Kingly Spinach in Tomato Sauce

One pound of spinach will reduce to two full servings or four side servings.

1lb baby spinach, washed and chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp grapeseed oil
1 Tablespoon (more or less to taste) homemade curry
1/2 tsp salt

1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle pepper or other hot pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric root powder
1 cup tomato

1 to 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Heat skillet.
Place 1 1/2 tsp grapeseed oil in skillet.
Add onion and saute til slightly browned on the edges.
Add salt.
Add homemade curry.
Add spinach.

When spinach begins to reduce, add ginger.
Continue to saute.
Add tomato, chipotle pepper, turmeric powder.

Serve with rice and naan.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Nutty Booze Ballz with No Added Sugar

Vegans can have fun, too...

In a food processor on slow and thick, chop
2 cups of nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, macadamia, hazelnuts, et cetera)
2 Tablespoons of vanilla balsamic vinegar (or 1 tsp vanilla plus enough water to make 2 T)
1 cup pitted dates
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 Tablespoons booze (rum, bourbon, cognac, grand marnier, frangelico, or a mix)

Roll into balls. Perhaps you'll get a dozen or so depending how big you make them.
Sprinkle with vegan powdered sugar.
Put in freezer with a pretty bow.

Lick hands.

Mischief & Mayhem (Vegan Scrabble)

Scrabble clockwise starting from the left - Peanut butter chocolate chip, apple blueberry, savory, and blueberry squared

One of my favorite snacks as winter approaches is fresh citrus and Scrabble. The sweet juicy fruit mixing with the salty crunch seems like a complete meal. To eliminate the carbohydrates, the fruit has to go. This is the worst part. (Scientists in the lab, please work on a way for Type 1 diabetics to be able to eat fruit. Thanks.) The other high carbohydrate ingredient comes from the cereals.

To make Scrabble vegan and suitable for healthy diets, the margarine, Worcestershire sauce, and big brand GMO cereals need to be switched out. Most varieties of Worcestershire sauce have anchovies. Commercially, Wizard's and Annie's both make Worcestershire. Martha Stewart offers a homemade vegan recipe for Worcestershire sauce along with the suggestion of using it to make Colin Quinn's Irish Lamb Stew. *sigh* Her recipe doesn't use any clove or allspice, so it won't have the complexity of flavors of a well-brewed Worcestershire.

Accidentally, I stumbled upon a way to achieve that sought-after flavor of Scrabble mix. I am terribly excited about the recipe because it does not require a dehydrator, though I used one in this instance. The snack turned out to be an outstanding fuel source for the winter recreation created by the recent decent snowfall. It's high in fat and low in carbohydrates, so use wisely!

Not leaving well enough alone, I went back into the laboratory to replicate my results and came up with three additional flavor variations. First is the basic recipe so that you can consider making your own taste sensation followed by the variations. Before you slather the nut mix, taste the flavoring and adjust to suit. If you aren't using stevia, use a liquid sweetener you have on hand such as one tablespoon barley malt or maple syrup.

This recipe is not for hard core mathematicians. Relax and experiment. I did.

Basic Recipe
1/4 to 1/3 Cup flavored liquid (tamari or flavored balsamic vinegar)
1 Tablespoons fruit sweetened jam
seasonings
1 Tablespoon egg replacer
2 - 4 teaspoons of seasoning
2 - 4 Tablespoons water (if needed)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix well and pour over 2 to 2 1/2 cups of nuts and seeds. (whatever you have - raw almonds, cashews, pepitas, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat groats, flax seeds, pistachios, hemp seeds, hazelnuts)

Oven method: spread on cookie sheet/s and bake at 275°F for 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
Dehydrator method: spread on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 200°F for an hour. Check to see if done and remove from teflex once pliable. Temperature may be reduced and dehyrating time increased as desired.

Store in an airtight container.

Savory Scrabble
1/4 to 1/3 Cup tamari (low sodium)
1 Tablespoon apricot fruit spread (no sugar)
1 Tablespoon egg replacer (Bob's or Ener-G)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
2 to 4 Tablespoons water (if needed)

Oven method: spread on cookie sheet/s and bake at 275°F for 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
Dehydrator method: spread on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 200°F for an hour. Check to see if done and remove from teflex once pliable. Temperature may be reduced and dehyrating time increased as desired.

Store in an airtight container.

Sweet Fruit Srabble
1/4 cup flavored balsamic vinegar (blueberry, apple, apricot, whatever you've got)
1 Tablespoon complementary fruit spread (no sugar blueberry, apple, apricot, whatever you have)
1 Tablespoon egg replacer (Bob's or Ener-G)
1 squirt liquid stevia (apricot, vanilla, whatever you have on hand)

Oven method: spread on cookie sheet/s and bake at 275°F for 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
Dehydrator method: spread on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 200°F for an hour. Check to see if done and remove from teflex once pliable. Temperature may be reduced and dehyrating time increased as desired.

Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Scrabble
1/4 cup peanut butter (salted, no sugar)
1 Tablespoon complementary fruitspread (no sugar strawberry, apricot, apple, grape)
1 Tablespoon egg replacer (Bob's or Ener-g)
1 squirt liquid stevia (apricot, chocolate raspberry, vanilla, whatever looks good)
1/2 cup Good Life chocolate chips (the tiny ones)

Oven method: spread on cookie sheet/s and bake at 275°F for 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
Dehydrator method: spread on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 200°F for an hour. Check to see if done and remove from teflex once pliable. Temperature may be reduced and dehyrating time increased as desired.


Store in an airtight container.

Recipes from Friendsgiving 2013

It was our desire to find recipes that were loaded with flavor, made with ingredients that could be purchased from most grocery stores or supermarkets, and do not use meat analogs. There's nothing wrong with an analog. Gardein, a thoughtful company, makes some great non-GMO analogs which can be purchased at Meijer and Kroger. Here's a list of most of the recipes for Vegan Friendsgiving 2013.


Roasted Green Beans with Walnuts and Herbs

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/11/roasted-green-beans-with-walnuts-and.html

Khoresh Sib O Gheysi

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/11/khoresh-sib-o-gheysi-persian-apple-stew.html

Bhindi Masala

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/12/bhindi-masala_2.html

Homemade Curry

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/12/homemade-curry.html

Balsamic Reduction

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/11/balsamic-reduction.html

Wilma's Apple Sauce Cookies

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/12/wilmas-apple-sauce-cookies.html

Scott's Top-Shelf Vegan Cookies

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/11/scotts-top-shelf-vegan-cookie-recipe.html

Vegan Yogurt

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/12/making-vegan-yogurt-at-home.html

Replacing Eggs

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/11/replacing-eggs.html

Chimichurri with Acorn Squash

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/11/chimichurri-with-acorn-squash.html

Vegan Ice Cream

http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/12/vegan-ice-cream.html

She's an inspiration. How can we turn ideas into action?

Ms Julie at the Growing Hope Food Summit 2013, demonstrating how to make a complete healthy meal for under one dollar per person using fresh, local organic foods on food stamps and WIC.

Julie Costell (Ms Julie) is an inspiration at every turn. That someone is able to garden, run a successful restaurant, and allow time to go into the community to offer demonstrations on healthy vegan meals is astounding to me. I'm sure she's doing more, but this is just the stuff with which I am familiar. Ms Julie is a very special person.

Ms Julie's recent post on facebook starts off with, "Hahaha." I can hear her joy-filled laughter in my mind. She continues, "My black bean burger demo at the Growing Hope Food Summit 2013... showed how to make a complete healthy meal for under a dollar per person using fresh local organic foods on food stamps and wic :)"

The Growing Hope Food Summit is, according to their facebook page, "About - Striving to better our local food system and strengthen our community. Description - Join us and stay updated as we engage in dialogue to develop strategies aimed at creating a localized food system that increases accessibility, strengthens our economy, and empowers the residents of Summit County (OH)."

Setting aside for a moment the myriad of reasons why communities need to take back control of their food sources and meal preparation, how can we get the information presented by the Growing Hope Food Summit and Ms Julie to more people? If Summit County, Ohio is doing it well, we would like to make a primer so that more organizations, individuals, volunteers have a simple blue print that can be customized to their regions.

RESOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

• Ackerman-Leist, Philip. Rebuilding the Foodshed: How to Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food Systems (Community Resilience Guides). Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013. (The author is an instructor at Green Mountain College home of Bill and Lou the Oxen. The animals with whom we share our planet must be a part of our discussion on food sustainability. Ag-gag bills must also be addressed. How can we hide the process by which animals are raised and slaughtered and expect ethical, healthy, and safe results?)
• Hesterman, Oran B. Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All. New York: PublicAffairs, 2011.
• Winne, Mark. Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty. Massachusettes: Beacon Press, 2009. 

Magazines

• van Gelder, Sarah. "How to Eat Like Our Lives Depend on It." Yes! Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions. 

Online

• Detroit Soup. http://detroitsoup.com/ Detroit SOUP is a microgranting dinner celebrating creative projects in Detroit.
• Growing Hope. http://growinghope.net/ Growing Hope is dedicated to helping people improve their lives and communities through gardening and healthy food access. Based in Washtenaw County, Michigan, we work with neighborhoods, schools, community groups, and families to develop and sustain gardens.
• Healthy Summit. http://www.healthysummit.org/ Healthy Summit is modeled after the federal government’s Healthy People initiative. According to the initiative’s website, Healthypeople.gov, “Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans."
• Project Green Thumb. http://www.cdfohio.org/programs-campaigns/the-new-abolitionist/campaigns-and-projects/project-green-thumb/project-green-thumb.html Project green thumb is in the startup phase with the New Abolitionists Association Cleveland Chapter. All across Cleveland we see empty lots and blighted houses not being put to good use. At the same time there are food deserts that leave us with little or no access to the food that we need to be productive in school. It’s time to take matters into our own hands and grow it ourselves!

Food Equity

The following is taken directly from Healthy Summit, Summit County's springboard to social, health, and environmental information in Ohio.

http://www.healthysummit.org/HCN_Issues.html

Food Equity

The Need….

In 2010, a Community Health Assessment was commissioned by Akron Children’s Hospital, Akron General Medical Center, and Summa Health System.  The results of the assessment pointed to the need to increase access to affordable fresh foods for our county’s residents. Over 1,500 Summit County residents participated in the Community Health Assessment and dozens of organizations partnered to distribute surveys and convene focus groups. The primary data collection portion of the assessment intentionally oversampled underserved populations.

Residents indicated a desire for a culture of health promotion and disease prevention, expressing the need to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits.  Many participants said that they have received the directive from health care providers to eat healthier foods, but need support accomplish that goal.  A significant percentage of those living in urban areas said that they do not have access to affordable fresh foods and that they need to learn how to prepare healthy nutritious meals. Participants also indicated the desire to transform family cultures and traditions that favor unhealthy foods. Many focus group participants expressed a deep desire to empower families and educate/support parents to help their children transform their diets. Immigrant populations shared deep concern about increasing levels of obesity and diabetes within their communities due to inability to read nutritional labels and decreased access to affordable traditional fresh foods. They also indicated the introduction of affordable American fast foods as a major influence.

The assessment also revealed a relationship between household income, race and chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Both conditions are significantly impacted by diet. Generally, obesity rates go down as income rises. In Summit County, Black adults show obesity percentages above the national rate and higher than the other races. Hispanic adults show overweight percentages above national levels and higher than the other races. Similar to obesity, diabetes rates are higher than the national rate in Summit County and highest in those residents with the lowest incomes. Black adults are impacted at higher levels than other races.

---

Community Response…

Growing Hope Food Summit

Summit County Food Policy Coalition

Mapping of Food Market Distribution

Summit County Food Charter

"Talking in the Garden"

Special Food Needs of Ethnic Populations

":Let's Move, Summit County!"

Growing Hope Food Summit  
The Growing Hope Food Summit was held in April, 2011 “to create a shared awareness of our local food system and its gaps, launch a movement to increase access to healthy food, explore ways to strengthen the local food economy, and connect and begin to empower Summit County residents to act collectively.”  The Growing Hope Food Summit engaged 250 very diverse participants, included interpretation for 3 language groups and demonstrated a high level of interest around healthy and local food resources in Summit County.

The Summit resulted in several recommendations and post-Summit goals:

• Change our collective mindset that will lead to eating more healthy food
• Build local demand for local produce/food (i.e. restaurants, schools, grocers, and corner stores)
• Launch a process to develop a Food Charter that will become a tool for public officials, businesses and organizations to create policy and make decisions
• Create businesses to support the local food economy
• Encourage individuals, organizations and communities to start growing food
• Coordinate existing resources to fill existing needs (i.e. connect farmers/gardeners to food desert areas; generate more farm to school partnerships)
• Identify gaps and begin to strategize to act and fill (i.e. develop tools such as Healthy Bucks to leverage dollars)
• Build a movement (i.e. Grow & Buy Local; more people shopping at farmer’s markets; more food being grown in family yards/vacant lots; new businesses being created)
• GROWING HOPE FOOD SUMMIT OUTCOMES REPORT

Summit Food Policy Steering Committee currently includes:

Chris Norman, Crown Point	Jerry Egan
Beth Knorr, Countryside Conservancy	Tom Lukes
Bob Howard	Oscar BaAye, Karen Community
Malcolm Costa, Akron Summit Community Action	Ms. Julie Wandling Costell, Ms. Julie's Kitchen and Cafe
Veronica Sims, Akron Summit Community Action	Sue Lacy and Katie Fry, Round River Consulting, LLC
Sarah Vradenburg, Summit County Master Gardeners

Summit County Food Policy Coalition
Summit Food Policy Coalition works to improve healthy food access for all Summit County residents and spur economic opportunities for existing and beginning farmers.  Anyone in the community who feels strongly about these issues and wants to get involved is welcome.  Goals and objectives include:

• Policy Development: At local and regional level to  encourage preservation and support of agricultural lands, raising of food and farm animals on private property, enable reuse of vacant lands within municipalities food growing (community gardens and urban farming)
• Advocacy for Healthy Food Access: Encourage the distribution of healthy foods throughout all segments of the community, support the ability of households of all economic levels to purchase healthy foods, identify the distribution of food access throughout the County for the purpose of determining where gaps exist,  support the expansion of the availability of local foods within the mainstream food market, including convenience stores, corner stores and public or private institutions, and encourage the growth of personal gardening on private property and in community gardens.
• Entrepreneurial and Market Development:  Encourage the development and growth of new and existing farmers, including small microenterprise or niche activities, develop financial and technical assistance to support the development of new agricultural activities including use of the waste stream, promote buy local food campaigns and the development of alternative food outlets, and encourage the purchase of local foods by institutions with large food delivery opportunities such as schools and hospitals.
• Education: Educate the public on lifelong healthy food choices, promote the benefits of local food purchases, provide a clearinghouse of information and contacts that link the public to opportunities to grow, purchase, and consume local foods.

Organizers of the group include Jerry Egan, Local Food Networking Specialist, and Coalition Tri-Conveners Denise Ellsworth (OSU Extension), Beth Knorr (Countryside Conservancy), and Chris Norman (Crown Point Ecology Center).

Mapping of Food Market Distribution 
Mapping of food market distribution in Summit County: grocery stores: size and market areas, supplementary grocery store food options, driving time to groceries, distribution in below poverty areas, accessibility by METRO bus routes/stops, and distribution by density of persons under 18 years.  Mapping determined that all residents of Summit County are no more than 10 minutes by car from a grocery and 85% are within a one mile radius of a food store.

Summit County Food Charter
The Charter is designed to guide individual and community actions that support local food systems.  The Charter addresses these ideas:

• Making sure nutritious food is available and within reasonable distance to all
• Actively encouraging growing food for personal use
• Providing education on growing, preparing and eating nutritious food
• Supporting regional agriculture as a business by encouraging the sale, distribution and purchase of locally grown food in area markets, grocery stores, restaurants, schools and other institutions directly from farmers
• Developing policies that preserve farm land, encouraging the use of vacant urban land for agriculture and permitting the raising of animals for food production
• Supporting farming by training new farmers and an agricultural workforce, supporting the sale of existing farms to new farmers, enacting prudent farming regulations and encouraging best farming practice
• Supporting existing local food businesses and new food-related entrepreneurial opportunities through investment, incubators, micro-credit and other financial incentives

Summit County Council and Akron City Council have approved the Charter.  The Charter will be presented for endorsement to Cuyahoga Falls and Bath Councils.  Some organizations will also be asked to endorse the charter.

“Talking in the Garden”

Akron Summit Community Action Inc. (ASCA) has a long history of being concerned with access to food. ASCA is currently supporting local community gardening is the Summit Lake area and has an upcoming program “Talking in the Garden Series 2012.”  The program will include presentations and demonstrations in the gardens: how to grow things and how to use items grown. “For every $1 spent on gardening, there is a $6 return.”  ASCA is also working with the “corner store” program in Summit County along with the Summit County Food Policy Coalition.  A program titled “Taste it and Make It” will be conducted in stores: a food dish will be provided for tasting, along with ingredients and recipes. ASCA will also be doing a collaboration with AMHA to add a greenhouse and chickens to gardens at Summit Lake.

Special Food Needs of Ethnic Populations in Summit County
The Burmese population in Summit County is an example of these special needs.  Representing this community, Oscar BaAye has shared these ideas:

“The Koren people, from East Burma, have been forced from Burma as refugees due to ethnic cleansing by the Burmese government. About 40,000 have come and have come to the United States since 2001, from five different refugee camps. Over 1000 have settled in the Akron/Cleveland area. The culture of this group is subsistence farming and, when able to purchase homes, they will begin to till the land. Access to grocery stores is necessary in the U.S. The Koren eat lots of vegetables, but have developed a taste for white rice in the U.S.  The incidence of diabetes is increasing in this poulation group. The City of Akron has helped by providing land in community gardens and opening hydrants to water gardens to grow vegetables they are used to. The Koren need education on how to use local resources and need mentors to assist them. This is a population that tends to stay “under the radar.” There is another Burmese ethnic population, the Mon, on the south side of Akron.”

“Let’s Move, Summit County!”
Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady Michelle Obama. The program is dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier.  Combining comprehensive strategies with common sense, Let’s Move! is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. Giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices, providing healthier foods in our schools, ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food, and, helping children become more physically active. In Summit County, Paula Prentice (Summit County Council) has spearheaded “Let’s Move, Summit County!” The local program will address food and activity in neighborhoods, sponsoring four walks scheduled to begin in June, 2012. The intention is for the program to be on-going.

“Eating with the fullest pleasure - pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance - is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living in a mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.” -Wendell Berry

Repurposed

Dish towels that have been repurposed into large dinner napkins.

The square ones were made by Anita for our wedding. :o)

Friendsgiving Dinner Photos

A super giant helping of thanks to Dave H. for making that camera click!

Penny Lane inspecting the kitchen

Penny Lane inspecting the kitchen

Friendsgiving Cup Filled

Vegan Friendsgiving

Vegan Friendsgiving

Friendsgiving Kitchen

Friendsgiving Kitchen

Hong Kong Girl

Hong Kong Girl  by Joyce Charrey

Friendsgiving

Friendsgiving sides, breads, and toppings

Friendsgiving salad and desserts

Melanie's homegrown pineapple

Melanie's homegrown pineapple

Replacing Eggs

Why replace eggs?

When my mom was growing up, the farm where she lived had chickens. I remember her mentioning that she would sometimes have to get the chickens out of the trees in the evening. I grew up in the suburbs, so my experience with chickens and eggs was getting in the dark green Plymouth Fury III with my mom to drive to a concentrated feed lot. I remember the smell, the flies, and the noise. It was confusing to me. How could such awfulness be turned into something delicious like a cake?

There are many studies available online which can point to eating eggs as being a healthy choice or an unhealthy choice depending upon who is presenting the information. As you read and decide for yourself, keep in mind that confusion is built into the system. If the reader is confused, he or she will be complacent. Complacency is not healthy for you or the habitat which supports your life.

Why should eggs be replaced? Only female birds lay eggs. What happens to the male chicks? Each year about 280 million live male chicks are put into large plastic bags and left to suffocate. Unless the only eggs you consume come from your farm or someone you trust, your purchases contribute to the needless suffering of these animals. It is a holocaust sanctioned by society.


To replace eggs in baking: 

• With commercial brand egg replacers like Bob's Red Mill or EnerG, the powder can be put directly into the dry ingredients of a recipe without first mixing with water. Be sure to add 3 Tablespoons of liquid for each egg replaced.
  
• Flax seed eggs can also be made by taking 1 Tablespoon of flax seed meal and mixing it with 3 Tablespoons of water and allowing to sit for 5 minutes.

Chimichurri with Acorn Squash

This recipe, adapted from Isa Does It, Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is loaded with flavor. Think about the title for a moment. The recipes are easy, delicious, vegan, and are designed for weekdays as well as weekends. Her almost 200 recipes take into consideration busy lives, stores that don't sell unusual or hard to obtain ingredients, or little desire to follow up a meal with a ton of dishes required to make a complex recipe from scratch. Isa has published many other recipe books which are staples in the vegan kitchen. She also contributed to the dessert section of Del Sroufe's Forks Over Knives companion book. 

Baked Acorn Squash


Cut an acorn squash in half. Scoop out the seeds with a grapefruit spoon. Following the naturally ridged shape of the squash, cut into moon slivers and bake in 350°F oven for about 40 minutes.

Chimichurri

2 cloves garlic peeled

½ cup pepitas (either raw or not - whatever you can find)

2 cups dried parsley

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ to ½ cup water

1 Tbls grapeseed oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp crushed pepper

Chop garlic in Vitamix or by hand.

Add pepitas to the garlic and blend in Vitamix or food processor.

Add remaining ingredients and puree.


Add more water if required to make an easy to spread condiment on moon slivers of baked acorn squash.

Balsamic Reduction

An extremely easy way to turn up the pro on your recipes is to make a balsamic reduction. Start with twice the amount of vinegar needed. One cup of vinegar will yield a 1/2 cup of reduction.

Use glass or a non-reactive metal sauce pan like stainless steel. Over medium high heat, allow the vinegar to come to a slow boil. Once it reaches a boiling state, under a watchful eye, continue to slowly boil for about 15 more minutes. Allow to cool and use or refrigerate for later. It's so good, it won't last long.

Drizzle on something and enjoy the complex flavors the reduction imparts.

Scott's Top Shelf Vegan Cookie Recipe - with Variations

Vegan cookies that could fetch a good price in the dessert case.

Scott has created a very versatile recipe for beautiful, stable, dessert case worthy cookies. It it highly adaptable and adjustable. If you desire gluten-free, low-carb or both, this recipe can handle it. In the mood for mocha? Have a friend who prefers mint? Not in the mood for chocolate? Look no further...

Scott has created a very versatile recipe for beautiful, stable, dessert case worthy cookies. It it highly adaptable and adjustable. If you desire gluten-free, low-carb or both, this recipe can handle it. In the mood for mocha? Have a friend who prefers mint? Not in the mood for chocolate? Look no further...

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Lorna Sass variation

2 ½  cups flour (fine)

1 egg replacer - http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/11/replacing-eggs.html

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup medium chopped walnuts

1 cup choc chips

⅔ cup maple syrup

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon water

Mix dry

Mix wet

Combine & bake 350 for 15min

Chocolate cookies

2 ¼ cups flour

½ cup cocoa powder

Spicy chocolate

1 tsp  Ancho Chili powder

¼ tsp - ½ tsp Chipotle powder

¼ tsp Raspberry Chipotle pepper

Low carb

Replace flour with 1/2 and 1/2 blend of almond flour and buckwheat flour.

½ cup powdered sweetener

about ¼ cup water

Almond
Tastes like Almond Spritz pressed cookies. Remove the chocolate chips and vanilla, and add a teaspoon of almond flavoring.

Wilma's Apple Sauce Cookies

Wilma's grandchildren and great grandchildren have their favorite confections and baked goods that she joyfully made for them. My favorites were blueberry buckle and apple sauce cookies. One evening Scott and I were visiting my grandmother on Anita's birthday. Rather than look at old photographs, we went through her recipes. In a printed collection from Neebish Island, Wilma had contributed a recipe for tenderizing meat with instant coffee. I will never know how that one turns out. When I came across an edge-stained three by five index card with "Apple sauce cookies" written at the top, I paused. These were the cake-like, spicy, soft delicious handfuls of joy I remembered. Scott got to work right away making a vegan version while Wilma kept watch.

To replace the eggs, Scott has discovered that using commercial brand egg replacers like Bob's Red Mill or EnerG, the dry powder can be put directly into the dry ingredients of a recipe without first mixing with water. Add the liquid for the egg replacer egg in with the wet ingredients - in this case, the apple sauce. Flax seed eggs can also be used by taking 1 Tablespoon of flax seed meal and mixing it with 3 Tablespoons of water and allowing to sit for 5 minutes.

Absent from Wilma's notes are baking time, temperature, and yield. I set the oven for 350°F, and Scott found that 13 minutes allowed the cookies to set without burning. To check your cookies, insert a toothpick for doneness.

Wilma's Apple Sauce Cookies 

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 cups unsweetened apple sauce
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda stirred into apple sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (OR 2 flax seed eggs OR egg replacer eggs - add 2 Tablespoons dry egg replacer powder to the dry ingredients and 6 Tablespoons of water to the apple sauce)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups raisins
1 cup nuts (optional)

Drop from spoon.

Vegan Ice Cream

The website Nouveau Raw thoroughly details the ingredients and chemistry for successful raw, vegan ice cream. Fats, natural sweeteners, emulsifiers, ice crystals, and air all play a role in creating the decadent texture we've come to expect from an ice cream experience. 

AndyPDX offers an ice cream base that can easily be adapted and altered to ingredients on hand:  http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=1707

Ice Cream Base

• 1 Cup raw cashews (soaked if using a blender, no soaking needed with Vitamix)
• 1 1/2 Cups liquid (water, almond milk, coconut milk, et cetera)
• 1/3 Cup liquid sweetener (maple syrup, malted barley, coconut nectar, agave)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 Cup dried soft fruit (apricots, dates, raisins or combination)
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons coconut butter or cocoa butter or young coconut meat OR
  1 Tablespoon non-GMO lecithin
• Base flavoring - this could be vanilla, peppermint, orange, almond, whatever is on hand and wants made into ice cream. Start with a teaspoon of the stronger flavors and work your way to the desired results.

When working with cashews, especially if they have not been soaked, start with just the cashews and add the liquid at a lower speed. This will help catch all of the nut pieces. Then continue to add the remaining ingredients and blend at a higher speed until really smooth and creamy.

Chill the ice cream base for a few hours in the refrigerator so that when placed in an ice cream maker, the ice or frozen bowl can continue to keep the ice cream cool.

When ready to make the ice cream, pour the base into the ice cream maker and follow the instructions for your specific ice cream maker. If you do not have an ice cream maker, one can often be obtained for a reasonable price at Big Lots. There are also methods for making ice cream without a maker, but I have no experience with this.

Check out AndyPDX's beautiful photos of delicious, raw vegan foods: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andypdx

       Photograph © by AndyPDX

Ms Julie's Kitchen

It would be just unthinkable if you are any where near Akron, Ohio, and you didn't plan to stop at Ms Julie's kitchen. Whatever is on the menu, it will be delicious. You'll leave feeling as if you've been hugged by a garden.

Specialties 
Fresh-Local-Organic-Vegan Foods: munchies, energy bars, soups, salads, kale chips, baked goods, full service menu. Most of their produce is grown by local NE Ohio farmers and also from their own two acre urban farm. 

History 
Established in 2010. In January of 2000, Ms. Julie experienced a mild heart attack which led her to change to a vegan diet. As a result, she lost 170 lbs and regained her health. Now she is on a mission to teach Akron how to do the same thing. After writing three vegan cookbooks, she opened a home bakery supplying vegan baked goods to farmers markets. She then opened the Kitchen to better serve her customers. 

Business Owner: Julie C. 
After losing 170 lbs by going vegan, Ms Julie opened a Kitchen to serve the city of Akron.

Hubba hubba, Ms Julie!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ms-Julies-Kitchen/369998630016

1809 S Main StAkron, OH 44301
(330) 819-3834

Homemade Curry

Making your own signature curry with the freshest of spices allows you to be an artist in the kitchen. Because of my intense dislike of cumin, all the recipes omit the offending seed. Start with a basic curry powder recipe and adjust to your personal preferences. Always use the freshest spices. If you have a high powered blender, mortar and pestle, or suribachi and surikogi, you can buy whole seeds to grind as desired.

spice palette or taste palate?

1 1/2 Tablespoons ground coriander
1 Tablespoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons ground fenugreek
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ancho or aleppo pepper

Finely grind and store in a glass jar.

Bhindi Masala

Bhindi Masala 

3 Tbsp coconut oil
⅓ cup buckwheat flour
1 medium onion
1 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 can whole tomato (28oz)
2 Tbsp curry powder (recipe for homemade curry is here: http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/12/homemade-curry.html)
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups sliced okra - 10 oz
2 cans black eyed peas 15 oz, rinsed & drained 

Place oil in skillet.
Add flour and toast/brown (roux).
Add onion and salt, toast 5 minutes.
Add garlic and ginger 1 minute.
Crush tomato, add.
Add curry powder.

Serve with yogurt and rice.

YES! Magazine

YES! Magazine doesn't just tell its readers what's wrong with the world, it offers solutions that are working in communities right now. If you would like a copy of Winter 2014, How to Eat Like Our Lives Depend On It, I'm now in possession of 50 more copies. Better yet, sign up for your own subscription here: YES!


YES! Magazine reframes problems in terms of their solutions. Online and in print, they outline a path with in-depth analysis, tools for citizen engagement, and stories about real people working for a better world. YES! Magazine empowers people with the vision and tools to create a healthy planet and vibrant communities. 

• Reframing issues and outlining a path forward;

• Giving a voice to the people who are making change;

• Offering resources to use and pass along

YES! Magazine is printed on 100% post-consumer waste, chlorine-free paper. They reach more than 150,000 readers quarterly without advertisements. More than 140,000 people visit their website each month where new stories are published every day under the Creative Commons license.

The Winter 2014 issue of YES! Magazine focuses on "How to Eat Like Our Lives Depend On It."

How To Eat Like Our Lives Depend On It: Rediscovering the Many Joys of Food: It's time to reclaim the well-being and exuberance that is part of healthy food culture.

Forget the Food Industry - Rediscover the Pleasure of Buying, Cooking, and Eating Real Food: Junk food may have captured the American palate, but a few simple ingredients and techniques can win it back.

Vandana Shiva On Resisting GMOs: "Saving Seeds Is a Political Act" Why the fight for biodiversity is about protecting life itself.

What Occupy Oakland Taught Me About Healthy Eating: We came to Occupy because of America’s dangerous gap between rich and poor. But equally distressing was how many of us suffered from diseases created by a food system that makes healthy food inaccessible to the poor.

Frances Moore Lappé: Delicious Food Is Not An Indulgence—It’s a Way to Solve Our Ecological Crises: Since I first published “Diet for a Small Planet” in 1971, the movement for food that is good for our bodies and our planet has blossomed beyond what I ever imagined. Here’s how.