Green!

While considering ideas for the current 'Green' challenge for Tangled Textiles I came across these great green recipes for cleaning. They are from the David Suzuki's Foundation at Lindsay's 'queenofgreen' blog, one of seven excellent blogs at The David Suzuki website. http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/downloads/2011/QueenOfGreen-Green-cleaning-recipes.pdf

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I don't think there can be a simpler or greener cleaner than this, one of the many recipes at The Queen of Green blog.

                  

      All-purpose powder: 

•  1/2 cup  borax
•  1/2 cup  washing soda
•   1/2 cup  white vinegar

 Combine dry ingredients. For toilet: sprinkle onto surface, scrub, and chase with vinegar. For dishwasher: add dry ingredients to soap dispenser and vinegar to rinse dispenser.

One of my personal challenges for Earth Day and beyond is to try and reduce the number of cleaners I had stored under the cabinets and replace them with earth-friendly green cleaners such as the one above.

Do you have plans for Earth Day and beyond?

(note: Photo from David Suzuki Foundation website) PS Book fans, check out some of David Suzuki's books. 

Can Cookies Be Healthy?

I hope so because I've found a new use for some of the okara I have left-over every couple days when I make our soy milk or tofu. Okara is not to be confused with okra the veggie. Okara is the cooked ground pulp of the soy bean, created in abundance if you make soy milk or tofu. A couple years ago we bought a soy milk maker and it has become one of the most used small appliances in our kitchen, second only to the coffee maker. It is SO easy to use, simply add 1/2 cup soy beans and fill with water. Twenty minutes later you have soy milk. From there you can have tofu pressing in less than five minutes. I like to add a little rice or other grain when I'm making milk, and sometimes I'll make almond milk with the same maker. More about my beloved soy milk maker at another time, this started as a cookie entry so back to the recipe ......

 Mix together the following four ingredients:

1 cup okara (if you don't have okara, you can use tofu*)
1/2 cup maple syrup (my favorite sweetener)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix the following ingredients and then mix the wet and the dry together:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup ground flax seeds (you can skip this if you like and add a bit more oats instead)
1/2 tsp salt
2tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins (you could add chocolate chips instead of or in addition to either the walnuts or raisins)

Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets. (I'm now using silicone baking sheets so no need to grease them) I press them down a little with a fork dipped in water.
Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 15-20 minutes. Makes about 30 cookies, fewer if you like big ones.
Enjoy!

* My okara has lots of liquid so if using tofu use about 1 1/2 cups of soft tofu)

Fall Muffins

With fall comes apples and when it starts to get cool it's time to use the oven. So apple muffins ..... these have no eggs or butter with only 2 Tbsp of oil. Of course they do have some sugar but there's no perfect food! 

2 cups whole wheat flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 ripe banana, mashed ( I keep ripe bananas in the freezer and pull one and defrost as needed)

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp oil (I like to use Canola)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup soy milk 

1 tsp vinegar

1 cup peeled and chopped apples

• Mix together the flour, baking powder, soda and cinnamon.

• In another bowl cream the banana, sugar, oil and vanilla.

• Stir vinegar into the soy milk and add to the banana mixture. Mix well.

• Add flour mixture and apples to the banana mixture. Stir together until mixture is evenly moistened.

• Spoon batter into oiled muffins forms and bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until muffins are golden and toothpick comes out clean. 

This makes 12 muffins but they are not large muffins. If you prefer them spilling over the top them make 10 muffins. If you do not have whole wheat flour use 1 cup refined flour with 1/2 cup each of wheat germ and bran. That is how I first made these muffins when whole wheat flour was not to be found where I lived. (That was a few years back!)

 Enjoy!

A bit from the studio, a bit from the kitchen...

 I've unpacked what came home from the FAU Potters' Guild Holiday Show and Sale. I've been trying to get into the clay studio but time just escapes me. I did experiment in the sewing room on this postcard. I should have called it finished after I quilted it but decided to add the layer of heart print cellophane. At least I have that idea out of my system!

My soy milk maker has been the big hit in my kitchen this fall. Making fresh organic soy milk a few times each week has become a habit. With the soy milk comes the by product of okara which I hate to throw away so it makes its way into lots of goodies. I've used it in place of the eggs and fat in chocolate cake, added to my veggie burgers, and every week I make a batch of granola. I add the vanilla and ground flax seed to the okara before mixing in oats, nuts and other ingredients. It adds a lovely light crunch and added nutrition to the baked granola!

And here's one of my clay and fiber pieces; a clay box with quilt and seeds, etc. Notice the fine crack .... makes it a 'keeper'!

Bionic Woman!

Do you remember watching the Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman? Should I admit that I do? Sure, I'm happy to have made it past my first half century and am looking forward to living a 'bionic lifestyle'. OK, no bionic lifestyle but Lindsay Wagner's (the Bionic Woman) book 'The High Road to Health' was one of the first vegetarian cookbooks I owned and is still one of my favorites. She teamed up with her friend Ariane Spade to write one excellent cookbook! Their recipes are healthy and delicious. The subtitles in their introduction are 'For People Who Love to Eat', 'Indulge and Be Healthy' and "Satisfaction, Not Sacrifice' and those titles suit their book to a tee. I still return to this cookbook for many favorites. Tonight I made their 'Black Bean and Greek Olive Pate with Walnuts' as an appetizer. It was quick and easy. Below is one of my earlier favorites. (I've added a few of my own notes in brackets)

Polynesian Tofu

3 tsp arrowroot powder or kuzu (I use cornstarch)

1 cup unsweetened pineapple or apple juice

1 Tbsp honey (or use a vegan sweetener)

2 Tbsp white vinegar

2 Tbsp soy sauce

salt to taste (I find with soy sauce we don't need anymore salt but this depends on your salt preference)

2 tsp cold-pressed olive oil

1/2 onion, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces

1 green, seeds and membranes removed, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 Tbsp very thinly sliced fresh ginger

2 Tbsp slivered almonds

2 Cups ripe fresh pineapple chunks, or 2 cups unsweetened canned pineapple chunks, drained (reserve juice for use in the sauce)

1 lb firm tofu prepared as Teriyaki Tofu steps 1 through 3

1. To prepare the sauce, dissolve the arrowroot in 2 Tbsp pineapple juice or apple juice. Add the honey and a little more juice, if necessary, and stir until the honey is dissolved. Mic in the remaining juice and all other sauce ingredients and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet or work. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the celery, pepper, and ginger and saute for 3 minutes. Add the almonds and pineapple and cook for 4 minutes or until the vegetable are tender but still crisp.

3. Add the sauce to the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens and becomes clear.

4. Adjust the seasoning.

5. Just before serving mix in the tofu. Serve on a bed of brown rice.

Teriyaki Tofu (only steps 1-3  for above recipe)

1 lb firm tofu

1/4 cup Braggs Aminos (soy sauce may be used for a slightly different taste)

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tofu into strips about 1/4 inch thick and 3/4 inch wide. Press the slices gently in a clean kitchen towel to expel excess water. Arrange on a lightly oiled baking dish so that the pieces do not touch.

2. Brush liberally with Braggs Aminos. Sprinkle liberally with nutritional yeast, garlic powder and onion powder.

3. Bake for 40 minutes but do not allow it to scorch. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Lindsay's cookbook is available at her website where you can also read about her workshops. I have not attended her workshops but if they are as good as her cookbook I'd love to experience one!


Looking for a cookbook zine? Just released  is a beautiful zine with a collection of vegetarian recipes by members of the EtsyVeg group. Available here.

Homemade Crackers and Hummus

Most times when asked to bring a favorite dish to a get together I bring some homemade sesame crackers and hummus. Both are super easy to make and lots of variations can be made from my basic recipes. My versions are low in fat; hummus usually has olive oil added but garbanzo beans are already high in fat so I do not add additional fat. My crackers only have a couple tablespoons of oil; enough to separate the gluten (Gluten is flour's protein that gives strength to baked products... fat acts as a tenderizer by 'breaking' up the gluten .... too much gluten together creates a tough product, so I can't make a good cracker without some fat, but I certainly don't need the high amount that is found in most store bought crackers.) Here are my recipes if you'd to try them out .....

Sesame Crackers

1 ½ cups flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

¼ cup sesame seeds

1 ½ Tbsp oil

1/3 – ½+ cup water

Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and sesame seeds

Drizzle the oil on top of flour mixture and stir in well.

Gradually stir in water, adding just enough so that the batter can be gathered up into a ball.

Roll the dough out on a floured board or floured tea towel. Roll thin and transfer to a baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden around the edges.

Break into pieces and serve as is or with dips and spreads.

Note: You can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or a mix of the two. However you make these I'm sure you'll enjoy them!

Hummus

1 ½ cups cooked garbanzo beans (chick peas)

Liquid from cooked beans

1 ½ Tbsp lime juice

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp tahini

Salt to taste

· Combine all ingredients, except liquid from the cooked beans, in a blender or food processor. Add just enough of the liquid to make the consistency you want.

· Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve with wedges of pita bread or homemade sesame crackers.

If using pita bread, I like to split the bread, cut into wedges and toast in the oven until crisp and golden. You may want to add some favorite spices to them before baking.

Hummus is also good as a sandwich filling with tomatoes, lettuce etc.

World Vegetarian Month

October 1st World Vegetarian Day! As someone celebrating her 20th year as vegetarian I am offering 10% off all sales in my Etsy shop throughout the entire month of October. Refund amount will be issued promptly through PayPal. For those shopping at 1000 Markets I will offer you additional gifts. I hope you will try some new vegetarian recipes this month!

I encourage everyone who is not vegetarian or vegan to try at least a day or more of vegan food. Do it for the environment, the animals and for your health!

Here is a favorite at our house, my recipe for Ratatouille.

Ratatouille

Serves 4

1 eggplant, sliced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup red wine

1 green pepper, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 zucchini, sliced and halved

1 tsp basil

½ tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

¼ tsp pepper

· Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt, cover with a kitchen towel and let sit for fifteen minutes (or longer if you have the time). Rinse off salt and blot dry. Cut eggplant slices into cubes.

· Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is soft.

· Add eggplant and remaining ingredients. Cook over medium low heat, covered, until vegetables are tender and sauce thickens.

Serving Suggestion: Serve on a bed of brown rice with a glass of dry red wine!