Kate's Global Kitchen: Trend Spotting 2009

the appetizer:

Kate covers a lot of ground for the New Year, with blogs about Hot Flavor Trends for 2009, What's Hot, What's Not in 2009, Six Ways to Shrink Your Cookprint, and A Green Monthly Planner for 2009, plus Winter Recipe suggestions.

Trend Spotting 2009

by Kate Heyhoe

Click back to my 2008 Trends—Backing Up and Shifting into Forward, and What's Hot, What's Not—Did anything ring a bell in your life? Lots of predictions proved true, and still continue this year. But rats! I didn't predict the global economic meltdown.

This year, my predictions are as much wishful thinking as they are educated guesses. We're entering an era of history-changing events. What will it be like to have the first non-white family in the White House? A pair of brainiac parents with kids so seemingly well-adjusted, you hate to imagine what life in the Presidential bubble might do to them.

The economy has self-destructed. Things are not going to get better overnight, so suck it up, accept the challenges and adjust your expectations. We may never in our lifetimes see the same level of conspicuous consumption (a good thing, actually, from a global warming perspective), but we can still make lemonade from lemons.

We can also make salads with flaxseed oil and plum vinegar, marinades with hibiscus, and ice cream with lavender essence—all part of my Trend Predictions for 2009.

Hot Flavor Trends for 2009

pomegranate

We'll be seeing more adventuresome combinations in 2009. Traditional chicken with tarragon will be brightened with kumquats. Cayenne and red chiles will spike up everything from desserts to cocktails to fish.

Fruits: Yuzu, tangerine, blood orange, grapefruit, acai, pomegranate, cherries. You'll see some in juice form and others as dried fruits, in savory and sweet dishes.

Chocolates: Fair trade dark chocolates continue their rapid rise, especially with sea salt and pomegranate additions.

Spices: Turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, cloves, Aleppo pepper, and warm blends like India's garam masala will travel cross-culturally.

Herbs and Florals: Exotic mints (apple, chocolate and other varieties), hibiscus, lavender, rosemary. Again, in savory, sweet and even cocktail recipes.

Vinegars and Oils: Infused vinegars and oils will shine with citrus (like blood orange), plum, and berry flavors. Balsamic vinegar will still be used, but not with the same sparkle, and white balsamic will move forward. Look for more flaxseed oil in salads, and avocado and toasted nut oils in all types of dishes.

What's Hot, What's Not in 2009

The "ins" and "outs" of the year ahead...



*What's Hot*	*What's Not*
Green products at competitive prices	Greenwashed products
Positive can-do thinking	Denial
Eco-Melding: economical and eco-friendly	Eco-Thrashing: overpriced and polluting
Green Patriots	Exxon, Fred Singer
CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture)	CAFOs (Confined Animal Feed Operations)
Probiotics with live cultures	"Probiotics" without live cultures
Ceramic nonstick cookware	Teflon
Glass storage containers and cookware	Plastic storage containers
Crockpots, rice cookers, handheld blenders	Salad shooters and frivolous appliances
Citizen activism	Cashing in
Repairing	Replacing
Made or grown in the USA	Made or grown in China
Brown bagging, with re-usable lunchbags	Lunches in disposable containers
Capturing water at the sink	Sending good water down the drain
Green as a mainstream way of life	Living like there's no tomorrow
Quinoa and other grains	Meat
Agave nectar and molasses	Corn syrup
Reusing everything	Conspicuous consumption
Local and domestic	Trucked in and imported
Green Collar Jobs	Outsourcing

New Year Resolutions
with Green Solutions:
Six Ways to Shrink Your Cookprint

Chill out. Hard times can lead to stress, but they can also illuminate the best in us, like compassion and empathy—not just from yourself, but from others. People will understand if you can't afford that over the top birthday or Christmas present. This year, my resolutions come with a proactive tint of green compassion.

Visit New Green Basics to read the rest of Six Ways to Shrink Your Cookprint

"Be the Change":
A Green Monthly Planner for 2009

Adopt one new green habit once a month, and keep it going all year long.

"You must be the change you want to see in the world," said Mahatma Ghandi. Even if the journey starts with baby steps, walk forward. Both Obama and McCain ran on platforms of "change." If change is what you really want, take ownership: start making changes at home and in your own life.

Visit New Green Basics to read the full Green Monthly Planner for 2009

Danish Omelette