Delicious fair trade, organic teas are the mainstay at Choice Organic Teas here in Seattle. We had the opportunity to visit Choice Organic Teas where we enjoyed a cupping, talked about the intricacies of fair trade, organic teas AND learned how the company reduces its carbon footprint. Part of our ongoing series for ecohearth.com, debuting soon …
We had the good fortune to be invited behind-the-scenes at Chaco Canyon Cafe (Washington’s first Certified Organic Vegetarian Restaurant) for our continuing series for ecohearth.com. Chaco Canyon practices a sustainable business model … wait, what is a sustainable business model? More on that soon, but in the meantime enjoy some stills from our shoot. And if you happen to be in Seattle and looking for amazing food morning, noon, or night, stop in! (I highly recommend the Pesto Melt chased with a Mocha Madness smoothie).
Who knew you could bake for a good cause? Today is Seattle’s turn for the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, and we whipped up a batch of Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies for Sidecar for Pigs Peace. Sidecar is an all-vegan grocery store located in the University District, and today’s sale will benefit the Pigs Peace Sanctuary. We had some name tags hanging around that needed using (perfect for listing ingredients!), and those nifty little wax paper bags are 100% biodegradable. And, as always, our cupboard is stocked with yummy ingredients just begging to be made into delicious vegan goodness – so we were happy to bake for the piggies!
This is my first ever recipe! That I wrote, that is. And it’s so easy, it practically writes and makes itself. I’m not a sushi expert, but this is how I make it and it’s fun, tasty, and quick. You will need a bamboo 9.5 x 9.5 sushi mat. 
Sweetie Roll (Mango-Avocado-Tofu)
Makes 4 rolls
1 cup short-grain (japonica sushi) rice
2 cups water
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 ripe avocado sliced lengthwise
1/2 ripe mango sliced lengthwise
3 oz. Teriyaki baked tofu (I looooove Wildwood) sliced lengthwise
4 sheets nori seaweed (I like Emerald Cove Organic Nori)
Soak and wash the rice until the water is clear. Transfer to saucepan and add 2 cups water. Cook until water is absorbed – rice should be tender and sticky. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the rice vinegar. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
Lay 1 sheet of nori on the bamboo mat, making sure the perforations in the nori are lined up horizontally. Use your wooden spoon to spread a thin layer of rice on the nori covering the entire sheet edge to edge. Make a thin line of sushi fillings an inch from the bottom edge of your nori. Don’t place too many fillings in the roll, or it will be too big and won’t roll nice and tight.
The trick is to use the sushi mat to make your roll nice and round and uniform. Roll from the bottom, going slowly, and tucking the mat in around the nori. As you continue to roll up, use the mat to tuck the roll around itself.
And there you have it! Slice the roll into 6 even pieces, and place on your favorite sushi plate. Garnish with some pickled ginger and a dab of wasabi, and hand out the chopsticks!
We’re excited to be collaborating with ecohearth.com on a video series about Fair Trade. Our first shoot took place at Theo Chocolate (theochocolate.com) in Fremont. Founder Joe Whinney gave us an amazing interview about the complex world of fair trade chocolate. Here are some stills from the shoot …
