Seasonal Star: Asparagus

Happy spring! It’s time for planting flowers, enjoying the sunshine on our faces, and discovering all the fresh and yummy produce that’s becoming available as local farmer’s markets open up for the season.

We're celebrating the renewal of the season and our senses with asparagus. This super-healthy and versatile veggie is rich in vitamins A (good for the eyes) and K (important for bone health) as well as folate (to prevent heart disease and birth defects).

Look for signs of freshness when you buy asparagus: bright green stalks and tight tops. Thickness of the stalk is just a matter of preference; you can easily peel and trim any tough, woody stems. Asparagus is best when eaten within 1 or 2 days of purchase.

No matter how you prepare it—sautéed, roasted, steamed, grilled—asparagus is a delicious and easy way to celebrate springtime. Try this quick recipe for garlicky asparagus, and then check out this mouth-watering slideshow for even more recipes and pictures that look good enough to eat!
 
Did you know? 

• Asparagus is part of the lily family (so are onions and garlic!)
• The name asparagus is from the Greek word aspharagos meaning “sprout”
• Asparagus can grow up to 10 inches in a 24-hour period!

May Community Calendar

May is shaping up to be an eventful month! Here are some events we're excited about in our community:

Every Friday
Rutgers Gardens Farmers Market
12:00 - 5:00 pm
Rutgers Gardens, 112 Ryder's Lane, New Brunswick, NJ.
The mission of the Rutgers Gardens Farmers Market is to provide the local community, including residents, students, university faculty and staff, University Dining, and restaurants the opportunity to experience and purchase fresh, locally grown and/or prepared food products.
Most of your favorite vendors will be returning along with some new exciting vendors. Here is just a sample:
Bakers Bounty - cakes, pies, cookies
Bamboo Hollow Apiaries- honey and bees wax products
Charley's Organic Toffee - unique toffee candy
Donna and Company - artisanal chocolates
Jacqueline Mazza - seasonal stuffed pretzels
Roaming Acres Farm - bison and ostrich meat


Friday, May 4, 2012
Lets Start a Prairie Fire
A benefit to support the Prairiefyre Time Exchange
A community movement in honor of Leigh Davis
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Reformed Church of Highland Park, 19 S. 2nd Ave., Highland Park, NJ
The Time Exchange brings people together to share their time and talents to build a new, more equitable economy and stronger community.
Dinner & Music; Childcare available.
Free!


Saturday, May 5, 2012
"Get Your Garden Started" Day & Plant Sale
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
EARTH Center, Davidson's Mill Pond Park, 42 Riva Ave., North Brunswick, NJ.
Celebrate National Herb Day; Consult with Master Gardeners; Take home fact sheets.
Plants for sale include; heirloom tomatoes, perennials & annuals, flowering vines, ornamental grasses, and culinary herbs & vegetables for your garden.
Don’t forget your plant wagon.
Free.


Monday, May 7, 2012
ECOCULTURE - Sustainability Study Group
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Raices Cultural Center, 100 Jersey Ave., C-108, New Brunswick, NJ
(Inside the New Brunswick Technology Center)
"Growing sustainable roots for a sustainable future."
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. Join Raices Cultural Center to explore and discuss the essential role that sustainable living plays in the preservation of culture and of life itself. These study group meetings are open to the public and intend to provoke critical analysis, exploration and dialogue in the field of sustainability.
$3 donation to Raices Cultural Center.


Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Attracting Birds and Butterflies to Your Garden
6:30 pm
EARTH Center, Davidson's Mill Pond Park, 42 Riva Ave., North Brunswick, NJ.
Learn plants & features to make your yard a haven for winged wildlife.
$20 per person.
To register, call (732)398-5262. (May 7th registration deadline)


Wednesday, May 16, 2012
"Food Matters"
Part of the "Food For Thought" Community Film Series
6:00 pm
Promise Culinary School, 211 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, NJ
Free soup dinner and childcare available.
Cosponsored by our friends at Elijah's Promise, Rutgers CESEP, the Ralph W. Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement, NJ PolicyOptions, the Unity Square Partnership, and Food and Water Watch.


Thursday, May 17, 2012
Meals on Wheels in Greater New Brunswick's Wine Tasting
6:00 - 8:00 pm
St. Paul the Apostle Church (Parish Hall), 502 Raritan Ave., Highland Park, NJ
(Parking lot accessible at 23 S. 5th Ave.)
Meals on Wheels in Greater New Brunswick has been serving the homebound, infirm and at-risk adults in New Brunswick and Highland Park for over 35 years.
$40 per person includes wine tasting and light hors d'oeuvres.
For tickets or more information, contact Meals on Wheels at (732)249-3488 or mowgnb@aol.com.


Friday, May 18, 2012
Dancing in the Park
A dance party and fundraiser for Who Is My Neighbor? Inc.
8:00 - 11:00 pm
IM Gallery, 235 Raritan Ave., Highland Park, NJ
Featuring DJ Jeff Zajac
$25 advance / $30 at the door, refreshments included.
For tickets or more information, visit www.whoismyneighbor.net or call Lara at (732)379-0897.


Saturday, May 19, 2012
Main Street Highland Park Planting Day
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Each May, Main Street organizes and sponsors a PLANTING DAY along Raritan and Woodbridge Avenues. Main Street Highland Park contracts with local landscapers and volunteers to plant and maintain the beautiful planters along Raritan and Woodbridge Avenues, as well as those in the “Doughboy” Park. This year there will be a total of 110 planters.
Volunteers fertilize and prepare the soil and spread out across the downtown bringing a touch of color to the streets.
For more information or to volunteer, come in person to the Main Street Highland Park office at 212 Raritan Ave., Highland Park, NJ, after 10:00 am.


Sunday, May 20, 2012
Highland Park Street Fair
11:00 am - 4:30 pm
The 22nd Annual Highland Park Street Fair is one of Highland Park's signature events. The Street Fair features something for everyone. It has Crafters, Vendors, Artists, Music, Food, Games, Pony Rides, a Petting Zoo and Inflatable Rides.
Admission is free.
For more information, contact Main Street Highland Park at (732) 828-8444.






 

Mardi Gras Menu!

Today Better World Cafe is celebrating Mardi Gras with some themed dishes!

Soups:
~  Seafood Gumbo made by our Chef Leslie's sister Jersey J! There'll also be flyers there in case you just can't get enough of her tasty gumbo and need to place a special order

Salads:
~ Better World Salad (v)
~ Roasted rutabaga with a lemon-cider dressing
~ Thai peanut with pineapple, tofu and a fish sauce dressing

Sandwiches:
~ Muffaletta - a New Orleans special!
~ Asparagus and mushroom wrap

Desserts:
~ Jacqueline's own peanut butter cup, chocolate chip cookie creation
~ GIANT chocolate chip cookies
~ Bread pudding
~ Almond cookies
~ Pavlova (a meringue-based dessert topped with strawberries)
 
Drinks:
~ Hot and iced coffee and tea

As usual, selections can vary by availability so ask about any additions/changes if you're calling to place a take out order at 732-510-1572. Thanks!

Today's menu and a hint of what's to come

Since February is Black History Month, Better World Cafe will be getting into the spirit with African and African-American themed dishes!


Today features a soup from our own Chef Leslie. It's her North Carolina family tradition going back 100 years where they grew their own vegetables and put them up for the winter. Then after the holidays, using the leftover turkey from the previous feast, the well-preserved vegetables (green and lima beans) are added to a savory tomato base to make a flavorful reminder-of-summer soup.

Here is the rest of today's menu:


Specials/Entrees:
~ British pasties (turnovers filled with potatoes and other veg)
~ Pork platter topped with a rosemary pan sauce, mashed potatoes and our own homemade applesauce
~ Pasta with mushroom cream sauce

Soups:
~  Leslie's special North Carolina family turkey vegetable

Salads:
~ Better World Salad (v)
~ Roasted bosc pear with feta, candied walnuts and apple cider dressing


Sandwiches:
~ Corned Beef
~ Kitchen Sink Burrito
~ Turkey

Desserts:
~ Layer cake with caramel icing
~ Chocolate chip, pecan, raisin cookies
~ Banana bread
 
Drinks:
~ Hot and iced coffee and tea

As usual, selections can vary by availability so ask about any additions/changes if you're calling to place a take out order at 732-510-1572. Thanks!

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT - Michael

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Name: Michael

How long have you been volunteering here? Since May, so about six months.

Why Better World Cafe? How did you end up volunteering here? My mom goes to church here so she's familiar with what's going on in the church community. She told me that the Cafe had volunteer opportunities in exchange for meals. I came here to volunteer once, the meal was great, I enjoyed it, and they asked if I'd like to start coming in regularly. I said that'd be great. I've been here ever since, and I love it. And it's for a good cause and is doing something good for the community. I support Elijah's Promise, as well.

What's your favorite part of volunteering here? I like working with the people here, both the management and the customers. As someone with a mental illness, the management has been great about understanding my needs. That's really important to me. They're willing to take anyone and work with them. 

I also like having a routine in my week, which volunteering here gives me. 

What's your favorite thing on the menu? The Better World Salad is awesome. It's a staple and it's always good. I get it every time I come here and I'm satisfied completely. It's a meal in and of itself. The Indian and Mexican dishes we serve are also really good.

What's your passion? I like to read (I'm studying English and might add a second major in philosophy). I love thinking about the most important questions, and that's how I spend the majority of my waking hours. I want to be as honest with myself about those questions as I can.

Anything else you'd like to say? I enjoy getting to know other volunteers. It's been a real pleasure. Anyone I've really talked to here I've really liked. The cafe is a wonderful thing in this community especially for the opportunities it gives people to volunteer. You can use volunteering here as a job reference or a as great transition from not working to working.

Volunteer Spotlight - Andrew

Name: Andrew

How long have you been volunteering here? About 6 or 7 months. Since around the beginning of April.

How did you end up volunteering here? I was recovering from an illness and I had a doctor who recommended it to me as something productive to do once a week. It makes me feel better and it's good for my health. I feel more on my feet and totally ready to get a real job now, so I'm thankful for that.

I graduated from Rutgers and went to medical school before I got sick. Now, being back here and working at the cafe, I'm feeling much better .

What's your favorite part of volunteering here?  I'm usually with a different volunteer every week so I get to meet new people all the time. It's nice to meet new people and also reconnect with old people I know. I mostly work the grill and with the sandwich press. They kind of found my niche, it works out well for me. I do everything out front, though: working with salads, soups, sandwiches, and greeting the customers. Some people here prefer to work in the back but I prefer to work in the front with the customers.

What's your favorite thing on the menu? The turkey sandwiches are really good. I just went on a cruise to the Bahamas and I don't want to say the food was bad, but I kept thinking to myself that the food here was much better.

Anything else you'd like to say? I feel a sense of community when I come here to Highland Park. The management is great in guiding me. I keep learning how to do everything better. I've even trained other volunteers.

People come for different reasons. Some people just get the complimentary and seem to appreciate having a free lunch, they're very thankful. I've noticed most people pay the suggested price, and more than half give more than they're asked to. I was very surprised by that.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT - Delisa

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Name: Delisa

How long have you been volunteering here? Since September, so about three months.

Why Better World Cafe? / How did you end up volunteering here? I'm a student at Democracy House at Middlesex County College. We have community partners for service opportunities, and I picked Better World Cafe because it's convenient for me and it fits my class schedule.

What's your favorite part of volunteering here? I like the people. Everyone's nice.

What do you normally do? I serve food.

What's your favorite thing on the menu? I just tried the Senegalese stew and I really like it. You can taste the peanut butter but there's also chili powder and other flavors.

Anything else you'd like to say? The cafe is a small, friendly and calm environment.