Defashionista

Seven things

2012-01-26T22:54:00.001-08:00

I'm suddenly re-invigorated to get rid of things. Not just seven. Here are a few categories of things I've tossed:

clothes, particularly ones that I hoped I could repair or make fit but really wasn't going to wear even if I did.
toys - the ones my son doesn't really care about anyway
books - kiddie ones that are outgrown, grown up ones i was kidding myself with
jewelry box - this was a wedding gift so hard to part with, but i'd rather a friend use it than have it gather dust.
fabrics - ones that will likely never see the inside of my sewing machine
mismatched bangles
project materials - ones i would ordinarily save indefinitely (read: old cereal boxes)

What are yours?

JOT #29: A solar oven

2012-01-26T22:45:00.001-08:00

A few years ago, I went to a workshop with my mom - and we made our own solar oven. It took almost 4 solid hours and strong hands, with other people already doing some of the prep work. We cut corrugated board, metallic tape, smoothed everything, poked holes, trimmed, and finally we had something!

What is a solar oven? It's basically a box that's shiny to reflect the sun's light onto an object, which will heat up to cook. If you've ever tried to cook an egg on a sidewalk with a piece of foil (or glasses/magnifying glass - refraction) you've done some solar cooking. The oven is just more efficient, and offers you a place to put your food so that it is not on the floor :)

The solar oven is great because in the sunny months (or even on a sunny but cold day) you can put something inside in a black pot (black outside), cover it with a clear lid or plastic wrap, and it will cook in the sun. No electricity, no gas, just time. For example, you could put rice in there. Or soaked beans. Or vegetables. Or chocolate chip cookies.

The downside is time. Like a slow cooker, or dehydrating, or pickling, solar ovens take time. A pot of rice can take between 40 minutes (on a hot, bright day) to a couple of hours (partial light), to nearly never (overcast). Still, it's a great way to have food ready - put it in and let it be. Just turn it to the sun periodically if you're doing it over a long time. Some higher-tech (read: not homemade!) solar ovens do the turning themselves, and have timers and thermometers, and reach really high oven temperatures as well.

You can make a simple solar oven out of a pizza box here. It will make raisins over the course of an afternoon, or even make chocolate chip cookies. (ooh craft and JOT in one!)

For more "serious" cooking, here are some other models you can make.

You can fold yours away when you're not using it, and use it to dehydrate foods as well. It also makes a good little storage box when it's otherwise gathering dust. But on a sunny day, harness the power of the sun!

JOT #28: Drying

2012-01-25T10:03:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make: I have been using the dryer. It's cold and rainy and I am too tired to hang up clothes to let them dry for a week. But that's no excuse. I'm not being very eco-friendly this week. The next load will be better.

But this post isn't about that kind of drying. It's about another way to save food. When the sun is hot and bright, the easiest way to dry anything is out in it. But you can do it even in winter - just set some hibiscus petals in a window on a plate (in a single layer). Eat an orange and dry the peels on a cookie rack.

If you want to get more serious, you can get a food dehydrator. I found mine for $10 on craigslist, and it's cracked but works. I can make kale chips, raisins, chaisins (cherry raisins), dried apples, even fake fruit leather, or any dried fruit or vegetable, more or less. It's simple - just arrange the prepared fruit on the trays and plug it in. If you don't have a dehydrator, try borrowing one. In the meantime, an oven or toaster oven set on low (around 150-180oF) will work - you won't have to dry as long also.

To go even less energy-intensive, when it is hot, I put the food in the dehydrator and set the whole thing in my solar oven. Double duty! You can mimic this effect by using trays with holes in them (like idli trays or tiered steamer baskets) and covering up the whole thing before you put it out in the sun or a solar oven.

You'll never know until you've tasted your first homemade dried persimmon or orange slice. Delicious and addictive, and a great way to preserve extra fruit or veggies!

JOT #27: Cook with scraps

2012-01-19T01:04:00.000-08:00

As a save-the-last-bit-of-toothpaste kind of girl, one of my favorite things is to make stuff out of things I would otherwise throw away. You could, of course, make a simple broth with your food scraps, or do the slightly more interesting scrap vinegar, but why not cook up something more daring, with panache, with aplomb! Case in point: butternut squash...peels.

Peels, you're thinking. Really? A Google search for "butternut squash skin" leaves you only with the notion that it is edible. But what to make out of it? Traditional Indian recipes call for a type of chutney known as "thohaiyal" - and it can be made with lots of different things, like regular vegetables, the peel of a chayote, or of ridge gourd, of an orange (preferably mandarin, but any). But you can extend that to watermelon (including the white and green parts), or...yes, butternut squash. Presumably pumpkin as well!

Here are a few of my favorite cook-with-scraps recipes. You may also want to peruse this inspiring article on cooking with "trash."

Simple vegetable broth - this is best done by saving up scraps or on a day when you have a lot of them. Save them up, boil them up while onions are sauteeing for a soup, for example, then strain the broth directly into the pan. Or you can keep it in the fridge a few days, or freeze it into an ice cube tray and put in a bag for later.

Vegetable scraps
Water
Salt to taste
Herbs (parsley, celery leaves, etc, optional)

Put scraps in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Add herbs if desired. Bring to boil and simmer 1/2 to 1 hr partially covered. Strain and season as desired.

Scrap vinegar - No Impact Man made this famous. His recipe is here. (Please note: I haven't made this myself!)

Peel Thohaiyal (adapted from here)

Skin of chayote, butternut squash, ridge gourd, watermelon, orange peel*, etc – 1 cup
Curry leaves – a few, optional
Tamarind – a marble-sized piece or more, or 1 tsp paste
Black gram (urad dal) – 1/4 cup
Asafoetida – a dash
Red chillies – 2-3, optional (for my little one, I halve one dry red chili and discard the seeds)
Salt – to taste
Refined oil – 1 tbsp

Sauté the black gram in a little oil with asafoetida and red chillies until the gram turns reddish brown. Pour into grinder and let cool.

Add a little more oil to the pan and sauté the peel with curry leaves (omit leaves for butternut squash). Add water if needed, cover, and let cook until tender. Turn off heat and add tamarind so that it softens in the heat (if using fresh tamarind).

Put peel mix into blender with dal, a small amount of water and salt. (*Note: for orange peel, don't grind. Instead, chop peel into tiny pieces, removing any strings or fibers. You may also wish to add 1 tsp of sugar or jaggery if orange peel is bitter) Grind to a smooth paste. Refrigerate or freeze. Serve as a side chutney or mixed into rice with a drizzle of oil.

Watermelon Rind Sambar - follow any sambar recipe and use the watermelon rind as the vegetable. Separate the pink and the green parts (you can use the green for thohaiyal, and if you have enough pink sweet watermelon, make a soup!).

Watermelon Rind Petha - A long process but an amazing dish traditionally made with a type of squash known as marrow/doodhi. You could make it with apples or any fleshy/translucent fruit or veggie. I didn't use the rosewater or cardamom but you could.

1 medium watermelon rind - green parts peeled away, cubed into large pieces
3 cups sugar
1tsp + 2tsp lemon juice
3 cups water
1 tsp rosewater (optional)
3 cardamoms, peeled and seeds powdered (optional)

Prick cubes of rind with a fork. In a bowl, cover rind pieces with water and add lemon juice. Soak 2 hrs, then rinse (toss water). Drain and squeeze out water gently. In a saucepan, cover pieces with water and boil until they turn translucent and are tender.

In the meantime, mix sugar, 3 cups water, 2 tsp lemon juice and cardamom if using and simmer to make a syrup of one-thread consistency (forms a thread between two fingers when pressed and pulled apart). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the rind pieces to the syrup, and simmer a few minutes. Add rosewater if using. Mix well, then turn off heat.

After the rind cools, remove from syrup and transfer to parchment or foil. Let dry (over at least a day) until it is dry and chewy.

Carrot Greens Pesto - this is a simple pesto you could make with any greens - kale, collards, or whatever you have. It is hard to guess with carrot greens, nearly impossible with fennel greens, and a true ringer for pure basil in a mix. Choose either pine nuts or walnuts. Avoid substituting non-olive oil for the best taste. This can also go in an ice cube tray or container to freeze.

Bread Upma - I don't often buy sliced bread, but sometimes I bake and there is way too much bread left over before it will spoil (it's just a cereal week). So I love to make bread upma. You can make it two ways, dry or wet. I prefer the dry, but you might prefer wet!

Leftover bread (about 1 loaf), sliced
1/2-1 onion, minced
1T oil, plus more
mustard seeds (optional)
turmeric, dash
vegetables (optional)
1 tsp curry or chili powder
salt to taste

Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add turmeric, chili powder, and salt. Add onions and saute until they brown. Add vegetables if desired and saute until they are cooked, a few minutes (you may wish to precook some firmer veggies). Proceed as below for dry or wet.

Dry:
Cube the bread and toss with a drizzle of oil. Add to the pan of spices. Mix well to coat until bread is toasted and fragrant. Serve with a chutney.

Wet:
Tear bread or cube roughly. Add 2 cups hot (preferably boiling) water to pan of spices. Stir to mix and return to boil. Add bread and stir rapidly so that it is all combined and wet. Keep stirring until the porridge-like mixture becomes more solid, until nearly crumbly (this will take some elbow grease!).

Other things you can use for cooking:

any citrus peel (candied, dried for tea, in chutneys and marmalade)
broccoli stems and stems of most greens (tough kale stems i use only for broth)
cabbage and cauliflower stems and leaves (chop and saute like greens)
radish greens, broccoli leaves, celery greens (yup, they're greens!)
corn cobs (simmer to release the juices)
orange and lemon leaves (dry or powder whole with salt and tamarind and chilies for a spicy condiment)
seeds of watermelon or any squash (roast and salt)
pizza and other bread crusts (freeze then saute up in upma or bread pudding, of course you can also save crumbs)
peels of potatoes and sweet potatoes, soft peels of squashes (make a chutney, or roast with salt and eat with dip)

See also http://www.2minutestodinner.com/category/otherwise for more recipes.

JOT #26: Freezing

2012-01-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

No, that's not how I feel about the temperature outside (ok, yes, it is), it's about how you can preserve food in a fairly simple way.

Sure there are lots of websites about how to do it and ways to do it, but let me make it simple for you:

Cut or prepare the food the way you want it to be served (eg: slice carrots, or cook up soup)
Put it in a container (a ziplock or tupperware or stainless steel or freezer-safe glass)
Label it with a sharpie - what it is and date
Stick it in the freezer

To remove from the freezer, simply remove, defrost on the counter or microwave or in the fridge, and cook to desired cooked-ness.

There are a few other tips that will help you make the most of frozen things, but it can't get simpler than this. People have been freezing foods since cave-man times when Og (or more likely Mrs.Og!) stuck the leftover raw meat into the snow. It's been commercialized only this last century, but it has lots of benefits, like

No preservatives necessary
Keeps food fresh for eating later (months at least)
Inhibits most bacteria
Keeps nutrients in (aside from vitamin C, which is most easily lost in freezing)

I have a habit at home of freezing leftovers, of course, but also extra things I get in my CSA box - I can rinse a bag of grapes and throw it in the freezer for a treat later. Carrot greens become pesto and spooned into ice trays - then into bags or boxes to be thawed as needed. Here are some of the things you might not have thought about freezing:

Dairy products - milk, yogurt, butter can all be frozen
Breads - dough and sliced breads can be frozen. Thaw dough in the fridge and then let rise before baking.
Baked goods - muffins, cookies, cookie dough, bagels
Veggies - some do better after blanching, but if you'll use them soon, go ahead and freeze. I've been known to put a whole bag of spinach in - it's fine. Tomatoes can be sliced and frozen on trays then popped into bags. Corn cut from the cob, even bits of veggies - radish greens and cilantro bits and lemon peels make it in there.
Fruits - whole grapes, bananas (use later in smoothies), barries, even whole plums make delicious treats when it's hot, or blend them up for a sorbet or smoothie.
Starters - for yogurt and cheese, even bread.
Compost - freezing food scraps kills off any pathogens and fruit fly eggs that might find their way into your compost bin.
Spreads and sauces - jams, chutneys, pestos, tomato paste (I never need a whole can!), applesauce (makes great kiddie popsicles) - these do best in ice cube trays first, as do baby foods.
Flours and powders - I store curry powders and flour for later use.
Nuts and coconut

Avoid freezing: food that's already been thawed from the freezer, rice dishes (they often have little luck), cream inside pastries, mayo/jello/custard/pudding/gravy.

When in doubt, don't throw it out! Freeze it.

Illustration Friday: prepare

2012-01-16T20:28:00.000-08:00

If you have followed me a while ago, you might remember that I briefly flirted with Illustration Friday (www.illustrationfriday.com). Now that I am re-entering the world of art, I need motivation to keep me drawing and sketching and working. Therefore, for this week's topic, "prepare," I present:

This was inspired by a combination of my little one sitting on the couch staring off into space and me trying o think of what to draw. Just the very beginning of a sketch of a start. But a beginning nonetheless.

JOT #25: A drop to drink

2012-01-16T11:24:00.001-08:00

I've never been one to drink plain water. I need an herbal tea, a cocoa, a spiced cider, a spritz of juice, or in dire circumstance, a slice of lemon. But drinking water is in our blood. Literally, we are seventy percent water. We want it clean, we want it pure, we want it nontoxic.

So begins the eternal debate over tap or bottled. We drink tap, but nearly always boiled (then cooled if needed) in a kettle first. Some drink bottled, but the eco-friendly drink filtered (tap or otherwise, preferably in a reusable container). Turn the faucet down low to cut down on waste. If you like it cold, keep a pitcher in the fridge rather than running the water.

There's also the issue of cooking water. Turns out, it is far more efficient to heat water in a kettle than in the microwave or on the stove, whether you are boiling water for tea or pasta! (more info: http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/ask-pablo-electric-kettle-stove-or-microwave-oven.html) Boil only what you need, or transfer your scalding water to a thermos to retain heat longer and have hot water all day.

You can also use steam to cut down on water use - steam veggies over your rice, for example, or steam them over your boiling pasta. Save water from boiled vegetables, pasta, or lentils for soups and curries, to make sauce, or as a stock. It'll also be great for watering plants.

Now if only I could develop a taste for plain old water.

JOT #24: The lawn

2012-01-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

Here in the US, I've lived a life where water is so abundant it's almost unbelievable: flowing freely from faucets, cascading from waterfalls, spurting from fountains, overflowing in swimming pools. It makes rainbows in the noon sun as it twirls from sprinklers.

In the meantime, there are droughts in Africa. Surely we can concede that watering our lawns is a waste of water when there are people without enough to drink? Here are some ways to help:

If you must water your lawn, do it in the wee hours of the morning or late at night to prevent evaporation.
Use cycles of deep watering - water 3-5 minutes, let it sit five minutes, and repeat up to two more times.
Cut down the number of times a week your lawn is watered. It's okay if it's not the perfect shade of green!
Stop fertilizing - chemical fertilizers take water to make, not to mention substances that can go into our drinking water.
Mulch instead. When leaves fall, spread them over your lawn and around your trees - they can help prevent evaporation and provide nutrients to the soil.
Check your sprinklers to make sure they're not going off onto the sidewalk or patio or spurting out water unnecessarily.
Try a drip irrigation system for your plants - a slow drip of water.
Consider converting a part or all of your lawn to native drought-resistant plants. Your city may even give you money for doing this!
Or pave it over, using permeable pavement and pavers so that the rainwater goes through and doesn't run off.
Plant a vegetable garden on your lawn (see earlier JOT) - that's so much less lawn to water!
Take your extra sink and shower water to the lawn and garden.

Let's make sure the grass is greener, and cleaner on every side of the fence.

JOT #23: Everything but...

2012-01-13T16:32:00.001-08:00

The kitchen sink. There go the last tiny remnants of meals long forgotten, burned memories, morsels of lonely TV dinners, and the dregs of celebrations. They deserve better than an awkward scrubbing, don't they?

A few ways we try to streamline at home:

We keep a large saucepan in the sink over a drainpan. Into this goes clean water for rinsing. Slowly it builds until DH and I vie for who will do the last dishes so that the other has to go empty it onto the yard.
We switch between sprayer and full, move the handle left and right - hot to cold. The sink is a battleground.
We try to decide whether to fill the dishwasher (rinse or no? the dishwasher is only more efficient if you don't!)
We rinse dishes first in our saucepan in the sink (until it overflows, then we try to get each other to do the dishes) before scrubbing or loading in the dishwasher.
We try to eat what's on our plates. When that fails (often, with a toddler at home!), we take out all the scraps and debris and put it in the compost first.
On days when I have to keep the little one busy, I hand him a plastic bottle full of sink water, which he empties around the yard.

All this is, of course, when it's not raining. Which it isn't. Still. Which worries me. But then I knew this would happen. Didn't you?

JOT #22: (Don't) Flush it down

2012-01-12T11:03:00.001-08:00

From the shower, we move to the toilet, commode, potty, WC. Whatever you call it (tell me yours!) it's not a pleasant subject for most. Still there's water to be saved there as well!

Put a brick in, or a bag of water, or something hard and heavy, and you'll reduce your tank volume per flush
Use the "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" rule
Use your shower water to flush! You can pour it in the tank, or if you're lazy, just into the bowl.
Invest in a low-flow toilet. Some use only 1.5 gallons per flush!
While you're at it, you can also get one with a dual-flush - light and strong flushing when needed!
Those tank-top hand-washing devices would be fun to install. The water you use to wash your hands goes into the tank fo the next flush!
Avoid putting other junk in there - just toilet paper. The rest goes in the trash.
Use TP sparingly - it takes water to make! Better yet, get a 100% post-consumer recycled one (some even go TP free and use a sprayer and cloth wipes!)

An uncomfortable subject to talk about, perhaps, but well worth the savings!

JOT #21: A better shower

2012-01-11T14:01:00.001-08:00

As I've mentioned in previous eco-tips, saving water is something I try to do. It varies, but I try to save it in the shower. Fresh water is getting scarce. Here are a few ideas that may help you save water in your bath and use less of this precious resource.

- get a simple shower timer. i have one that is an hourglass set to 5 minutes. when i need to take a longer one, i flip it over
- while the water's warming up, save the water in a bucket. you can use that clean, cool water on your plants or lawn or garden or toilet
- keep a bucket under your feet while the shower's running. this water can be used to flush.
- switch to a lower-flow shower head. going to 2.5 gallons per minute will still give you a strong shower, but you'll be only using 12 gallons per shower. go lower and save even more.
- take navy showers: turn off the water while you soap up or shave.
- opt for a shower over a bath, or if you must take a bath, make it shallow. if you use a biodegradable soap, you can use the water on your lawn or, better, in the toilet.
- take bucket baths - fill a bucket halfway with hot water and then add cold to the temperature you like. use that to bathe.
- shower every other day if you can. you can wipe down with a warm, wet, soapy rag on other days to stay clean.
- use an eco-friendly soap bar or bath gel with poof that's not harmful to animals and which doesn't make your water unsafe to use elsewhere

Here's to a happy shower!

JOT #20: Buying in bulk

2012-01-10T13:52:00.001-08:00

I've written before about milk from Straus (where the methane from the cows helps power the plant!) - now I find I can get a discount on the expensive glass bottles by buying a case at a time. I just asked at the store.

Buying in bulk has saved money as well as packaging. Taking old plastic or nylon bags to the store, we scoop just what we need from the bins, and transfer them to bottles (or leave them in the bags if we're lazy) at home. It means less waste (we don't buy more than we need), less packaging (we bring our own bags and write the product numbers down on a sheet of paper or on the side of the bag), and less money.

Another fun advantage is that I get to browse the bins and (occasionally) sample what I'm getting. Often it's organic or local, and almost always a healthy, unprocessed food like lentils or nuts or salt or flour. This is an easy way to make homemade granola or cookies or other baked goods that vary from month to month without a lot of expense. You can also get tiny quantities of spices you may only use once or twice without buying the whole bottle.

My local store carries bulk flour (whole wheat, unbleached, and semolina), several types of granolas, salt, spices, nuts, dried fruit, lentils, oats, and rice. They'll special order large bags of staples so I save on shipping and packaging, with a discount as well. Fortunately for my hips, most of the things on the bulk candy aisle are not vegan!

JOT #19: Wiping up

2012-01-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

If you come to my house, be prepared to blow your nose or wipe your hands or clean up with cloth, not paper. We made this switch a while ago, but I'm still contrite when someone wants a paper towel or kleenex. "Sorry! We don't have any paper." I offer them a clean hankie or a cloth napkin, and show them where to toss them. Often they use toilet paper or dig into their own stash. Occasionally I have stored up a few paper napkins someone has brought by from take-out.

The switch to cloth has made laundering a little more onerous (lots of little cloths to line dry!) but think of all the paper (and related water) we have saved! I make my cloth napkins and handkerchiefs out of old saris or tshirts or other clothes, so they are recycled already.

Consider your use of paper. There are so many beautiful options - pretty napkins with lace, embroidered handkerchiefs, or the utilitarian ones cut from vintage tshirts.

If you do buy paper, buy paper towels and facial tissues and wipes that have a high post-consumer recycled content (preferably 100%!). Tear a towel in half to use even less.

You can also make your own wet wipes by soaking paper and cloth in a dilute soap solution with a bit of aloe vera or glycerin in it. We use cloth wipes that go in the same bin with the dirty diapers for washing.

All in all, a bit of greener wiping up ought to leave the planet a little cleaner.

JOT #18: do your own mending

2012-01-02T16:07:00.001-08:00

I'm not enough of a seamstress to really sew all my own clothes. I have, in fact, made a few decent things I can wear, but I lack both the patience or the skills to make pants and collared shirts and things with zippers.

So, speaking of zippers, today in the wash, the zipper fell of a beloved hoodie, and I can't stand a zipperless jacket. I might have done what I have done in the past, which is to just sew a straight seam up behind the zipper and turn the thing into a stylish sweatshirt, but I like my open jacket, darnit! So, when DH fished the errant zipper from the machine, I had to try putting it back on. There was a spot where the hooks had opened up, and I was able to use two sets of pliers to open up the zipper case (the main body of the zipper) just enough to slip it on, then press it back into place. It took me about 10 minutes (most of it just for lack of strength). Zip, zip, zip!

I like to do small mending jobs - a little patch on ripped knees, sewing up tiny holes where the shoulder separates from the shirt, sewing buttons back on (or moving them when the midsection stretches!), putting in darts on blouses when they fit like a man's, hemming up jeans for flats. Mending gives you the satisfaction of making something wearable without the difficulty of really making the thing. You save something from the toss pile, and you get more mileage out of your clothes and accessories!

If you're not inclined to sew, find a friend or neighbor who does, and trade a skill you have (eg: I would gladly trade a baked good for fixing a zipper!). You can also find a good tailor or alteration person in your neighborhood (check the dry cleaner). If you want to sew, start with something simple, like buttons, and work on stitches. The good thing about mending is that it's often a small job you can do quickly. I like to put the mending that needs doing in a basket and get to just one thing when I have the time.

Writing and drawing

2012-01-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

Happy new year!

When I was six (and 12, and 19), if someone had asked me to choose between being an artist and a writer, I wouldn't have been sure. Somehow, in real adulthood, the possibility of art dropped away, and since everyone writes, I felt I could, too.

Fast forward through unfinished short stories and novels, hundreds of poems published only on the internet or to close family, and my current art expertise consists of making pasta landscapes in my son's preschool.

So, imagine my surprise when I was asked to do the illustrations for an unpublished children's book. Really? Me? An illustrator? I reacted with a mix of excitement and terror.

So here I am, relearning perspective and shading and brush techniques, stumbling between black and blue pens, constructing blending stumps out of the recycling bin. I'm back at art school, and loving every minute of it. In the meantime, I hope to create a few pieces of art that actually will suit the work and look publishable. Let's hope for the best!

Here's to new adventures this year!

Pita bread

2011-12-31T16:04:00.000-08:00

Now that I feel somewhat confident about making edible bread by hand at home (edible, not necessarily delicious!), I thought I'd expand my repertoire. My copy of Vegetarian Cooking (the vegetarian's Joy of cooking!) offers lovely recipes, and one of the ones I stumbled upon is pita bread. I had no idea it could be made at home.

Here's a simplified version:

1 1/2 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp agave/maple syrup/sugar (honey if you're ok with it)
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (with flakes of bran in it)
2 cups all-purpose or bread flour

Mix water, yeast, and sweetener, stir, and let sit for 10 min. Oil another bowl.

Add salt and oil to yeast, then flour until smooth. Add rest of flour 1/2 cup at a time until incorporated, removing from bowl to knead. Knead until it's a smooth dough, not tacky. Place in the oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp towel and set in a warm place (a kitchen window is good) for about an hour to double in size.

Punch dough down and separate into 10-15 balls. Separate balls and then cover with a towel about 15 min. Preheat oven to 475oF with pans inside.

Roll each piece into a circle less than 1/4 inch thick (that's pretty chubby, don't roll too thin! if you made 10 balls they should be about 8 inches across each). Don't stack the breads.

Carefully place as many pita rounds on the baking pans/sheets in the oven as you can and bake 3 minutes. They should start to puff. Remove and place in a tray and cover with a towel, then put more in oven until they are all done.

*NOTE: mine didn't puff all the way but my yeast turned out to be old and I did roll them a bit too thin. Still, they are far more delicious than store-bought ones.

Serve warm (reheat in oven or microwave or gently on stovetop) with hummus, bean-dip, baba-ganoush, or any other dip.

To make pita chips, separate them into two layers, cut into triangles, sprinkle with oil and spices, and bake in the hot oven until crisp!

Cooking and JOTting

2011-12-28T21:46:00.000-08:00

Despite being AWOL for unmentionable months, I have actually been doing bloggy things and following up on my JOTs (just one thing's). And now, my head hung in shame for not having posted for this long, I jump in, with apologies.

For example:
We made the above tree using recycled materials and various preschool-created ornaments. It's a floppy, soppy ode to all things crafty and eco-friendly :)

I spent an evening up until 2 viewing various crafty blogs (you know, jumping from one to the next to the next, list below) and making note of the projects I intend to do with my son (or make him watch). My friend Pippa suggested making up an Advent Calendar of projects, which we did for this month, and now we have a shoebox full of projects on slips for the coming months, one a day! This week, we have strung up all our holiday cards across the living room, made a Kwanzaa wreath in red and black and green from Little One's handprints, and put photos in old CD frames and taped them up around the house.

The list, for inspiration and lots of procrastination:

I have also been cooking up a few things, notably:

apples - once again transformed into jam and spicy pickle and applesauce (frozen into "popsicles")
lemons - again as marmalade, and as spicy pickle, and dried into...
herbal tea - a mix of rose petals and mint and hibiscus (a bit for color) is divine (Rose Mint), as are lavender and chamomile (Lavender Chamomile), or dried oranges and lemons and cloves and cinnamon (Orange Spice!)
halloween pumpkins - into bread, which is really cake, a recipe from my friend Janice
persimmon related items due to various Hachiya persimmon donations. I normally don't eat those, but turned out they are FANTASTIC sliced (while still hard) and dehydrated to near-crispness. They also make unbelievably soft and cloudy cookies and decent pancakes.
granola and yogurt - we have a routine now, a weekly granola batch. my little one is a good helper, thanks to the dishwasher.
cupcakes - I won't go there, but let's just say various tubs of sour cream (ie not vegan) are now transformed and in my freezer and awaiting mouths (anyone?)
bread - my breadmaker gave out earlier this year, so after I left town and came home to no more wild yeast, I bought a jar, and have been making handmade bread ever since. So much more reliable, and I can make it however I want. We made cinnamon rolls and loaves and dinner rolls and rosemary holiday bread. Loving it!

So there you have it. My end-of-the-year summary. Wishing you happy holidays and many more posts to come!

JOT #17: go local, wherever you are

2011-05-05T00:35:00.001-07:00

I do travel. In some future world where gasoline costs $100 a gallon and we get most of what we need locally, we won't travel nearly as much, but while I do, I like to get local goods wherever I go.

In India, I buy black nilgiri tea. In London, I bought earl grey. In Egypt, chamomile.

Sure, I buy other things. In India, it was sandalwood powder and homemade sweets and organic dals. Now here in San Diego, it's fresh guavas and mangoes and agave from nearby Mexico.

Many of these things I would never or only rarely buy at home, but travel is a chance to indulge in new and exciting local goods. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and take back a bit of Rome with you!

What do you bring back from your travels?

JOT #16: herbs from seeds

2011-04-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

When I was little, my grandmother would save carrot tops and soak them in water - the carrots would sprout roots and greens and grow, right in the kitchen. Then she taught me how I could get plants from coriander seeds, the tiny cilantro leaves peeking out, their fragrance intoxicating.

Since then I love the process of planting things I have in my pantry. Coriander seeds bring cilantro whenever the weather's a bit warm, perfect for Indian or Mexican food. Fenugreek brings methi, or fenugreek leaves, which make delicate greens to add in salads or saute on their own. Onion seeds yield onion greens. Even mustard seeds will grow.

I'm curious how fennel and cumin and others might grow, but you can try it at home: just plant 1/2-1 teaspoon of seeds an inch or so deep in a small pot of soil on your windowsill (a yogurt container with holes works). Place a plate under it to catch any drained water, and water it each day, just running over the tap until the soil is wet. Be patient. That's the hard part.

The reward is when you see that tiny sprout all of a sudden one day - two tiny cotyledons (the seed leaves) in bright green. They look like nothing you've seen. Suddenly there are not one but many. The two tiny leaves make way for a long stem that carries the "real" plant - deep fenugreek leaves, or spiky cilantro, or something else.

Check your pantry and try planting some. I'm always surprised what actually grows.

JOT #15: tofu

2011-04-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

I have long been wanting to make my own tofu. I get lovely firm tofu from HODO soybeanery at the farmer's market when I want it (aside from the silken, I can bring my own box to take it home), and there is always the great extra-firm Wildwood tofu (though plastic-wrapped) at the store. When I want medium, HODO almost always runs out of it, though, and I'm stuck with only silken or firm tofu, or I end up with much too much and waste it. Very sad.

So I'm happy to say I've finally made some tofu. It's silken (ish), and a small amount (what soymilk I had left), and has a slightly bitter aftertaste (I think I used too much coagulant). But it's a start, and I'm hopeful of being able to make it at home from now one, at least when I can't get it elsewhere. I used only 3 cups of soymilk, and used Epsom salts as a coagulant (they're cheap), which means the tofu has no calcium, so I may have to switch later! The recipe is adapted from here, which also includes photos and more details.

Tofu

3-5 quarts soymilk (more = firmer tofu)
1/2-1 tbsp coagulant (nigari - calcium sulfate, or Epsom salts)
mesh strainer
pot
muslin, preferably, or cheesecloth
container with holes (optional)
small, shaped container
plate that is smaller than strainer or holey container
heavy weight (a large can of tomatoes, or free weights, 5lbs or more)

Heat the soymilk to just below boiling. Avoid letting it boil (ideally, it should be above 180oF but below 210). Remove any skin that has formed. Turn off the heat or place on the very lowest heat, and add half the coagulant. Stir ONCE completely (and only!) with a large spoon, then let soymilk sit 10 minutes. If most has coagulated and the liquid is no longer white, turn heat off and continue. Otherwise repeat with the other half of the coagulant, stirring once and resting 10 minutes, until most of the milk has curdled.

In the meantime, place the strainer on a pot so that it sits above the bottom, and line with two layers of cheesecloth or muslin. Pour the curdled milk into the strainer and let the liquid drain, then lift up cloth and squeeze out most of the rest of the liquid. If you don't have a container with holes that will fit this amount of tofu, leave cloth in strainer, folding cloth over the tofu. Otherwise, place tofu inside the holey container, folding the cloth over the tofu so it lies flat.

Cover with a plate that doesn't touch the sides of the container or strainer, and weigh down with the weight. Leave 15 minutes for a softer tofu, or 30-45 minutes with a heavier weight for firmer. (I used 15 minutes with a glass bottle of chickpeas).

Remove tofu from cloth, and transfer to container. Cover with water and change water daily.

JOT #14: jam and marmalade

2011-04-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

I recently bought my first jar of jam in a few years - it's a hot sweet pepper made of local mixed berries with jalapenos, straight from the farmer's market. Yum.

Aside from that, we haven't had jam or marmalade from outside the house in quite a while. When apple season rolled around, I made a giant batch of apple jam, several jars. When friends had way too many lemons, I made marmalade. And with all those neighborly oranges, I've made a bitter-sweet orange marmalade. When thanksgiving rolls around, there are cranberries available, which make a delicious sweet-tart cranberry jam. Makes for plenty of sweet spreads.

Making jam needs a good half day per batch (which, for us, yields months, if not a year's, worth of jam). It's a bit time and work intensive, but modern devices like the food processor and other shortcuts make it easy. I also avoid the intense canning steps, because there's sugar in the jam, we use it fairly fast (or give it away for use), and store it in the fridge after opening. Someday I'd like to learn to can properly, complete with rubber lids and metal bands, but that will have to wait. For now, we can store our jam on the shelf and then in the fridge or freezer for a while before I have to make up a new batch, when another fruit comes into season.

These recipes are collected from various ones you'll find on the internet, adapted to all those different fruits you'll find, and made to be as little work as possible (I'm lazy!). The caveat: jam is really fruit and sugar, so it's not really a health food. Some day I'd like to make up a batch of freezer jam without adding any sugar, but not yet.

Lemon or Orange Marmalade
5lbs lemons or oranges (about 10 navels)
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups extra sugar (optional)
water

Juice the fruit and save 1/2 cup juice (drink or save or freeze the rest) and all the peels, being sure to discard any seeds. Run peels through food processor or slice into very thin strips. Place peels in saucepan and cover with water. Boil 10 minutes, or until softened, then drain. Rinse pan and return peels to pan. Add 1 1/2 cups water and sugar and simmer one hour uncovered, stirring, until thick and creamy. Add up to 1 1/2 cups extra sugar, to taste. Add 1/2 cup juice, stir to combine well, and let cool. Pour into sterilized jars almost to top (leaving less than 1/2 inch). Seal jars and invert until fully cooled. Once opened, store in fridge and use within a week.

Apple Jam - posted ages ago. Recipe here.

Cranberry Jam
cranberries (about 1 packet/ 1lb)
1 1/2 cups sugar
juice of one lemon or orange

Rinse cranberries (if frozen, skip this step). Heat cranberries, adding a little water if necessary, and stir on low, mashing, until softened. Add sugar and continue to stir, partially covered in between, until well-mashed and thick. Add lemon juice (use orange juice for orange-cranberry flavor). Cool jam until warm, then pour into sterilized bottle leaving 1/2 inch room at the top. Close and invert bottle overnight. Store away from light upside down or open and refrigerate.

JOT#13: margarine...and butter...and ghee...and cupcakes

2011-04-07T00:16:00.000-07:00

Margarine, butter, and ghee are two separate items, but I'm lumping them because, after all, they're similar in purpose. The cupcakes? Just for fun.

After going vegan, I used real margarine for a short while, until the idea of that many trans-fats gave me chills. I deftly jumped on the Earth Balance bandwagon - trans-fat free, healthy spread that is vegan and organic. Win-win, right? But sadly, it, too, comes in a plastic tub. I was okay with oil for a while until an amazing cupcake recipe (see below) left me drooling and Earth Balance-free. Rather than shell out, cheapskate that I am, I tried a simple margarine recipe that is all over the internet. I improvised wildly and thought I'd failed until the lemon juice did its magic (you should see it!). It certainly isn't thick and stiff like the store-bought stuff, it tastes like the oil I used, and sometimes still separates, but it is way better than not having margarine, and is actually quite yummy on bread with my farmer's market "Sweet Heat" berry pepper jam.

To whit, worth a try. Here is the veganized version:

Vegan Margarine

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used soy, I suppose non-vegans could use regular)
1/2 cup oil (I used olive, probably better to use a light one)
1 tsp mustard seeds, crushed (or 1/2-1tsp dry mustard powder, or 1tsp lecithin)
1-2 tbsp lemon juice, or as needed
dash turmeric
salt to taste

Place soymilk in blender and pulse, then add oil and blend well until emulsified. Add mustard powder and tiny dash of turmeric for color, blend to mix. Add lemon juice and blend - it should become thick and creamy. Add salt, if desired, and blend again to mix well. Store in airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 weeks.

Butter (and buttermilk)

I store the cream from my Strauss Milk bottles in a little cup in the fridge, usually with a spoon stuck to it, unless my Little One licks it off first. After a while, I have a decent amount of cream, which I used to just boil into ghee (see below), which lasts indefinitely outside the fridge. But I'd never made fresh butter, much less cultured (unless you count the time we dressed up as pilgrims and churned butter in grade school), until my mother gave me courage. She told me how her grandmother used to keep it submerged in water, and she and her siblings would sneak some from time to time.

Also much easier than I thought, especially with the convenience of a blender. Here you go:

Leave 1/4-1/2 cup fresh cream out to soften.
Add 1-2 tbsp yogurt, preferably runny and stir well to combine thoroughly.
Leave cultured cream in oven or someplace warm for the day or overnight.
In the morning (or night), place cream in blender and add at least 2x volume cold water. Add 1-2 ice cubes if the weather is warm or your blender tends to heat up.
Blend by pulsing. As you blend, the butter will rise to the top and the liquid will become a light runny white.
Stop blending when the butter is a solid mass and no solids remain in the lower portion.
Separate the butter from the liquid with a slotted spoon and allow to drain, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The buttermilk can be used for baking, or as a drink with a dash of salt, asafoetida, and a few curry leaves.

[Edit: forgot the ghee! Recipe below:

Ghee

Place softened butter in small saucepan.
Heat on VERY low heat (as low as possible) until butter melts
Continue to heat on low, and butter will come to a boil. There may be some scum forming at the top - skim it off. Allow the butter to boil until it is a bright golden color without stirring and being careful not to let it burn.
Remove from heat and let pot sit - the separated parts will settle to the bottom. Let cool no more than 15-20 minutes.
Pour off the liquid ghee into another container, straining. Store in a closed container at room temperature.
To use, you may wish to heat ghee briefly over a very low flame to melt. Serve with rice, idlis/chapatis, or for cooking. ]

Vegan Cupcakes

Ricekernel has wooed me to her site yet again with her vegan cupcakes. I had to try for myself. Now that I'm not buying all-purpose flour, I subbed the whole wheat flour. I used vegan sugar (powdered in the blender, ok, lazily), local olive oil (Big Paw). For the frosting, I used the vegan margarine! It was runny, so I omitted both the shortening and the soymilk - still hardened up nicely when chilled. The frosting recipe frosts LOTS of cupcakes, so I will be hiding the rest in the fridge.

I topped them with vegan chocolate chip eyes and a dry apple smile. They ARE ultimate. Happy!

JOT #12: Apple cider vinegar

2011-04-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I hardly ever used vinegar. Then I discovered its miraculous uses: dressing on salad (with oil of course), as a great hair rinse (in lieu of conditioner), for cleaning (with baking soda), and to add a kick to so many dishes.

Making vinegar at home is also a good way to save/use up/keep from spoiling foods and scraps that are just too good to waste. Case in point: a batch of fresh, homemade apple juice, which for some reason was never finished (forgotten in the back of the fridge). What to do? Make vinegar.

I've found that it's takes ages, but it's much simpler than I thought. The key to making vinegar is to let it have air at the right times. Liquids go through stages as they ferment: juice, wine/alcohol, and acid/vinegar.

To make apple cider vinegar, start with apple cider or juice. For fruits, chop the fruit and cover with water. Very sweet juice and fruits will yield better results. Make sure your cider/juice does not contain any additives and preferably isn't pasteurized. You may also wish to add sugar water instead of plain water to make fruit scrap vinegar instead, which is also faster.

Pour into a clean, sterilized glass jar, leaving an inch or two of room at the top. Close tightly and leave at room temperature for 6-8 weeks. Open periodically (weekly) to let CO2 escape. When your juice smells like strong vodka or wine, you're ready to move on.

Now leave the same jar covered but slightly open. You can leave the lid on loosely, or cover with a double layer of cheesecloth. You may wish to add "mother of vinegar" from store-bought vinegar, but this is not necessary. Keep it in a warm place but away from direct sunlight.

After a couple of weeks you'll see some stringy things that are the "mother of vinegar" made by the bacteria. Continue to allow it to ferment until you don't smell (or taste) any alcohol.

To prevent further fermenting or to make another batch, optionally filter out the mother of vinegar film from the vinegar.

JOT #11: Yogurt

2011-04-02T23:27:00.000-07:00

Growing up Indian, my mother used to make yogurt every week. She poured milk from the can, stirred it patiently on the stove, and waited until it cooled just enough to put her pinky in without scalding. Then she stirred in a tablespoon of the old yogurt culture, and let it sit on the counter (on warm days) or in the oven overnight. In the morning - thick yogurt, "hard curds" we called it, literally translated. It was rich and perfect for mixing into warm rice for dinner, one of our favorite meals back then.

My mother's yogurt culture (really a bacterial culture that grows in your milk and is what helps you digest your food in your stomach!) was so developed over the years, probably an ancient mix of strains of Lactobacillus that may have once consorted with dinosaurs. It never failed to magically transform milk, even skim milk, into yogurt.

After the development of my yuppie, get-anything-from-the-store lifestyle, making yogurt went by the wayside. I had forgotten that it was easy, and it seemed such a breeze to pick up yet another plastic tub of plain yogurt at the store. Until the tubs (see my pack-rat tendencies) started to pile up. Oh yeah, and I turned vegan.

Being vegan and craving yogurt is not a good combination, so I glommed onto my cherished Wildwood Yogurt. The perfect taste for yogurt rice, but full of things I do not have at home, and yes, it comes in plastic tubs. I've finally gone back to making my own, and I haven't seen a store-bought variety that is quite as nice as homemade, to my taste. It's also a great way to use up milk that is about to spoil and to get live cultures when your stomach is feeling a little blah.

So, here's my simple recipe for making yogurt at home. You can use a yogurt-maker at home if you like, but it should be fairly simple, especially now that the weather is warming up (at least around here).

Homemade Yogurt

milk, soymilk, or other non-dairy milk (any fat content is ok)
1-2tbsp yogurt culture from purchased or other yogurt containing "live, active cultures"
scarf or thick cloth
pot to heat milk (thick bottom)
glass, ceramic, or stainless steel container with lid that covers well or fits tightly (a casserole works)
can of food/soup or rock (optional)

Clean the container well - sterilize in dishwasher or pour boiling water over it.

Heat milk on the stove in pot or in ceramic or glass container in the microwave (ie a saucepan leaving room at the top or a ceramic container to 1 inch of the top). Heat to just boiling (milk will froth up - make sure it doesn't boil over. In my microwave, this is 12 minutes for a large bowl and 5 for a cereal bowl, longer on the stove). On the stove, stir continuously to prevent scalding.

Remove milk from heat and if in pot, transfer to container. let cool until warm but not hot (pinky inside will not burn, or you can measure to once it drops below 50oC/122oF). If in microwave, leave in container, otherwise transfer to container. Allow skin to form on top of yogurt.

Mix 1-2 tbsp yogurt with 2 tablespoons of unboiled milk until smooth and creamy. With a spoon, gently pull skin away from edge of container and pour yogurt culture into the space. Close container with lid tightly. You may wish to weight it with something (a can of food, a rock, etc) to form a tighter seal.

Leave your yogurt on the counter overnight if it's warm, or in the oven (warm the oven briefly if it's cold) or any place warm. Wrap with a scarf or cloth to help keep it warm in colder temperatures. If not fully set by morning, remove from oven, set oven to lowest setting and leave until it reaches temperature. Open oven and replace container covered with scarf for a few more hours (up to the evening). Refrigeration can also convert a slightly runny yogurt into a thick, set curd.

If desired, pour off any liquid (it makes a good liquid for kneading dough) if desired. To make greek yogurt, place this yogurt into a cheesecloth and strain into another container. What remains is extra-thick, creamy yogurt. Sweeten as desired.

JOT #10: Granola

2011-04-02T00:34:00.000-07:00

I am SO granola. Last year, we were in the throes of another grocery-store meltdown, when yet another trip to the store for Flax Pumpkin Seed Granola was in order after less than a week. The tiny boxes are among the most expensive at the store, and hold (for us) only about 4 bowls of cereal. Not sustainable.

Later, I found it in the bulk foods aisle, not quite as expensive but at least I could buy as much as I wanted. So there we went, until one day while cookbook-browsing (a fun activity, if you have a spare minute and are near one of your cookbooks), I came across the recipe for granola out of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (a book I highly recommend - covers all sorts of veggies and grains). This is my generic adaptation of this simple recipe, and I make up a batch every two weeks, or a half-batch weekly for a fraction of the cost of the store-bought variety. Nowadays, we only buy store granola when I'm feeling lazy or ill.

The funny thing is that nearly everything in this recipe is optional, so you could end up with just toasted grain, if you like that,or you could have flax-hemp-pumpkin-quinoa-cherry-chocolate-coconut granola, if that's what you're craving. Variations are noted at the end.

Here's also another fun granola recipe to try from my friend ricekernel.

Granola
yields 8 cups

6 cups any combination of rolled oats or flaked grain (kamut, spelt, barley) or toasted grain (quinoa, millet)
1 cup wheat germ (optional)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit (optional)
1/2-1tsp spices (I use 1tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cardamom)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup safflower, canola, or olive oil
3/4 cup maple syrup or honey

Pulse 2 cups of grain until crushed. Preheat oven to 300oF. Toss the dry ingredients except the raisins or fruit together. Add oil and sweetener and toss again to coat thoroughly. Spread mixture on two sheet pans and bake. Stir every 10-15 minutes until done, about 30-45 minutes. Remove from oven and add raisins or fruit. Let cool. The granola will become crunchy when fully cooled. Store in an airtight container.

Variations: The variations are endless. My general rule is to try to use what I have in the pantry.

Spices - besides cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, you can use powdered ginger, allspice, vanilla or almond extract, cocoa powder, fennel seed powder, mace, even spicy cayenne for a kick! Start with 1/2 tsp or less before you commit.

Nuts and seeds - chopped walnuts and pecans, slivered almonds, crumbled peanuts, exotic nuts like brazilnuts, macadamias or hazelnuts, seeds like sunflower and pumpkin, sesame seeds, flax seeds, cashews, pistachios, hemp seeds, really anything goes. If you need to use salted nuts, leave out the salt in the recipe.

Grains - besides the standard oat flakes, you might find multigrain flakes in a bulk aisle, or flaked wheat, kamut, spelt, or barley. You can toast millet, pop amaranth, or rinse quinoa before adding, as well as adding puffed rice or rice flakes. Consider also adding some other cereal (o's or crisped rice or something else your family likes) to granola.

Fruits - using enough fruit, you can cut down on sweeteners. Try plump chopped medjool dates, pieces of dried apple, pear, papaya or apricot, banana chips, candied orange or lemon peel, dried berries or cherries, even pieces of fruit leather.

Sweeteners - a maple syrup is lovely, but you can use plain old sugar (white, brown, turbinado, or anything else), agave syrup (use less), honey, molasses, or even some flavored syrup you've forgotten. Cut the sugar in half if you like. Leaving it out is fine, too, but everyone might reach for the sugar bowl.

Oil - you can cut the oil in half or leave it out, as you wish, to make a fat-free version. Any kind of edible oil should be okay, but if you use butter, you may wish to store your granola in the fridge. Alternatively, use 1 cup pear or apple juice instead of oil (in addition to sweetener).

Yummies - coconut flakes, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, even candy can turn your granola into a trail mix.

Wheat germ - it adds a good dose of protein and nutrients to your granola and also helps it clump nicely. You can also use wheat bran, oat bran, or rice bran. I like to powder some of my oats instead, which helps the clumping even without the wheat germ.

Let me know how yours goes!

JOT #9: Kale chips

2011-03-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

What? Kale chips you say? Sounds disgusting, right? Kale, like collards, and turnip, and other such greens, is one of those things one does not usually associate with snacks. Until one visits one's local farmer's market.

I did, one day, and came across a free taste of a light, flaky, dangerously addictive green substance flecked with gold. "Kale chips," they announced, and charged me $7 for the yogurt-tub of the stuff. I felt I'd gotten a good deal, and went back next week for two more. My habit had increased to three a week when I decided I couldn't shell out $24 a week simply on a snack like this, healthy as it might be. But the Little One was also hooked, so I couldn't miss an opportunity for such a yummy good-for-you snack.

What IS kale anyway? Turns out it's a green leafy vegetable related to cabbage, full of antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and anti-cancer compounds (unless boiled). Can you say super-food?

Turns out organic kale is only $2 a bunch at the farmer's market, and with the help of my trusty dehydrator, I can make my own "chips" at home (an oven works, too). I've only tried the Goddess flavor, which is my favorite by far anyway, but they also make Cashew and Sweet Basil, which are also lovely. (I should note, the other advantage of making them at home is that you can make them as strong or mild as you want, and leave out anything you might not like. You can also hide them from your family so you can eat them in the middle of the night, not that I would ever do that.)

The recipe calls for curly kale, but you can use other types, including plain, if that's not available. Red russian is okay, but dinosaur kale gets a bit bitter (still tasty). The tahini I get is a bit runny so sometimes I avoid the water altogether.

[Edited: amounts a little off for two bunches. Modified.]
Goddess Kale Chips - recipe adapted from Chrissy at RawFoodTalk

2 bunches organic kale, preferably curly, broken into large pieces by hand
2/3 cup sesame tahini
¼ cup soy sauce or tamari
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup water (as needed)
2 scallions, or 1/2 leek or 1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 lemon, juiced
¼ t. salt
¼ cup fresh parsley (oregano also works but adds a different flavor)

Tear the kale into large pieces, setting aside the stalks (use for soup stock!) and place the leaves in a large bowl. Combine all other ingredients in the blender until it forms a paste (add water as needed, or none). Pour dressing over kale and work into the leaves by hand. Be sure to get the kale into the crannies of the kale to cover well on both sides.

Place kale in a single layer on dehydrator sheets (use 2-4 trays) and dehydrate at least 4 hours (about 110oF). Rotate trays as needed. Alternatively, place in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and bake at 200oF 20-30 minutes, until fully crispy.

Store in an airtight container.

Other variations: if you want to avoid the tahini etc, try just soy sauce and lemon juice, and dry your chips. Still yummy. I've also used my dehydrator in my solar oven, so on a warm day, you could just let the kale dry out for a day or two.

Happy Snacking!

JOT #8: Soymilk

2011-03-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

I notice this series is quickly turning into "things I've stopped buying," and this is another example. But isn't making things at home the most local you can be? I have the luxury of time, so I take the opportunity (and will share if bribed, with, say, fair trade chocolate or freedom from toddler boredom).

Being vegan, I drink a lot of non-dairy milk, and most of it is soymilk. For a while, I was buying things in milk cartons or tetrapaks, both of which are not recyclable in my area. Then I found out that Hodo Soy Beanery makes fresh unsweetened and sweetened non-GMO soymilk for sale at the farmer's market (fyi, they also make some great tofu and delicious and innovative soy-based products). It comes in plastic (non-returnable, though recyclable) bottles and was starting to add up, plus it was often not available and the tiny bottles never lasted me long. Unfortunately, no one makes soy milk in glass, to my knowledge.

I debated buying a soymilk-maker (yes, they exist!) but then found it wasn't as impossible as it seemed in my head. The soybeans are from Whole Foods or my local natural grocery store - organic, grown/processed in the US (all over, so I may never know where mine come from) and Canada.

Here's the recipe:
1 cup soybeans
12 cups water, plus more for rinsing
a pinch baking soda (optional)
mesh strainer
cheesecloth
large saucepans
blender

Soak soybeans in 6 cups of water overnight at room temperature. In the morning, knead the beans vigorously with your hands for a few minutes until the skins come loose (you don't have to remove them all) and rise to the top. Rinse beans in water, removing most of the skins.

Set up a mesh strainer over a saucepan or pasta pot and line with cheesecloth or other thin cloth. Grind beans with 6 cups of water (two times with 3 cups of water each works well), increasing speed until the puree is frothy. Pour the liquid into the strainer until only the froth and solids are left on top. Lift the cloth and use your hands to squeeze most of the rest of the liquid out (save the cloth with the soybean solids*). Gently boil the soymilk for 5-10 minutes and let cool. When fully cool, pour directly into a pitcher, or add salt/sweeteners as desired before storing. Use within a week.

*The soybean solids are called okara, and are almost as rich in protein and nutrients as soymilk or tofu. I add a half-cup to bread dough (steam first, makes it soft), or toast the okara and use in place of coconut in dishes. It also can be steamed, seasoned and served as a dish on its own. More ideas/recipes here.

JOT #7: fruit trees

2011-03-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

I've written about vegetable gardens, but nothing comes close to picking fruit right off the tree and eating it. I'm lucky to have a apple tree right in the backyard, which sends forth a volley of apples every fall (the first year, I didn't know what to do with all those apples and was giving them out like candy. Then I learned. More on that another time...). I also have a beautiful red plum tree that sends showers of small, tart plums into the neighbors' yard each summer.

I'm also lucky to have good neighbors with fruit trees of their own. The ones on the right have a prolific orange tree that has so many navels over the fall and winter and early spring that are tart and sweet and juicy that we marvel every year, then knock on their door for the ones we can't reach from our side (they never mind, and don't seem to eat many oranges). On the other side, a short but steady lemon tree I know is there to ask for a lemon when I so desperately need one.

Since then, we've been slowly planting fruit trees and bushes - a pomegranate here, a blueberry there, a mandarin in between, and nurturing them, fawning over them. We have yet to see any fruit, but we're optimistic!

If you don't have the space for your own fruit tree, try picking some off someone else's at a farm. We tried Buckley Cherries with great results (the last few are still tempting me in the freezer):

JOT #6: milk, and a surprising snack

2011-03-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This is a double post.

I must have more free cooking time than usual because I'm posting on two separate topics.

The first - another just one thing I've switched to. Despite the fact that I'm a vegan, the vegetarians in my family, including the Little One, can go through two gallons a week. For a while, we had plenty of plastic going into our recycle bin, which made me frown. Then, a friend mentioned that a Marin County dairy farm sold milk in glass containers! Not only that, it had a lovely cream that rose to the top. You buy the milk in a half-gallon glass bottle with a hefty $1.50 deposit, which you get back when you return the bottle. It comes in whole, 2%, and fat-free. It's organic, pasteurized but not ultra-pasteurized, local, humane, and sustainable. Win-win.

But DH didn't take to it at first - after the cream was removed, too watery, he said. Too runny. Not nice. I bought the Little One whole milk in the bottle, and we stuck with a gallon of regular 2% organic milk in plastic bottles. This went on for a while, until I could take it no more. When LO was ready for 2%, I started buying four bottles of glass milk at my local grocery store and we've never looked back. DH likes it now, even the cream at the top sometimes, which I let LO lick from the spoon, serve on bread or crackers, or (usually) save up in the freezer to melt and clarify later as ghee, which keeps much longer.

You can get milk from Straus Family Creamery at Whole Foods or other natural groceries, or even get it home-delivered by the BayAreaMilkman. They make whole, 2%, and skim, and sell half-gallons, quarts, plus ice cream, yogurt and butter.

Ok, now on to part two, which involves a snack recipe and I haven't posted a recipe in a while, have I? Today we were looking for a snack. The bread is there, but we hate to dip into that if it's not a meal, and all out of crackers and cookies, I was looking for something crunchy but light and salty. A dig through the pantry turned up an unopened packet of seaweed or nori, waiting for the day I might make sushi again (I think the last time was in the 90s). I remembered my last Trader Joe's flyer - toasted seaweed with sea salt in a package for $1. Good deal, but not organic, and packaged, after all. I improvised, toasting the nori on the gas flame, and adding a sprinkle of gomaisho, with a drizzle of sesame oil. Light, airy, satisfying, addictive.

Toasted Nori

5 sheets nori or seaweed (pref. organic)
1-2 Tbsp sesame oil (vegetable ok, optional)
2-3 Tbsp gomaisho* or 1-2tsp sea salt
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Turn your electric or gas flame to the lowest setting. Hold the nori with tongs and lightly pass over the flame until it changes color. Be careful not to over-heat because nori burns easily. Let cool, then cut into strips and then rectangles about a 1/2 inch by 1 inch with scissors or kitchen shears (you can save any dust to sprinkle on rice). Drizzle the pieces with oil, and sprinkle on gomaisho or salt and red pepper flakes, if using. Toss well and store in an airtight container.

*gomaisho is a Japanese condiment. From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone: Toast 1/3 cup sesame seeds (black or white or a mix) until it starts to change color. Toss with 1 tsp salt. Store in the fridge and use on nori or mixed with rice, or even on oatmeal when you don't want sweetness.

JOT #5: Wheat

2011-03-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Few things are as ubiquitous these days as wheat (ask anyone who's allergic!). It's in bread, rolls, pasta, pita, tortillas, cake, cookies, crackers - pretty much anything that's a starchy carb staple, aside from rice and corn (and don't bet there's no wheat in there, either...). Well, if I was going to go local, I'd have to find some local wheat flour.

Imagine my surprise when my CSA farm, Full Belly, offered wheat flour as a special order! Turns out they've been growing ancient varieties of wheat called Sonora (a soft white winter wheat) and Federation (a less glutinous wheat good for pastries) and selling the flour. The history goes way back - before the time of Columbus, Europeans brought Sonora wheat over, and Native Americans. California used to be a major exporter of wheat before the days of "white flour," and Sonora and Federation wheat were hardy, disease-resistant wheats that didn't spoil when they traveled.

All that went away when enriching and refining of flour was developed, and all-purpose, bleached, oil-removed flour could travel across the world and be stored indefinitely without going bad. The farmers around here are helping turn that around - bringing back the protein and minerals to wheat, giving us organic, whole grains to cook with.

Full Belly sells wheat berries by the pound, Sonora, Federation, and a mix of the two in 10 lb bags. You can also get wheat from Eatwell Farm if you live in the east bay or San Francisco. Pie Ranch also sells whole wheat flour.

JOT #4: A vegetable garden

2011-03-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, my husband and I, eying the beautiful produce of our neighbors across the street, decided to put in a vegetable bed. We scoured salvage shops for redwood and had someone put together a 6 by 4 little box, which we completed with organic potting soil and compost from our backyard.

What went in? Oh, a random mix: three tomato plants, an eggplant seedling, and some bell and spicy peppers. We already had a drip irrigation system in place, thanks to the people who lived here before, so we just watched in awe as blooms appeared and fell, and were replaced by plump green tomatoes, shriveled peppers, and long chilies. Many of them made it to our table long before they reddened (fried green tomatoes were the first - sliced thick, and battered in cornflour and soymilk, dipped in breadcrumbs, and pan-fried until crisp. They were delicious on bread...), and we proudly announced that we had become successful gardeners.

But then, the eggplant never showed up. It bloomed, but the bloom withered and died. Someone told us it lacked calcium, another said it needed a mate, another it was overwatered. Whatever it was, it just stayed there, green and hardy, but never fruiting. We were upset and disappointed - had we been cheated at the nursery? Did we do something wrong? How we hated that plant - taunting us every day from the middle of the bed. Somehow it lasted through the winter, a veteran in the bed when baby tomato plants came and newbies like strawberries and broccoli made it to our yard. Eventually it faded away, never fruitful, and it was replaced by a younger, hardier plant that gave us a few chubby eggplants to saute.

We definitely have among the blacker thumbs, though we've been committed to staying away from fertilizers and additives (aside from compost), and have managed to be content with whatever we do get, whether it's a few succulent strawberries or just one hard-earned carrot. When the morsels of those delicacies make it to our mouths, we savor them, knowing it's our own sweat that we're eating.

We've learned one thing, though: gardening is like taking care of a child. You have to tend and nurture, and it brings you worry and fear, but it's an unconditional kind of love. You pour your blood and sweat and tears into it, never again have clean fingernails, and can't step out into the yard without a quick peek. There - a shoot. Oh look, another leaf, or - gasp! - a bite! a hole! a pest!. You wait and hope your tending brings forth a little something, but you are patient, and you won't hate it anymore if it doesn't bear fruit. But when it does, you cradle it like a baby, take a photo, display it on the counter - until it starts to shrivel and you can't bear to watch. Then you cut it, ripe and fresh, and everyone gets a tiny piece, which they taste like it's fine wine, head thrown back, eyes closed. Divine.

Oh yeah, if you're looking to start a garden, try a lovely, simple book from the library or a website like this. Better yet, ask a neighbor who has one!

JOT #3: Community supported agriculture

2011-03-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

Way back when, I lived in the city. We never went to the farmer's market, but craved organic veggies. Then a guy left a flyer one day advertising a box fully of organic fruits and veggies delivered to your door weekly or every two weeks for $20. Since then, I've been hooked.

Community supported agriculture refers to a system in which a farm or group of farms/produce-providers get together and divide their harvest among people interested in receiving their produce and supporting their farm. In essence, it's like investing in a share of the farm, with the difference that you get vegetables and fruit instead of stock certificates. You support the work of these small farmers, and they box up what they harvest and divide among the investors.

In practice, it's fun. You pay either up front, or installments, or even by the box or week or month. You choose your share - a half box, full box, weekly, biweekly, etc. Then you pick up the box at the farmer's market, a dedicated location like someone's house or store, or pay a bit extra to have it delivered home. Some CSAs allow you to even choose to exclude certain produce or switch them out for something you do like. Others offer only-fruit boxes, salad boxes, veggie boxes. Some even offer milk and meat.

I have been getting mine ove rhte winter, and whenever I want a box, from Full Belly Farm (130 miles), which also offers special order items for its CSA customers (dried peaches, anyone?), and for the summer or when I'm not traveling, I use Hidden Villa, since it's really close (less travel = less pollution/energy-expended) and less expensive as well. I love the surprise of what is coming next week - and the challenge of cooking something with a new ingredient you've never seen before. I like knowing that this will be the last week of kale and that I will likely be getting zucchini for the next month in abundance. I like the little newsletters that offer new recipes and tell me what's happening at the farm, and the invitations to farm events for CSA members.

You can find out more about CSAs and find a CSA you like by going to Local Harvest.

JOT #2: The farmer's market

2011-03-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

Continuing the theme of going local, one of my favorite places is the farmer's market. We're lucky around here to have several:

Plus others in surrounding towns and cities. What I love about them? Shopping for local food with local ambience. There are plenty of options in the organic category, and most everyone else is pesticide-free (they'll tell you why they haven't yet been certified organic). I always know what's in season, simply because it's available (the rarities at the market are often suspect)! In addition to produce, you can get bread and baked goods, chocolate, nuts, juice, dips and spreads, healthy snacks, flowers and plants, cheese, olive oil, tofu and soymilk, jewelry, popcorn or corn on the cob, and so much more. The the street is blocked off to traffic so kids are safe, and they can happily munch fruit or freebies while you shop. There's music, balloon artists, and enough free samples to make you hungry for lunch right there (also available, with seating, and yummy). It's a place to find out about local politics as well, because you'll likely be asked to sign a petition. You can ask where the farm is so you can shop as locally as you want, and the farmer may tell you other things you didn't know about the local geography, or farming in general. You can expand your cooking repertoire, because you'll meet someone who can tell you what you can do with rhubarb besides make pie, or what that strange-looking leathery leafy green is (dino kale). You can bargain a good deal on a box of tomatoes to freeze for the winter, and stand around trying eight flavors of sorbet one by one without getting the boot. Oh! And they only take cash, to help you stay on budget.

No wonder I love the farmer's market. You can find one near you at Local Harvest.

Just one thing

2011-03-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

I'm taking some new turns, and one of them is to try to be more local and together and do one thing at a time. It's a tough task. However, along those lines, I'm aiming to do Just One Thing (JOT, for short) and I hope this will be the first of many, in lieu of eco-tips, and you can actually read about what I do, if you're at all inclined.

In searching for things local, I am starting with household staples. As a vegetarian family that eats a ton of (South) Indian food, we depend on rice. It's our go-to staple, and our rice cooker is like a member of the family. After years of having eating fragrant white Jasmine rice from Thailand, and various varieties of aged Indian rice, we tried brown rice from somewhere. Having tackled that switch, we knew we eventually had to go local. But how to find something that cooks up soft and small, but neither overly mushy nor tough, as suited to the South Asian palate?

The solution: Lundberg Farms. At 188 miles from my home, it's on the far edge of local, but they are in the business of making rice, and they sell a variety of organic and eco-farmed varieties (the principles of which were championed and founded by Masanobu Fukuoka of One Straw Revolution fame). We have tried their brown basmati (slow to cook and a little tough, but nutty and flavorful), short-grain brown (a little faster, can occasionally get mushy, but softer than the basmati), and are about to try the white jasmine (I'm excited to try the flavor).

While I'd love rice that's grown even closer, I'm happy with this. I order it in the large 25lb bags (that lasts us about 6 months), and even with shipping, it's a price that's better than the store.

Children Are Stupendous

2010-06-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

Today my little son and I did a little outdoor redecorating. We pushed and pulled a little old two-step staircase into the middle of a "gazebo" that was left naked after the removal of a defunct spa.

Then we hung up a string of hanging beads. My little one dragged the shiny multicolored beads behind him on the grass and announced, "Peacock!" So now we have a peacock hanging in front of our gazebo (crude drawing alert, just can't get the camera-uploading together):

The space has potential for future picnics, but for now, we use it to just sit quietly and (optionally) meditate, or as the baby likes to say, "Om."

Going Green

2010-05-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to immerse myself in things that are more ecofriendly these days, on a beautiful trip to San Diego:

- I finally watched No Impact Man (the dcoumentary) from the library. I follow the blog but the movie was refreshing and enlightening.

- I have been watching the garden grow with glee. Vegetables are actually ripening, and my son loves plucking the leaves of green straight and munching on them. Thank goodness they're organic and fertilizer-free (compost)!

- I had the pleasure of attending a lovely meeting of Activist San Diego. complete with a colorful vegetarian/vegan spread of a dinner, great conversation, and a showing of the movie "The World According To Monsanto" (watch it at the link!) which is truly the stuff of my nightmares. Followed by more lovely and somewhat angry discussion.

- After so many recommendations, I'm finally reading Three Cups of Tea - I'm often quite emotional, but I can tell this is bound to be a particularly strong tear-jerker. 70 pages in, I'm already considering all the conservation he does and in awe of his dedication. I hope it will also be inspiring enough to move me to action.

All in all, very nice to spend some time thinking about these topics and trying to live them at the same time, while sharing them with gorgeous people (like you!).

Walden: A Historical Experiment

2009-09-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

We live in great times, when people are doing amazing symbolic things for the environment and society. Seems like everyone has a year-long eco-project these days - the 100 Mile Diet, 100 Thing Challenge, No Impact Project, The Compact, Seven Things, Wardrobe Refashion, and I'm sure many more (feel free to contribute one to this list).

Long before all of that, way back in the 1800s, a man spent a year living with nature in a little log cabin. Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond is among the most famous of these projects - and it was as much an experiment as a statement, like the ones above. It also resulted in a book (Walden).

What I love most about Walden is that it wasn't just an experiment, but the basic philosophy that life is not just experiments and going about your life doing what you need to do, but unconditionally doing what is right. Thoreau summarized his philosophy: Simplify. In the introduction to Walden by Joseph Wood Kutch, his philosophy is expanded a bit, fortunately:

"The lesson he had taught himself, and which he tried to teach others, was summed up in the one word "Simplify." That meant simplify the outward circumstances of your life, simplify your needs and your ambitions; learn to delight in the simple pleasures with the world of Nature affords. It meant also, scorn public opinion, refuse to accept the common definitions of success, refuse to be moved by the judgment of others. And unlike most who advocate such attitudes, he put them into practice."

Greats like Gandhi, MLK, and Tolstoy have been inspired by Thoreau, and even they have been unable to put all he said into practice. We can only aspire.

Green party

2009-06-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

I just read this article on the disappearance of the third person, so I'm going to try to revive it. (Defashionista is moi) I hope this doesn't prove the point.

Defashionista's ds is turning a whopping 1 year old next month (I know, already!). She is trying hard to throw a party that is green, but is a) cheap, b) trying not to buy unnecessary things, c) eager to be crafty, and d) perhaps overdoing it. She has invited almost everyone she knows within a 50 mile radius, sent out the invitation by Evite, ordered a gigantic vegan cake, reserved reuseable dishes and cutlery to borrow, obtained the permit for the location, made over 60 party hats from old newspapers, and made two paper garlands from the leftovers.

Still to come: a happy birthday banner, more hanging paper decorations, setting aside some old balloons for use, ordering food for dinner afterward, and of course, eventually, shopping and cooking and prepping food for the big day.

The goody bags she is planning to make will be cloth bags, containing recycled toys (tops from bottle caps), fair trade chocolate, secondhand books, and allergen-free cupcakes baked in baby food jars.

The activities will consist of blowing bubbles, using biodegradable sponge water "balloons," playing music as a group, and having a solar oven demonstration.

Oh, and she will dream up more and more. With all the attention to being environmentally conscious, she has perhaps not considered energy conservation - her own!

Meipporul / Yethi Nijam / The True Meaning

2009-04-27T22:21:00.001-07:00

Well I've got movie on the brain so I thought I'd post a few relevant things:

Movie blog for reviews

I saw Meipporul this weekend myself (Tamil with English subtitles). Definitely not formula, and it has a sort of European feel, with the generally dark character and little emotional acting. Even though I knew the story myself, I found myself waiting to see each event unfold and bring with it a clearer picture of what was happening. It was wonderful to see all these familiar places and people come to life as new characters and form a story that was pretty gripping. It also left me wondering what really did happen to this couple and their friends - I had to think back to what was said and what happened and how things actually did fit together.

All-in-all, it was great to just sit back and relax and watch a movie (which, with an infant, is a feat in itself!) that is not the standard fare - no mush, no muss, no fuss :)

I hope you'll get to go see it!

The True Meaning of Happiness

2009-04-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Well, my 31 days list is not yet happening because my other lists have taken over my life. Things to do around the house, things to do for dear son, and things to do related to this Indian movie that my husband and myself and some friends made together.

Ok, this is a shameless plug for it: it's called Meipporul, which means "The True Meaning" and it's based on a Tamil-language saying that goes "Whatever anyone may say, understanding their true meaning is real wisdom." So you can guess that it's a suspense drama. It's entirely set in the San Francisco Bay Area out here in California, with a local cast and crew, and it's in the South Indian language Tamil.

If you know anything about Indian movies, you know that most of them are full of choreographed dance sequences and choreographed magical fight sequences and go by a pretty standard formula (guy meets girl, someone plays hard to get, they fall in love, parents/family try to keep them apart, eventually they overcome obstacles to get together). In this one, the protagonists are already married, parents are cool with it, and a third person - a new friend with ESP - comes in to throw a wrench in their relationships with each other and their other friends. No dancing, no fights, no formula.

It's playing in San Jose, CA, Newark, NJ, and (May 1st) Newport, Los Angeles and India. So please go see it, and if you do, let me know what you think, good, bad, or ugly. The website is http://www.meipporulthemovie.com

Oh and eco-tip: bring your own mug and container to the theater to get your drinks and popcorn. you can even bring a bag to fill from the candy bins (less packaging than boxed candy). many places also allow food in these days!

List list baby list

2009-03-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

I'm back again, with some inspired action. I was trying to do Real Simple's 31 Ideas for 31 Days (back in January - link is lost in their site upgrade but you can see the list here), but I found that many of the items are not applicable to me or just not things I want to do.

So here is a somewhat baby-centric list instead. I'm planning to do these in April (March is booked up already haha). Things any mom/dad might do anyway, but just a reminder. Each thing should take no more than 15 min, unless you want to or amazingly have the time:

1. Write a future letter to your child
2. Speed clean a floor, picking up toys and dumping them into a box or crate
3. Clean out old junk from the diaper bag and refresh
4. Take a few spontaneous photos of your little one. Try to get a close up with you in it by turning the camera around.
5. Set aside clothes baby has grown out of, or give them away.
6. Try one new food with your baby.
7. Donate to a charity that helps underprivileged children.
8. Send your mom/guardian or someone special flowers to thank them for raising you or helping you through tough times.
9. Place spit up cloths or wipes in each room for quick cleanups.
10. Schedule a day off for yourself.
11. Program 5 essential numbers into your cellphone: pediatrician, poison control, ob/gyn, takeout/delivery place (when you have no time to cook!), etc.
12. Pick up some new music you wouldn't usually listen to and dance with your baby.
13. Clean the high chair. Get into the nooks and crannies and find all the loose cereal crumbs.
14. Stash some baby snacks in your purse and diaper bag. While you're at it, add a snack for yourself too.
15. Make a list of books you want to read with your baby. Check them out at the library or buy them used.
16. Clean out all those half-used jars of baby food and other expired foods from the fridge.
17. Plan out how you want to do your little one's birthday this (or next) year. Simple or all out? Indoors or out? Home or away? Magician, clown?
18. Organize baby's food bowls and bottles. If you can, give baby a shelf of his/her own.
19. Make a short wishlist of fun stuff to do together this year with baby. Visit a zoo or take a vacation or join a new class.
20. Pare down baby's toys - give the extras to a shelter.
21. Change out old pictures to more recent ones.
22. Read some poetry with your little one.
23. Gather and boil all the pacifiers.
24. Flip through all the baby cards you received and put them in a box safely.
25. Change out the toys in the diaper bag, stroller, or car.
26. Fill a water bottle and stash in your purse so you stay hydrated.
27. Walk around the house with your baby and look at the pictures.
28. Cut up some fruit, puree, and freeze for baby food.
29. Make a small travel kit of toy, bottle of water, snack, pacifier and wipe and keep it by the door for quick trips out with baby.
30. List 15 places you'd like to visit in 15 years. Plan for the different ages of baby when you go (Disneyland when she's 5, Hawaii when he's 10?).
31. Lie down and nap with your baby.

Uncanny handimals

2009-02-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

Handimals - amazing

Conscious again?

2009-02-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

After a hiatus from blogging, I'm back :) Happy new year!

I've been trying out a few eco-conscious things that have been left by the wayside:

- using my own tooth powder made of baking soda, stevia, salt, cinnamon
- using a paste of baking soda as a shampoo and dilute apple cider vinegar for a rinse (amazingly soft hair!)
- taking semi-navy showers - just turn off the water when soaping up. I do tend to linger a bit.
- saving water in the sink from rinsing dishes and using it for plants
- saving water from the shower heating up for the commode or plants
- making my own baby food (I've cooked and frozen butternut squash and carrots so far)

For soap, I saved an old foam pump from some cleanser and filled it with one-third lavender castile soap and the rest water - lovely foamy body wash!

On another note, I have a question - my recycling company and the local recycling center no longer take milk and juice cartons. As a vegan, I drink soymilk, which comes in boxes (not recyclable) or cartons (also now not recyclable). What can I do? Any suggestions?

On yet another note, I have several charity calendars from 2008 for the Association for India's Development with the theme "clothing the nation" - really gorgeous print designs and pictures showing people weaving, etc. Anyone want one? Email me at p j 2 0 at cornell dot edu

Quickstart, no finish?

2008-12-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

I'm one of those people you'd call a starter. I have a million ideas in my head, and many of them find expression - on paper, in crafts, or on the internet.

Finishing, however, is not my forte. Hence the partially written short stories and books, the piles of craft materials for some-day, the partly-knitted projects. And the neglected websites.

Am I the only one with this problem? I have about 20 different websites. They are websites created over the last 15 years (almost), but some are sorely neglected, never updated with new information that people send me, or just somehow seeming active when they are not.

So it was time to take action. First, I shut down my Fashion Cents website - leaving only the archives for perusal. I did the same with The Remedy Page overall. A few more, along with keeping my email inbox small and remembering not to commit to things I don't have time for, and I'll have a little cleanliness in my internet experience, without the guilt!

Climate for Change

2008-11-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

What kind of self-proclaimed environmentalist would I be if I didn't bring attention to Al Gore's new Climate plan (link here). It's realistic, though it fails to address one major step we can take: personal action, personal reduction of consumption and participation in markets we don't like.

I particularly like this article titled the Idols of Environmentalism. Bottom line: there is no difference between the economy and the environment - they are part of the same thing, and environmentalists and human activity need to learn to co-exist as part of one ecosystem on this planet.

Eco-tip: Go around and lock your windows - you'll prevent that many more air leaks that bring cold air in this winter.

Baby mobile

2008-11-10T13:08:00.000-08:00

Made from some paper from the recycling basket:

Meal

2008-11-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

DH is at home and on a special diet, so I spend time in the morning cooking while he watches my boy.

I got these white daikon from the farmer's market. Surprise - they're pink inside - pretty huh?

Here's a south indian meal made with that (clockwise from top):

- daikon sambar
- thippili (long pepper) rasam
- yam, greens, and green pepper curry
- eggplant rasavangy

A lullaby

2008-10-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

Hush (a lullaby)

Hush, my darling, go to sleep
The world you've entered is not safe
There's trouble brewing every day
Sleep, my love, and you'll be safe

Hush, my darling, don't you cry
Although this life is full of pain
There's hope and love in every day
Sleep, my love, there'll be no pain

Hush, my darling, close your eyes
And dream a dream where I'll be there
I'll hold you closer every day
Sleep, my love, and I'll be there

Poem

2008-10-27T20:47:00.001-07:00

A new poem inspired by my little one. I may these days be posting things without much discussion - but just because I don't comment, doesn't mean you shouldn't!

Wonder and Joy

O wonder of wonders
the self-soothing sleep
without which a mother -
why, surely, she'd weep!
O great joy of joys
the spontaneous smile
that makes all the sleepless nights
forever worthwhile.

The Fast Runner

2008-10-22T11:26:00.001-07:00

I recently saw an Inuit movie called "The Fast Runner." Lovely movie - documentary-like, but fictional. It's amazing to me that people can actually live so in touch with nature - I wonder if there are many people living without any touch with modern "civilization" (as we know it) in other parts of the world. I can only think of the Bushmen of Africa.

Anyway, that inspired some random scribblings, below. Those D's are actually sideways igloo-like shapes. Ok, not really. Atanarjuat is the name of the hero.

Eco-tip: Have too many postcards lying around from various trips? Rather than giving them to people who might never use them, use them as one-sided notecards or greeting cards. You'll save postage and transportation, and the pretty image won't go to waste. If you receive one, you can post it onto an old sheet of paper to make another!

Eco-tips

2008-10-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm kind of settling into life as a new mom. It's super tiring but just a delight to get those sweet coos and silly smiles, especially at 2am.

So, I'm back to trying to conserve energy/water on a conscious level and thought I'd bring in a new eco-tip or two:

1) Buy local - check out the farmer's market if you haven't, find a CSA (community supported agriculture), and look for the most local versions of things you already buy, especially things that have to come from far away.

2) When local is not an option, go fair trade! Look for the fair trade symbol especially on things like chocolate, coffee, vanilla, sugar and rice.

Old eco-tips can be found by typing eco-tip in the search box above or else here.

Collage "Religion"

2008-10-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

Made from whatever was in my recycling bin - Oct 3, 2008

Natural, baby

2008-10-02T23:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since my last post - babytime has been frustrating, tiring, exhilarating, and joyous. Getting here has been tough but those irresistible toothless smiles are entirely worth it!

I thought I'd share some of the Indian natural remedies I've been treated to by family and friends during pregnancy and after. I'm only one, but I can attest that they have been great for me:

Pregnancy tea - A tea made with toasted black cumin, fennel, and a little bit of thyme. This is used to help with digestion, nausea, and morning sickness. It's flavorful, so for me, a great way to stay hydrated.

Lehiyam - A paste made of various roots and herbal medicines, including long pepper, thyme, cumin, nutmeg, and others. For after the baby is born, to be taken in the mornings. Helps with digestion and milk production. Made with jaggery (raw sugar) cooked in, so it tastes great.

Fenugreek - Seeds soaked in hot water for a few hours until soft, then eaten with a spoon. Proven to improve milk production. Also great for regularizing your digestive system! A little bitter but soft and chewy, and the results can't be beat. You could also buy the Fenuber powder or pills, which will have a similar effect.

Kasturi - A powder for the mother to eat/drink mixed in milk/water. Not sure what it is, but said to stimulate milk production.

Garochan - This little red powder you mix into a little milk or water to give to the baby after birth (we waited for the 10th day). It is said to improve the child's voice. Mine gave us a loud "aah" right after we gave it to him!

Betel leaf and nut - Betel nuts are a notorious stimulant but the leaf with it is supposed to improve digestion. More importantly, it's smeared with lime, which is calcium carbonate, and provides the new mom with calcium. To be taken after meals.

Chana dal flour - Mixed into a paste with warm water in place of soap on the baby's body and hair, it's cleansing and moisturizing, and said to help clear out the baby down.

Sesame oil - A cooling oil, warmed with a few peppercorns, rubbed into skin and hair before washing to moisturize.

Coconut oil - a good moisturizing oil, it's helped get off the cradle cap, soothe dry nostrils, and generally keep baby moisturized in extra-dry weather.

Castor oil - rubbed into baby's belly button or on belly when there's gas trouble, or on sore jaws or any other pains.

In addition, there are the forbidden (papaya, jackfruit, certain rare fruits) foods for before pregnancy, and after (too many lentils, spicy food), and the foods that are encouraged, like eggplant, saffron (said to make skin lighter), and dry ginger (a bit helps with gas trouble).

Traditional medicine has lots of other recommendations, but I didn't do them all.

Baby is here!

2008-08-10T22:35:00.001-07:00

That's the news. It's a boy!

I'm really grateful to have the help of parents and in-laws, which allows me the luxury of actually reading a little. I have just finished "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver (of Poisonwood Bible fame). Truly inspirational and something I'd recommend to anyone, culinarily-inclined or otherwise.

Of course, I'm not up to cooking these days, but have been stocking up on farmer's market produce! We froze away some beans and some fresh red grapes (they are like poppable ice pops!) And there are tomatoes to come, too.

Cardmaking kit

2008-07-22T13:45:00.001-07:00

I decided to make use of all the materials I've been collecting over the years - pretty pictures from magazines, construction paper, card papers, envelopes, calendars, little stickers, ribbon scraps and doodads. I've put together several packets of what I am calling "card-making kits." Each has about enough material to make 2 cards (general instructions included). A good recycling/reuse project and a way to share materials - it's especially interesting to see what people come up with.

So far I've given out about 25 kits, and I'll be making more!

If you would like one or two, please leave me a note or email me at p j 2 0 at c o r n e l l (dot) e d u with your address. I'll send them out while I still have time!

Repurpose

2008-07-21T11:33:00.001-07:00

I found this great link on Treehugger that is inspiring: Garimpo+Fuxique. They make repurposed things from old fabric and seemingly kitschy stuff. But it's so vibrant and colorful! Plus they're going carbon-neutral. I'm inspired to (eventually, someday) create a vivid, cozy home full of simple pleasures.

And speaking of purpose, I am also trying to keep calm and meditate. I highly recommend the book The Wooden Bowl. It's very inspiring and makes you relaxed about meditating without the stress of "Omigosh I have to meditate now."

Of course, I've learned that meditation itself is not always easy, or even interesting, but I think the book helps me keep perspective.

Are crazy crafting and modest meditation compatible? I think, in a way, the complex can be simple and the simple infinitely complex. Isn't there something beautiful about that?

When it rains...

2008-07-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

it pours.

I'm in last-minute panic mode (due in 11 days) and this is what's going on in my head:

- I still have a couple of baby things I want to buy. Why? Not sure. Are they absolutely necessary? Maybe. Maybe not. Somehow I need to have them. It's not logical. I accept that.

- I want to bake all these funny things, like bread, and use my ice cream maker, and make cookies.

- I have a stack each of kids' and adult books I want to read. The kids' books will get read one way or another (pre or post), but the adult ones? Hmm.

- Nesting instinct is in full swing - shouldn't I buy this (I'm supposedly still compacting, right?) and rearrange that? What about the bed this room needs and the things I should wash (what happened to saving water?)?

Meanwhile:

- The bathroom is still unusable
- Dear spouse is ill and recovering
- I just can't stick to a schedule, no matter how hard I try.

On the bright side:

- I'm packed to go
- I'm giving away reused materials to make cards with (little card kits - my concession to craft)
- My giveaway box is growing!
- I have a suitcase full of (maybe, if they fit again) post-baby clothes to rediscover later, when I'm sick of the same old things
- Someone came and took my saved up scraps of giftwrap and tissue and gift boxes
- I made some basil-parsley pesto and froze it for later

And oh yeah, there's still work and daily life :) Supermoms (really, isn't that every mom?), please advise. Until then, I'll be re-reading Buddha Mom (more about that in a future post, I'm sure).

PS - if you want a card kit, do let me know and I can mail it out to you. I forgot to mention I do need to make a trip to the PO.

PPS - Eco-tip: Al Gore may get a lot of flack for various reasons, but he is right on track to demand we go 100% to renewable energy in ten years. Let's make our politicians listen.

PPPS - I've started linking books through Better World. They fund literacy when you buy books through them, and they actually take your old books, too.

Posting updates

2008-07-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

I just uploaded some photos and thought I'd share with you my kitchen adventures.

Like the time I tried to make vegan hostess cupcakes, but without confectioner's sugar so all the icing was kind of thick and crumbly and wouldn't make thin lines for swirls. Plus I used muffin cups without liners so they were short (my naive attempt at saving paper...). I have lots of so-called icing leftover from that recipe, too, not sure what to do with it other than eat it straight :)

So this is how they came out:

Sorta sad, but tasty.

I also knitted up a pair of tiny newborn baby booties which took probably about an hour and my mom and I worked on the bunting from Yarn Girls and my mom-in-law and I worked on a hat. Lots of craftiness!

Now, on to being more straightforward. Sent more things off - a cutting board set and some books.

Complacency

2008-07-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

Maybe you call it coincidence, but some law (perhaps invented by Murphy) suggests that when one gets too complacent about something, inevitably something will go wrong.

Like thinking I have plenty of toilet paper stocked only to have it all get soaked (see below).

Like discussing how we've been lucky in finances (yeah, there's asking for trouble) only to have expenses suddenly skyrocket (see below again).

Like being happy that I was getting well-prepared for the baby, with clothes washed and bags ready. And then discovering a major bathroom leak, which requires a remodel.

It's funny living outside a bedroom you have gotten used to. For the first time ever, I'm using the other shower (and realizing it has better water pressure). I'm living off of 5 tops and two bottoms (plus underwear) squirreled away in various closets while parents and in-laws generously make room. I'm finding myself drawn to my bedroom only to laugh and realize I can't be in there!

It's a good test of my complacency and probably good practice for the unexpected changes that are bound to come my way soon.

In the meantime, I take comfort in good books like Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, fresh fruit from the farmer's market (or a kind neighbor), and reading juicy anti-fashion articles like this one and really scary ones like this one.

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff

2008-06-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

Ahh, how I love a good article about consumerism.

Today's issue of the Seventh Generation newsletter has a great one, with a history of consumerism that ought to be required reading in school. Read it here, or the original article "The Gospel of Consumerism" from Orion Magazine.

When you're done, check out Carrotmob, and then here, too.

I also read an article about getting insane amounts of better gas mileage. Tricks include:

- going at 55mph, or the speed limit, whichever is slower (Read more about this here)
- stay back from the car in front of you (recommended: 1 car length for every 10mph)
- drive steadily and accelerate evenly and slowly
- ride 3 seconds behind trucks (keep out the draft)
- turn off your engine whenever you are stopped for at least 10 seconds (but not while moving! dangerous!)
- combine errands and try to park so you don't have to back out
- keep tires inflated to the maximum recommended (some inflate them even higher, to the sidewall pressure inside, but that will wear out your tires faster)
- use cruise control for long stretches to keep your speed steady

I have a Civic Hybrid and aside from driving less overall, am going to try some of these strategies.

Oh by the way, in decluttering, went through a lot of old files and tossed things I didn't need to keep (shredded papers), and gave away more things (I'm not officially back on Seven Things, but here's a start):

- various bottles of lens solution
- a blue mug
- color inkjet refill kit (was ordered for Dell All-in-one)
- several cds (returned to owners or given away)
- infant clothes i received but won't use
- box of Similac I received
- bag of cosmetics/toiletries I don't want to use anymore
- bag of cleaning supplies that are not green
- some candles
- some beads

That makes 10 different items.

The Nesting Instinct

2008-06-22T13:02:00.001-07:00

Nesting is apparently not limited to birds. Cats and dogs do it (think of all the newspaper they shred), and well, so do we humans.

In the final-run-up to baby-time, I'm trying to get through my list of 764 items that need to be done (if anyone needs a list made, write me!). Fortunately, I've made a smaller pre-baby list. However, it does include cleaning, washing, packing, accumulating (despite my best efforts, I guess a new person does need some things) and my favorite: decluttering.

There is still something very gratifying about going around the house and finding things you don't need, don't want anymore, and sneaking them off to the giveaway bin. Especially those funny things someone you love gave you but which appears to have no inherent use or beauty. And those little things you were saving for "someday" or "just in case." And there are the things that are beautiful but chipped or broken and not reasonably fixable. And the duplicate items - why do I have five nailclippers?

Go, go, go. All you tiny things, almost not noticeable things, but somehow they free up my mind.

And all the mental clutter, the guilt (is my baby going to have peanut allergies because of the peanut sauce I ate last night?), the worry (what kind of life am I going to have?) the panic (1 down, 763 to go?). I take deep breaths, walk with a handful of stuff to the giveaway box, and dump my mental clutter in, too. It may try to creep back into the house, but I'm keeping the door closed.

In the midst of it all

2008-06-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

I don't write much about politics, but really, being green and sustainable and free all are interrelated. Inalienable rights.

So, I would have supported Dennis Kucinich for the presidency, at least in part, until he dropped out. And now I'm sure, since he read out the articles of impeachment against George W. Bush on C-SPAN. Read them here. And weep, because no one seems to be doing anything about it.

But we can!

1 get informed by reading
2 tell people (post on your blog or email)
3 vote for people you truly believe in (after doing #1)
4 take part in local government

Why this site looks different

2008-06-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

I came across an amazing new discovery today: black backgrounds save energy over white! That's the logic behind a search engine called Blackle.com - saves lots of energy over the white screen of Google (on Google itself, it would save 750 MWh a year - equivalent to over 400 barrels of oil!). And that's true even though most of the world now uses LCD monitors. More info here .

Another blogger at ecoIron has also created a energy-saving website palette for use with the black background, so that is what I'm using here.

Greenergle (see the -gle theme here?) also has further energy-saving computer tips, like taking a moment to turn down the brightness on your monitor.

So, let me know what you think of the new color scheme. In the meantime, I'm going to be a little leprechaun painting low-energy rainbows over my websites. And that is your eco-tip today.

Update: Of course Google has a response to this that suggests that on several LCD monitors, blackle can actually be worse (mine still saves about 2 watts though). Still, the CRTs do show good savings overall, and it's important to note that CRT monitors are still in use in places that cannot afford to replace computers quickly. So the question is up for debate. I'm playing it safe and going to the black background anyway.

Fashion, Sex, and the (Global) City

2008-06-09T12:17:00.001-07:00

First of all, thank you to everyone who sent baby wishes and great advice. I'm persevering in my bid to keep things green and (mostly) secondhand to conserve on resources.

And then I go and see the Sex and the City movie. For me, it was sort of a girl-fling-thing. But oh, the indulgence. The excess. The violation of nearly every defashion rule!

I have been reading Goleft.org 's newest issue, Sex(ism) and the city, which covers a range of more socially-conscious topics related to the movie. So even if you are a die-hard fan, I recommend you take a moment to be a defashionista, to think about what all that glorious glamour means.

A few highlights:

- the show has never repeated an outfit, which though fashion-amazing, means a huge wastage of clothes
- fur-wearing is still considered cool? (a nod to this in the movie)
- allegations of sweatshop labor
- has anyone noticed - they're all white (Jennifer Hudson notwithstanding)

Take a look and report back. I'll be here, incubating :)

Green Baby

2008-05-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Now that I am full swing in pre-mama mode, I am looking for ways to extra-green my lifestyle BEFORE I'm overwhelmed by, well, life.

A few things I've started planning out:

- Gifts - telling people to make a donation instead, and using the Alternative Gift Registry to request safe secondhand items (in the spirit of compacting). They even give you some great ideas for sustainable gifts. (I already scored some lovely secondhand maternity items)

- Waste - there are 24.7 billion diapers in landfills. that plastic is not going to degrade! I'm planning on going the cloth route, fully aware that water is also a precious resource. But the gDiaper is another brilliant option, especially for travel.

- Food - i've managed to stay vegan so far and intend to keep it up. It's hard to fend off the guilt of "just a few months, your baby needs it to be healthy" and the article forwards of the vegan family whose child died from malnutrition. What about afterward? I will let the little one make the choice eventually (though not being vegetarian at home is not an option) but luckily we start out without that question!

If I am forced to use formula, I'm not sure what's the best way to go - dairy or soy? Any ideas?

- Cleaners and cosmetics and everything else. When it comes to a child, we are suddenly more picky. That generic slightly chemically brand is okay for me, but no way for the little one. No more artificial red color, or occasional dryer sheet, or non-organic bananas. I think it's a bit obsessive, but in a good way, I hope?

- What about after? I do worry about the future - what about after when they're old enough? TV, or DVDs, or neither? Allowance or not? Own room or share? Soccer and art class and language class and music, or just one? I get tired just thinking about it.

Okay, all you pro mothers out there: pass on your wisdom, puh-leeze! And happy belated mother's day!

Recycling at its best

2008-03-31T19:11:00.000-07:00

This article is amazing: http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/jan/06us.htm

Continuing with the theme of hanging on to things of value - isn't everything of value? Maybe we should reconsider our habits of just giving away everything haphazardly to Goodwill or Salvation Army (where anything imperfect may get shredded or tossed!)?

Maybe we should try to use every scrap of everything until it can be used no more?

Maybe we should keep all the junk, the stuff, the everything out of our houses until we have used everything we already own to its "logical end."

Maybe we should just learn to be a little more conscious of the precious clutter in our lives and in our minds.

Rain and giving and a million things

2008-03-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

It has, once again, been months since I wrote. But I could stay silent no longer when I saw this.

The punchline: Rain and snow may be most dependent on a certain type of bacteria! What happens is that these Pseudomonas syringae bacteria are the little "dust particle" around which rain droplets and snowflakes and clouds form in warmer conditions (still cold, though). Without the bacteria, they can't form with any sort of regularity or predictability.

What's amazing about this is that it once again highlights the interdependence of life and environment. It suggests that maybe rain didn't even happen with regularity UNTIL bacteria evolved, and maybe that is what allowed higher organisms to come about (after all, plants need rain!).

And even scarier: in places where we destroy the environment and graze or kill off plants that may help the survival of this bacteria, we may be inadvertently causing drought!

Amazing how every little act begets another. Which brings me to the concept of giving. Another study shows that buying for others makes us happier than buying for ourselves. And this is true even though most people think buying for themselves will make them happier! Apparently, we have no idea what will make us happy.

Giving is more satisfying than taking. But what about hanging on to things? I have news to share with you all: I'm expecting a child. Well there you are. As a result, I've developed a great desire to go through childhood things my mother has saved and find stuff my child will use in the future, someday, maybe. I have to be picky - no junky toys, nothing in really poor condition, and mostly only things that are sentimental anyway. Like an old baby blanket. A kid-size kimono. My favorite books.

Giving, even when for our own family members, is so satisfying. And it can be satisfying even if we are giving what we already have, or only our time. What do you think will make you happier - buying a braille book for a blind girl or reading to her? I'd be willing to bet on the latter. But what do we do? Instead, we send money to foundations that are in the charitable work business, and we buy toys to put in the boxes at the holidays.

Why, when we spend so much time and energy looking for happiness in Hawai'i or a spa or a skiing vacation or more hours at work or the gym, can we not spend the time helping others, knowing it will bring us the happiness we so desperately seek elsewhere?

Bad news first

2007-12-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

Wow it's been a while since my last post. After that "little stuffy" post I started feeling a little stuffy myself - and it got worse. I'm on the upswing now, barring a little soreness in my throat, and started reading the table of contents of Science magazine, when what do I find? More bad news about the environment.

A few examples:

§ No hope in sight for coral reefs

§ Even native species can help the spread of crop-eating pests

§ Wild salmon are dying from lice from salmon farms

§ Biodiversity is changing in the Amazon

So this is the bad news. The good news is:

Species are sometimes more resilient than we think. For example, ants can fight off infections in really smart ways, we may be able to predict El Nino type effects better soon, and Archaebacteria can suck up CO2 in new ways.

But it's all nothing if we don't do our own part. You know, stop the endless consumption of STUFF, change policies, fight for the environment that cannot protect itself. And other things, like the daily idea here. (And that is your eco-tip of the day)

A Little Stuffy

2007-12-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

Yes I do have a cold and sore throat, but I'm still working on some projects. Haven't you been dying to know what I've been working on? No? Okay.

Here's a picture anyway.

Can you tell what it is? No? A clue: It's a type of food.

Still no idea? It's a SAMOSA SET.

Includes:

- 3 samosas
- purple sweet date chutney
- green spicy chutney
- a cup of chai

I put it in a cute japanese box someone gave me.

We went to Ikea and found a fantastically soft elephant there that we almost bought. Instead, it inspired me to make something a lot less complicated. So I used up the last of my fiberfill to make another stuffed toy:

Greeting Cards - Is Recycling a Waste?

2007-12-02T23:39:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite pastimes is converting old junk mail and old cards into "new." I'll take a cute saying from a card, mix it with the front of another, and include a gum wrapper ("Stay sweet!"). I take little scraps and glue them together into a design on the front of a card. I use the patterned insides of envelopes to make more cards and bookmarks and gift tags.

After all, recycling is good. All that paper would have gone to the recycling bin. Reuse is always preferable to recycle - less energy involved.

But then my mother pointed out that while reusing and recycling are both good, the whole concept of card-exchange is a somewhat wasteful exercise. Isn't the act of giving out things of paper something we don't necessarily want to encourage? Why should I assist people in giving out a million holiday cards to people they only write once a year? Why should I give a birthday card when a genuine Happy Birthday will do (and the card will be most likely tossed the next day)?

For me, making cards is something I feel the need to do - my hands need the activity. I want to save something from the recycle bin, and at the same time make something of beauty.

I think I'd like to strike a balance. Make only beautiful, functional, useful cards, or make them for people who might give them anyway, or to encourage the very act of recycling paper (after all, billions of virgin paper cards are still made and sold every year!).

In my ideal world, people would only ever exchange reused/recycled cards, and they would reuse them until they fell apart, until they put them into the recycling bin. They would exchange beautiful cards only for geniune sentiments, not mass communication (Do I really need a holiday card from a national phone company?).

Until then, I'll still be making some recycled cards, especially out of things that cannot be recycled easily, and I hope they will be things of beauty.

Seven Things #41, #42

2007-12-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

Last week's Seven Things:

11/23 #41
- 2 scarves
- plate
- 3 more packs of cards
- broken sunglasses
- old key

8 items

We also bought a number of new things. Sigh - the Compact is really out of the window.
- kitchen rug
- curtain rods and sheers
- a mattress pad

11/30 #42
- showerhead
- map of Iowa
- another jar of jam
- 1 top

Only four this week. So that's a total of 587.

I'm making a hopefully interesting new craft, but in the meantime, I made a set of 3 magazine placemats or trivets (like the ones at the top here - i'd like to try the bowl next!).

VeganMoFo 31: Oh it's over!

2007-12-02T22:25:00.000-08:00

I just realized that VeganMoFo is OVER. Hmm, and I have been planning all these interesting things I'd like to eventually post (after I try them).

I'd still like to write about the super-sour orange we plucked that grew over from the neighbor's yard.

I'd still like to write about the slightly bitter spinach khakra of which I ate 6 with the spicy powder that came with them.

I'd still like to write about the food we had at Komala Vilas where they serve you endless food Indian-style and you have to eat with your hand.

But I guess all of that will have to wait for next year!

VeganMoFo 30: Thai food

2007-12-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

On Friday we went to Indochine, which is nearby and after being doubly reassured of no fish sauce and no oyster sauce and no egg and no egg noodles, I ordered the pad thai. I took a chance.

On the other hand, the food tasted simple, homemade and fantastic, with the perfect amount of spice. I hate the whole thing. It was also nice to have a dish without having rice on the side.

That morning I made cinnamon-apple bread. I took a thick slice of my dense whole wheat bread, added some vegan butter and toasted it, then spread on some apple jam, sprinkled on some cinnamon and raw sugar. With a cup of herbal tea, it's heaven.

VeganMoFo 29: Bay Area Dosa

2007-11-30T17:32:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post yesterday. Somehow I thought yesterday was the 30th and I was freaking out that it was December already. And it soon will be.

Last night my dear husband made me dosas when I went home on a break from what would be a late night of work. And then we had the brilliant idea of trying out the Pondicherry Dosa we had in New York.

We passed on the potatoes (not good for you, and they require extra cooking...) and I chopped up some red bell pepper and shredded a bit of cabbage and broke off some broccoli florets and sliced some zucchini (wow there are so many ways to say "cut"). A medley of this went on top of the dosa, which we folded over and ate hot with the brussels sprouts sambar I had made the day before.

That is quick dinner bliss.

Crafting away

2007-11-28T20:12:00.000-08:00

Lots of posts lately.

I used up some of my last beads to make another necklace.

And here, finally, is a picture of that baby jester hat:

I also took a couple of photos from inside our bathroom. Here is a view of some newly bloomed flowers visible through the skylight - Dahlia imperialis. The second is a white orchid - I am waiting for it to regrow.

VeganMoFo 28: Tapioca?

2007-11-28T18:35:00.001-08:00

I forgot to post all about another dish my mother made while she was here - a kind of tapioca pudding. Instead of tapioca (which is from a plant root), Indian foods use something called javvarsi, or sago, which is made from a type of palm tree trunk instead. It's still small and round and white.

You soak the sago in lukewarm water for an hour, and then cook and prepare. This version included turmeric and chilies and spices sauteed with it, and makes yet another gooey chewy meal:

I also wanted to show you this amazing thing:

What is it? Take a guess.

Well, it was only $1 because we got there at the end of the farmer's market and the man who was selling it didn't want to do the work involved in preparing it. Amazing, huh?

I'm making a curry with it today.

Review - Peter & Jerry

2007-11-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

While in New York, on Saturday night we saw the play "Peter and Jerry," by Edward Albee. It's a modified version, played in two parts - the first, a discussion between Peter and his wife Ann about their perhaps too comfortable marriage. The second continues when Peter goes to the park to read, and encounters the wandering Jerry, who has just returned from the zoo and lures him into a conversation and more.

Both are really philosophical. Originally, the play was written only as the second part (Zoo Story) but Edward Albee recently added the first.

Peter was played by Bill Pullman and in the audience, sitting in front of us, was Alan Tudyk, otherwise known as "Steve the Pirate."

It was horrifying and funny and interesting and touching, and I generally had a great time. More about Peter and Jerry is here.

VeganMoFo 27: Headed Back

2007-11-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday I had some leftovers - corn on the cob with hot chocolate.

Here is a simple way to make some fresh, lovely hot chocolate:

put 1 tbsp of chocolate chips or broken chocolate pieces (semisweet is great) into a mug. fill with soymilk. microwave for 2 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir.

when the chocolate has melted, stir and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. serve with a spoon for sipping, or a cinnamon stick.

VeganMoFo 26: The Search Continues

2007-11-28T11:37:00.002-08:00

Monday was the last day for two of our fellow visitors, and our last day to track down the Dosa Man. It was not looking good - raining all day, and by the time we got there just after noon, the roads were slick and muddy. Walking up to the park, I was not optimistic. He wasn't there the last two times, why would he now?

And then...there he was! A green cart with an overhang, and he was pulling down the rain guards. "Hey boss," he greeted us. "How you doin?" We chatted amiably, including a discussion of where we were from and how he should open up a branch in San Francisco. First thing, he gave us small cups of steaming hot sambar which warmed us right up (and the quality of which was as good as any I've had in India). We ordered the Pondicherry dosa, a unique dosa with potatoes and fresh veggies that he invented, and the Special Rava Masala, which is the same but with a wheat dosa. It was thin, wrapped around the veggies so you could almost see them through the dosa, and served with more sambar and some coconut chutney. I also got a vegan drumstick, which is on a sugar cane stick and made of soy protein, with a to-die-for chili garlic sauce. We had just enough, and he even insisted on a discount since we had come all the way and looked for him for two days. By then the line was long, and we said our goodbyes with smiles in our hearts (by way of our stomachs).

In the evening, I had a craving for pizza. We ordered from Cafe Viva, where vegan thin crust pizza is available in a number of varieties. We ordered the Il Fiore, with eggplant, garlic, soy cheese, tomatoes and a lovely note of rosemary, and the Pasta Puttanesca, with capers and two types of olives. We finished it off with a slice of vegan Death By Chocolate, which was. And that was the end of the Culinary Tour of New York.

VeganMoFo 25: The Morning After

2007-11-28T11:36:00.001-08:00

It was not too good - we again got up too late, and took the train to visit relatives in New Jersey. There we had Indian food for both lunch and dinner - idlis, pooris, various mixed rices, and hot pickles.

Idlis are another South Indian favorite. They are bland and simple comfort food, without much taste on their own, so they are perfect for pinching apart and dipping into curries or chutneys. They're made of a thicker version of the batter used for dosas, and are steamed through until they are fluffy round pillows. The perfect idli has a characteristic aroma, with little holes and a softness rivaled only by the most cuddly stuffed animal. It is not pasty, nor does it have a sheen on top, but comes apart at your touch without crumbling, and soaks up a good sambar almost immediately.

Pooris are made like rotis or chapattis - wheat flour made into dough and rolled into small flat rounds. Instead of toasting these in a pan, however, they are deep fried until they puff up. They also make a tasty, though much less healthy, bread to accompany many different types of sauces, especially North Indian curries like chole (chickpeas) and cauliflower.

VeganMoFo 24: The Search For the Elusive Dosa Man

2007-11-28T11:35:00.000-08:00

Again we went in search of Dosa Man for lunch. Again he was gone. The hot dog vendor nearby said "I told you to come on Monday" (not what we heard), so we left him alone, wondering where Dosa Man had gone. Was he okay? Had he gone out of town? Was he coming back before we left?

We called up the Indian Bread Company and headed there. They had several vegetarian options, and a couple of them could be made vegan. I had the aloo gobi (potato-cauliflower) naanini, a really tasty panini made with naan and with spiced veggies inside. Course two was bhel puri, made with puffed rice and a spicy-sweet sauce. It wasn't too spicy, but it was still good.

And a confession - I had several sips of my sister's diet coke. It was kind of flat, but carbonated drinks were indeed involved. She was considering moving within delivery distance. Overall, highly recommended.

For dinner, we had reservations at Hangawi, where the ambience alone bowled us over. We removed our shoes at the entrance and made our way to sunken seats with lovely silken pillows. The table was set with woven mats and wooden chopsticks and spoons. We ordered drinks with flowers in them, spicy carrot-ginger juice, plum juice, and hot tea. We ordered pumpkin porridge and vegetable pancakes, hot pots with tofu and veggies, multigrain rice bowls with kimchee, and a sauteed mushroom dish. Another very satisfying experience.

Afterward, we went to 235th, an upscale rooftop bar for drinks, had entirely too much, shouted ourselves hoarse singing to old songs and chatting, and stumbled home at nearly 4 am. Ahh, blissful sleep.

VeganMoFo 23: NYC Eating

2007-11-25T21:22:00.000-08:00

Friday we began our culinary tour of New York City. We slept in (actually we got up at 10, which is only 7am on the west coast) and then headed out for lunch. We were in search of Thiru Kumar, aka "Dosa Man," who is known for his dosas and other vegan foods.

Why would someone who has so much access to South Indian food look for South Indian food all the way across the country? I'm not really sure, but the answer is probably a mix of curiosity, his reputation, and ... more curiosity. Curiosity which was piqued even further because we showed up at Washington Square Park and he wasn't there! We searched up an down the neighboring blocks, and finally asked another street vendor, who told us to come back tomorrow.

Disappointed, we walked down the street, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of vegan restaurants nearby. We settled on Red Bamboo, which had been recommended by a friend, especially for its desserts. Unfortunately, we forgot to take that into consideration and ordered shared appetizers but separate entrees. The creamy (vegan) broccoli soup was delicious. I had been craving eggplant parmagian and ordered that. The other dishes were seitan and lots of fake meats (I'm not a fan of fake meats). My eggplant parmagian was quite good and solid in and of itself, without too much vegan cheese, but much too large an entree for me (four pieces). It didn't include any pasta, and the garlic bread was hard as a rock. The others were less impressed with their food, except for a curried seitan dish that had a great sauce.

In the afternoon, we went to a little cafe for coffee, and then a silly Indian movie at Times Square.

That night for dinner, we went to Zoma, an ethiopian place. They didn't include butter in their vegetarian platter, which was entirely delicious (I liked the two Wet dishes and the spinach best), though the injera could have been a tiny bit more sour for my taste. We had drinks and were treated to an extra round by the owner, and even ordered seconds of the Wet. Thoroughly satiated, we went back for a good night's rest. No going out.

VeganMoFo 22: Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving (belated)!

So here is my thanksgiving recap. We are in New York City. The Big Apple. The melting pot.

I'm visiting my vegetarian sister and she made a bunch of us a lovely vegan meal (gasp - forgoing the cheese!)

One thing I'm thankful for - no tofurkey. I am not a fan of fake meat, since I've never really eaten meat, so I'm missing or craving nothing.

Instead, she had a lovely appetizer:

- Store-bought, but good - small toasts with an artichoke spread and an olive spread

For the main meal:

- corn on the cob, with Earth Balance
- mashed sweet potatoes with slivered almonds and brown sugar
- spicy arrabiatta-like penne with zucchini and mushrooms

For dessert:

- a 7 layer cookie with coconut and chocolate chips and graham crackers. Yum (they are now gone...)
- fresh fruit salad with mango puree

We paired that with wine and stuffed ourselves silly!

VeganMoFo 21: Dosa Day

2007-11-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this long after thanksgiving, so this is the first of my "make up" posts.

The Wednesday before thanksgiving, I didn't do too much in the way of cooking at all.

My mom had ground some batter to make dosas for us, and we made those and served them with hot mango pickle and the apple chutney. Dosas are like crepes, but with a saltiness and mild sourness instead of the slight sweetness of crepes. They are versatile - you can stuff them with potato curry or various veggies, or mix things into the batter (like chopped chilies), or top them with melted Sheese. They can be made thin and crispy of soft and chewy, and they can be eaten with sweet jam or spicy chutneys.

They are also made with a mix of broken partly-boiled rice (which is better for you than plain raw rice, like brown rice) and lentils, which provide protein.

However, there is a downside - since dosas are to be made thin and crispy, they often require good amounts of oil to keep them from sticking. To avoid this, I use a nonstick or anodized pan and use at most a few drops of oil per dosa (sometimes I can leave it out altogether by keeping the pan clean and free of crumbs during cooking).

VeganMoFo 20: Pain and gain

2007-11-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

Somehow I've been steadily gaining weight over the last week or two. Five pounds, anyone?

I think it can be attributed to the cupcakes. And the sweets. And the snacks. And the candy made from soymilk and soymilk powder.

I haven't done any other major cooking so I am instead going to tell you about a new vegetable: drumstick leaves. If you don't know what drumsticks are, they are long bean-like veggies that grow from a tree hanging downwards. They can be cut and cooked and put into curries.

But the leaves of the tree are small and round, and taste a little like clover raw (here is a picture I found here (they also have a good recipe there). You have to remove all the stems and stalks, because they are tough and inedible. Then you boil the leaves for 10 minutes in water.

For seasoning, I prefer the simplicity of a little curry powder and salt. The leaves are slightly bitter, but that adds depth, and they are a lovely dark green when cooked which is oh so good for you.

VeganMoFo 19: Kali part 2

2007-11-19T15:20:00.000-08:00

After the vegan peda fiasco, I wasn't eager to try out anything else new.

Still, we made the buttermilk version of the kali using plain Silk soygurt (they were out of Wildwood). I reasoned that a little lemon juice might be necessary to add the sourness but it turned out great. That was lunch.

We also made good use of the juicer - cut up a whole bunch of the small leftover apples and seeded a couple of really sour pomegranates. Along with a couple of pieces of ginger, it was a sweet and tart, delicious juice!

VeganMoFo 18: Failures

2007-11-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

I tried making the vegan microwave peda according to the recipe I posted before. And it was a complete disaster. I must have used at least 2 cups of soymilk powder, plus an extra 1/4 stick of margarine, and it was still as soupy and goopy and sticky as, say, cake batter. Not good.

My mom tried to save it by adding in all-purpose flour and more soymilk powder, plus more Earth Balance, and still, not much better (though slightly thicker). Sigh.

Finally, she added coconut powder and even more sugar and butter and cooked it until it was thick. When poured to cool it came out like taffy and we rolled it into little balls until it cooled to a solid hard-candy. Phew - too much work!

In the meantime, my dad made up a fantastic cream sauce with pasta. It had coriander and jalapenos and kalamata olives and zucchini sauteed in olive oil, in a cashew-soymilk sauce. As before, filling but gone like *that*.

VeganMoFo 17: Kali

2007-11-16T19:46:00.001-08:00

Kali (pronounced kuh'-lee, like scully) is a dish that has a special importance to me, mainly because I've had it since I was little. It's a breakfast or brunch dish, a goopy paste that you lick off your fingers to eat.

You can make kali in two major forms: more kali (buttermilk) or puli kali (sour, or tamarind). The former is white and the latter is brown. As a vegan, I'm banned from the former (until I find a good vegan buttermilk substitute).

So we made the brown version. Basically it's rice flour and a little wheat flour mixed together with a lot of water, tamarind, some spices, a good dose of oil, and LOTS of stirring until it thickens and turns almost translucent. I sprinkled it with some ground flax for protein.

Serve with a healthy dose of nostalgia.

VeganMoFo 16: Chocolate chocolate

2007-11-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

At lunch I had a lovely angel hair pasta with a tomatoey sauce with tomatoes. Tomato tomato.

Then, I came home today with a craving for chocolate and cookies. All we had were chocolate chips (which I had intended for baking, but I'd eaten nearly half the bag already!).

Enough was enough, so I made up Village Vegan's lovely double chocolate cookies (from Orangette). I used the same subs but used soymilk instead of the yogurt because...yes...I was out of soygurt.

I also added in about 2 tbsp of oats just because my mother suggested it. And voila:

They required a little longer baking in my gas oven (about 2 extra minutes), but they were ultra chewy inside. And they looked so tempting we had at them before they cooled all the way.

VeganMoFo 15: Pate de choux

2007-11-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

(Catching up on two posts)

Yesterday I caught some Food Network. I don't often watch (many things are not vegetarian, much less vegan), but I like to see recipes for more complex things that I might not try myself.

So I watched me some Good Eats, which covered pate de choux this episode.

Things I learned:

- pate´ de choux is pronounced "pa-de-choo"
- that's the real name for any pastry with a big hole in it caused by the evaporation of water as steam
- that's the stuff of cream puffs and eclairs, yum.

It was interesting to see all the details of how to make it, and the little ticks and trips that make it easier. I was disappointed, however, that he chose to use plain old vanilla pudding for the filling instead of teaching us how to make it!

The vegan substitutes are obvious - vegan butter and soy milk. However, the eggs are a trickier issue - they need to beat up for softness and you need the protein or you won't get that characteristic hole in the middle. I think a combination of more soymilk and soy flour or flax seeds would be the way to go, or maybe even silken tofu, but it needs some experimentation.

I also watched Ace of Cakes. They're not vegan, but I love the way they present beautiful and complex decorations and really interesting concepts (like the gross cake head with brains half-eaten by zombies)!

Seven Things #39, #40

2007-11-15T23:19:00.000-08:00

Before I forget, last week's and this week's Seven Things I gave away (just enough):

11/9 #39
- book to my mom
- pack of cards (to mom)
- salwar bottom
- gold skirt
- pink top
- 1 sari blouse
- glass doll

7 items

11/16 #39

- 6 bangles I made (see previous)
- stuffed spider (see previous)
- wee bunny (see previous)
- scarf
- plate

10 items

Total 575 items

VeganMoFo 14: Vegan Miscellany

2007-11-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Somehow, amazingly, I got AHEAD in my VeganMoFo posts. So I decided to take a day's break and then post this today.

Yesterday we went on a hike at the Stanford Dish. It has a beautiful view of the Stanford campus and surrounding areas, all the way to the very blue San Francisco Bay (yes, that's a hawk!).
We took along some snacks to munch on, including the last of the thenkuzhal and rava laddu (see here):

Then we plucked the squash - now grown large and I hope, ripe enough to cook and eat

What to make with it? We've already made koottu with a previous one, so I need ideas. Suggestions?

In the meantime, I'm reading the VeganMoFo feeds a little at a time. Like

- Sarchan's waffles with ice cream are making me drool

- I just got some sour salad-ready pomegranates so Tofu Mom's pomegranate vinaigrette salad is perfect timing.

- a stranger in the alps mentions restaurants in New York, where I'm going for Thanksgiving, so it's timely, also. And scroll down for that lovely romanesco.

Bunnies and bracelets

2007-11-13T23:09:00.000-08:00

Here are three of the bangles I made a while ago:

My mom and I also made the wee bunny found here. It came out a little more lumpy than planned, and my mom sewed on the eyes, but still she's pretty cute. She will go to another baby after she gets out of bed.

I rediscovered one of my old colored pencil drawings as well. This is of Diana, the Huntress (and sister of Apollo, from Greek mythology). She's just taking aim...

Edit: The link to the bunny pattern is now working above.

VeganMoFo 13: Not So Punny

2007-11-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

Today is pun day. It WILL be corny.

First a few interesting tidbits:

- great article on Recipes. Ruminate on it, then go down and click on the link of Judith Jones on writing a good recipe, too. Good advice to stew on (except the pork and tenderloin bit...)

- I tried my pb-apple-oatmeal again yesterday, but without sweetener at all, and it was still good - crunchy, creamy, and plenty sweet enough! Today I had it again, but with bananas. Easy as pie.

- A couple of more Diwali treats came my way, including mixture (that's the official name, a kind of salty-spicy chex-mix without chex) and payasam (a liquid made of sweet jaggery and lentils and soymilk) and vada (deep fried salty lentil donut?). (I've been currying favor with the respective cooks of these for recipes) All these sweets and fats are sure to accentuate my pear-shaped figure.

The coolest new thing is that Isa has concocted a VeganMoFo blog feed (she's one smart cookie). So you can read all about the food-related goings-on of other vegan bloggers, and feast your eyes on their pretty pictures sandwiched between great anecdotes and recipes (Link here).

We spent Saturday doing yard work and errands and not too much cooking, so I was kind of fried. Then I had some work and was nearly going bananas (I'm constantly afraid I don't cut the mustard) but I milked the opportunity and got some brownie points from my boss (I hope) for working on the weekend.

I passed out several bottles of jam (they are already going like hotcakes). Sunday we went out, and I was whipped, but then after that I was a couch potato for a while, because I was sour as a pickle for no reason, and yelling at everyone.

Then my mom and I did a little craftiness. What am I making? It's still half-baked, so I'm not ready to spill the beans.

Today I'm cool as a cucumber and thinking about my clumsiness. Left-handers in a right-hand world tend to be more clumsy (as Gaia noted), and I am definitely a butter-fingers. Add that to the fact that I can be a bit of a fruitcake and thick as molasses at times, and I might truly be a nut-case. Of course, all this punning doesn't help that situation, does it?

Bon appetit, epicures!

VeganMoFo 12: Left-brainer

2007-11-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

I just found out this (unsubstantiated) fact: Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.

This is terrible news! As a natural left-hander, I write, draw, and cut vegetables with my left hand, but I do several other things with my right, though partly out of force.

Does that make me ambidextrous? I am not sure.

The life-span thing is luckily balanced by the longer life spans of vegans.

I guess that just means that I'll balance everything out by eating a healthy vegan diet, getting exercise, and trying in every way to let nurture win over genetics!

Edit: It just occurred to me (duh) that this was not a food-related post. So here is 12.5, which covers the Green Festival, which I attended today in San Francisco.

If you haven't been, it a HUGE event in the exhibition center which is chock full of booths, food, talks, music, and events. There's constantly something going on, and everything is geared to be environmentally friendly and socially conscious. My favorite part is just walking around to various booths - and tasting things!

One year in the past, I tasted plain old flax oil. It's hard to swallow a tablespoon of oil! But it's stuffed with omega-3's so it was worth it. And when else would you voluntarily consume fat for the sake of your heart?

I also enjoy the organic & vegan protein bars, free fruits, tasting of hemp milk and tea and oj and soymilk and berries. And yes, chocolate as well. Quality organic chocolate, for free!

We also went by the food court, where everything is vegetarian, and anything can be made vegan. I had a lovely dish of vegetables sitting atop polenta from Back to Earth.

Add to that a few tote bags and some lip balm and plantable cards and tips on green living, and this is truly veggie heaven.

VeganMoFo 11: Persimmons

2007-11-10T23:45:00.000-08:00

This post is going to be quick. I love persimmons. Especially fuyu persimmons. And they are in season!

Our extremely sweet neighbors dropped off a bag of them.

They are all not yet ripe but I cut two of the ripest into eighths. They were gone inside of 2 minutes.

The rest are going to stay out or in a paper bag to ripen.

A quick google search pulled up a bunch of recipes for things I didn't know existed, like:

- persimmon pie
- persimmon jam
- persimmon pudding

Who knew? I'd like to try a persimmon burfi. It would be made like this banana burfi, but with peeled persimmons (maybe the cooking kind instead) and soymilk powder and Earth balance.

VeganMoFo 10: Vegan Microwave Peda

2007-11-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

In one of my earlier posts, I seem to have typed "I am now entered VeganMoFo." What is that? English? Anyway, I am now entered craziness.

Now, this time, I'm going to talk about something I used to cook but don't anymore. Bittersweet stories are running through my head.

My choice is an Indian sweet called peda. Specifically "microwave peda." As the name implies, it is a traditional sweet modified to be made in the microwave (rather than hours of stovetop stirring). Made with sugar, and BUTTER, and evaporated MILK, and MILK powder (oh my!). Definitely not vegan.

In the bad old days, large groups of friends would get together to make this round sweet, all stirring and rolling and sprinkling for some great international food festival or another.

Here is what they look like:

And I finally got to imaginarily make-up a vegan version. Pretty simple substitutes. I imagine that if you can't get soymilk powder, you'd have to use extra thickened soymilk, and cook longer to make it thick and dry, rather than batter-like. But that's all my imagination, since I haven't tried any of this yet...

Vegan microwave peda

1/4 stick unsalted non-dairy butter
1.5 cups soymilk powder, plus more as needed
a few strands of saffron
chopped pistachios
1 cup sweet soymilk (vanilla is okay)
1 cup sugar
1 bottle cap (from a water bottle is good)

Heat the butter in a bowl on high until melted (usually 2 minutes). In a large bowl, add saffron and sugar to soymilk and mix. Heat 2 minutes twice on medium, until sugar is melted and combined.

Add butter and soymilk powder to soymilk solution. Stir well, until batter-like. If it's too thick, add soy milk. If it's too runny, add more powder.

Microwave for 5 minutes, stopping to stir well every minute. Let cool, oil hands, and try to make into small 1-inch balls. If it's still too runny, add more powder and microwave again until right consistency.

While the mixture is still warm (not burning but not cool enough to harden), make 1-inch rounds, and flatten slightly.

Press bottle cap into top of round. Sprinkle with pistachio pieces.

Variations: you can leave out the nuts if you don't like them. Whole pistachios, or whole or chopped almonds or cashews also work well here. You can use almond milk instead of soy for a richer flavor, but rice milk will make it more runny.

VeganMoFo 9: Diwali Part 2

2007-11-10T23:11:00.001-08:00

How did I manage to miss 4 days of posting? No idea, so I'm trying to catch up today.

I'd like to introduce you to the specialties of Diwali, particularly those related to cuisine.

In our house, you get up early and brush your teeth, and then you get a bit of "Diwali lehiyam," which is basically a special sweet medicine made uniquely for this occasion.

Diwali medicine is often, these days, made from a store-bought powder, but it includes such tasty things as ginger, jaggery (unrefined solid cane juice), peppercorns, cumin, coriander seeds, ajwain, and a certain type of spice called kanda thippili.

Kanda thippili is a relative of long pepper, and is good for body aches and flu.

The whole concoction, however, is a fantastic digestive aid, especially after you have overindulged in holiday sweets and snacks!

VeganMoFo 8: Happy Diwali!

2007-11-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

Turns out my spicy cupcakes are a hit. The curry powder variation (see here) REALLY worked out well and all the non-vegans are loving it and eating it up (plus one vegan ate 3. ok it was me).

That is well balanced by my fruit leather. After a few hours in the sun (not too much sun these days) for two days, I got impatient and turned on the oven. Only I left it on and turned it off too late. So the edges burned. And the center is tough and chewy. It tastes like a weird protein bar. Ick.

So I'm leaving the apple stuff aside for a while. Meanwhile, we have been making sweets and snacks for Deepavali (aka Divali/Diwali). While Deepavali is mostly celebrated by Indians, for my whole family it's not a religious thing. In fact, it's the only holiday of the year when you're allowed to pray and do things without bathing. I will explain the whole ritual in another post. Now, more about those sweets and snacks.

My mother-in-law is the lead on this, with crispy omam podi made of besan and ajwain/carom seeds and sweet burfi. She used real ghee in the sweet though, unfortunately. She's also making another crunchy snack made of rice flour and cumin called thenkuzhal.

(photo to come here)

She also made a special vegan sweet for me. And she taught me how to make it. It is a laddu, which is a term for any medium-to-large ball-shaped sweet. Rava is semolina, also known as sooji, or cream of wheat. This works better with the fine kind, rather than the coarse, but she used the coarse because that's what we had, and you just have to grind it more finely and it comes out great.

Rava Laddu

1 cup rava
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted vegan butter (unsalted margarine works)
a few cashews (optional)

Heat the butter on the stove, and boil. Allow to simmer up to 20 minutes until you can see the liquid is a darker golden amber color, and there is froth on top and sediment on the bottom. You will see water evaporate from the top. DO NOT STIR. Turn off the heat after it stops simmer and the color has changed. Set aside to cool a little. This liquid is now the ghee, which you can leave outside the fridge and use up to a year.

In the meantime, on low heat, dry-roast the rava until it darkens slightly. Set aside. Dry roast the sugar just a little, and add to the rava. Grind the two together to a fine powder.

In a tsp of ghee, saute the cashews until they brown. Add the ghee and cashews to the rava.

Slowly add the liquid ghee to the rava until it starts sticking together a bit (be careful not to add too much, or else you will have to make more rava-sugar powder). Make fairly round balls by pinching some rava tightly in your palm and very gently rolling it between your palms. They should be about one inch across. If the laddus don't stay together, add a little more ghee. When they stay round when picked up between two fingers, they are just right.

Set on a tray to cool. Serve with a salty snack for balance!

Variations: you can add raisins, powdered cardamom, and ground cloves to laddus for more flavor.

VeganMoFo 7: Potlucky

2007-11-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

This time, I'm back on the list and telling you about my favorite dish to bring to a potluck. (though I don't have a picture)

These are the reasons it's my favorite (yeah, it's a list):
- it's quick and easy to make
- it's gluten-free
- kids usually like it
- i can make it spicy or not, and it still tastes good
- it's a nice fresh summery dish, even though it's rice
- it can be served warm or cold, and on its own
- it's not liquidy so I can carry it around in tupperware without fear

The dish is a very simple Lemon Rice. It's not fancy. It doesn't look fancy or elaborate. But it works.

Lots of people make lemon rice in various ways, but here's my version. It's good to make the rice first, then cool it by spreading it out on a plate. The chili powder is for extra spiciness - you can leave it out altogether if you want something mild (or add more if you're a glutton for punishment).

Lemon Rice

1 tsp oil, plus extra
1/2-1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chopped ginger
1 green chili, chopped finely
1/2 large onion (or 1 medium), chopped
salt to taste
2 cups rice, cooked (1 cup raw)
8 cashews, chopped roughly (optional)
1 tsp vegan butter (optional)
juice of 1 lemon
bunch cilantro, shredded by hand

Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok or pan. Add chili powder, turmeric, ginger, and green chili until they bubble and darken. Add onions and saute until golden brown.

Mix a little oil into the rice, then add to onions and combine well until rice is an even yellow color.

Heat butter in a small pan, and add cashew pieces. Saute until lightly browned and add to rice. Combine.

Just before serving, add lemon juice and cilantro, and mix well.

Variations: some people don't like onions, so I leave those out. For something more healthy or substantial, I sometimes boil chopped veggies or a potato and add them before the rice. If you don't like cilantro, just leave it out - it still tastes good.