Fresh Apple Salad Dressing

Add a touch of sweetness to your salad without adding sugar or honey.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 apple (a sweet type like fuji, braeburn, spartan, jonagold, etc.)
1/8 onion
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Put the apple and onion in a food processor or blender for about 30 seconds, or until finely diced. Add the rice vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper and process again. Spoon over salad.

Delicious on its own over spring salad mix, or over a salad of regular lettuce with chopped apples, toasted nuts or seeds, and dried cranberries. Also goes well with smoked cheddar and feta, if you like cheese on your salad.

Random Acts of Kindness

Following tragedies such as the horrific school shooting in Newtown in December, many people struggle with a desire to do something, but having no idea what to do. One possible response has come via FaceBook and Twitter as tens of thousands of people across the country joining a social media movement called "26 Acts of Kindness", started in honour of the twenty children and six teachers and administrators.

To learn more about the acts of kindness memorial, check out this article.

Whether or not they are done in remembrance or in response to a tragedy, here are some ideas for some simple random acts of kindness you can do for strangers and your community:

- Pay for the order of the person behind you. This is especially easy to do anonymously at a drive-through, as the order has often already been rung up and you can pay the exact amount.

- Shovel someone's driveway or sidewalk.

- Pick up litter.

- Leave a good book or magazine in the waiting room of the doctor's or dentist's office.

- Carry dog treats, especially if you travel through areas where many homeless and their pets live. Remember to always ask the owner before giving a treat!

- Let someone go ahead of you in line.

- Offer to help a stranger carry their groceries or other heavy items.

- Leave a quarter on top of a payphone.

- Carry an extra pair of inexpensive gloves or an umbrella to give away to someone who needs it. (I actually had this done to me once; the weather was OK when I left for work, but I found myself standing at the bus stop in a jean jacket in the pouring rain after my shift. Someone hopped out of a car in the nearby parking lot, thrust an umbrella into my hand, and ran back away.)

- Seek out uplifting but less-known blogs and leave comments.

- Give your seat on the bus to someone who has a lot of bags or who looks like they've had a tough day (but don't tell them why in the latter case - no one likes to hear that they look tired!). Giving your seat to someone with a lot to carry is often also a gift to everyone around them; no one likes being bumped in the shins by someone's bag of canned goods.

- Send a compliment about your favourite waitress to a restaurant or post a positive review of your favourite locally owned business to a review website.

- Carry little packets of tissue to give away. If you've ever had a runny nose on the bus and haven't had a kleenex, you'll know what a relief that would be to receive.

You may never know what a difference a little act of kindness made to someone's day. Even a smile or a small compliment to a stranger may make their day a little brighter.

Mandarin & Cranberry Quinoa Salad

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup raw quinoa
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 to 3 Tbsp orange juice
3 tsp dried parsley or 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries or fresh cranberries, sliced
2 to 3 mandarin oranges or tangerines, peeled and separated into segments
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
1 Tbsp whole flaxseeds or toasted sesame seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare quinoa according to package directions. This step can be done the day ahead. Allow the quinoa to cool.

Combine oil, vinegar, lime juice, orange juice, parsley, and salt together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to combine.

In a salad bowl, combine the quinoa, cranberries, and orange segments. Toss with the salad dressing and sprinkle the almond slivers and flax or sesame seeds (if using) on top.

This salad will keep well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

Dry:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg

Wet:
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup brewed coffee, cold or at room temperature
1/2 cup applesauce
1/8 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons blackstrap molasses


DIRECTIONS

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl, then add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.

Heat a griddle on medium-high heat and lightly coat the pan with oil. Pour in batter in 1/3 cup dollops. Wait until bubbles form around the edges to flip, then cook another 45 seconds on the second side. Serve with your favourite holiday jam, poached pears, lemon curd, or maple syrup.

Pancakes can be kept warm in the oven while you cook the whole stack. Serves two, generously, but can be easily doubled for more. 

*To make these gluten-free simply substitute the flour for all-purpose gluten-free flour and reduce the water to a 1/2 cup. That's it! 

Streusal Baked Winter Squash

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs winter squash, cubed
Pinch of sea salt
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup Kashi Organic Bite Size Whole Wheat Cereal
3 Tbsp pecans, roughly chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread or butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook the squash cubes in boiling water for about 30 minutes, until tender when pierced with a knife.

Oil an 8-inch square baking pan. Mix cooked squash, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar together in pan.

In a separate bowl, mix remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar with cereal, pecans, and cinnamon. Add margarine or butter; mix well. Sprinkle over squash mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes or until squash mixture is heated through and top is lightly browned.

Shredded Wheat Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 3/4 cups Kashi Organic Bite Size Whole Wheat Cereal
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt

Special equipment: food processor

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a large baking sheet or two.

Combine the shredded wheat and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips in the food processor. Blend until finely ground.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the shredded wheat mixture. Add the remaining chocolate chips. 

Drop by flat tablespoons onto the lightly greased baking sheets and pop them into the oven.

Check them after 8 minutes or so. Depending on the pan you use, they could be done or it could take as much as 12-15 minutes.

Pull them out when the edges are slightly browned and the middle looks soft and squishy, but isn't doughy.

Make sure you cool them completely before packing in an airtight container.

Chocolate Popcorn Trail Mix

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces chocolate chips
2 cups popped popping corn
2 cups Kashi Organic Bite Size Whole Wheat Cereal
1 cup dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

Melt chocolate on low heat in medium, heavy-bottomed pot, stirring until completely smooth. Remove from heat.

Add popcorn and cereal; toss to evenly coat.

Spread into single layer on large piece of waxed paper. Cool. Toss with cranberries before serving.

Store in airtight container at room temperature.  

Holiday Schedule

During the holiday season, parties and events take people out of their houses and many people's schedules are disrupted by vacations and travel. During this busy time, Green Earth Organics wants to make it as easy as possible for you to continue to receive your organic fruits, vegetables, and groceries (including many special seasonal items) so we will be open through the whole holiday season. We're making minimal changes to our office and delivery schedules.

Office and Member Service

The office will be open from 8 AM to 4 PM, Mondays through Thursdays, and 8 AM to noon on Fridays with only the following exceptions:

Monday, December 24th: 8 AM to noon
Tuesday, December 25th: closed
Wednesday, December 26th: 8 AM to noon

Monday, December 31st: 8 AM to noon
Tuesday, January 1st: 8 AM to noon

Please note that Melissa does work from home on Sundays as well, so emails will be answered from Sundays through Friday mornings.  

Fraser Valley

Since Dean doesn't deliver on Tuesdays, there will be no changes to his delivery schedule. Please note that he will be delivering on Wednesday, December 26th.  

Sea to Sky

Glenn will be moving the deliveries from Tuesday, December 25th, to Monday, December 24th. Similarly, Glenn will be moving the deliveries from Tuesday, January 1st, to Monday, December 31st.

On both Mondays, bins will be delivered earlier in the day than they are usually done, hopefully between 3 PM and 6 PM, to avoid disrupting Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. If you have any concerns about your delivery time, please give us a call or email.

Though the deadline for changes to all of those bins will still be Monday at 9 AM, efforts to get orders in by Sunday morning would be much appreciated.

Vancouver

All deliveries scheduled for Monday, December 24th, and Monday, December 31st, including our downtown office and business deliveries, will proceed as normal.

Deliveries scheduled for Tuesday, December 25th, will be moved to Wednesday, December 26th. The deadline for changes will still be 9 AM on Monday. Deliveries will be done as normal for bins scheduled for Wednesday, December 26th, and the rest of the week.

Similarly, we will be doing the deliveries scheduled for Tuesday, January 1st, on Wednesday, January 2nd, with the usual deadline of 9 AM on Monday.

Victoria

Deliveries scheduled for Tuesday, December 25th, will be moved to the morning of Wednesday, December 26th. Deliveries scheduled for Wednesday, December 26th, will still be delivered in the afternoon and evening of that day; they may come a little later, since Aaron will be packing those bins fresh after the morning deliveries are made.

Please note that the deadline for deliveries usually done on Tuesday will remain 9 AM on Monday despite the temporary delivery day change.

Aaron will be delivering on Tuesday, January 1st, so no other delivery days or deadlines will be changed.