Cooking the Whole Foods Way Was a Welcomed Gift

Matt and I recently moved into a new apartment with not only a much larger kitchen than any of our previous places but also a dishwasher, shockingly, a first time appliance for both of us. We have both long been interested in expanding our horizons over the stove but nothing is more dream-crushing than being faced with mountains of dishes after a yummy meal. So when we moved here we were determined to start experimenting. As our housewarming gift my Mom gave us the cookbook Cooking the Whole Foods Way by Christina Pirello to start us off on the right track.

Boy did it ever!

This book is packed with over 500 recipes, all Vegan approved mind you, as well as tips, guidance and even a glossary right in the front of the book (no idea what daikon is? Don’t worry, she tells you!). She debunks the myths that: it is difficult to eat healthier, foods like this can only be purchased in special stores, it is really expensive to eat like this, that it is difficult to make these meals.

As a budding, yet still a complete neophyte, chef I found a few of the recipes I came across in this book slightly daunting, it is true. Additionally there are definitely recipes that can not be created without a few necessary appliances so there will be additional up front costs if you desire to create these. Some of these include a food processor and/or pressure cooker.

But bottom line, there are hundreds of not only simple but relatively quick to prepare and easy to create recipes in this book that will keep even the hungriest eater full and satisfied! With sections on grains, sauces, veggies, pasta, beans, salads, stews and more, Christina covers every angle of deliciousness. There are even 37 pages of deserts to choose from. Of course if you’re anything like me there is no reason to choose when all of them could be created at one time or another!

So far we have only made a few recipes from this book and have also eaten a few more at my Mom’s so I don’t think it would be fair to give a leaf rating just yet, but as far as information and variety goes, this cookbook simply shines! I recommend checking it out for anyone looking to advance their skill set in the realm of Vegan cooking as well as anyone who is interested in learning more about the best ways to eat healthier, whole foods.

Thanks Mom, we’ll have you over for some tricolor spirals with red onion and radicchio really soon!

You Had Me at Chocolate, Taza Chocolate

Once in a while along comes a product that is so awesome I can not wait to share everything about it and when my Taza Chocolate showed up a few days ago I knew this would be one of those times the moment the stone ground cacao hit my tongue.

Taza is a local company to me, based out of Somerville, Massachusetts, and not too long ago I started noticing their round chocolate discs at the cash wrap of a few of my favorite locations. When my friend and I saw them at the Farmer’s Market shortly after that I knew there must be something to them so I picked up a package of their Nibs to see what the fuss was about.

I used the Nibs in a lemon pie recipe and they were just the right thing to give it some balance. I wanted more. As a self proclaimed chocoholic and a Greenie I am always looking for the perfect pairing so when I find out how wonderful a company is in addition to their chocolate, I sit up and take notice.

Using recycled winnower and roaster, shipping boxes that can be recycled and traditional stone grinding methods is just the beginning of what makes Taza Chocolate cool. Their chocolate bars come in the shape of a disc and a fairly compensated human is involved in every step of the process from the picking of the cacao beans to the packaging of the bar.

Oh yeah, did I mention most of their chocolate is Vegan approved and all of their product is certified 100% organic? Not to mention that founders Alex Whitmore, Larry Slotnick and Kathleen Fulton spent a good number of hours simply sourcing their first beans. They were only interested in purchasing from a sustainable farm where fair treatment practices were standard. Right on!

The company is dedicated to the environment from recycling efforts to direct trade, a reduced carbon footprint in manufacture to energy saving practices in the factory. In addition to these solid efforts Taza Chocolate also will deliver their product to patrons in Somerville and Cambridge by bicycle and they allow for local direct pick up at the factory.

As if all of this wasn’t enough they are currently working with a few Green initiatives locally to do their part to keep the community beautiful! This includes GoGreen Somerville and through this partnership they have begun working toward a zero waste facility via composting, recycling and donation efforts.

I can not find a single thing about this company that is not amazing! Because of this I feel it is my duty to bestow the long strived for, yet infrequently achieved Five Leaf Rating!

Taza Chocolate you are going in my cupboard, tummy and on top of everyone’s gift from now on as a little something extra. Thanks for sharing your love. Here is some right back!
♥love♥

Sharing Is Caring

Last night we had my mom over for dinner and it was a fantastic night full of laughs and awesome conversation, catching up and sharing the daily happenings of all our lives. As a housewarming gift she gave us a copy of Christina Pirello’s vegan cookbook Cooking the Whole Foods Way which I must say I am already completely excited to tear into and start creating from because just about everything in it sounds fantastic and mom has made a dish or two for us already at her place and they were fabulous (Leaf Rating review to follow!). In addition to the book she brought a couple other goodies but let me back up to explain them all.

A few months ago I purchased tickets to see Jason Mraz on his upcoming Gratitude Café Tour when he comes through Boston. Because Matt has gone with me to a countless number of this man’s shows, not to mention that we will see him open for Dave Matthews a couple weeks before the Boston show, he declined going this time so I invited my mom. To somewhat prepare her for the experience I figured it was only right to let her borrow his most recent studio release We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things and give it a listen. She brought it back last night saying she may even buy it, that it is really good. I had a feeling she would have that reaction! As she handed it back to me she also pulled a couple other cd’s out of her bag.

Back in April my mom and her best friend Eileen hosted their own birthday bash at a shnitzy function hall complete with a cash bar, full buffet style meal and live entertainment. They kept the entertainment portion to themselves for months as a surprise. There was much guessing among us who the performer might be -- Five O’Clock Shadow, John Gorka, Vance Gilbert, Ed Gerhard or perhaps Christine Lavin? The night came and a musician I had never heard of before got up to sing and play his guitar and, along with everyone else in the room, he blew me away. His name is David Roth.

David is a folk genre singer with seven albums available and the songs he performed that night were upbeat and fun selections from his catalogue. One song in particular, “New House in Orleans”, stood out as it was all about construction of his home on Cape Cod; after completing a 3-1/2 year rehab ourselves it resonated with me and Matt. I had been meaning to pick up one of his albums since that night but had not gotten around to it. Well last night my mom pulled a few of his cd’s out of her bag of tricks and said I could have my pick of one; David had been kind enough to give both of the gals a box set as a thanks for having him and some of the discs were duplicates to her collection. Score!

I scanned the discs for the song and found it on his album Think Twice a two disc set. I was so excited to load the discs onto iTunes this morning and give this new music a listen so when I got to the second to last song on the first disc titled “What Can I Do” I simply smiled. I would like to share the lyrics here and encourage everyone to check out this talented singer and songwriter as well then get out and do something awesome for someone else today!

“What Can I Do”
by David Roth

I heard somebody had a hard day out there
I had a hard one too
We could count ‘em all up and see who wins
Who do you think would have more
Me or you?

Feeling sorry might work, but not for long
We don’t have that luxury of time
Got an idea, might help us both
And it starts with a question of mine

CHORUS:
What can I do for you today
How can I help in some small way
It would be such a gift to me, its true
If you’d let me do one little thing for you
What can I do

There’s a whole lotta things that I can’t make
I can’t build a house or meditate
But I know there’s one thing I can create
I can make some time

Tho the older I get, the faster it flies
I spend it like crazy, no surprise
But when my pockets are empty
And my credit’s declined
I’ll know that at least I gave you some time

CHORUS

Such a noisy and crazy Earth out there
We are neighbors in crisis everywhere
Just in case you were thinking no one cares
Someone may prove you wrong

People all over this world need love
Some won’t be lucky to get enough
That’s why I’m hoping that you’ll understand
How we’ll both get ahead if I give you a hand

CHORUS

Thanks for the inspiration David, can not wait to pick up more of your wonderful tunes. ♥love♥

Greening Up a Summer Camping Trip

A couple days ago over on my personal blog I discussed the likelihood that I would be taking at least one camping trip in my lifetime and it was very possible that trip would take place this summer. When considering all of the things that could be enjoyable while camping, I wondered how I could do so and still be kind to the Earth.

Our trip will involve some friends with babies and a dog as well as Matt and myself, and activities will include hiking, cooking, showering, sleeping, hanging out and reading, making ‘smores, drinking and of course eating campfire cooked food. What I found is there are ways to be kind to the Earth, still be somewhat light on our feet and have an enjoyable time while doing it.

One of the things that nerves me about camping is the pitch black of outdoors when walking to the bathroom at night. Well with the crank flashlight we have that should not be a problem! There is a handle on one side that pulls out and can be cranked repeatedly to juice the light. No batteries and no electricity required. The one we have is residing in my car trunk emergency kit right now. The light lasts for a few minutes and when it goes out simply crank it up again. It is a powerful light for illuminating a trail.

Perhaps however I want to do something a little lengthier that involves light at night. No problem! Countless companies sell lanterns with led lights but the K-Light from PiSAT Solar enjoys up to twenty hours of run time and takes nothing more than the sun to power it. The K-Light is water resistant (Both the unit and the solar panel) and the website boasts that it weighs about the same as a can of soda.

As the sun begins to set the bugs are drawn into the wondrous lantern light and because I am not one for bugs I will definitely be picking up some Badger Anti-Bug balm from my local REI. It is made from all Earth friendly ingredients and contains no DEET. With lemongrass and rosemary it will even smell nice, but don’t worry guys, it is not girly.

Sitting around the campfire is probably the activity I look most forward to while camping because of two things -- drinking beers and ‘smores.

By going for organic beer and wine it will be a nice way to thank the dirt beneath me as well as enjoy some yummy libations. Doing a quick Google search provided me with links to all kinds of local, organic beers.

Then it was on to the components of a great ‘smore -- chocolate, graham cracker and marshmallow. Sweet and Sara carries a vegan marshmallow (found in a bunch of Whole Food’s locations across the United States) and New Morning makes an organic honey graham but the most important topper of all, a bar of chocolate can be beneficial in a few ways. We received for the holidays last year Endangered Species Chocolate bars. The ones we got are dark (certified Vegan and Kosher!) but this innovative company (who donates 10% of all net profits to endangered species and their habitats) also carries a milk chocolate version of their 1.4 oz and 3 oz. bars as well.

This summer we campers will be well fed, safe and relaxed knowing we can keep the bugs away and the laughs over beers coming all while having little to no negative impact.

Next up, to find environmentally responsible tents, sleeping bags and athletic equipment to further enhance our eco-camping experience!

Eco-Fashion Friday Featured Designer: Off the Hooks

For a couple weeks now I have thought it might be nice to include a hat maker in our Eco-Fashion Friday series so when I came across Off the Hooks I knew they would be a perfect candidate for a review! Off the Hooks is a Canadian based shop who indicates they use “handspun & hand-dyed yarn, and eco-friendly goodies using locally-sourced, vegan, and upcycled materials whenever possible” and they also ship internationally. They carry fingerless gloves, legwarmers, booties, bags, scarves, home accessories, yarn and those funky hats.


With a range of colors and styles many items in the shop are universal to men or women and both can afford to own one of these fabulous hand knit hats with the average price point at roughly $21. Making use of organic fiber, cotton, wool, reclaimed fiber and even some vegan yarn they are certainly Earth minded. Not to mention they give tips for how a cotton hat can even be worn in the summer to keep us cool.

The only drawbacks I could find were a lack of selection in the hat department (only 9 currently available), they only listed measurements in centimeters, and cost to ship is a bit pricey on some items but overall these folks really impressed me as professional and seem very easy to work with so I am granting them a Four Leaf Rating!

Keep up the great work Off the Hooks! ♥love♥

Living Vegan -- Keepin’ It Real (and Simple!) With Ginger Cooke

Greenies may have noticed her lurking around these parts. The clever may have spotted her logo (Vegan With A Purpose) over on the sidebar and gone ahead and clicked. Still, many of you might be asking -- who is Ginger Cooke? She writes a fantastically fun page full of recipes, hints, tips (even some poetry and real life stories) of being a vegan** gal living in Colorado. Her approach is always ‘fun meets function’ as she shares the best ways to create meals that she has tried, many of which she created. She asks her readers to give feedback, share stories and let her know what they think after they have made the yummy goodness she has shared. Ginger has set herself apart in the world of foodie bloggers by providing those of us who are “afraid” to give up meat with some amazingly simple, truly delicious and hilarious ways to make a meal.

I have personally been reading her for quite some time and have made many of her recipes for no other reason than they sounded completely fantastic…and they were! Ginger is honest, open and shares her experiences as if we were pals chatting on the phone -- through humorous wit and trial and error. I asked her to share some additional guidance for those of us Greenies who might be considering venturing into the world of vegan (or are at least interested to hear what it is all about), but are too shy to ask for directions.

How long have you been a vegan?

I've been a vegan for about 3 years. I was a vegetarian for a year before that, but I still ate eggs and dairy.

What made you decide to stop eating meat and other animal by-products?

My transition to a vegetarian diet happened gradually as I began to lose my appetite for meat products. Not because I didn't like the taste of meat anymore, but I began to see the meat on my plate as more than a food product. I began to see it as butchered, dead animal flesh and it really began to make me ill just to think about it. I stopped eating eggs and dairy a year later by accident. My sister, who eats a vegan diet for different reasons, was visiting from out of state. I realized, after a week of hanging out with her, that I had been eating a vegan diet without intending to and I felt great. After that, I'd decided to become a vegan.

Do you find it difficult to eat at restaurants?

Not really. While more and more restaurants are offering vegan options due to popular demand, some haven't quite gotten the message yet. Still, they usually at least offer a few vegetarian options and I can just ask for the cheese to be left off. They are normally very accommodating and will substitute marinara sauce for cream sauce, artichoke hearts for chicken and so on and so forth. Some restaurants even go so far as to offer vegan boca burgers or tofu as substitutions in meat dishes. The ones that aren't so easy usually at least have a good a la carte menu that a meal can be built from. Basically, I never go hungry with a salad in a restaurant while my friends feast.

Do you have to shop in multiple places to acquire all your groceries? If so do you find it is less expensive to shop in specialty stores?

I do the majority of my grocery shopping in my regular, neighborhood grocery store. Local stores are carrying more and more specialty items that used to only be available in health food stores. However, these items do tend to be a little expensive in the grocery store so I usually still buy those items at my favorite, locally owned health food store. After a couple of shopping trips you tend to figure out what items you need to buy at which location and you can do all of your shopping in one trip with no confusion. There's also online vegan stores like VeganStore.com, which are very convenient.

How long does it take on average to prepare a typical meal?

No time at all...less, actually. Vegetables cook up a lot faster than meat and I don't have to worry about overcooking them to kill any parasites or bacteria as long as I properly wash them. I'd say an average meal, with preparation time, usually takes about 30 minutes. If I'm playing with a good recipe it does take longer though.

Do you have a favorite recipe that you have gone back to over and over?

I have so many favorite recipes that I love to make when I'm in the mood for them. My top 3 current favorites are pancakes, seitan stew and veggie-tofu stir fry...The thing I'm in to right now is veganizing traditional recipes so I can expand my horizons and enjoy some childhood favorites.

Is it possible to veganize just about any recipe?

Mostly, I'd say. There are so many creative vegan substitutes these days that a good vegan alternative can usually be created with some patience and research. I love cooking and creating new recipes so this is half the fun for me.

What common misconception about living a vegan lifestyle do you want to clear up?

There seems to be an assumption among people I'm introduced to that vegans are generally anemic, malnourished and angry at anyone else who chooses to eat or use animal products. First, if anyone reading this has met an angry vegan and felt judged, they probably just met a zealot who would most likely be angry no matter what their lifestyle...most of us just want to make friends over a plate of sweet potato fries, I promise! ;) Second, the misconception that we suffer from poor nutrition really should be cleared up. Most vegans are well educated about their diet and nutrition and actually get more protein, iron and calcium than is required. They usually live longer and suffer less from heart disease and cancer than those who eat a standard Western diet.

In all honesty, is there anything you miss from your carnivorous lifestyle?

No, no, no! In all honesty, for the first 5 months of being vegetarian I missed cheeseburgers. Anytime the craving hit, I would eat something high in fat and the craving would be satisfied....ergo, it wasn't the beef I was craving, but the fat I had been getting from the beef. The secret to not missing animal products is utilizing resources to find vegan substitutes. I have a list of vegan resources and information in the sidebar on my page for anyone interested and searching for information. Also, if anyone ever needs information and can't find it, they can email me and I would be happy to do some research, make suggestions or point them in the right direction.

What are your top five vegan resources (books, blogs, tv shows, etc.)?

1) The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living. Go out and buy this book and read it right away. It's filled with resources, information and nutritional education for anyone who wants to make an easy and healthy transition into a vegan lifestyle.
2) The Post Punk Kitchen or theppk.com. Hosts of a vegan cooking show and a vegan blog that provides much humor and lots of great recipes and cooking tips.
3) VegNews magazine or VegNews.com. It has loads of information, fun and yummy recipes to try.
4) GoVeg.com. You can explore and learn for hours.
And
5) Vegan.com. It's blogging, news and links to the vegan world that the general population rarely has exposure to. If they did, they'd rethink their lifestyle a bit.

**It is important to note that being vegan is not solely relegated to the arena of food. I chose to ask only food related questions of Ginger because it is the most identifiable area of change for most of us and because it is the focus of her blog, but to truly be vegan is a complete lifestyle change. Everything from cosmetics to clothing can be made with animal by products. The book Ginger recommends in her first favorite resource is a terrific way to start learning about some of the other life shifts that can be made to go completely vegan.**