.two green kitchens.

two little sisters in two little green kitchens making food that will benefit their bodies, their local communities and their world. one very far south and one very far north.


Ask me anything  


NORTH:

So, last month I took a weekend trip to Chicago to choreograph a piece with Ms. Jenna Stworyzjanek. While there, we took a couple hours off to go hang and eat with the lovely James & Mary, and I decided that our meal was so delicious that they’d need to absolutely make a guest appearance here on the old food blog.

I have no idea what they used to make this meal, other than that James keeps a little starter dough in the fridge and makes fresh bread ALL THE TIME. And of course that I am jealous.

We had baked zucchini stuffed with quinoa and other good stuff (tomatoes, cashews, and what else, guys?), delish rosemary ciabatta bread w/olive oil purchased while James & Mary were off adventuring in Europe, and for dessert  Rochefort dessert beer and homemade flan with fresh raspberries.

Yumma, yumma, yumma, yumma, yumma.



NORTH: Hi all! We here in the north and south are gearing up to make a triumphant return to our kitchens after a very busy May full of traveling, dancing, brief injuries, weddings, and even visits to other kitchens (more to come on that). After lunch today I made myself a cup of the newest tea that’s been added to my collection - Sage. I learned about Sage from my sister, who is studying to become a community herbalist. There are multiple benefits of drinking sage tea, but one of the main ones is balancing bodily secretions. Does that sound gross? Who cares, keep reading anyway. Simply, it could be used to help your body get over a cold by drying up your sinuses. Mouth sores, sore throats and other mouth infections are all also benefited by this herb, as it is naturally anti-viral and anti-bacterial as well. Women in particular are benefited by sage in several ways, regardless of their stage in life — menopausal, post-child bearing or menstruating. Because this herb helps to dry bodily secretions, women who are ready to wean their small children can use this herb to encourage their bodies to stop creating breast milk. Another use is to regulate sweat over-production. Those of you whom I dance with might understand why I am particularly interested in sage, considering that property. :) Lastly, duh, you can use sage in cooking! I haven’t yet, but do plan to experiment with it. I think it is commonly used to cook meats and seafood, but I’m out to find other uses as well. Tell us if you have ideas already! I drank mine sweetened with a little agave nectar, and though I wouldn’t describe it as scrumptious, it tasted just fine with the sweetener. Here’s a link with more info, for the curious: http://www.holistic-herbalist.com/sage-herb.html

NORTH:

Hi all! We here in the north and south are gearing up to make a triumphant return to our kitchens after a very busy May full of traveling, dancing, brief injuries, weddings, and even visits to other kitchens (more to come on that).

After lunch today I made myself a cup of the newest tea that’s been added to my collection - Sage. I learned about Sage from my sister, who is studying to become a community herbalist. There are multiple benefits of drinking sage tea, but one of the main ones is balancing bodily secretions. Does that sound gross? Who cares, keep reading anyway. Simply, it could be used to help your body get over a cold by drying up your sinuses. Mouth sores, sore throats and other mouth infections are all also benefited by this herb, as it is naturally anti-viral and anti-bacterial as well. Women in particular are benefited by sage in several ways, regardless of their stage in life — menopausal, post-child bearing or menstruating. Because this herb helps to dry bodily secretions, women who are ready to wean their small children can use this herb to encourage their bodies to stop creating breast milk. Another use is to regulate sweat over-production. Those of you whom I dance with might understand why I am particularly interested in sage, considering that property. :)

Lastly, duh, you can use sage in cooking! I haven’t yet, but do plan to experiment with it. I think it is commonly used to cook meats and seafood, but I’m out to find other uses as well. Tell us if you have ideas already!

I drank mine sweetened with a little agave nectar, and though I wouldn’t describe it as scrumptious, it tasted just fine with the sweetener.

Here’s a link with more info, for the curious:

http://www.holistic-herbalist.com/sage-herb.html



NORTH: Vegan pho!!! What?! I know! We made vegan pho this weekend(!). My most favorite kindhearted houseguest, Ed, came down armed with this delicious recipe. And he totally slaved over it. All I did was sit around and soak up the good weather, and there he was dumping in so many cloves of garlic and shallots and ginger and star anise and cinnamon sticks into this pot on my stove. And it smelled like a dream. I’m gonna need to update this post with his recipe soon. But can you believe it? Vegan effing pho. Three cheers for Ed. And Happy Easter!! <3

NORTH:

Vegan pho!!!

What?! I know! We made vegan pho this weekend(!). My most favorite kindhearted houseguest, Ed, came down armed with this delicious recipe. And he totally slaved over it. All I did was sit around and soak up the good weather, and there he was dumping in so many cloves of garlic and shallots and ginger and star anise and cinnamon sticks into this pot on my stove. And it smelled like a dream. I’m gonna need to update this post with his recipe soon. But can you believe it? Vegan effing pho. Three cheers for Ed. And Happy Easter!! <3

NORTH: You know what is beautiful? Star anise.

NORTH:

You know what is beautiful? Star anise.



NORTH: vegan granola bars! yay. and all i did was take the granola recipe, up the ante on the molasses and agave, and add a couple drizzles of maple syrup to the mix. this time around i used a different combination of nuts/seeds: pecans, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and fruit: dried figs, raisins, dried cranberries and dried goji berries.  after baking at 350 for ten minutes, mixing, baking for another ten at 350 - here&#8217;s what you do: * tightly pack the granola (which should be darker in color and still fairly sticky) into a breadpan and cover with plastic wrap. * refrigerate for only ten minutes, remove and cut into desired sizes and shapes. * separate and refrigerate for 10 more minutes (to set) and enjoy. (bars will harden with more refrigeration, so if you&#8217;d like to keep them soft and sticky, store them in an airtight container in a cabinet).

NORTH:

vegan granola bars! yay.

and all i did was take the granola recipe, up the ante on the molasses and agave, and add a couple drizzles of maple syrup to the mix. this time around i used a different combination of nuts/seeds: pecans, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and fruit: dried figs, raisins, dried cranberries and dried goji berries.

 after baking at 350 for ten minutes, mixing, baking for another ten at 350 - here’s what you do:

* tightly pack the granola (which should be darker in color and still fairly sticky) into a breadpan and cover with plastic wrap.

* refrigerate for only ten minutes, remove and cut into desired sizes and shapes.

* separate and refrigerate for 10 more minutes (to set) and enjoy. (bars will harden with more refrigeration, so if you’d like to keep them soft and sticky, store them in an airtight container in a cabinet).



SOUTH: Vegan Milkshake - Brings All the Boys to the Yard 2 tbsp natural almond butter 1/4 cup oat milk 2 tbsp coconut milk vanilla yogurt (So Delicious brand is great) 1 banana 1 cup ice Blend, serves one.

SOUTH:

Vegan Milkshake - Brings All the Boys to the Yard

2 tbsp natural almond butter
1/4 cup oat milk
2 tbsp coconut milk vanilla yogurt (So Delicious brand is great)
1 banana
1 cup ice

Blend, serves one.

NORTH: An endorsement. Coconut Bliss! Vegan coconut milk ice cream. Holy shit, it is good. Go get yourself some - your stomach will thank you for avoiding the dairy and for the deliciousness, and peaceful cows &#8216;round the world will applaud your efforts. (Peanut butter chocolate us the best flavor I&#8217;ve tried so far. Yum.)

NORTH:

An endorsement. Coconut Bliss! Vegan coconut milk ice cream. Holy shit, it is good. Go get yourself some - your stomach will thank you for avoiding the dairy and for the deliciousness, and peaceful cows ‘round the world will applaud your efforts. (Peanut butter chocolate us the best flavor I’ve tried so far. Yum.)


NORTH: Just a teaser! My lovely sister recently taught me about the benefits of drinking hot water with lemon first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. She&#8217;s gonna fill you in here very soon&#8230;

NORTH:

Just a teaser! My lovely sister recently taught me about the benefits of drinking hot water with lemon first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. She’s gonna fill you in here very soon…



SOUTH: Teriyaki Tempeh &#8212; Sauteed tempeh w broccoli, baby portabello mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and green peas in a teriyaki sauce (Soy Vay). Served with steamed brown rice.

SOUTH:

Teriyaki Tempeh —

Sauteed tempeh w broccoli, baby portabello mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and green peas in a teriyaki sauce (Soy Vay). Served with steamed brown rice.



NORTH: Juuuust a quick endorsement here, folks. Aren&#8217;t these fuckers beautiful? Figs are delicious and good for you and a divine example of how nature will blow your mind with beautiful natural designs. There is also a really lovely, romantic story behind how figs are made. Fig trees and fig wasps share a symbiotic relationship, and it warms my little heart. Once you get over the idea of it, I swear you&#8217;ll appreciate figs even more than you did before. They are good carbs, good fiber, and offer protein, iron and calcium. Yumma.

NORTH:

Juuuust a quick endorsement here, folks. Aren’t these fuckers beautiful? Figs are delicious and good for you and a divine example of how nature will blow your mind with beautiful natural designs.

There is also a really lovely, romantic story behind how figs are made. Fig trees and fig wasps share a symbiotic relationship, and it warms my little heart. Once you get over the idea of it, I swear you’ll appreciate figs even more than you did before.

They are good carbs, good fiber, and offer protein, iron and calcium.

Yumma.

NORTH: Homemade Vegan Spring Rolls! Hi. I also got my haircut. Now I can say that I look like a grown up Atreyu with bangs. Who knew spring rolls were so damn easy to make? I did not. And cheap, fyi. The wraps and the rice noodles are like bargain items at the co-op. You boil the rice noodles just like any other noodles, except they take about 2.3 seconds to cook. The wraps are surprisingly easy too, though I invented a better method than they list on the package. Take a 1 inch deep cookie sheet that is at least the length and width of the wrap itself. Pour almost boiling water over the wrap in the cookie sheet, and let it sit until it softens (1 minute max). This reminds me of developing film in a blackroom, and has a higher success rate than advised: putting three into a round pot on the stove and taking them out one by one with your fingers. &#8230;what the? There were at least three casualties using that method, not including my burnt fingers. Next, you put whateverthehellyouwant into the wrap. Mine included a bundle of rice noodles, slices of cucumber, long thin shreds of carrots, seitan (sauteed with garlic), lots of cilantro and lots of mint leaves(!). As an aside, in my opinion there are never enough mint leaves when you get these at a restaurant.. I tried later adding black beans, chick peas and other meat replacements with varying levels of success. I regret to admit that I used store bought peanut sauce, and that is was not nearly as delicious as what they have at Amazing Thailand. But I&#8217;ll try to eventually make my own. Peanut sauce with hot sauce and crushed peanuts is the jam of jams.

NORTH:

Homemade Vegan Spring Rolls!

Hi. I also got my haircut. Now I can say that I look like a grown up Atreyu with bangs.

Who knew spring rolls were so damn easy to make? I did not. And cheap, fyi. The wraps and the rice noodles are like bargain items at the co-op. You boil the rice noodles just like any other noodles, except they take about 2.3 seconds to cook. The wraps are surprisingly easy too, though I invented a better method than they list on the package. Take a 1 inch deep cookie sheet that is at least the length and width of the wrap itself. Pour almost boiling water over the wrap in the cookie sheet, and let it sit until it softens (1 minute max). This reminds me of developing film in a blackroom, and has a higher success rate than advised: putting three into a round pot on the stove and taking them out one by one with your fingers. …what the? There were at least three casualties using that method, not including my burnt fingers.

Next, you put whateverthehellyouwant into the wrap. Mine included a bundle of rice noodles, slices of cucumber, long thin shreds of carrots, seitan (sauteed with garlic), lots of cilantro and lots of mint leaves(!). As an aside, in my opinion there are never enough mint leaves when you get these at a restaurant.. I tried later adding black beans, chick peas and other meat replacements with varying levels of success. I regret to admit that I used store bought peanut sauce, and that is was not nearly as delicious as what they have at Amazing Thailand. But I’ll try to eventually make my own. Peanut sauce with hot sauce and crushed peanuts is the jam of jams.



NORTH: Thanks to my recent lovely visitors from even further north (yes, yes, I say, there is an even-further-north), I&#8217;ve been recently inspired to go back to basics and consider what simple recipes I might try to make from scratch. Apple sauce was my first shot, and now I&#8217;m proud to announce that I can add granola to that list. Did you know how easy granola is to make? Holy eff, this one&#8217;s so easy and good. Here&#8217;s the scoop (if you will): You need to mainly just start by considering what kind of grain you&#8217;d like to use (organic rolled oats are an easy start), what kind of sweetener (lots of options, but some are: honey, molasses, agave nectar), what kind of oil (sky&#8217;s the limit), and what kind of dried fruit (optional) and nuts (optional). Some recipes also include wheat germ or something similar. Honestly, I don&#8217;t think you can misstep. Some also include vanilla extract (I opted not to). * organic rolled oats  * blackstrap molasses  * agave nectar  * flax oil   * sesame seeds  * sunflower seeds  * chopped raw cashews  * chopped pecans  * chopped dried figs Mostly you just mix everything except the fruit together and spread it on a baking sheet, bake for 10 minutes at 350, re-mix, bake for another 10 at 350, remove from oven and mix in fruit. And then, voila, bitches. Your very own granola. Sidenotes: all ingredients are organic and local and bulk, whenever possible. In this case, everything except the flax oil was bulk from my co-op. For all of the variables in this recipe, there are other things to consider past what would taste the best - since I am vegetarian, mostly vegan, and trying to be gluten-free, I considered what ingredients would be beneficial to my body knowing what I get and what I miss from not eating meat and dairy. Flax is obviously good for omegas, but so are pumpkin seeds. Using agave and molasses instead of honey or sugar gives me an alternate route for sweetener, and molasses is also a good source of iron. I also considered the fat and protein content of my nuts and fruits.

NORTH:

Thanks to my recent lovely visitors from even further north (yes, yes, I say, there is an even-further-north), I’ve been recently inspired to go back to basics and consider what simple recipes I might try to make from scratch. Apple sauce was my first shot, and now I’m proud to announce that I can add granola to that list. Did you know how easy granola is to make? Holy eff, this one’s so easy and good. Here’s the scoop (if you will):

You need to mainly just start by considering what kind of grain you’d like to use (organic rolled oats are an easy start), what kind of sweetener (lots of options, but some are: honey, molasses, agave nectar), what kind of oil (sky’s the limit), and what kind of dried fruit (optional) and nuts (optional). Some recipes also include wheat germ or something similar. Honestly, I don’t think you can misstep. Some also include vanilla extract (I opted not to).

* organic rolled oats  * blackstrap molasses  * agave nectar  * flax oil   * sesame seeds  * sunflower seeds  * chopped raw cashews  * chopped pecans  * chopped dried figs

Mostly you just mix everything except the fruit together and spread it on a baking sheet, bake for 10 minutes at 350, re-mix, bake for another 10 at 350, remove from oven and mix in fruit. And then, voila, bitches. Your very own granola.

Sidenotes: all ingredients are organic and local and bulk, whenever possible. In this case, everything except the flax oil was bulk from my co-op. For all of the variables in this recipe, there are other things to consider past what would taste the best - since I am vegetarian, mostly vegan, and trying to be gluten-free, I considered what ingredients would be beneficial to my body knowing what I get and what I miss from not eating meat and dairy. Flax is obviously good for omegas, but so are pumpkin seeds. Using agave and molasses instead of honey or sugar gives me an alternate route for sweetener, and molasses is also a good source of iron. I also considered the fat and protein content of my nuts and fruits.

SOUTH: Herb Candy: (aka &#8212; how to get raisins and shiitake mushrooms in a kid who hates raisins and shiitake mushrooms) * Raisins* Cranberries* Walnuts* Pumpkin seeds* Carob powder* Honey* Shiitake mushroom powder* Hemp seeds

SOUTH:

Herb Candy: (aka — how to get raisins and shiitake mushrooms in a kid who hates raisins and shiitake mushrooms)

* Raisins
* Cranberries
* Walnuts
* Pumpkin seeds
* Carob powder
* Honey
* Shiitake mushroom powder
* Hemp seeds



NORTH: applesauce from scratch! (aka - &#8230;um, you didn&#8217;t cook the apples first?) * 2 versions: apple/blackberry/ginger and apple/pomegranate/cinnamon * ingredients are simple, and listed above * note to self: next time cook down apples first to see if this removes some of the sugar. this shit was potently sweet, all on it&#8217;s lonesome

NORTH:

applesauce from scratch! (aka - …um, you didn’t cook the apples first?)

* 2 versions: apple/blackberry/ginger and apple/pomegranate/cinnamon

* ingredients are simple, and listed above

* note to self: next time cook down apples first to see if this removes some of the sugar. this shit was potently sweet, all on it’s lonesome

SOUTH: St. Patrick&#8217;s Smoothies (aka - my sister is the best mom ever) * oat milk * bananas * mango * collard greens * flax oil * greens plus (spirulina nutritional powder) * orange blossom honey

SOUTH:

St. Patrick’s Smoothies (aka - my sister is the best mom ever)

* oat milk

* bananas

* mango

* collard greens

* flax oil

* greens plus (spirulina nutritional powder)

* orange blossom honey