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RecentArchives
SEO by:
Michael Eakes
Web Development by:
Ryan Wright |
lean on plants. ----------- cooking for substance, cooking for flavor ----------- American cooking wisdom holds that garlic flavors food. So does olive oil. Be cautious however, accepted wisdom continues, about using too much of either -- one repels loved ones (supposedly), the other bears fat. I say cook generously - with substance - and endow meals with a plant-based heart. The small step from cooking for flavor, to cooking for substance and flavor, is the same small step between cooking and successful vegan cooking. As it is said, particularly when a given dish calls for few ingredients, to ensure that the ingredients procured are of excellent quality, so too is it true, that when there is no meat or dairy on which to lean, the presence of just one clove of garlic, or a tablespoon of olive oil, becomes scant and cheap. In a supportive vegan diet, garlic, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, chard stems, pine nuts, (etc.) are no longer simply flavor accents -- rather, they are indeed that which supports us. lean on plants. remember to thank them for leaning back. namasté why vegan? again Posted 1/28/2008 link
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whole grains, plant foods diet shown to reverse ovulatory infertility According to Harvard University researchers, ovulatory infertility, which is responsible for 1/4 or more of all infertility cases, may be treated, cured or reversed, by eating a diet of whole grains (slowly digested, complex carbohydrates) and plant-based proteins. The study points out, as well, the obvious bonuses such a simple course of treatment provides: it is inexpensive; there are no (negative) side effects; it sets the stage for a healthy pregnancy, as well as a healthy diet for life; and, it reduces the likelihood of the onset of gestational diabetes. Harvard's Nurses' Health Study found clear and significant links between the consumption of, 'fast carbs', trans-fats, and animal proteins -- with ovulatory infertility. Refined, white foods, with high sugar and simple carbohydrate levels, disrupt hormonal balances and natural cycles, by raising blood sugar levels. While trans-fats, even in modest amounts, were found to decrease rates of conception. Animal-based proteins, as well, did not approach the comparative degree of success of reversing ovulatory infertility as consuming those produced by plants. In full disclosure, the study found also that whole milk products (NOT skim or low-fat) seem to help women become pregnant. As healthy hormone levels are rebalanced, it would seem to make extra sense to invest in hormone-free, organic milk products. Finally, healthy body weight and moderate exercise were also found to be significant factors in raising fertility rates. However, even just moving in the direction of a more ideal weight was shown to reduce infertility. Once again, the vegan diet sings to be noticed. Allow the word in. vegan. You need not become Vegan (all the time), and unhappy, to event this love in the world. But every healthy, vegan decision made, improves the vitality and fertility of people and the planet. If you need a goal toward which to aim, think 80% vegan. Let that last, hardest 20% go, completely. But do, please support the more sustainable, and humane, animal-agriculture practices and products available to you, to complement your beautiful, plant-based diet. Thank you. namasté Posted 1/22/2008 link
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---- why in the world are we here? ---- ... surely not to live in pain and fear. Posted 1/15/2008 link
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whole grains. the palm of your hand. i would like to go ahead and thank the Japanese, and their neighbors, publicly -- for the rice ball (!) first: cook rice. for mine, brown, with some broth and pleasantly salted. (and in a rice cooker). second: while rice cooks, get creative -- get personal with a small pan of something. make it strong, spicy, tangy, or what have 'you'. (in the above there are: scallions with jalepeños; also, onion and chopped mushrooms, with red chilis and parsley) third: let rice cool enough to handle in a bowl with a drizzle of rice vinegar. make ready full sheets of nori seaweed by dividing, folding or cutting each into four pieces. optional, but lovely, is to (dry) pan-toast sesame seeds as well. fourth and final: with wet hands, scoop rice into palm, 1/2" flat or so with a deeper something in the middle. spoon or press desired filling sparingly into center. bring sides up and around filling creating a ball of rice (if the 'walls' are too thin, pad them with more rice). as long as the rice is still warm, you should not need to (and might rather not) press too hard. set ball on nori square and bring corners up. if there are toasted sesame seeds in the vicinity, roll the exposed rice in the seeds. this is the best food. (no offense to other food) namasté Posted 1/13/2008 link
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different times. different measures. (image thanks to jordan) In the 1930's, beef cows grew naturally, over a period of 4 to 5 years, to their approximate slaughter-weight, between 1100 and 1200 pounds. In the 1950's, American farmers, at the dawn of the Age of Industrial Agriculture, nearly halved that time to between 2 and 3 years. Modern, industrial 'meat production', centered around CAFOs -- Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations -- where animals are unnaturally fed: CORN (rather than grass), FAT from already slaughtered animals (remember these are herbivores by evolution), PROTEIN (concentrate), and generous portions of DRUGS and ANTIBIOTICS (so they survive the former) -- has reduced this time period, wherein cows ascend from their birth weight of 80 pounds to upwards of 1200 pounds, in just 14 to 16 months. This represents the lives attached to MOST of the meat purveyed in this country. If this seems at all amiss, allow it to affect you. Please. And thank you. This information courtesy of: Michael Pollan and his 'The Omnivore's Dilemma'. Posted 1/11/2008 link
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Kerala, India adopts Zero Waste action plan. Go, them (you). (Photo above courtesy of Chris Jordan, an amazing visual artist) How long, you ask, is this plan of action to zero waste? They aim to accomplish this in 5 years. Again, the state of Kerala, on India's southwest coast, demonstrates its standing as a bastion of sanity, reverence and sustainability in the world. Known already as the highest seat in India for quality of life indices, such as life expectancy, literacy, and health care, Kerala rivals and surpasses recognized '1st world' nations of the world, while maintaining income levels typical of the so-called '3rd world'. Beside an emphasis on even greater public education, a hallmark of the plan is the creation of jobs -- indeed, a whole economy -- in sustainable industry, or 'green' enterprise. Read more here. namasté Posted 1/06/2008 link
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paper mining -- waste reduction move toward 'zero' waste at home. one step. and then another. use your junk mail. mine from it usable paper. in just a little more time than it takes to open and discard all junk mail into a recycling container, tear list paper from the backs of envelopes and other package contents. or place whole sheets with blank backs next to your printer -- to receive the next map or driving instructions it is commanded to print. junk mail is nefarious. and ubiquitous. until we make it stop completely, why not use it for something constructive? save the future trees demanded for pads of to-do-list paper and single-use maps, and extend the serviceable existence of sanctioned waste. namasté Posted 1/06/2008 link
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save your stems, folks -- they are vegetables, too before you toss them into the compost bin, or -- gads! -- the garbage, consider the possibility using vegetable stems as a delicious (and nutritious, and fibrous) green condiment. browse your recipes. peruse those that call for greens, such as collards, kale, and chard. confirm that nearly every one of them calls for discarding those stems. then say no. and then yes to stems. recipe: ingredients -- - stems and central vein from one or more bunches of chard, kale, collards, or something similar - olive (or any other) oil - sea salt - (fragrant) seeds, such as coriander, caraway, or mustard - pepperoncini procedure -- - cut the rough, dirty bottoms off stems. you may discard these if you wish, or add them to a stockpot (see post from 3/01/07). float or rinse stems as you would any other. - mince, or finely chop stems, being careful to cut through and across the fibrous grain of the stems (also may be read: do not use a food a processor) - with sea salt, add stems to pan, with already heating oil, red pepper and seeds. heat gently at first, covered, to free locked moisture and soften centers. then uncover, and raise heat to medium-high, until stems caramelize. - garnish anything, to taste. or add to sandwiches. or fold in to grains. - enjoy Posted 1/05/2008 link
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