Pineapple Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 4 cups spinach leaves, washed
• 1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 medium frozen banana, sliced

Preparation

Place ingredients in a blender in the following order: milk, yogurt, spinach, pineapple and banana, and secure the lid. Blend on high until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestion

For a thicker smoothie, use frozen pineapple chunks as well as the sliced, frozen banana. Make your own frozen fruit for smoothies by cutting up fresh pineapple and bananas and freezing the pieces on a baking sheet; then transfer to a zip-close bag for storage. Drained canned pineapple freezes just as well as fresh.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

UPDATED: How the soda tax affects shopping at Mariposa

Here's what you need to know.

What is it?

Last year, Mayor Kenny passed the Philadelphia Beverage Tax that went into effect on January 1, 2017. The Philadelphia Beverage Tax, also deemed the Soda Tax by the local media, is a $0.015 tax per ounce on sugary beverages. What’s a sugary beverage? Well, it actually entails more than just soda.

Sugary beverages include any non-alcoholic beverage, syrup, or other concentrate used to prepare a beverage that includes any form of caloric sugar-based sweetener, including, but not limited to:

• Sucrose
• Glucose
• High fructose corn syrup
• Artificial sugar substitutes, including Stevia, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), saccharin, and advantame

Excluded beverages include baby formula, products that contain more than 50 percent milk, fresh fruit, and/or vegetables.

What products are taxed?

Updated: Taxed items include, but are not limited to:

• Blue Sky Sodas
• Grab and go drinks including Honest Tea, Highball Energy Drinks, Guayaki Yerba Mate, etc. 
• Non dairy milks with added sweetener

To determine if a product is affected by the Soda Tax, look for a yellow box beneath the price on the shelf tag. If "Soda Tax" is printed within the box, the price will be added to your purchase at the register. 

Who pays the tax?

The distributor is responsible for paying the tax. However, our prices have increased on certain items due to the price increases from our distributors. 

Where does the tax go?

The tax money is to go to community schools, rec centers, libraries, parks and pre-k schooling. This tax policy is popular among European countries, but Philadelphia was the second American city to pass this law after Berkley, California. San Francisco, Oakland, and Boulder have since followed suit. Read more about it here.

DIY: Natural Egg Dye

Egg dyeing is a fun way to celebrate this time of year—and it's a tradition that goes way back—as much as 5,000 years when Persians celebrated springtime with eggs colored with plant-based dyes. Plant dyes can be just as useful today and they're plentiful; in fact you very well might have dye-worthy ingredients in your kitchen already.

Here are some great plant-based dyes—fruits, vegetables, spices and flowers.

Items Needed

• White eggs (or try brown, keeping in mind color results will vary)
• Egg carton
• Stock pan(s)
• Water
• White vinegar
• Slotted spoon
• Natural materials for dyeing (see table).

Optional: Tape, string, rubber bands, cheese cloth squares, natural beeswax crayons to create designs on eggs, and vegetable oil for an extra sheen. 

Directions

Beet dye including pulp (top), onion skin dye with celery, bay and ivy leaves wrapped in cheese cloth (middle two), turmeric dye with rice wrapped in cheese cloth (bottom).

Hot Bath Method

1. Place uncooked eggs in a stainless steel stock pan. Add water 2-3 inches above eggs. (When using bottled juice, fill 2-3 inches above eggs. Do not add water.) Add natural dye ingredients and 1-2 tablespoons vinegar per quart of water.

2. Cover and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
3. Carefully remove eggs with a slotted spoon and air dry.

Cold Bath Method

The process for cold dyeing is much the same as the hot method except the eggs and dyes are cooked separately.

1. Simmer the dye ingredients (water, vinegar and dye matter) for 20-30 minutes or longer, until the dye reaches your desired shade.
2. Allow the liquid to cool and submerge hard-boiled eggs in the dye for at least 30 minutes.
3. Carefully remove eggs with a slotted spoon and air dry.  

Notes, Tips & Techniques

Color variation

Colors may vary depending on steeping time and foods used to dye eggs.

Deeper colors

The longer the eggs stay in the dye, the deeper the color will be; leaving the eggs in the dye for several hours or overnight (in the refrigerator) is recommended for achieving deep colors. Allow the liquid and eggs to cool before refrigerating and ensure that the eggs are completely submerged in the dye. Eggs will be speckled if the dye matter remains in the liquid. For more uniform colors, remove the dye matter from the liquid, by straining the liquid through a coffee filter, before refrigerating.

Egg flavor

The flavor of the egg may change based on the dye, so if you plan to eat your dyed eggs, a shorter dye bath and fresh ingredients may be preferable.

Drying

Make a drying rack by cutting the bottom off an egg carton and turning it upside down.

Decorating

• Wrap onion skins around eggs, then wrap the entire egg with a cheese cloth square and secure it with string before placing the eggs in the dye.
• Wrap string or rubber bands around eggs before dyeing to create stripes (use rubber bands for cold dyeing only).
• Draw designs on hot, warm or cold hard-boiled eggs with crayons. When using hot or warm eggs, the crayon may melt slightly on contact with the egg (if eggs are hot, hold eggs with a potholder or rag to prevent finger burns). Crayon covered eggs should only be dyed in cold dyes as the crayon wax will melt in hot liquids.
• Gently wipe dry dyed eggs with vegetable oil to give eggs an added sheen.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Jerk Tofu with Pineapple

Via Vegan Style

Tofu takes on full flavored jerk sauce and pairs wonderfully with the sweetness of baked pineapple.

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra firm tofu, pressed to remove water and cut into 1- to 2-inch cubes
• 1 pound fresh pineapple, cut into 1- to 2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper

Jerk Sauce

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce or habañero sauce
• 2 tablespoon fresh chives, minced (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Preparation

1. To press tofu: wrap it in a clean, lint-free towel or place it between two plates, then add a 2 to 3 pound weight on top (a cookbook works well) and let it sit for 15 minutes or more to remove excess water.
2. In medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the jerk sauce ingredients. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the sauce for dressing the tofu when cooked.
3. Marinate the pressed, cubed tofu in the jerk sauce for 30-60 minutes or overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Place the tofu and marinade onto an oiled sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes; then gently stir or flip the tofu and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the tofu is firm and the sauce is absorbed. On a separate oiled sheet pan, bake the pineapple cubes for 20 – 25 minutes until they just start to brown.
6. Toss the pineapple and tofu together. Drizzle with the remaining 4 tablespoons of jerk sauce and garnish with chives and diced red pepper. Serve over a bed of greens or crisp lettuce.

Serving Suggestion

Double up the sauce recipe, then heat the sauce, tofu and pineapple together in a skillet and serve warm over steamed rice, or as a wrap sandwich, with fresh greens and sliced sweet onions.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

News Roundup April 7, 2017

Via NPR

Historic marker for '85 MOVE bomb site

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has approved a historical marker for the West Philadelphia site of the 1985 MOVE bombing, near Osage Avenue and Cobbs Creek Parkway.

The marker was nominated by students of the private, Southwest Philadelphia-based Jubilee School who for two years have studied the 1985 incident in which Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on a residential neighborhood, leaving 11 dead — including five children – and 61 rowhomes destroyed.

“The students were determined to get the whole story and not just one perspective,” said Karen Falcon, history teacher and director of the Jubilee School. “They understood that the neighbors had a different perspective than the MOVE members, and that everybody’s perspective – other than the city government – had some relevance. The students had a very complex view of what happened.” Read more. 

This creative project grant started from a loan a business consultancy gave to an ice cream business

It was when Little Baby’s Ice Cream was first starting out that cofounder Pete Angevine met Kate Strathmann, CEO and director of Center City-based small business consultancy Elysian Fields.

After some consulting on financials and business development for the local ice cream business, which has since expanded to Baltimore, the two became friends through their experiences as company leaders — something that Strathmann admits might initially seem weird to people questioning how a business consultancy has anything to with a place that sells ice cream. Read more. 

Fight Islamophobia in West Philly Schools

West Philadelphia Coalition Against Islamophobia is raising money to donate books featuring Muslim kids to local neighborhood elementary schools. We invite you to join us in this exciting project making an important, concrete step towards building the self-worth of our young, Muslim community members and toward increasing intercultural understanding locally. Donate now. 

10 Philly transwomen who made history

Philadelphia celebrates Trans Day of Visibility today, an international holiday to highlight transpeople, their experiences and the issues that affect them. Yesterday, City Council adopted a resolution to observe it.

Since today is also the last day of Women’s History Month, we decided to delve into the city’s trans history to find some of the pathbreaking local women who’ve left a mark or are forging one. Read more. 

Eggless Chocolate Mousse

Via Creative Commons

A true mousse is an airy concoction, in which rich chocolate is held aloft by thousands of tiny bubbles. Aquafaba does an amazing job of lifting and holding a gorgeous egg-free whipped texture.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces semisweet vegan (optional) chocolate, not chips
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup aquafaba
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Preparation

1. Melt the chocolate and allow it to come to room temperature.
2. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the cream of tartar and aquafaba. Mix on low just to combine, then raise the speed to high. Beat for 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches firm peaks. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat for 2 minutes, sprinkle in the remaining sugar and beat for 3 more minutes.
3. Drizzle the chocolate gently over the aquafaba mixture, and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the chocolate into the whip. It will deflate quite a bit, but stay fluffy. Transfer to goblets, a bowl, or storage tub and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes, then serve.

Authored by Robin Asbell. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Aquafaba Meringue Pie

Via Creative Commons

This is an epic pie. It takes a little time to make all the components and assemble, but the tangy filling and stunning toasted meringue on top is worth the effort. You can make the crust and the filling a day ahead and refrigerate, then whip up the meringue on the day of serving for a pie that is sure to impress.

Ingredients

Crust

• 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 stick vegan margarine (not soft spread)
• Up to 1/2 cup ice water

Filling

• 1 15-ounce can coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon agar powder
• 2 pinches turmeric or a few drops yellow food coloring
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch

Meringue

• 3/4 cup aquafaba
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup sugar, ground and divided (see Tips & Notes)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Crust

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the flours and salt, and whisk to combine. Using the large holes of a grater, grate the cold vegan margarine into the flour mixture, tossing to coat the shreds with flour. Work the margarine in just a little by squeezing the mixture with your fingers to break the shreds into smaller pieces, about the size of peas. Sprinkle in about 3 tablespoons of ice water, fluffing the mixture with a fork. Add water a tablespoon at a time, and start to gently turn and squeeze the dough as it forms. Once all the flour is moistened and the dough starts to hold together in a ball, flatten the dough ball to form a disk.
2. Flour the counter and roll out the dough to fit in a 9-inch deep pie pan. Place the dough into the pie pan and flute the crust. Chill half an hour.
3. Line the crust with foil and fill it with dry beans or pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the weights and foil. Return the crust to the oven for 15 minutes more until the crust is fully baked, crisp, and golden. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Filling

1. Pour the coconut milk into a 2-quart pot, and whisk over low heat to melt any lumps. When melted, whisk in the sugar, vanilla, agar powder and turmeric or yellow food coloring. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil, then reduce to hold a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking occasionally, for 5 minutes, to melt the sugar and agar completely.
2. In a cup, whisk the fresh lemon juice with the cornstarch. Slowly pour into the simmering pot, whisking until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Lower the heat and whisk for 1 minute more to thicken. Stir in the lemon zest. Scrape the filling into the cooled pie crust and place in the refrigerator to set.

Meringue

1. Preheat the broiler. Place a rack so that the top of the pie (it will be tall) will be about 3 inches from the heat. For the meringue, place the aquafaba, cream of tartar and 1/4 cup sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or a large bowl with an electric beater. Mix on low for a minute to combine well, then turn the speed to medium-high. Whip for 10 minutes, until the mixture is light and glossy. Gradually whip in the remaining sugar, a tablespoon at a time, sprinkling the sugar very slowly over the surface of the mixture for at least a full second before adding the next tablespoon. The mixture will be billowy and shiny. Whip in the vanilla at the end, just to mix it in well.
2. Dollop the meringue mixture over the lemon filling and spread it decoratively. Don't make very deep indentations in the meringue, as the broiler will not reach them to brown them. If you have a creme brulee torch, you can make any shapes you want and use the torch to brown everything evenly.
3. To brown the meringue, place on the rack and leave the door open as you monitor the browning, turning the pie every few seconds. It will brown very quickly, so don't look away. As soon as it is golden and toasted, remove the pie from the oven.
4. Refrigerate the pie to set the topping for at least an hour before slicing. Serve cold. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Tips & Notes

To prevent grittiness in meringue, it’s best to use sugar that’s more finely ground than standard granulated sugar. For a 3/4 cup yield measure out 3/4 cup plus an additional 2 teaspoons, to compensate for smaller granules. Grind the sugar for about 30 seconds in a blender, food processor or clean coffee grinder. Do not overgrind or you’ll end up with powdered sugar.

Authored by Robin Asbell. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Cooking with Aquafaba

Via Creative Commons

Thank vegans for this exciting new phenomenon. 

What is aquafaba?

Aquafaba is actually something we have been pouring down the drain for years. Also known as chickpea water, aquafaba (derived from the Latin word "aqua" for water, and "faba" for beans) is the liquid that forms when you cook dried chickpeas.

With a little help from sugar, starch, and a little something acidic to help stabilize it, aquafaba can be whipped up to a lofty peak, with nearly the same structure as whipped egg whites. 

How to make aquafaba

Via Creative Commons

Many aquafaba recipes call for draining a can of cooked chickpeas to get started. That is certainly easy and it works pretty well, but you can actually make better aquafaba at home from dried chickpeas.

1. Start with 2 cups dried chickpeas, sorted and cleaned, a piece of kombu seaweed, and water. Kombu is important, as it adds some minerals that make the aquafaba work better.
2. Use 6 cups of water, and cover the pan so you don't boil off too much liquid. To get the best results, use a slow cooker or stovetop, not a pressure cooker. Long, slow cooking extracts the most active ingredients from the beans.
3. Slow cook on low for 8 hours or on the stove top for about 4 hours.
4. When the beans are very tender but not falling apart, they are done.
5. For best results, refrigerate the whole pot so that the beans can continue to marry with the aquafaba. You can strain them immediately after cooking, if you prefer.
6. Discard the kombu.
7. Measure the strained aquafaba, and if it is more than 3 cups, put it in a pot on the stove and boil it to reduce it down and thicken it to about 2 1/2 to 3 cups.
8. Refrigerate for up to a week, or portion and freeze it. Save the cooked chickpeas for another use.

Aquafaba uses

When substituting with aquafaba, remember it has none of the fat other substitutes may have. Use aquafaba as a vegan egg white substitute or in cakes and meringues. Aquafaba is a great mayo starter that can be easily blended with garlic and herbs to make aioli for dipping, meat, or seafood.

Recipes that call for an egg or two to bind them are your best bets, like meat or nut loaves, veggie burgers, or savory breads. You can blend part tofu and part aquafaba with seasonings, then scramble to make a softer, lighter version of a tofu scramble.

Authored by Robin Asbell. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Pho with Shrimp

Classic Vietnamese pho is based on a slow-cooked beef stock, one that takes beef bones and lots of simmering. This easy rendition relies on good boxed stock, quickly infused with star anise, cinnamon and other pho flavors that add fragrant notes. You can opt for making the soup in each bowl, or making one big pot of soup and ladling it over noodles, whatever is more convenient for you.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 8 cups chicken broth, 2 boxes
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorn
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste
• 4 small baby bok choy, cut in 2 inch pieces
• 16 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 4 ounces rice noodles, flat
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1 8-ounce package baked tofu, sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed
• 4 large scallion, sliced on a diagonal
• 2 large limes, halved and sliced

Preparation

1. In a 2 quart pot, heat the oil over medium high heat, then saute the ginger and garlic just until fragrant, about a minute. Add the stock, anise, cinnamon, peppercorns and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer and lower heat to keep it at a gentle bubble. Cook for 20 minutes. The stock will reduce to about 7 cups.
2. While the stock takes on flavor, prepare the garnishes. Chop the bok choy, prep the shrimp, and have all the vegetables in separate piles on a plate. Cook the noodles, and divide them between six wide soup bowls.Arrange the tofu and bean sprouts on top of the noodles.
3. When the stock is ready, strain it, taste for salt-adding more fish sauce if you think it needs it, and bring it to a boil. At serving,simmer shrimp, bok choy and carrot in the stock until cooked, about 3 minutes, then ladle the hot soup over the noodles, tofu and sprouts.

Serving Suggestion

Serve piled with scallion and lime wedges on the side. If desired, you can cook the shrimp, bok choy and carrot in the simmering stock and serve the soup from a communal pot, ladling it over the rice noodles and tofu in each bowl and garnishing with scallions.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Spring Greens Pizza

Baked crust is topped with fresh mozzarella, spring greens and chicken for a delightful twist on traditional pizza.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 ounces fresh mozzarella, bocconcini size
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 prepared pizza crust
• 1 15-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins or thighs
• 3 cups spring mix lettuce

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, reduce 1 cup of balsamic vinegar to 1/4 cup, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and reserve. Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, basil, oregano and garlic in a small bowl. Let sit 10 minutes.
3. Brush pizza crust with half the olive oil mixture and bake according to package instructions. Slice the fresh mozzarella into thin slices and add to the remaining olive oil mixture. Toss to coat.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown 2 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve. Return the pan to the heat and deglaze with 1 tablespoon water and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Slice the cooked chicken crosswise into 1-inch pieces and add to the tomato mixture. Simmer until sauce has thickened, about 7 minutes.
5. Remove the pizza crust from the oven. Spread the sauce evenly over the crust and top with marinated mozzarella slices. Cut the pizza into four slices and top each with a handful of spring mix. Drizzle each slice with a tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar reduction and serve.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop