Banana Avocado Toast with Cilantro

The end result of this recipe is exactly what it sounds like. Some of my favourite basic ingredients all in one! Not exactly an emphasis on local produce here but it is still a fantastical vegan treat. Apples and soy cheese are also a really great combo with avocado!

Whole Wheat Toast topped with:

Avocado slices
Cilantro/Coriander
Banana slices

Green Guide for an Eco-Education

Using David Suzuki’s Green Guide for an Eco-Education

David Suzuki's Green Guide is a publication that I am passionate about and consider worth recommending to anyone. To refresh from a previous post, the book addresses the Ecological Footprint which measures human impact upon the environment; how much space or productive land is needed to support an individual's lifestyle. The larger the footprint the more impact the individual has on the Earth. Embedded in this concept is how we all impact each other and everything by every choice we make, conscious of it or not. This is really at the heart of thinking of the ecological footprint simply as the consequences of our actions on the environment.



According to the Canadian Suzuki, one of the most environmentally sensible ways you can cut down on your ecological footprint is by being aware of what you eat. He goes into depth about them in Chapter 3 of his Green Guide which contain facts like “the amount of grain fed to livestock in the U.S. could feed about 840 million people on a plant-based diet". This book teaches that "eating is an agricultural act, a biological act, a social act, an economic act, and a political act. With every meal you can vote for the food system that you would like to see". In not shying away from social and political contexts, this text becomes an opportunity to open up minds to the realization that you have the power to directly influence the demand for eco-minded thought and action.

In attending teacher's college, I am engaging with various ways of implementing teaching environmental responsibility. The Green Guide for example states that "by eating a local, organic, and predominately plant-based diet you can reduce the ecological footprint of the food you eat by as much as 90%". By putting this information into the hands of the next generation we are effectively educating for the environment. Therefore we are educating for ourselves and futures where a more harmonious human existence within the natural world has the opportunity to blossom. The natural world has become removed from the hyper-industrialized and technological Western society that sets the climate for education atmospheres. It is imperative that we instil a sense of duty and urgency towards being aware of ecological conditions and their implications. One of the ways in which we can achieve this is being extremely conscious about how our daily habits manifest into environmental conundrums on a macro scale.

This publication is also a direct connection to the David Suzuki Nature Challenges which are available in the text, online, and are a fun and easy way to incorporate environmental issues into the classroom. Alternatively, a student or teacher reading this book may choose to implement an organized Nature Challenge group that participates in learning about, practicing and teaching others about ecological footprint reducing factors and information. David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge teacher guide is also available and contains 20 lessons that focus on our interconnectedness with nature!

This is an excellent read because it is not just a “how to” or a boring guilt-ridden summary of how one is personally killing the earth. Instead it is a comprehensive look into the current ecological conditions and how it is of our best interest as individuals and as a group to be invested in the thought-provoking information and wisdom that the text provides.

Modern Menstruation

When it comes to reducing our ecological footprints, we need to think about our day-to-day processes as humans. How we decide to manage the dynamics of our body's fuctions has a direct impact on the environment!

When my friend was asking me about my experiences using this environmentally friendly alternative to pads and tampons, I initially had mixed feelings. Like anything, it takes a while to get used to so about after 3 months of use I am finding it alot easier to use. So if you are not a pro at inserting and removing it then just keep practising! About the only downfall I can think of is that it is much easier to handle when using a private bathroom stall or washroom. For more info, visit http://www.divacup.com/. You totally do not need the "diva wash" - any light, unscented soap will work. Be careful with anti-bacterial soaps because apparently it breaks down the silicon. Organic, unbleached panti-liners, pads and tampons are also available outthere so keep an eye open! For example, check out the line from Natracare.

Enjoying the Diva Cup and although its marketname still annoys me and feeds into negative stereotypes, I think it is important to remind each other about such alternatives. Below is a post I wrote for the CJAM Women's Radio Collective Blog (which has now been been renamed The Estrogen Collective).

"Hope all enjoyed the Jan. 28th edition of Genesis hosted by myself and also Rachel of the brand new CJAM Women's Radio Collective. If you missed it you can just download the show! Thanks very much again to Professor Nancy Gobatto from the Women's Studies department for contributing so many great ideas and comments in the interview which was broadcasted during the show. The interview or a link to it will be posted on this blog shortly. The quote about the rhythm method as being the only "non-sexist" form of birth control was taken from the book "A Cooperative Method of Natural Birth Control" by Margaret Nofziger. We discussed alot of issues including the origin of the word "menstruation" as well as the language used in advertising and society to describe or refer to the process. Also, we talked about the menstrual cup of which more info can be found in the post about this alternative menstrual product on a blog called No Soap For Sale. There was also an interesting article we used concerning advertising methods for menstrual products called "A Candid Look At Menstrual Products - Advertising and Public Relations". Rachel and I really enjoyed putting a feminist perspective on these issues into the spotlight and with luck we got everyone thinking!"

Ginger Matcha Smoothie and Inari Obsession

This is another combination for all of those veg's out there who are looking for some diversity in their green smoothies! Living in a University residence scenario and operating with minimal supplies is forcing me to be ingenuitive. For example you can use ginger leftover from take out sushi. This is what I did except it was from a grocery store Inari container - a new obsession of a vegetarian friend of mine and myself which is rice wrapped in fried soy bean curd! A very sweet treat - if anyone has a recipe let me know. Anyways here is a healthy smoothie recipe I made that contains soy protien (tofu) without protien powder and barely any soy milk. For some amazing green smoothie recipes be sure to visit the Big Raw Vegan Blog!

Ginger Matcha Smoothie

-1/4 cup soy milk

-1/4 cup soft tofu

-strips of pickled ginger

-as much matcha as you can handle
-1 ripe banana
-1/8 cup of water

Curry Dip and the Coriando/Cilantro Quandry...

Curry Dip

In a blender:

Curry powder

Nutritional Yeast
Onions
Coriander/Cilantro
Cumin

Veganaise

3/4 of a package of firm Tofu

1 Tablespoon Soy Milk

Another living in residence miracle as I make a vegan curry dip! I used a very small and simple blender to mix all of the ingredients - it has some kick and is now chilling in a jar in the fridge! I used an independant company's curry mix but I would normally just use curry powder itself and add all everything else in such as onions, cumin and any other spices to taste such as coriander/cilantro. Actually my friend Jessie and I stumbled into the fact that those two spices are actually the same but just referred to as either depending on the region! Definetely one of my favourite spices. Ever had coriander naan bread? WOW - but I digress. Check out this easy dip that is vegan and extremely tasty. I am serving it with pesticide free mini field cucumbers that I bought at the Farmer's Market in downtown Kingston. It makes an appearance 3 times a week until Thanksgiving and I have been enjying it alot!

Extremely Easy Vegan Dinner!

As of late I have moved! That's right - more veg challenges to face! I made a super easy, lazy you might call it, but tasty nonetheless dinner. Ingredients are as follows and are a basic last minute desperate craving for Thai peanut sauce flavour!

Rice Noodles
Rice Paper Wraps
Chunky Organic Unsweetened Peanut Butter
Whole Unsalted Peanuts
Soy Sauce


(that's right!)

Soak ripe paper wraps in room temperature water while noodles are boiling. A convenient way to do so is in a frying pan on the counter with the water inside it. Take out the wraps gently and let them dry briefly. Then once the noodles are finished you can make wraps with them and a previously mixed combination of soy sauce, peanut butter and peanuts!

BON Appetit!: Julia Child's Vegan Ratatoullie

More aggrigation all! Last night I saw Julie and Julia and was completely astounded. I had seen parodies of her TV show The French Chef and impersonations of Julia Child and her various cultural manifestations. Sadly my most authentic Julia experience was on youtube! Maybe that will change when I try this recipe. Wondering whether a Julia meal with out eggs and butter was possible, I found that it was with this vegan recipe for Ratatouille!

Julia Child's (Vegan) Ratatouille

Ingredients:

1/2 pound eggplant

1/2 pound zucchini, trimmed

1 tsp. sea salt

7 T olive oil, divided

1 8-ounce onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced into strips

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 pound firm but ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, cut into 3/8 to 1/4-inch-thick strips

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, mincedfresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Peel eggplant; cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut into 3-inch-long, 1-inch-wide strips. Cut zucchini into same size strips. Place vegetables in large bowl; sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain; dry with paper towels.

2. Heat 4 T oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add eggplant and zucchini to skillet; sauté until light golden, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to plate; reserve.

3. Add 3 T oil to skillet; heat over medium heat. Add onion and peppers; sauté until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in garlic. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

4. Place tomato strips atop onion-pepper mixture in skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover skillet; cook over low heat until tomatoes begin to juice, about 5 minutes. Uncover; baste vegetables in skillet with juices. Boil until juices are almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Transfer 1/3 of onion-pepper-tomato mixture to 2 1/2-quart pot; sprinkle with 1 T parsley. Top with half of eggplant and half of zucchini then, remaining onion-pepper-tomato mixture; sprinkle with 1 T parsley. Layer remaining eggplant and zucchini over; sprinkle with 1 T parsley.

6. Cover; simmer over low heat 10 minutes. Uncover; tilt pot and baste with accumulated juices. Increase heat to medium; simmer uncovered, basting several times with pan juices until only 2 to 3 T juices remain in pot, watching closely to avoid scorching, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.

Yields 8 servings. Serving size: 1 cup. Nutritional content: 152 Calories, 12.05g fat, 1.75g protein, 11.15g carbohydrates, 3.17g fiber, 440g sodium. *Can be made 8 hours ahead of time. Cool slightly, cover then, chill. Serve at room temperature or rewarm over medium-low heat before serving.

For The Love Of Chutney!

Life Changing Peach Chutney Recipe

from Canadian Living.com

Add cardamom as a secret ingredient!

Servings: 8 cups (2 L)

2 tsp (10 mL) vegetable oil

2 cups (500 mL) chopped onions

1 tbsp (15 mL) yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp (5 mL) each ground ginger, cinnamon and salt

1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cloves

1/4 tsp (1 mL) each hot pepper flakes and pepper

8 cups (2 L) sliced peeled peaches

2-1/2 cups (625 mL) granulated sugar

1 cup (250 mL) golden raisins

1 cup (250 mL) cider vinegar

PREP

heat oil over medium heat; cook onions, mustard seeds, ginger, cinnamon, salt, cloves, hot pepper flakes and pepper, stirring often, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
Add peaches, sugar, raisins and vinegar; bring to boil, stirring. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, uncovered and stirring often, until reduced to 8 cups (2 L) and thick enough to mound on spoon, 1 hour.
Pour into four 2-cup (500 mL) sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) headspace. Seal with prepared discs and clean bands. Process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes; transfer to rack to let cool. Store in cool dark place for up to 1 year.
Additional Information
Tip: Here's how to peel a large amount of peaches: with slotted spoon, lower a few peaches at a time into a pot of boiling water; blanch until skin starts to peel away, about 30 seconds. Submerge immediately in bowl of ice water until cool enough to handle; peel off skin.