We want to share with you ways to become a wiser, greener, healthier and Caring-For-ALL consumer!
**Newest tip: BEST vegan mayo: "Vegenaise" by Follow your heart; BEST vegan cheese: "Daiya"; AWESOME sunscreen: badgerbalm.com
1. Make your own cleaning products - It is amazing what you can clean with baking soda, as it cuts through grease! Mix with a little water and try it around the kitchen; you can even clean your stove! Use vinegar instead of water for a more potent product!
Clean the washing machine: with 1 quart of bleach and 1 quart of white vinegar:
Fill the empty washer with hot water, as if you're doing a large load of laundry. Add the quart of bleach, and let the full machine run for one minute to mix up the bleach with the water. Open the top of the machine and let it sit for an hour. At the end of the hour, shut the cover and let the machine run a complete cycle.
When it's done, start again. This time, when you fill the washer with hot water, add the quart of white vinegar to the water and down the bleach channel and let the machine run for a minute to agitate the water and vinegar. After that minute, open the top of the machine and again, let the hot water sit in the basin for an hour before you let the cycle complete.
2. Unclogging drains - Pour down drain 1/2 cup baking soda, followed by 1/2 cup vinegar. Cover and wait 1/2 hour. Pour a good amount of boiling water down drain and that's it!
3. Bamboo bed sheets - The greenest and most comfortable bed sheets ever! You'll find great prices at www.Wholesalebeddings.com
Also Bamboo underwears made in Quebec, Canada www.bamboounderwear.com
Also visit www.yourmoontime.com and www.boodywear.com
4. The ingredient "carmine" in lipstick and food coloring is a red pigment from beetles; fish scales are what give eye shadow shimmering effects.
5. Buy organic! 14 different pesticides were found on strawberries.
6. Many deodorants contain aluminum that gets absorbed by our body.
7. High fructose corn syrup is added to many human and pet foods to enhance taste.
8. Many chemicals and metals contaminate coffee and cosmetics.
9. Is your coffee and/or chocolate organic? Rainforest Alliance Certified? Fair Trade Certified? (If you buy Starbucks or Hershey, the answer is no.)
10. Palm oil is in most products we use everyday (breakfast cereals, cookies, cleaning supplies) and destroys rainforests.
11. Look for vegan logos on your products = no animal content, no animal testing. www.marscandykills.com; www.iamscruelty.com
12. For you and your pet, buy organic and local! No preservatives/by-products/artificial dyes/flavors/additives. Buy free-range meat and eggs or go vegan!
13. Learn about green cemeteries and why a green burial is the best way to save our planet http://www.greenburials.org/FAQ.htm
14. Ceramic frying pans are far better for your health and the health of our planet than teflon pans.
15. Recettes végétaliennes- de Ginette Larochelle, SÉSAME Amos Québec
a) Salade de fèves germées: ½ lb de fèves germées crues, ½ à 1 tasse de noix d’acajou grillées, 1 tasse de riz cuit froid, ½ lb de bébés épinards, 3 branches de céleri en tranches fines, 1/3 tasse de raisins secs Sultana, 1 tasse de champignons frais tranchés, ½ tasse d’échalottes
Vinaigrette: ¼ tasse de sauce tamari, ½ tasse d’huile, 3 à 4 gousses d’ail hachées. Laisser mariner une heure minimum. Incorporer la vinaigrette juste au moment de servir.
b) Salade de Quinoa ( ou Couscous): 1 à 1½ tasse de quinoa ou couscous cuit, ½ tasse de persil italien, ½ tasse de coriandre, 1½ tasse de pois chiches cuits ( ou 1 boîte du commerce), 1 tasse de maïs en grains frais, 1 échalotte verte, 4 concombres libanais coupés en petits cubes, 2 à 3 tomates italiennes en petits morceaux 1 à 1½ citron (en jus), 1 à 1½ lime (en jus), ¼ tasse ou plus d’huile d’olive, sel ou Herbamare au goût
CUISSON du quinoa : Bien rincer le quinoa jusqu’à ce que l’eau soit claire. (Noter que 1 tasse de quinoa cru donne 3 tasses cuit.) Porter à ébullition 1 ½ tasse d’eau pour 1 tasse de quinoa . Couvrir. Cuire à feu doux 15 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le quinoa soit tendre et le liquide absorbé. Rincer à l’eau froide et bien égoutter. Laisser refroidir.
CUISSON du couscous : ( 1 tasse de couscous cru donne 1 ½ tasse cuit). Porter à ébullition 1 2/3 tasse d’eau et ajouter 1 tasse de couscous. Couvrir. Retirer du feu et laisser absorber .Briser à la fourchette. Laisser refroidir.
c) Végépaté: 1 tasse de grains de tournesol moulues (non rôties, non salées), ½ tasse farine blé entier, ½ tasse levure alimentaire ( Engevita en flocons), 1 gros oignon haché, 2 c. à soupe jus de citron, 1 pomme de terre crue râpée, ½ tasse huile, 1 3/8 tasse eau chaude, 1/8 tasse sauce tamari, 5/8 c. à thé basilic flocons, 3/8 c. à thé thym flocons, 1/8 c. à thé sauge, ½ c. à thé sel, Poivre
N.B. les épices peuvent être changées par ¼ c. à thé cannelle et 1/8 c. à thé clou de girofle.
Verser le mélange dans un plat genre pyrex de 8 po. x 8 po. Cuire au four 1 heure à 350 degrés F.
d) Tartinade au tofu: 10 onces ( 300 gr. ) de tofu ferme, 1 carotte râpée, ¼ c. à thé de curcuma, 1 échalotte ou oignon émincé, 4 c. à table de mayonnaise végétalienne*, Sel, poivre et moutarde au goût
Emietter le tofu et mettre au robot culinaire avec les autres ingrédients . Si la mixture est trop sèche ,vous pouvez ajouter un peu plus de mayonnaise pour que le mélange se tienne bien et devienne une tartinade.
*Mayonnaise végétalienne maison: Dans un mélangeur électrique, mettre 160 mls lait soya, 160 mls huile (olive, tournesol ou autre), 5 c. à thé jus de citron et 1 c thé moutarde de dijon. Épaissir au réfrigérateur.
Réfrigérer la tartinade. Délicieux sur craquelins ou pains. Se congèle.
16. Vegan recipes
a) Easy Black Bean Soup: 1 can black beans, 1 can whole kernel corn, 1 pkg taco seasoning, 1 can tomatoes (diced, stewed, your choice). Mix all together, cook 1 hour or all day in crock pot
b) Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (or cake)
Yield: 12 muffins or one 9” cake. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease your muffin tins. In a medium size bowl, mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 ½ tsp baking soda and ½ tsp salt. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup canola oil together, then add 4 mashed bananas. Stir in ¼ cup water and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, along with 1 cup (or 2!!) of non dairy semisweet chocolate chips, and stir to mix. (add 1 cup walnut optional). Cook muffins for 20-30 min, or bake cake for about 40 minutes.
c) Queen Elizabeth Cake
Makes 10 portions; preparation 10 min; cooking 18 min.
CAKE: 375 mls (1 ½ cup) flour, 5 mls (1 tsp) baking soda, 5 mls (1 tsp) baking powder, 1 pinch salt, 250 mls (1 cup) chopped dates, 1 cup water, ¼ cup butter replacement (Earth Balance OR Smart Balance Light),1 cup sugar,1 egg*** ( replace with ½ crushed large banana OR 1tbsp ground flaxseeds in ¼ cup hot water OR “Egg Replacer”),1 tsp vanilla extract
ICING: ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup shredded coconut, 2 tbsp soy milk (SILK brand is great!), ¼ cup butter replacement
DIRECTIONS: 1. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt then put aside
2. Put dates in microwavable dish and pour in the water. Cover and microwave for 2 minutes on HI power. Let sit 10 minutes
3. In a different dish, soften butter and mix with sugar, egg replacer, vanilla and mix from # 1
4. Add # 2 to # 3 and mix until homogenous
5. In a 9 “ diameter cake dish (microwavable) , place absorbent paper at bottom and pour in cake mix. Do not cover. Cook for 14 minutes at MEDIUM-HI. At half-time, flip cake over. Let sit 10 minutes once cooked.
6. Icing: put all ingredients in microwavable dish and microwave for 2 minutes on HI, do not cover, stir at half time
7. Ice cake and else decorate cake as you wish
*CAN ALSO MAKE MUFFINS INSTEAD; BAKE IN OVEN FOR 30 MINUTES AT 350 DEGREES INSTEAD OF USING MICROWAVE; MORE BANANAS CAN BE ADDED TO TASTE