Project 266: Food Bloggers Against Hunger

I know where my next meal is coming from. I can afford to buy it AND pay my rent AND pay my electric bill. In the land of the free and the home of the brave 1 out of 4 kids do not know where their next meal will come from -  or when.

The Giving Table  is a platform for food bloggers to voice concerns about the state of food in America. Today, April 8, over two hundred food bloggers via, Food Bloggers Against Hunger, are saying this is unacceptable. Everybody needs to eat. 

Here are some ways you can learn more and participate. Watch A Place At The Table, a documentary film by Directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush. In this film they "examine the issue of hunger in America through the lens of three people struggling with food insecurity: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother who grew up in poverty and is trying to provide a better life for her two kids; Rosie, a Colorado fifth-grader who often has to depend on friends and neighbors to feed her and has trouble concentrating in school; and Tremonica, a Mississippi second-grader whose asthma and health issues are exacerbated by the largely empty calories her hardworking mother can afford.

Ultimately, A Place at the Table shows us how hunger poses serious economic, social and cultural implications for our nation, and that it could be solved once and for all, if the American public decides — as they have in the past — that making healthy food available and affordable is in the best interest of us all."

You can rent it for your Kindle from Amazon or iTunes. Find out if you can view the film in a theater where you live. Be sure to let your representatives in the Senate and the House know how you feel. Heck, these days you can do this from your phone using Twitter. And don't forget to get the facts from A Place At The Table's Facebook Page. 

When money is tight fresh vegetables seem like a luxury. One way to soften the blow is to watch for the sales and then make the most of what you buy. This makes me think of bell peppers, typically way too expensive to consider as a staple - without spending too much of your hard-earned cash

I really love roasted peppers but the price is outrageous. If you think peppers are expensive per pound in the produce section, try paying $5 or more for an 8 ounce jar. But when peppers go on sale or you can find them in the $1 bin, you can roast your own and be in pepper heaven.

I read the store flyers and when peppers are on sale 10 for $10 I scoop them up. A buck a piece is hard to beat. Some stores have reduced price produce. Always check. Grocery stores only want the prettiest produce on display so perfectly good produce often winds up on the reduced price rack. 

Once you’ve scored your discount peppers, bring them home and wash them. Set an oven rack on the highest slot. Place a sheet of foil or a cookie sheet on the rack right below to catch the juices that will drip as the peppers roast.

Simply place the peppers right under the broiler coils and wait. I often leave the oven door ajar but you can close it too to speed up the process. Do not go talk to a neighbor or jump in the shower or sit down to watch TV while you have peppers under the broiler. You don’t need to stand by the oven but you need to be close by. Check the peppers every few minutes. When one side gets charred, take a pair of tongs and carefully turn the pepper onto the other side. Do this until the skin on all sides is charred.

Remove them from the oven and set them all in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a big plate or a pot lid to let the peppers steam in their own heat. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them and pull out the stem and the seeds. Don’t rinse - you will wash away the flavor. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container. Or freeze them. I do this all the time. A few bags of roasted peppers in the freezer gives you vegetables on demand. I freeze them in freezer zipper bags with wax paper between them so I can pull out just what I need. 

Having your own roasted peppers on hand is a delicious delight. I love them on sandwiches, especially fried egg sandwiches. On top of a toasted slice of whole wheat bread put a slice of your favorite cheese. On top of the cheese placed a big slice of roasted pepper. On top of the pepper slide on a fried egg. A sprinkle of salt and pepper and you are all set. A great breakfast, lunch or dinner.