Aromatic Winter Stovetop Potion

It is safe to say that this is an ancient method of aromatherapy or scent cleansing! And we all know that many societies and their peoples from antiquity knew a thing or two about sustainability and using natural methods in their everyday practices. This recipe was displayed to me by a life experienced womyn and is most appropriately exercised during a thorough house cleaning! I also find that it is a comforting winter habit. I believe it also tends to purify spaces that are dark or have been disrupted, especially if the steam os wafted. Smells delicious but not for drinking or eating! Enjoy.

Aromatic Winter Potion

citrus rinds (orange peels preferred, lemon and/or lime peel)

cinnmon stick(s)

pinch of a few cloves

ginger (optional!)

Let simmer in a saucepan on the stovetop at medium heat

until lightly boiling. Bring to a low heat, occasionally stirring.

Don't miss out on a few deep inhales of this mixture and make

as thick with ingredients/strong as desired!

Thought Food: Eco-Feminism and the "Green Revolution"

What is Eco-Feminism?

A connection between ecology and equality! Though, to provide answers to this question in a western society saturated in historically rooted patriarhy, it seems like starting at the basics is necessary. As with any branch of feminism, a concrete definition is impossible and innapropriate in terms of valuing change and flux - transitions that are integrated in any given approach under this umbrella. However, Eco-Feminism as I understand it aligns traditionally oppressive forces and holds them at blame for the exploitation and destruction of our environmental surroundings, womens bodies and social status. These forces are also seen as being responsible for the degredation and enslavement of all people on a multi-level and interdisciplinary basis.

Pachamama

Some take this perspective deeper, correlating and celebrating the direct connection and parallels between females and "mother nature", or "pachamama". This includes womyn's 28 day menstrual cycle and the 28 day monthly lunar calendar. It is even possible to chart your period with the moon's movement! Common ignorance about nature's cycles, lunar activity and taboo nature of menstruation, are examples of how both women and nature are disregarded or disvalued regularly. Eco-feminism would surely seek to reverse this along with current practices such as those that cause deforestation and global warming (euphemistically referred to as "climate change"). Transforming our attitudes and actions is a priority in this discourse - so that womyn, the ecosystem, our planet and all its organisms can live sustainably in peace, honouring the biosphere and everything that it constitutes.

Author Carol J Adams has written the recently celebrated 20th anniversary of The Sexual Politics of Meat which "explores a relationship between patriarchal values and meat eating". She also keeps an active blog where more veg-feminist insights can be found. The following exerpts have been taken from a book of essays she edited: Ecofeminism and the Sacred. Hopefully they will help in considering approaches to changing the current environmental condition, crisis and ethic of exploitation. Respecting nature and all people are inherently connected activities! Please consider the:

“interrelationship of social domination and the domination of the rest of nature”

[Issues of sexism, racism, classism, and heterosexism and the domination of nature must be recognized to adequately understand oppression of women, people and nature]

“transformations: respect and a willingness to assess one’s own role in perpetuating domination and, upon discovering what that role is, changing it”

“While the Earth is poisoned, everything it supports is poisoned. While the Earth is enslaved, none of us is free” –from Alice Walker’s “Everything Is a Human Being”

“Euro-Western Cultural Attitudes”

“When the majority of this nation’s [America] people consider environmental preservation to be more important than plundering it for economic gain, then they (we) will develop more appropriate methods for providing the basic human needs for food, shelter, comfortable indoor temperatures, clothing, and – to some extent – unnecessary human ‘comforts’ such as exotic household gadgets, recreational toys and modes of transportation”

“Many environmentalists have stated that careful planning in the use of renewable resources and the recycling of non-renewable resources must become the norm rather than the exception in every community across our nation”

Human/animal/plant/mineral hierarchy = top down destruction

“mindful[ness] of their place within rather than above the rest of creation” = soulution
-from Carol Lee Sanchez’s “Animal, Vegetable, Mineral”

Ecology: “examines how natural communities function to sustain a healthy web of life and how they become disrupted, causing death to the planet and animal life. Human intervention is obviously one of the main causes of such disruption.”

Deep Ecology: “ examines the symbolic, psychological, and ethical patterns of destructive relations of humans with nature and how to replace this with a life-affirming culture.”

“interconnection between the domination of women and the exploitation of nature”
-from Rosemary Radford Ruether’s Ecofeminism: Symbolic and Social Connections of the Oppression of Women and the Domination of Nature”

To Vegans (& All): Please Feed Yourself Well!

salad of health

lettuce

fresh chopped parsley

tomato

hemp seeds

aloe vera

kiwi

garlic

salt & pepper

apple cider vinegar

oil

lentil coconut sweetpotato soup
veggie stock, lentils, creamed coconut (or shredded), coconut milk (rice, soy or almond), agave nectar, fresh chopped coriander, fresh chopped parsley, red cabbage, lettuce, ginger, garlic, 1 jalepeno, sauteed onion, 1 sweet potato, chopped into squares, 4-5 white potatoes, chopped into squares, cumin, tumeric, mustard powder, oregano, paprika, cinnamon, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, dash of cayenne pepper, curry powder, viola!

carob banana cakes

granola

carob powder

rice milk

water

hazelnuts

banana

bake at 350 in muffin tins (filling the greased cups up only half way)
for approximately 10-15 mins but keep an eye!

bon appetit, bon provecho, enjoy your meal vegan freak!

Veggie (E-)Cookbook and WWOOFING in South America!

PANAMERICAN(O) VEG COOKBOOK: Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes from South America

as gathered in September of 2010

contenidos:

Argentina

Small Moon Village Recipes

Peru

Beverages/Bebidas

RECETAS/ RECIPES

ARGENTINA

Cuban Che Love Stew
Rice
Vegetable broth
4 Sliced carrots
4 Potatoes
1 Onion
1 tsp Parsley
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp Anise seed
½ cup (soy) Cheese
1/2 cup ea. of 2 types of beans

Season with salt & pepper and serve up hearty portions (ideally in terra cotta bowls!) along with warm red wine in cups. This is what was given to us when we ordered a veg lunch at a Cuban café up the street from Che Ernesto Guavera’s house in a place called Alta Gracia. One of our favourites of the trip!

Argentina Breakfast
“Medialuna” (halfmoon):Croissant
“Dulce de Leche” (cream of milk): Rich caramel cream spread
“Café Con Leche” (coffee with milk): Coffee with half (soy) milk

This was a devastating breakfast combo that we all ordered several times at The Continental which was down the street from our hostel in Buenos Aires!

Pasta Salteada
2 cups pasta
2 tbsps soy sauce
¼ cup bean sprouts
¼ cup Shredded carrots
¼ cup Shredded cabbage
1 Onion
1 Red pepper
Salt to taste

Raw Banana Pudding
2 bananas, mashedcinnamonvanilla extract to tasteraw cane sugar to tasteapple sauce or pureed applesMash by hand or blend. Let sit in freezer for about an hour (stirring until desired consistency is reached). Top with vegan whipped cream.

This was the desert included in El Plato del Dia (set plate of the day - like a special combo) at the only veg restaurant we fortunately stumbled upon in San Salvador de Jujuy.

Vegan Whipped Cream
almond extractnutmegalmond milkvanilla soy yogurtspelt flourWhip by hand, adding ingredients for desired consistency.

Taco Pancho!

Green olives
Hot salsa with chillis
Beat sauce/relish
Guacamole (with pits)
White and black beans
Lentils with oil
Shredded carrots
Sliced tomatoes
Grilled onions and peppers
Yellow rice
Apple chutney
Orange chutney
Marmelda
Late night taco buffet in San Salvador de Jujuy!

Apple Chutney
5 organic northern spy apples, quartered and chopped2 tsps veg oil2 tsps mustard powder1 red onion, diced1 red bell pepper, chopped1 tsp salt1 tsp pepper2 cloves garlic, minced1 large green chilli, sliced1 tsp ground ginger1 tsp masala spice3-4 prunes, chopped1 tsp brown sugar1 tsp agave nectar1 tsp vinegar1 cup water1 tsp lemon juice1/2 tsp lime juice1 small handful of cloves1 handful of chopped coriander1 1/2 tsp cinnamon1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cayenne pepper

Simply combine ingredients while simmering contents on low. Sitr consistently, bring to boil on high and then on medium heat until thoroughly cooked. Pair with veg samosas, soy cheese and toast, Taco Pancho recipe, pancakes/crepes or eat alone!

Tantalizing El Tigre Dulce de Leche Crepes

.....these were first introduced to us by a great man named Fernando.

3 eggs,

2 cups milk

one cup flour.

pinch of salt.

whisk together and place in fridge for 20-30 minutes.

coat pan with oil and pour enough batter to thinly cover pan.

fry until browned and flip..

fill with dulce de leche or whatever you fancy!

TADA.!.

TO DIE FOR!.


SMALL MOON VILLAGE RECIPES

Our World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farming (wwoof.org) experience was amazing! We stayed on an organic, sustainable and mostly vegan farm (they had chickens and sometimes used eggs) on a mountaintop near the Andes. It was an unforgettable experience we will never forget. There we glimpsed into the sustainable life and spent time in the organic garden and kitchen.
Whole Foods, Whole Some, Whole Soul.

Lentil Pasta with Veggies
2 cups pasta
1 can lentils
1 red pepper sliced
1 green pepper sliced
Half onion chopped
Brown all ingredients in frying pan and add to pasta. Toss with oil and salt to taste.

Ensalada Espinache
Freshly chopped spinach
2-3 cloves garlic
2 boiled and chopped (free run) eggs
Toss with oil and salt to taste.

Cabin Salad
3-5 shredded beets
6-10 shredded carrots
2 heads romaine lettuce
1 cup bitter greens
Serve with oil, salt, vinegar and lemon juice.

Senora Elizabeth’s Kitchen Seed Bread
1 kilo white or whole wheat flour
10g yeast (fresh or dry)
Oil
Seeds (flax, hemp, quinoa…)
-add water for consistency
-KNEAD! Con fuerte (with strength!) por 25 minutos
-roll into jellyfish-like balls
BAKE

Marmelada de Naranja
1 cup of organic cane sugar for every 3 large oranges
Boil and stir occasionally for ½ hr.
Serve with (Senora Elizabeth’s Kitchen Seed) bread, hot cereal, pancakes, white rice or crackers.

Potato Salad
3 boiled potatoes
1 tsp oil
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp salt

Frenchie’s Creation
3 boiled potatoes
1 tsp oil
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
¾ cup boiled spinach
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Polenta Machete Meal
2 cups corn meal
Boil with good amount of water, stirring consistently until consistency is smooth.
Top with chunky salsa!

Salsa (Sauce)
Tomato
Salt & pepper
Onion
Tomato paste
green onion
hot peppers
garlic
oregano, parsley, & basil
oil
red wine
wild mushrooms
Serve tomato sauce on top of Polenta Machete Meal or pasta of any kind!

Veg Pate Plate
Flour
Peas
Carrots
Peppers
rice
Form into patties, cook and serve with boiled potatoes garnished with salt, vinegar and parsley.

PERU

Street Bun
Smashed Avocado Sandwich on (large) Kaiser bun!
Literally.

San Pedro Market Mash
-makes 2 servings
1 cup rice
2 fried plantains
1 avocado, halved
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
¾ cup shredded lettuce
Fried egg
Serve in a bowl with fried egg on top!

Ordered this delicious dish at the big market in Cuzco

Venduras Salteadas
2 white onions
2 tomatoes
Salted broad beans
Fry in or serve raw with oil.
Pepper, parsley and oregano to taste!

Very common, inexpensive dish that we found offered throughout Peru and Argentina

Quinoa is a high protein grain and is a superfood! super easy to cook and super easy on the system! It is a grain with a light consistency but is packed with energy and protein, often extremely filling. Actually pronounced "keen-wah", it was eaten constantly the ancient Incans. This was apparent in Peru where the majority of the population is indigenous and sustains traditional practices. Quinoa was also featured in an Incan museum exhibit, showcasing seemingly endless varieties of the grain.

To prepare it, quinoa must be previously soaked in warm water for 3-5 minutes so that the bitter quality of the seeds is "agitated" and released into the warm water, leaving behind an almost milky substance. To agitate the grain, slowly run your fingers through it until water colour changes. Remember that the amount of seeds you use will produce an amount of cooked quinoa that is double, like rice. After rinsing, cook on stove with fresh water.

For every one cup of the grain, add two cups of water to soak it in and once that water is disposed of then two cups again to boil it with. Only leave it on the stove for about 10-15 minutes though - until it can be fluffed easily with a fork. Great as a hot breakfast cereal base, cooled to add protein in salad or used in traditional Quionoa soup. Try red or black quinoa if you can get your hands on it!

Quinoa Soup
vegetable broth
2 anise stars
3/4 cup chopped green beans
1 cup quinoa
Salt to taste

Pancakes Especial
*use up to 2 bananas replacement for 1 (free run) egg
2 cups pancake mix
1 cup soy/rice/almond/coconut milk
¾ cup apple
1 tbsp honey or agave nectar
½ tsp cinnamon
or
¾ cup Marmelada
or
1/4 cup lemon
or
1/2 cup pineapple
or
½ cup shredded coconut

Guacamole with Papas Fritas
4 avocados
½ onion
2 tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
½ cup fresh coriander
Salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with strips of boiled then fried potatoes!

Machu Picchu Inca Bowl
1 Tomato
½ cup beans
1 hot pepper
2 potatoes
1 cup red quinoa

This is a dish that can be created with ingredients grown on the epic terraces of the ancient Incan ruins of Machu Picchu (“old mountain”).


BEVERAGES/BEBIDAS

Maracuya
1 shot Tanqueray gin
Maracuya/passion fruit juice

Maracuya (like Passion Fruit) in Peru is a small orange fruit with a hard shell. Maracuya became an every day fixture at the fresh market in Cusco, Peru.

Café con Leche
½ coffee
½ milk

Café Cardamamo
Add cloves, cinnamon, anise or cardamom to coffee!

VINO

Malbec (vino tinto = red wine) and Torontes (vino blanco = white wine) are delicious selections from the wine province of Mendoza, Argentina. We highly recommend that you sample them immediately with any dishes included in this cookbook!


Buen Provecho!

Enjoy your meal!