Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 146

8 days of recipes: vegan challah

Happy Hanukkah! In honor of Hanukkah I'm posting one traditional recipe per day during the holiday which starts today and ends December 28. I'm kicking off our eight days of recipes with this yum looking challah bread.
 
When I was a wee girl at Hebrew school…that's right Hebrew school three times a week and Friday night services once a month I remember the greatest challah bread ever…we made it ourselves all the little people! It was in the Bay Area so maybe that's why the bread was so good water thing. But I have never met a challah since that was as good as the Temple Beth Jacob challah in San Mateo.
 
I am curious if this one would be nearly as good…I look forward to hearing what you all think of it!
 
Vegan Challah
 
Ingredients

      1 small yam about 5 to 6 ounces
      3 cups water
      1 teaspoon salt
      4 to 5 tablespoons brown rice syrup divided
      2 tablespoons baking yeast
      6 to 7 cups unbleached white flour
      Canola or olive oil
      Non-dairy margarine or vegetable spray
      1/4 cup water
      Poppy seeds or sesame seeds

Instructions

Peel yam and dice. Boil in water and simmer until soft about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and place into blender with 2 cups of cooking water and blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add remaining cooking water if needed or sufficient cold water to make a total of 2-1/2 cups of liquid. Alternatively bake yam in microwave for 5 minutes then peel and puree with water to yield 2-1/2 cups of liquid.
In a large mixing bowl place puree salt and 3 to 4 tablespoon brown rice syrup. Mix ingredients and allow to cool until slightly warm. Add the yeast stir and let soften for 10 minutes.
Stir in flour one cup at a time until the mixing spoon moves the mass of dough in one lump. Spread 1/2 cup of flour over your work surface and empty mixing bowl onto the floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough and knead it in.
Continue kneading dough sprinkling only enough flour on the board to prevent sticking. After about 10 minutes the dough should be smooth bouncy and elastic. It should spring back when you press it down.
Let dough rest for a minute or two while you scrape out and oil the mixing bowl with 1 to 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil. Knead dough again for 2 to 3 minutes. Place dough in oiled bowl and turn dough so the top is oiled. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and keep warm until dough doubles in bulk 1 to 2 hours.
To braid the challah flour your work surface again and divide half the dough into 3 equal pieces. Using both hands squeeze each piece into a rope 1 inch thick and 12 inches long. Roll out each rope so you have 3 ropes about 15 inches long. Place the three ropes side by side on your work surface and pinch the three ropes together at one end. Starting from this pinched end braid the three ropes together. When the braiding is complete seal the braid by pinching the ends together. Place the braided challah in the center of one of the greased cookie sheets.
To coil the challah press down the remaining dough and squeeze into a rope about 15 inches long. Then roll it into a rope about 24 inches long. Take one end as the starting point and coil the rest of the rope around it so that it resembles a snail. Tuck the end of the rope under the coil and place the challah in the center of the remaining greased cookie sheet.
Set cookie sheets in a warm spot cover the braided and coiled loaves with a light cloth or paper towel and allow to rise for 30 to 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 tablespoon of brown rice syrup with 1/4 cup water to make a glaze. Using a soft pastry brush or the edge of a folded paper towel paint the surface of the challah loaves with the glaze. Sprinkle the glazed surfaces with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets at once and set loaves on a rack to cool. When ready to serve break apart the bread by hand and enjoy!

If you try this recipe let me know how it goes! Next up is homemade applesauce so be sure to check back tomorrow! How are you celebrating Hanukkah?

Related Stories:

Vegan Latkes!
Hanukkah is Almost Here
Kind Classics: Holiday Hors D'oeuvres
Vegan Pumpkin Bread

its on to cookies in the holiday bake-off

So here we are at the beginning of the fourth and final week of the Made Just Right™ Holiday Bake-Off. This week is dedicated to everyone's favorite treat: cookies! Chewy cookies crispy cookies even crumbly gooey cookies; we want you to show us what you've got! From now until Dec. 23 you can submit your delicious vegan cookie recipes for a chance to win amazing prizes!

Photo Credit: Patrick M. Gookin II

Submit your original vegan recipes for a chance to win great prizes including:

1400 Whole Foods Market gift card
A year's supply of Earth Balance® products
Earth Balance® gift pack featuring a bamboo cutting board & kitchen supplies
'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition' by Julieanna Hever 

So bring out your best cookie recipes take some appetizing photos of them and bake to win! For more info about how to enter click here.

For some fine cookie inspiration we wanted to share this recipe for Crispy Green Tea Cookies. They go well with a glass of soymilk or a cup of tea. You can even try dipping them in some melted dark chocolate. Yum-my!

Ingredients

1/3 cup Earth Balance® Natural Buttery Spread
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 heaping tablespoon green tea leaves finely ground or 2 tea bags
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for cutting board
1/2 cup spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Click here for the full recipe…

Now let's see some of your own cookie creations! Submit your vegan recipes to the Holiday Bake-Off today!

Today's post is proudly sponsored by

what to watch: shark shoot fiji

"Shark Shoot Fiji" is a special airing at 9PM this Sunday December 18 on the Travel Channel. Photographer Mike Muller follows eight different species of sharks in their natural habitat – using super high tech underwater cameras. I haven't seen it yet but I'm looking forward to checking it out. I know Mike is super duper passionate about this. So if you're curious about the lives of sharks or you can't wait until Shark Week check it out and let me know what you think!
 
What are your favorite animal shows on TV?

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hanukkah is almost here

Hannukah is the Jewish Festival of Lights. When we light the menorah it is a celebration and a reminder that just one day's worth of oil burned for eight days and the victory of the Jews of course. This tiny bit of energy went such a long way. I like to think about this each year and remember that we can and should try to use the smallest amount of energy and resources to get the greatest gain from them.

If you are lighting a menorah this year maybe think about moving toward choices that will allow our limited sources of energy to last for as long as they are needed and with minimal impact on our planet. Here are some great ways to promote this state of mind:

Wind-Powered Electricity - Call your power company and ask to switch to wind-powered electricity. 100 wind-power reduces CO2 emissions the same as not driving 20000 miles in one year. Call your Synagogue Hillel or JCC and ask them to switch to wind-power as well.

Driving - If you can choose one or more days during Hanukkah not to drive at all and lessen driving as much as you can during this time. And of course see if you can add this sort of thing to your life more often. Could be a nice time to take a walk or ride a bike depending on where you are and how cold it is!!

Workplace - Urge your bosses or maybe you are the boss to arrange an energy audit. Your utility company can tell you how to get one for free or at low-cost.

And for fun here are some crazy eco menorahs. But if you don't have one check out CraigsList to find a groovy one and reuse!

Recycled Steel Menorah

A Galvanized Pipe Menorah

An Electric Menorah which yes uses electricity but doesn't use paraben candles or other not so great candles

And for cards here are some cute ones that are made from 100 recycled material. Of course reusing old cards is a more eco way to go but if you choose to go for new these are a great way to go.

And this might be a little nerdy but I had to include it here... the eco friendly dreidle.  You can find it at the Baltimore Jewish Environmental Network's website. Click here and look under "Bar/Bat Mitzvah Suggestions" and click on the "Green Dreidle Project." You fold it and make it and it lands on cute eco suggestions.

Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays!

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glamourmoms giveaway for kind mamas!

I have not taken my nursing bra off since Bear was born…I've been wearing it for seven months! At first I didn't even know I needed nursing bras or for what but once Bear was born I had some questions about what to do with the socks I was stuffing down my shirt more on this in the future and how to keep warm and such. Anywho one day I opened my mailbox and my friend and neighbor Heather whose baby is one year older than mine had left me her nursing bras from her early nursing days.
 
They are life saves. And as my body changed over the months and I started leaving the house a little more I needed some nursing tanks for my slightly more put-together looks. You know meetings and such. So I went on a hunt for organic cotton tanks. They don't exist! Bummer! Would you buy if they made them? I sure would.
 
Anywho I found Glamourmom and loved them. I've been wearing their tanks for a month now. They're so great – they look good under my jackets and shirts and they feel good while still being functional. The real reason they are essential for breastfeeding is that the little bra strap snaps off for easy boob access. They are great! My favorite one is the striped long tank pictured here as well as the same style in black. I also love the grey nighttime tank.
 
Win a 200 Gift Certificate to Glamourmom!
 
Just in time for the holidays Glamourmom is giving away a 200 gift certificate to one kind mama!
 
Check out their line of products here then leave a comment below telling me what your favorites are and why you or a kind mama or mama to be you know needs them!
 
Good luck!
 
PS – through December 31 Glamourmom will match any product purchase with a nursing bra donation to
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kind classics: holiday hors doeuvres

Sometimes the best meals are made up of a bunch of small plates. The Artichoke Mushroom and Leek Crostini With Pesto from my book p. 204 is great anytime and insanely delicious! If you haven't had it yet it's a must! And the Thin Mushroom Pizzas p. 220 are always good.

These Crispy Tofu Slices p. 158 might be nice for the holidays too:

Crispy Tofu Slices With Orange Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

    1 8oz package savory-flavored baked tofu
    ½ cup corn flour
    ½ cup brown rice flour
    Safflower oil
    2/3 cup orange juice
    1/3 cup maple syrup

Steps

Cut the baked tofu into slices about ¼" thick.
Mix the flours together in a shallow bowl.
Pour enough oil into a large skillet to cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer and heat over medium heat.
Dip each of the tofu strips into the flour mixture coating well on all sides
Place the tofu strips in the skillet and cook until lightly browned on both sides about 3 minutes per side.
Transfer the fried tofu strips to a plate lined with paper towels or a piece of paper grocery bag to drain.
Stir together the orange juice and syrup in a small bowl. Serve the tofu strips with the dipping sauce alongside.

Serve all these hors d'oeuvres together and you have a meal! What are your favorite appetizers?

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win vegan shoes vegan chocolates and save up to 70 at pure citizen

Pure Citizen's daily email is a must have. Every day Pure Citizen highlights a new organic fair trade eco-conscious and/or vegan company and for a limited time only you can find a selection of our items on sale at up to 70 off!

Shop Pure Citizen and see this week's vegan favorites on sale: perfumes from Tallulah Jane makeup from Modern Minerals jewelry from 31 Bits dog and cat beds from Better Buddies and more.

Want to win some vegan shoes and chocolates?

To enter sign up for Pure Citizen's daily email here and leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite vegan company by December 18 at 11:59PM PST. 
The winner will receive one pair of handmade vegan ribcage flats from Manimal plus five runner-ups will win a sampler of vegan chocolate truffles and Munch from Nicobella.

Be sure to check out all of the vegan holiday gifts that Pure Citizen has to offer. And today through December 18th you can also get free shipping on any purchase by using code KINDLIFE at checkout. That should make your holiday shopping a whole lot easier.

This sweepstakes is open to all registered users of TheKindLife.com. Learn how to sign up by clicking here.
You may only enter once. Multiple entries will not be considered.
The sweepstakes will begin on December 14 2011 at 6:00AM PST and end on December 18 2011 at 11:59PM PST.
After the entry period has closed a winner will be chosen at random and notified via private message and email. If winner does not claim prize within 24 hours a new winner will be chosen.
Odds are dependent on the number of entries. Any questions? Please contact the site admin.
Void where prohibited by law.

Today's post is proudly sponsored by
 

help chimps

The issue of experimentation on chimps is one that breaks my heart. They are so close to us. And even if they weren't they are amazing beings.

One way in which they are not similar to humans however is disease expression. Evidence has shown that when medications are tested on chimps the results are not repeated in human subjects. For example a drug that controlled HIV in chimps failed to do so in humans. So why are laboratories still performing cruel tests on these sensitive emotional beings? Some scientists once thought that chimps made ideal test subjects because their genome is similar to the human genome but evidence is mounting that chimps just don't react to medications the same way humans do.
 
Ethical considerations aside it just doesn't make sense for the medical community to continue spending huge amounts of money torturing chimps.
 
How You Can Help
 
Support The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act H.R. 1513/S. 810 by writing to your representatives. Here is a summary of what the bill entails:

Phase out the use of chimpanzees in invasive research in both federally funded and private laboratories
Release the more than 500 federally owned chimpanzees to sanctuaries
Prohibit future breeding of chimpanzees for purposes of conducting invasive research

Let's all promise to write a letter this month. Strength in numbers! Consider this kind act your holiday gift to all the great apes in captivity.

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Photo Credit: Chimp Sanctuary

success stories: christine sheds pounds and helps her family go kind!

Kind Lifer Christine recently shared how much better she feels after switching to a kind diet.
 
"I started my kind journey February 16th of this year. I woke up that morning to a show talking about The Kind Diet so I was curious. I went to the bookstore and picked it up and started reading it in the car…I went cold turkey and didn't look back.
 
It has been eight months. I went from 212 pounds to 179. Thirty-three pounds gone and still losing. I feel so much better! All my bad feelings and ailments have gone away. I have more energy. My husband is very supportive. We recently went to a screening of Forks over Knives and that convinced my husband to take the plunge. Now he is taking the journey with me.
 
Also my 17 year-old daughter started and is now baking vegan goods. They are so delish! A lot from your book. My 11 year old is now a vegi too. My boys are a no go but I am working on it! I am even getting a vegan tattoo. I'm so excited!!!"
 
Yay Christine! Keep us updated on your kind journey.
 
If any of you kind lifers have a success story you'd like to share private message me or post a note to your profile and "like" it. I may feature you on the homepage of The Kind Life!

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its cupcake week in the holiday bake-off

Attention bakers: it's time to bring out your muffin tins and cupcake liners as today is the official start of cupcake week for the Made Just Right Holiday Bake-Off! This week we are accepting your fabulous vegan cupcake recipes all flavors and varieties welcome!

Photo credit: To Live and Eat in L.A.

Submit your original vegan recipes for a chance to win great prizes including:

1400 Whole Foods Market gift card
A year's supply of Earth Balance® products
Earth Balance® gift pack featuring a bamboo cutting board & kitchen supplies
'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition' by Julieanna Hever 

So bring out your absolute best cupcake recipes snap some gorgeous photos of them and bake to win! The vegan cupcake recipe contest ends Dec. 18th. For more info about how to enter click here.

We thought we'd help out with your recipe brainstorming by sharing this very simple recipe for making vegan "buttercream" icing. It's so smooth creamy & delicious we're willing to bet that no one will even realize it's vegan!

Ingredients: makes about 3 cups
1/2 cup Earth Balance® Buttery Spread softened
1/2 cup 1 stick Earth Balance® Vegan Buttery Sticks softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 to 4 cups vegan confectioners' sugar you can make your own by blending organic granulated sugar in a blender or food processor
1/4 to 1/3 cup Earth Balance® Soymilk vanilla
Click here for the full recipe…

Now let's see some of your own cupcake creations! Submit your vegan recipes to the Holiday Bake-Off today!

Today's post is proudly sponsored by