At Wild Oats, we look for any excuse to break out a bag of our organic tortilla chips. That’s why we’ve had tomorrow, aka “National Tortilla Chips Day”, marked on our calendars for weeks. Whether we’re cravings spicy, mild or even sweet, we can pop open a jar (or two) of delicious Wild Oats salsa.

Lately we’ve been loving the Organic Mild Salsa Verde and are about to head out to Walmart to stock up for tomorrow’s snack time. But we want to know, how you’ll celebrate? Which is your favorite Wild Oats chip and salsa pairing? Head on over to our Facebook or Twitter and answer by 8:59 p.m.PT/11:59 p.m. ET to win Wild Oats prize pack. Rules; bit.ly/1DoNN9U

I had the opportunity to travel to Argentina and Uruguay this week to meet with ranchers to talk about grass-fed meat, organic agriculture and a host of other topics.

But one of the most fascinating parts of the trip was right beneath my feet…grass. One day, my business partner, Anthony, and I were guests at a barbecue at a large estancia (ranch) in the heart of Uruguay. After enjoying a feast of roasted lamb, beef and sausages, our host Ediguardo took us into the pastures to see his herd of red Angus cattle. He had reason to be proud. The cows and calves were all sleek and content.

That’s when I had a chance to really look at the grass.

In some respects, it’s vastly different from the grasses on the eastern Colorado ranch where my bison graze. The pasture in Uruguay was a thick mat of grass, with a few broadleaf plants mixed in. There, one acre of grass can sustain a mother cow and calf. Even though cattle and bison require the same amount of feed per animal, one acre of pasture in Uruguay sustains a cow, while my bison must roam across 35 acres for the same amount of feed. The difference: rainfall and climate.

Even though these rangelands differ, they are two elements in a vital part of our world called the grassland ecosystem. Uruguay is part of the Pampas region. Eastern Colorado: the shortgrass prairie. In Africa, it’s called the savanna; in Russia, the steppes. Call it what you will, these grasslands are a vital element in capturing carbon from the air and returning it to the soil. That, in turn, helps mitigate the climate change that now has scientists worried.

And, these diverse grasslands have one more element in common. They require interaction with grazing animals to maintain their health. Grazing animals like cattle and bison. The grasses in the Pampas, prairie Steppes and Savannahs all evolved under grazing by these animals.

Grazing will keep those grasslands healthy for years to come.

I love a warming rustic pasta dish on a cold winter’s night. Kale is a hearty, super nutritious green that can hold it’s own against the strong flavors of tomato sauce and sausage. Kale is rich in vitamin K, beta carotene, vitamin C and calcium, and tomato sauce contains cancer fighting, immune boosting antioxidants.

And, who doesn’t love any excuse to add cheese to pasta? Eating cheese is another delicious way to bump up your daily calcium intake. BOOM.

For the pasta:

• ½ cup cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons organic butter
• ½ box Wild Oats rotini pasta

For the sauce:

• 2 cooked sausages, mild or spicy, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups organic kale, cut into bite sized pieces
• ¼ cup pasta water taken from boiling pasta
• 2 tablespoons Wild Oats organic extra virgin olive oil
• ½ jar Wild Oats brand pasta sauce
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• Directions:

Cook pasta according to box directions.

Add olive oil to a sauce pan over medium high heat. Add kale and the boiling pasta water. Sautee kale until water evaporates and kale starts to brown slightly. Add sliced sausage and sautee for a couple of minutes. Stir in Wild Oats pasta sauce of your choosing.

When pasta is finished, return cooked pasta to pan and stir in butter and cheese.

Top cheesy pasta with sauced up sausage and braised kale.

Today, February 19, is the beginning of the Chinese New Year. Across the globe, festivities have been underway for weeks to usher in the year of the Wood Sheep (or Goat, depending on your translation). Wherever you might be, there are tasty treats to be had, fireworks to ahhh over, and gold coins in red envelopes to gift the kids in your life. If you have access to a lantern festival, do try and attend- it a beautiful sight. As an added bonus to Westerners, Chinese New Year’s gives us a handy reboot for all our 2015 goals.

Many traditions surrounding this day are excellent ways to kick off the New Year in style:

• Start the year with a clean house
• Make sure your entry way is clean, clear and inviting!
• Settle unfinished business
• Resolve any unsettled quarrels with friends or outstanding debts
• Eat some dumplings (who doesn’t like dumplings?)
• Pick up some lucky plants
• Wear red underwear for luck (sure, why not?)

A major theme here is “out with old, in with the new.” If you’ve been looking for some design inspiration, take a look at the principles of feng shui; start with the basics, or check out some 2015-specific tips. Try it out for career success, attracting love, enhancing your health, and attracting positive energy. Drawing out a Bagua is a great way to get to know your space and identify stagnant areas (I’m looking at you, stash-drawers and forgotten cupboards). Whether you chalk it up to clearing room for positive energy to flow, or the relief of having no chores lurking in the wings, the benefits can be abundant. (I myself, a tidy-person-in-progress, have grown somewhat superstitious about chores- it seems every time I make a sweeping improvement, the phone rings off the hook with new opportunities.)

For lovers of astrology, horoscopes and predictions for the year abound-from financial tips to overviews, sign-specific to reminders of what each sign means and beyond. There are even guides for how to consider your chinese sign while planning your feng shui makeover. Lovers of history and mythology might take this invitation to dive into the wonderful world of Chinese lore.

However you spend your day, I hope a bit of the New Year’s magic rubs off on you- I, for one, will be chowing down on some dim sum (after brushing up on my etiquette, of course!)

If you’ve never tried garam masala, you should! What is garam masala? It is an iconic blend of several different spices used in many Indian and Asian dishes. And it can turn an ordinary dish into a magical delight for the senses.

Garam masala is a unique combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, mace, peppercorns, coriander and cumin. The word garam translates to mean heat. But this spice blend isn’t hot in the same way cayenne pepper is hot. Rather, heat in this instance means that the spices raise the heat of the body, increasing metabolism.

What’s so wonderful about garam masala is that this interesting grouping of spices play so well together! They are a perfect compliment to each other, bringing out complexity in foods that might otherwise seem pedestrian. Cinnamon adds subtle sweetness, peppercorns adds a bit of heat, nutmeg brings complexity, lemony coriander adds interesting texture.

You might try garam masala rubbed on meat or dusted over cooked veggies. I’ve even seen recipes for cookies using the blend. My favorite use for garam masala at the moment is adding it to soups and stews. It adds a subtle, but complex, undertone to something as simple as chicken soup, elevating it to the gourmet.

Garam masala is usually added at the end of a dish, applied with a light hand as a finishing touch. But chefs are beginning go a bit bolder with their use of garam masala. It’s not uncommon to see it used in marinades, salad dressings and even in baked dishes such as bread. So try stirring a teaspoon — or if you’re brave, a tablespoon — into your next chicken soup or curry dish. And be prepared to say, “wow!”

You can find garam masala at most grocery store or online. But if you’re looking to try to make your own garam masala spice mix from scratch, you’ll find as many recipes as there are leaves on the trees. Different regions and different cooks have perfected their own version of the quintessential spice. Some will add more cumin or more cinnamon, even saffron.

Once you try garam masala, you’ll find endless ways to use it, and enjoy it.

Here are a few links to some garam masala recipes from around the web to get you started.

Garam Masala recipe from aboutfood

Garam Masala recipe from Food Network