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Bulk Beans
September 25, 2012We're always excited to visit the bulk bins at our local co-op or grocery store. One of the most colorful sections is the bean bins - there are so many varieties! Some beans you can cook on demand (no soaking needed), like lentils or split peas. Other types require a bit more prep and cooking time, so we usually cook these in large batches and freeze them so they are always available. This is cheaper and fresher than buying them in cans, plus we want to avoid the BPA lining that most cans have. We save our used glass jars (from nut butters, pasta sauces, etc.) to store the beans in, but you can also buy some canning jars if you don't have enough.
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Ingredients:
- 3 cups dried beans (garbanzo, black, navy, soy, pinto, kidney, etc.)
- 9 cups of water
- Put beans and water in a large bowl and let soak overnight.
- Drain and rinse beans.
- Put soaked beans and another 6 cups of water into a large pot. Bring to a boil and turn down and let simmer for 30 minutes to one hour, checking beans until they are done (kidney take longer than black, for example).
- Drain when done. Use them fresh or let cool to put in jars. Beans will last about 2 days in the refrigerator or months in the freezer.
Living Sustainably
August 21, 2012Sustainability is not just something we support, but is at the core of who we are. When we say sustainability, we mean it in the broadest sense of the word: personally, socially, and environmentally. We believe the meaning of life is simply to live, that it has intrinsic value. All life is quite amazing when you think about it, and we want to do our best to ensure all forms of life, from plants to animals to ourselves, have the capacity to thrive for ages to come.
For us, personal sustainability is our way of staying healthy through diet, activity, and nurturing loving relationships. We also try to live our lives with minimal stress, while keeping our consciences clean. This outlook is what has led us to eating a vegan diet, living simply, and finding ways to do what we love.
Social sustainability means doing everything we can to ensure the well-being of all - from family to the global community. We believe in equality, diversity, our interconnectedness, and the importance of education. We believe in the peaceful sharing of ideas, and compassion for all sentient beings, rather than any forms of oppression or violence. Social sustainability is an enormous topic with much significance.
Environmental sustainability is a hot topic these days, and what most people think of when they hear the term "sustainability." We do our best to minimize our footprint: from reducing, reusing, and recycling (in that order) to eating foods that demand less from the earth. We feel we have a responsibility to be efficient in our consumption, as resources must be shared by all. Efficiency does not always mean optimizing for things like time or money, but instead optimizing for what is sustainable. This can be challenging at times, as there are many hidden costs that surround our everyday decisions.
There are always ways to improve and things we are not yet aware of. It's not about being perfect, but instead doing the best we can wherever we are. It is important to continue learning, question our thoughts and habits, and be willing to embrace new information with a flexible mind and open heart - this, to us, is living sustainably.
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Fruit-sweetened Granola
August 7, 2012A bowl full of granola, raw nut milk, and fresh fruit is one of our favorite afternoon snacks. We've searched far and wide for a store-bought granola that is free of refined sugar and oil, but it's truly hard to find. So we decided to whip up a batch of date-sweetened granola that we can happily munch on.
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Ingredients:
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (or other seeds or nuts)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 medjool dates (pitted)
- 1 apple (chopped)
- 1/2 cup almonds (or other nuts)
- 1 cup water
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Lightly oil a large cookie sheet.
- Mix the first 5 dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Place the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Spread 1/2 inch thin on the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes, stir, then bake an additional 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
Yields: about 6 cups
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Sharing our everyday adventures of trying to live healthy, compassionate, and sustainable lives.
