Itty Bitty Bonzai is a collection of tiny tips and tricks for living a life more mindful. Small actions, collectively and compounded, become a powerful force of change.

Lucky Number 13!

So, now that we’ve cut out the toxins by making our own dishwasher detergent, it’s time to consider the energy we’re expending.

Did you know that most dishwashers have an automated drying function built into the cycle? Yes, to be clear: your dishwasher is using energy to move hot air around, in order to dry your dishes a little faster.

Sounds silly when you say it that way, right? So why not make a habit of switching off the drying function (or stopping the dishwasher manually if your model is set up that way). Just crack the door open and let the dishes air dry. You’ll save over 10% of the energy used in each load.

BONZAI!

Well guys, autumn is here and that means it’s time to bring on the comfort foods. And not just any comfort foods mind you, but homegrown comfort foods. This meal is easy, sloppy-good, and totally hearty. Oh, and did I mention it’s delicious?

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes (Russets are traditional but why go traditional? Any will do)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 cup alternative milk of choice

1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup spinach

1 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
a big splash of red table wine

paprika to top

Instructions
Cube the potatoes and place them in a big pot covered with water. Boil until tender and drain. Mash the potatoes with the garlic, nutritional yeast, and alt milk. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet to medium and add the cooking oil. Sauté the garlic, onions, and carrots, until tender. Add the peas and spinach, continuing to sauté. before the veggies brown up too much, pour in the vegetable broth, spices, and soy sauce. Add the nutritional yeast and flour, stirring well, and then reduce over heat until it all thickens up nicely. Finish with a generous splash of red wine, stir, and remove from heat.

In an oiled glass or pyrex dish (I used a bread pan), spread a layer of mashed potatoes on the bottom. Cover with the veggie/sauce mixture, and top with the remaining taters. Sprinkle with paprika.





Cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove from heat and serve piping hot, either solo or smothered in your favorite gravy.





Dig in! Enjoy! Ohmigod so good I love autumn!!!

Oi there darlings! Happy weekend!!! I think that you deserve to relax especially diligently this weekend. So get to it, unwind! But don’t forget to stop by for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.

So, what’s will you be doing this weekend to cam yourself and make sure you feel extra good? What can you do to give yourself that extra treat? And what’s going to be knocking around in your head, inspiring you or intriguing you this weekend? I want to know what matters in YOUR world!

As usual, the Feedback Forum will remain here at the top of the page all weekend, so if you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, you can stop back by any time.

Have a lovely one my dears!

I grew taters! Like, really really yummy ones! I’m a tater-maker, woo hoo!!!

You may remember all the way back in April, I posted an article outlining how to grow potatoes in tire towers. I started my own tater seeds that month, and would periodically update every few months. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly, but there’s really no way to tell what’s going on under all that dirt.

Recently, I decided it was time to harvest. To be honest, I think I jumped the gun a bit. I was supposed to stop watering and let the greenery die back slowly, which would give the little spuds time to mature into big spuds. But I was also supposed to harvest before the first rain, or risk squishy spuds rotting in the mud.

Well, a few weeks ago we got a ton of rain here. I spooked, I guess, and decided to dismantle the towers before the greenery had died back. Maybe it wasn’t the best decision, but it was the one I felt I had to make. So I began digging. And sifting. And removing. And digging. And two full tires down I was really starting to worry, until . . .





Eureka! I think I actually squealed.

All in all it took me over an hour to break down the stacks. In total, I only found one potato higher than the third tire. Almost all of them were clustered in the second tire (the tire the seeds had been planted in), which I didn’t expect. As well, many of them were teeny tiny. So perhaps they’d needed to mature after all.





In the end, my haul was pretty puny. Not that I’m complaining, and it actually seems on par with what other bloggers have gotten out of this project. I wonder what we’re all doing wrong?

I’m still debating about whether or not I’ll do this again. If I do, I’ll definitely keep my stacks lower – maybe seed in tire #1 and then only stack three high. That way, energy can go to growing existing taters, instead of growing more green foliage.

The crotchety Russets. They’re so mutant!

My pile of Yukon Gold nuggets. This was the largest yield for sure.

And finally the Reds, with quite a size range!

Am I disappointed with my harvest? Hells No!! I’m so proud of what I grew, and thrilled it worked at all. For a first time spud farmer, I’ve got no complaints.

Of course, the fact that they’re maybe the richest, tastiest taters I’ve ever eaten, certainly helps!

First meal: crushed Yukons with herbed gravy. The Yukons taste like butter.

In that oh-so-flattering fluorescent lighting inside the convention center.

This past Saturday, September 19, I had the pleasure of attending my first ever NW VegFest. Yay! VegFest is an annual celebration of all things veg*n, with sponsors, speakers, cooking demos, tutorials, information, and LOTS of food. Free food.

And this party just keeps on growing. The 2009 conference was held at the Portland Convention Center – a testament to it’s popularity and progress. After a frantic late start (maybe I was too excited . . . ), I found the event, got myself paid for ($4), and got oriented, with just enough time to make it to my first lecture.

It was a perfect way to start the day – a discussion of raw food nutrition with Vesanto Melina. Melina is the author of the ‘vegan bible’, the incomparable Becoming Vegan. And now she’s just finished penning her latest work, The Raw Food Revolution Diet, which is all about – you guessed it – Raw Food and health.

Melina is a registered dietitian and health expert, and I appreciated her realistic approach to vegan and raw nutrition. I never felt like she was trying to sell an idea, or like she was cherry-picking data to fit her agenda. She highlighted the pros but was also quick to point out the flaws. It was clear that optimal health, and not ideology, was her primary motivation. I highly recommend her work, especially Becoming Vegan, to anyone interested in veg*nism and nutrition.

After the talk we were ready for the main floor. It was CRAZY. People everywhere, delicious smells everywhere, laughter everywhere, literature everywhere – and VEGANS EVERYWHERE!!! (yeah, there were some vegetarians there too of course) Here’s just a portion of the products that were represented:

Amy’s Kitchen
Artisana Organic Nut Butter
Bishop’s Best Raw Vegan Gelato
Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods (local)
Cuisine Mentor Spice Blends (local)
Dandies Vegan Marshmallows
Dave’s Killer Bread (local)
Earthly Gourmet (local)
Equal Exchange coffees, teas, chocolates and snacks
Field Roast Grain Meat Co.
Gardenburger
Genesis Organic Juices
GoodBelly Probiotic Fruit Drink
Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss Frozen Desserts
Living Harvest (local)
Lotus Foods
Missionary Chocolates (local)
Oregon Dukkah (local)
Theo Chocolate
Toby’s Tofu Dips & Spreads
Turtle Island Foods Tofurky, Tempeh, Etc.
Turtle Mountain’s Purely Decadent, So Delicious, and It’s Soy Delicious
Vega Smoothie Supplements
VitaCrisp
Wild Alice Bars
Wilderness Poets Hemp Nut Butters (local)

. . . and that’s not even to mention the vendors like Food Fight! Grocery, the clothiers like Herbivore, and the restaurant representatives like Sweetpea Baking Co and Blossoming Lotus (they have soft serve!)

Proudly representing Herbivore, Food Fight!, and vegan cupcakes everywhere.

So as you can imagine, it was pretty overwhelming. I methodically sampled every offering, and there were some definite stand-outs. The best meat analogue was the soy-free wheat-based Field Roast. They were sampling their meatloaf, which was hands down delicious. And after my husband and I got to chatting with them, they were kind enough to send us home with a package of lentil deli slices. Score!

My favorite ice cream was Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss. It is so good, so rich and creamy. But the ‘best new product’ award goes to Turtle Mountain, for their So Delicious coconut milk, coconut milk yogurt, and especially the coconut milk kefir. Keep it up guys, this stuff is great!





But the real stars were a few of the local vendors. For example, Missionary Chocolates fed me perhaps the tastiest truffles I’ve ever tried. The meyer lemon chocolate was an amazing explosion of citrus deliciousness, and the salted caramel fudge . . . well there are just no words to describe. Hopefully they’ll be coming soon to a market near you!





My other top pick was Cuisine Mentor Spice Blends, and this time you’re in luck because these guys retail online. I love ethnic food, and these are easily the most authentic, flavorful spice blends I’ve ever tasted. I highly suggest the African Piri-Piri and the Indian Tandoori. Recipes included – you won’t regret it!


All in all, I had an amazing time at VegFest. I ran into a bunch of friends, ate a bunch of great food, learned a lot, bought a few books (that will inspire work on this site!), and most importantly, connected with my community. There’s nothing like a little gathering to renew your sense of hope and empowerment. Well, community gathering . . . and ice cream sammiches!!!