Go Green — Make a Salad With the Rinehardt Family’s Favorite Salad Dressing
LAWYERS ON THE FOREFRONT OF THE BATTLE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Robert Bilott: The Real Lawyer Behind the Movie ‘Dark Water’ Every year on Earth Day, people celebrate the beautiful natural environments that we get to enjoy as well as raise awareness for the preservation and protection of those environments for decades to come. The fight to protect the environment, and the people who depend on it for their livelihood, includes activists, government organizations, and nonprofits — and lawyers. Lawyers might not be the first people who come to mind when you think of who’s fighting on the front lines for environmental preservation. However, former corporate lawyer Robert Bilott’s class-action lawsuit filed against DuPont, one of the most powerful chemical companies in the United States, shows that lawyers can majorly impact the fight for better environmental regulation. Robert Bilott began his crusade against DuPont after agreeing to represent a Parkersburg, West Virginia, farmer and his family in a lawsuit against the chemical behemoth as a favor to his grandmother, who also lived in Parkersburg. They claimed that DuPont was causing them and their livestock to get sick by contaminating the water. As Bilott dug into the case, he made some startling discoveries. Eventually, he found that DuPont was irresponsibly disposing of chemicals known as PFAS and PFOAS, sets of “forever chemicals” that never break down, in the Ohio River. PFAS and PFOAS have been linked to cancer and other diseases, and several thousand people living along the Ohio River may have been exposed. Bilott settled the first case and, abhorred by what he found, kept pushing forward, representing more and more people hurt by DuPont. In 2017, he won $670 million for 3,500 people. However, that victory was about more than just getting compensation for people who may have been hurt by the contamination. The money also funded a study that tested the drinking water of 70,000 residents of West Virginia and Ohio. The study linked PFOA exposure to a number of diseases, including thyroid disease and testicular and kidney cancer. The findings of these studies have the potential to bring about environmental regulation of these dangerous chemicals. So far, however, no regulations exist. So, the fight for environmental protection continues.
The Rinehardts love a good salad, and the key to making a good salad is having a delicious dressing. This is our favorite salad dressing recipe. It can be modified in many ways depending on the ingredients you are putting in your salad or the meal it is accompanying. It is best made in a blender, but a food processor or a whisk and some muscle will work, too. If you are making the dressing by hand, be sure to add the oil VERY gradually and keep whisking the entire time — even when your arm gets tired! The basic ratio is 1 to 3, meaning one part vinegar and three parts oil. The measurements below can be modified to make the amount of dressing you want; just make sure to keep the ratio at 1 to 3.
INGREDIENTS
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1/4 cup vinegar (balsamic, champagne, red wine, or our favorite — O citrus champagne vinegar) 2 tbsp sweetener (honey, pure maple syrup, or agave) 2 tbsp mustard (Dijon, coarse ground, or honey mustard — but
with honey mustard, eliminate the sweetener, and increase mustard to 3 tbsp) Generous pinch or two of kosher salt or sea salt Fresh ground pepper to taste 3/4 cup oil (extra-virgin olive oil, pure olive oil, or canola oil)
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DIRECTIONS
1. Combine vinegar, sweetener, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender, food processor, or mixing bowl. With the motor running (or while whisking), gradually add the oil in a slow steady stream.
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE SALAD INGREDIENTS
—Roasted red peppers and onions Slice, toss with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then roast in a 400-degree oven until brown and crispy (about 20 minutes). —Roasted shitake mushrooms Slice thin, toss with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then roast in an oven at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. —Fresh corn Microwave in the husk for 2 minutes. Carefully shuck, and then cut the corn off the cob.
—Avocado These can be sliced, or diced, and then salted.
—Slow-roasted grape tomatoes Cut tomatoes in half, toss with olive oil, place on parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, then bake in a 275-degree oven for about an hour.
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