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A Penchant for [Sweet Basil] Popcorn

1/28/2014

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I’ll never forget the days after my father passed away, shortly after I turned 5 and just before my brother turned 7. Despite the heartache of having lost a parent, those days came to encompass some of my most fond memories of bonding, of family, of food, and of simplicity. I spent many afternoons with my grandmother. Long before my days of veganism (and seemingly before the word ever hit a shelf in Charlotte), Nana and I would cuddle up with a plate of blue cheese and melba toast, and proceed to watch Murder She Wrote.

Nana would fall asleep. I’d eat all the cheese.

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Meanwhile, my mother worked her butt off. Yet she never let her family ideals slip through the cracks, making certain we always sat at the table to eat together, no matter how hard of a day at work she had or how much homework awaited us. Despite the turmoil in our lives and most prominently our hearts, mom had a beautiful way of making it all seem so simple.

This simplicity is something I’m striving more and more to achieve every day. While I’ve always had a knack for appreciating simplicity, I’ve never been great at creating it. I like to over-think, over-complicate, and thereby de-simplify my life every chance I get. So one might be able to imagine why I so appreciate the little things my mom did when I was growing up that kept our life simple.
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A great example is how we often ended our evenings. We would eat dinner early, part ways to do homework, and often reconvene in the living room for some good old syndicated television and, my favorite part, a bowl of mom’s popcorn. I don’t know how she reached the point of insisting on making it from scratch, but I do know that she made it look so easy. It was always perfect.

So to this day, I’m a homemade popcorn gal. Of course, I keep it “simple,” but in my favorite way - with a twist. In my recent years, I’ve never been able to settle on just buttered [read: Earth Balanced] and salted popcorn. No, I tend toward honey-cayenne (I’m still using up my honey from my pre-vegan days) and a lot of experimenting. Think: coconut oil and black pepper, olive oil and oregano. And most recently, Sweet Basil.
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I went to the Holiday Gala for The Humane League Charlotte Chapter last weekend, and donated three huge bowls of this stuff. I thought it was kind of a weird concoction at first, but the feedback I received was unrelentingly positive. So of course I had to share it here with you.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy this!

To your Winter evenings spent on the couch,

Hannah
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Sweet Basil Popcorn

4 cups organic plain popcorn
(I cook mine on the stove using coconut oil!
Cook according to packaged kernel directions.)
1 tablespoon vegan Earth Balance
1 tablespoon organic brown rice syrup
¼ cup basil, finely chopped
dash of salt

1. Melt Earth Balance over medium heat on stove.
2. Add brown rice syrup and basil to hot pan. Swirl to combine.
3. Remove pan from heat as soon as syrup begins to bubble.
4. Pour mixture over popcorn and stir/toss together immediately.
5. Sprinkle with salt.
Enjoy!
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Product Review: Doctor Kracker and a Sammy

1/10/2014

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I don’t know what part of brain prematurely decided that the new year would be more relaxed and smooth sailing than say, the past 2 months. Sure: the holidays were typically mayhematic in that ever so pleasant familiar way. In my mind, though, January would be the launch of Spring and easy breezes and ahhhs. That was a very very silly thought to have.

Rather, this first full work week I’ve had since mid-December has resembled a high-speed face plant into Two-thousand Fourteen. By no means take this as a complaint. It’s really just that face-plants inhibit one’s ability to GET SHIT DONE.

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Hence, I left work today with only the gusto to buy some crackers and make a sandwich. I made a sandwich! Progress ensues from the fact that I’ve purchased 9 out of 10 of my meals for the past five days. Hallelujah, there’s hope for us all! MAD congratulations to those of you who’ve had the incredible ability to springboard into 2014 with rigor and self-control. I suspect I’ll catch up eventually.

That being said, I thought I’d take advantage of my inkling of progress to share my first ever product review. See there? See how quickly I’m catching on?
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So, my boss recently introduced me to Doctor Kracker’s Seedlander crackers. Since going completely vegan and aiming for a plant-based lifestyle that doesn’t resemble the way I used to eat, I’ve resisted buying anything chip or cracker-like. No matter how less “bad,” I still tend to find myself making a meal out of an entire package of anything crunchy and salty. I blame growing up on high-fructose laden Saltines and Wheat Thins. Until now.

The Seedlander (in the miniature Snackers variety) is the perfect bite-sized cracker because despite it’s minimal square footage, it’s got a hefty thickness. You actually have to sink your teeth into these, which inhibits any urge to plop the whole thing in your mouth. Add to that their ever-so-slight spongy texture, and you’ve just found a cracker that you can bite into without adding a pile of crumbs to your lap. Perfection!

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Another thing I like about the Seedlander, which is USDA Organic and made primarily with Whole Spelt Flour, is that none of the seeds overwhelm the flavor. I’ve had many crunchy, seeded crackers that are also loaded with spices, which I personally don’t like. I like plain and simple, with flavor added later. These have the perfect balance of sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and poppy, but not too much of any one seed.

There is also just a subtle hint of a molasses sweetness that paired well with my salty cashew cheese. I can imagine adding many a sweet or savory topping in the future. Hummus, baba ganoush, tapenade, jam…any of these would do.

My only qualm is that they didn’t have any saltiness, so the molasses ends up leaving a tiny bit of bitterness on the palette. However, at an affordable $3.59 for a 6 oz box, top quality can’t always be perfect. I’ll certainly be buying these again! They also have 3 other varieties, including a flatbread version, that I can’t wait to try.

Hope you enjoy!!

Hannah

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A Delayed New Take on Pumpkin: Pudding! 

12/17/2013

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Sometimes when life gives me lemons, I opt to make pumpkin pudding instead. Especially on days like today, when I’ve been in solitary confinement in my apartment, determined to not get any sicker than I already am. I’ve been cranky. Whiney. I don’t wanna! I do wanna! Not feeling well brings out all of my rebellion. I fight back real hard, ya’ll. Like I said- by making pudding! I know you’re shaking in your boots as I type.
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I was gifted some lemons and ginger yesterday when it dawned on me that getting into real-people clothes and driving myself to the store simply was not an option. I’ve boiled the water for tea 3 times now, which means I’ve washed my tiny perfect pot 3 times as well. Alternating between boiling the water and using it to reheat my lentil-sweet-potato concoction is getting old. 3 times, folks. I’m not talking about a dishwashing spree, but I am talking about mindless and rote kitchen action.

All of that is to say that by noon today, I had to make something with a little more love behind it. I wanted something sweet but energizing. Compound that with the fact that I’ve had this recipe in my arsenal since before it was in its holiday seasonal prime, and voilah! What better time than cooped-up now?!

This recipe also embodies my mood in some other subtly rebellious ways. See, I’m one of those people who doesn’t want pumpkin in my pie or in my latte. I don’t hate pumpkin, and I never crave it. So this year I bought a can of it just to see if I could change my own mind. Additionally, I don’t want my protein in smoothie form. I love the taste of smoothies, but I can never quite figure out when is the right time to drink them such that they won’t hurt my stomach. Combine these seemingly dissonant factoids, and I think I’ve created the perfect alternative for weirdos like me: Pumpkin Protein Pudding!!
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Since I’m not feeling so stellar, I was grateful to know this would be super easy. I’ve made many versions of this before and strongly encourage you to play around! For this version, I didn’t have any fresh “milk” on hand, so I made a quick hemp milk as the starter. Combine the rest of the ingredients, and you’re on your way to energy and protein-packed pumpkin goodness. Top it with your favorite nuts and seeds or dried fruit, and it makes the best fall breakfast. For a dessert version, amp up the maple syrup drizzle or add more to the batch, and top with shredded coconut or cacao.

In post-pudding glee,
Hannah

Pumpkin Protein Pudding
1 Cup Water
½ Cup Organic Pumpkin (cooked or canned)
⅓ Cup Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Hemp Seeds*
1 Tbsp Coconut Butter
1 Tsp Maple Syrup, plus more to drizzle
½ Tsp Vanilla Extract
½ Tsp Pumpkin Spice

1. Using a high-speed or immersion blender, combine water and hemp seeds. Add pumpkin, coconut butter, maple syrup, vanilla and pumpkin spice. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour mixture into bowl and slowly stir in chia seeds.
3. Refrigerate until thick, about 15 minutes.
* 1 cup of any non-dairy milk can be used in place of water and hemp seeds. If mixture is too thick, add more non-dairy milk. If it doesn’t thicken to your likening, add more chia seeds 1 tbsp at a time.
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