Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onions , chopped finely (about one cup)
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds , crushed (spice grinder or mortar and pestle)
• fresh ground pepper , to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup quinoa (rinsed well)
• 1 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas , drained and rinsed (or 2 cups cooked)
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or reconstituted bullion)

Directions

1. In a small stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions in olive oil for about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and salt; saute for another minute.
3. Add the quinoa and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas and broth; cover and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat to very low, cover, and cook for about 18 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water; stir occasionally.
5. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Arranged and funded by Ridgefield GVI

• FOOD

• BEER

• WINE

• MUSIC

• FARM TOURS

When: Sunday, September 12th – 4PM – 7PM

Where: 136 Lounsbury Road, Ridgefield CT

RSVP: email ridgefieldgvi@gmail.com by September 7th.

Calendula, Lavender, & Shea Butter Balm

3 oz Calendula flower infused herbal oil
1 oz Shea Butter
1/2 oz Beeswax
20 drops organic Lavender essential oil

Melt beeswax, Shea butter, and Calendula oil over a double boiler until melted.  If you don’t have a double boiler, you can do this in a glass or ceramic bowl over a pot of water.  After everything is melted together, remove from burner and mix in the Lavender oil. Quickly pour into tins or glass jars and allow to cool thoroughly before using or capping jar.  This is another great use for mason jars, but you can also get creative and use old candle jars, tea tins etc…

Enjoy.

You’ll need a glass jar.  I like the mason jars best, like a traditional canning jar.  Make sure the jar is clean and dry.  If you are picking herbs fresh, make sure to dry them out by hanging them for at least 12 hours.  If you have too much moisture in your herbs, your oil may get moldy or just go rancid.

Cut the herbs with a scissors or crush them with a spice mill or morter and pestle, and then fill the jar about 1/4 of the way.

Pour your oil (I like using hemp or olive oil) into the jar, leaving a little room at the top of the jar to help with the mixture. Screw on the lid and shake it up a bit. Place the jar in a warm, sunny windowsill and shake once or more per day. After about a month, strain the herbs out of the oil using cheesecloth, nut milk bag, a mesh paint strainer, or a fine mesh metal strainer.

Pour the clarified oil into a dark glass bottle and store in a cool dark place.  You can cover the mason jar with a towel if you can not find a dark jar.  You can also find cool bottles at yard sales and such… put a nice cork or wax seal on them and give away your oil as a gift.

Sunday, August 8
2:00-4:00 pm

School will start soon and what will be on your child’s plate? Come
ponder the issue while viewing this informative, kid-inspired movie
about healthier, fresher, and more local foods for schools and kids.
What’s On Your Plate? – a film by Catherine Gund with Sadie Hope-Gund
and Safiyah Riddle – is a witty and provocative documentary about kids
and food politics. Over the course of one year, the film follows two
eleven-year-old African-American city kids as they explore their place
in the food chain. Sadie and Safiyah talk to food activists, farmers,
and storekeepers, as they address questions regarding the origin of the
food they eat, how it’s cultivated, and how many miles it travels from
farm to fork. Sadie and Safiyah visit supermarkets, fast food chains,
and school lunchrooms. But they also check out innovative sustainable
food system practices by going to farms, greenmarkets, and community
supported agriculture (CSA) programs. They discover that these options
have a number of positive effects: they are good for the environment,
help struggling farmers survive, and provide affordable, locally grown
food to communities, especially lower-income urban families. The film
culminates with a delicious local meal cooked by the girls and friends
they have made along the way. Sadie and Safiyah formulate sophisticated
and compassionate opinions about urban sustainability, and by doing so
inspire hope and active engagement in others. Learn more about this film
at: www.whatsonyourplateproject.org

Following the film, Audubon staff and guest speakers will discuss the
status of school lunches in our region and other food-related topics
relevant to children.

Suitable for all ages. Kids are free. Suggested donation for adults:
$10. Call Jeff at 203-869-5272 x239 to sign up. Space is limited so be
sure to RSVP and save a seat.

OK.. so you love BBQ, but you are trying to keep it meat free.  Personally, I have a sensitivity to gluten, so I’ve got a meet free gluten free day ahead of me…. not so easy when you are around a bunch of folks who eat anything.  One of the things I like most about BBQ is the sweet smell of the sauce.  Here’s a way to keep it healthy and get that down to earth BBQ feeling.

Cook for at least 40 min.  I like to simmer them for at least an hour.

Killer Beans

• 1 big or 2 small cans of organic beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T dijon mustard
• 1/2 t cayenne – or – KICK IT UP and add one whole habanero pepper (don’t eat it)
• 2 t  tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
• salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything in a pot and kick back and enjoy yourself. Make a salad, have a cocktail.  When folks are chomping on greasy, factory farmed, meat… you’ll be able to feel good about the protein choice you’ve made today.

Want to learn something specific for Meatless Monday?  Let me know!

All you have to do is start adding good stuff in… your body will look for more good stuff and you start a snowball of health and living life extraordinary!

What’s a person to do?  Here are some ways to get good stuff in your body, or the body of others…

1. Spike The Punch.
   Check this out.  It works a couple ways.  Freeze coconut water as ice cubes and put them in cacao drinks, green smoothies, or make a lemon slushy!.  If you do drink, or are having a party, you can actually make a healthier margarita by using the coconut cubes instead of traditional ice.  The electrolytes in the coconut water actually help keep you hydrated and the margarita tastes good.  The flavor also goes well with rum.
2. Share The Cacao!
   It’s hard for people to grasp the concept of real, unprocessed, raw, chocolate.  This is the real deal, and when used in moderation and as a supplement in the diet it can be amazing!  You can get some amazing bars at whole foods or your local healthful store.  This is NOT ORGANIC CHOCOLATE.  This is raw chocolate.  If you want to indulge, or share a special treat with some one, give them the good stuff.  Some of my favorite chocolates are available in stores and online:
   • Gnosis Chocolate
   • The Chocolate Conspiracy
   • NibMor
3. Blend It!
   If you have been reading my blog, you know I’m a huge fan of the green smoothie.  Simply put, blending makes all the good nutrients of fruit and veggies into your system faster.  One great thing to do is take a bunch of fruit… banana, apple, strawberries, leftover fruit salad, put it in a blender and add a couple handfuls of spinach.  The smoothie will turn out green.  You can add water or ice to change the consistency, and children love the fact that it’s green…. Drink More Alien Juice!
4. Switch Out The Cow Liquid
   Replace your morning coffee cream or cereal milk with a nut or seed milk.  I’m a huge fan of almond milk and hemp milk.  Other popular milks include soy (please only buy organic soy and use it in moderation) and rice milk.  Most grocery stores now carry nut milks, and you can get creative and make your own nut milk – combine a bunch of different kind of nuts for a unique flavor!
5. Eat Old School
   Swap out your baked potato, rice, or fries with some ancient grains.  These include grains like kamut, quinoa (my personal favorite), millet, spelt etc.  Each cooks a bit differently, but all are nutrient-rich starches to go with your meals.  These are great staples to add to any diet and offer a healthier alternative to those blood sugar hell raisers our bodies are used to.

Replace the bad with the good and take one day at a time.  Your body will find balance, and you’ll wake up craving healthy food!

Here is what he has to say about Gynostemma (also known as Jiaogulan):

Gynostemma is widely believed to have the following health benefits: to slow down aging and to prevent feebleness at all ages, and in particular to prevent senility; to reduce fatigue, to increase vigor; to reduce oxygen deficiency at high altitudes; to improve digestion; to strengthen the mind; and to improve marital functions. It is also believed to help calm the nerves and to ease pain. Gynostemma is generally reinforcing to overall health, and has a strong anti-fatigue effect. It is also used as a virtual “cure-all.” To the local people who collect it wild, grow it and consume it, it is simply called “Magical Grass.”

The ultimate greatness of Gynostemma lies in its broad spectrum adaptogenic quality. It has double direction activity, and has the ability to bring balance to the body under a wide range of stressful circumstances. Constant consumption of Gynostemma tends to have a highly protective quality because it strengthens the adaptive capacity of the person at every level of their life.

Japanese studies have indicated that Gynostemma has a double-direction, regulating, adaptogenic influence on the central nervous system. It is calming when one is overexcited and stimulating when one is depressed. Japanese studies have shown that Gynostemma is clinically useful in a number of mental and neurological conditions, including simple depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.

Gynostemma contains many amino acids, vitamins and minerals that are healthful to the human body, including selenium, magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, and more.

Though Gynostemma is regarded as a tonic herb, it is also perceived by many Asian people to be a “cure all.” In China, Gynostemma is being used to treat inflammation, stop cough, as an expectorant remove sputum, to treat chronic bronchitis, and much more in actual clinical practice.

Gynostemma has developed an enormous reputation in Asia as a major aid in weight control programs. It has a double direction activity with regard to weight. It will help reduce weight in overweight people, and can help athletes, bodybuilders or excessively slim people to gain weight. As a diet herb, it helps by accelerating the body’s metabolism. It also helps adjust blood sugar and reduce blood fat. Adjusting blood sugar and blood fat are critical steps in attaining healthy metabolic function, whether one wants to lose or gain weight

It has been found that athletes who consume Gynostemma put on more lean muscle than those who do not. Athletes find that their appetites are actually improved and that assimilation is much more efficient.

Gynostemma is strengthening to the human immune system. It is used to potentiate immune response and is used to treat a wide variety of infectious conditions.

Studies into the anti-cancer activity of Gynostemma have shown a very significant (20-80%) inhibition rate on a wide range of cancer cells. Intensive studies are now being conducted into both its anti-cancer activity and its potential as an immune protection/prophylactic agent for individuals with suppressed immune systems. There is recent research indicating that Gynostemma likely prevents cells from becoming cancerous.

So drink up!

My Favorite source of gynostemma is Mountain Rose Herbs.