Spicy Peanut Pasta September 30, 2007

Cook time: 30 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

What you’ll need:

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup water

3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red peppers

8-12 ounces spaghetti

12 ounces snow peas

2-3 large carrots, shredded or peeled

What to do:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a sauce pan and mix to incorporate peanut butter. Cookover medium heat until mikxture begins to boil, stirring often. Remove from heat, set aside.

While sauce cooks, cook pasta according to package instructions. Add snow peas during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Toss with sauce and carrots to coat all of the pasta.

This is vegan and vegetarian.

Panzanella September 30, 2007

This is a great one to bring to a pot luck, or on a lovely afternoon picnic. Everyone loves it!

Prep time: 30 minutes

Step #1: Basil Vinagrette

Combine the following:

2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

6 oz red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup chopped fresh basil

Salt and pepper

Step #2: Salad

Combine the follwing:

6-7 cubed roma tomatoes

Jar of roasted red peppers, cut into very thin strips

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Crusty italian bread, cut into one-inch cubes, toasted for about 10-15 minutes, or till lightly brown and crispy

Torn basil leaves

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

Step #3: Combine

Pour the vinagrette over the salad, and it’s ready for eating!! This one’s vegan and vegetarian.

Mango-Pea Salad September 30, 2007

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Step #1: Cook

Cook 2 cups peas, adding 3 cups bean sprouts during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain; douse with ice water to halt cooking process.

Step #2: Combine

Combine peas and bean sprouts with:

2 mangos, diced

2 bunches (about 1cup) green onions, chopped

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Step #3: Dressing

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Step #4: Combine

Pour the dressing over the vegetable mixture, and mix it up. Voila! Vegetarian and vegan salad goodness!

How To Be Green September 25, 2007

We all share this planet, and it’s our responsibility to keep it alive. Irreparable damage has already been done. Species extinct. Habitats destroyed. It’s sad that we as a species have allowed this to happen. But now that we’re educated and wise enough to appreciate the wrongs of the past, we don’t have to stand by while these things continue. We can make a commitment, however small, to put an end to the destruction. It’s up to us! Here are a few recommendations and additional resources to make our planet more healthy.

• Support small farms – buy produce at farmer’s markets (what a lovely afternoon activity!!), and buy organic produce that’s not mass produced. For a clever skit on small farms, check out http://www.themeatrix1.com/
• Buy organic!! Foods, juices, coffee/tea, products. Your body will thank you, and so will the earth.  
• Promote animal rights by purchasing cruelty-free (& organic!) bath and body care products at places like the body shop, and even the bath and body care sections at Whole foods & Trader Joe’s. For a full listing of companies that don’t test on animals: http://www.caringconsumer.com/pdfs/companiesDontTest.doc
• Take reusable shopping bags to the supermarket. It’s seriously the new trend.
• Cut down on animal products in your diet- meats, poultry, eggs, dairy, gelatin products, seafood. If you’re even considering it, go vegetarian or vegan!! Give it a shot and see how you do. Vast resources are used in maintaining livestock – land, water, resources for producing food that the livestock eats. Imagine if all these resources were put directly into human food production….farming would be far more efficient. And don’t get me started on seafood…one scary statistic from a marine bio course I took was that for every 1 pound of seafood that is caught and retained for food, 4 POUNDS OF BY-CATCH ARE CAUGHT. By-catch is sea animals that are caught, die, and get thrown back into the sea because they’re not “useful” to us.
• Walk or ride your bike to places close to you – be active, save money on gas, and reduce emissions
• Carpool
• Looking for a new vehicle? Get a hybrid. Drive a hummer? Get a hybrid! We’ve heard the buzz about hybrid gas mileage not living up to what was originally advertised, but it’s still more economical than other vehicles. Plus, in some states, hybrid car owners can get a special sticker that allows them to drive in the carpool lane without a passenger!
• Are you a homeowner? Look into getting solar panels- produce your own energy, and get paid for it!
• Turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth! Talk about an easy way to save water…
• Recycle, recycle, recycle! Mammy doesn’t have a recycling bin at her apartment complex…so she uses the ones at the houses across the street :) Make it work! 
• Support eco-friendly companies, and companies that contribute to environmental causes. Check out this NewsWeek article for some examples: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10020271/site/newsweek/  or if you wanna be more hardcore, check out this really innovative site that “grades” companies of all sorts based on their environmental impact, supporets of social justice, community involvment and consideration of animal and human rights: http://www.betterworldshopper.org/idea.html 

There are a lot of us on this earth. If we each do a little bit, we can do a lot.  

For more tips…http://www.treehugger.com/