Chik’n Qorn Chowder

As you may know from reading my blog I generally try to stay physically fit. I enjoy running and weight lifting and eating a healthy plant-based diet. I get plenty of nutrients from my food because my workouts are pretty moderate. My husband on the other hand has been doing P90x. With a workout this extreme and his interest in building muscles he wanted to start increasing his protein and decreasing his carbs. Our meals are predominately low-fat vegan, but I was able to rustle up a delicious vegetarian chowder with lots of healthy proteins. The soup was delicious and filling and will provide some great fuel for his workouts. The base of this chowder is Quinoa, a complete protein and has plenty of lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair. To that I added Qorn Naked Chik’n Cutlets which are made from mycoprotein, feta cheese and hard boiled cage-free eggs. Several cups of leafy greens, some garlic and cayenne pepper and you’ve got one light and delicious one-pot vegetarian meal. My husband loved it, but said next time he would add onions or leeks, mushrooms and would scramble the eggs in the boiling soup rather than topping with hard boiled (a la egg drop soup). This soup is great because you can really substitute and omit ingredients to fit what you’ve got in your pantry. No Chik’n cutlets in the freezer? Just toss in some black beans. Vegan? Leave out the cheese and eggs. Want more Southwestern? Use a fresh jalapeno and add some frozen corn. You can really work this soup in so many delicious ways that the basic recipe can keep you full and body building all winter long.

Chik’n Qorn Chowder

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons of cumin

1 tablesp0on of lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (or 3 tablespoons of the gel stuff in the tube if you can’t find fresh)

1 cup of quinoa

2 Qorn Naked Chik’n Cutlets (1/2 box), chopped

3 Cups of Spinach (1 bag)

3 tablespoons of pickled jalapeno (I didn’t have any fresh on hand, but that would be delicious).

2 Tablespoons of EVOO (olive oil)

8 Cups of Water

4 eggs, hardboiled and diced

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Get Cookin:

1. First we’ll need to cook the eggs and the Quinoa, separate but simulataneously to speed things along for a weeknight dinner). Rinse your qinoa in a fine strainer, then add to large stock pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and once boiling simmer for 10-15 minutes. The quinoa shells will pop off leaving the transulucent grains behind as they expand. Also, boil enough water to cover your eggs in a small saucepan. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the eggs for 10-15 minutes. The eggs and the quinoa should finish up around the same time.

2. Drain the eggs and set aside to cool for peeling. Drain the quinoa and reserve the cooking water in a separate bowl. Add additional water until the cooking water measures 6 cups.

3. Heat the olive oil in the stock pot and add the garlic and jalapeno. (add leeks/onions/mushrooms now if you plan to use them). Sautee for about 30 seconds or until the garlic begins to brown. Add the chopped pieces of chik’n cutlets and continue to sautee until those begin to brown (about 5 minutes). If the mixture begins to stick add a tablespoon or two of the reserved cooking water at a time to release.

4. Add in the cumin and cayenne and the remaining reserved cooking water and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add in the quinoa and spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted, around 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and feta cheese. Top with the diced, hard-boiled eggs, a splash of lime juice, a dash of cumin and cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.

Freight Farms: Grow Fresh Food in Any Environment

My November project on Kickstarter has been funded; hooray!  Now, time to look forward to December. For next month I’ve selected another food/urban farming related project, but this time it is a bit more techy.

This project is aimed at creating a portable environment that will allow people to farm in challenging environments. The creators of this project describe it as:

Freight Farms are modular, expandable, portable crop production units that can quickly and easily grow food ANYWHERE.  They have the ability to quickly expand critical access to high volumes of fresh food and create local economies that can empower communities to eliminate the urban food desert problem in a sustainable and profitable manner.

Freight Farms are easy to use systems that increase local fresh food access, create a local food economy, keep money in the community and decrease carbon footprint.  The system is designed to be largely self sustained with rainwater reclamation and a full filtration system to supply the necessary water. The electrical use is minimized by the system design and high efficiency components and will be powered by electricity from solar panels attached to the top of the freight container.  Solar energy will provide the majority of electricity while a traditional connection will allow the unit to be plugged in when/if necessary.

I think it’s a pretty rad idea and I love to back projects that help people to grow vegetables however and wherever they can. Everyone needs access to affordable, sustainable fresh produce and if my $10 can help, then I’m all for it.

Are you backing any projects this month? Do you have an idea that you are trying to get funded. Share in the comments below.

The Hamilton Crop Circle

I love Kickstarter so much that I want to share my exuberance with you each time I support a new project. I’ll try to regularly pledge my support to a project that I find personally meaningful. This time I’ve chosen to support the Hamilton Crop Circle.

This project is near and dear to my heart because it’s happening in my very own neighborhood and it supports urban gardening and sustainable food sources. The project also seeks to educate children on producing their own homegrown vegetables which could lead to a healthier lifestyle for city youth. I also love that this gives children life skills as well as providing them with safe, healthy activities that really help them to engage with their communities. There aren’t enough good things that I can say about this project, but Baltimore City really needs more opportunities to these, so I’m happy to pledge my support because I believe that every little bit really does matter and that it’s personally beneficial to focus on positive activities and energy in the city. The people of Baltimore never cease to amaze me with their ingenuity, kindness and community support; keep up the good work Hamilton Crop Circle. So reader, check out the details of the project at kickstarter or on the Hamilton Crop Circle Blog or their website; pledge your support or find a similar opportunity in your city to promote or fund. Thanks!

Kickstarter

Kickstarter first entered my vocabulary about two years ago when an acquaintance at a birthday party was telling me about her latest project and how she intended to fund it. Kickstarter is a website where entrepreneurs and artists list details about a project plan and investors have the opportunity to fund it. Everyone can pledge to get an innovative new product or a creative arts project on its feet. You can start your own project or search for new and creative ideas that inventors are hoping to launch. Kickstarter states on it’s website:

Kickstarter is the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. Every week, tens of thousands of amazing people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, technology, design, food, publishing and other creative fields.

It’s a great concept and it’s truly amazing to scan through the creative vision of so many talented, pragmatic and smart people. It really helps highlight what the world is thinking, planning and developing for the new, next thing. The interesting twist is that you must post your budget, then a countdown begins. You have a limited period of time in which to capture the attention and wallets of benefactors. If you don’t reach your funding goal then no money exchanges hands and the project is canceled.

Why is Kickstarter funding all-or-nothing?

On Kickstarter, a project must reach its funding goal before time runs out or no money changes hands. Why? It protects everyone involved. This way, no one is expected to develop a project with an insufficient budget, which sucks. Remember you set your own funding goal, so aim to raise the minimum amount you’ll need to create your vision. Projects can always raise more than their goal, and often do.

In addition, the developers often offer bonuses of everything from promotional materials like free tshirts or the product itself signed by the inventor or other enticements to those who are willing to support their dreams.

I particularly love that you can search by region to help support local artists and artisans. You can also search by project type (fashion, music, theater, etc) or even recommended, popular or recently launched. It gives consumers the power to vote with their wallets before a project even gets off the ground and that seems like a very good idea indeed. I’ll be searching and pledging my support to great designers who focus on recycled goods because that’s where my passion lies. Who or what will you find to kickstart? Leave your thoughts in the comments below including links to any really cool projects that you’d like to recommend.

PunchFork: Recipes made beautiful and easy

I love the internet for many reasons, but one of my very favorites is the access to an impossible number of recipes, often with user reviews and pictures so that I know that even I can do it. This has meant countless apps, blogs, feeds and searching to get just the recipes that I want. Then, along comes Punchfork, with its wide screen, full color, magazine-cover-worthy photos. So tempting, so convenient, so user-friendly. Recently I began using Pinterest to keep all of my favorites in a single location, which is engaging and attractive, but it’s not nearly as easy to capture my recipes as Punchfork. And let’s face it, I’m a sucker for good looks and on that front Punchfork can’t be beat. In the “About” section of the Punchfork web page the mission is clear:

Punchfork makes it easier to find the best new recipes from popular sites like 101 Cookbooks, The Pioneer Woman, Epicurious, Serious Eats, Food Network and The Kitchn. We use conversations on social networks to bring you high quality recipes that passionate cooks are talking about right now.

Even more interesting is the explanation behind how the site is powered. They use some social media wizardry to serve you up the most popular recipes from blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

These real-time updates capture the images and cooking instructions and post them on the site where users can save, by clicking a little red heart, and share by email, posting to StumbleUpon, Tweet, or even capture your own link for embedding into your personal blog and other sites. I love, love, love this concept. While I may occasionally continue to “pin” recipes that I find interesting, I’m likely to do my real searching no Punchfork.

Are you using Punchfork? If so, share your opinions in the comments below.

An Arresting Video on YouTube: How to Save the Blue Fin Tuna

A friend recently tweeted a link to this video about the decline of the Blue Fin Tuna and their possible extinction as soon as 2012:

It is an animated film that covers the decline in Blue Fin tuna stock as a result of commercial fishing, wasteful tuna farms and increasing consumption combined with the dangers of unenforced international laws. Viewing this film may just cause you to rethink your next maguro sashimi or spicy tuna roll. While we are on the brink and may already be too late to stop the extinction of the tuna, perhaps we can use this as a wake-up call to help create sustainable fishing practices, or even better increase the frequency of your vegetarian meals before the worlds fisheries face total collapse. Japan, accused of paying off countries for votes to help continue whale hunting and dolphin killing is again identified as using these tactics to buy votes from impoverished countries that are members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to allow the continued trade of the endangered fish. A dire warning comes at the end of the video letting us know that we have little time left to make a change. A link to the creator’s website appears where I was able to locate more information about the group producing the video and their cause. Here they summarize their concerns:

The Bluefin tuna is one of the largest predators of the sea, measuring well over 4 metres and weighing more than 750 kg. It’s a warm-blooded, boned fish that can swim up to 90 kilometres per hour. Annually they migrate thousands of miles, crossing the world’s oceans.

For millennia, mankind has fished for the Bluefin. Some of the traditional fishing techniques are still being used today. But commercial fishing techniques were launched in the Fifties. Ever since, Bluefin tuna stocks have been reduced by 97%. And more fishing vessels are being built right now. Almost every country in the Meditteranean is hunting Bluefin tuna.

International laws dictate that a Bluefin has to weigh at least 30 kg before slaughter, guaranteeing at least one reproduction cycle. That’s because a tuna is sexually active from 5 years of age. But in reality the tunas are secretly caught and fattened in farms.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is setting higher fishing quotas than their own scientists advise. And specialists estimate that the real Mediterranean catch is four times the maximum quota. The main reason is because there is almost no enforcement of the international fishing laws, and most of the catches are illegal.

Sushi is the main reason the Bluefin is facing extinction. By far the biggest market for the Bluefin is Japan. Maguro sushi is extremely popular with the Japanese, while the use of Bluefin is a trend. Because up until 20 years ago Bluefin was considered unclean.

Recently, one single Bluefin clocked in at 300,000 euro. The less Bluefin tunas that are left in the oceans the more they will cost. This is also known as the economies of extinction, and is bringing the species on the verge of extinction.

Chances are that the last wild Bluefin tuna will die in 2012. If the Bluefin becomes extinct, it could have a major impact on the fragile ecosystems of our oceans. These ecosystems absorb most of the global warming and gives us up to 80% of our oxygen.

If the oceans die, we die.

How do they plan to change the world? They are collecting monetary and donations of equipment that they can use to intervene in illegal poaching activities. Their plan? “The U.N. World Charter for Nature enables individuals or groups of people to act when there is no enforcement of the international fishing laws. Here lies our focus.”  Here is their wishlist:

Their methods may seem extreme, but so is the danger we face if our ecosystem becomes even more unbalanced due to the extinction of the Blue Fin Tuna. I plan to do my part by eliminating tuna from my diet completely and urging my friends and family to do the same. What will you do to help?

Shop Local: Patterson Park Flea Market & Craft Fair in Baltimore, MD on May 14, 2011

If you live in the Baltimore-Washington area and have ever been interested in viewing my items in person, there is an excellent opportunity this weekend. I’ll be peddling my wares at the Patterson Park Flea Market & Craft Fair. I’ll bring all of the vintage and refashioned goodies from my Etsy shop and sell them at my booth, just look for the large SerendipiT sign. I’ll even have goodies that I haven’t had the opportunity to list in my store, like recycled tshirt tote bags, hats and more. This event will kick off Saturday morning at 9am and last until 3pm and you can find us near Lombard Street and Patterson Park Avenue, by the White House and Fountain.

The Spring 2011 Patterson Park Flea Market and Craft Fair will be presented by the Butchers Hill Association on Saturday, May 14, 2011 from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM.� The event is located in the northwest part of Baltimore�s Patterson Park near familiar landmarks � the Pagoda, the Marble Fountain, and the White House.� Vendors and buyers will enjoy a great outdoor setting, live band music, and picnic food and beverages offered by Butchers Hill.

We hope that you’ll join us in this 20-year-plus flea-market tradition, either as a vendor selling �fleas,� both old and new, or crafts, creations, and other valuables, or by kicking back for a day of fun and bargain-hunting.

So come out and enjoy Baltimore in Spring, shop for some local handmade crafts and unique vintage finds and be sure to stop by and say, Hi!”.

Stuff I Love: Paper Made from Poo!

Yes, you did read that correctly. I am referencing paper recyled from excrement. Ewwww…. Well, The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company has a cute little slogan that reads, “We take the OO out of Poo”. This paper has been crafted from the undigested plant fibers left behind by elephants. It’s allowed to dry, cleaned and then made into paper. According to their website, they can make 25 large sheets of paper from a single elephant dropping. In addition, their website gives great elephant facts, including this one:

Did You Know? – Surprising Facts About Elephants

~ Elephants eat 300 – 600 lb (130 – 270 kg) of food per day – 60% of that food leaves the elephant’s body undigested.

 I love this product because it’s unique, sustainable and helps endangered elephants while creating a useful and attractive final product. The line of safari and sea life paper products are adorable! The best thing is that by developing the recycled poo paper industry they are contritubting to the welfare of elephants:

 

Basically, our sustainable cycle works like this: as with all creatures on our planet, elephants need a clean environment and a good diet. With these needs met, an elephant produces a lot of dung, which we collect and use to make our products. We work with various conservation parks (and mahouts) to gather the dung (which is full of fibrous material and makes great paper). We then process the dung into paper sheets from which our productsare made. The more we sell to customers like you and to stores across the country and around the world …the more we can contribute as a portion of the profits from each item you buy is contributed to elephant welfare and conservation programs!

What a great cause! They also offer fundraising for clubs, associations and environmental groups. So, embrace the poo, it may just be the paper of the future.

SerendipiT Donating 100% of Sale Proceeds to Japanese Aid Organizations

Spring Cleaning Time Again: DIY Natural All-Purpose Cleaner Recipes

This weekend is spring cleaning time again around my house.  As you may have read in previous posts I try to use inexpensive, effective and natural cleaners wherever possible. I swear by vinegar for cleaning counter tops, stainless steel and cutting boards, but when it comes to all purpose cleaners for bathrooms, floors, etc. I have a new recipe:

All-Purpose Cleaner

1/2 Gallon of Water

2 tsp Borax

1/2 C vinegar

As for everything in the bathroom, when in doubt, just use borax. It’s abrasive and natural and leaves everything clean, shiny and fresh. I sprinkle some around inside my toilet and let it sit while I clean, then I just use my little scrubby brush and voila! It’s clean and fresh! Essentially, some mixture of vinegar, borax and water can clean anything in your house. If you have stains and you need some abrasive, just add the borax.  For dusting, cleaning wood floors and furniture polish though I recommend buying. I use Method’s Wood for Good because it removes scratches and leaves everything smelling almondy and rich,  but there are lots of healhty and natural options out there. You can even use a bit of olive oil and lemon juice to make a good wood cleaner/polisher if you want. I don’t have to use it enough to be concerned about the economic impact of my wood cleaner because I use mostly all-purpose cleaner around my home. What about you? What natural and/or DIY cleaners do you use around your home? Do you have any great recipes to share? If so, leave them in the comments below.  Happy Cleaning!