After two weeks on the road, I am more convinced than ever that ChefsFeed is the one go-to app to have on your smart phone if you want the best restaurant recommendations.  The content on the site is chef-driven, and top name chefs, too.  

The app is clearly focussed on presenting you concise information on where the best chefs like to eat, and what their favorite dishes are on the menu.  Jared Rivera, co-founder of ChefsFeed is my guest on the first half of the show.  Did you know that people can still get gout?  Listen in and find out how Jared and gout had two encounters.

Check out my article about the app in iPhone Life href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwSiBP2f272qRDVJSklsRDQ1cVk/view?usp=sharing">here.

Inspiring is the one word that comes to mind when I think about this week’s show.  Both of my guests inspire me, and I believe you, the listener, will feel the same way after tuning in.  It’s very easy to become cynical looking at the devastation of our natural resources, and the plundering of the environment that goes on in a world dominated by industrial agriculture in the guise of feeding the ever-growing population of human beings.  I think a little cynicism may have just snuck through in the previous sentence.  BUT…..Deborah Madison and Fred Kirschenmann, through their words and actions, can pull us out of that dark spot where it’s too easy to become enmeshed in futility, and turn our attention to the immense change that is the reality of the present and future cultivation of our planet.  

It’s an honor to welcome Deborah back to the show.  We’re planning to talk seasonally so she can offer insights into what fresh foods  play well with the weather.  Though we have a variety of micro climates in the lower 48 states there are plenty of foods that are either grown locally or easy to find at the market or store that represent the changing seasons on our plate.  For decades Deborah has championed the use of local/regional produce, and showcased that world in numerous award-winning cookbooks like Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and Vegetable Literacy.  In this visit, we’ll focus our discussion on the abundance of delights still available in the autumn, and provide some assistance for home cooks to not only expand their repertoire, but revel in the experience.

During our “Iowa Cooks” segment, Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, and President of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in New York, provides a vision of how significant positive change is not only already in motion in the cultivation and production of our food, but why it is inevitable.

Other than spending time with family members, the most fulfilling moments for me are when I get to cook, talk, and eat with friends.  I hope you enjoy listening in on the GREAT TASTE conversation this week with Sabitha Sawhney, assistant professor of business at Maharishi University of Management, and proprietor/chef of Sabi's Cafe, and Sonia Vera, a courtroom interpreter who helped us learn some basic Columbian dishes. 

Sabitha and Sonia's food and philosophies of cooking are both dear to my heart and stomach.  Thanks to Dori Rector and my wife, too for helping out in the kitchen. Dori's Colombian bean soup was extraordinary.  The link to the basic recipe is below, but she added a bit more garlic and salt, a leek, and substituted three whole chipotle chilis for the ham hocks.

Originally aired 20140409.

http://www.food.com/recipe/frijoles-paisas-colombian-pinto-beans-432225

Opening Segment of the show-How to Restore the Body's Natural Balance with Dr. Suhas G. Kshirsagar

And our second segment-"Iowa Cooks"-Astred Griffin Wants YOU to Eat Her Quiche!

Our LIVE show at Green Building Supply Tuesday night featured the creative mind and cooking skills of Astred Griffin.  On the menu: quiche in both veggie and vegan versions and both iterations were organic and gluten-free. Vegan quiche is something I had never tried, but Astred's version was  great.  Click READ MORE now!

Tune in to the video stream of the hour we spent at Green Building Supply on the Fairfield Media Center site or listen to the show on KRUU, Wednesday,January 7th at 7 pm, rebroadcast Friday, January 9 at 7 am.  A special "THANKS" to Jason Strong for engineering the event.  Also, a salute to Everybody's Whole Foods for contributing the terrific ingredients our cooks use to create the great tastes in the GBS kitchen.

NEXT WEEK GREAT TASTE IS "LIVE" ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 6 AT GREEN BUILDING SUPPLY-7:00 PM

GREAT TASTE gets a bit scientific this week as we explore the role food plays in feeding the brain.  It seems funny that little attention is paid to this particularly important part of the physiology in the course of general food discussions.  We're always talking about how a particular food affects the functioning of other organs or usually conversing about the sensory titillations we experience when eating.  But, our brain serves as the central hub for everything that happens to us processing information through as many as 1 quadrillion synaptic connections.

Sue Conley, one-half of the the amazing creative team responsible for Cowgirl Creamery cheeses along with her collaborator, Peggy Smith, talked with me about their recently published book,Cowgirl Creamery Cooks. It's much more than a cheese book as it is filled with entrancing recipes, kitchen tips, and the personal story of the Cowgirls.  Mac and Cheese lovers make certain you check out their recipe for this classic soul-warming dish.  You can find it at the end of the post.

If you haven't experienced their organic cheeses made in Point Reyes, California, the Mt. Tam and Red Hawk are currently available at Whole Foods in Des Moines.  Gateway Market in Des Moines is expecting their next shipment of the same two cheeses the first week of March.  Both stores will have the seasonal special St. Pat cheese the first part of March.

ALERT:  DO NOT MISS THIS WEEK'S GREAT TASTE RADIO PROGRAM!

Kicking off the show is my visit with fashion model and author, Malin Elmlid.  Malin's new book is The Bread Exchange-tales and recipes from a journey of baking and bartering.  

I am not going to talk about Malin's story in the post other than to ask you to listen to her and feel the power of her passion and love for bread and humanity.

Her journey is not only compelling, but she encourages each of us to think about what we have to share, and find a way to do that with our fellow sojourners on this planet. 

On "Iowa Cooks" we visit with Sabita Sawhney, the owner of Sabi's Cafe in the Golden Gate Building.  The show was part of our monthly "LIVE" series recorded on Tuesday, December 9 before a hungry group at Green Building Supply.  Everybody's Whole Foods provided the ingredients and Sabita taught us how to make parathas. Everyone ate plain, spinach, potato, and paneer parathas until the dough ran out.  You can see the video of the show and watch her make these savory breakfast delicacies at the following URL-http://new.livestream.com/FairfieldMediaCenter/events/3469155-, and thanks to Fairfield Media Center for producing the live stream.

Our next live show at Green Building Supply is Tuesday, January 6 with local cook and musician, Astred Griffin.  The fun starts at 7:00, as Astred teaches us how to make quiche in a wide variety of ways, including a vegan version.  Mark your calendar!

Stephanie Westlund has been conducting research with veterans for five years, and her book, Field Exercises:  How veterans are healing themselves through farming and outdoor activities integrates empirical evidence along with intimate portraits of numerous veterans.  Stephanie is continually inspired by these men and women who strive to maintain their drive to serve society, and use their difficult experiences in the armed services as a springboard to transform themselves and others through a commitment to sustainable agriculture and other endeavors.

Stephanie holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies. You can find her blog about the human-nature relationship at www.ourcommonnature.blogspot.com.

Sip, Slurp, Swish, and Taste are four critical elements when tasting wine.  Corey Morrow of Earth & Water explains why the world of wine is his latest passion.  Give a listen to what he says during our "Iowa Cooks" show segment, especially if the topic of wine is new to you or seems intimidating.  His aim is to make you comfortable.  Make a reservation for one of his weekly wine tastings, and relax into the experience.  I guarantee you some surprising things will happen.  My key tasting was really an aroma moment as an umami-like perfume from wine #4 captivated my senses.  Was it Worcestershire sauce or A-1?  Still not sure, but the experience was great fun.

Listen Wednesday and Friday to the show taped LIVE at Green Building Supply on Tuesday, November 4. Indian Hills Culinary Arts students, Raeanna Crile, Michaela Newberry,Noah Burkhart,Set

h Simmons, and their lead instructor Chef Adam Darland,CCC created a vegetarian menu featuring a jazzed up mac and cheese topped with Milton Creamery’s Prairie Rose and a roasted vegetable and cauliflower purée timbale. 

During the second half of the broadcast on Wednesday and Friday, "Iowa Cooks" presents a dynamic duo from the Crepe Escape. 

Listen and find out why Fridays at 8:45am are special.Thanks to Green Building Supply for hosting and co-sponsoring the show.  Great Taste is "LIVE" once a month from GBS.  

Our next live show is Tuesday, December 9 with Sabita Sawhney, the owner of Sabi's Cafe, at 7:00 pm.  

Another big shout out to Everybody's, the other co-sponsor of the show.  They are the reason we have such great ingredients to use.

So much to share this week!!

On the show this week I visit with writer Lisa M. Hamilton.  After a trip to the Andes in Bolivia and stateside research in Salt Lake City, Lisa wrote an insightful piece for Harper's about quinoa, and you can find it here.  There are a myriad of complexities surrounding this protein rich grain and we will explore some of them with Lisa in the first part of the show, plus discuss her article on open-source seed, "Linux for Lettuce."  You can follow Lisa on Twitter at-@HamiltonLisaM.

In the "Iowa Cooks" segment I chat with Ami Freeberg.  Ami is a native of Fairfield, who currently lives in Kansas City.  She works at making the Kansas City area more sustainable, not just as it relates to food, but also community.  In her role as Communications and Outreach Manager for Cultivate Kansas City, she is focused on developing and implementing numerous urban agricultural projects.  You can read more about Ami and Cultivate Kansas City here.

Click READ MORE!