In our last SURVEY we asked: "In 10 years do you believe that the country, which you live in, will be implementing more environmental policies?" The majority of participants, 47%, said yes ... 35% said they didn't know ... and 17% answered no. As I thought about the answers and read the comments, it occurred to me that it's all about perception ... and our perceptions are based on fact, right? Or are they?
What if it's the other way around ... what if fact is actually driven by perception?
Consider this ... when we perceive that the economy is getting stronger, we may go out to dinner a little more often ... or take a vacation ... or buy that special something for the home. Spending a little more of our money does, indeed, improve the economy. Conversely, if we believe that things are getting worse, we hang onto our money. And sure enough, the economy gets worse.
Here's another example ... you wake up, look in the mirror, and think that you look great. You head off to work and your confidence shines causing everyone you meet to smile and respond to you in a positive way. On another day, the image in the mirror isn't exuding confidence ... and the people you meet throughout the day seem distant and angry.
In both of these examples, the process started with perception. The perception may have been based on some fact but, more than likely, it was simply how we saw things in that moment. How we saw things, however, caused our actions ... and those actions resulted in facts.
This isn't a new revelation. Advertisers and politicians know that what we believe motivates us. So they spend a lot of time and money to create perceptions which will have favorable results.
What if we apply that same idea to the environment?
When our perception is that our country is taking the environment seriously, we become encouraged and kick up our green-living efforts. We want to be part of the movement. We begin to feel that our efforts matter so we do more ... and we talk more about what we're doing ... and companies (aka special interest groups) hear us ... and politicians hear them. The result is that our perceptions actually drive the government to take action ... and the result is positive environmental change.
Okay ... so now we understand that our perception causes things to happen ... and our perception is changeable. So, the next question is how can we create a collective perception ... the belief that the earth is getting healthier, and thereby make it happen? In my opinion, we can do so by encouraging each other ... by talking about our efforts and how they are making our lives better. When we hold fast to our green commitments, we show others that we believe our efforts matter. The more we say it ... the more others begin to believe it. And when we all believe it, our actions make it happen.
Perception = action = fact. Believe that things are getting better and our actions will make it so!
How will you create a positive environmental perception?
Friday, March 8, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)
Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)! If this is your first visit, please click HERE for information and a complete list of all the challenges we've taken on so far.
There's a lot of great information in this post and I encourage you to read through it ... however, if you don't have the time right now, you might find the following quick links helpful:
Last week's challenge asked us to review our body soaps. It was a lot of fun to find out what people were using ... or not using (winking at you, Mrs. Green). After completing my review, I spent some time investigating ingredients at Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database. It was fascinating. They rank ingredients using a number of factors including health concerns, ecotoxicology, occupational hazards and even data gaps & availability (which speaks to the quality and amount of scientific data available on a given substance). I found some surprises ... companies which I thought were doing great but actually have a few concerns attached to their products ... and others who get a better rating than I would have guessed. I'll be using the database regularly, checking all body care products to ensure that they are safe.
The Honor Society are those people who help us spread the "green" word by writing an article about our challenges and/or leaving pertinent comments. Here's what they had to say:
Mrs. Green is a well-respected, knowledgeable "greenie". When she reviews a product, she considers everything and comes up with an in-depth post about the pros and cons of it's use. She's honest ... and people, including myself, trust her opinions. So that's the kind of post that I expected to see this week. But when it came to this challenge, she had a CONFESSION to make ... and it just might surprise you.
Argentum Vulgaris is using a well-known brand of soap. In this POST he lists the ingredients and shares his research on their safety. Check it out and tell me if you're surprised.
Scarlet is using ecoSTORE Body Wash and shares that it is free of Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, artificial dyes, perfumes or preservatives (all ingredients to steer clear of). In this ARTICLE she reviews the body wash as well as other skin care products.
Small Footprints is using Old Man Murray's Soap ... and loves it!
Charlie reviewed Sweet Knee Blue Bird Castile Soap. I had never heard of this soap and, upon checking them out, found that they are exactly what they claim to be ... Eco-friendly. And wow ... Charlie lists a bunch of "other" uses for this soap ... impressive!
Katie nourishes her skin with handmade soap. She's found a company who cares about sustainability, fair-trade ingredients and Eco-friendly packaging. Curious? Read her review HERE.
Kris uses Ivory with Aloe. She took a look at the ingredients and guess what she found? Oh you know that I won't tell ... but you can find out in this ARTICLE.
Valerie's soap of choice is Kirk’s Original Coco Castile soap. You might be surprised to learn where she first found this soap ... I was! You can read all about it HERE.
I knew that Alicia would have no problem with this challenge. Why? Because she and her husband have a whole line of Eco-friendly body care products. And they are fabulous (you can read my review by clicking on the review tab at the top of this blog). Here's what Alicia shared, " This one is super easy for me! We make our own soaps so I know exactly what I am putting on my skin. Our bath bars have Flaxseed,Jojoba, Shea butter, coconut oil and wonderful pure organic essential oils. You should read the ingredients on your soap labels well. Tallow is a main ingredient in a lot of soaps and it is animal fat. A lot of times animals that are to sick for food are made into soaps and shampoos. There are many great shampoo bars available now also. I have been using ours for over a year now and love how my hair looks and feels. Our bar has cammellia seed,neem,almond oil,apricot kernel oil,sunflower and sesame oils,horsetail grass,mango,basil,and so much more! It also has lavender,rosemary.and pink grapefruit essential oils. The retail locations that sell our products are finding that shampoo bars are really catching on.Checking out a good shampoo bar is two fold. You get an awesome shampoo that has ingredients that are good for your hair and no plastic bottle to dispose of!! It is so important to remember that it really does matter what products we use on our skin. That sure includes the soap we use because it is coming in contact our whole body!"
By the way ... from our previous challenge on 6 ingredients, Alicia is upping the ante and challenging her readers (and us) to do even better. Head over to I Have A Challenge For You and check it out? Can you do it?
CelloMom accepted the challenge and says, " Simple: Dr. Bronners, any scent. Currently it's the citrus; summers it tends to be the refreshing mint. It's just castile soap, very clean (in every way). And mild enough that those of us with sensitive skin can take it even in dry wintertime. Bonus: I can get the peppermint soap in bulk at our local store, so we don't even have to deal with the plastic bottles!"
Nicole B. joined the discussion ... here are her comments, "I am using Yardley's bar soap because it was on clearance at the store - I knew nothing about it, but when I read the ingredients in the store they said they were all natural and included essential oils for fragrance. I have since learned the company does not do animal testing and has been around since 1770 (!!??) according to the website. I usually prefer to buy all natural homemade soap, but have not made it over to visit my neighbor to buy some from her in awhile. Yardley's smells really good and performs well as a soap and does not contain any harmful ingredients to my knowledge. I like that it doesn't melt away really fast when you use it - one bar has lasted quite awhile in my shower. I think it is easy soap to find and inexpensive - I have since seen this brand at the Dollar store and other drugstores."
One of the things that I love about our challenges is finding out what's available in other countries. Cat lives in Sweden and reviews her soap in this POST.
Clare lives in New Zealand and makes her own soaps (click on her name to see some of her lovely creations). She says, "Home-made since 2009 - saponified oils of Olive, Coconut, Cocobutter, Castor, and occasionally Tallow (animal fats make brilliant soap!) .. Frangranced with either top quality fragrance oils, essential oils (some are skin irritants so a combination works best for me), and with other skin loving goodies such as goats milk, clays, oats etc .." If you haven't already discovered Clare's other blog, check it out ... it's so worth reading: Inside The Rainglow Grotto.
Lady JC accepted this challenge. Here's what she shared, " My absolute favorite soap is Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soaps. I use them for a few things. I used the lavender scented one to make myself a special face wash with essential oils, vegetable glycerin and chamomile tea. I also blended my own shampoo and body soap with it. As for bar soaps I used to love Tom's of Maine Lemongrass, but they discontinued it. Now I use their sage soap during the Summer. It's a natural deodorant soap. I'm looking forward to trying some of the handcrafted/homemade soaps mentioned though and perhaps one of these days I'll my own too!"
Our Twitter friend, @gwened02, joined the conversation ... here's what she had to say: "I use neal's yard organic. I looked into parabens last year & haven't bought anything containing them since."
The #CTWW Gang are those folks who share our challenges on twitter using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're a Twitter member, I highly recommend following them ... they have a lot of great things to say. Let's meet them:
My Final Thoughts:
None of us would ever consider drinking a bottle of toxic chemicals. In fact, we'd scoff the idea as outrageous and ridiculous. And yet, many people don't hesitate to use body care products which contain those same chemicals ... all of which are being absorbed into our bodies with every use. The sad truth is that we aren't protected from unsafe ingredients by either manufacturers or law. It's up to us to do the work ... to research ingredients. Ethical companies never hesitate to share information about their products or their environmental commitment. In my opinion, we owe it to our health and to the environment to educate ourselves. Then, we can make informed purchases. That extra bit of work will have huge benefits ... to us and to the earth!
Thanks, everyone! If you wrote an article, I have Stumbled, Tweeted, Facebooked and posted it on Google +. You can help spread the "green" word by using the share feature at the bottom of this post.
This Week's Challenge:
Last year we did a waste audit, taking an honest look at the things we throw away. This week let's see if we can reduce the amount of trash we generate. Here you go ...
So what do you think? Can you do it? I know that you can!
Want an easy way to keep up with our challenges?
Just add the banner below to your blog by
copying the code & pasting it into your site!
As always ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
There's a lot of great information in this post and I encourage you to read through it ... however, if you don't have the time right now, you might find the following quick links helpful:
Last week's challenge asked us to review our body soaps. It was a lot of fun to find out what people were using ... or not using (winking at you, Mrs. Green). After completing my review, I spent some time investigating ingredients at Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database. It was fascinating. They rank ingredients using a number of factors including health concerns, ecotoxicology, occupational hazards and even data gaps & availability (which speaks to the quality and amount of scientific data available on a given substance). I found some surprises ... companies which I thought were doing great but actually have a few concerns attached to their products ... and others who get a better rating than I would have guessed. I'll be using the database regularly, checking all body care products to ensure that they are safe.
The Honor Society are those people who help us spread the "green" word by writing an article about our challenges and/or leaving pertinent comments. Here's what they had to say:
Mrs. Green is a well-respected, knowledgeable "greenie". When she reviews a product, she considers everything and comes up with an in-depth post about the pros and cons of it's use. She's honest ... and people, including myself, trust her opinions. So that's the kind of post that I expected to see this week. But when it came to this challenge, she had a CONFESSION to make ... and it just might surprise you.
Argentum Vulgaris is using a well-known brand of soap. In this POST he lists the ingredients and shares his research on their safety. Check it out and tell me if you're surprised.
Scarlet is using ecoSTORE Body Wash and shares that it is free of Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, artificial dyes, perfumes or preservatives (all ingredients to steer clear of). In this ARTICLE she reviews the body wash as well as other skin care products.
Small Footprints is using Old Man Murray's Soap ... and loves it!
Charlie reviewed Sweet Knee Blue Bird Castile Soap. I had never heard of this soap and, upon checking them out, found that they are exactly what they claim to be ... Eco-friendly. And wow ... Charlie lists a bunch of "other" uses for this soap ... impressive!
Katie nourishes her skin with handmade soap. She's found a company who cares about sustainability, fair-trade ingredients and Eco-friendly packaging. Curious? Read her review HERE.
Kris uses Ivory with Aloe. She took a look at the ingredients and guess what she found? Oh you know that I won't tell ... but you can find out in this ARTICLE.
Valerie's soap of choice is Kirk’s Original Coco Castile soap. You might be surprised to learn where she first found this soap ... I was! You can read all about it HERE.
I knew that Alicia would have no problem with this challenge. Why? Because she and her husband have a whole line of Eco-friendly body care products. And they are fabulous (you can read my review by clicking on the review tab at the top of this blog). Here's what Alicia shared, " This one is super easy for me! We make our own soaps so I know exactly what I am putting on my skin. Our bath bars have Flaxseed,Jojoba, Shea butter, coconut oil and wonderful pure organic essential oils. You should read the ingredients on your soap labels well. Tallow is a main ingredient in a lot of soaps and it is animal fat. A lot of times animals that are to sick for food are made into soaps and shampoos. There are many great shampoo bars available now also. I have been using ours for over a year now and love how my hair looks and feels. Our bar has cammellia seed,neem,almond oil,apricot kernel oil,sunflower and sesame oils,horsetail grass,mango,basil,and so much more! It also has lavender,rosemary.and pink grapefruit essential oils. The retail locations that sell our products are finding that shampoo bars are really catching on.Checking out a good shampoo bar is two fold. You get an awesome shampoo that has ingredients that are good for your hair and no plastic bottle to dispose of!! It is so important to remember that it really does matter what products we use on our skin. That sure includes the soap we use because it is coming in contact our whole body!"
By the way ... from our previous challenge on 6 ingredients, Alicia is upping the ante and challenging her readers (and us) to do even better. Head over to I Have A Challenge For You and check it out? Can you do it?
CelloMom accepted the challenge and says, " Simple: Dr. Bronners, any scent. Currently it's the citrus; summers it tends to be the refreshing mint. It's just castile soap, very clean (in every way). And mild enough that those of us with sensitive skin can take it even in dry wintertime. Bonus: I can get the peppermint soap in bulk at our local store, so we don't even have to deal with the plastic bottles!"
Nicole B. joined the discussion ... here are her comments, "I am using Yardley's bar soap because it was on clearance at the store - I knew nothing about it, but when I read the ingredients in the store they said they were all natural and included essential oils for fragrance. I have since learned the company does not do animal testing and has been around since 1770 (!!??) according to the website. I usually prefer to buy all natural homemade soap, but have not made it over to visit my neighbor to buy some from her in awhile. Yardley's smells really good and performs well as a soap and does not contain any harmful ingredients to my knowledge. I like that it doesn't melt away really fast when you use it - one bar has lasted quite awhile in my shower. I think it is easy soap to find and inexpensive - I have since seen this brand at the Dollar store and other drugstores."
One of the things that I love about our challenges is finding out what's available in other countries. Cat lives in Sweden and reviews her soap in this POST.
Clare lives in New Zealand and makes her own soaps (click on her name to see some of her lovely creations). She says, "Home-made since 2009 - saponified oils of Olive, Coconut, Cocobutter, Castor, and occasionally Tallow (animal fats make brilliant soap!) .. Frangranced with either top quality fragrance oils, essential oils (some are skin irritants so a combination works best for me), and with other skin loving goodies such as goats milk, clays, oats etc .." If you haven't already discovered Clare's other blog, check it out ... it's so worth reading: Inside The Rainglow Grotto.
Lady JC accepted this challenge. Here's what she shared, " My absolute favorite soap is Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soaps. I use them for a few things. I used the lavender scented one to make myself a special face wash with essential oils, vegetable glycerin and chamomile tea. I also blended my own shampoo and body soap with it. As for bar soaps I used to love Tom's of Maine Lemongrass, but they discontinued it. Now I use their sage soap during the Summer. It's a natural deodorant soap. I'm looking forward to trying some of the handcrafted/homemade soaps mentioned though and perhaps one of these days I'll my own too!"
Our Twitter friend, @gwened02, joined the conversation ... here's what she had to say: "I use neal's yard organic. I looked into parabens last year & haven't bought anything containing them since."
The #CTWW Gang are those folks who share our challenges on twitter using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're a Twitter member, I highly recommend following them ... they have a lot of great things to say. Let's meet them:
My Final Thoughts:
None of us would ever consider drinking a bottle of toxic chemicals. In fact, we'd scoff the idea as outrageous and ridiculous. And yet, many people don't hesitate to use body care products which contain those same chemicals ... all of which are being absorbed into our bodies with every use. The sad truth is that we aren't protected from unsafe ingredients by either manufacturers or law. It's up to us to do the work ... to research ingredients. Ethical companies never hesitate to share information about their products or their environmental commitment. In my opinion, we owe it to our health and to the environment to educate ourselves. Then, we can make informed purchases. That extra bit of work will have huge benefits ... to us and to the earth!
Thanks, everyone! If you wrote an article, I have Stumbled, Tweeted, Facebooked and posted it on Google +. You can help spread the "green" word by using the share feature at the bottom of this post.
This Week's Challenge:
Last year we did a waste audit, taking an honest look at the things we throw away. This week let's see if we can reduce the amount of trash we generate. Here you go ...
This week, before tossing anything out, consider alternate uses. For example, could the item be composted or used for another purpose? Could the item be given away and used by someone else? And here's a "biggie": could we avoid the item in the first place thereby eliminating the need to toss it out? The idea is to think before tossing anything and end up with less trash at the end of the week.
So what do you think? Can you do it? I know that you can!
Just add the banner below to your blog by
copying the code & pasting it into your site!
As always ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Vegan Recipe: Yellow Split-Pea Loaf with Almond-Cardamom Gravy
Welcome to the first Friday of the month ... the day we set aside for featuring a delicious vegan recipe. Why does a blog about green living include recipes? Because choosing a meatless meal is one of the easiest ways to live green. Simply put ... plant-based foods are easier on the environment than animal-based foods.
I am so pleased to introduce you to this month's guest chef ... Alaiyo of Pescetarian Journal. Wait a minute ... Pescetarian??? Yep, you heard me right ... Pescetarian! Alaiyo features both fish and vegetarian recipes which include sustainable ingredients ... and she shares important information about food choices. For example, this POST will tell you which shrimp are sustainably raised. And this ARTICLE will tell you how to find dungeness or blue crab. In addition to fish/seafood recipes, Alaiyo shares a number of vegetarian & vegan recipes ... delicious dishes like Vegan Burger Sliders, Asian Barbecue Seitan Salad and Double Pea & Rice Salad. Pescetarian Journal is a fabulous blog. But don't take my word for it ... go visit and see for yourself ... you won't be sorry!
Alaiyo has graciously agreed to share a recipe with us. I can't wait to try it!
I'm thrilled that Cyndi asked me to create a guest post for her blog, and I'm proud to be part of the "Change-the-World-Wednesday Gang." Cyndi and I met, virtually, when I asked her to be part of "The Green Group" on Triberr. We're a group of bloggers that write about strategies and solutions for green and sustainable living. I hope you enjoy my first guest post!
To assert that beans are a staple in my pantry is a kitchen cliche. They are more valuable than that. On any given Saturday, you will see me at the bulk bins at Mom's Organic Market, studying the beans and peas within their clear bins almost as intently as a jeweler studies gems. I consider color, clarity, and shape, as well as my culinary purpose. In this recipe, velvety yellow split peas are a flavor foil for the vegetable and spice ingredients in the Yellow Split-Pea Loaf.
My husband and I have vegan friends who don't feel slighted when we serve a bean loaf, and I generally make this dish for special occasions: a special dinner with guests or on holidays.
Start with two cups of cooked, yellow split peas (organic if possible). Cook the beans as you would any quick-cooking legumes, such as lentils, and include the aromatics: onion and garlic, in the cooking pot. As with lentils, yellow split peas don't need soaking prior to cooking.
Two cups of yellow split peas, plus additional ingredients in this recipe, will make enough to feed four. After years of making bean loaves, I've learned that thick loaves don't bake fully. The loaf will be full cooked on the outside, but will be too soft, even runny, on the inside--not a good discovery to make when serving.
Bulgar wheat is one of the binders in this loaf and helps to develop a delicious, crunchy crust. Add the bulgar wheat directly into a large bowl containing the yellow split peas.
Add the tomatoes, carrots, and scallions into the pea/bulgar wheat combination and mix thoroughly. Create a well in the middle of the mixture and add a dairy free egg substitute, such as the egg replacer by "Ener G" Foods, which acts as an additional binder.
Place the ingredients on a clean cutting board, rub a few drops of olive oil between your palms, and shape the loaf. The loaf should be 1.5 inches thick--and not much more--otherwise, it will not be uniformly firm throughout.
This loaf will serve four people, and the Almond-Cardamom Gravy contributes to the rich texture and flavor. I usually will make 4-6 loaves at a time and freeze several of them (they freeze beautifully). Consider making this loaf for Easter or another special holiday--or for Sunday dinner. It's worth the extra time.
Recipe: Yellow Split-Pea Loaf with Almond-Cardamom Gravy (Serves 4)
Ingredients
1 cup (250 ml) yellow split peas
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups water
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup bulgar wheat
2 teaspoons miso tamari (or soy sauce)
1 pinch red pepper
1 14.5 ounce can (428.816 ml) diced, canned tomatoes (unsalted)
1/2 cup carrots, minced in food processor
3 tablespoons egg substitute (I use the egg replacer by EnerG Foods.)
4 tablespoons warm water
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
3 scallions, chopped
Dill for garnish
Directions
Recipe: Almond-Cardamom Gravy
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable broth, plus 1/2 additional cup of broth
2 tablespoons almond butter (no salt added)
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
Dill leaves for garnish
Directions
Thanks so much Alaiyo for that wonderful recipe. And I hope that this is just the first of many guest appearances!!
If you have a vegan recipe which you'd like to share, please contact me HERE. And for all the recipes we've shared so far, be sure to visit our recipe page using the tabs at the top of this blog ... or by clicking HERE.
I am so pleased to introduce you to this month's guest chef ... Alaiyo of Pescetarian Journal. Wait a minute ... Pescetarian??? Yep, you heard me right ... Pescetarian! Alaiyo features both fish and vegetarian recipes which include sustainable ingredients ... and she shares important information about food choices. For example, this POST will tell you which shrimp are sustainably raised. And this ARTICLE will tell you how to find dungeness or blue crab. In addition to fish/seafood recipes, Alaiyo shares a number of vegetarian & vegan recipes ... delicious dishes like Vegan Burger Sliders, Asian Barbecue Seitan Salad and Double Pea & Rice Salad. Pescetarian Journal is a fabulous blog. But don't take my word for it ... go visit and see for yourself ... you won't be sorry!
Alaiyo has graciously agreed to share a recipe with us. I can't wait to try it!
I'm thrilled that Cyndi asked me to create a guest post for her blog, and I'm proud to be part of the "Change-the-World-Wednesday Gang." Cyndi and I met, virtually, when I asked her to be part of "The Green Group" on Triberr. We're a group of bloggers that write about strategies and solutions for green and sustainable living. I hope you enjoy my first guest post!
To assert that beans are a staple in my pantry is a kitchen cliche. They are more valuable than that. On any given Saturday, you will see me at the bulk bins at Mom's Organic Market, studying the beans and peas within their clear bins almost as intently as a jeweler studies gems. I consider color, clarity, and shape, as well as my culinary purpose. In this recipe, velvety yellow split peas are a flavor foil for the vegetable and spice ingredients in the Yellow Split-Pea Loaf.
My husband and I have vegan friends who don't feel slighted when we serve a bean loaf, and I generally make this dish for special occasions: a special dinner with guests or on holidays.
Start with two cups of cooked, yellow split peas (organic if possible). Cook the beans as you would any quick-cooking legumes, such as lentils, and include the aromatics: onion and garlic, in the cooking pot. As with lentils, yellow split peas don't need soaking prior to cooking.
Two cups of yellow split peas, plus additional ingredients in this recipe, will make enough to feed four. After years of making bean loaves, I've learned that thick loaves don't bake fully. The loaf will be full cooked on the outside, but will be too soft, even runny, on the inside--not a good discovery to make when serving.
Bulgar wheat is one of the binders in this loaf and helps to develop a delicious, crunchy crust. Add the bulgar wheat directly into a large bowl containing the yellow split peas.
Add the tomatoes, carrots, and scallions into the pea/bulgar wheat combination and mix thoroughly. Create a well in the middle of the mixture and add a dairy free egg substitute, such as the egg replacer by "Ener G" Foods, which acts as an additional binder.
Place the ingredients on a clean cutting board, rub a few drops of olive oil between your palms, and shape the loaf. The loaf should be 1.5 inches thick--and not much more--otherwise, it will not be uniformly firm throughout.
This loaf will serve four people, and the Almond-Cardamom Gravy contributes to the rich texture and flavor. I usually will make 4-6 loaves at a time and freeze several of them (they freeze beautifully). Consider making this loaf for Easter or another special holiday--or for Sunday dinner. It's worth the extra time.
Recipe: Yellow Split-Pea Loaf with Almond-Cardamom Gravy (Serves 4)
Ingredients
1 cup (250 ml) yellow split peas
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups water
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup bulgar wheat
2 teaspoons miso tamari (or soy sauce)
1 pinch red pepper
1 14.5 ounce can (428.816 ml) diced, canned tomatoes (unsalted)
1/2 cup carrots, minced in food processor
3 tablespoons egg substitute (I use the egg replacer by EnerG Foods.)
4 tablespoons warm water
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
3 scallions, chopped
Dill for garnish
Directions
- Sort and rinse split peas. Place into two-quart pot with water, onion, garlic, and onion. Cook peas for 40 minutes or until tender (avoid overcooking peas--they should retain most of their shape after being cooked).
- In another small to medium pot, cook bulgar wheat in 1 cup of water until light and fluffy (about 15 minutes). Let stand until cool enough to handle with your hands.
- Spoon peas and bulgar wheat into a large mixing bowl. Add miso tamari (or soy sauce), red pepper, tomatoes, carrots, and scallions. Stir with a large wood spoon until ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- In a small bowl, mix egg substitute powder with 4 tablespoons warm water. Make an indention in the center of the pea mixture and pour egg substitute into the indention (see photo above) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Empty ingredients onto the parchment-paper-covered cookie sheet. Grease your palms with a few drops of olive oil to avoid having the pea mixture stick to your hands. Shape the loaf in a football shape that is no more than 1.5 inches thick. Place loaf in oven and bake for 1.5 hours. Check firmness of the loaf by gently prodding the middle of the loaf. If it seems too soft, bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Remove loaf from oven and allow to "rest" (become firmer) before serving.
Recipe: Almond-Cardamom Gravy
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable broth, plus 1/2 additional cup of broth
2 tablespoons almond butter (no salt added)
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
Dill leaves for garnish
Directions
- Pour 1 cup vegetable broth into saucepan. Add almond butter, cardamom powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
- Set burner on medium low heat and stir until almond butter dissolves and the gravy thickens (about three minutes). If gravy becomes thick too fast, add the remaining 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Spoon gravy over the Yellow Split Pea Loaf Slices. Garnish with dill leaves.
Thanks so much Alaiyo for that wonderful recipe. And I hope that this is just the first of many guest appearances!!
If you have a vegan recipe which you'd like to share, please contact me HERE. And for all the recipes we've shared so far, be sure to visit our recipe page using the tabs at the top of this blog ... or by clicking HERE.
Also posted at Healthy Vegan Friday MoFo Edition
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)