Holiday Eco-Challenge: Gift Wrapping

This is my holiday eco-challenge to you and your families and friends:  wrap your gifts without using any virgin paper source.  Check back for a tip each day until the holiday wrapping frenzy is over. Or follow my Tweets @ WabiSabiVegan.  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

1. Wrap with a scarf and tie closed or pin with a vintage or new brooch.  The scarf can be a delicate fashion accessory or a warm addition to a heavy winter coat.  You can even make it a fashion statement on its own.  And by the way, this works for men, women and children!  Have fun with it!
2.  Burlap is beautiful!  Last year I bought a dozen used coffee bean sacks.  To my delight, the company imprints are in a seasonal red and green. Who knew?  The uses seemed endless:  cut and fray for place mats, hang on the wall as art, replace roller shade canvas...but I digress.  Today's focus is gift wrap.  Cut the burlap to fit your box/package.  Remember, the challenge is to avoid the use of virgin paper.  That includes trim, so no paper curling ribbon, please! Tie the package with twine for a rustic look or grosgrain ribbon to dress it up a bit. And voila - a perfectly wrapped gift!
3. Elevate the lowly reusable shopping tote to an elegant reusable gift bag.  Many stores, such as Pier 1 Imports, offer pretty, seasonal shopping totes this time of year.  Presentation is everything with this idea - you don't want it to look like you didn't have time to wrap!  Place the gift inside an appropriately sized bag and tie closed with fabric ribbon, colorful yarns, twine, ric-rac, etc.  For added charm, dangle a sparkly or rustic ornament, whichever suits your gift!
4. Buy a comfy throw and use it to wrap a coordinating decorative pillow.  How fun to find the soft surprise inside!
5. Bandanas are festive!  If one isn't big enough, stitch or tape them together in a colorful patchwork.  Tie with coordinating fabric ribbon.  The brighter the better!
6. Use a fashion backpack for girls and a more rugged version for boys to wrap virtually anything that fits inside.  It would be fun to open and find a cozy sweater inside! 
7. A pretty cosmetics bag can hold more than just makeup - jewelry, accessories, fuzzy socks, gloves, candy, anything that fits!  Use your imagination and have fun!  Take it one step further and create a nesting gift by putting the filled cosmetics case inside a purse!
8. Gift tins meant for food are perfect for jewelry and other small trinkets, too!  Plus, they're reusable!
9. Wrap with a colorful tea towel or fabric napkin and tie closed with a bright grosgrain ribbon and bow!  Use seasonal colors or choose something more cotemporary like a floral or plaid!
10. No need to use paper trim!  Think fabric ribbon, yarn, ric-rac, tulle, fabric cut into strips - so many possibilities!  Cut with decorative-edge scissors or braid the yarn and crochet thin threads for added impact.  Wide strips of tulle simply knotted are especially lovely.  They "stick" to themselves when tied - easy and so pretty!
11. Use paper remnants creatively: cut into strips to use in place of ribbon and bows; shred to use as gift bag filler; weave strips or tape together as a patchwork to create a new wrap; cut into gift tags.  For added detail, layer coordinating colors and cut with decorative-edge scissors.  Let your imagination guide you!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Chocolate Pumpkin Yogurt

I love using canned pureed pumpkin in recipes.  It's so easy and it can be added to everything from soup to cake mix.  Try adding it to vanilla soy yogurt for a healthy sweet treat.

• 1 Cup vanilla soy yogurt
• 1/2 Cup pureed pumpkin
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 packet zero-calorie sweetener

Mix and enjoy!

* For added depth of flavor, substitute dark chocolate cocoa powder for 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa powder.

Pizza Soup

I don't know about you, but I'm appalled by the amount of sodium in canned soups.  Even the organic, vegan varieties contain an inordinate amount of sodium!  This prompted me to develop my own quick version that my kids have dubbed "pizza soup."  All you need is a can of diced or petite cut tomatoes with NO SALT ADDED.  For a half cup serving, scoop 1/2 cup of the tomatoes with their juices into a microwave safe bowl.  Add freshly ground pepper, Italian seasoning, and vegan cheddar or mozzarella "cheese" shreds (I use Daiya) to taste.  For me, the spicier, the better!  Cover loosely with parchment paper or paper towel and microwave on high for 1 minute, 50 seconds.  Stir before eating, and you're done.  Simple as that.

Vegan Chocolate Ginger Snack Cake

I veganized this recipe last night, and it's addictively delicious!  The original recipe is from the 2010 Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine.  This snack cake blends the irresistable holiday flavors of ginger and chocolate but tastes great any time.

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbs. vegan butter, melted ( I use Earth Balance.)
• 1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 Cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 Cup unsulphured molasses (or maple syrup)
• 1 vegan egg alternative ( I dissolve 1 1/2 tsp. corn starch in 2 Tbs. warm water.)
• 1/4 Cup vegan sour cream ( I use Tofutti.)
• 1/2 Cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips  (I use the 365 brand from Whole Foods.)
• Organic confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare an 8-inch square pan with vegetable oil and dust with flour.  In  a large bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice to combine. In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, egg alternative, and sour cream.  Pour the mixed wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Spread batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.  (Check this early to avoid overbaking.)  If you like, dust with confectioner's sugar when serving.

Tip:  The snack cake is also scrumptious when topped with this quick chocolate ganache:  Heat 3 Tbs. soy milk to boiling.  Immediately add 1/2 Cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips and stir until smooth.  Pour over cooled cake and enjoy!

Vegan Banana Bread

This vegan banana bread recipe turns out a delicious, moist loaf.  It's a great choice to take to potlucks or to share with non-vegan friends!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups vegan sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• Vegan replacement for 3 eggs (1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbs. water = 1 egg.)
• 1/3 cup soy buttermilk (Mix 1 tsp. white vinegar into 1/3 cup soy milk.)
•  1/2 cup nuts or other add-ins (OPTIONAL)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Mix the bananas, oil and buttermilk in a separate bowl.
Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Next, add the egg replacement mixture to the bowl and stir thoroughly.
Last, add nuts, if using.

Pour the mixture into a greased 9 X 5 inch loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Feel free to experiment with your own add-ins for this recipe.  I hope you enjoy the banana bread as much as we do!

Please Don't Kill the Dandelions!

Have you driven by a field this spring and enjoyed the bright yellow dandelion carpet? Or watched a toddler gleefully blow the powder puff of seeds into the air?  When did the dandelion become a weed that needed to be eradicated from our lawns at all costs?  What if we still had that childlike perception of its natural beauty as a wildflower?  Maybe we could save ourselves the cost, both financially and ecologically, of toxic lawn chemicals.  At my house, we have done just that.  Nothing goes on our lawn unless it's organic.  At the moment, that means nothing goes on our lawn at all.  But many of our neighbors still spray chemicals, polluting the ground water supply and exposing children and pets to the toxins, not to mention the wildlife.  When they were younger, I had our children stay in our yard on the days the neighbors' lawns were sprayed.  We have often had a pet guinea pig who would have loved nothing better than to munch on fresh dandelion leaves.  But it was too risky.  Now you might be wondering if we are one of those families whose lawn brings down property values.  Actually, not at all.  We keep it mown so the spent dandelion stalks are kept in check, and we enjoy our bright yellow wildflowers when they bloom.  What do you think?  I'd love to hear your feedback.

Random Acts of "Green"

You've heard of random acts of kindness.  How about random acts of "green?"  I'll admit that most of my eco-friendly choices are planned.  Many are even researched.  But I think opportunities abound for spontaneous green decisions, too.  Say you're waiting to pick up your child at school and someone leaves an empty plastic water bottle on the ground.  You could leave it there for the janitor to throw away or you could be impulsively green and take it home with you to recycle. You can do the same thing when you're walking the dog or jogging through the neighborhood.  Paper seems to end up everywhere, and that's so easy to recycle!

You might need to change your mind set to take ownership of the eco-choice at hand.  Resist the urge to let someone else take care of it and actually do it yourself!  And if someone else sees you, all the better, because positive actions tend to be contagious.  The person who sees you picking up a pop can one day might do the same thing the next day, and hopefully, the chain continues.  This is especially true for children, and what a simple but effective way to model eco-conscious living for them!   Give it a try and share your experiences.  I'd love to hear your ideas!