from sprouts to supper

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

2012-02-09T22:56:00.000-05:00

Catchy title huh? That’s the name of a book I plan on reading some day. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner everyone is talking about love. But are we all really living a life of love? Yes, you love your family and friends (I hope!) and that’s very important.

Photo: Stuart Miles

What about the rest of your life? Do you love:

Yourself?
Getting up in the morning?
Your job?
Your exercise routine?
Your home life?
Your sex life?

Do you have a passion for something that would require a major life change? What’s holding you back?

Photo: hinnamsaisuy

Is it fear of:

Upsetting the status quo?
Not making a living?
Challenging yourself?
Challenging others?

Enter that fabulous book tittle: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. Sometimes in life you have to say WTF and just do it. Sometimes just asking nicely for the the things you want can work for you, you will be surprised at how often it happens. There is also something to be said about the laws of attraction. Ever notice when you feel good about yourself you attract the right kind of people. Tell me on those days do you feel fearless?

Windowsill Garden and Cooking Demo

2012-02-02T23:47:00.002-05:00

We have quite the little windowsill garden growing. It all started with scallions that Jared put into water.

Then it was some celery

And then it was some bok choy

I think it's pretty cool, he has a few other root things growing that have nice green leaves on top.

This would be a fun project to do with kids since you see pretty quick results. That celery was from a week or 2 ago. The first celery he did is now in a pot with dirt.

We also have a lettuce going, basil and some dandelions.

This was also a very exciting weekend, on Sunday I did my very first cooking demo! I had to submit a YouTube video of a cooking demo for an application to a program I want to get into. So here is the full length version, the version I submitted had to be less than 5 min:

And here's the recipe:

Dill Cashew Cheese

2 cups soaked cashews
juice of 2 lemons
7 probiotic capsules opened
¼ cup water

Soak cashew for at least 4 hours then rinse and drain. Blend the cashews, lemon juice, and probiotic powder. Add water 1 tbsp at a time until it has the consistency of cream cheese. Put the mixture in a strainer (a nut milk bag or paint strainer is perfect) in a sieve and leave it in a bowl. Give it a little squeeze to get any excess water out and let sit at room temp with a towel covering it for 10 - 24 hours. Chill for at least 2 hours and mix in chopped dill or any other dried or fresh herbs you like.

Diabetes

2012-01-26T22:58:00.000-05:00

Diabetes has been on the minds of a lot of people lately, most notably Paula Deen. Last week there was a bit of a hubbub over Deen’s coming out about her diabetes. I have to admit that I agree with her critics, probably the only thing I will agree with Anthony Bourdain on, for slamming her. No matter how you look at it, she was knowingly peddling the same food that most likely made her sick. And she did it for 3 years.

Diabetes is no joke though.

According to the American Diabetes Association’s 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 25.8 million children and adults in the US have diabetes. In addition there are 79 million people with prediabetes. Add that up my friends and it equals a full third of the US population. And if you’re wondering how much of that is people with Type 1 Diabetes, formerly know as Juvenile Diabetes, that’s only 5% of this group.

A full third of the country with the increased risk of the following complications due to their diabetes:

Heart disease and stroke
High blood pressure
Blindness
Kidney disease
Nervous system disease (Neuropathy)
Amputation

What does that translate to? Oh about $218 BILLION back in 2007.

Back to Paula, instead of making a slow and gradual change to a healthier diet - come on in 3 years she could have gone raw vegan and people wouldn’t have noticed. Seriously though, In that time she could have helped her fans adopt healthier eating habits and by doing it slowly they would have a better chance of succeeding and making it a real lifestyle change.

Shame on you Paula, I’m not going to talk about the Novo Nordisk Victoza deal because I understand a girl has to make a living... but at what price?

That's what it looks like while you're adding the mashed layer

Wolf in Shepherd's Pie Clothing

5 med potatoes cubed
2 acorn squashes, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
3 tsp coconut oil divided
1 onion chopped
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 can Eden Organic adzuki beans drained
1 can Eden Organic navy beans drained
1 cup dried mushrooms (can also use fresh) chopped
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp organic soy sauce or liquid aminos (Bragg's or coconut)
1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning blend
1/2 tsp thyme
3 tbsp arrowroot with water to dissolve
1 12-oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables (if it has corn make sure it's organic and non GMO)
2 slices of whole grain bread toasted
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Dice the potatoes and peel, chop de-seed the acorn squash. Roast until soft about 40 - 60 min.

While the veggies are roasting heat 1 tsp of coconut oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook until soft then add the garlic. Cook for a few minutes making sure not to burn the garlic. Add in all of the beans, the mushrooms, 1/4 cup purified water, the soy sauce or liquid aminos, the thyme and pepper to taste. Simmer until the mushrooms are soft. In a bowl mix the 3 tablespoons of arrowroot in enough water to dissolve and add to bean mixture. Once it is well incorporated add the frozen vegetables and let simmer for another 5 minutes and shut off heat.

In a mini chopper or food processor process the toasted bread slices into breadcrumbs. If you don't get a cup's worth then toast more bread and repeat.

In a large bowl combine the potatoes, acorn squashes, 1 tsp coconut oil, almond milk, the 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. With an immersion blender blend until smooth, you can also transfer to a blender or use a potato ricer or masher.

To assemble:

Grease a casserole dish with the remaining coconut oil and line the bottom with the breadcrumbs. Then layer in the bean mixture and cover with the mashed potato/acorn squash mixture. Bake for 40 minutes at 400 until the top layer has a golden color to it.

I like to eat this with nutritional yeast and sriracha sauce. YUM!

Variation: Use lentils, black beans or kidney beans.
Serves 6 - 8 small bowls
Cook time 90 min
Equipment: Large sauce pan, casserole dish, hand blender or blender, mini chopper or food processor

Unplugged

2012-01-19T19:13:00.002-05:00

A colleague of mine suggested or rather challenged me to unplug for 24 hours. I was complaining that I wasn't getting great sleep and felt like my brain was on overload. So she wanted to see if unplugging would calm the mind. For 24 hours I was going to give up my iPhone, iPad, computer and TV. Yes TV too!

We picked January 16th since it was a holiday and would be an easy day to be unavailable. I was OK going without the gadgets, I wasn't too gadget heavy during my holiday break but the thought of no TV was tough. My favorite way to spend a holiday is in front of the TV cuddling on the couch with the boys and Lola in my lap.

I decided to create a plan beforehand to make sure that my day was full. I had a list! I also had a list of things to do when I was back online, wow you don't realize just how plugged In you really are until you lose it.

Back to my list:
Cleaning
Reading
Vision board

Cleaning up after our annual Regifting party was a no-brainer. Catching up on some reading was pretty obvious too but the one thing that I saved for my unplug day was my vision board.

I really enjoyed working on it. I was also able to go through a few more magazines and add more photos. The images are really in categories: mind/body; healthy food; learning and the world. To show mind/body I have plenty of meditation and yoga photos, even a set of great abs. The healthy food is pretty obvious, beautiful photos of food I love, including coconuts which I intend to conquer this year, that means open a young Thai one myself. I also included ads from the Natural Gourmet Institute and Living Light to continue my education. I included images of the world and beautiful places. I think to fully live life you have to be aware of the world out there. And while I accept that my lifestyle sometimes strays from the average I am very aware that there is an entire world out there waiting for me.

As you can see I still have open space on my vision board. Like me it's still a work in progress. I won't know what I will be adding until I see it and it resonates with me. But you better believe it's going to be something good. I just hope I don't wait until I unplug again to find out.

Gadget-free Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl with a spoon mash up the avocado, mix in the condiments and juice and add salt and pepper to taste.

Cleanse-Worthy

2012-01-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I lead a group cleanse, it was a 5-day cleanse that is now morphing into a 21 day cleanse for a couple of us. I like to cleanse. The first one I ever did almost 2 years ago resulted in my going vegan. I felt so good that I didn’t see the point in adding back the animal products. My last cleanse helped reduce my 2 biggest nemeses: Alcohol (aka wine and beer) and Gluten (aka lots of bread, especially Jared’s homemade)

The cleanse that I am doing now has me looking at food in 2 categories: Cleanse-Worthy and Not Cleanse-Worthy. I try to stick to the cleanse-worthy foods. It’s not easy though, my beloved raw cacao with it’s caffeine is not cleanse-worthy. I did for the first time have a square and a half tonight of the Endangered Species chocolate (72%) meh, I don't know if I am a raw chocolate snob or what but it really didn't do anything for me. I much prefer the nibs on a bowl of fruit, in a smoothie, raw desserts or even in baked goods.

Also since this was a bit of an adrenal cleanse I removed oranges and bananas, well it’s day 6 and I am adding back in oranges or at least seeing how they make me feel. The one I am eating right now is not yet half way through and already making me feel stuffed... it’s not a very good one either so it’s not making want to finish it.

There are a couple of cleanse-worthy foods that I haven’t had like grains and beans. I'm trying a more raw approach this time around and it’s working well. I have to admit I do feel better not having them, however, I am concerned about eliminating them entirely as they do have their health benefits. I think if I make one of my one-pot meals and add a cup a day to a salad it would be OK. Since these are foods I tend to overeat it will help to control portions.

Here’s a lovely cleanse-worthy dish:

Zucchini Noodles with Mushroom Sauce

2 Small Zucchinis Spiralized or Julienne Cut on a Mandolin

Mushroom Sauce:

3 Carrots,
5 -6 White Mushrooms
1/4 Red Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
2 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds (Unsoaked)
1/4 cup Almonds (Unsoaked)
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp Udo's Omega 3 Oil
1 - 2 tbsps Fresh Basil Chopped
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tbsp Tahini
1 cup Grape Tomatoes Chopped
1/2 cup Olives Chopped
1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
Water to thin
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put everything from the carrots to the tahini in the food processor and process until smooth. Mix in the tomatoes, olives and fennel seeds. Add water to thin out to desired consistency. Mix well with noodles and serve.

Holiday Gift Ideas $25 and under

2011-12-05T15:45:00.031-05:00

I can't believe the year is almost over. I feel like I just did last year's Holiday Guide. Low budget doesn't have to mean low WOW factor, here are a few ideas for those that are thrifty yet thoughtful!

Live Butterfly Garden

I don't understand why there is a photo of 2 kids on this package because this would be great for anyone of any age. I mean really who wouldn't love to have a gaggle of butterflies flitting about. Especially for those of us with gardens, they can make great pollinators!

$14.25

Recycled Glass Big Bowl Glasses

Recycled Glass Big Bowl Glasses

These pretty glasses are perfect for that stylish eco-minded friend. They can sip organic sulfite free wine while watching the butterflies flittering about.

$24 for a set of 2

Recycled Keyboard Frame

Recycled Keyboard Frame

For the tech lover in your life this 4x6 frame is a great gift. You can give it to them with a photo already in there to remind them that there's life in the meat space - j/k, but not really.

$16.50

Softest Hands Kit

Softest Hands Kit

I'm a big fan of 100% Pure products and absolutely love their hand creams so I was thrilled to see this hand cream set. I know where I would keep my 4: computer, purse, work desk, night table.

$22 for the gift set of 4

Davidson's Tea

Davidson's Tea Bulk, Classic Chai

For the tea snob in your life delight them with a pound of organic chai tea from Davidson's Tea. Chai not their thing? No worries, they have a huge variety teas to choose from.

$13.50 for 1lb

Moleskine Sketch Book

Moleskine Sketch Book

I love pretty notebooks. Moleskine books are one of the best out there. They're durable and make you look good. This notebook is a sketch book but can also double as a journal - you can use it to skournal!

$20.25

Donations
Not really sure what to give the person that has everything - how about giving in their name.

Farm Sanctuary

Bat Conservation International

Children's Defense Fund

Environmental Defense Fund

Lighthouse International

International Rescue Committee

Physicians for Social Responsibility

For more top rated charities go to: Charitywatch.org

Honorable Mentions
While these items are a little over budget I thought they were neat enough to include:

Wine Bottle Tumblers

Upcycled Recycled Glass Wine Bottle ... FOUR Tumblers made from Reused Repurposed Bottles with blue

$36

Davidson's Organic Tea Sampler

$25.95

Ventricle Vessel

Ventricle Vessel

Price: TBD Custom Made

Agate Coasters

Agate Coasters

$65

You are only as old as you feel!

2011-11-22T20:27:00.000-05:00

I had a milestone birthday last week. I can look at it 2 ways, I'm middle aged now OR I'm in the prime of my life with an exciting future. I bet it's not hard to guess which way I'm looking at this...

I've been celebrating with friends and family all month long and have been loving every minute of it. So I ask myself why wait until a birthday to celebrate? Insert all those cheezey cliches that "you only live once" and "you're only as old as you feel" cause they are all true!! Thank you to all of my pumpkins cause you make me celebrate every day.

And speaking of pumpkins...

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

1 med pumpkin chopped, peeled and seeded
1 med yellow onion with peel on
1 bulb garlic (or whole if you like) with peel on
1 - 2 tbsp coconut oil
3 cups water or low sodium veggie broth
2 tsp salt (if not water add salt according to taste test)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp ground clove
1/8 tsp cayenne

Preheat oven to 400. Peel, chop de-seed the pumpkin. Cut the ends off of the onion and slice the top of the garlic bulb off, making sure the rest of the bulb stays intact. Coat everything in coconut oil, also coat the bottom of the pot. In a good dutch oven roast the pumpkin, onion and garlic (both with the peels on) until soft.

When the veggies are soft take out of the oven and add 1/2 the water or broth. Blend until smooth keep adding water until it is the consistency you desire. Add the spices and more coconut oil if you need fat.

Variation: Substitute 1 can of coconut milk for 1 cup of water to give it a creamier consistency.

Serves 6 - 8 small bowls
Cook time 65 min
Equipment: Dutch oven, hand blender or blender

Every superhero can fly...Sometimes

2011-11-04T16:48:00.001-04:00

OK - so I liked that title for an album and since I am utterly tone deaf the next best thing is a blog post... For those of you that follow Kris Carr you will have seen an email and blog post from her that talks about making November "Prevention" month. Similar to Breast Cancer awareness month in October. I loved that idea. I'm sick of the pink everywhere - especially where it really doesn't belong:

Source: examiner.com

I mean REALLY?? Another area that burns me is when cosmetics company start their pinkwashing - YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. How dare they stand there with the thousands of women that have had breast cancer and sell them the products that have the very carcinogens that contribute to their illness... This is plain old wrong, wrong, wrong. For more info please check out this article from my friends at The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

So great, you read that article and now you want to do something about it - here's what you can do or at least what I'm trying to do...

The NO list:

NO animal products,

NO alcohol (except at my 40oz themed 40th birthday bash and Thanksgiving)

NO gluten,

NO processed foods that contain flour, gmo corn or soy

NO added sugar (I have had agave nectar which I am trying to cut down)

NO caffeine (raw cacao is my downfall here)

The YES list:

YES fruits

YES fresh beautiful colorful veggies

YES beans

YES plant-based healthy fats

YES whole grains (think rice, millet, quinoa & buckwheat)

YES raw nuts and seeds
YES green juices
YES green smoothies

YES meditation

YES communing with nature

YES moving your body

YES journaling

YES counting blessings (or gratitude journaling)

YES quality time with the family (especially the fur babies)

As you can see the YES list is a lot longer than the NO list. That's no accident - it's because you are saying YES to a healthy, happy and loving life.

Happy Prevention Month!

Get the word out: #preventionrocks

Beauty Evolution

2011-10-03T16:39:00.001-04:00

You are probably thinking what on earth is Beauty Evolution, what is she talking about now... It’s the glowing look that people have when they are healthy and happy. I was fortunate (my new outlook in life is that I think in terms of good fortune - but that's for another post) enough to be able to attend a raw food demo recently, looking around at all the fresh glowing faces of all ages made me think of how they evolved.

I know my daily skin brushing (face too!) has made my skin look amazing. Add to that a diet of fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, beans, herbs and spices, minimal processed foods, no animal products, and plenty of water.

That’s just part of the beauty evolution, another just as important part is mental or spiritual, whichever you prefer. A good attitude goes a long way, a smile can take you miles away. It’s been proven that people who are sick get better quicker if someone prays with them, doesn’t matter how, you can pray to Yoda if you like. I also know people who have healed their physical ailments with meditation. Stress is a killer as we all know. I'm slowly but surely getting more into the mental part of my beauty evolution, I've discovered guided meditation using Mediation Oasis podcast and often I meditate with Lola purring on my belly.

The final piece of the health and wellness trinity is exercise. Now I'll be the first to admit that I don't exercise any where near as much as I should. I've signed up for bootcamp and a friend of mine turned me on to Intensati - it combines cardio with affirmations, I'll be killing two birds with one stone with this one.

I've also come to love my evening walks with Luke and Jared. It's exercise and a great opportunity for Jared and I to have some time on our own without the outside world intruding. For me the journey has just begun and I plan on making the most of it.

How is your Beauty Evolution journey going? I would love to hear how your journey is going and any tips that you may have. Please leave a comment below.

Hummingbird Garden & Birdseed Pilaf

2011-09-14T16:32:00.001-04:00

So a couple of weekends ago I saw a hummingbird. This is important because I am fast approaching a new decade and it is the first hummingbird I have ever seen in my life. Yes people, this urban raised girl has never seen a hummingbird before. I had heard of them and really thought they weren't in Jersey but lo and behold one of those mystical little creatures was loving my orange cosmos.

Photo courtesy of: Red Bubble: Ruby-throated Hummingbird on cosmos by Michaela Sagatova

Now we're inspired to plant a hummingbird garden next year. So what exactly do hummingbirds look for? According to Defenders of Wildlife "They primarily eat flower nectar, tree sap, insects and pollen." I've also heard they are attracted to red flowers, that's why so many hummingbird feeders have red in and on them. The red can be obtained from various sources including sugar water with food coloring... YUCK. Our approach will be to plant flowers that will attract the hummingbirds - we're doing it the good old fashion way.

So what are these hummingbird attracting flowers? Well right off the bat I would say the cosmos are a winner, they didn't bloom until late July and are much bigger than I expected but they got us two birdies (I missed the second one, or the first one coming back for more).

According to Wild Bird Watcher there are a ton of natural wonders that can work

Annuals	Perennials	Vines	Shrubs
Fuchsia	Bee Balm	Coral Honeysuckle	Butterfly Bush
Impatients	Canna	Cypress Vine	Flowering Quince
Jacobiana	Cardinal Flower	Morning Glory	Lantana
Jewelweed	Coral Bells	Scarlet Runner	Manzanita
Petunia	Four O'Clocks	Trumpet Creeper	Mimosa
Salvia	Foxglove	Canary creeper	Red Buckey
Shrimp Plant	Hosta	Carolina jasmine	Tree Tobacco
Snapdragon	Lupine	Glory vine	Turks Cap
Nicotiana	Columbine	Cypress vine	Weigela

You will notice that my cosmos aren't on this list - this goes to show that there are lots and lots of flowers out there that can make a nice hummingbird playground. I wouldn't mind a nice patch of cosmos, fuchsia, impatients, mimosas, petunias, salvia and jacobiana. I'll have to see the bloom rates to make sure we have something going from spring into fall.

Speaking of fall and birds, here's something to try while we wait for spring:

Birdseed Pilaf

1/2 cup Millet*
1/2 cup Red Quinoa*
1/2 cup Spelt*
6 cups Water Divided
1 - 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
6 - 10 Cardamom Pods
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Ground Cumin (I like Cumin a lot)
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
3-6 Garlic Cloves**
1/2 Onion or 1 - 2 Shallots**
1 Thumbtip Size Piece Ginger**
1/4 cup Dried or 1/2 cup Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms

1 Large Bay Leaf
1 tsp Salt (Sea Salt, Pink Salt etc...anything but table salt) OR Kombu

After soaking the grains overnight rinse and discard water. In a good pot heat coconut oil and add the spices through to the sesame seeds. Let them cook for a few minutes and then add the garlic, onion or shallots and ginger, let them cook for a few minutes. Add the grains and incorporate them well into the spice mixture, let them cook for about 3 minutes to get a nice spice coating. Then add the remaining 3 cups of water, the mushrooms, the bay leaf and salt or kombu. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 30 - 45 min depending on how soft you like your grains.

I also use this same recipe to make brown rice and different beans. Feel free to play around with the spice combos too.

* Soaked overnight in 3 cups water
**Minced, I like to put it all together in the mini chop

Juice Feast!!

2011-07-25T23:24:00.001-04:00

I did a juice feast this weekend, with a clear calendar and temps in the hundreds for the last few days I figured it would be a perfect time to attempt my first juice feast. For those of you that are not familiar with the term juice feast this is when you do what can be considered a fast except you drink lots of fresh juice, instead of fasting you feast - get it. Here's the blow by blow:

Saturday 7:30am
I finally saw the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Thursday. My good friend Nicole from Pioneer Valley Vegan highly recommended it. It was moving, so much so that it inspired me to do my own juice fast - feast really since I plan to drink approximately 5 32oz juices and one turmeric tonic.

Here's the cache of veggies for the 2 days

I know I'm not fat, sick or nearly dead but a juice feast can be very beneficial to all of us. Even if it's just a day or two. Personally I think more than 10 days is putting you at risk for problems with your teeth, especially if there are fruits in your juices.However, having seen quite a few morbidly obese people come down to a healthy weight and stay there by continuing to eat a healthy diet makes the case that for someone in that condition this can be life-saving.In addition to the health benefits I want to lose 2 or 3 pounds. Those of you that know me know I'm vain. I'm turning 40 at the end of this year and the plan is to look fantabulous. So this means going from a BMI of 22.6 down to 21.9 which is where I want to be, right in the middle of the healthy range of 18 - 25.

So in 10 min I plan on getting out of bed and making the first juice of the day. Here's the menu of juices I plan to drink:

Juice #1: Green Juice (based on Organic Avenue's Green Love juice): Watercress Cucumber, Spinach, Celery, Romaine, Beet Greens, Collard Greens, Pear, Lemon, Parsley

Juice #2: Veggie Juice (based on Organic Avenue's Veggie Vibe juice): Cucumber, Spinach, Celery, Beet Greens, Lemon, Parsley, Carrot, Beet, Ginger

Juice #3: Green Lemonade (based on Organic Avenue's Green Lemonade juice): Cucumber, Spinach, Celery, Lemon, Ginger, Water, Salt

Juice #4: Mild Green Juice (based on Organic Avenue's Mellow Love juice): Cucumber, Spinach, Celery, Romaine, Parsley, Salt

Juice #5: Berry Juice: Cucumber, Celery, Carrot, Beet, Ginger, Strawberries, Blueberries

Juice #6: Turmeric Tonic (based on Organic Avenue's Turmeric Tonic): Lemon, Carrot, Ginger, Water, Salt, Turmeric, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper

12:30pm

On to Juice #2. I did my morning workout and had my wrist adjusted - too much sudoku while commuting. I was going to get a massage but at about 11:30 I was feeling hungry. Now this is interesting because I usually have a banana, watermelon and an orange for breakfast and am hungry by 11am so Juice #1 is a keeper. I do think I'll need to have a juice every 3 - 4 hours to keep hunger at bay. Juice #1 was at 8am so it makes sense to be hungry by 11:30am. Energy is good and no detox effects so far. Once I finish this one I'm off to my massage.

8pm

About to have Juice #4. I'm hungry. Energy level is fine. I think it's definitely psychological. Jared was eating peanut butter and it took all of my will not to rip it out of his hands. Also the romaine in Juice #4 was giving me a craving for a sandwich. Not sure if I will be able to hold out until Monday morning. Not because of hunger but because of wanting to give in to cravings. Hopefully the next juice will satisfy some of that - it's a berry one so should be really really good.

Juice #5

11pm

I only made it to Juice #5, the berry one. It was delicious. I felt like I was having a real treat. I'm off to bed now. Hopefully I can get a good night's rest and do this all again tomorrow. I have to admit I am craving real food, a collard wrap would hit the spot...

Good night

Sunday 8am

I feel OK. I slept pretty well. Only got up once to pee. I woke up hungry, nothing special though, the same as any other day. I'm hoping to kick the food fantasies. I keep thinking about stuffed grape leaves. I'm also down 1.5 pounds which is nice. If I lose the same today I'll be at the 3 pound goal and only 3.5 away from my ultimate goal weight, yippee!!

Juice #2

5:30pm

I did my 90 min Yoga X DVD this morning I also took a nap that ended up me missing Juice #3. I'm now on Juice #4. I'm a bit surprised that I was out of commission for so long. Is it the fast? Is it the heat? Yoga or my body making up for lousy sleep earlier in the week? Probably all of the above. I've decided to break the fast tonight, something light with the berry juice. Some veggies in a collard wrap, nothing fancy.

7:30pm

Break of the fast. I had 2 brazil nuts and a collard leaf wrap it consisted of zucchini, carrot, basil, tomato and sauerkraut. I seasoned it with a little extra virgin olive oil, Herbamare, kelp granules and cayenne... As soon as I finished I ran to the bathroom, I'll leave it at that.

11:30pm

In bed, I never had the last berry juice, ate a small bowl of blueberries with raw cacao nibs instead. I also had 3 tortilla chips with Jared's spice peanut butter concoction, that was good, good enough to maybe have when entertaining... My tummy feels a little off, looks like I should have had even milder snacks. Hopefully tomorrow it will be back to normal.

Signing off and good night.

The Results:
Total weightloss: 2.5 lbs
Energy Levels: OK, I did nap on both days and slept the full night, so even though my energy was OK I did need rest
Mood: I was on the verge of cranky but I think it had to do with the heat and boredom, I didn't go anywhere since I had to juice every few hours. And there's only so many Korean horror movie you can watch in one weekend
Sleep: Good, I took naps and slept in the evening
Skin: Looks good, can't say I notice much of a difference though
Bathroom: Pee a lot, the first day I drank the equivalent of 20 cups of juice. Day 2 I drank 12 cups, nothing to sneeze at. As for #2, it was more like #1 - ewwww TMI!

Juice #2

The Verdict:
Would I do this again. Probably for a day or so, I don't think I would hack it for than that since I love to eat but I can see where you want to "reboot" every once in a while. Also, another option is to be a juicer before 6pm and then eat whatever you want for dinner. Kind of like a juicing version of Mark Bittman. That way no matter what damage you do - and I know you are all eating right all of the time - you are getting your fruits and veggies in.

The secret to a long and heathy life

2011-07-02T14:12:00.000-04:00

OK, OK - so I really don't know if the following is really the secret to a long and healthy life BUT I have a really good feeling about this so bear with me...

#1 Eat Well

I know I don't have to tell you to eat you 5 - 9 fruits and veggies a day, you already know that. I'm gonna say it anyway - EAT YOUR FRUITS & VEGGIES. Eat the ones that you love and try something different at least once a week. Hell even once a month can work. Eat a variety of things of every color of the rainbow:

RED: Tomatoes, Strawberries*, Raspberries, Red Peppers*, Beets, Red Apples*, Watermelon, Red Grapes*, Red Onions, Cherries, Cranberries, Pink Grapefruit
ORANGE: Oranges, Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Orange Peppers*, Sweet Potatoes, Mangoes, Carrots, Apricots
YELLOW: Lemons, Grapefruit, Yellow Squash, Yellow Peppers*, Yellow Apples, Yellow Tomatoes, Pineapple
GREEN: Kale*, Lettuce (all varieties)*, Limes, Broccoli, Green Cabbage, Leeks, Scallions, Brussels Sprouts, Artichokes, Zucchini, Acorn Squash, Avocados, Collard Greens*, Spinach*, Watercress, Green Peppers*
BLUE & INDIGO: Blueberries*, Blackberries
VIOLET: Eggplant, Plums, Grapes*, Purple Cabbage, Purple Peppers, Purple Carrots, Elderberries, Currants, Raisins, Prunes

For a lot more colorful options please check out this out. And don't forget your legumes, nuts and seeds too! For those of you that still eat animal products, consider the source and how it was raised. Try for organically fed and ethically raised meats. For seafood, eat low on the food chain and always wild.

#2 Get Outside
Nothing beats the great outdoors, even the sun in moderate amounts is good for you. All you need is about 15 min a day out in the sunshine to reap the benefits. Use a safe sunscreen if you plan on spending an extended amount of time in the sun. Not only is the sun good for you, just being surrounded by green is good for you mind. Studies have shown that being in a park or green space can help with depression. If you go on a hike you're doing double duty by getting exercise AND communing with nature. Which brings me to #3.

#3 Move Your Body

Again and again exercise has been shown to have lots of benefits even into old age, it helps keep everything working properly. It helps keep you limber, keep you at a healthy weight and improves your mood. While training for a marathon is great for you all you need is about 30 min every day. This could easily be a walk thought your town, dancing in your living room or an afternoon gardening... hmm, sun, outdoors, exercise, mood enhancer - can't be beat!

#4 Be a Social Butterfly
Having a social network has also shown improve mood and health. Studies have shown people that had a support system actually get better faster than people who don't. Also, having a confidant can help during those difficult times. Even pets have shown to improve the health of their people. No one should go it alone

#5 Get Enough Rest

This goes without saying, getting plenty of rest is very important. For those of you that think you can make it up on the weekend, guess again. Inadequate sleep can literally take years off of your life. Your best range is generally between 6 - 8 hours of sleep. So cut the late night TV and caffeine if it interferes with your beauty sleep.

#6 Be Happy

Remember, you only have one life - don't spend it moping around. Eating right, staying active and having friends can work wonders on helping you stay happy. 2010 was a terrible year for me but I somehow managed to stay positive. I attribute it to all of the above. Being grateful and meditating can also help you stay grounded and happy.

Here's to a long and healthy life!

*Buy Organic Recommended

White House Vegetable Garden - USDA Style

2011-06-10T14:33:00.000-04:00

I thought this was prelly cool so thought I would share. Last week Mark Bittman, a hero of mine, posted this entry in his blog "What if the U.S.D.A Subsidized Gardens?". It included a graphic of the White House kitchen garden layout and what it would look like if it was planted with the crops that the USDA subsidizes. I know which garden I would eat from. Oh and the info comes from our friends at the Environmental Working Group - they've developed a Farm Subsidy Database, another reason to love and support them.

Backend/Frontend Report

2011-06-04T21:09:00.000-04:00

OK kiddies, get your minds out of the gutter, what I really meant was back yard garden and front yard garden. Yay this is an actual garden post!

But first! I have one GMO update for you: "Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada", by Aris A, and Leblanc S.1 is a Canadian study that found traces of BT toxin in the blood of Pregnant Women, their Fetuses and Non- Pregnant Women... Here is the article info from PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21338670 - unfortunately, I don't have access to the full article, however, the conclusion is mentioned in the abstract.

AND we have a new additions to our family...

LUKE!

OK back to the backend... I mean backyard. The veggies are coming along nicely. I'm thrilled with how the squash bed is looking, there's echinacea for bees and butterflies, corn, beans, cucumbers, zucchinis, spaghetti squash and an edible pumpkin I like to call calabaza. We even have our first calabaza flower!

I'm especially happy with this one since the seeds are from an actual pumpkin I bought at the Union Square Farmer's Market in NYC last fall. I don't know the variety but it's great hardy one. That sucker was planted in 30 degree weather with only the remains of a plastic vinegar jug to protect it from the cold.

Remember this...

March

Now looks like this...

Memorial Day Weekend

As usual the sunflowers are doing great too, these guys were also planted in March. They were in the portable greenhouse along with tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and other various flowers (calendula, zinnias, cosmos, wildflowers, sweet william, celosia). Some of the tomatoes came up, unfortunately none of the peppers or eggplants germinated. We had to buy a red pepper plant and a couple of hot peppers, we also bought some marigold and lobelia. Not bad though, the rest of the garden is grown from seed.

The greens bed isn't doing to shabby either considering it's been 80+ degrees here for a couple of weeks. Whatever happened to spring people?? We have collards and a few varieties of lettuces that I can't really identify or recall, sorry I suck as a farmer...

But what really warms my hears are the rogues! Yes we have squashes and tomatoes growing like weeds in the greens bed. I attribute a diet high in fresh vegetables for that. Since we compost all of our food scraps the seeds were ripe for germinating. I haven't counted all of the rogue tomato plants but I think there about 10. We also have either cucumbers or zucchinis galore, Some around the sunflowers and some in the middle of the greens patch. We also had our italian chard self sow. We let it go to seed again in hope that it will come back, especially since what I planted didn't come up.

As for the new herb garden, I'm very happy with that as well.

Echinacea

Lemon Balm

Anise

Dill & Marjoram

Thyme

Sage

Clockwise from Bottom Left: Parsley/Cilantro, Spearmint, Oregano, Chocolate Mint, Borage

I can't wait for July and August when everything is in full splendor!!

Now in the front end things have been blooming like crazy.

The poppies looked amazing, they're gone now ;(

This purple flower is also doing lovely and blooms for most of the summer - oh and if anyone knows what this is please let me know, I have no clue.

Here's another one that 's growing in the garden, I think it's pretty but don't know what it is

Peonies came out but I need to divide this fall, we didn't get a bumper crop this year.

The miniature roses are also looking quite lovely.

And of course, my mother's rose and Pippin's rose are also looking great.

Mom's

Pippin's

Our goal is to make this more of an edible front yard so I planted a couple of fun things like sage, echinacea, chives and borage.

And for shits and giggles I planted pumpkins seeds from the most awesome jack-o-lantern EVER!

It's going to be like the great pumpkin patch Charlie Brown!

1. Aris A, Leblanc S. Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada. Reprod Toxicol. 2011 May;31(4):528-33. Epub 2011 Feb 18. PubMed PMID: 21338670

5%

2011-05-18T14:16:00.000-04:00

On Earth Day I listened to a podcast that featured a panel discussion with Vandana Shiva. My newest HERO.

Dr. Shiva is a PhD in Philosophy, she is also the founder of Navdanya International, a group that is fighting the patenting of the world's seeds. Dr. Shiva passionately and articulately speaks about the farce of the Green Revolution in the 1960s in India. And how we are once again being accosted by the likes of Monsanto, Bayer, Dow and other chemical companies with their seeds that contain genetically modified organisms (GMO) and terminator technology. Threatening the future of farmers and our food supply.

As someone that always stresses organic, this got me thinking - I really need to talk more about GMOs...

According to the Institute for Responsible Technology,

"Currently commercialized GM crops in the U.S. include soy (91%), cotton (88%), canola (88%), corn (85%), sugar beets (90%), Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%), zucchini and yellow squash (small amount), and tobacco (Quest® brand).

Products derived from the above, including oils from all four, soy protein, soy lecithin, cornstarch, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup among others. There are also many "invisible ingredients," derived from GM crops that are not obviously from corn or soy"

It might be surprising to learn that the vast majority of processed foods contain some form of the above ingredients, especially soy and corn. What may be even more surprising to some is that these foods have been released under a cloud of controversy over safety. Beginning in 1995 with Arpad Pusztai, of the Rowett Research Institute in Scotland's, testing of Monsanto GMO potatoes1. Dr. Pusztai's findings in 1999 were quite the opposite of what he was expecting. As a strong supporter of GMO food Dr. Pusztai's original intention was to show the safety of GMO foods, not the dangers.

Ten-plus years later and we are no better than we were in 1999. The safety of GMOs is still in question and the chemical companies reassuring the safety is almost reminiscent of the tobacco companies saying cigarettes were harmless... OH REALLY... What's not in question are the strong-arm tactics of the chemical companies in keeping the secrets of their patented materials, we know how they deal with farmers that save seeds - yes I'm talking to you Monsanto- this is why there is such little research out there, they need to protect their patents... OH REALLY... I love how proprietary information trumps public heath and safety - thanks FDA.

Rant aside, One can conclude that the lack of independent research on GMO foods is intentional. I'm sure we can find plenty of studies funded by the chemical companies, I'm not interested in those. I want the unbiased (un-bribed?) peer-reviewed academia version of the studies. Unfortunately, these are few and far between and the researchers that do undergo those studies do so under the threat of compromising their reputations (see Dr. Pustai's above). However they are out there. You just need to do a little searching and here's what I found at the Institute of Science in Society: a summary from The Independent Science Panel on GM Final Report and their more comprehensive report from 2003 that's called The Case for a GM-free Sustainable World, the panel concluded that:

"[Our] extensive review of the evidence has convinced us that GM crops
are neither needed nor wanted, that they have failed to deliver their
promises, and instead, are posing escalating problems on the farm.
There is no realistic possibility for GM and non-GM agriculture to coexist,
as evident from the level and extent of transgenic contamination
that has already occurred, even in a country like Mexico where an official
moratorium has been in place since 1998.

More importantly, GM crops are unacceptable because they are
by no means safe. They have been introduced without the necessary
safeguards and safety assessments through a deeply flawed regulatory
system based on a principle of ‘substantial equivalence’ that is aimed
at expediting product approval rather than serious safety assessment.
Despite the lack of data on safety tests of GM foods, the available
findings already give cause for concerns over the safety of the transgenic
process itself that are not being addressed."2

Luckily, consumers are doing more research and becoming more vocal:

According to the ABC News website,

"The U.S. government has insisted there's not enough difference between the genetically modified seeds its agencies have approved and natural seeds to cause concern. But Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, more so than his predecessors in previous administrations, has acknowledged the debate over the issue and a growing chorus of consumers concerned about what they are eating."

The demand is out there for more testing and more information, we deserve to know what we are putting into the mouths of our loved ones. According to Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception and founder of the Institute for Responsible Technology, it would only take a boycott of 5% of the US population to make a significant economic impact on the GMO peddlers. And we all know that it's always about the bottom line. It's as simple as buying organic whole foods, by avoiding processed foods you drop your exposure to GMOs considerably.

Here are resources to help you join us in becoming part of that 5%, tell a friend or two!

Tips on Avoiding GMOs: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/buy-non-gmo
Non GMO Shopping Guide: http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/Non-GMO-Shopping-Guide.pdf
Join Millions Against Monsanto: http://organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm
Buy Organic: http://www.organicconsumers.org/
Books: http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/Products/Books/index.cfm

1. Effect of diets containing genetically modified potatoes expressing Galanthus nivalis lectin on rat small intestine Dr Stanley WB Ewen FRCPath,Arpad Pusztai PhD. The Lancet - 16 October 1999 ( Vol. 354, Issue 9187, Pages 1353-1354 ) DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(98)05860-7

2. Independent Science Panel. (2003, June 15). The Case For A GM-Free Sustainable World London: Author. Retrieved May 18, 2011, from http://www.psrast.org/caseforGMfreeW.pdf -  Drafted byMae-Wan Ho and Lim Li Chingwith contributions fromJoe Cummins, Malcolm Hooper, Miguel Altieri,Peter Rosset, Arpad Pusztai, Stanley Ewen,Michel Pimbert, Peter Saunders, Edward Goldsmith,David Quist, Eva Novotny, Vyvyan Howard, Brian John

Recipe of the Month: Almond Milk

2011-05-05T11:15:00.000-04:00

I haven't had almond milk in a long time. Why you ask? Because I'm cheap and I don't want to pay for all of those extra additives that you get when you purchase commercial almond milk.

I had tried to make my own almond milk last year and it was a complete, messy, almondy chunk, FAIL... I used cheesecloth, which is great for sprouting but not so much for milking. Now fast forward 6 months, I have commercial almond milk in the freezer for guests and none for me.

This past weekend I went to my local big box hardware store and decided to pick up a few paint strainer bags. My raw foodie friends on sparkpeople.com swear by these. Well, now they have another convert. I made almond milk last night and liked it so much I decided to make it May's recipe of the month.

Ingredients

1 cup Almonds (soaked for at least 4 hours)
3 cup Water
3 Dates (soaked and pitted)
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Almond Extract (optional)

You can use Vanilla Extract too, I didn't like the one I had at home so used almond instead. You can also use real vanilla beans or let the pods soak in the milk over night. I'm cheap, see above, so I'll use the extract for now.

Tools

Blender
Bowl
Paint Strainer Bag

Directions

Put the almonds, water and dates in the blender and process until the almonds are fine. Add the other ingredients adjusting for your personal preferences. Some people will add agave or other sweeteners. I prefer sticking to dates. You can experiment with other dried fruits

Once everything is processed as much as possible pour it into the strainer bag over a large bowl and squeeze until you get all of the liquid out. Pour into a sealable container and enjoy it cold.

I recommend that you double the quantities, like I said, I made this last night and already went through it! So I'm back to commercial almond milk in the freezer for guests and none for me, but that's OK, I can make more.

Sprouting 101

2011-04-22T13:47:00.000-04:00

Sprouting is really easy. I mean it's super easy. The best part is that you don't need any fancy tools to sprout. All you need is a large jar, cheesecloth, a decent rubber band and a trusty guide for soaking time and sprouting days. I like the one in The Raw Food Book

It's pretty easy to follow and doesn't have too many crazy things to sprout.

So this week I am sprouting alfalfa sprouts in one jar and a mix of green peas and French green lentils in an other. I chose the pea and lentil mix because they both have the same amount of sprout days.

Step 1

Determine your quantities

1 TBSP Alfalfa = 1 CUP Alfalfa Sprouts
1 CUP Green Peas = 2 CUP Pea Sprouts
1 CUP Lentils = 2 CUP Lentil Sprouts

I used 2 tbsp of Alfalfa and a half cup each of the peas and lentils

Step 2
Cover your jars

Cut a double swath of cheesecloth large enough to cover the mouth of the jar. Hold it in place with a rubber band

Step 3
Soak your seeds - yes everything you soak is a seed!

Alfalfa = 4 - 6 hours
Green Peas = 10 - 12 hours
Lentils = 6 - 8 hours

Sometimes I follow the soak times and sometimes I just let them go overnight. This week I let them go overnight.

Step 4
Wash & Rinse

This is why you cover the mouth of the jar with the cheesecloth. Rinse the seeds with fresh clean water then place in a bowl at about 45 degree angle. You want them to drain to prevent them from getting moldy. You need to do this at least twice a day. Each seed takes a different amount of time to sprout.

Alfalfa = 5 days
Green Peas = 2 - 3 days
Lentils = 2 - 3 days

Step 5
EAT!

Once your sprouts have reached your desired sproutiness you can enjoy in a salad, a sandwich, soup or on their own with a little lemon juice. I've heard of people having them in their smoothies.

I guarantee that once you have homemade sprouts you won't want to spend your hard earned cash on expensive sprouts. Especially not when they are so easy to grow at home.

mother's little helper

NYC Vegetarian Food Festival!

2011-04-16T19:28:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago was the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival. I went there with my friend Amy - WoW, say what! 3-hour lines!

It was a real hit. There were about 70 vendors that included:

Sweet & Sara vegan marshmallows... and more marshmallows. This was a big hit with Amy.

There were also lots of ferments like kombucha and kimchis and slaws

I ended up getting a great fermented Green Slaw from the very nice guys at BAO It's the third row from the left.

To my utter delight there was also lots of raw junk food, Yippee!

There was The Raw IceCream Company that is probably one of the best ice creams, including cow's milk, I have ever had. Gnosis Chocolates where also there, I had heard of them but never had the chance to sample them before - it was out of this world!

After we had our fill of vegan cheeses, salty snacks and more sweets we went to check out the speakers.

The first one we caught was Victoria Moran, she was a motivational speaker and talked about the greatness of a plant-based diet, the good karma and how it's better for you, the animals, the earth. I liked the positive attitude she exuded. I agree with her philosophy. I may not have a lot of material things but I think I lead a pretty charmed life.

Next was Jared Koch from Clean Plates, I thought he looked familiar then realized I had seen him at the FRESH movie showing last summer. Jared spoke about vegan nutrition and while he isn't a vegetarian he did promote a healthy vegan diet by eating an array of food. He addressed the soy question by suggesting the eating of more fermented soy products rather than tofu (especially if it's GMO).

Ha! well good thing the next speaker was Doc Rob - A fermented food freak! I love fermented food so I was really looking forward to hearing him talk about the benefits. Well I was not disappointed, he talked about a whole lot of bacteria and how it's good for your gut. He's also inspired me to try my hand a some fermenting at home, should be interesting...

The grand finale was Keynote Speaker Dr. Neal Barnard, the President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). They are the ones that head the 21-Day Kickstart, it's a 3-week challenge to eat a strictly plant-based diet. The idea is that it takes 3 weeks to develop a habit... well I don't know about you but I think it takes me more like 3 years... Anyhoo, Dr. Barnard gave a presentation with some scary stats on Type-2 diabetes and heart disease, both of which are predominantly lifestyle diseases and on the rise. It wasn't all doom and gloom, he also showed us some of his success stories.

All in all it was a good day, we finished it off with a very yummy dinner at Bonobos.

First day in the garden

2011-03-28T20:52:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a pretty nice day and it was my target date for starting to get the garden in order and maybe planting a few seeds in cold weather protection.

So this is what the garden has looked like in the last few weeks/months

<-------- That's our compost pile

<-------- Not to be confused with the honey pile

And

The garden plot is 20 x 8 ------------------->

As you can see lots of leaves and dead plants from last year, but not for long!

We unraveled the compost and managed to spread it across the space of the garden. It took a while but not as long as I would have thought considering it was all of the veggie scraps and garden clippings since the fall - yikes!

In Bed #1 I planted greens. I think I am a bit late in the game but it's worth a try. There are 4 different variety of lettuces: Red Romaine, Romaine, Black Seeded Simpson and Green Oak, our beloved Collards and some Chard sprinkled about. I tried to pack it in nicely to keep the weeds out and ground moist.

The next bed (Bed #2) has more fragile seeds and therefore has a greenhouse. I am crossing my fingers that the seeds do OK. I planted a lot of seeds of each variety with the hopes that the hardy ones would reign supreme - one can dream right!

Here we have: Ugly Tomatoes, Purple Peppers, Roma Tomatoes, Yellow Peppers, Eggplants, Banana Peppers, Brandywine Tomatoes, Beefsteak Tomatoes, Black Krim Tomatoes, Oxheart Tomatoes... Oh yeah and since this year I am trying my hand at companion gardening there are also Cosmos, Zinnias, Sunflowers and Wildflowers mixed in. I'm crossing my fingers that the 20 degree nights we've had won't be too horrible.

On to Bed #3. This is our squash bed...

Remember the two greenhouses I was so excited about, well I only had one of them in the box. So I improvised with all the jugs and bottles I could find. Good luck in a household that doesn't drink bottled water, milk by the gallon or soda. I made do and we have Cucumbers, Zucchinis, Butternut Squashes, Spaghetti Squashes and Calabazas. I also want to plant companions, maybe more Sunflowers, some Nasturtium and Tansy.

I've been reading this book and learning a lot about companions - it makes me love bugs!

I definitely want to include more red and blue flowers in the vegetable garden to attract the beneficial insects and hummingbirds. Jared saw one in one of our sunflowers last year and now it's a mission to get it back.

This is what the garden looks like now

Bed #4 has a couple of Chards popping up which is great, that bed is still TBD we have lots of seeds yet we just need to figure out what to put in there.

If I don't see anything popping up by mid April then I will go and plant my lovelies again. Hopefully I'll also have that second greenhouse by then.

Jared is also starting an allium garden and a curry garden - how cool is that. We may need to reseed but since these are seeds in our pantry it's not a big deal. Also all of the seeds I used were either from produce we ate, like the yellow and purple peppers or seeds that friends gave us like the cucumbers and zucchinis. Some of the seeds are from last year so I hope they do OK.

I guess we'll know soon enough!

i < 3 amazon.com

2011-03-25T15:39:00.001-04:00

Yes, I do, I really do love Amazon. Every couple of weeks there will be a little treasure trove shoved into my mailbox or sitting waiting for me on my front step. Who doesn't get a secret thrill out of purchasing items solely for their FREE Super Saver Shipping status? I know I do...

and now it's even better. I've discovered the Subscribe & Save option. They will ship your favorite items (or at least those in the program) automatically every month or two or three. In addition to the auto-ship service you get free shipping and 15% off of the price. Woo Hoo! I was able to get 14oz Zico coconut water for $1.76 a bottle, the least I have paid for it is $1.99 a bottle. These will be coming on a monthly basis. I can't wait - I've been using the coconut water in my morning smoothies and as a little pick me up.

I also picked up Raw Revolution 100 calorie snack bars for $.53 each - you can't go wrong with that. Those will be coming every two months.

The bars are really yummy and perfect for those days I don't have a snack with me and don't feel like going out or putting something together. They are also little life savers when I'm at an event that has food I won't eat. I just pop one or two and I'm good to go.

Until next time!

Recipe of the Month: Sprout Pate

2011-03-14T16:53:00.000-04:00

I know you have all be anxiously awaiting my next recipe, especially since I totally missed February. I know, bad - I was too busy celebrating the one year anniversary of From Sprouts to Supper, yee haw!!

I've been busy sprouting, yes, you read that right. How can we be From Sprouts to Supper without any sprouts! So in honor of our first year under the belt here's a sprouty recipe.

Sprout Pate

Ingredients

Organic Sunflower Sprouts, 1 cup*
Organic French Green Lentil Sprouts, 1 cup**
1/4 Red Onion - optional
Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon (I like to use organic lemons if I am zesting or juicing)
3 Carrots
Fresh Parlsey, 1/4 cup
Ginger - about a thumb tip size
Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar 2 capfuls
Salt, 1 tsp
Cabbage, 2 Leaves
Mushrooms, 4 - 6 (I used Baby Bellas)
Tahini or EFA*** oil blend, 1 - 2 tbsp

Directions

Put everything in the food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Great in salads or as a green leaf wrap filling. If you want to get adventurous put it in the dehydrator. I might do that tonight to see what kind of burger I get tomorrow!

*Soak organic raw sunflowers seeds for 8- 10 hours (I like to do it overnight) in a jar. Drain and put a cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar and secure with a rubberband. Rinse in the morning and the evening for about 5 days and you will have spicy lovely sunflowers seed sprouts. You will need to pick out the hulls every day as they can get a bit nasty if you leave them in.
**Soak organic whole lentils (split will not germinate!) for 10 hours or overnight. follow same instructions for sunflower greens. I noticed the hulls are not as much of an issue with the lentils
***EFA is an essential fatty acid oil blend of 8 parts hemp seed oil, 1 part flax oil and 1 part pumpkin seed oil. SO that comes to 1 cup of hemp seed oil and a tbsp of flax oil and a tbsp of pumpkin oil

Signs of Spring!

2011-02-21T09:15:00.001-05:00

Although it's snowing in Metuchen right now, yesterday I was able to snap a few pics of the first sign of spring -

CROCUSES!

Yes boys and girls our first Crocuses are peeking through. This warms my heart especially during such a long snowy winter.

Crocuses are really cute little flowers. If it wasn't such a pain to plant them I would have them covering our front yard. Since most need sunny spots, we would have to plant them in the backyard instead and that's already been done for us. Our larger patch in the backyard still hasn't come up but when it does I am hoping it's bigger and better than last year.

Juice, Juice... Baby

2011-02-18T11:47:00.000-05:00

Got my juicer - woo hoo! It came last night. Jared got chef's choice so we did: collards, carrots and a yellow apple. I thought the greens were going to be tough to juice but I added them followed immediately by carrots or pieces of apple and they went through beautifully!

Having the juicer is also a no-waste system. I took the pulp, added about 1/4 cup each of ground flaxseed and water then mixed it together. I put the mixture flattened into the dehydrator overnight and viola! I woke up to wraps that I was able to use for breakfast and lunch.

How cool is that! I don't think our co-op is going to have enough fruits and veggies for us, good thing we'll have our garden going this year!

Not recommended for Pregnant Women or Nursing Monthers

2011-02-10T20:48:00.000-05:00

You see those warnings a lot. When I saw my neighbor who is pregnant, and looks great by the way, it got me thinking.

Source: http://www.magnetstreet.com/baby-blog/2009/03/

If it's not safe for a developing fetus or an infant is that something you really want to ingest? Now I'm not talking about cigarettes and alcohol. I mean let's face it, they aren't exactly good for anyone. Cigarettes definitely and alcohol, well 1 glass a day can be tough and it works against you if you have your 7 glasses in one night - believe me I know!

And I'm not talking about Pthalates even though they are all the rage now. They are found in plastics, mostly the soft pliable kind. They can also be found in the air, not much you can do about that since you have to breathe. They do affect developing fetuses, causing male babies to be born with small genitalia.

Source: http://specialedjames.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html

Here's a quote from our friends at the Environmental Working Group (EWG)

Phthalates have been found to disrupt the endocrine system. Several phthalate compounds have caused reduced sperm counts, testicular atrophy and structural abnormalities in the reproductive systems of male test animals, and some studies also link phthalates to liver cancer, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control’s 2005 National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Though the CDC contends the health hazards of phthalates to humans have not been definitively established, for some years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has regulated phthalates as water and air pollutants.

I'm talking about food and cosmetics.

Pregnant women are told to avoid a laundry list of foods because of contamination (mercury in fish & seafood), bacteria and paraiste risks (rare beef, chicken, pork, raw dairy & soft cheese) and because of chemical exposure (cosmetics).

Do you really want to eat things that can compromise the development of a human being? I don't want to consume foods that are contaminated with mercury for my own safety, same goes for foods that are not cooked properly that can kill me.

The chemical exposure is what always strikes me. We have no problem coloring our hair and going to the nail salon, but when you are pregnant it's recommended you don't color your hair and I have a friend who is a manicurist that couldn't work while she was pregnant.

Source: http://www.beautyschools.edu/Beauty_School_Curriculum/Cosmetology_Program_And_Education

What does that mean for us? It's been found that a newborn is born with about 300 different chemicals in it's system. For those of you that are vegan and organic that number is lower. Chemicals are found in breast milk too. The scary thing is that of the 80,000 or so chemicals out there only a fraction have actually been tested for human safety. That means that WE are the guinea pigs for those chemicals. As it was explained to me by a chemist, tests do not have to be conducted if the chemicals are generally assumed to be safe. What is not taken into account is that there can be interactions between other safe chemicals that can lead to a not so safe situation. Think of your two best friends and they each have on their favorite perfume. On their own it's great but put them together in a small space and yikes!

Now a days there are plenty of alternatives and I encourage people to seek them out. Eating a plant-based diet* that includes the organic version of the dirty dozen and using skincare products that don't contain parabens and other harmful chemicals will help reduce your exposure to chemicals in the long run (check out the Skin Deep: Cosmetics Database to find the right product for you). If only cleaning the air and the water was that easy...

*The new GMO alfalfa that's been approved by the USDA raises the risk of contamination into organic animal feed

This is So Sad...

2011-01-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

This just in:

Headline on the Organic Consumers Association Website:

The Organic Elite Surrenders to Monsanto: What Now?
click here for the entire article

Looks like times are a changing when Whole Foods, Organic Valley and Stoneyfield - the trifecta of organics - decide that they will call a truce with Monsanto and GMO crops, specifically the highly contested alfalfa crop.

Waiting for the Snow to Melt

2011-01-27T18:31:00.000-05:00

So while I wait for the snow to melt, or not, before I plant my early spring garden – target date March 19th!

Backyard - January 27, 2011

I really wanted to do it on St Patrick’s day but that’s a Thursday and I’m not planting in the dark – been there and done that! I have decided that I need to detox. So on Tuesday I started with some fruit, a seaweed salad and a juice: Spinach, carrot, apple and ginger. Yesterday more fruits, smoothies and peas and beans made up the day. Today it was smoothies, beans with buckwheat and hopefully something justa as good for dinner. Hopefully I can keep this up – I am looking to cut out caffeine, gluten, soy, added sugar & alcohol. The big toughies will be gluten and alcohol as I love my bread and wine. It's only for a few days this time, if it works it might be my Monday - Friday diet.

In order to help me along this journey I have purchased 2 raw uncook books:

The Complete Book of Raw Food, Second Edition: Healthy, Delicious Vegetarian Cuisine Made with Living Foods (The Complete Book of Raw Food Series) by Julie Rodwell (Editor), Victoria Boutenko (Contributor), Juliano Brotman (Contributor), Nomi Shannon (Contributor), Mary Rydman (Contributor)

AND

Raw Food for Everyone: Essential Techniques and 300 Simple-to-Sophisticated Recipes by Alissa Cohen (Author) & Leah J. Dubois (Author)

I haven’t gotten them yet but am looking forward to trying them out. As soon as I can leave the house, of course.

Well I did it again

2011-01-19T22:58:00.000-05:00

Or at least that's what Jared is thinking...

I went ahead and bought not one but two greenhouse. They should be coming in at the end of the week. I ordered them on eBay and can't wait for them to come in!

They are really big, dimensions are: 71"x54"x36" - woo hoo! I plan to use them as cold frames to start my plantings early and to extend the growing season when it gets cold out.

Here's what they look like.

Time to think about the new garden

2011-01-10T12:28:00.000-05:00

Yep it's that time of year. Even though I sit in my office freezing my tukhus off at the kid's desk I use, I have my mind on SPRING!

Last year's garden was quite a bust and I will take full responsibility for that. We had a couple of traumatic events and a mini drought without a hose was the icing on the cake.

Well now we are armed with great books thanks to Mom & Dad H.

A great resource for anything veggie gardening related including: planning; composting; pests and a crop guide to all your favorite veggies.

And of course in this day and age gardening on the cheap is definitely a must! This book includes tons (about 400!) of tips on saving money and more importantly, resources while you garden.

One way I am saving money is by saving seeds. Over the past year I have begun saving the seeds of our favorite store bought organic vegetables. If I see something that looks good I will keep the seeds, clean them and let them dry. I will then store them in containers in the fridge.

Right now we have saved seeds from:

Kentucky Wonder Beans
Collards
Patty Pan Squash
Sweet Peppers: Green, Purple & Yellow
Sunflowers - of course!
Decorative Pumpkins that will go in the front yard - yippee!
Calabaza or Edible Pumpkin
Asian Foot Long Beans
Ugly Tomatoes
Oregano
Butternut Squash

BUT we still have seeds left over from last season too:

Black Beauty Eggplants
Sweet Banana Peppers
Peas
Tomatoes: Oxheart. Black Krim and Roma
Radicchio
Lettuces: Romaines, Black Seeded and Green Oak
Celery
Cucumbers
Zucchinis
Turnips
Spinach

Seed Drawer

And my ultra-fabulous friends have gifted us organic Cucumber, Tomato and Squash seeds too! They also gave us really cute garden stakes.

The only thing I am missing is Kale - now we have two Kale plants in the house, I am thinking of letting them go to seed so we can plant those. If it doesn't work no biggie, we can get seeds.

Oh boy! I don't know if it's from the cacao nibs in my morning smoothie or thinking about the garden, I am ready to start right now! How exciting!!

Recipe of the Month - Kale Chips

2011-01-06T20:12:00.001-05:00

I love Kale Chips. If you want to eat an entire head of kale in a day or one sitting I suggest you make Kale Chips. Next year we will be growing kale and I can't wait to have non-stop kale chips or at least a few garden fresh batches.

And yes I ate the entire dish after this photo was taken...

Start off with some lovely kale, I got this at the farmer's market a few days before Christmas.

Then figure out what spices you will be using, I like to have a lot punch so I include quite a few.

Ingredients

Kale, 4 cup, chopped
Water, tap, 2 cups
White Miso, 2 tbsp
Red Star Nutritional Yeast, 2 tbsp
Garlic powder, 1 tbsp
Paprika, 1 tbsp
Onion powder, 1 tbsp
Pepper, red or cayenne, 1 tbsp (optional)
Black Pepper (Ground), 1 tsp

Directions

Wash the kale and cut the leaves off (you can leave them big or make them into smaller pieces).

In a large bowl (preferably one that is shallow) mix all of the other ingredients. If you are using a dehydrator make sure you are using sheets or parchment paper. If you are using the oven then use a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Take a leaf and run it through the liquid mixture then put it on the tray. Once you have filled a tray sprinkle more nutritional yeast and drip a bit of the marinade over the kale.

Let them dehydrate for 3 - 4 hours on 115 if you want them crispier leave longer, I like to have each tray go for about 5 - 6 hours. If you are using a dehydrator without the temp control like mine make sure to rotate the trays every few hours to make sure they are even. If you are using the oven set it at the lowest temperature you have and crack the oven door open.

Number of Servings: 25

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T14:14:00.001-05:00

New Year's Eve Metuchen Style

'Tis the season and all that

2010-12-26T17:23:00.000-05:00

This is the time of year that you get gratitude, peace on earth and goodwill to all men crammed down your throat. What I don't understand is what people do for the other 11 months of the year?

We should be grateful for many things, for instance if you are reading this then you most likely have a roof over your head, electricity and snacks in the fridge. So maybe you need a bit more cash to live as comfortably as you would like, well I hate to break it to you but the more cash you have the more you spend. And it's been scientifically proven that people with more money aren't necessarily happier, they just have nicer things. So instead of wanting more be thankful every day for what you already have: a roof over your head, the small luxuries that we take for granted (yes that soft TP is one of them), the people that love you, hey you may even have someone that worships you! And of course, the opportunity to do something nice every day.

Maybe it's naive of me but I do have faith in the human race (never, never in corporations though). I know there are a lot of good people out there because I have the pleasure of knowing quite a few them. They are the ones that spread peace on earth and goodwill to men 365 days a year. Well maybe not every day because let's face it, everyone is entitled to a bad day every once in a while. But they are the ones that help you get through those tough days, they are the ones that are there for you when you think that things can't get any worse and they in fact do.

So here's to all of the good ones, tip that glass of champagne, or prosecco - you know who you are! And toast to gratitude, peace on earth and goodwill to all men because as you know, 'tis the season

Holiday Gift Ideas $25 and under

2010-12-13T13:56:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year to give and to get. There's a saying that it is better give than to receive, well the following treats may leave you with second thoughts on giving...

Thermos Stainless Steel Tea Tumbler with Infuser

Tea Thermos

How cool is this! you put your tea int he basket and it steeps and keep it hot. I broke my thermos last year after one use and haven't had a chance to replace it They come in clear too. This is something that's definitely going on my list!

Trudeau Tea-Mendous 16-Ounce Tea Tumbler, Clear

Totes - Adult Clear Bubble Umbrella

Bubble Umbrella

OK how many of you had a bubble umbrella when you were a kid they were so much fun then and for those of us craving the good old days it's a great gift.

Vintage Vinyl LP Record Coasters - Set of 6

Vintage Vinyl Coasters

These coasters will make a great gift for the music buff in your life. Although those born after 1990 might need an explanation of what they are :)

Compost Pail

Pinzon 1-Gallon Ceramic Compost Pail

This is perfect for that friend that really wants to start composting but need a kick in the butt to do it. This kitchen composter is a great way to start. We all know what a pain it is to go to the yard after every food prep this pail can hold the cutting board remains of a few meals Those of you that are afraid of breaking the ceramic pail there is also a steel version, that's the one that this clutzy household has.

Buddha Board

Buddha Board Original with Black Wooden Easel Stand

For the artist in your life there's the Buddha Board. It's a water-based canvas that can constatnly change as the water evaporates. Great for that Zen feeling, and for those of us that don't like to show our work to other people. This comes in at $28 not bad for a really unique gift.

Recipe of the Month: Raw Sunflower & Carrot Bread

2010-12-09T10:55:00.001-05:00

, Bread, yum! I busted out the mini chop for the garlic, onions and carrots making this recipe even easier to prep. It was inspired by Ani Phyo's Sunflower and Black Sesame Bread from the Ani's Raw Food Kitchen cookbook. I made a couple of changes to suit my tastes. This is a great bread recipe for those of you watching your gluten intake. While it's made in a dehydrator you can also pop it in your oven on the lowest setting with the door open. I'm not a fan of that method since it's a big energy drain but it you make a few dishes at once it might be OK.

This is what it looks like in the dehydrator

And this is what it looks like up close

Finished product! Served with sprouted bean hummus, avocado and radicchio and tomatoes from the garden.

Ingredients

1 c ground flaxseed
1/3 c flax seed whole
½ t sea salt
4 cloves garlic minced-optional for savory bread
1/4 onion, minced-optional for savory bread
2 carrots chopped finely
2-1/3 c water
2/3 c sunflower seeds
¼ c black sesame seeds (or regular sesame seeds or a mix of both)

Directions

The night before set to soak sunflower seeds, whole flax seeds and sesame seeds in 1 1/3 cup water.

Day of: In large bowl mix ground flax, flax, salt, garlic, onion, remaining water, sunflower, sesame seeds and carrots, mix well. Let stand for 30 minutes

Spread thickly on 1 telfex tray (or on parchemnt paper if you don't have teflext trays) smooth out into an even square about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Dry at 104 degrees for 4 hours or 3hr at 115 degrees
Flip & score bread into 9 or 12 like slices

Dehydrate another hour, before serving.
Serve warm.

The longer you dehydrate the crispier the bread.

Number of Servings: 18

New Year's Resolution

2010-11-10T16:51:00.001-05:00

Today is my birthday and I want to thank all the well wishers - all 800 million of them, wow Facebook, rock on... Now as I take inventory of my life I see that a couple of things are not where I would like them to be. While I try to take care of myself I haven't been doing such a great job of it - so with the purring kitty on my lap as my witness

Yeah, I know I am just looking for excuses to take her photo

I will now take care of me. I did have a wonderful facial today at Eden Organix in Highland Park, NJ. If you are in the area I highly recommend it. They are running a fall harvest special and the pumpkin masks and moisturizers are divine!


Interior from their website: http://www.edenorganix.com/assets/images/interioreden.jpg

That top row has the 100% Pure Organic line that I live and die for. That's what I really like about Eden Organix, they use natural and organic skincare lines. We expose our bodies to so many chemicals day in and day out. There has to be a better alternative and there is! Do your research and find products that that don't contain parabens, pthalates, artificial coloring, hydroqinones... you get the picture. Go to the Cosmetics Database to see how your skincare AND haircare products rate.

Getting the skin covered is easy but what about the weight, UGH!!!!! I really really wanted to be about 10lbs lighter today. I was half way there 2 weeks ago but it's been a crazy ride at work so I have been eating a lot of comfort food. My weakness is Alternative Baking Company cookies - oh my!! Those of you that are dairy-free and/or vegan and have not discovered these cookies I suggest you stay far far away!! They are sooo gooood but sooo fattening. An entire cookie is about 400 - 500 calories. Granted they are large so it could be a meal, but that's never the case for me. I've had about 5 - 6 of those cookies in the last two weeks. I ALMOST got one today for my birthday but will maybe bake cupcakes instead.

I did have a great lunch, not a cupcake lunch like I was fantasizing about at Papa Ganache but at The Orchid in Metuchen, NJ. They are a Kosher restaruant they are not open Friday evenings or on Saturdays so it was a real treat to be able to sit at a table and have the combo platter with Hummus Spread, Baba Ganoush and Quinoa Salad. Since it was a special occasion I even had a caffeinated chai spice tea, I'm just breaking ALL the rules today!

It can't be a New Year's resolution without committing to exercise. I can't believe I said that... I've taken a bit of a hiatus on the workout and it's obvious - everything is a big mush and I can't walk up a flight of stairs. No more Ms. Softy. This morning I did one of my Kathy Smith step DVDs on the BOSU and I've asked for a new heart rate monitor and the P90X workout system. I've contacted my beachbody coaches for a vegan diet plan and will probably buy The Engine 2 Diet book in the near future (unless I get it as a gift - another subtle hint...)

I know what you are thinking, what about work, mental, school - well I can only do so much. I'm a vain creature so let's work on looking good, because as Fernando used to say "it's better to look good than to feel good"

Last of the Harvest

2010-11-07T18:55:00.002-05:00

Well all of our veggies plants are dead with the exception of the greens, which will hopefully keep going for a while. Here's a shot of the last of the tomatoes I picked today and the two butternut squashes we got.

Here's a collection of Lemon Boys, Brandywines, Romas and Yellow Pear tomatoes. Oh and the mystery tomato that was the only seedling to survive was a Black Krim. The yellow ones in the bowl were ripened on the counter so I hope we can get most of these to ripen as well.

We got a dehydrator this weekend AND a copy of Diet for a Small Planet, both are hand me downs and boy am I excited! I have some portobello mushrooms going, this model is apparently a very slowww going dehydrator, it will take about a day to dehydrate the shrooms. Looks dehydrating will be more of a weekend thing since we won't keep this on while we're away from the house.

I have the thermometer to see how high the temp goes. It's at almost 120, raw foodies don't like their food cooked over 118 or so. I have a feeling this might go a bit higher. It's been going for about four hours.

I think Lola likes it too...

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NYC Veg Fest!

2010-11-03T20:17:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to attend the Veg Fest at Union Square Park on October 16th. I met up with my girlfriend and we checked out all of the cool booths.

First off we got a goodie bag at the Supreme Master Ching Hai booth, it included a booklet with animal activist literature and recipes - shame they weren't giving out samples from Loving Hut - YUM I highly recommend their veggie burger with the guac, it's delightful.

Then we got some hemp seeds from a vegan athlete how cool is that!

We also got to meet THE Pamela Rice, that was the best! She was great and let us know to look out for the 2011 Veggie Pride Parade on May 22nd. I became a fan of Pamela's listening to the Vegan - Vegetarian Solutions for a Sustainable Environment podcast.


Yes that is my @#$%%# thumb...

The next stop was the olsenHaus sample shoe sale - alas my financial future is uncertain so I didn't buy anything and well let's face it 50% off of $200 is still $100. But I have to give credit where credit is due, the shoes are gorgeous. So those of you that think you have to sacrifice style to be cruelty free, well it just ain't so.

The Mercy for Animals table was next. The girls working it were really nice and informative. I look forward to getting their e-newsletters.

AND they were right next to an amazing brownie sample from the Bhakti Cafe. Talk about kismet, discussing saving animals and the environment and eating your cruelty free cake too.

There was also a Sea Shepard and PETA table:

After hitting all of the tables we took a walk through the farmer's market

The radishes and the carrots looked so beautiful I couldn't not stop to take a photo.

Once we were though the farmer's market we went back to the VegFest to see Latina vegan chef Terry Hope Romero - yippee!! She's the co-author of Veganomicon, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. She is also the author of Viva Vegan! a Latin cookbook and one that's on my Amazon wish list (subtle hint)...

She's totally cute and tiny and put us all through a veg trivia contest, wow we really sucked. But we did get the pleasure of meeting Rachel from Rachel's Cakes and her two adorable daughters, they really helped with those tough questions.

Finally, we were able to go to lunch. We ended up going to Purume Organic & Local Kitchen, our dishes were very nice, I had a pea soup and a roasted veggie platter, my girlfriend also had the soup and a stuffed pita that was really good. I will be going back and having drinks and dessert too!

Recipe of the Month: Butternut & Mushroom Risotto

2010-11-02T21:52:00.000-04:00

OK let's face it, I don't have a recipe every week so it makes no sense to have a "Recipe of the Week"... So now I will post recipes monthly.

This month's recipe is a butternut squash risotto, unfortunately, I don't have a photo of but I promise the next time I make it I will take one before I gobble it up as is what usually happens! Here are some photos courtesy of Google Images to give you an idea of what it should look like.

I love risotto, however, it's a labor of love: pour and stir, pour and stir, repeat for the next 30 min. For me it's well worth it, the delicate flavors the comforting texture. Yum I'm getting hungry!

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 4 tbsp
Butternut Squash, 1 small
Portobello Mushrooms, 2
Onion Red, 1 cup
Garlic, 1 bulb
Vegetable Broth - Use Low Sodium! 8 cup
Arborio Rice (Risotto Rice), Dry, Uncooked, 2 cup
Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread, 1 tbsp
Celery, raw, 2 stalk, large (11"-12" long)
Shallots, 4 tbsp chopped
Colgin Liquid Smoke, 1 tsp - Use as much or as little as you like
Salt - Iodized Sea Salt, 1 tsp

Directions

Preheat oven to 400

Cut Squash in half

Brush 3 Tbsp of olive oil on backing sheet, squash (place squash cut side down), mushrooms, onions and garlic - do not peel onion or garlic.

Bake for 40 min

While vegetable are roasting heat the broth. You can also add a bullion if you want to give it more flavor.

In a heavy pot add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp of Earth Balance

Saute celery and shallots until soft.

Add 1/3 cup broth

Lower heat and take out roasted vegetables

Peel, seed and chop squash, mushrooms, garlic and onions and put aside

Add the rice to celery and shallots

Add 1/3 cup broth and stir until it is absorbed

Repeat until half the broth is used

Add vegetables and Liquid Smoke

Keep adding broth 1/3 cup at at time and stirring until it is absorbed

Add salt and pepper to taste

Add more Liquid Smoke if desired.

Number of Servings: 6

Garden Update - It's been a long hard summer

2010-10-17T21:21:00.000-04:00

As many of you know we lost Pippin a month ago. I've been very sad as she was a very special kitty. It was hard to get back into the garden as she had quite a few favorite spots and would always run to me from them when I would go into the yard. It's still a little hard for me not to get teary eyed when I go out there.

This has been a tough summer, it began with my mother's death, with a drought in the middle then closed with the death of Pippin, let's just say that 2011 will be a much better year for the garden

So... Today was my first day back and was pleasantly surprised at what I found. We had lots of Kentucky Wonder Beans and I have to say they are absolutely delicious. if you come across any seeds they are a definite go.

We also decided to pick the peppers we had since it's now getting cold. These beauties were grown from seed. And while we only got about 4 -5 peppers all summer, I still feel a little proud that we were able to grow them.

In addition to the peppers, we also picked all of our tomatoes, all the green tomatoes, including a few that were from seeds, if any of you have recipes, please share! I picked some dandelion and sauteed it with loads of garlic, shallots, peppers and green tomatoes. I also added some earth balance to thicken it up and boy was that yummy. Ha, we ate it before we could photograph!

I did manage to pick a couple of ripe tomatoes but the pickin's were slim

I also was able to get seeds off of our radishes and the collards that went to seed. It's fun to let something go to seed because now we'll have for next year. It makes so much sense to save seeds. So when you are eating a great vegetable that has seeds, save them! It's always worth a try to see if they will sprout. You can put a few in a moist paper towel and if they sprout then you will be good to go. We store our seeds in airtight containers in the fridge and they keep pretty well.

Radish & Collard seeds in pods

The collards and Swiss chard we planted this year were from seeds we kept last year.

Lemongrass makes me very happy and our lemongrass that we planted in the yard has done beautifully. But now with temps dipping into the 30s we need to bring it in. Jared was inspired and has started making lemongrass tea. WOW! I have a new love, and it's lemongrass leaves steeped in hot water, so simple yet so delicious. I highly recommend it.

From lemongrass bush comes lemongrass tea

Last but not least, we can't forget that our little Lola has been such a saving grace during this difficlut time. And while she's starting to do a lot of things Pippy did she's got her own sweet personality. Here's a phot of her hitting jackpot with a nice big pot of catnip.

Have we got a VIDEO??

2010-09-16T00:06:00.006-04:00

OK that's one of the few Young Ones references I can remember...

So I decided to make this entry a video blog... a VLOG! Welcome me to the 21st century!

**IN MEMORY OF PIPPIN**

WE MISS YOU PRINCESS

MAY 2004 - SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

What EGG-zactly is going on??

2010-09-03T12:52:00.003-04:00

There's been a lot of hoopla over eggs these last few weeks. There is a ginormous recall due to a major salmonella contamination which is nothing to sneeze at.

Source: http://www.salmonellablog.com/2005/05/

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness (1).

Salmonella contamination in eggs is fairly common with about 40,000 cases annually (2). So what is it about this outbreak that makes it noteworthy. The fact that there are half billion eggs implicated and they come from just a handful of factory farms in Iowa (3). The notion that eggs come from farms all over the country is a misnomer. Like the beef and pork industry it's the large few that control the market.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/battery-eggs-sold-supermarket.php

The main theory for the widespread cases of salmonella is keeping chickens in battery cages.It's compelling because according to a Pew study conducted in 2008:

Animals in such close confinement, along with some of the feed and animal management methods employed in the system, increase pathogen risks and magnify opportunities for transmission from animals to humans. This increased risk is due to at least three factors: prolonged worker contact with animals, increased pathogen transmission within a herd or flock, and the increased opportunities for the generation of antimicrobial resistant bacteria (due to imprudent antimicrobial use) or new strains of viruses (4).

In the 1990s the European Union banned battery cages, with complete compliance due by 2012 (5). Thus with the reduction of batter cages there has been a reduction in pathogens (6). What does this mean for us here in the US? Nothing, unless steps are taken to improve the conditions of the chickens.

Source: http://www.chickenout.ca/alternatives.html

Even if you don't care about animal welfare you should care about human safety. It's obvious that the food producers won't police themselves it's up to the consumer to demand a safe product - remember money talks. While it's unrealistic to expect people to stop eating eggs, it is realistic to demand a product that is not a bio-hazard for you and your family. The cheap cost of food in this country is not so cheap when you factor in the costs associated with pollution, resource depletion and human health.

References:

CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/salmonellosis/, 2009
CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/salmonellosis/, 2009
FDA website: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/MajorProductRecalls/ucm223522.htm, 2010
Pew Charitable Commission, Pew Commission Says Industrial Scale Farm Animal Production Poses “Unacceptable” Risks to Public Health, Environment http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=38438, 2008
EU bans battery cages Richard Hardy. The Animals' Agenda. Westport: Sep/Oct 1999. Vol. 19, Iss. 5; pg. 8, 1 pgs.

Health in Swiss layers after a ban on battery cages.Veterinary Record: Journal of the British Veterinary Association; 2/14/2009, Vol. 164 Issue 7, p198-198, 1/5

When in Main...

2010-08-29T12:29:00.059-04:00

Do like the Mainers or is it Maine-ites? Not really sure, so what do you call them??

We had our yearly trip out to Maine this week and it was just lovely. We drove up on Sunday and got in well after dark, wow has it really been a year since we had made that trek?

Source: Google Maps

2009

We stay at the home of Jared's parents, Margaret and Dad H. One of my favorite parts of the trip is getting to spend time with them. The scenery is also fantastic, their pier has such great photo opps.

2009

We also like to bring veggies from the garden, unfortunately our harvest to date has been sparse so we also brought up what came in our CSA box.

Our Garden

CSA

Sunday
Our trip down on Sunday was fairly uneventful - though we did have a coyote sighting on the Garden State Parkway which was pretty neat. The poor thing was very scraggly and wet, I would have never guessed it was a coyote.

We stopped for dinner at Don Amigos which happens to be in one of our favorite New England cities, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Portsmouth is sickeningly quaint and proved even more so when we stumbled upon the Strawberry Banke Museum. We absolutely loved it.

It's a compound of old historic homes that have been preserved, they even have the street and lane names. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera so the photos I took were with my phone.

The houses looked like they were in decent condition, one had very nice lattice work on the windows. They also had some really nice gardens too, not sure how historically accurate they were, definitely a wonderful addition.

Monday
On Monday since it was a rainy day we took it slowly, lunch was a bean salad that I made in a pinch. We got out at about 3pm and headed to the Harrison Meeting House where Dad H is a docent.

It's always great to see the historical items that have been preserved. A walk through the cemetery provided us with some insight of the longevity of these hardy New Englanders. We surmised that if you made it past your 20s you had a very good chance of living well into your 80s and 90s. I would venture to guess that about 30% of the people buried in the old section lived well past 70.

After our visit to the meeting house we went to the local Farmer's Market in Damariscotta. The best part was that the farmer's market was in the parking lot of the Rising Tide Community Market, the local co-op, so I was able to load up on my normal staples of organic greens, berries and some coconut milk. OK I lied, the best part was seeing a real vintage MINI!

And parking right next to it!

Tuesday

On Tuesday we took a ride out to Boothbay on the next peninsula.

The sites were those typical of Maine.

We checked out the used book store in Boothbay Harbor and Jared made a b-line to his favorite apple turnover bakery on the Eastern Seaboard, Baker's Way - they also serve Vietnamese food - go figure... Eventually we made our way to hike the short Oven's Mouth trail that is part of the Boothbay Region Land Trust

The trail we were on was super easy, nice for a short scenic walk.

The trail itself had views of the salt marshes. This is a photo of the dam that can only be seen during low tide.

The evening was topped off with a lovely Indian dinner that Margaret made - must get those recipes!!

Wednesday

Since it was a rainy day we stayed in and watched Doctor Who episodes on our Roku box. We brought it from home and set it up quite easily.

Then we watched my favorite Indian hottie - Ranbir Kapoor in Bachna ae Haseeno (Lucky Boy) - yippee! The songs were nice and one I particularly liked was Khuda Jaane, the Bhangra beats were pretty good too. Great movie for a rainy day

After that we watched Pyaar Impossible - Love Impossible. That was your typical beauty and the geek movie. It was very cute and a nice finish to our day.

Thursday
On Thursday we took a ride to Belfast, it's about 30 - 40 min north of Camden. Belfast is a small town on the water.

It's main street is lined with little shops, galleries and eateries.

We stopped off at the Three Tides Brew Pub for a beer sampler and snacks.

After Belfast we stopped off in Camden for a little while.

Back in Pemaquid we were able to wrangle up one more fun Indian movie - Dostana, with my new favorite Indian hottie John Abraham

Friday
On Friday we went for a local hike with Dad H at the Laverna Preserve, it is maintained by the Pemaquid Watershed Association. It was a very nice walk with lovely and interesting sights

and of course the requisite view of the Maine coast

Afterward we went to the Salt Bay Cafe for a lovely dinner.

Saturday

Well, it was time to go, I got a few pictures from the pier at Heron Cove

And finally one of the two of us that we both liked

A trip to Maine is never complete without a trip to the outlets at Freeport or at least the DeLorme map store to see the world's largest globe!

We got back to Jersey at about 2am, yikes! So a few to-dos for next year's trip...

A trip to Bar Harbor
Boothbay Botanical Gardens
The Rachel Carson Salt Pond Preserve
A ride into Wiscasset
A boat ride into Monhegan

Recipe of the week: Carrot Cake

2010-08-21T15:36:00.003-04:00

We had a BBQ last weekend and I made a Carrot Cake for Jared's birthday. This is a great recipe that was super easy to vegan-ise. It had great feedback and something to add to the list of keepers. Now if only I can find a great vegan tofu cream-cheese frosting...

Ingredients
2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light brown cane sugar
1/2 cup cane sugar
2 tablespoons ground flax* - used as egg replacer
6 tablespoons warm water* - used as egg replacer
1/2 ripe banana - used as egg replacer
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 cups finely grated carrots
2 cups finely diced pineapple, drained
1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds**
1/4 cup walnuts**
3 dates**
1/4 cup golden raisins

* mix flax and water together with a fork or small whisk until it has a raw egg white consistency
** finely chop nuts, seeds & dates

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit, use an oven thermometer to make sure it's the right temp - I had to set my oven to 370 to get it to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, mix sugar and egg replacers until creamy (works best with an electric mixer) -

add vanilla, then add oil.

Mix wet and dry ingredients together and add carrots, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, dates and raisins. I used the mixer to get it all mixed in nicely.

Grease pan if necessary. Smooth batter into pan.

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to let the cake adequately cool before frosting.

I made it in a flat sheet so we easily had about 20 servings.

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Recipe of the Week - Spicy Black Bean Burgers

2010-08-08T23:14:00.006-04:00

These black bean burgers were very yummy. I served them on a sprouted grain bun with mashed avocado sprinkled with course black pepper and lime juice, tomatoes and radicchio from the garden.

Ingredients

Goya Black Beans, 1 can half drained
Onion, 1 small finely chopped
Hot Chili Peppers, 1 pepper finely chopped
Garlic, 2 cloves finely chopped
Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten, .5 cup
Bread Crumbs Panko, .5 cup
Water, .25 cup
Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
Organic Vegan Worcestershire Sauce, 2 tbsp
Cumin - ground, 1 tbsp
Chili powder, 1 tsp
Salt, .5 tsp

Directions

Drain and rinse half the can of black beans. Put all of the beans in a large bowl and set aside.

Chop the onion, garlic and pepper. Mash the beans and add all of the remaining ingredients. Mix together until the mixture is sticky and burgers can be formed.

Refrigerate for 30 min. Freeze any extra burgers.

Cook in a pan with oil about 8 min per side.

Number of Servings: 6

Lessons Learned

2010-08-07T11:14:00.002-04:00

This summer has been a difficult one for the garden. With temperatures in and above the 90s for most of July we are lucky that we did not lose more. According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the month of June had the highest recorded ocean and land temps on the planet (or at least since 1880 when they began recording this information).

Source: NOAA (http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/images/map-blended-mntp-201006.gif)

We lost most of our squashes and cukes, we also lost our peas. The spinach also went very quickly to flower. I think that next year we will plant more peas instead of spinach. I've never liked peas but the ones fresh from the garden are very nice.

It was also the first summer I started most seeds from indoors in the early spring. This did not work out as well as I had planned. Of the many many tomato seeds that I sowed only 1 survived and is in the garden. it's a small plant not sure if we will see any tomatoes before the frost in the fall. Of the many many peppers I sowed only a few have made it to the garden.

Our transplanted beans did OK but the best and most thriving one was from a seed planted at the same time that the seedlings were put in.

Next year I think I will plant directly into the garden and use soda bottles and anything I can get my hands on to keep the frost off of the seedlings.

Everything we planted from seed directly into the garden did much better than the seedlings, the basil, eggplants, greens, peas... unfortunately this meant that a lot of the seeds went in a bit late in the season (mid May) and we may not see the plants bear their maximum yield.

I also want to have pots of veggies over the winter in the spare room. If the eggplants don't bloom until the fall then I will have to bring them in.

And of course I can't resist sharing a photo of one of my very favorites - sunflowers!

Is beauty really only Skin Deep?

2010-07-21T10:59:00.013-04:00

Many of you know or should know that you are what you eat. That's a no brainer, well how many of you consider what you put on your body too? The way a birth control or nicotine patch delivers its medicine transdermally should give you an indication that yes, your skin (the largest organ on the human body) has the ability to absorb what is put on it. While your epidermis does provide some sort of barrier you can't really be sure that some of the ingredients in the skin care products you are using aren't being somehow absorbed, especially if you are using a product every day for many years.

Luckily the EWG has a fantastic web site that gives you a rating on a huge listing of beauty products including facial, body, hair, make-up, nail, oral hygiene and even baby products.

Before you slather on another lotion or put on sunscreen make sure you check out your product's ingredients, you may be surprised to see that you are getting a bit more than you bargained for...

OH YEAH!! And to check out the movie: The Story of Cosmetics, the Ugly Truth of "Toxics in. Toxics out" click HERE

Search Amazon.com for 100 pure organic coffee bean caffeine eye cream

Recipe of the Week - Salad

2010-07-14T11:00:00.012-04:00

OK so this may look like a cop out but this salad was really good. We used purple carrots and a ginourmous cucumber from the CSA and a Roma and Lemon Boy tomato from the garden.

Chop everything up and place in a bowl.

For the dressing I made a tahini inspired one. I added apple cider vinegar, tahini, lime juice, cumin, garlic, tiny leeks, pumpkin seed oil and some cilantro. As far as the measurements for all well, I used about a 1/4 cup vinegar with 1.5 limes and had to add a little water because it was too sour so I would say just use one lime and a little less vinegar. I added about 2 -3 tablespoons of tahini a tablespoon of the pumpkin oil and a small bunch of cilantro.

I've got a rotty bottom!

2010-07-12T12:16:00.005-04:00

Yikes! looks like one of our tomatoes has bottom rot - I have no idea what kind of tomato it is since it was labeled "Acid-Free Yellow" and by looking at this photo it is *clearly* not yellow

If anyone out there knows what I can do to keep this contained please feel free to chime in.

Oh this wilting heat...

2010-07-07T20:27:00.009-04:00

Oh boy the last two weeks have been rough. Everything is very thirsty. We have had many 90+ degree days over the last two weeks. We even hit over 100 degrees the other day!!

So this meant a trip to the local big box hardware store for a garden hose. I have been having a great time watering the veggies and cooling off my feets and the kitties.

I try to water when I get home. I know, best to water first thing but there's no way I am getting up early. There you have it. Never water during the peak heat as the water evaporates and I was also told that it burns the plants. I haven't checked on that one yet so if it's not true let us know.

Stay cool y'all

OH! And here's a photo of our first tomato

Recipe of the Week - Ice Cream!

2010-07-01T20:04:00.011-04:00

Well it's been tipping 90 here the last few days so what better way to beat the heat than to have a nice bowl of ice cream. And while this won't have the same amount of calcium you will be getting 30% of your iron for the day.

Ingredients

Raw Cashews 1 cup
Banana, fresh, 1 medium
Organic Blueberries, fresh, 1 cup
Organic Strawberries, fresh, 1 cup, whole
Chocolate Chips Semi-Sweet Tropical Source, 2 tbsp

Directions

So this recipe really starts the day before.

Soak the cashews overnight and put the fruits (preferably organic berries, see the post from April 27th) in the freezer.

When ready place all ingredients in a blender until desired consistency.

Viola!

Number of Servings: 2

We are getting results!

2010-06-27T10:09:00.037-04:00

We are finally seeing some of the fruits of our labor - yippee!! And discovering the Macro setting on my camera I am also able to document our beauties a lot better, double yippee!!!

Last night we tried a couple of radishes, yow-we they were spicy!

Unfortunately, I don't remember what variety they were as we have two in the garden. Note for next year, keep a better garden plan...

We also are starting to see some of our round zucchini. Speaking of squashes we got a beautifull array from yesterday's CSA pick-up

Our squash patch is looking pretty good too.

We also have a variety of tomatoes coming in, considering we have about 12 tomato plants I'm looking forward to the end of the summer when we won't have to buy them, local and organic can get pricey! Hmmmm I wonder of the CSA will have tomatoes...

Here are the Brandywines, they are still tiny.

When I bought the 3 Lemon Boys one plants already had a tomato, this is it I haven't noticed any more, but the plants are a bit of a jumble...

Our Patio Tomato, while still tiny has a nice piece of fruit on it's way.

We also have 3 Romas that are doing pretty well. It looks like all of them are starting to bear fruit,

and our Acid Free Yellow is also starting to bear fruit

We also have peas that are podding, now I don't like peas but tasting these I may have to change my mind. Our Spinach never does well, grows too fast and flowers to quickly on us. I think next year I will be planting a few rows of peas instead of spinach

The rest of the garden is doing well, our herbs are looking good:

Cilantro

Basil

Mint

Parsley

and Oregano

We have green beans that I think are going to be really nice

We also have a few rogues!

Butternuts in the compost

Tomatoes in the greens

A Zinnia in the tomatoes

and a Sunflower between the asparagus and zucchini

Speaking of Sunflowers, some of my more established ones are starting to bloom, shame they didn't make it to 7 - 8 feet like last year, however, it's nice to see the flowers and their friends

Filling it in

2010-06-13T13:07:00.011-04:00

So I decided to add a few more seeds today. The beans are growing quickly so I filled in the open spaces with more, I used the square foot method, however, they can be 3 inches apart. I started seeds indoors and for shits and giggles planted a seed at the same time, well that one is now the biggest bean I have!

I also planted some more beets since what came up was a bit sparse. The radishes (behind the beets) are doing well as are the turnips.

My favorite - sunflowers - are also doing well. I have to figure out how to get them to not break. These seeds were propagated from the wonderful sunflowers we had last year.

I also went a little crazy and planted a whole back row of sunflowers!

Our collards and chard are still doing well, the spinach is not looking so pretty though...

Recipe of the Week - Stuffed Tomatoes

2010-06-06T15:55:00.004-04:00

This one is a nice treat during a hot day, you can serve on a bed of greens as an entree or you can make little ones and serve them as appetizers.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

Red Ripe Tomatoes, 3 large whole (3" dia) Mushrooms, fresh, 1 cup, pieces or slices Lemon Juice, 1 lemon yields Garlic, 4 cloves Shallots, 3 tbsp chopped Carrots, raw, 1 cup, chopped Walnuts, .5 cup shelled (50 halves) Sage, ground, 1 tsp Oregano, ground, 1 tsp Thyme, ground, 1 tsp Fresh Chives, 2 tbsp chopped

Directions

Put the tomatoes aside.

Process all of the ingredients except the chives to a paste-like consistency.

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and scoop out the insides and put your filling in. Chill in fridge if desired and garnish with the fresh chives or parsley

Number of Servings: 3

Back in the garden again!

2010-06-03T15:36:00.034-04:00

Well folks last weekend was a great weekend to get back into the garden. A few weeks ago we moved the seedlings outside. We have a few yellow peppers from seeds I saved from an organic pepper.

There are cucumbers, zucchinis, and butternut squashes.

The big one on the right is a butternut squash from seeds I saved. It was a large one that I used for our Regifting Party in January. I made a fab Moroccan Stew and Cousous with Chickpeas.

We also have collards (here is a photo of one the triffid collards that self sowed from last year's batch) and Swiss chard.

If you look closely you might be able to see the rogue tomatoes growing with the chard and collards.

Of my many, many tomato seedlings I had only one survivor.

The fun part is figuring out what it is since I lost track a few weeks ago. We were able to put 4 in the ground but after back to back 80+ degree days I lost 3 of them.

No worries though, I did pick up a few tomato plants, about 9, at our local hardware store. I bought 3 Romas and 3 Lemon boys, a Brandywine, a Patio and a yellow acid-free variety tomato. And of course we have the rogue tomatoes

I also planted radishes, beets and turnips in the garden bed with oregano just on the outside and sage in the flower garden.

In pots out back we have cilantro,

parsley, basil, radicchio, arugula, eggplant, mini peppers

and kitties.

Out front we have butternut squashes and more tomatoes and maybe some peppers.

Flowers for Gladys

2010-05-23T19:11:00.009-04:00

My mother passed away on May 8th, 2010 this post is dedicated to her. Her middle name is Rosa and we picked out and planted this rose bush together, it's blooming beautifully and I know she would have loved it.

She loved flowers and we were fortunate when we bought the house that there were a few established flower gardens. We have also added a few flowering plants here and there.

The poppies, peonies, astilbe and foxglove were already here...

I have added miniature roses in yellow, pink and mystery color I can't remember. The yellow are blooming now and looking fantastic

I have also received a beautiful hydrangea plant that will be going in as a memorial to my mom in the front garden. In addition to that my ultrafabulous neighbor bought too many petunias and gave me her overflow. I love petunias and these colors will go beautifully with the hydrangea

1935 - 2010

Recipe of the Week - Simple White Bean and Greens Pasta

2010-05-05T15:32:00.006-04:00

This week's recipe I don't have a photo for, it's one of those simple pasta recipes that's quick in a pinch.

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 tbsp Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread, 1 tbsp Garlic, 8 cloves roughly chopped Goya, White beans, 3.5 cup Spinach, fresh, 2.5 cup Collards, 5 cup, chopped Vegan Vegetable Bouillon - Rapunzel .25 cube Barilla Whole Grain Rotini - 13.25 oz Salt to taste Pepper to taste Parsley for garnish

Directions

Set a pot of water to boil - in the meantime

Add oil and butter to a large saucepan
When hot add garlic and cook until browned
Add white beans and cook for a few minutes
Add about 3/4 cup water and bouillon to beans and garlic
Once bouillon is dissolved
Add greens and cover pan
Add pasta to boiling water
While pasta cooks - about 10 min - the greens should still be green and wilted by the time the pasta is ready
When pasta is ready drain and add to saucepan and mix well
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve garnished with parsley

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe of the Week - Peanut Soup

2010-04-28T22:07:00.004-04:00

This week's recipe is Peanut Soup - my take on African Peanut Soup, although my variations would probably make it unrecognizable to someone jonesing for the real thing. I think it's pretty darn good...

Ingredients

Brown Rice, medium grain, 2 cups Vegetable Broth - Pacific Low Sodium, 1.5 cup Water 1.5 cup Bay Leaf, 1 leaf Olive Oil, 4 tbsp (Divided) Onions, 1 medium chopped Green Peppers 1 cup, chopped Red Peppers 1 cup chopped Frozen mixed vegetables, 2 cups Garlic, 4 cloves chopped Goya Red Kideny Beans 1 can or 1.5 cup cooked Vegan Vegetable Bouillon - Rapunzel .5 cube Del Monte Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes, 28oz can Baby Spinach Salad, 6 oz Collards, 4 cup, chopped Cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped Natural Peanut Butter .5 cup (can be crunchy or smooth - I prefer crunchy) In-shell Peanuts handful chopped Chili Powder, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp optional Fresh Black Pepper, 1 dash optional

Directions

Make the brown rice first, using water, vegetable broth, .5 - 1 tbsp oil and bay leaf.

While the rice is cooking prep and make stew:
In big sturdy pot heat 2 - 3 tbsp of oil. Add onions and both red and green peppers. Cook until soft. Then add mixed frozen vegetables and cook through. Add garlic, cook until soft then add diced tomatoes, chili powered, bouillon and kidney beans. Let it cook for about 5 minutes. Mix in the peanut butter and add the fresh spinach and collards cover the pot to reduce the greens for about 5 min, don't let them overcook. Once they are soft but still green stir in the cilantro, salt and pepper if desired. Add cooked rice, garnish with chopped peanuts and serve.

*if you are using white rice you can add it to the stew uncooked and let the stew simmer for 20 min. You can also use any other grain.

Number of Servings: 6