Pesto Pron XXX: Live Nude Basil

Perfect Summer Dinner: BBQ, Coleslaw, Sweet Corn

SJM & HAA Collaborative Coleslaw (German/Irish Coleslaw Compromise)

• 4 cups of finely shredded cabbage - red, green or a combination of both
• 1 cups shredded carrots
• 1/4 to 1/2 cups vegan mayo 
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large bowl add the shredded cabbage and carrots and toss. Add vegan wet ingredients and toss. Add dry ingredients and toss. Taste. Adjust seasoning if needed. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes minimum and serve! Cole Slaw is one of those kooky dishes that get better the longer the flavors have time to meld, so no hurry on serving!

Notes: As with potato salad, people are picky-pants about their coleslaw. It can get ugly based on shred size of the cabbage alone. Some purists (65+ Midwesterners) don't cotton to none of that basted red cabbage. My point being you can easily customize this recipe to your own tastes.
   SJM and I did a good old fashioned cabbage collab on this here pretty, little cole slaw recipe. We used the homemade garlic mayonnaise recipe from the Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson. However, Vegenaise would work just as well.

E-Z BBQ Marinated Tofu on Grill

• 1 package extra firm tofu
• 1 - 2 cups BBQ sauce

1. Open block of tofu and press to remove excess water.*
2. Cut tofu into slices - I cut 8 at approx 1/2" thickness, they need to be big enough to not fall through the grate on the grill.
3. Put tofu in a shallow dish or a large freezer bag and cover with BBQ sauce. Make sure every piece of tofu is covered. Marinate at least one half hour, turning and/or brushing at least once or shaking gently if in plastic bag.
4. Put tofu on grill, cook for about 20 minutes until warmed through, flipping at halfway point.
5. Plate and serve!

* Frozen tofu works the best for this recipe as it gets a spongy texture after defrosting, perfect for sucking up a marinade. Freeze tofu in package for 48 hours, thaw by placing the package in a few inches of boiling waters for roughly ten minutes. Open package and press, if needed (to press tofu, put a clean cotton cloth or several layers of paper towels on a plate, place tofu on plate, repeat layers on top, add several heavy items such as books, let sit 10 to 15 minutes). Cut tofu into strips or cubes and marinate a minimum of half an hour.

Thrift Tip: You can save the extra BBQ sauce to use again (unlike meat, tofu does not contain any dangerous bacteria, etc. - store in refrigerator until needed.

The Best Way To Cook Sweet Corn

1. Shuck corn - be sure to get all those stringy silks off the ear!
2. Fill a tall pasta pot with 1-2" of water and bring water to a boil.
3. Stand ears of corn upright in pot (it's okay if they get slightly submerged), add lid, and steam until just heated through - roughly 10 minutes. DO NOT overcook!
4. Serve piping hot with butter or margarine and salt. 

 

The Costco Question: Worth It or Not?

HOT BUTTON TOPIC! Is it worth it to be a member of Costco if you are a vegan/vegetarian/organic only? Aside from the adult diapers (male & female), flush-able wet toilet wipes - are there any food products available?

Here I present an unbiased, undercover (not so much) report of what organic and vegan/vegetarian products were available at our newly opened Iowa City location. I'm kind of like the Anderson Cooper of Iowa City here, people. I am 100% sure I missed some organic items because I kept having to dodge doddering septuagenarians, prairie whale pods of moms + offspring and aggressive stay-at-home dads on a mission yelling into their walkie talkies.

 ORGANICS:

• Organicville - Vinaigrettes Olive Oil & Balsamic - 2/24oz bottles - $7.79
• Organicville - Sesame Teriyaki Sauce - 35oz bottle - $5.59
• Organicville - BBQ Sauce - 35oz bottle - $4.99
• Seeds of Change - Quinoa & Rice - 4/8.5oz pouches - $7.99
• Flax USA - Golden Milled Flax - 48oz bag - $6.99
• Earthly Choice - Quinoa - 4lb bag - $9.49
• Wholesome Sweeteners - Sugar - 10lb bag - $10.99
• Wholesome Sweeteners - Blue Agave Nectar - 2/36oz bottles - $9.99
• Kirkland Signature/Bolthouse Farms - Carrot Juice - 3/32oz bottles - $6.99
• Seapoint Farms - Edamame - 4/14oz bags - $6.59
• Bybee Foods - Green Beans - 5lb bag - $6.49
• Pure Nature - Broccoli - 4/1lbs bags - $5.99
• Bybee Foods - White Corn - 5lb bag - $5.99
• Earthbound Farms - Mixed Baby Kale - 1.5 lbs - $4.49
• Earthbound Farms - Brocollette - 2lb bag - $6.29
• Earthbound Farms - Mini Peeled Carrots - 5lb bag - $5.49

 

NON-ORGANICS:

• P.O.M. Wonderful - 100% pomegranate juice - 60oz bottle - $8.99
• Odwalla Juice - Variety Smoothies - 10/12oz bottles - $14.59
• MaraNatha - All Natural Almond Butter - 26oz jar - $5.89
• Kirkland Signature - Raw Pine Nuts - 1.5lb bag - $17.79
• Kirkland Signature - Pecan Halves - 2lb bag - $15.99
• Kirkland Signature - Walnuts - 3lb bag - $17.99
• Kirkland Signature - Almonds - 3lb bag - $10.89
• Earthly Choice - All Natural 100% Whole Grain Bulgur Wheat - 4lb bag - $5.79
• Earthly Choice - All Natural Chia Seeds - 2lb bag - $7.39
• Earthly Choice - All Natural Black Rice - 3lb bag - $5.69
• Sugar In The Raw - Natural Cane Sugar - 6lb bag - $7.99 

There was also soy milk and tofu products available - I did not get brand names, pricing info, etc. As always it is imperative to read labels so you know exactly what is in your food.
 
Full disclosure - I do have an Executive (cheapest at $55) membership - after doing some research SJM and I did decide a membership would be worth the money, mostly based on dog food and toilet paper. (PS The Kirkland Signature dog food is highly rated by Consumer Reports  and DogFoodAdvisor.com with a four out of five stars.) We also split our membership with another couple, which allows us to break the bulk foods down into a manageable amount.

I absolutely will not be going grocery shopping there on a regular basis - they just do not have the fresh, organic, local selection to keep me coming in weekly. Honestly, excluding entertaining, I will only shop there when we need to replenish the dog food/dog treats and toilet paper supplies.

Two items they did not have which I use frequently and would buy in bulk - organic canned beans (chickpeas, esp) and brown rice. However, the products keep changing on a regular basis and the Costco staff member I asked about Organics did tell me that they plan to keep expanding that market.