Thursday, July 28, 2011

Oven Baked Sweet Onion

INGREDIENTS

1 walla walla onion (or other sweet onion)
1 Tbsp butter
1 vegetable bouillon cube

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Carefully remove dry outer skin from the onion and wash. Pat dry.

Cut a hole in to the top of onion large and deep enough to put in the butter and bouillon cube.

Fill with hole with the butter, then stuff in the bouillon cube.

Wrap aluminum foil around the onion, leaving a small vent in the top. Bake for 1 hour.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Sweet and Sour Seitan

INGREDIENTS

Sauce:
1/4 cup tamari
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 can tomato paste
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
Juice from 1/2 can pineapple chunks (pineapple is used below)

2 packages seitan
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 cup bell pepper strips, any colour
1/2 can pineapple chunks

DIRECTIONS

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk together until slightly thick. Cover and set aside.

Cut the seitan into 1.5 inch strips. Add the garlic and the cornstarch and toss until the seitan is completely coated.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, then add seitan and onion. Pan fry until the seitan has turned a golden brown and is crispy on the outside. Add the bell pepper and cook until heated, about 2 minutes. Add sauce and the pineapple chunks and stir until combined and heated through.

Serve over rice.

Crisis and Famine in the Horn of Africa

On July 20th, the humanitarian crisis plaguing Somalia was officially declared a famine by the United Nations. U.N. officials have called it the worst famine in 20 years.

From the Canadian Red Cross website:

(OTTAWA, July 14, 2011) The Canadian Red Cross has launched an emergency appeal to assist millions of people affected by drought in the Horn of Africa. Very poor rainfall in the region, estimated to be the worst in 60 years, has destroyed crops and livestock, and caused thousands of families to flee their homes in search of food and clean water.

"The world must not sit back and ignore this crisis," says Conrad Sauvé, secretary general and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross. "It is estimated that over 11 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and the situation is expected to get worse."

The rate of refugees from Somalia arriving in southern Ethiopia has increased from 5,000 a month to more than 30,000 in the second week in June. Almost half the children arriving in Ethiopia from Somalia are malnourished.

"High and increasing food prices, as well as regional conflict are combining with the weather to worsen the food crisis," adds Sauvé. "The primary focus of the Red Cross is saving lives and we are committed to providing live saving support to vulnerable people living in the Horn of Africa."

The Red Cross Movement is working across the Horn of Africa to support affected communities. Already, the Red Cross has deployed 14 mobile health clinics, provided clean water to almost half a million people and distributed over 300 tons of seeds to farmers who have lost crops. The Canadian Red Cross has a disaster response expert in the region supporting the response effort, with more on stand-by if needed.

The needs in the Horn of Africa are significant, and the Red Cross encourages Canadians to donate at www.redcross.ca, call 1-800-418-1111 or contact their local Canadian Red Cross office. The 24-hour toll free line accepts Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Cheques should be made payable to the Canadian Red Cross, earmarked "Horn of Africa Drought" and mailed to the Canadian Red Cross National Office, 170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2P2.

The Canadian Red Cross is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which includes the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and over 185 national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The Canadian Red Cross mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around the world.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

BBQ Seitan Cutlets

INGREDIENTS

Green Cuisine Plain Seitan Wheat Cutlets
Organicville Original BBQ Sauce

DIRECTIONS

Generously brush both sides of cutlets with sauce. Grill, flipping when deliciously brown on the first side. Add more sauce if necessary. Serve and enjoy!

Turn it into a sandwich by serving in a bun with your favourite sandwich material: caramelized onions, spicy greens and mustard, thick slices of tomato. Get creative!

Creamy Avocado Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs white, red, or fingerling potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
2 avocados
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp chile pepper (optional)
1 small tomato, chopped, or 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in to quarters
1 small red onion, diced small
1/2 field cucumber, peeled and diced very small

DIRECTIONS

Put the cubed potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Cover pot and bring water to a boil. Lower the heat to a rolling boil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside to cool.

Once the potatoes have cooled, prepare the dressing. Do not prepare too far in advance or it will brown. Scoop the avocado flesh into a food processor. Add the lime juice, salt, and chile powder (if using) and puree until smooth. Once smooth and creamy, add the tomato and onion. Pulse until they are incorporated but not completely blended; you should still be able to see bits of tomato and onion in the final dressing.

Mix the cucumbers and potatoes together in a large salad bowl. Add the dressing and mix well. Wrap tightly and chill until ready to use.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Double-Sesame Green Beans

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs green beans, ends trimmed
Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup tahini
2 limes, juiced and zested
A dash or two of your favourite hot sauce
1 tsp tamari
1/4 cup honey

DIRECTIONS

Put the green beans into a large pan with a tight-fitting lid and add a big splash of water and a splash or two of olive oil. Cover and heat over high heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, until bright green and tender. When the water evaporates and the beans are tender, the remaining olive oil will begin to sizzle. If you like you may remove the lid and continue to cook for a few minutes, thus lightly browning the beans.

In the meantime, whisk the sesame oil, tahini, lime juice and zest, hot sauce, tamari, and honey together until smooth. When the beans are done place them on a serving plate and drizzle them with the dressing. Serve hot.

Lemon-Mint Green Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS

3/4 lb green beans, ends trimmed
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1/3 of a lemon
1/4 cup of lemon juice
2 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped
1/4 tsp garlic, pressed
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
160 g feta, crumbled
2 ears of corn, grilled and kernels cut from cob
Fresh chopped mint for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt. Add the green beans and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a bowl of ice water. At 4 minutes, quickly toss one green bean into the ice water. If it is crisp-tender, drain the green beans and add them to the ice water immediately to stop the cooking. If not done to your taste at 4 minutes, cook the beans for one more minute, then move to the ice bath. After a few minutes in the ice water, drain the beans and pat dry.

Make the dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, mint, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the green beans, tomatoes, feta, and corn in a large bowl. Sprinkle on additional chopped fresh mint if using.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

New Option: Special Order 4 Litre Milk

Avalon Dairy also produces organic milk under the name "Valley Pride". Under this label, organic milk is available in larger sizes, such as 4 litres. Instead of using Avalon's trademark returnable glass bottles, the Valley Pride milk is packaged in recyclable plastic bottles.

We would like to offer this larger milk bottles as an option, but we're concerned about the potential for waste. As a result, Valley Pride 4 litre milk (skim, 1%, 2%, and homogenized) will be available on standing order and by special order only.

The price per 4 litre bottle will be $8.83, plus a 5% discount if it is on standing order. Orders will have to be placed according to our ordering schedule with Avalon Dairy:

Members with deliveries on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays will have to special order their Valley Pride milk by 9 AM on Sunday.

Members with deliveries on Thursdays and Fridays will have to place their special orders by 9 AM on Wednesday.

The above deadlines also apply to cancelling a standing order of Valley Pride milk. Members who arrange to skip a delivery after those deadlines will still have to pay for their milk if it is on standing order.

For more information or to order Valley Pride milk in 4 litre jugs, please call Melissa at 604-708-2345 or email info@greenearthorganics.com. Thank you for supporting local organics!

Hot and Sweet Quinoa Cereal

INGREDIENTS

1 cup milk or plain soy beverage
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa
2 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans
4 tsp agave

DIRECTIONS

Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

While the quinoa is cooking, roast the chopped pecans in a 350 degree Fahrenheit toaster oven for 5 to 6 minutes or in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Set aside.

When most of the liquid has been absorbed, turn off the heat under the quinoa and leave covered. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in the blackberries and cinnamon. To serve, transfer to four individual bowls and top with pecans and a drizzle of agave (about 1 teaspoon per bowl).

Serves 4.

Instant Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Adapted from Nature's Path's recipe.

INGREDIENTS

4 pouches Nature's Path FlaxPlus Instant Hot Oatmeal, uncooked
1/4 cup packed demerara sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup melted coconut oil, plus more for preparing pan
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk or plain soy beverage
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan with coconut oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the instant oats, demerara sugar, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips.

In a small bowl, combine melted coconut oil, eggs, milk or soy beverage, and vanilla. Stir liquid into oats mixture just until oats are moistened.

Transfer dough to the prepared baking pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 14 minutes. Rotate pan and bake until the middle feels firm and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 12 to 16 minutes longer.

Set pan on cooling rack. When cool, slice into bars or squares and carefully remove them with a spatula. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Did You Know: Skipping Deliveries

"Did You Know" is our new series of blog posts about Green Earth Organics: how it works, how you can do more with your account, etc.

Summer is finally here! For a lot of people, that means vacations and other changes to their usual schedules. If you need to skip a delivery for any reason, you can do so right on our website.

To skip a bin, start by logging in to your account, then go to the Delivery Schedule page (the link is on the left side of the screen, third from the bottom of the list). This will take you to a calendar of the current month (you can go to future months using the "Next Month" link at the top left of the calendar), with all your delivery days marked with "Delivery Scheduled". Click on "Delivery Scheduled" on the date you would like to skip, which will take you to another page. In the drop-down box, change the status to "Delivery On Hold" and click the "Update status" button. You will be taken back to the calendar view of the current month and the date you've cancelled will now say "Delivery On Hold".

You can also reactivate a bin you previously put on hold by reversing the above procedure and changing the date back to "Delivery Scheduled".

If it isn't convenient to log in to your account or if you have several weeks to put on hold, feel free to call or email us to put your bins on hold. You will also want to call or email if you receive bi-weekly deliveries and want to switch your weeks. For example, if you are currently scheduled to receive bins on July 20th and August 3rd, but you need to skip the 20th, we can reschedule your deliveries to July 27th and then every second week from there. This is something Esther or I have to do for you; there's currently no way to switch your weeks yourself on the website.

Generally when a member skips some bins, we just pick up their empty bin when we do the next delivery, but if you have multiple bins piling up, please feel free to contact us to arrange a pick-up on the next day we're in your area.

If you have any questions about your delivery schedule or need any other assistance, please give us a call at 604-708-2345 or email us at info@greenearthorganics.com.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Chilled Strawberry Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 lb fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp fresh grated ginger

DIRECTIONS

Process strawberries, orange juice, sugar, lime juice, and ginger in a food processor or blender until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill thoroughly.

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 cantaloupe
2 cups orange juice
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Peel, seed, and cube the cantaloupe.

In a food processor or blender, process cantaloupe cubes and all remaining ingredients until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the flavours to meld.