PassionateGreen

Monday, November 17, 2008

Chik’n Corn Soup

The cooler weather turns my mind toward soups and stews. They are the ultimate in autumn and winter comfort food.

I grew up eating my mother's delicious Chicken Corn Soup, but I have modified her recipe to create a healthier, cruelty-free, organic version that I find to be just as satisfying. Care to try?

Chik'n Corn Soup

2 Tbsp organic olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 organic celery ribs, minced
6 C. water
6 tsp. VegeBase
12 oz. corn
8 oz. package Chik'n Strips
2 organic cage free eggs, hardboiled and diced
1 C. organic white whole wheat flour
1/4 C. organic plain soy milk
Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, dried parsley to taste

Heat olive oil in large stock pot on medium heat. Add onion and celery; saute until onion is clear. Add water and VegeBase; bring to boil. Add salt, pepper, and parsley. At this point you have a delicious, nutritious broth that would be great on its own (especially to ease a cold) or as a base for many other soups.

To continue, add corn; allow soup to come to a boil again. Using kitchen scissors for easier handling, cut Chik'n Strips into bite-sized pieces and add to pot. Add eggs.

Mix flour and soy milk in separate bowl until small doughy balls start to form. Drop by tablespoon into the hot soup to make dumplings. Simmer just for a few minutes, then remove soup from heat. This isn't a good slow-cooker meal simply because the Chik'n Strips will turn mushy if overcooked.

This just might be a good recipe to use up some of your leftover Tofurkey after Thanksgiving.

Enjoy!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Ready or Not, Here Thanksgiving Comes

As I sit and sip my herbal tea this cool, damp, Sunday morning, I am ruminating on the fact that T-day is less than two weeks away. I can't believe it. Because it isn't good enough for Thanksgiving to be a holiday in and of itself, it marks the beginning of a shit storm of holiday madness that won't end until about January 5th or so next year. Might as well get started on the Prozac and the wine now.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - NOVEMBER 13: A visitor swi...

Speaking of wine, as it is a common holiday beverage, let's talk about appropriate ones. I'm no wine aficionado, but I do have my criteria: must be organic, vegan, no sulfites added, local or fair trade, and from a vineyard that values sustainability. Indulging in alcohol just isn't any fun if you know that the production of it is harming the people who manufacture it, the earth, and yourself. Frey Vineyards is the most popular winemaker among those who share these values; I would love to try their Biodynamic Zinfandel. Also taste-worthy: Cooper Mountain, Quixote, The Organic Wine Company, and Etica.

Be a conscious drinker, though, and find out what alcohol does to your body before its too late. Is it good or bad for you? The research is conflicting, so tread cautiously.

The most important thing on the table at Thanksgiving, besides the wine, is the turkey. Supposedly. Once you are aware of how turkeys are treated you might think twice about contributing to this heinously cruel industry. Maybe you don't care about animal torture or the people who take part in it? Fine. There are other reasons why turkey isn't the best option on the menu: turkey flesh is brimming with fat; factory-farm conditions are a prescription for disease outbreaks; the

U.S. government is the only government in the Western world that does not have the power to recall contaminated animal products; when a human being eats meat from an animal who has been dosed with antibiotics they are ingesting low-level doses of antibiotic drugs with unknown long-term consequences; and last but not least, turkeys and other animals raised for food produce 130 times as much excrement as the entire U.S. human population—all without the benefit of waste treatment systems, which is not good news for the environment.

Tofurkey doesn't sound quite so bad now, does it? Start some new traditions this year - it might be fun!

Time to get ready for a playdate. More Thanksgiving discussions upcoming ... and remember to follow PassionateGreen on Twitter for updates on green deals and green news.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

PassionateGreen Been Tagged

Thanks to BethBot at The EcoSpheric Blog for the tag. I adore my fellow eco bloggers!

The tagging rules:
- Link back to the person who tagged you and share the rules on your blog
- Share 7 facts about yourself
- Tag seven people and list their links in your post
- Tell those 7 people by commenting on their blogs

Seven facts about me
1. I have a pet rat named Maxine
2. I am a natural blonde
3. I am obsessed with U2
4. I do not have a driver's license
5. I secretly want to be Oprah
6. I never wear jeans, shoes, or bras around the house, ever
7. I still think my husband is cute after 10 years

Seven blogs I'm tagging
1. Recycle Your Day
2. The Smart Mama
3. I Dream of Greenie
4. Focus Organic
5. Live Life Veg
6. Easy Greensy
7. La Marguerite

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Obama Plans to Fix the Economy by Fixing the Environment

Barack Obama has stated:

"A clean energy economy can be the engine that drives us into the future in the same way the computer was the engine for economic growth over the last couple of decades. That's going to be my number one priority when I get into office. We'll invest $15 billion a year over the next decade in renewable energy, creating five million new green jobs that pay well, can't be outsourced, and help end our dependence on foreign oil. We will change this country and change the world."

Leaders in Great Britain, Japan, and Australia have announced that they are making plans to move in a similar direction. If John McCain were to be elected president, would he be able to keep up with these changing times? Obviously not.

McCain supporters bluster, "Where will the money come from for this newfangled 'green energy?' I reckon Obama must be lyin about his tax plans!" However, those of us who have actually been listening have heard Obama say, "I will ... stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq." Are you smarter than a fifth grader? Because if you are, you can probably calculate the results of taking $10 billion from the "minus" column and entering it into the "plus" column.

Many high profile environmental organizations, A.K.A. "wackos," have publicly endorsed Barack

Obama, including the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and Environment America.

Peek inside Obama's possible Green House here. Luckily, Pennsylvania Governor and environmental champion Ed Rendell makes the short list.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Green Living Feeds

Frustrated with wading through all the miscellaneous feeds on the web just to find the latest green news?

Want to easily share your own environmental updates?

Do it all in one place at Green Living Feeds, a user-generated web 2.0 green news portal. Here you can read and contribute posts on Alternative Energy, Entertainment, Beauty and Fashion, Business and Money, Family and Parenting, Home and Garden, News and Politics, Technology and Gadgets, Travel, Solar, Transportation, Nature and Outdoors, and Health and Food.

Submit, vote, comment, discover!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

More Green Offers and News That Rocks!

Live on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 8pm (Eastern)

Al Gore will be headlining the Power Vote Webcast. He'll be talking to young leaders across the nation about the "Repower America" challenge he issued last summer, about how energy and climate are at the core of the economic and security issues we face, and about why elections matter. -from The We Campaign

No matter who is elected on November 4, we have to keep pushing our leaders for real solutions to the energy crisis and climate change.

So on Tuesday, November 18, volunteers will gather all over the country -- with help from 1Sky, the Energy Action Coalition and 350.org -- to welcome the President-elect and the new Congress by calling on them to make climate an immediate priority in 2009. Will you join them? -from 1Sky

Dagoba Organic Chocolate is proving that gardens can sprout anywhere. Through their “Seed the Day” initiative, they are hoping to inspire "Dagobians" to plant gardens in cities around the country. Dagobian gardeners now can unite with other green thumbs by joining Dagoba’s Seed Club, where members will receive exclusive offers and behind-

the-scenes information on planting efforts in Costa Rica – visit dagobaseedtheday.com to sign up! You can also share photos of your botanical adventures and submit a flavor for the next garden-inspired bar – everyone that enters will have a chance to win free Dagoba chocolate for a year. In honor of their Seed the Day urban gardening initiative, Dagoba is offering 15% off all garden-inspired chocolate bars, including Mint (with rosemary), Seeds and Lavender Blueberry, among others. Enter the key code "T09D29" at the top of your shopping basket before you check-out to receive your discount.

Must read article: "How Vegan? Ingredients vs. Activism" by Matt Ball

Vegan at Heart is a free e-mail coaching program for people who are vegan at heart but no

t necessarily in practice. It’s for idealists and animal-lovers and treehuggers and health nuts and everybody in-between who wants to incorporate more compassionate, healthy,sustainable habits into their daily lives but who need a little more info, a little moral support, or just a little friendly kick in the pants.

Funny and thought provoking video: 'Road to the Greenhouse: A New Hope'

Enter to win a Vegan Lip Balm Pack From Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. These fabulous products are never tested on animals, and the company has pledged to use only vegan ingredients, and it proudly displays PETA's "Cruelty-Free and Vegan" logo.

Delicious, vegetarian, autumn-inspired recipes

For an easy way to make sure that no one is 'tricking' you into wasting energy, visit this simple online calculator to make sure your house isn't haunted with vampires or anything else that's scaring your energy bill to new heights.

Get savvy about natural and organic living: win a gift basket filled with natural and organic products and sign up to receive Naturally Savvy's monthly e-Newsletter.

When properly executed, water conservation practices can save thousands of gallons of water per person per year! Coolpeoplecare.org challenges you this week to see if you can shower in four minutes.

Must read article: "Sustainable Packaging: What is It?" by Lela Davidson

Monday, October 27, 2008

Book Review: Green Goes with Everything

With the witty and pleasant familiarity of friends at lunch, Sloan Barnett lets us in on human’s dirtiest (literally!) secrets. The nine chapters in this handbook, each named with a variation on the word “clean,” uncover the nasty health hazards of our seemingly simple everyday actions, including what we put on our bodies, what we use to fuel our cars, and what appliances we use in our homes.

None of the information is new; the facts on our environmental impact have already been well published. This book is unique and important, though, in that it includes so many facts all in one place, making it a great starting place for anyone who desires a greener lifestyle but doesn’t know where to begin. As each product and chemical is discussed, it is appropriately suggested that while it may or may not be hazardous – the EPA and FDA don’t have the money or manpower to do enough testing to reach a conclusive result – it is not worth risking our health and we should err on the side of caution. Suggestions for safer alternative products are made, mostly from Shaklee. There is a sizeable resource guide at the end of the book, listing companies, their websites, and what they do that can help the consumer.

Why didn’t this author use a green publisher? The book is about being green and yet, oddly, the book itself is not green. Secondly, why ignore the ill effects of the meat industry on the environment? Every meat eater contributes hugely to global warming, pollution, and water and energy waste, and yet the author mentions eating steak quite heedlessly. She also divulges the fact that she wears leather, while implying that people who do not are not normal. Even if no one cares what the manufacturing of leather does to animals, it is impossible to deny the dangerous chemicals that seep into our water supply whenever leather is made.

Those omissions are not enough to keep one from reading the book, however. It is an excellent resource and should be required reading for every inhabitant of our Earth. Parents and teachers especially should reference the accurate, up-to-date facts and figures to pass on the vital message that we need to think green in everything we do.