Energy Saving Tips for the Kitchen

Here are a few everyday things we do to help conserve energy and make cooking faster and easier!

Energy Saving Tip - Making Tea and Coffee

You don't need to boil water for tea or coffee. In fact, boiling water loses oxygen, has less flavor-carrying capacity and can scorch green teas and herbs. Stop heating water before it boils and you will conserve energy and have better flavored hot drinks for the winter months!

Energy Saving Tip - Steaming Veggies is Better Than Boiling

Steam cooks food much faster than boiling and retains more nutrients, color and texture. Use very little water in the bottom of a pot for steaming veggies including potatoes, beets, carrots, etc., and cover it to increase the BTUs inside the pot. The thinner you slice veggies, the faster they will cook. Make sure to stack your veggies so that the steam can get through. Always consume the yummy veggie water from the bottom of the pan or you'll lose many of the nutrients.

Energy Saving Tip - Keep Your Lid On!

We do our best to make the most of the resources we have. Keeping a lid on fry pans, pots, cups, and carafes holds the heat in and increases the BTUs where the food is, instead of letting it escape out into the room. It also helps to cook food faster, so it is a win-win all the way around! When frying, we put a lid on for the first "cooking" portion of stove time, and then take the lid off to allow the moisture to escape towards the end of cook time, in order to achieve that crispy, delightful texture we all love! Try this on potatoes and hash browns, and they will cook in 1/4 of the time!

Energy Saving Tip - Cut for Speed!

Veggies all cook at slightly different rates. Beets, potatoes, cauliflower, and carrots all take longer than onions, broccoli, and cabbage. Greens and herbs have the shortest cook time. In order to make your veggies a delightful and quick meal, start off by cutting your hard and root veggies (your longest cook-times) first. DO NOT cube your root veggies unless you specifically need that shape for your recipe. It takes a long time and a lot of energy to cook cubed roots. The thinner you cut roots across the grain, the shorter their cook time will be. Try cutting them about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Put them in your pan and use the time they are cooking to cut your medium cook time veggies, like broccoli, green beans, cabbage, etc. Toss them in second, and while they are cooking, finish prepping your greens and herbs. Toss them in just before you turn off the heat, and cover with a lid to let the ambient heat steam and cook your greens without scorching them. This saves energy, and keeps you from accidentally burning them. Using this method, you can cut your meal-making time in 1/4, and your energy use can be less than 1/4 of average cooking energy. Think of what that can save on your bills!

 

Good Cooking! 

From the Community at Luminaria Sanctuary

www.luminariasanctuary.com

 

 

 

Luminaria's Chocolate Fondue Extravaganza by Amy Levinger of Mind Body Fuel

Chocolate Fondue at Luminaria Sanctuary!

This weekend was a blast! Our Creation Meditation Celebration was a wonderful success! We built a raised garden bed out of recycled materials from the Leaning Tower of Luminaria, loved and protected the land through wildland fire control, watched a screening of the new Tron, ate waaay too much, played and talked and hung out and had a mini-bonfire and sleepover.

www.luminariasanctuary.com

HOLY COW Highlight!  Chocolate extravaganza!

Amazing sinfully delicious Chocolate Fondue was catered for our amazing community members and volunteers by the talented and beautiful Amy Levinger of Mind Body Fuel. She also rocked our world with her own special version of death-defying macaroni and cheese, and more on Saturday night. After a day of working in the sun, it was perfect. Total indulgence heaven!


Chocolate fondue is sooo easy to make, and sooo much fun!
It can be made gluten-free and vegan if you get the right kind of chocolate chips, and substitute coconut or other vegan milk for the cream in the recipe. This is the perfect food to play with! Get creative and experiment with different bits to dip in the chocolate: try drizzling it over pastries; over ice-cream popsicles and freezing them; or just dunk your favorite fruits!

 Here's how to make Chocolate Fondue for your next gathering:

The short version:

Basically, you will want to take some creamy-type substance (like cream, milk, coconut milk, etc.) and heat it. Then you will add chocolate chips and stir over low heat until milk and chips are blended, melted and smooth. You can add a little oil (like coconut oil or olive oil) to help the consistency if desired. There is no set-in-stone ratio; just give it a shot. While it is still warm, dip your favorite treats in the chocolate and NOSH IT UP! Yum!

Amy used fresh strawberries, candied pears, candied ginger, vanilla cookie wafers, dried mango, and banana for dipping into the chocolate. We quickly abandoned the keep-your-paws-clean skewers she thoughtfully provided and just went head over heels into chocolate heaven!

DOUBLE BOILER:
You'll need a double-boiler to melt the chocolate. If you don't have one, don't panic! They are easy to make. A double boiler allows eggs and other heat-sensitive sauce ingredients (like chocolate) to heat slowly and evenly, eliminating the possibility of scorching or overcooking. Chocolate must almost always be melted in a double boiler, because direct heat will cause the temperature to rise too quickly and the consistency to be ruined.

A double boiler is a "specialized" piece of kitchen equipment consisting of two fitted saucepans. The larger bottom saucepan is partially filled with water brought to a simmer or boil. The inner/top saucepan uses this indirect steam/hot water heat to melt chocolate, cook custards and sauces, or even melt wax for candlemaking. A double boiler can also be improvised with a large saucepan and a bowl, or two saucepans separated by a trivet or other heat-resistant spacer. A metal or glass bowl inside a saucepan works well.

The long version:

For an in-depth recipe, try http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate_fondue/

 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces of dark chocolate (chips or roughly chopped if from a block)
• 8 ounces of heavy cream
• A pinch of salt
• Dippables such as strawberries, banana pieces cut into 1-inch chunks, dried appricots, candied ginger, apple pieces

 

Method

1 Warm the cream over moderate heat until tiny bubbles show and begins to lightly and slowly boil. Add the chocolate and whisk until smooth and full incorporated.
2 Immediately transfer to a fondue pot heated at low or with a low flame, or serve straight from the pot.
3 Arrange the dippables on a platter or plates around the chocolate pot. Use a fondue fork, bamboo skewer, seafood fork, or salad fork to dip the fruit pieces and other dippables into the hot melted cream chocolate mixture. Eat immediately.
If the fondue begins to feel a little stiff, add a tablespoon of heavy cream and stir. It will help it go a little longer. Eventually, it will cook down though and you may need to start a new pot.

Variations
Add a tablespoon or two of Bailey's Irish Cream to the chocolate. Other liquors such as Grand Marnier, Amaretto, or Kirsch are equally yummy.
Add a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and ancho chili pepper for a nice Mexican Chocolate.
The contents of a vanilla pod or some vanilla extract are always a decadent touch to chocolate.
A good pinch of espresso powder can do wonders!
Orange zest or grapefruit zest is nice way to create a slightly fruity chocolate.
A few tablespoons of Torani flavoring syrups (the kind used for coffee or Italian sodas) can add a nice dimension of flavor as well.
White chocolate is always a nice change, and spiked with a little liquor or citrus zest becomes heavenly.
Steeping the cream for an hour beforehand and while heating it can add a nice subtle flavor, lemongrass for white chocolate or a bag of Earl Grey tea for dark chocolate are particularly stylish and contemporary.

Happy Chocoholic-ing!

Luminaria's $4.25 Awesome Acorn Squash Soup Recipe!

Luminaria Sanctuary's
$4.25 Awesome Acorn Squash Soup!

From our heart to yours!

We just invented this soup after a cold, wet hike back from the hot springs. It is totally easy, cheap, and really, really comforting and yummy! All measurements are approximate and to taste, so get creative. You really can't wreck this one!  Have fun!

We suggest all ingredients be organic and local/homegrown where possible.

1-2 large acorn squash
1 can/8 oz coconut, almond, or rice milk

1/3 cup almond butter

4 Tablespoons butter/earth balance

1+ cup water
1/4+ tsp cinnamon
>1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
>1/4 cup raw sugar or maple syrup (Optional)

STEPS:
Wash your squash. Cut into chunks and remove seeds. Set seeds aside to rinse and dry for replanting next year and you'll have FREE squash in the future!

Place chunks upright in steamer pot with skin facing up (cooks faster). Steam with a tight-fitting lid until squash is thoroughly soft, about 20 min.

Sustainable tip: Water NEVER gets hotter than boiling! It simply evaporates and gets cooler! Turn your heat down to just barely boiling. As long as there is a little steam, it will cook your food just as quickly, without wasting resources. In fact, you can turn the heat OFF 5 min before food is done cooking. The ambient heat in the pot will finish cooking your food. Just keep the lid closed!

Open steamer and allow squash to cool long enough to be able to handle it without getting burned. Take out the steamed squash and use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the skin, placing the flesh in a bowl. Discard skin in compost.

Pour remaining water from steamer pot and place squash from bowl back into the steamer pot. Place on low heat. Add the coconut (or equivalent) milk, cinnamon and nutmeg, butter, salt, and almond butter. Add sweetener if desired. Use a whisk to blend well, adding water as necessary to achieve the consistency you like for your soup. You can also use a blender or hand blender if you want really smooth soup.

Warm over low heat and blend until the desired temperature and texture for serving. Garnish with mint leaf, raw chocolate shavings, or a sweet cream drizzle. Perfectly accompanied by a steamed veggie side, fresh bread and butter, or whatever you like! Serves 4-6 people. OMG sooo yummy! Enjoy!

www.luminariasanctuary.com

Change is up to YOU

We just wanted to share an excerpt from

Beyond nudge: it's time to call forth people's internal willingness to change

From The Guardian
Read the whole article here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/consumer-behaviour-sustainable-change?CMP=twt_gu

...Philosopher and scientist Ervin Laszlo suggests that "only by redesigning our thinking and acting, not the world around us," can we solve our problems. Whether through regulation, processes, incentives, policies or structures, mainstream approaches to behaviour change are focusing on external influences with limited effects. Recycling paper at work because the recycling bin is closest doesn't necessarily transfer to recycling paper at home. People need to be engaged in a way that creates a change of heart so that their choices come from their deepest values and become integral to their lives. What is missing is that we are not yet calling forth people's internal willingness to change. We are not yet uprooting the deeply entrenched personal and corporate attitudes that impede our ability to act with speed, purpose and rigour.
Behaviour at work is often prescribed, incentivised and systemised. For example: service staff have to follow scripts when talking to customers; bonuses are awarded for hitting sales targets; company values are pinned to office walls to encourage people to live them; competencies are defined, then performance managed. These interventions go so far, but rarely far enough in creating lasting change. Reading scripts leads to boredom, resentment and cold conversations that alienate customers. Bonuses motivate, but also generate self-interest that neglects real customer needs. Millions are spent marketing grand service promises, which are then diluted or broken by the negative attitudes of low-paid, low-morale front-line employees who aren't interested in company values.

A change of attitude

The notion that external forces determine human behaviour is one of the great myths driving our society. Sure, we are all influenced by what goes on around us. But the real cause of behaviour is attitude. We cannot control what happens to us, but we can control what we think about what happens. This is not news. Viktor Frankl, psychologist and Holocaust survivor, said, "Everything can be taken from man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." Einstein, Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Gandhi and other great leaders, scientists and psychologists have all shared this understanding. The tragedy is that how to alter attitudes has been reserved by a few instead of taught to the masses as a fundamental part of education.
K Bradford Brown was a clinical psychologist whose mission was to teach ordinary people to change their behaviour and improve their quality of life by transforming their attitudes. Over 40 years he developed a powerful set of skills that could be used by anyone in any situation. Last year, we ran a workshop to test AQ (attitudinal intelligence)with a group of individuals who wanted to change and maintain their behaviour for more sustainable living. We focused on changing limiting attitudes (such as "it's inconvenient", "it's too time consuming", "the problem is too big" and "why should I when others don't?") into attitudes aligned with people's higher purposes (such as wanting to "use only my fair share of resources", "preserve the natural habitats of this planet" and "create a more equitable world"). The results were significant, with participants maintaining new behaviours, such as walking or cycling instead of driving, and buying local produce, over 70% of the time compared with a control group who managed it 43% of the time. Workshop participants also made significant changes in behaviours they had not even targeted.

Invest in education

The absence of the ability to change attitudes in the fabric of society leaves us nudging our way towards sustainable behaviours and increases the need for fiscal incentives, prohibitive legislation and social marketing. Improving people's attitudinal intelligence requires educational interventions, but these can be made in many organisational contexts, including schools and universities. Every business with a triple bottom line and stewardship agenda could invest in creating a major attitudinal shift. It would make a big difference. Moreover, the ability to teach these skills can be transferred to those who work for these organisations, enabling them to sustain results without needing experts and consultants such as us.
There can be no sustainable living without enabling people to make these changes for themselves and for future generations. There are few behavioural problems in society that cannot be traced to limiting attitudes. Transforming these attitudes calls for vision, boldness, compassion and an educational revolution that makes attitudinal intelligence as accessible, practical and mainstream as maths, English and technology. While it is widely accepted that the world around us needs to change to ensure our sustainability as a species, it is we who need to change it. From the inside out. And for good.
Vania Phtidis and Sophie Sabbage work at Interaction UK, a consultancy specialising in culture and behaviour change in organisations. Sophie built Interaction to support an inheritable world by transforming the quality of corporate life through Attitudinal Intelligence. Vania has recently completed the Msc in Education for Sustainability and is dedicated to addressing the attitudinal blocks to living sustainably.