Devshirme

Combine the following in a food processor and mix until crumbly and uniform in texture.  Then press a tablespoon full of mixture together and roll into balls (about the size of a large marble).  These are great for quick energy or just a tasty snack or dessert:

10-12 dates

1/4 c. cocoa

2T flax seeds

2T tahini

1/3 c. cashews

1/3 c. coconut (optional)

Last month we went with Sargon and Shamiran to the huge annual vegetarian convention in Boston.  We tried all sorts of delicious food, picked up some brochures and bought some nice food products.  Eleni took a chance on a couple of raffles – a dollar here, a dollar there, no big deal.  We’ve all done this at festivals and those sort of things.  Your name is either not called at the event or you never get a phone call within the next day or two.  Well, we did not receive any calls and that was that.  But a month later Eleni got a call from Revitalive Cafe – she had won a Vitamix blender!  Unbelieeeeevable – who ever wins anything?  The Vitamix is incredible – all of the great claims you hear about it are true.  Make sure you check out the Cafe as well, whether online or in Newburyport.

So, onto the recipe – you can use the blender for anything – you can even make soup and it heats it.  This is a smoothie Prez made today and it is nutritious and fabulous tasting, and of course can be made in any blender:

1/2 c. fresh pineapple

1 c. baby spinach leaves

1/2 banana

1/2 c. fresh cranberries

*a splash of any liquid

*may add wheat germ, flax seeds or hemp seeds

*may add 2 ice cubes

Blend and serve

…but you may want to read this article before eating turkey tomorrow on Thanksgiving (unless the bird comes from a local organic farm).  It is pretty horrifying stuff.  After reading various books and watching several documentaries I have become a convert to the food movement (or at least I am trying to keep up) so this was not a surprise to me, and in fact the factory farming descriptions apply in one form or another to pretty much any meat or dairy end product that is out there unless it comes from a farm that raises animals humanely (grass-fed, truly free-range, etc.).

There are several theological angles here.  We are stewards of the earth and should treat animals humanely.  We also have a responsibility to eat healthful and healthy foods; if we are ingesting the body and blood of Christ then everything else we put into our bodies better be as pure and natural (all-natural is another label term to be careful with – it doesn’t necessarily mean what we think it does) as possible.

Two new podcasts are up!  The first is a “lost episode” that includes our bizarre encounter with a graffiti-covered bus out in the country, while the second is about a trip to a farm.  You can check them out on the podcast site or on iTunes, where it is a free download (as it is on our site, of course).  If you get it from iTunes be sure to leave a comment!

Sarah came up to me today at Little Angels and said ”This tzatziki has no yogurt in it!”.  She had a tub of the stuff made by Kronos, which is a popular brand among Greek-Americans and among the general population.  It doesn’t take much to make tzatziki – strain some yogurt, chop us some cucumber and dill and add garlic and you are pretty much all set.  This stuff not only had no yogurt but had an ingredient list a mile long with all kinds of bad stuff in it.  What a travesty!  For everyone eating this product out there, especially non-Greeks, please realize that this is not even close to the real thing and, I imagine, is not very good for you!  Some other major brands are also guilty of the artificial/bad stuff ploy as well.  I tried to take a picture of the ingredient list but it didn’t come out well on my cellphone camera and, not surprisingly, the company website does not list ingredients either.  The lessons here?  Whenever possible make your own stuff, and always, always read the label.  And many thanks to Sarah for the heads-up on this issue.