Salad Girl is kicking off its arrival to several of the Whole Foods Stores in Nebraska, Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois (Chicagoland as the Salad Girls call it) by putting Salad Girl Dressings on special ! The special $1.00 off each flavor for two weeks starts today and runs through Valentines Day! Our Chicagoland Salad Girl demo staff will be offering you a taste of each dressing by crafting some unique “Little Salads On A Stick” at several of the these beautiful Whole Foods Markets! Make sure to grab the recipe and all the ingredients for this great little raw appetizer, and serve up something ♥ heart healthy and fresh to your SuperBowl fans and your Valentine honey’s!
Tell your friends and family! We are newly on the shelves of the following Whole Foods Markets:
Today I will be demo-ing “little salads on a stick” at the Tailor Made Nutrition Store, a specialty Gluten Free store in Woodbury, Minnesota from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Come on in, and have a healthy, gluten-free bite of salad as well as great sampling of all sorts of wonderful, gluten-free products this great store carries! For directions and more information, go to:www.tailormadenutrition.com/
To encourage healthy eating in the New Year, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s beautiful natural food market Mazopiya offers free healthy cooking classes open to the general public. Spaces are limited so register early by calling952-233-9140.
Artisan Salad Workshop
Thursday, January 12, 2012 [5:30PM - 6:30PM]
Don’t get stuck eating comfort foods all winter long! Freshen up any meal with an artisan salad! Pam Powell, owner of locally produced Salad Girl Organic Salad Dressings, will teach you how to incorporate flavorful ingredients into your salads in this fun and creative artisan salad workshop.
Mazopiya is located at 2571 Credit Unioun Drive, Prior Lake, Minnesota 55372
Mazopiya [mah-zoh-pee-ya] focuses on natural as well as locally produced foods. In the Dakota language, Mazopiya means “a store, a place where things are kept.” With a focus on local and natural foods, Mazopiya offers a large inventory of organic items, including free-range grass-fed meats; fresh, organic, and local produce; a deli and coffee bar; and a full-line of groceries, paper goods, breads, healthy supplements, and personal care products, even pet foods. In addition, a certified, executive chef is on staff creating freshly prepared dishes sold at the deli and a prepared meal area is available for takeout with daily specials, homemade soups, and a salad bar.
“A natural foods store is perfectly in line with our philosophy of protecting and preserving the environment for future generations. As Dakota people it is important to us to continue to take care of the earth to leave a legacy of a healthy planet for future generations,” said SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks. “We chose to use organic farming methods in our own garden, Mdewakanton Wozupi, which just completed its first growing season. We had a very successful harvest and plan on growing our garden significantly in the future. Organic produce from our Wozupi will be sold at Mazopiya next year.”
Why Local? Why Natural? Why Organic?
“Traditionally we were taught that food is medicine. By putting healthy foods into our bodies, we can increase our overall well-being,” said Community member Lori Watso, the driving force behind the store. “Our ancestors ate natural foods that were free from pesticides, growth hormones, and manmade chemicals. We think returning to this way of nourishing our bodies is a key to overall wellness. Clean foods, those produced without the use of chemicals or antibiotics, are much healthier not only for people, but also for the earth.”
Local fruits and vegetables that are produced using organic or sustainable growing practices are a priority for Mazopiya. Sustainable growing is described as using crop rotation, natural fertilizers, natural pesticides, and other methods to produce food teeming with nutrients.
“Organic produce is fresher, more nutrient rich, and less harmful to people and the planet,” said SMSC Organic Gardener Rebecca Dalton. One of the tenets of organic farming she described as, “to maintain the level at which you found an area or better yet to enhance the natural world around you, for plants, animals, and bugs.”
Mazopiya Store Manager Peter Doolan agreed, “It’s important to know where your food is coming from. Food additives, artificial flavorings, food coloring, and other additives that aren’t natural – many of them are known carcinogens. There have been studies that show that people often have reactions to these additives. In the long run these dangerous chemicals can be toxic. It does nobody any good to eat those things.”
Foods that have travelled long distances are by necessity picked early, and their nutritional value can also be compromised by the long journey. In addition to higher nutritional values, local foods save on transportation costs, fuels, and emissions, yielding a fresher, tastier product at market. By eliminating the necessity of transporting foods long distances, local, independent farmers benefit while still producing a product with a higher food quality.
Information about monthly promotions, weekly produce and deli specials, various events and activities can be picked up in store, or for more detailed information about Mazopiya, visit www.mazopiya.com
For more information or for a complete list of monthly specials, class schedules, and menus, go to www.mazopiya.com or call 952-233-9140. You can also find Mazopiya on Facebook. Mazopiya is owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
♥ This is the time of year I start to crave some serious juicy vitamin C.
Whether its digging into a precious crate of organic, honey tangerines (a gift from a friend in Florida) or finding some delicious Sweet White or Ruby Red grapefruit from my favorite produce department, I love to incorporate winter citrus into both my winter salad preparation as well as into many of my main course dishes. I definitely try to use all the different parts of my citrus fruit, so buying organic citrus is especially important if you are zesting your peel or cooking with the citrus peel. Even if you are just eating the inside parts of the fruit, if you do not know the growers farming practices, it is safer to buy certified organic citrus for your family.
Today I remembered that my first taste of freshly squeezed, Florida citrus came as a child while traveling to Sanibel Island in Florida each year with my family. Road trips for our large family were not easy, but my “can do” hippie lawyer Father and my super creative and patient hip Momma cleverly retro-fitted an old hearse (with shag carpeting, bright daisy throw pillows and daisy curtains to match) into the perfect family vehicle quite able to transport 9 people, a little schnauzer, and a 1960′s trailer home to Florida.
To announce our entry into Florida, Dad would open the glass window between the front seat and back and bellow like Oliver Hardy “who wants fresh juice?” followed by his not so smooth transition of the hearse and trailer from the highway to the turn lane and into the parking lot of the famous “welcome to Florida” tourist station. The tin roofed building had a sign with a gigantic navel orange bobbing up and down on it boasting free, all you can drink, freshly-squeezed Florida orange juice. Momma would pull out the ritz crackers and peanut butter, and we would all sit at the sunwashed picnic tables with stripey umbrellas luxuriating in our first lunch in Florida and taking our fill of free juice without getting scolded.
The island was always a fantastic adventure of shelling the, then plentiful, Sanibel beaches in the early mornings before sun-up with Dad. Days on the long, beautiful, white, sandy beaches with Momma and my brothers and sisters were wonderful. We had picnics of crackers with crabmeat salad and then always a dessert the sweetest, white grapefruits purchased at a citrus stand on old Periwinkle Road. In the recipe below, I make good use of the rest of my Christmas tangerines, but as the citrus season progresses, I will add recipes using as many citrus fruits as I can! Enjoy!
Gifting Organic Goodness Idea!♥ Print out this recipe card and attach it to a bottle of Salad Girl Curry Fig Dressing!
Every Saturday in December, we’ll be showcasing local & fair trade crafters and authors in a series of in-store events leading up to the holidays.
Mississippi Market Co-op prides itself on providing quality, sustainable foods to our community. What you may not know is that we also provide an abundance of local and sustainable craft and gift items. From beautiful handcrafted soaps to local cook books, we have everything you need to give family and friends a memorable gift this season. Throughout December, we will be showcasing local and fair trade crafters and authors during a series of in-store events happening every Saturday leading up to the holidays.
Saturday, December 17th, 11-3pm at West 7th, local cook book author Pam Powell will be signing her new, artisan salad book called “Salad Days”. Join Pam and her daughter-in-law, Anna, as they prepare a beautiful artisan salad for your holiday entertaining. Pam will be sharing samples and signing books! Also, come and enjoy the locally-made scents from Nature Candles! What a fun day at the market!
Holiday gift ideas for your food lover!
Saturday, December 3rd, 11-3pm at Selby, local cook book author, Beth Dooley signing her new book “The Northern Heartland Kitchen”
Saturday, December 10th 11-3pm at West 7th, local pottery by Utile Mud, local winter accessories by Breaksea and local handcrafted pieces by Wood from the Hood
The Holiday Season brings with it the joy (and or the dilemma) of holiday entertaining for family and friends. Have no fear! Menu planning can be really fun when you have some inspiration! So come and be inspired by the the up-coming seasons winter greens and fruits-a-plenty. I have been invited to share my salad crafting skills with you by teaching a few “Artisan Salad Crafting” classes at some of our favorite local grocery markets here in the Twin Cities. Join me in crafting a variety of gorgeous, delicious, and most important, “healthy” holiday salads. Whether you are presenting a salad to a crowd or creating an intimate holiday meal, crafting a beautiful salad is an art well worth learning and sharing! Check out the up-coming schedule below. I hope to see you there!
Wednesday, November 30 2011, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Kowalski’s is thrilled to welcome three of our favorite local cookbook authors for a special holiday event. Join Janice Cole, author of “Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading”; Pam Powell, author of “Salad Days” (and creator of the popular Salad Girl Organic Salad Dressings); and Meredith Deeds, co-author of “300 Sensational Soups” and “The Big Book of Appetizers” (among others) for a personalized book signing, Q&A and individual demos of some of their signature recipes, including Chocolate Mousse Bars, Rustic Goat Cheese Tart with Caramelized Balsamic Onions,Ruby Red and Avocado Green Holiday Salad with Ginger Grapefruit Vinaigrette, and Beef Stroganoff and Noodle Soup. This event is bound to sell out, so register early. Signed books will be available for purchase at the event (great for holiday gifting!).
All classes $15 (registered attendees receive a $10 gift card)
Saturday, December 10 Noon – 1:00 p.m. Note: Book signing follows class.
Salads for a Soirée:Author Pam Powell, creator of Salad Girl Organic Salad Dressings, prepares scrumptious recipes from her new cookbook Salad Days:Recipes for Delicious Organic Salads and Dressings for Every Season.Pam crafts three salads using an assortment of winter salad greens and a variety of her company’s vinaigrettes.She also demonstrates preparation methods for serving each salad as either a sit down dinner “plated salad” or a plattered salad for holiday buffets. Recipes include: Pear and Pomegranate Salad; Grapefruit, Avocado and Arugula Salad; and Kumquat and Jicama Salad.
Winter Salads at Mississippi Market Saturday December 17th (watch for times)
Sunday we enjoyed a wonderful event celebrating the opening of Minnesota’s 3rd Whole Foods Market located in Minnetonka — music, great food, face painting, and bouncers for the kids! We served about 500 salads to happy attendees and promised the recipe! Enjoy!
Thank you Whole Foods Marketing team! You all touched my heart with the cute WFM quiz – You Girls Rock!!
Praire Breeze Cheddar Cheese is made by the Milton Creamery, a family-owned company in Iowa, www.miltoncreamery.com. Milton Creamery obtains their milk from area farms that pasture feed their cows in season and are not treated with RBST (a growth hormone to increase milk production). Prairie Breeze is an award-winning cheddar that is aged over 6 months and has been described as “a dry cheese with pleasant nutty tones.” You’ll love it’s amazing flavor !
Where to find Organic Apple Orchards in Minnesota?
Take a family road trip to visit these beautiful local organic orchards and enjoy some of the beautiful fall colors as well as tasting some just picked fall flavors! The Hoch Orchards have partnered with us in several events, and we love and respect their beautiful and delicious apples. If you don’t have time to visit the orchard, you can find many of the Hoch Orchard Apples, as well as other varieties of organic apples, at many of our local famers markets and in the organic produce area of your neighborhood grocery store or co-op. Just ask your produce specialist! Apples are now ranked #1 on the list of produce with the highest pesticide load according to the Environmental Working Group, www.foodnews.org. Buying organic is better for our health, better for the environment, and supports our organic growers.
Hoch Orchard (LaCrescent, Minnesota) is not difficult to find. Simply take Houston County Highway 6 west out of town. Follow Houston County Hwy 6 seven miles and then turn right onto Forster Road. The orchard is two miles up the road on top of the hill. For those of you unfamiliar with LaCrescent, Houston County Hwy 6 is marked at the traffic lights, so you can just follow the signs through town. Hoch Orchard and Gardens is a small, organic, family farm run by Harry and Jackie Hoch. All of the fruit on their farm is now grown organically. They have many new, high quality varieties and are excited about bringing these new apples to market. They have over fifty apple varieties planted on our farm including Honeycrisp, Zestar, Sweet 16, Fuji, Keepsake, Ginger gold, and Sansa as well as several new varieties — Snow Sweet, SweeTango, and Crimson Crisp.
Breezy Hill Orchards (Maple Lake, Minnesota) is just west of the Twin Cities. Patrick Lynch and Wendy Johnson farm this 60-acre orchard. Farming land that was owned by his parents before him, Patrick has modified the traditional organic practices his parents used to comply with modern organic standards. Now they produce some of the best organically certified apples you will find in Minnesota or anywhere!
Growing exclusively for the Wedge Co-op and local farmer’s markets, Autumn is where Breezy Hill shines. They grow hard-to-find old-fashioned varieties of apples like the Sweet 16, Connel Red, and Regent. Also, look for their super sweet Parker pears, flavorful Spice pears, and Concord grapes. Patrick and Wendy’s commitment to organic agriculture and a high quality product make them a forerunner in the local organic fruit market. Look for their apples by name!
Sep 9, 2011 – Pam Powell, founder and creator of The Salad Girl Organic Salad Dressing Company, was at the September 3rd Mill City Market signing her book, Salad Days.
