Hemp Milk

Most people have heard of or tried soy, rice or almond milk. But what about hemp milk? This is a great alternative for people with dairy, soy or nut allergies. It is thicker and creamier than soy or rice milk and it does not contain any added oils such as safflower or canola oils like the ones found in rice milk One of the best reasons to try it is hemp is extremely rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids. Oh, and did we mention, it tastes great?

Check out two of the companies making hemp milk
www.worldpantry.com
www.manitobaharvest.com

Eco Tip of the Week

Lundberg rice taste great, but that’s not the only reason why we love it. Recently they removed the re-closable zipper from their 2 pound bags of rice. This saves about 15% of the material used to make each bag and they note that this will save 35,000.00 pounds of plastic from landfills every year! I never knew those convenient little zippers used so much additional plastic.

So in the future, opt for packaging without the zippers. Use your own containers to store unused portions.

For more information about Lundberg’s eco practices, visit their website at www.lundberg.com

Whole Wheat Tortilla Burrito

When eating a vegetarian diet it is easy to replace meat with pasta, bread and tortillas and most of time we use the white flour versions of these products. Unfortunately white flour has been stripped of the bran and germ- the parts with all of the fiber and nutrition. All that’s left is the white starchy part with no nutritional value. When white flour breaks down it turns into glucose.

Swapping out some of your favorite white flour foods with whole grain alternatives is easier and tastier than you think.

When choosing your wheat tortillas make sure they also have whole grains and no trans fats, many tortillas have trans fats (partially hydrogenated oil) as this is a way to extend shelf life.

Here we’ve made a bean and cheese burrito with a whole grain tortilla. Top this with avocado and salsa and I promise you won’t miss a thing.

Put a few spoonfuls of refried beans on a tortilla. Top the beans with a couple of slices of jack or cheddar cheese. Roll up the tortilla and grill on an un-greased skillet for about 3 minutes a side, or until the tortilla is crispy and the cheese is melted. Top with avocado and salsa. Serve with sliced red cabbage tossed in olive oil and vinegar.