Hello to all of you now numbering 15, yea!

This great note was sent by a Heavenly Body and I enjoyed it so much I just copied it to share. Thanks SD.

Thanks Elin... will be receiving Forks cookbook soon and got couple other vegan cookbooks that I’m trying out. My favorite so far is Vegan Indian Cooking, by Anupy Singla. Finding spices make a difference in adding variety to eating vegetables and want to try more tofu... Indian food makes tofu palatable for me. Made “Mock Egg Salad” with tofu, celery, carrots, cumin, turmeric, from this cookbook... recipe calls for vegan mayonnaise which has sunflower oil in it. Really good with baked Mi Abuelita corn tortilla chips and on toast. Trying Spiced Spinach with “paneer” next... she bakes tofu to use instead of paneer cheese.

Continue to make a pot of French lentils once a week and add to salads and wraps. Another thing I make once a week and eat when need something sweet is Thai Jasmine rice, 1/2 cup rice to 1 cup almond milk, with raisins... topped it with mango the other night for a version of Thai sticky rice. Have been eating lots of mangos and blueberries so appreciate recipes you sent. Also make banana smoothies for dessert using bananas, almond milk, and ground flax seeds.

Made oil free Rosemary and Black Olive bread yesterday... calls for applesauce instead of oil. Its pretty good but still a little on the dry side... will be good toasted with hummus. Made blueberry muffins with no oil and had to throw them out... couldn’t get the paper off of them. haha. Its all a process! Will be getting a slow cooker to use in Indian food recipes as well as recipes from Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cookingcookbook. Having fun experimenting!

String Beans with Potatoes: vegan, oil free

1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 medium red or yellow onion, diced

1 inch size piece of ginger root, peeled and minced

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

1/4 cup water, add more as needed

4 cups string beans, 1/2 inch size

1/2 serrano chili, seeds removed [recipe calls for 1-2 chiles! use to your taste]

1/2 tsp cayenne or red chili powder

In deep pan stir fry cumin seeds and turmeric in water... calls for oil but water works fine.

Add onion, ginger root, garlic, cook for 2 min, add a little water as needed

Add potato and cook for for another 2 min, stirring constantly

Add string beans, cook for 2 min, adding water as needed

Add chiles, red pepper powder

Reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 15 minutes, until beans and potato are soft.

Serve with white or brown rice. Can stuff inside pita topped with onions and tomatoes for quick lunch. Good cold too as part of a salad.

Happy cooking!

(Comment about muffin papers.... I had the same problem. The second time, I formed the whole dough into a rounds and cut it like a pizza giving me wedges similar to a scone. Spread them out on parchment paper and baked them that way. Worked. Elin)

*****************************************************************************************************

I made the Cinnamon Vanilla Sunflower Butter but changed the oil to 1/8 cup veggie stock. Could also just use some water.

Cinnamon Vanilla Sunflower Butter Recipe

This one is for my sister - a lifelong sunflower seed enthusiast. I flipped to page 205 of Marisa McClellan's new book, Food in Jars, and there it was - a recipe for homemade Cinnamon Vanilla Sunflower Butter. Here's the thing - if you have sunflower seeds, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla bean paste (or pods), you can make it right now. It takes next to no time. As I'm sure you can imagine - it's perfect on good toast. But you can also thin it out to the consistency of (a sweet) tahini - great with apples or pears, or as a component on grilled sandwiches.

This sunflower seed butter calls for what might seem like a lot of cinnamon (and vanilla bean paste, for that matter). Have faith, it all works out nicely. I've made this a few times now, and will work in a few extra notes and suggestions in the recipe.

I'd love to know if you guys make it - and if so, what you do with it.
And huge congrats on the new book Marisa, I've enjoyed your site for a long time.

Cinnamon Vanilla Sunflower Butter

Finding raw sunflower seeds can sometimes be tricky or inconvenient. I've had success using bags of roasted/salted seeds, and roasted/unsalted seeds as well. If your seeds are already salted, leave out the salt called for in the recipe - instead, salt to taste. If your seeds are already roasted, skip that step. I also like to pulse in a bit of lemon zest toward the end here for a bit of edge, so I've added that as an option as well.

2 cups / 225 g raw sunflower seeds
*1/4 cup / 60 ml sunflower oil, divided ( I used veggie stock)
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, plus more as needed

2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste (or seeds scraped from 2 plump vanilla beans)

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
zest of 1/2 a lemon, or to taste

Toast the sunflower seeds in a 325F / 165C oven, on a rimmed baking sheet, until fragrant and golden. You'll want to stir them once or twice along the way to ensure even roasting. Let cool for ten minutes.

Puree the seeds in a food processor along with 1 tablespoon sunflower oil,* ( veggie stock) and the sea salt. As the motor runs drizzle in another 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil. Scrape down the sides once or twice along the way, you're aiming for an even, creamy consistency, and it may take some time. Once the mixture starts to look smooth, add the vanilla paste and cinnamon, and pulse to incorporate. At this point, evaluate the consistency, if your sunflower seed butter is on the thick side, drizzle in the remaining tablespoon of oil while the processor is running. Taste, and add more salt if needed (and the lemon zest. if using), as well. Makes about 1 1/2 cups / 380 g.

Adapted slightly from Marisa McClellan's Food in Jars. Running Press 2012. 101 Cookbooks http://www.101cookbooks.com/

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/cinnamon-vanilla-sunflower-butter-recipe.html

Heather's Quinoa Recipe

If you don't have the time or inclination to roast cherry tomatoes, substitute some chopped, moist, sun-dried tomatoes. Vegans can leave out the Parmesan in the pesto and make it more of a basil-nut drizzle - still tasty, and a good fit for this recipe.

a splash of extra-virgin olive oil. (veggie stock for those no oil folks)
a pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 shallot, minced
3 cups cooked quinoa* (or brown rice, or other grain)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen. ( fresh white corn - super)
1 1/2 cups kale, spinach or other hearty green, finely chopped. (used rainbow chard)
2 cups extra-firm nigari tofu, browned in a skillet a bit
1/3 cup pesto. (substitute pine nuts with tahini and oil with veggie stock and no cheese)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes** (or chopped sun-dried tomatoes)

In a big skillet or pot heat the olive oil and salt over medium-high heat. Stir in the shallot and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the cooked quinoa and corn and cook until hot and sizzling. Stir in the kale and then the tofu, cooking until tofu is heated through. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the pesto and pumpkin seeds. Mix well so the pesto is spread throughout. Turn everything out onto a platter and top with the cherry tomatoes.

Serves 4 - 6.

*Rinse about 2 cups quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa and 4 cups water until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

** To roast cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to 350F degrees. Cut each tomato in half and arrange in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together a big splash of olive oil, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt - pour this over the tomatoes. Gently toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated, finishing with each tomato facing cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for 45 mintutes or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/heathers-quinoa-recipe.html

*********************************************************************************************************

I watched two movies this week about food. Chow Down followed 3 people who told their story about changing to healthy eating. One woman in the movie sat at her dining table with her two teen kids and husband telling them that she had been diagnosed with diabetes. Although they promised to help her at the beginning, she ended up making all the foods that contributed to her diabetes for her family and then tried to eat sensibly for herself. After loosing weight and getting her blood sugar down she gave up.

All of this reminded me how important it is to get support. If it is not family, then there are on line groups who can support our journey. Some of you are single which means that food is just for you and some of you make a recipe and freeze a portion for later. I find it is always helpful to have ingredients made ahead of time to stave off the hunger / grab anything moments. Some have growing families. It is a battle to promote good food when they watch all the ads for the food that will eventually make them sick. McDonald's has a Happy Meal...Where's the Kid's Healthy Meal ? From 1980 through 2010, the crude prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased by 176% (

Healthy Living

According to the CDC, 1 in 3 children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. The American Diabetes Association is working to reverse this staggering statistic.

There are several factors that increase a person’s risk for type 2 diabetes. Some, like genetics and ethnicity, you can’t change. But you can change others, like physical inactivity or eating high calorie foods with low nutritional value.

Teachers have the attention of their students which creates an opportunity to reach children and help them understand the importance of healthy behaviors to help them prevent overweight/obesity and ultimately prevent type 2 diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association’s School Walk for Diabetes offers schools a way to raise awareness about the seriousness of diabetes and also provides teachers with healthy living lesson plans to use in the classroom.

Healthy Living Lesson Plans

Download elementary and high school lesson plans offered though School Walk for Diabetes.

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/parents-and-kids/diabetes-care-at-school/classroom-lessons/

*****************************************************************************************************

I learned a lot from the movie, King Corn - You Are What You Eat. Who knew how much corn products we take in every meal especially from high fructose corn syrup.

"High fructose corn syrup is made by chemically changing corn starch but it is still a sweetener that provides calories just like table sugar. Despite its name, high fructose corn syrup is different from actual fructose – which is the natural sugar found in fruit. High fructose corn syrup does not occur naturally in foods.".

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/ask-the-expert/ask-the-dietitian/archives/index.jsp?page=3#does-the-american-diabetes-1.html

Happy and healthy eating. Thanks for sharing what is working for you. Elin.