In an effort to promote sustainability to their dedicated ranks, Zappos held a sustainable fair at their home office to educate and inspire sustainable lifestyles and to learn more about what other companies do. We had the pleasure of joining them and sharing the eco-love! Check out more about the event at http://blogs.zappos.com/blogs/zappos-family/2012/04/26/zappos-first-annual-earth-day
Vegetarian, vegan, locavore, omnivore or gluten free – there are many ways to eat healthfully and many different nutritional paths one can choose. What most healthy eaters share is a passion for real, natural, whole foods. We may avoid certain categories of food, buy local or organic, or refuse processed ingredients but we come together to celebrate real food.
Concern about the quality of our food supply is continuing to grow. According to a Consumer Reports survey, more than 53% of people eat organics and more than 58% of consumers are worried about GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in our food – and the numbers are rising. As the organic and local foods movement continues to grow, we are seeking out healthy ingredients and produce from farmers markets and our own gardens for the freshness and high nutritional quality. Whether cooking for our families, friends, or neighbors, we are likely to encounter a wide range of nutritional choices, as well as common food allergies or simple taste preferences.
Many Paths, One Journey to Health is a cookbook that honors that diversity. As a collection of recipes submitted by members of the Holistic Moms Network, a non-profit organization supporting parents interested in holistic health and green living, this handy little cookbook introduces you to many different nutritional styles and offers recipes for each. Sections include Farm to Table, Gluten Free; Egg Free, Dairy/Casein Free; Raw Foods;
Traditional Diets; and Vegetarian. And recipes are mom-tested, so they are great for families. From Carrot Leek Soup and Gluten-Free Granola Bars to Raw Flourless Chocolate Cake and Salmon Cakes, there are easy family recipes for everyone.
The introduction to Many Paths explains some of the different dietary paths covered and introduces you to the principles behind them. Know someone who follows a macrobiotic path? You’ll find some interesting information about the foods they embrace, as well as those they avoid. Have a child with food allergies? Many Paths can help you navigate through the allergens and discover some new recipes to meet your needs.
The book also concludes with two handy sections – Remedies and Other Recipes and Cleansing and Detoxing. Need a natural bug repellant? Looking for an all-purpose non-toxic household cleaner? You’ll find these simple at-home recipes as well as those for natural play dough and furniture polish. Want to detox for Spring? Green Detox Juice or a Strawberry Detox Smoothie will help you along!
You can find Many Paths, One Journey to Health on the Holistic Moms Network website. Also available is the organization’s first cookbook, Growing Healthy Families: In the Kitchen with Holistic Moms. Connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.
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Functional Apparel for the Unconventional Spirit
I get asked a lot why I am vegan. I have been vegan for the last 6 years. It’s definitely not something I’ve ever forced upon, or even suggested to, anyone else. I am an animal lover but to be completely honest my choice was first and foremost about health and not about animal rights or environmentalism or anything like that. I’ve never really written anything about it so here is my story for those interested.
I became interested in nutrition and veganism after reading a book called “The China Study” by respected nutrition and health researcher, Dr. Colin T Campbell. The book details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer. It also examines the source of nutritional confusion produced by powerful lobbies, government entities, and opportunistic scientists. The New York Times has recognized the study (China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project) as the “Grand Prix of epidemiology” and the “most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease.”
As soon as I read this book I knew I had to make a change but I didn’t know how. I couldn’t cook and I didn’t know what to eat. I didn’t even like salad very much. Around the same time Ethan Pringle and I visited the North coast of California for some bouldering in Lost Rocks and limestone sport climbing at Trinity Aretes. It was there I met Dru McCasland, an old friend of Ethan’s. Dru was vegan and a strong climber. We got to Arcata late in the evening and arrived just in time for dinner at Dru’s house. It was an amazing, delicious dinner prepared by Dru’s girlfriend Juliet of grilled organic veggies, organic black beans, organic cilantro, homemade salsa, guacamole, organic rice and organic tortillas. For the rest of our trip we ate delicious vegan food prepared by either Dru or Juliet. I also got to see what kinds of vegan food and snacks they packed for climbing. I was impressed with how good vegan food could be, I had NO idea. We also visited some vegan restaurants in Arcata and I was impressed there too. I began to notice, after a week of climbing and vegan food, how healthy and happy I felt. The trip was a life changing experience not just in terms of my food choices but also in terms of my climbing (more about that here).
After that trip I decided that I had to eat vegan and get into healthy living. After being inspired seeing how other people do it I knew I could do it too. I read 19 different books on veganism and nutrition and educated myself. I was particularly influenced by “Thrive” by Brendan Brazier. Brendan Brazier is a professional Ironman triathlete, bestselling author on performance nutrition, a two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion and a long time vegan. After reading this book I wasn’t worried anymore about “where would I get my protein?” and “how will it affect my climbing?” I knew exactly how to make sure I was getting enough nutrients through my food, especially as an athlete.
I learned a lot about diet, nutrition, cooking, food politics, animal rights, farming, the meat industry and hunger through my reading. Ever since then I have become healthier, more informed and way better at cooking. My main reason for remaining vegan is still mostly for health reasons but some are now somewhat political and ethical too. I try to eat fresh and local veggies, fruit, beans, nuts and seeds for the most part but I still like to indulge in a good vegan dessert every now and then. I’m also lucky enough to live two blocks away from the best natural foods co-op anywhere, Rainbow Grocery. I don’t see myself going back to eating animal products and refined food.
Most people respect and understand my choice to be vegan and are open minded about it even if they aren’t vegan, or even vegetarian, themselves. Everyone I’ve ever cooked for has absolutely loved what I cook for them. There are still some haters out there though. It turns out, for people who aren’t even remotely close to living the way I do, they sure seem to think they’ve got it all figured out. I have no interest in arguing with someone who would be too abrasive to ever be worth a justification of my choice. However, I’d like to share a few words from “Vegan’s Daily Companion” to explain the definition of being vegan.
The word vegan was coined in 1944 by British activist Donald Watson (1910-2005), the founder of the first vegan organization. Watson crafted the word vegan from the beginning and end of the word “vegetarian,” because he was frustrated that the word vegetarian had come to include dairy products and eggs. He defined veganism as “a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude- as far as is possible and practical -all forms of exploitation of and cruelty to animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.”
See how I put “as far as is possible and practical” in bold font?? That’s a really important thing that some people can’t seem to understand. The idea doesn’t mean going to every extreme length possible to the point where you can’t ride your bike because you might run over an ant. It means that you’re doing everything within reasonable means so that you make the most positive choice you can. It’s not about being 100% pure in every direction possible to the point where you cannot even exist.
This is probably on of my longest posts ever. Thanks for those of you who read the whole thing. I’m not trying to push my lifestyle on anyone, I’m just trying to put it out there for anyone who might be interested since I get a lot of questions about it.
~Natasha Barnes, prAna Ambassador
Here are some resources if anyone is interested: ENJOY!
Books
Diet, nutrition, disease
“The China Study” by Dr. Colin T Campbell
“Forks Over Knives” by Gene Stone
Ethics and politics
“Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating” by Erik Marcus
“Meat Market: Animals, Ethics and Money” by Erik Marcus
“Against the Grain: How Agriculture Has Hijacked Civilization” by Richard Manning
Food, hunger, society
“Hunger: An Unnatural History” By Sharman Apt Russell
“The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-eye View of the World” by Michael Pollan
“Harvest For Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating” by Jane Goodall
Cook Books
“Vegan with a Vengeance” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
“The Raw Food Detox Diet” by Natalia Rose
“Veganomicon” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
“Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health” by Brendan Brazier
“Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Other Vegan Athletes
Brendan Brazier Steph Davis Ashley Hamilton Jeani Hunt-Gibbon
Other Vegan Food Sites
Check out Natasha doing her thing Vegan style…
Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.
Bhakti Fest is a four day music festival celebrating devotion through chanting, yoga, meditation and community. All presenters embody the spirit of Bhakti – deep devotion. We gather on 450 acres of inspiring desert land to express our love and devotion as one community through an enchanting array of activities, including:
Constant Kirtan Concerts • Yoga Classes • Private and Group Meditation • Vegetarian, Vegan, and Raw Vegan Cuisine Eco-Friendly Vendor Village • Camping, Cottages and Cabin Accommodations Wellness Sanctuary: with massage, reiki, channeling, and other unique healing sessions
In addition, a substantial portion of the festival’s proceeds are donated to charitable organizations.
For more information and registration please visit www.bhaktifest.com
Need some motivation? Here are some highlights from last year…
Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.
Last week prAna employees shared their Every Day is Earth Day stories. Motivated by positive inspiration we had to tell our stories. Everything we do makes a difference! We hope you get as inspired as we did…
Planting a new tree in our backyard with my girls.
I try to ride my motorcycle to work every day. My last tank of gas I got 55 mpg. I would like to start riding my bicycle to work again. I bring my lunch to work almost every day. My lunch rarely comes from a package and because of that, and other waste reduction, my wife and I are able to have no more than one small bag of trash per week. She takes her lunch to work as well. We do not have a compost pile at home but we put all of the things we could compost in our green waste so it does not end up in a landfill. We also recycle everything we can at home. We have not used a throw away grocery bag in more than 3 years and have been using the same reusable bags for as long. We even have reusable bags for our produce. I try to not take a plastic bag from any store and if I do I will reuse and then recycle it. I always sweep up the yard trimmings after I cut the grass so the trimmings do not end up in the storm drains and then the ocean. When I surf I do my best to pick up 3 pieces of trash from the beach. I try to use organic produce whenever possible. I also try to buy local produce and other goods when available and not cost prohibitive. My main purpose for being a vegetarian is to lower the impact on my body but I believe it also lowers the impact on the earth in many ways. That is a win win situation!
1. Trying to eat local – try to buy food from local producers 2. Trying to eat green – I have been eating more fruits and vegetables which is good for my health and the planet’s. 3. To reduce emissions from my vehicle, I have been trying to combine my errands into one run. 4. Have replaced many of my home products with EnergyStar – light bulbs, fan , heater, etc. to be more energy efficient. 5. At work, turn off the light above my desk when I am going to be away for extended periods of time. 6. Turn off the lights in empty rooms – both at work and home. 7. Turn off computer, calculator and other electronics at the end of the work day. 8. Reduced paper usage at work – stopped printing out Shipping/Retail batches and started saving them as pdfs in our system. Not only has this reduced paper usage, but it has also helped cut down on finding storage space for boxes of printouts. 9. Trying to convert as many of our customers as possible to accept emailed versions of invoices and statements to reduce paper usage and mail expense. 10. Use the other side of printouts for scratch paper and then recycle. 11. Recycle at home and at work. 12. Compost at work.
Recycle all plastic bags including grocery/newspaper Pick up after dog Throw ice from drinks on plants Use all paper at least twice, than recycle Take my reusable bags when shopping Take my used car oil to auto parts shop for proper disposal Use shower water to water plants Turn off overhead lights and monitors when not at desk Released lady bugs in garden
Turn off un-needed electric components, separate glass, aluminum, plastic and cardboard. Bring to work recycle batteries and grocery bags. Carpool with my wife to work.
Ride my bike to work and back
I re-use every container I can until it falls apart~ then I try to recycle it 
I shower quickly and try to use minimal water! I have taught my children to adopt an earth-friendly approach to life, and taught them to teach others the same~ pass it on! I turn off the lights! Unplug chargers! Conserve electricity wherever I can… I pick up litter in my own neighborhood so it won’t end up in the storm drains! When you make it your mindset, it becomes natural and easy.
1. try to take 2 minute showers 2. 2 18oz glass jars w/water in toilet tank 3. use non chemicals to house clean like vinegar 4. try to air dry clothes when time allows 5. make my own compost 6. bring non plastic bags to shop 7. use vending water machine to fill up reusable jars
We feel that Earth Day is about the community since we all share the earth- so we will be beautifying the area around prAna by picking up garbage. Also, we are going to put together boxes with fruit and herbs from our own gardens to share with fellow prAna peeps. We are going sans-lights for Earth Day in our office as well!
Just a few, in no particular order… most of these are fully integrated in my daily life and a take little effort. It’s just a way to live, that keeps evolving 1. PD department trash clean up on the streets around our office for earth day 2. Carpool to work 3. Collect rain water 4. Compost/ garden 5. I keep chickens in my backyard – for eggs 7. Support local CSA’s and farmers markets for Almost all of my fruits and vegetables 6. Make a point to purchase items with the least amount of packaging whenever possible & use re-usable bags & containers for storage
Pick up trash when I walk thru the warehouse Pick up trash when I walk on the beach If I’m out and have a plastic water bottle that I use and there is no recycling bin, I bring it home to recycle Don’t use a space heater…always keep a sweater and jacket available. Turn off my desk lights if I am away for any length of time Re-use file folders, cover old label with new one Reuse paper clips, rubber bands, binder clips, etc….never throw away Put leftovers in washable, sealable containers rather than disposable plastic bags Unplug power strips and electrical appliances that are not in use for an extended time Turn off automatic sprinklers in winter Turn off lights in rooms not occupied…do a lot at work, especially kitchens.
I will be attending a friend’s wedding! But I have arranged to carpool there with 4 of my friends to make sure I tread as lightly as possible on my way to a not-to-eco-friendly event
1. I recently traded in my beloved gas guzzling Land Rover for a Prius. 2. I involve my kids in being green by making sure they know what goes in compost, recyclables, or trash. 3. We started growing a veggie and herb garden.
We reclaim our sink, shower and washer water (just expanded our system), 5 areas use fake grass, succulents and drought tolerant plants are the vast majority of our landscaping, rainwater harvesting,low flow sprinkler heads, irrigation clocks closely monitored – our water bill is less than half of previous owners. solar hot water for the house, solar heated pool, very lean use of electricity, low flow pool pumps, energy star appliances and many energy efficient light bulbs,personal habits and incentives for kids to use less electricity, explored photovoltaic and because our use is so low it did not make sense to build a system at this time. we rarely use heat, just wear sweaters in the house and have down comforters, combine foods in cooking process to save energy. own and drive 2 hybrid vehicle, Prius gets 45 + mpg, constantly teaching and and sharing ideas with others how to save our natural resources in simple, fun ways, often do not drive anywhere on weekends. ( i bring all of our recyclables to prAna to recycle since we don’t have it in our neighborhood), we compost much of our yard waste and all of our raw food scraps, we grind up our own wood chips and mulch for the yard, we have used trees that we cut down for benches on the property, we buy local and unprocessed food, we have a 3 season garden with over 70 plantings, 26 fruit trees on the property that we share with friends and family. Use the back side of printed paper to print and right on – rarely virgin paper, don’t use napkins.
I bring my lunch in reusable containers, i recycle, i reuse my water bottle, turn the water off when i brush my teeth
Compost @ home. Don’t buy Meat products.Recycle when ever possible. We “like” on Facebook our favorite companies and ask them what they can do to recycle. We buy off Craigslist. We reuse & re-purpose furniture and clothes. We use cloth diapers. Take shorter showers. Turn off lights, electronics when ever not in use. We carpool on weekends Bring our lunches as much as possible. We buy local fruits and veggies. We buy only organic at home. We try and buy in bulk where we can. We enjoy the outdoors as much as possible…
I always turn off the water while brushing my teeth. I always bring in my dead batteries to recycle. I recycle cans and bottles at home.
Recycle as much as possible. Compost whenever possible. Pick up after my dog. Work from home whenever possible.
Joined a CSA, cut down on plastic use, carpool to work almost everyday, and I have a garden
My wife and I are landscaping our home with drought tolerant plants and not grass to keep our use of water to a minimum. We also collect rain water to water all of our plants.
Buy organic or sustainably made product whenever possible Use a stainless steel water bottle to reduce my use of plastic Recycle and Compost at home and work No AC or Central Heat at home, just good ol’ fashioned windows and blankets! Grow a small amount of food in my backyard Use cloth diapers (except for time at daycare which doesn’t allow them) Only wash clothes in cold water Hope to start biking into work, need a roadie bike first though Support local farmers, my family buys often from farmer’s markets Don’t shave often = saves water Pick up trash when I’m out walking/surfing/biking Participate in beach clean-ups
My family is very conscientious about recycling materials. We recycle all paper and plastics at home. We recycle cans in a program at my daughter’s school, called Cans for Critters. We reuse water bottles while using our water cooler system, and we remind each other regularly about not running water while brushing teeth. We are also members of Kids Korps at my daughter’s school, where we clean up trash in parks, beaches and volunteer with animal shelters regularly.
I teach my children the importance of recycling in hopes that they will do the same with their children(My Grandchildren). I am trying to lead by example and set the tone for their future. My son has to sort and recycle what we can at home, he also crushes the aluminum and we take it to a recycling center. He can easily take home $50.00 for his efforts. Not a bad pay-day for a 15 yr old. Granted it does take some time for our family to gather enough to recycle but the reward always seems worth the effort. My Daughter is also starting to recycle at age 5 by bringing her recyclables to her school. One Friday each month the recycled items are gathered by the students and by parent volunteers to be recycled. I was amazed to hear how much the school benefits from a recycling program such as this. The students receive a ticket which allows them to receive a bag of popcorn or popsicle at the end of the day. The kids love this reward and it teaches them a valuable lesson.
Carpool bring my lunch I conserve water when my shower is heating up, and water my garden with it i save rain water grow my own veggies/have chickens to lay eggs…and share w/ neighbors i recycle at home i eat from local/home grown restaurants
Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Clean up trash when I see it lying around! I’m all about my Klean Kanteen and travel coffee cup
I compost at work and at home, have separate recycling pails with SIGNS on them so guests are encouraged to recycle, no longer purchase paper towels!, use an every day travel mug for my coffee, buy in bulk at Henry’s and recycle my bags, looking at purchasing a Prius…..
Recycle my goodies, use baby jars for singles salad dressing, use the cooled water from boiling veggies to water my plants
Bring in veggie/fruit waste for compost Reduce printing paper in department Only shower, instead of taking bath Bring in e-waste to be sorted and not dumped in with regular trash
Recycle at home walk or ride bike to do things in my neighborhood donate compost to dad’s organic garden carpool when I can.
Recycle at Home Turn off water while brushing teeth
I walk my local beach and pick up trash.
I am growing my own garden. I collect rain water to use for my garden. Recycle anything we can. We try and use as few paper towels as possible. All bills are paperless and we only use reusable bags.
Bring in my own lunch Use a reusable coffee mug Separate all recyclables at home Utilize a compost at home Practice water-saving methods to get my bill down to a minimum. Always turn off lights and appliances when not in use. I also practice minimalist-gardening techniques to ensure my yard is overgrown and producing as much oxygen as possible. This is also known as being lazy
No more plastic water bottles, only reusable Reusable Coffee Cup Turn water off while brushing teeth Bring my lunch Energy saving light bulbs in my house Recycle At home Compost at work Take old clothes to Good Will or give them to my house keeper My Gardener mulches my upper yard with the lawn clippings Bought a more fuel efficient car Put water saving filters on shower heads Use the energy saving setting on my dishwasher Fill the sink with water instead of letting it run while rinsing dishes
I’ve been exclusively using re-usable shopping bags for grocery shopping for about 5 years now and mostly use green household cleaning products. At work I eschew using disposable cups or water bottles.
I recycle at home and at work, I ride my bike when I can, I am a part of the prAna CSA, we have a garden at home, we enjoy the earth by running, hiking, surfing, biking, camping, and spreading the love to others!
I recycle everything I possibly can. More recyclables are picked up each week from my house than trash.
We are constantly trying to lower our impact by; 1. Buying organic whenever available 2. Recycling 3. Vermicomposting (worm bin) and we also got my farther-in-law to start and our neighbor and are working on my brother in law. The key from us has been to tell people how much the compost improves their plants! 4. Looking at purchasing a Nissan Leaf or the soon to be released Ford Focus EV (Chevy Volt = No) 5. We buy local and from Etsy whenever we can to stimulate small businesses 6. We are crappy farmers but try to grow as much as we can at home in containers and are part of the prAna CSA. We love to buy from resale shops, estate sales and garage sales. You can always find a bargain
Tell us what you do to make it Earth Day every day!
Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.
Raise your hand if you’ve been a vegetarian in Japan. Great – you people know my pain. The rest of you can go ahead and imagine ingredient lists in Kanji, restaurants being predictably ambiguous on their definition of ‘meatless,’ and (if you strive in any way to be sustainable) good luck tracking down where that radish came from.
For me, life abroad became not only the exploration of a new country…but also of explorations in my own tiny, oven-less kitchen. I started blogging as a means to track my survival tactics for eating, cooking and living vegetastically amidst language barriers, cultural differences, foreign appliances and curious new ingredients.
After two years in Japan, I’m back on US soil embarking on a new culinary adventure – this time with a cause bigger than that of my own kitchen: Real Time Farms. Real Time Farms is a start-up (that is, we’re a bunch of everyday people bootstrapping to create awesomeness). What kind of awesome? The kind that revolutionizes food transparency by helping you, the consumer, KNOW the source of your food. How, you ask? By connecting you to sources for farm fresh food, innovative food artisans, and farm-to-table restaurants in your very own community.
The intent was two-fold. The founders, Karl and Cara Rosaen, set out to create a place to learn about local food – how it was grown and where it could be found. So, YOU are left educationally empowered and confident in your culinary decisions. Second, they wanted to create a socially interactive space striving for collaboration – allowing others to share information and photos in celebration of the voices of farms and farmers across the country. Anyone (yep, even YOU) can join, add, edit information, and share photos from farms, food artisans, and farmers markets. We all create Real Time Farms together – this spark of understanding is our platform – that we as savvy consumers each have a voice that matters.
I’m a food nut. Call me a foodie, a crunchy carrot connoisseur, a pretentious pickle picker… I am what I am - passionate about food. And in Japan I missed having a closer connection with my ingredients (admittedly my mediocre grasp of the language contributed to the disconnect). When Real Time Farms launched last spring, I jumped at the invitation to participate.There is a need for a better food system in our country, and connecting people to local sources of the advantageous fruits and veggies is the perfect way to start making a change. I love to amble through farmers markets and unique grocery stores. Food and its potential exhilarates me – the colors, the varieties of produce, the seasonality, the joy of seeing someone experience a new taste for the first time – it’s thrilling!
The team at Real Time Farms aims to excite, engage and educate consumers about food ecosystems right under their noses. And lo’ and behold – we’re succeeding! Excitement is contagious; farms, farmers markets, and food artisans are being added from the US, Canada, and abroad. (In fact, over 12,000 photos have been submitted from users since our launch!) We think when people get excited about learning where their food comes from, they are led naturally towards choices that are healthiest for themselves and the environment. With positive feedback, growing partnerships and nationwide attention, Real Time Farms is booming. We still need your help though! How about visiting a farmers market this weekend and posting a photo or two?! We’d love to see your favorite local farmer or cheese-maker, an amazing display of produce, or a delectable pile of baked goods….anything that gets your stomach begging for more!
~Lindsay-Jean Hard, Gastronomic Guru
Real Time Farms is a user-generated, online food guide–users learn about where their food comes from, whether eating in or eating out, so they can feel confident in the food they eat. Connect, share and participate with them on Twitter, Facebook and their blog.
*This post was written before the tragedy in Japan. It’s been heartbreaking to feel so connected and so disconnected all at the same time to a country that I called home, and hard to know how best to help. I decided to make a donation to aid disaster recovery, and if you’d like to as well, there are a number of organizations working to help the victims as well as longer term recovery and rebuilding (the American Red Cross, the Japanese Red Cross, the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, and many others).
In a country so abundant in factory farms and the corporate monopoly, it is important to show support to local organic farmers.
Even in Las Vegas, I have found a way to help out.
I recently became a shareholder in an agricultural community in Overton, NV, a small town just an hour away called Quail Hollow Farm. Once a week a lovely basket of home grown, fresh vegetable are sent to my home. As a vegetarian for over 12 years, it is exciting to have this opportunity to try new produce and support a worthy cause.
This week included Buttercrunch lettuce, Hakurei turnips, and carrots (that actually looked like real carrots) to name a few. A weekly newsletter is sent with the basket including “What’s happening on the farm,” a Quote of the Week, and calendar for local fun food events. They even have yummy recipe ideas for the more unique produce.
Please take the time to check out their website and do what you can to support your local CSA!
~Heather Robinson, prAna Ambassador (not the chicken or the turkey)
Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.
Looks like its time for another road trip! Pack up the gear and head out to Joshua Tree this weekend as the weather looks to be beautiful and in the low 80′s! Yoga, Kirtan, Meditation, Workshops and so much more…
Yogi’s
Kirtan Artists: Jai Uttal, Shyamdas, Donna De Lory, David Newman (Durga Das), Shantala, Arjun Baba, Dave Stringer, Wah!, Jaya Lakshmi, DASI Karnamrita, Sean Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band, Gina Salá, Saul David Raye, Girish, C.C. White, Amritakripa, Prema Hara, Govindas and Radha & Joey Lugassy
Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.
It’s always fun to add an extra layer of flavor to your food, and just because you choose to eat dairy-free and animal-friendly meals doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun!
This vegan Parmesan, whose goal is not to exactly replicate dairy parmesan but to have a scrumptious flavor and sharpness all of its own, gives you freedom in choosing its ingredients and their quantity.
Not to mention their quality. I’ve made it using various nuts (raw or toasted, salted or not; cashews, walnuts, pepitas…), more or less garlic, different sorts of miso, and I, as well as the other people who tried it, have never been disappointed by the outcome.
I prefer to use shiro or white miso (made of rice and soybeans) because it is milder than most, but feel free to use whatever you like best. The color of the miso might alter the color and flavor of the parmesan itself, but not outrageously so. I used mugi miso (made of barley and soybeans) here, a rather dark and fuller-bodied miso, and you can see the resulting parmesan is still lighter in color than light brown sugar.
The amount of garlic is up to you: the parmesan doesn’t get cooked, so the garlic flavor remains bold. If you have co-workers to deal with, it might be good to be sparse with it. On the other hand, go all out if you work from home. I know I do, and the cats don’t seem to mind too much. At least they don’t say anything to my face…
You can use this on top of pasta drowning in marinara sauce, but you could also add a generous handful of it in all sorts of salads, like the red cabbage pictured here, be it directly stirred in the vinaigrette or sprinkled right on top, for a boost of flavor and nutrition. It’s also great to use in fake meatballs, on top of pizza or gratins…the possibilities and uses are pretty much endless. Just as long as you don’t use it on ice cream, you’re good to go.
“Why is it called Gene Parmesan?”, you ask. Well, because I’m a geek with a big crush on the now defunct Arrested Development show and it was one of the characters’ name. That is all. (Don’t judge me.)
A few notes about the ingredients:
• Maca powder: comes from the maca root, a nutrient-dense whole food packed with vitamins, minerals, as well as fatty and amino acids. It is claimed to increase stamina, boost libido and decrease fatigue. I simply use it as a flavor booster here: it has a cheesy, buttery, kind of sharp bite to it that really works well in cheese substitutes. A little goes a long way, as it has a strong flavor and especially because it is a rather expensive ingredient. That’s why it is optional here: it isn’t vital, but it does definitely bring something to the table, flavor-wise. I use the Navitas Naturals brand.
• Coconut flour: high in fiber and flavor, this is another ingredient that adds a buttery touch to this parmesan substitute. It is gluten free and a good source of protein. Bob’s Red Mill is my favorite.
• Nutritional yeast: a deactivated yeast that grows on molasses, not to be confused with brewer’s yeast. It has a yellow color and a savory, nutty taste that might take some getting used to for those who aren’t familiar with it, but if you like beer, Marmite or Vegemite, you’re bound to be a fan of it. And if you’re not a fan of these, I urge you to be bold and give it a try anyway. Be sure to look for nutritional yeast that is enriched in vitamin B12, such as Red Star.
• Miso: Japanese seasoning in paste-form that has a salty flavor, made from fermented soybeans. I like the Eden brand, it has the advantage of being organic.
1/2 cup (50 g) shelled walnut halves
1/2 cup (64 g) whole cashews (raw or not is up to you)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, optional if using salted nuts
1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon (15 g) maca powder, optional but recommended
1/2 cup (60 g) nutritional yeast
1/4 cup (28 g) coconut flour
1 tablespoon (7 g) white miso
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until a crumbly, parmesan-like appearance is obtained. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Yield: 2 cups (230 g)
~Celine
Celine Steen is a vegan cookbook author and a bike fiend who lives in California. She hails from Switzerland and channels her inner Heidi by missing those Swiss mountains, a lot. You can find her at havecakewilltravel.com. She is also the co-author of The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions.
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