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Make your own Haramaki to Keep Your Kidneys Happy All Winter Long...

  Kidneys from "Dreamstime"  In 16th Century Japan, Samari warriors wore a haramaki-- a tight fitting piece of woven armor over their lower abdomen-- stomach, kidneys and other organs were somewhat protected.  Today's haramaki has little in common with the military wraps. In Japan there is a burst of the haramaki on the fashion scene. It is generally a tube that is knit or woven to fit over the abdomen and takes various aesthetic forms, textures and colors.   Keeping Your Core Warm Take 3 minutes to watch this video that will tell you about the benefits of kidney warmers: Along with the fashion surge, there is a recognition in Asia and cold-weather countries in Europe and North America, that the haramaki offers a solace for the kidneys and other organs in the abdomen. The haramaki (or "kidney warmer", "kidney wrap" or "core warmer"-- some of the many names it is called) will boost circulation, which is a great boon for warmth and health. It i

Recipe for Oat-Aquafaba Waffles--Easy-Peasy Vegan

These oat-aquafaba waffles are a dream. Great as a part of breakfast or a savory meal. Aquafaba is becoming quite trendy with vegan bakers. It is, of course, just bean juice-- what is left over in the can when you take out the beans (usually chick peas or northern beans, although ALL beans make aquafaba when you cook them in water.) Aquafaba works very much like egg white in recipes, so it is a great egg replacer for vegan items such as meringues, macrons, marshmallows, and in angel food cake (I have yet to try that!) It does not smell or taste beanie in the baked item, but if you overdo it you may find that you suffer from some of the effects of over-eating beans, so take it easy.  Less is more.  Amazingly, a quarter cup of aquafaba, what you find in a 14 oz. can of beans, is enough to lighten and puff up 5-10 waffles in this recipe. Try it and see what you think! Aquafaba is best if it does not contain salt and other additives. Check the ingredients on the can when you buy it. You ca

Super-Easy Apple-Raisin Quick Bread

 I made this yummy apple-raisin quick bread this morning and unfortunately, my husband and I have practically eaten the whole thing before I thought of how useful it would be to get the recipe down here. I'm sorry. I know it would have been nice to have seen the whole loaf. Maybe the next time I make it (there will be a next time) I will remember to photograph the whole loaf. In the meantime, here is the recipe: INGREDIENTS : 3 cups of self-raising flour (see below) 2 cups (16 oz) apple sauce, sweetened l teaspoon cinnamon (optional) 1/2 to 1 cup Thompson's raisins (or other raisins) Canadians don't often use self-raising flour. It is so handy to have on hand for biscuits, and the like. Here is a recipe: For every one cup of flour (all-purpose), use 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. I want to make 6 cups of self-raising flour so include: 6 cups of flour, 9 teaspoons of baking powder, and 3 teaspoons of salt. I whisked the above well and stored the ad

Black Bean-Taco Hummus - Vegan- Dip or Spread

 My current favorite quick black bean-taco hummus made with organic black beans, taco spice, peanut butter, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Delicious with corn chips, veggies or on crackers or bread.  This scrumptious hummus is Mexican-influenced. The taco spice by Clever Crow contains paprika, cumin, coriander, sea salt, black pepper, oregano, garlic, and chilies. It is gluten-free. To order go to their website at Clever Crow Farm. INGREDIENTS: 2 14-oz. cans of black beans, drained and rinsed 2 teaspoons Taco Spice 2 tablespoons peanut butter 2 minced garlic cloves Juice of 1 lemon or 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon sea salt Put all the above ingredients in a blender carafe and whirl until smooth.  Add in a little water or more lemon juice or cider vinegar to blend if needed. Store in a jar or dish with a lid in fridge. Enjoy as a dip with chips or vegetables, or as a spread on tortillas, buns, bread, crackers, pitas, or a homemade pizza.       WHAT IS LYCOPENE AND HOW CAN

Ghost Gear: Haunting Canadian Waters

O Canada!  Our safe sea home and pristine land! Apparently NOT... Take a gander at the plastic gunk garnered from our "pristine" waters: A man-made garbage hill like this is known as "ghost gear" and is the lost, abandoned or trashed gear -- mostly plastics--of the fishing industry, that ends up as a disgusting 58% of marine macro debris.   Want to be part of the solution and not the problem?  Learn More →   . Learn More →   Marine Sea Glass Crafters and Collectors -- today only-- 39-piece sea shell and sea glass collection from Vancouver Island beaches. From Etsy Canada Also take a look at Natalie McIntosh's London, Ontario enterprise: Canada Needs A Strong Global Plastics Policy Friend, I signed a petition calling on world leaders to support a strong global plastics treaty. As you know, plastic pollution is everywhere. Scientists have even found microplastics in the air we breathe and the food we eat. We need a solution that matches the scale of the problem.

20 Delicious, Wholesome, Vegan Apple Recipes

  And there are the windfalls that need to be sorted before the bunnies gather to dine. Apples, a popular fruit worldwide, are categorized in many ways from the sort of peel through whether they taste dry or wet, sweet or tart, their colors, their time of harvest, where they originated... and the list goes on. Some apples are wonderful for eating from the tree. Some apples are more memorable as perfect 'sauce apples' or 'cider apples,' meaning, quite frankly, that they are not tasty or crisp and crunchy or juicy enough to pass the high standards for an apple eaten out of hand. The apples that are currently falling on the ground in my yard are called Yellow Transparents. They are from Russia and have a very thin, almost transparent, peel. Local friends describe them as great juice and/or sauce apples. I bake with them, put them in smoothies, and have made soups and sauces with them. They taste and smell like apples to me, and that is the point... or, for me it is. If yo

Granny Gardens: Straw Bed Potatoes!

  Such a surprise today to gently reach under the 6-inch layer of straw in our garden planter box and pull out a perfectly-shaped, flawless little potato! How did that happen? In the Spring when we were getting ready to plant our veggie garden, I brought out a plastic bag with 4 eye-laden spuds in it. Could we plant these? I asked my dear husband.   The punky potatoes in the bag were organic Yukon Golds that we would have eaten, had they not so quickly sprung eyes.  Besides being full of little white googlies, they were also a bit wizened up, not at all attractive as a possible dinner item. We thought about the idea for a couple of minutes and asked ourselves: What if the potatoes whack out and go really deep and have to be dug-- somehow-- out of the planter boxes? That could be an awkward and disabling experience for two old folks like us. So, back to the drawing board (in this case, the Internet), went I. I soon came across a youtube, about someone who had planted potatoes on the top