sarah's sustainable life

after a brief hiatus for family illness, i was inspired to write today about a new and exciting development in south central texas. greenling is an organic, local, and sustainable grocery supplier that offers free delivery in certain areas, and san antonio just joined the list!!
the following is a clip from greenling.com:

how it works:
1. Shop
Shop just like you would at the grocery store! You can click on any product you want and add it to your basket. Before or after, you can create an account by giving us delivery and billing information.
2. Confirm your delivery
If you’ve ordered before you can check out with just 1 click. Otherwise simply review your order and confirm when you’d like it delivered.
3. Enjoy!
We bring the freshest, local and/or Organic food right to your door. If you like your schedule and baskets, you’re done! Greenling’s Organic goodness will keep coming to your door on the weeks you picked. If you want to mix it up, just come back to www.Greenling.com and make your changes. That’s it. Really. And of course we have our 100% satisfaction guarantee so never worry about anything not being up to your standards.

check out the website!! i definitely plan on using this awesome service!

as the past few weeks have reminded me, there are times in life when you just need a brownie. i am sharing with you today what i make when i want to eat junk and not feel like junk. i hope you enjoy it as much as my family does- and i guarantee, no one will EVER know these are vegan and fairly healthy!!

1cup organic, unbleached all-purpose flour
1cup evaporated cane juice
1/3cup dutch process cocoa powder
1T ground flax meal
1/4tsp baking soda
pinch each salt & cinnamon
1/4cup canola oil
1/2cup coffee, brewed and cooled
1tsp real vanilla

preheat oven to 350. whisk together dry ingredients. combine wet ingredients in a blender and pulse together, then gently mix into the dry. spread into a lightly greased, square baking dish. bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes, depending on how “done” you like your brownies.

these savory muffins are so easy, i just couldn’t give them up when i gave up animal products. SO, i veganized them!!;) but they remind me of when i first got married and was just learning to cook; pretty much all recipes had to be this simple. throwback breakfast muffins will leave you plenty of time to spend with your family on a saturday morning!

1/2 cup Daiya cheddar style shreds
1 3/4cups heart healthy bisquick
1cup unsweetened soymilk
1/2tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup smart deli ham flavored slices, chopped finely

preheat oven to 400. combine all ingredients. mix well and use an ice cream scoop to fill 9 greased muffin tins half full. bake 12-15minutes, until baked through. enjoy hot with some fruit and coffee.

today i would like to share with you two of my favorite sweeteners and why they are nutritionally and culinarily superior to their traditional counterparts. first the dry sweetener!

stevia vs. sugar: we’ve all used white sugar, and we all know how bad it can be for your teeth, hips, and mood. as an added yuck factor, white sugar is quite often processed with animal bones for whitening purposes, and is not most technically vegan. stevia, on the other hand, is an herbal sweetener from a leaf. it has been used for centuries on other continents not as a sweetener, but as an herbal supplement. (the sweetness is just a great bonus for those of us who grew up with sugar on everything.) it has no calories and does not effect blood sugar levels.in its most unprocessed form (if you decide to grow the leaves yourself), stevia can be a little bitter, but luckily there are many brands available at well-stocked supermarkets that are “debittered” and even measure cup for cup like sugar, for easy replacement in your recipes. my favorite brand: stevia in the raw, from the makers of sugar in the raw. i’ve talked about this product before and stand by it still. fairly inexpensive and perfect for any situation calling for a dry sweetener – you will not regret this switch over!!

but what if you need a liquid sweetener?

agave nectar vs. honey: oh, honey. you have had your day! there are unique antibiotic properties to raw honey, and it has a great culinary history. having stated that, have you ever tried to cook with honey? it’s IMPOSSIBLE! you have to melt it or mix it with something boiling, then cool it down to incorporate it into the rest of the recipe. on top of that, it has essentially the same effect on your blood sugar levels (and hips) that white sugar has. (and containing little bits of bee legs makes it NOT AT ALL vegan!!) but what could possibly replace this ancient essential in your kitchen pantry? AGAVE NECTAR!! a natural product squeezed from the agave plant, this syrup has a very low glycemic index (i.e., it enters the blood stream slowly so as to avoid a spike in blood sugar) AND mixes easily into any temperature recipe! in fact, i have seen alton brown on good eats say he is stirring in honey, but actually use a bottle of agave nectar!! if you are a first time user of agave nectar, make sure you go for the lighter liquid, as the raw, dark nectar has a very distinct flavor. (on the other hand, if you are accustomed to heavier tasting honeys, you may want to go right for the raw.) agave nectar can be very expensive. i tend to buy the type i can get in bulk at my local market, but have occasionally found a large bottle on sale at whole foods for a reasonable price.

i hope you are encouraged to get out of your old sweetener rut and try something new. your teeth, hips, and mood will testify to the superiority of these products – i promise!!

i kind of cheated on this one. asparagus really doesn’t come into season until the spring, and should only be eaten at its peak; BUT, my sister called this week and asked for a good dairy-free asparagus recipe. SO, here you are;roasted sesame asparagus! a great way to introduce skeptics to the amazingly nutritious veggie.

1lb fresh thin asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
1/3cup Bragg ginger sesame vinaigrette
pinch sea salt

preheat oven and stone pan to 375. bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop asparagus in for about a minute. strain out and rinse with cool water. (you have just blanched the asparagus – hooray!) place the prepared asparagus into a large plastic ziptop bag and pour in vinaigrette. toss to coat. pour out onto prepared baking stone and sprinkle with just a little salt. bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until asparagus just begins to brown. serve hot.

*calcium, iron, vitamins A&C, fiber, what doesn’t this veggie do? i have long considered it should be among those counted as super foods!

i know, it’s winter, but it still feels like fall in south texas! this is one of my favorites all year round, but is particularly delicious and practical when apples are in season. today’s recipe: autumn bake!

1 carrot, 1 tart apple, and one sweet apple, all grated
1/2cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/4cup molasses
2T agave nectar
1tsp lemon juice
2T canola oil
pinch each of salt and cinnamon

preheat oven to 350. mix carrot, apples, and coconut in a lightly oiled baking dish. whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over veg/fruit, tossing lightly to coat well. bake in preheated oven for about 30minutes. delicious!!

i have to admit, i hate to cook for myself. raising josiah, working, and being married to a youth minister, i don’t want to take the time to cook a separate meal for myself three times a day. and though prepackaged food gets such a bad rap, i have no choice, right? not so fast! after many years of searching the shelves, i have found a few brands of convenience health foods with a great tasting variety of vegan options. today, i will share with you my lazy vegan fare secrets, so that you too can occasionally free yourself from cooking without feeling guilty about the quality or price of the food.

Amy’s kitchen – this line of frozen foods carries everything from scrambled tofu and black bean burritos to pad thai and tamales. i can get the complete meals for just under three dollars a piece at my local markets. my favorites: Non-Dairy Rice Crust Cheeze Pizza & Indian Vegetable Korma

dr. mcdougall’s right foods – this stuff is about as healthy as food can get, and as convenient as tapping into your hot water dispenser. not as varied as amy’s kitchen, dr. mcdougall specializes in soups and oatmeal. if this doesn’t sound appealing, you need to check out the website and see the delicious varieties that are available. my favorites: Vegetarian Chicken Flavor Pilaf Big Cup and Curry with Brown & Wild Rice Fruited Pilaf Big Cup

lightlife – apart from having delicious bacon and hot dog replacers (for those days you just want everyone in the family to be eating the same meal), lightlife has some heat and eat options that, flavor and texture wise, just can’t be beat! my favorites: smart BBQ & smart chili.

kashi – who doesn’t love kashi cereals and snacks? did you know they have also introduced a line of frozen entrees that, though not nearly all vegan, have some very healthy and DELICIOUS options?! check out your freezer section, and specifically hunt out the tuscan veggie bake and the mayan harvest bake – such exciting choices!

some people are shocked to learn that a vegan (such as i ) would choose a rueben as her favorite sandwich, but it’s true!! the classic reuben is an incredible combination of flavors and textures, but is chock full of saturated fat and cholesterol. what’s a health conscious girl to do? make a new one!! this week’s recipe, reuben nuevo, has it all: sweet, sour, spicy, salty, crunchy, tender, EVERYTHING you could want in a sandwich! i encourage you to try it as is, but if you feel that you NEED cheese, go ahead and indulge.

spray oil (i like canola)
2 slices marble rye
5slices smart bacon
2Twater, 1Tsoy sauce, 1Tvegan Worcestershire sauce
1/4cup sweet red cabbage with apple
1T veganaise
1/2tsp chipotle hot sauce

spray bread with plenty of oil and put in your oven or toaster oven on moderate heat to brown. meanwhile, bring water with soy and Worcestershire sauce to a simmer; add smart bacon and simmer a few minutes on each side. combine veganaise with hot sauce and spread over one slice of toasted bread. top with sweet kraut and faux bacon. cover with second slice of toast and FEAST!!

this was “invented” by my great grandmother to use up leftover potatoes after the holidays. one of the few christmas time treats i grew up with that did not need to be veganized:) today’s recipe: potato candy! my inexpensive, easy vegan answer to fudge at this time of year.

2cups leftover mashed potatoes*
1lb powdered sugar
creamy peanut butter

whip together potatoes and enough powdered sugar to make a semi-stiff dough. roll out into a large rectangle 1/4 inch thick, then spread over with a good layer of peanut butter. starting at the long end, roll up into a tight log, then cut into little pinwheels.

*make sure the potatoes are as plain as possible (i.e., no garlic, cheese, or any other funky flavors to mess with the sweet).

chicken salad is such a nice, homey food, and makes a great lunch in the winter time. my version uses chicken style seiten in place of meat and some unusual additions to give amazing flavor. hope you all enjoy today’s recipe: curried “chicken” salad!

1/3cup veganaise
2tsp madras curry powder
2T mango chutney
1tsp dijon mustard
2Tchopped cashews
1scallion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1-513g package chicken style seiten, drained and chopped

combine veganaise with curry powder, chutney, mustard, cashews, and scallion. mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper. fold in seiten and chill for at least an hour to allow flavors to set. makes a great sandwich folded up in some homemade naan or on papadum crackers!

seiten is a great, low-fat, high protein meat replacement for those who may not be able to have soy.
curry spices have been prized for many years as anti-inflammatory and contributing to a healthy heart.