Sneaky Vegetables Reggie Ossé: by Nicole Feliciano of Cauliflower Should Weigh About a Pound)
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08-01/03 p 01-07 1/3/08 11:08 PM Page 1 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PARK SLOPE FOOD COOP Established 1973 Volume CC, Number 1 January 3, 2008 Sneaky Vegetables Reggie Ossé: By Nicole Feliciano of cauliflower should weigh about a pound). To get start- PSFC Member Profile ed, Seinfeld advises trying basic vegetables: cauliflower, By Diane Aronson butternut squash, zucchini and yellow squash. From From Brooklyn there the steps are simple: and Back Again Wash and drain the veg- t was a snowy Sunday etables when I dropped by to Dice/cut vegetables Iinterview long-time Coop Steam vegetables member Reggie Ossé, coau- Puree vegetables thor with Gabriel Tolliver of Portion vegetables in serv- Bling: The Hip-Hop Jewelry ing containers Book, recently published by After steaming and puree- Bloomsbury Publishing. ing the vegetables, the result- A native Brooklynite, ing creamy purees are stored Reggie was born not far from in small containers and the home near Bedford ILLUSTRATION BY PATRICK MACKIN BY PATRICK ILLUSTRATION frozen or refrigerated until Avenue that he and his fami- or Dorothy (The Wizard of kids recognize. Sure it may be needed in a recipe. Seinfeld’s ly bought in fall 2007. Grow- JANDA BY JUDY PHOTOGRAPH Oz) it was a fear of lions sneaky, but the author swears easy-to-make recipes may ing up in the Brooklyn of his Coop member and Bling F and tigers and bears. her ideas have improved her inspire Coop members to childhood was, as Reggie author, Reggie Ossé For kids it’s more likely to be family’s diet and brought skip a night of microwaving a termed it, an “adventure.” As carrots and spinach and serenity to the house. prepared Amy’s Organic meal an only child he had the full recorded live. In Reggie’s rec- squash that make their knees According to Seinfeld, her and try their hand at crafting measure of his mother’s ollection, “We had never shake and their little mouths motivation was to achieve “a homemade chicken nuggets resources, and she opted to heard anything like it.” For a clamp shut. Conscientious little peace around the dinner (with broccoli puree added). send him to St. Francis teenager commuting be- parents know they can’t give table.” Tired of hearing com- If meat is off the shopping Xavier school in Manhattan. tween Bed-Stuy and St. Fran- in and let kids dictate the plaints about the nightly list, Coop members can be Reggie’s school commute cis, this Afro-urban beat was meal plan, shunning all nutri- menu, Seinfeld got motivated assured there are plenty of was more than a trip between an authentic alternative to tious menu items in the to bring about a change. vegan and vegetarian-friendly two boroughs, it was a trip the bland, late-1970s teen process. But no parent rel- Rather than directly con- recipes. For the non-meat between two lives—one with tune divide of disco versus ishes meal time fraught with fronting her children and eaters among us there are kids in his neighborhood and Brit rock bands like Led Zep- screaming and tantrums. forcing them to swallow peas, suggestions such as the Rice the other with kids in his pelin and Genesis. It was Now there are a slew of new broccoli and the like, Seinfeld Balls with Sweet Potato & Spinach private school—that daily music that, like its cousin, tricks to get kids eating better became an “expert at hiding and the Tofu Nuggets. transformed him. It was dur- punk, had an honest, ques- without the battle. vegetable purees and other ing this journey between cul- tioning edge. healthful additions” in her The latest notion in getting tures that Reggie discovered Discovering hip-hop was Celebrity Advice family’s meals. Coop mem- toddlers and school-age kids hip-hop right before, he “a metamorphic change” for The latest notion in getting bers with kids can certainly to eat well is disguising food observed, it became “an Reggie. It became his “driving toddlers and school-age kids relate to this wish. industry.” soundtrack to succeed at to eat well is disguising food in clever ways His introduction to hip- whatever I was facing.” It was in clever ways. Jessica Sein- How It Works hop came by chipping in with this energy and ability to feld, wife of millionaire come- Seinfeld’s basic premise is Sophisticated chefs at the neighborhood friends to buy make such declarations that dian Jerry Seinfeld and this: Spend one day a week Coop may find Deceptively Deli- a cassette of GrandMaster would take Reggie through mother of three, has taken a preparing simple vegetable cious a bit heavy on the sweet Flash and the Furious Five, his undergraduate years at stab at bringing a truce to the purees that you can work into stuff, but the author does CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 table. Seinfeld’s new book, your family’s meals for the make a valid point: some- Deceptively Delicious: Simple rest of the week. It doesn’t times it’s easier to take a Next General Meeting on January 29 Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating require a huge outlay of cash. stealthy approach towards The General Meeting of the Park Slope Food Coop is held on the Good Food ($24.95 from According to the author, all improving a child’s diet. If last Tuesday of each month.* The next General Meeting will be HarperCollins), though sim- you’ll need is a vegetable you’re going to feed your Tuesday, January 29, 7:00 p.m. at the Congregation Beth Elohim plistic at times, provides steamer, food processor/ child brownies, they may as Temple House (Garfield Temple), 274 Garfield Pl. solid nutritional advice to blender and some storage well have a serving of carrots The agenda will be available as a flyer in the entryway of the time-strapped parents. bags/containers. and spinach in them as Coop on Wednesday, January 9. For more information about the The big trick up her sleeve? Seinfeld recommends Seinfeld’s do. GM and about Coop governance, please see the center of this Camouflaging nutritious shopping for vegetables in issue. ingredients into meals that one-pound bundles (a head CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 * Exceptions for November and December will be posted. SUN, FEB 3 The Coop will be closing early at 5:00 p.m. IN THIS ISSUE due to our annual Coop-wide inventory General Meeting Debates Boston Fed Survey . 3 Coop Fri, Jan 4 •Film Night: Chasing Perfection Short Films 7:30 p.m. What We Can Do to Speed Up Checkout Lines. 5 Coop Hours, Coffeehouse . 6 Sat, Jan 5 •Coop Kids Variety Show Auditions 2:00 p.m. Event Coop Calendar, Workslot Needs Sun, Jan 13 •Coop Kids Variety Show Auditions 12:00 p.m. Governance Information, Mission Statement. 7 Highlights Fri, Jan 18 •The Good Coffeehouse Swing Street 8:00 p.m. Community Calendar . 8 Letters to the Editor . 9 Thur, Feb 7 •Food Class: Mama’s in the Kitchen 7:30 p.m. Classified Ads . 11 Look for additional information about these and other events in this issue. 08-01/03 p 01-07 1/3/08 10:40 PM Page 2 2 January 3, 2008 Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY Sneaky Vegetables 20 Other Ideas CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Parents will appreciate the ProduceGuru’s list of “20 Fun Help Is Just a Click Away Ways to Help Kids Pack in For Coop members who More Produce.” Two top high- don’t want to invest in a lights from the list include trendy recipe book, there’s free using cookie cutters to make help available online. A new foods more appealing (works Web site called ProduceGu- great for fruit and soft vegeta- ru.com is a wealth of informa- bles) and substituting lettuce tion for information-starved wraps (try Boston lettuce—it parents. According to the Web wraps nicely) for tortillas. site, ProduceGuru.com has Navigating the site is fun and Coming Soon “the answer to all of your pro- easy and definitely pro- The newest duce-related parenting woes.” organics. The site offers free tips on issue of PHOTO BY WILLIAM FARRINGTON PHOTO eating well and improving Family Fun Phebe Palin, right, and her business partner Latham Community the family’s diet. ProduceGu- Panela Productions (co- Thomas with her son Fulano Librizzi at the Union Square Ties ru.com helps parents and owned by two certified Holis- Greenmarket.` children learn about different tic Health Counselors: Latham This is the long- types of fruits and vegetables Thomas and Prospect Heights awaited directory and investigate what it resident Phebe Palin) targets Sweet Lemongrass and cashew nuts and flax seed oil of neighborhood means to be organic. Pro- families trying to improve Lime Corn and stir in well. Serve with merchants offering duceGuru.com also provides their eating habits. From pri- (Serves 6, prep time 15 your choice of sweetener and exclusive discounts kid-friendly recipes featuring vate cooking parties to indi- minutes) pour over milk of choice. to Park Slope Food any and every type of fruit vidual pantry makeovers, they Thomas notes that hot Coop members. and veggie. Jackie Nigro (one can offer most families a bit of Ingredients cereal is a great way to get of the founders) offers up one help. Their number one tip: • 6 corn cobs or 2 bags of essential fats into a child’s of her favorite kid-pleasing Get the kids involved in the frozen corn meals. With the cold and flu By New Year’s Day, snacks: kitchen.