5-Ingredient Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese [Gluten-free]

It's my birthday! To celebrate, my sweet boyfriend surprised me with Blueberry and Corn Pancake Sandwiches with Lemony Filling. I guess he noticed me drooling over the photo of them in Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day as we rode home on MBTA with our vegan book swap swag.

There was definitely some food lust happening over these mini pancakes, but I didn't dream of making them myself for two reasons: Firstly, there are just way too many steps for me. I'm a "wash it, steam it, eat it" kind of gal. Secondly, it required vegan cream cheese. Ugh! I hate vegan cream cheese!

Or so I thought.

Richard was smart enough to not buy the crappy stuff in the supermarket. There are so many mysterious ingredients and it's so processed it barely feels or tastes like food. Instead he made his own in minutes in our Vitamix. What's in it?

soft tofu // cashews // sweetener // water // salt // nothing else

(Check out the full recipe on WikiHow.)

The results were super natural and super yummy! If you don't like dairy or vegan cream cheese, you'd probably like this.

I feel like a door for using cream cheese in other recipes has been opened: carrot cake frosting, between cookies, schmeared on bagels, cheese cakes, ... Okay, that's a lot of sometimes foods, but it's nice to know that sometimes foods can be made a little healthier.

Oh, semi-related: I signed up for the October Unprocessed 2013 Challenge at Eating Rules. I'm looking forward to eating less processed foods with Andrew's support and some awesome Bob's Red Mill coupons. Join me! If you're more of a voyeur, look for photos documenting my experience on Facebook and Instagram.

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RI Food Swap at Craftland on Sunday!

Calling all Rhody foodie friends: I've joined RI Food Swap to host an event at Craftland on this Sunday, September 29th 2-4pm.

The RI Food Swap is a community group that encourages the celebration, discovery and sharing of food. Here's how it works:

You arrive at a swap with edible items that you have made or grown. You leave a swap with edible items that someone else has made or grown. 

We hope this simple act of giving and receiving will connect you to the community and nourish your feelings of well-being.

Still not quite sure what a food swap looks like? Watch this video of a food swap in Portland, OR.
 
In addition to the items you'll be swapping, please bring a non-perishable item to be donated to the RI Food Bank. Also consider bringing samples of your items for taste-testing and a potluck dish to share with the group.

Wondering what to donate to RI Food Bank? Check out the food bank wish list.

As a bonus: Craftland is offering 10% off coupons to swappers! You can use them the day of the event or save them for holiday shopping.
 
I'm really looking forward this food swap. It will be the first one I've ever been to. I'm baking vegan cookies. I hope to find some delicious savory treats, like soup.

Have you ever been to a food swap? You can learn more about them and how to create one in your neighborhood at foodswapnetwork.com.

RSVP for Craftland food swap via Facebook (optional)

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The Safest Cookware: 3 Alternatives to Teflon

A study commission by The Environmental Working Group (EWG) suggest that nonstick pots and pans coated in Teflon can be dangerous to our health and the health of our pets.

The synthetic chemicals that make up Teflon (called PFTE) are released into the air when nonstick cookware is overheated. These toxic fumes may kill pet birds and cause people to develop flu-like symptoms (called "Teflon Flu" or "Polymer fume fever").

The chemicals that make up Teflon belong to the perfluorinated (PFC) family. The EWG reports that PFCs have been found in nearly all Americans. They are associated with smaller birth weight and size in newborn babies, elevated cholesterol, abnormal thyroid hormone levels, liver inflammation and weakened immune defense against disease.

Teflon manufacturers DuPont claim the chemical coated cookware is safe because normal cooking temperatures aren't high enough to release toxic fumes. Even according to the data shared by EWG, it does look like you need to reach some pretty high temperatures for the chemicals to become airborne. Still, these temperatures aren't exactly uncommon. I know I have accidentally burned pots by using the wrong burner or forgetting about a pan that I was preheating.

What are we supposed to do about this? Besides becoming raw vegans, we can swap our Teflon cookware for safer options.

At my house we use stainless steel cookware. I bought this set of T-fal copper bottomed stainless-steel cookware on Amazon pretty much as soon as I learned Teflon was dangerous. I've had it for about three years and I'm really happy with my purchase. The one weird thing is the large frying pan doesn't have a lid to fit it but besides that it's great. Things do stick to it, but I know several ways to clean food stuck to pans, so it's not a problem.

Image via Serious Eats

We also use four cast iron pots and pans. One is a ceramic coated cast iron dutch oven pot (similar to this one). It's perfect for lentil chili! We have two preseasoned Lodge frying pans. We use the large skillet for sauteed veggies, tofu scramble, and deep dish pizza. My boyfriend uses the mini skillet for his omelets and fried eggs. We also use a Lodge grill pan to make awesome sandwiches and hot dogs. It's really easy to care for cast iron cookware.

Another healthy cookware option is Xtrema 100% ceramic cookware. I don't have any personal experience with this type of cookware but consumer product toxins watchdog Debra Lynn Dadd offered a video testimonial for Xtrema cookware's safety. Sadly, the Xtrema Skillet reviews on Amazon weren't very good. The Xtrema saucepan had only one Amazon review but the customer seemed happy with it. Still, I'd like to buy some of their bakeware to replace my old nonstick cupcake and loaf pans based on Debra's recommendation.

Would you rather not sautee your organic kale over toxic chemicals? Does the information about Teflon freak you out? What kind of cookware do you like?

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DIY Jojoba Oil Wood Cleaner

For the millionth time, I tip my hat to green cleaning guru Annie B. Bond. In Cleaning Problems Solved, she suggests adding a few drops of jojoba oil to 1/2 cup white vinegar to create an improved wood cleaner.

She claims there are two benefits to using jojoba oil:

1. There is no risk of it going rancid, which can't be said of vegetable and olive oils, which are in many homemade recipes (including the one I've been using).
2. It's actually a liquid wax, not an oil, so it won't be as greasy-feeling.

The more you know.

Jojoba oil is wonderful for skin. I can't wait to see what it does for my wood furniture!

Read the full article from Whole Living magazine for more tips to trick out your green cleaning routine.

Order organic jojoba oil from Mountain Rose Herbs to support this blog and earn karmic huggles.

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How to Make a DIY Swiffer Duster

I think this reusable, microfiber Swiffer duster alternative by Aimee Ray at Little Dear Tracks is brilliant. If only I had seen this before buying one. Check out her adorable pattern:

(via)

The fabric used was a microfiber fleece blanket. I've seen similar dusters made with flannel.

Let me know if you try this and how well it works.


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How to Clean a Durty Old Tub

Got an old tub so stained and grimy it's not just dirty, it's durty? Try this durty tub detox scrub. It's gentle enough to not scratch, but it's also strong enough to bleach stains without chlorine.

1. Make a paste of cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide.
2. Apply to stained tub or sink.
3. Let dry.
4. Rinse with water.
5. Repeat as necessary.

Happy bathing!

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Carrot Cake Breakfast Cereal Recipe [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Leftover rice: Great for lunch, dinner... and breakfast. Yes, IIN alum chef Andrea Beaman, the official cheerleader of whole grains, recommends eating leftover rice as part of a healthy breakfast. I am certain she was whispering in my ear with her awesome heavy NYC accent when I thought of this recipe for carrot cake breakfast cereal.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Breakfast Cereal

Source: www.oliviacleansgreen.com

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 ¹⁄₂ cup cooked, leftover brown rice
• ¹⁄₂-³⁄₄ cup coconut milk (I like unsweetened vanilla coconut.)
• 1 large carrot (shredded)
• 1 small handful raisins (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 small handful unsweetened shredded coconut (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 supershakes of cinnamon (about 1 tsp)
• ¹⁄₂ tsp almond extract
• nutmeg weeshake of
• pinch sea salt
• brown sugar or maple syrup fairy-dusting
• 12 walnuts
• 4 tsp coconut oil
• 1 banana sliced

Directions

1. Put 1/2 cup coconut milk and the next 9 ingredients (up to salt) in a medium saucepan.
2. Heat for about 7-10 minutes on low heat, until warm and the flavors combine. Stir often. Add more milk as necessary.
3. Divide into bowls and cover with toppings. Toppings (per bowl): 1 tsp coconut oil and a few crushed walnuts. Delicious with optional fairy-dusting of brown sugar or maple syrup. If you're adverse to sugar, I bet a few slices of banana would be yummy too.

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Serves two hungry people who are serious about breakfast. Can also serve up to four people who prefer a light breakfast and are somehow not concerned that lunch is 4 hours away. (You folks are as mysterious as unicorns to me, but it's all love.) This could also be served cold as a rice pudding dessert.

Let me know what you think of this if you try it. 

Also, I've just realized I'm on a mission to turn my favorite sometime foods into healthy whole grain breakfast cereals. Check out Quinoa Parading as Blueberry Pancakes.

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