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I met the amazing Jackie and Paddy recently, we discussed upcycling and they totally inspired me with their ideas!  The first one was how to make a scarf from an old jumper.

Difficulty level - Super Easy.  All you need to do is cut the jumper across under the arm.

I now have an amazing soft scarf. 

Please send me your upcycling or zero waste ideas.
[email protected]   Geraldine

THE POWER OF STRANGERS

​This book really caught my attention in the book shop recently and I have been enjoying it since.
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Themes of connection are strong in The Urban Co-op, and we acknowledge every day that it is a great place for people to connect while they shop for nourishing food. In a world that continues to teach us about all the hazards and fears we face; this book provides a level of refreshing reality that is timely and welcome. With lots of research, anthropology, and stories this book serves to reinforce the value of what we see every day here as people connect with each other and enhance the feeling of belonging. We recommend this New Years resolution!
 
Anne Maher

SMART OR WISE
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If you are familiar with the concept of feed lots in the US and are reading this, you are probably not a fan of them. Intensive beef production comes to mind but these CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) are also used for horses, pigs, chickens etc. The Green Revolution in the 1960s dramatically increased food production and was a game changer in terms of food prices, availability, and population growth. After the war years this was no doubt a wonderful plan. The benefit of hindsight though can make us ask the question was it such a good idea to intensify?
 
Has the collateral damage to our health, the soil health, biodiversity etc been too high a price to pay? We are scrambling to recover our collective immune systems every way we know how while we deal with the damage on a day-to-day basis. On a piecemeal basis we are recognising that a more natural, traditional, and respectful approach to nature and biodiversity is yielding quality results. A return to real foods is healing individuals from chronic conditions, a return to nourishing the soil with natures appropriate food instead of chemicals is breathing new life into farms. An appreciation for organic farming and produce is growing. The race is on to recover both physically and mentally. Can we learn from the mistakes? What wisdom can we glean from the process?
 
With the Fourth Industrial Revolution underway are we going to repeat the process again?
 
Smart cities where the population are encouraged to live in concentrated spaces does seem like a great idea. For now.
 
Anne Maher
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BEETROOT EN CROÛTE

For 6 people (or four hungry ones)
 
Savoury pastry is a wonderful festive dish…especially with a nice strong gravy.
 
When you want to make a special dish for an occasion, this meets the criteria.  For some reason food enclosed in pastry just tastes great … like a warm sandwich, but this has a little more finesse.  Cut and presented on the plate it looks very nice, add the nice coating of gravy and you start to salivate.  
 
The nice part, it is quite easy to make!!! 😊
 
 
INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium cooked beetroot (peeled) and cut in thick rounds.
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar & 1 tbsp olive oil
• 500 g mushrooms (roughly chopped)
• 3 shallots or small onion (roughly chopped),
• A stick of celery … chopped finely
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 4 garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped)
• A nice pinch of thyme & a little sage
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 300 g puff pastry, 1 sheet
• 3 tbs plant milk, a drop of oil and a tsp of maple syrup (for brushing)

 
INSTRUCTIONS

1. If the puff pastry is frozen, make sure it has thawed out before use.
2. Steam or boil the beetroot whole. Allow to cool, then peel, cut into thick 10mm round wheels.
3. Drizzle with the oil and balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. Put under the grill until a little crisp on each side. Set aside to cool.

 
To make the mushroom stuffing:

1. Fry mushrooms with a nice sprinkle of salt until dry, let cool a bit then transfer to a food processor.
2. Fry the shallot or onion, garlic, and celery in a drop of oil until soft then add to food processor.
3. Add the walnuts, breadcrumbs and herbs to the food processor and reduce all to a paste.
4. Add a good grind of black pepper.
5. Taste the mixture to see if it needs a little more salt.
6. Preheat oven to 200°C or 390°F.
7. Roll out the puff pastry sheet onto grease proof paper.
8. Spread the mushroom stuffing onto the pastry leaving a boarder along the edges.
9. Place the beetroot pieces side by side upright, then wrap them with the stuffing to make a log, making sure all the edges are well sealed.
10. Allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or a little longer to firm up. ( you can make this a day before )
11. If you like, using a butter knife lightly score the surface to give it a nice feature.
12. Brush the pastry with plant milk mixture and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until golden. Slice rounds and serve with a nice onion and mushroom gravy.

 
For those who do not like beetroot… some people don’t ☹

• You can replace the beetroot with Quorn sausages before shaping into the log.  

Bon appétit !
 
Jacques
 
@HungrySoulVegan  - Changing the Culture

POACHED PLUMS IN ORANGE & CINNAMON SYRUP

​If you are stuck for dessert or pudding ideas this winter and want to prepare something quick and easy that is memorably delicious – this is sure fire dish. The rich red of the soft plums sitting in a rose-coloured fragrant liquid will delight you and your guests. All you need is a lovely serving bowl - preferably in glass, plenty of whipped cream, cream fraiche or Greek yogurt (or a mix of all three!), toasted flaked almonds and voila!

These plums can be served warm or cold – and if you decide to serve them cold I suggest you carefully spoon the cream mixture on top and scatter the toasted flaked almonds all over and leave to settle for an hour in a cool place.

Ingredients

• 500 grams of plums – don’t worry if they are a little hard as they will soften in the cooking process
• 250 mls of water
• 150 - 200 grams of granulated sugar – preferably cane, brown or demerara (check for sweetness, it depends on the quality and ripeness of fruit so you may need more sugar.
• 1 good quality cinnamon stick
• 2/3 pieces of orange peel – about 2-3 inches in length

Method

1. Halve the plums, remove the stone and then slice lengthwise  – 3 slices per half
2. Put water and sugar, orange peel and cinnamon stick into a medium size saucepan and heat gently.  Note: You need to melt the sugar fully before you increase the heat and bring the syrup to the boil
3. Boil the syrup for a couple of minutes – your kitchen will start to fill with lovely Christmassy aromas
4. Now, add the plums to the liquid and simmer very gently until beginning to soften – 5- 10 minutes
5. Taste, and IF the syrup is too watery and the plums are soft – remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and boil the syrup down for a couple of minutes
6. Put the plums and syrup into a serving bowl
7. Now, you decide whether to serve the poached plums warm or cool – but, whatever you do!! Remember to remove the limp orange peel and the cinnamon stick before serving.

Serve as suggested above and keep any left-over juice to add to porridge, granola or yogurt in the morning.

If you like you could use red wine in your poaching liquid and replace the cinnamon with 2-3 pieces of star anise (but remember to remove it as soon as the fruit is cooked).

Katie Verling
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