bought Kim & Scott’s for $7.9 million in June 2012.

J.M. SMUCKER bought Millstone in November 2008, Santa Cruz Organic in 1989 and R.W. Knudsen in 1984.

KELLOGG bought Bear Naked and Wholesome & Hearty for $122 million back in November 2007.  They also bought Kashi in June 2000 and Morningstar Farms/Natural Touch in November 1999 for $307 million.

AB INBEV bought Goose Island for $38.8 million in March 2011.

MAPLE LEAF FOODS owns CANADA BREAD CO. (90% equity stake) which owns Olafson’s Baking Co (July 2002).

CARGILL formed an alliance with French Meadow to develop nutritionally enhanced ingredients in May 2002.  French Meadow is controlled by RICH PRODUCTS CORP (July 2006).  In addition, Cargill formed a joint marketing agreement with Meyer Natural Foods in June 2010.  Meyer owns Dakota Beef (December 2010).

HAIN CELESTIAL and CARGILL formed an alliance to develop nutritionally enhanced ingredients in August 2003.  Hain Celestial owns the following organic brands: Imagine/Rice Dream/Soy Dream (December 2002), Celestial Seasonings (March 2000 for $390 million), Westbrae/Westsoy/Little Bear/Bearitos (October 1997 for $23.5 million), TofuTown (June 2007), SunSpire/MaraNatha (March 2008), Walnut Acres (June 2003) which also owns Mountain Sun/ShariAnn’s/Millina’s Finest/Frutti di Bosco, BluePrint (November 2012), Ella’s Kitchen (May 2013), Earth’s Best (September 1999), Nile Spice (December 1998), Spectrum Organics (August 2005 for $33 million), DeBoles/Garden of Eatin’/Arrowhead Mills (April 1998 for $80 million) and Breadshop/Health Valley/Casbah (April 1999 for $80 million).

 
As you can see from this chart, many of today’s organic brands are now owned and operated by some of the world’s largest food processors and conglomerate chain companies.  This gives the consumer fewer independent organic brands to choose from.  You can also see the change between June 2009 to May 2013, with several notable and very large acquisitions of organic brands in the food industry.

This information is provided by Phil Howard, Associate Professor at Michigan State University.

The Big 8 NO-NO Ingredients NOT Found in True Organic Foods

 
We believe that there is already a fundamental shift in how we’re selecting food and reading labels. With so many GMO products on today’s supermarket shelves that contain little or no nutritional value, many of us are turning our attention to locally grown organic raw foods. This article explores the Big 8 NO-NO ingredients that are usually found in processed and packaged foods. These Big 8 NO-NO ingredients are NOT found in truly organic foods… so memorize them before shopping!

By law in both Canada and the United States, organic foods are NOT allowed to contain any of these Big 8 NO-NO ingredients. This is supported by the US Department of Agriculture. Here is the Big 8 that you should be aware of (in no particular order):

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup (or any derivative of high fructose corn syrup)
2. Preservatives (unless organic)
3. Aspartame
4. GMO Ingredients (genetically modified)
5. Artificial Growth Hormones
6. Artificial Coloring and Dyes (including Red 40 and Yellow 5)
7. Pesticides (that exceed a certain specified amount as per food type)
8. Finely Textured Lean Beef Trimmings (this is often referred to as ‘Pink Slime’)

 
These Big 8 NO-NO Ingredients are prevalent in today’s food industry and supply chain, making it extremely difficult for any of us to discern unhealthy foods from nutritious foods. For instance, most packaged foods and products contain some levels of preservatives, aspartame, genetically modified ingredients and artificial coloring. Then you add high fructose corn syrup that is in more than half of todays’ supermarket products. Meats, dairy and seafood are often contaminated with artificial growth hormones and fresh produce usually contains extreme levels of pesticides and heavy metals. One study noted that there are more than 400 chemical pesticides used routinely in conventional farming. Plus, produce and meats are also subjected to numerous growth hormones and antibiotics.
 
In addition, many of today’s packaged foods are processed, heated and filtered, which completely strips away all nutritional value. Western societies also increasingly import processed/packaged foods from developing nations that have fewer food regulations. In many cases, food processors in these developing nations hide the true ingredients or are mislabeled before heading to our supermarket shelves.
 
So what can we do to protect ourselves as consumers? The Big 8 NO-NO Ingredients are a warning. If you see any of these ingredients on labels or if you suspect that the food that you are buying contains contaminants, please do not purchase it! The best way to combat the Big 8 NO-NO ingredients is to purchase locally grown, raw, certified organic foods. This will ensure that you are getting unmodified, clean and safe food. By law, organic foods CANNOT contain any of the Big 8 NO-NOs … so double check!
 

What are your thoughts?

HOT RECIPE > Mike’s Raw Blondie Balls

Soft, chewy and simply yummy, BLONDIES have taken the dessert and snack world by storm. A fantastic combination of nuts, dates, berries and seeds make these some of our favorite all-time desserts or mid-afternoon snacks and we want to share the recipe with you!

Introducing Mike’s Raw Blondie Balls. You can learn a lot from a recipe name. Firstly, yes, it’s Mike’s own blondie ball recipe. Secondly, the ingredients in Mike’s Raw Blondie Balls are completely raw and unaltered. In addition, they are also GMO-free and truly organic. We also try to source all ingredients from local markets and farmers. Thirdly, this is our take on the traditional ‘Blondie’, which is usually a ‘Blondie Square’ or a ‘Blondie Bar’. We’ve changed it and made the into 2-bite balls instead!

Mike’s Raw Blondie Balls Recipe, just for you

Please share with your friends and family!

Servings: 10 dessert balls
Preparation Time: 10 – 15 minutes

The Healthy & Organic Ingredients for Mike’s Raw Blondie Balls:

1 cup of cashews (organic, unsalted and dry)
1 cup of pistachios (organic, unsalted and dry) > you can substitute with pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts
¾ cup of Medjool dates (organic and pitted, cut into smaller pieces)
1 tbsp of chia seeds (organic)
2 tbsp of sunflower seeds (organic)
1/8 cup of agave syrup (raw and organic)
1 tsp of lemon juice (freshly squeezed from organic lemon)
1 tsp of vanilla extract (organic if possible)
1/8 tsp of salt
0.5 oz of dried blueberries (organic and wild blueberries if possible)
0.5 oz of dried cherries (organic)
0.5 oz of dried cranberries (organic)
0.5 oz of raisins (organic)

Preparing Mike’s Raw Blondie Balls is easy and fun:

Step 1: Plug in your food processor
Step 2: Place all ingredients (except dry berries and raisins) into food processor
Step 3: Process until it becomes a bit sticky and wet
Step 4: Gradually add in the dried blueberries, cherries, cranberries and raisins and continue processing until the mixture becomes firmer*
Step 5: Form into balls and lay on a baking tray or plate
Step 6: Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or the freezer for at least 30 minutes)
Step 7: Enjoy and Share with friends

* The process usually takes 45-60 seconds.

 

 
 
In order to make Mike’s Raw Blondie Balls recipe lower in nut fat content, you can replace the cashews and nuts with old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free if possible). In addition, you can replace any of the dried berries with any type of unsulfured, dried organic fruit (such as mango, pineapples, coconut and freeze dried strawberries).
 
You will note that Mike’s Raw Blondie Balls get their sweetness from agave syrup (optional) and Medjool dates. These are much healthier than refined sugar. If you find that the dessert balls are too sweet, you can take out the agave syrup (as opposed to the dates which act as the binding agent for the balls).
 

RECIPE > Mango Coconut Dessert Balls (completely raw)

Looking to impress your friends and family with a healthy raw dessert? Are you vegan and want to learn more about nutritious dessert possibilities? Here is our first raw dessert ball recipe that is completely organic, raw, unprocessed and delicious! Welcome to clean eating at its best!

When it comes to dessert, it’s tough to find recipes that don’t contain a high level of refined sugars, processed ingredients, gluten and other foods detrimental to our health and well-being. However, our Just Add Good Stuff raw mango coconut dessert ball recipe is a dish that is completely vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free. This nutritious and addictive treat is great for dinner parties and also serves as a healthy snack for kids. The raw mango coconut dessert ball recipe is easy to follow and quick to prepare. Plus, there’s no cooking involved, so all of the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other good stuff stay 100% intact! Below is the recipe and preparation details for our Mango Coconut Dessert Balls.

Raw Mango Coconut Dessert Ball Recipe

 
Please share with your friends and family!

Servings: 10-12 dessert balls
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Freezing Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour

Here are the ingredients for the Raw Mango Coconut Dessert Ball Recipe:

• 1½ cup of shredded coconut (organic, dried and unsulfured)
• 1 cup mango (organic, dried and unsulfured… approximately 100 grams)
• 1/8 cup agave syrup or maple syrup (works as binding agent, can be substituted using flax/water)
• 2-3 tbsp coconut oil (raw and virgin)
• 1-2 tsp lemon zest (organic)
• 3 tbsp mango nectar (pure, organic and no added sugar)
• ¼ cup of shredded coconut (for rolling, optional)

Here are the preparation directions for our Gluten Free, Vegan Dessert Ball Recipe:

Step 1: Plug in your food processor
Step 2: Place all ingredients (except for shredded coconut used for rolling) into food processor
Step 3: Process until it becomes a sticky wet dough
Step 4: Form into balls and roll in remaining shredded coconut (or lay the entire mixture into a baking pan and sprinkle the remaining shredded coconut on top)
Step 5: Place into fridge for at least 2 hours (or the freezer for 30 minutes)
Step 6: Enjoy and Share with friends

* Leave the mango coconut dessert balls in the fridge if not eaten straight away. You can leave the dessert balls refrigerated for at least 5 days. Or you can put them in the freezer to keep them longer. Thaw at room temperature before serving if this is the case.
 

 

 

So Who Do You Think Owns Organic Brands? You would be truly surprised and frightened by who actually OWNS ORGANIC!

We want to let you in on a little secret: buying and eating organic products doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s healthier or more nutritious. Most of the time, it does. But sometimes, organic brands and organic products are now what they seem to make out to be. Read all about it below:

At Just Add Good Stuff, we always promote self-education and awareness about what actually goes in and on your body. So we would like you to ask yourself … who owns organic? Who actually owns organic brands and who’s behind the clever marketing that is transforming our eating and buying patterns? The truth will scare you… it sure frightened us when we dug a bit deeper into the organics industry and how it is affected by the big conglomerates.

The frightening research that was published by Phil Howard, a respected professor of Agriculture at Michigan State, shows how the organic industry has changed over the past few years. So who owns organic? Did you know that organics and organic brands are now being gobbled up and taken over by the big conglomerates without the consumer even knowing? Well, Phil Howard embarked on researching which organic brands have been bought out and are now controlled by some of the 25 large conventional worldwide food processors.

He produced this Organic Food Industry Chart back in 2002 when the organic industry was at its infancy. This was also the first year in which the USDA first implemented the organic food labeling system/standard. In addition, Phil Howard also published an animated graphic on how the organic sector consolidation has taken place between 1997 and 2007.

Here’s some of his research in the ‘who owns organic’ question in the United States (and globally):

HEINZ is in strategic partnership with HAIN CELESTIAL. Hain Celestial is the maker of many ‘organic brands’ that include Celestial Seasonings, Soy Dream, Rice Dream, Arrowhead Mils, Garden of Eatin’, Spectrum Organics, Earth’s Best and Westsoy. In addition, Hain Celestial controls ShariAnn’s, Little Bear, Westbrae, Mountain Sun, Walnut Acres, Nile Spice, Casbah and Breadshop, which in turn are controlled by Heinz.

CARGILL also controls parts of HAIN CELESTIAL and FRENCH MEADOW

KELLOGG owns and controls BEAR NAKED, WHOLESOME & HEARTY (garden burgers), KASHI CEREAL and MORNINGSTAR FARMS (and Natural Touch, makers of many organic veggie burgers and vegetarian/vegan products).

GENERAL MILLS owns both CASCADIAN FARMS (organic produce) and MUIR GLEN (organic canned products).

CONAGRA owns both LIGHTLIFE and ALEXIA FOODS.

M&M MARS owns SEEDS OF CHANGE.

CADBURY owns GREEN & BLACK’S.

HERSHEY FOODS owns DAGOBA (organic chocolate).

KRAFT owns BOCA FOODS and BACK TO NATURE.

DEAN FOODS owns WHITE WAVE/SILK (organic soy products), ALTA DENA, HORIZON (maker of top selling organic milk products) and THE ORGANIC COW OF VERMONT.

NESTLE owns TRIBE MEDITERRANEAN FOODS (maker of top selling hummus in the United States).

PEPSI owns NAKED JUICE.

COCA-COLA owns ODWALLA JUICE.

Now, we’re not concluding that these organic products and fresh organic produce are unsafe, but as a consumer, wouldn’t you want to do more research into how this happened, and whether these so-called organics are truly unaltered, healthier and more nutritious than other brands that these conglomerates own? If these big global companies are buying out all the smaller organic produce and organic brands, they will have complete control over the organic industry… which to us, is quite scary.

There are, however, some independent North American certified organic food brands that are not yet owned by big companies (as of late 2009). These independent organic food brands total more than $25 million worth of annual sales (and growing) which make them likely acquisition targets in the near future. However, right now, here is a list of independent organic brands:

• Lundberg Family Farms
• Equal Exchange
• Nature’s Path
• Newman’s Own Organics
• Organic Valley
• Frontier Natural Products (includes Simply Organic products)
• Turtle Mountain
• Golden Temple (includes Yogi Tea and Peace Cereal products)
• Cedarlane
• Alvarado Street Bakery
• Applegate Farms
• Pacific Natural Foods
• Clif Bar (also includes Luna Bars)
• Traditional Medicinals
• Amy’s Kitchen
• Eden Foods
• Level Ground Trading
• Alter Ego Chocolate
• ProBar
• Galerie au Chocolat