Today, you hear the word Organic now, more than ever. It enters conversations when talking with friends and family, is a focus at the grocery store, in online advertising and  in television ads. It was not along ago that Organic was for the wealthy and families feeding an average of 4 mouths would not spend the extra money for organic, but rather pay less for the conventional product sitting on the shelf beside it, the same product they have been buying their entire lives, and from eye view, they look exactly the same. In fact, people who bought ‘organic product’ were perceived to be crazy to spend more money on the same product.  I remember the comments said around it.  Boy, how times have changed!
 
Thank goodness for the internet and for advocates of natural healthy foods, that more and more information is available at our finger tips to help the public fully understand what it means to spend extra $$ on a product that says Organic. I am confident writing this  that there is an exponential growth of people who now understand what it means when a product is labelled organic, no chemical pesticides or  chemical fertilizers are used to grow the produce.  Pesticides are chemicals sprayed on crops to kill insects, fungus and bacteria, but in this process, they are making humans very ill. For more information visit the following site: http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/effects-of-pesticides/
 
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend, who asked me if I was aware of the ‘dirty dozen’. I had not, and she proceeded tell me that it is 12 food items that have the most pesticides on them and should always be purchased organic.  Very intrigued, I was eager to do a bit of research to find out what was on the list. Sure enough, just typing the two words Dirty and Dozen into the Google search engine, pages upon pages of information came up on the ‘dirty dozen’.  I highly recommend you do some more research on this.
 
So what are the Dirty Dozen?
 

• 1/2 red pepper, 1/4’ dice
• 4 cup(s) cooked whole grain pasta
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 roma tomatoes, seeded, 1/4” dice
• 2 cup(s) basil leaves
• 1/2 green pepper, 1/4” dice
• 1/2 cup(s) almond slivers
• 1/2 small red onion, 1/4” dice
• 1/2 cup(s) & 1 tablespoon xv olive oil
• 1/2 yellow pepper, 1/4 dice

1. Cook pasta, al dente as per package instructions, rinse and set aside to cool
2. Combine basil, garlic, almond slivers and 1/2 cup of olive oil in food processor, blend till paste forms
3. In large bowl, toss pasta with basil mixture
4. Add peppers, tomatoes, onions and remaining oil, toss till vegetables are coated
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large shallots, finely diced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or vegetable stock
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoons cream cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 cups cooked whole grain penne, al dente
• 1 cup fresh peas, shelled
• 1 tablespoon margarine or butter
• Salt and pepper

1. Prepare pasta as per directions on packaging
2. In deep sauté pan, heat oil on medium high, add shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent
3. Add white wine and lemon juice, reduce by half
4. Add peas and cook for an additional 2 minutes
5. Reduce heat to medium low, stir in sour cream, cream cheese and whisk until creamy
6. Add pasta and toss until noodles are fully coated
7. Remove from heat and finish with butter/margarine, season with salt and pepper

• 10 oz package bean thread noodles, soaked in warm water for approximately 20 minutes, drained
• 1 generous tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 Chinese eggplants, thinly sliced
• 8 oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 large brown mushrooms
• 12 asparagus spears, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup tamari, wheat free
• 1 tablespoon chili paste (sambal olek is a favourite)
• 1 large mandarin orange, juiced
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon ginger minced
• 1 large garlic clove minced
• 4 green onions, white and green separated, thinly slice green onions for garnish

1. In food processor, combine ginger, garlic and whites of green onions. Blend until paste forms, set aside (if you have a mortar and pestle, this is how a traditional paste is formed)
2. Whisk tamari, juice, sesame oil and chili paste, set aside
3. Heat oil in deep skillet or wok on high, add paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to ensure nothing burns
4. Add mushrooms and sauté for approximately 2 minutes or until light golden brown
5. Add asparagus and eggplant, sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes
6. Stir in noodles and toss for another 2-3 minutes
7. Pour in tamari mixture and toss until noodles are completely coated
8. Separate into 4 bowls and garnish with green onions

• 1 package of rice noodles, thick
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• splash of sesame oil
• splash of bragg or low sodium soy sauce
• splash of vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 red bell pepper sliced thinly
• 1/2 orange bell pepper sliced thinly
• 1/2onion or red onion sliced thinly
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon fresh chilis (leave out if you do not like spice)
• handful of Cilantro chopped roughly

1. Soak the rice noodles in a large bowl with hot water (not boiling), let sit for 20 minutes, drain noodles and set aside. You can do this with cold water if you have more time to let them sit
2. In a large skillet on medium, heat oil and the onions and cook for 3 minutes until soft, add in the fresh chilis, sesame oil and soy sauce, toss in bell peppers and vegetable broth, let the broth heat – Approximately 1 minutes
3. Add in the bean sprouts and toss all ingredients until beans start to soften, about 3-4
4. minutes
5. Add in the drained rice noodles and cilantro, toss all ingredients and let cook, stirring
6. periodically while you toast the sesame seeds
7. In a dry frying pan heat on medium and add sesame seeds and slowly move around until they start to have a light toasty smell, remove from heat and add into stir-fry
8. Remove stir-fry from heat and plate

• 8oz thick Thai rice noodles
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 stalk lemon grass, smash with dull end of knife and then chop in 4
• 2 kefir lime leaves
• 2 limes, juice of
• 1 tablespoon raw vegan brown sugar or sweetener of your choice
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, rough chop
• 16 cilantro sprigs
• 1/2 cup toasted cashews
• 8oz baby spinach leaves
• 2 large carrots, grated
• 8oz firm tofu, 1/4 “ dice

1. In stock pot, boil stock, lemon grass, lime leaf, lime juice, sugar and carrots for 8 minutes
2. While stock is boiling, in small sauce pan, mix the cream from top of coconut milk with curry paste and bring to a slow simmer, pour in remaining coconut water from bottom of can . Set aside
3. Add rice noodles to boiling stock, simmer for 2 minutes
4. Add spinach and tofu, simmer for an additional 3 minutes
5. Add chopped cilantro and 1/2 of green onions, simmer for an additional 2 minutes
6. Place in bowl and garnish with remaining, cashews, green onions and 2 sprigs of cilantro

• 8 ounces brown rice spaghetti
• 10 ounces cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 5 basil leaves chopped roughly
• 1 cup pistachio nuts chopped
• 2 ounces feta cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Coat the tomatoes with olive oil, parsley flakes, salt, pepper and place in small dish, place in oven and cook for 20 minutes
3. Cook pasta al dente as directed on package, drain and place back in pot
4. Toss cooked pasta with roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, pistachio's, basil, salt and pepper to taste
5. Ready to serve

• 1 zucchini shaved into strips by peeler
• 8 ounces spaghetti noodles — brown rice or whole grain
• 1 small lemon
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 5 basil leaves chopped roughly
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta noodles el dente, as directed on package, keep 1/2 cup of pasta water on
2. reserve, drain the noodles and put back in a large pot
3. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the noodles and toss
4. While the pasta is cooking, in a bowl, using a zester, put all of the lemon zest from the small lemon in the bowl, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze out the juice from the entire lemon. Add olive oil, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to the bowl and whisk together until a creamy mixture - set aside until pasta is cooked
5. When the noodles are brought back to the pot, on medium heat, add in the zucchini, peas and basil leaves, toss together for 1 minute and then add the lemon and olive oil mixture and toss together and let cook on low heat for 3 minutes, if the noodles seem to get too creamy, add in a bit of the pasta reserve water, add only what you need.
6. Remove from heat and serve