I've had lots of fun doing "research" for this upcoming class on Chocolate at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health in NYC. To Register for the class, call the school at 212-645-5170 or send an email to info@naturalgourmetschool.com

Is chocolate really healthy? Well, maybe.... Join me as I search for the answer to this important question. We will trace chocolate's journey through time from its Mayan origins to colonial Europe into the present day; examine how a cacao pod becomes a chocolate bar; and review chocolate's nutritional value and effect on digestion. We'll also take a look at the politics surrounding chocolate, separate current health claims from hype, and marvel at how intimately this luscious food is entwined with guilt and pleasure. You will taste and practice principles of mindful eating with melt-in- your-mouth dark chocolates from different producers around the world.

Peanut butter is back in the news, its the most recent food product to be recalled due to salmonella contamination. Last year we saw recalls of ground burger meat, scallions, spinach, dog food and even baby food. These recalls are really "wake up calls" about our broken food system.

How can we fix this broken system? By getting our hands back into the soil and growing some of our own food. The Earth Box is a great system to start some veggies on your deck. If you have more space or deer, you might want to consider a Teich Garden System.
The SunRaven Mindful Gardening Project is starting to organize for the coming season. Send an email to garden@sunraven.org for more information.

I've been advocating locally and nationally for more veggie gardens. I'm thrilled to be in really good company on the Eat the View website. To find me, scroll down past many of my heroes, Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, Joan Gussow and Bill McKibben. I'm right after Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food

"Eat the View" is coordinated by Kitchen Gardeners International a Maine-based 501c3 nonprofit network of 10,000 gardeners from 100 countries who are inspiring and teaching more people to grow some of their own food. "Eat the View!" won the Grand Prize in the OnDayOne.org contest. I hope to be on that White House lawn when the Obama family breaks ground on their new veggie garden!

I had too many beets this week from my winter time CSA so I made this cake which can be found in the Farmer John's Cookbook.The Real Dirt on Vegetables from one of my favorite food movies, The Real Dirt on Farmer John ( see the link in the quick links section)

Ingredients
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup coconut oil, melted ( you can use another mild flavored oil if you wish)
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups pureed cooked beets (3 medium beets)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all -purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 lightly coat a Bundt or tube pan with oil and dust with some flour.

Partially fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer. Put the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the oil in the top of the double boiler. Heat just until the chocolate melts; remove from heat and stir until well combined.

Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining 3/4 cup oil, chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla.

Sift the all purpose flour and the whole-wheat pastry flour into a large bowl. stir in the baking soda and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture just until flour is mixed in. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
Carefully remove the cake from the pan and let cool on the rack. When completely cool, dust with powdered sugar.