ThisPreciousPlanet.com

1 LARGE ONION, PEELED AND FINELY CHOPPED
3 CLOVES GARLIC, FINELY CHOPPED
3 CUPS  MUSHROOMS, CHOPPED
½ CUP FRESH PARSLEY, CHOPPED
1 TEASPOON MARJORAM
½ TEASPOON BASIL
2 TABLESPOONS TAMARI
1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL
4 CUPS WATER
½ CUP WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
½ CUP NUTRITIONAL YEAST
3 TABLESPOONS MISO
2 TABLESPOONS TAHINI
SALT TO TASTE
IN A SAUCEPAN, WATER SAUTE ONIONS AND GARLIC FOR 10 MINUTES.  ADD MUSHROOMS, PARSLEY, MARJORAM AND BASIL AND SAUTE 10 MINUTES MORE.  POUR IN OIL, WATER AND TAMARI  AND BRING TO A BOIL.  SLOWLY WHISK FLOUR AND YEAST INTO THE MIXTURE.  REDUCE HEAT AND KEEP WHISKING AS IT BEGINS TO THICKEN.  SIMMER UNCOVERED FOR 20 MINUTES.  WHISK IN MISO AND TAHINI.  DO NOT BOIL.  SERVE IMMEDIATELY.

Creative Commons License photo credit: prettywar-stl

Creative Commons License photo credit: Jim Frazier

2 CUPS FRESH OR FROZEN CRANBERRIES
¾ CUP FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE
½ CUP HONEY
3 TABLESPOONS ORGANIC ORANGE ZEST (PEEL)
2 TABLESPOONS FRESH LEMON JUICE

PLACE CRANBERRIES IN A MEDIUM SIZED PAN.  COVER WITH ORANGE JUICE AND BRING TO A BOIL.  REDUCE HEAT AND SIMMER FOR 10 MINUTES UNCOVERED.  STIR OCCASIONALLY.  ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS AND SIMMER UNTIL BERRIES HAVE BROKEN DOWN.

Creative Commons Licensephoto credit: krisdecurtis

2 PACKAGES OF MEDIUM TOFU (RED PACK)
2 CUPS ONION, FINELY CHOPPED
2 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED
1” PIECE OF GINGER, PEELED AND GRATED
½ TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL
1 TABLESPOON TAMARI
½ TEASPOON “SPIKE” OR HERB SEASONING
½ TABLESPOON LIGHT SESAME OIL
1/8 TEASPOON CAYENNE PEPPER
DRAIN TOFU IN A COLANDER AND CRUMBLE.  SQUEEZE WATER OUT WITH HANDS.  IN A LARGE SKILLET, WATER SAUTE ONIONS, GARLIC AND GINGER OVER MEDIUM HEAT FOR 10 MINUTES.  DRIZZLE OIL OVER ONIONS AND MIX WELL.  POUR IN TAMARI AND SAUTE 10 MINUTES MORE.  PLACE ONION MIXTURE IN A BOWL AND ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS (SEASONING, SESAME OIL AND PEPPER). PLACE IN FRIDGE.

PREPARE THE STUFFING
4 CUPS WHOLE WHEAT BREAD CRUMBS
1 ½ C  MINCED ONIONS
2 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED
½ CUP CELERY, FINELY CHOPPED
1 CUP MUSHROOMS, CHOPPED
¼ CUP PARSLEY, CHOPPED
¾” PIECE OF FRESH GINGER, PEELED AND GRATED
1 TABLESPOON POULTRY SEASONING
½ TEASPOON THYME
¼ TEASPOON BASIL
½ TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL
1 TABLESPOON TAMARI
¼ CUP PECANS, CHOPPED
¼ CUP WATER
BREAK BREAD INTO SMALL PIECES AND PLACE IN A MIXING BOWL.  IN A SKILLET, WATER SAUTE ONIONS, GARLIC AND GINGER FOR 20 MINUTES.  ADD WATER IF NEEDED.  ADD CELERY AND MUSHROOMS AND SAUTE FOR 10 MINUTES MORE.  SPRINKLE HERBS AND OIL OVER MIXTURE AND SAUTE A FEW MORE MINUTES.  ADD TAMARI.  TURN OFF HEAT AND ADD PECANS.  WHILE THE MIXTURE IS COOLING, ADD WATER TO BREAD AND MIX WITH YOUR HANDS.  ADD SKILLET CONTENTS, MIX AND ADJUST SEASONINGS.
BASTING LIQUID
1 TABLESPOON TAMARI
1 TABLESPOON OIL

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
PREHEAT OVEN TO 375.  ADD COOKED ONION MIXTURE IN FIRST SECTION TO THE CRUMBLED TOFU AND MIX WELL.  LINE A COLANDER OR BOWL WITH A CLEAN TEA TOWEL.  TAKE OUT ¾ CUP OF THE TOFU MIXTURE AND FLATTEN REMAINDER IN A LAYER AROUND THE BOTTOM AND SIDES OF THE BOWL.  PACK CAVITY WITH THE STUFFING.  TOP WITH REMAINING TOFU AND SMOOTH.  OIL A BAKING SHEET AND PLACE OVER THE BOWL. FLIP AND REMOVE THE TEA TOWEL.  SMOOTH IT OUT AND SHAPE IT IF NECESSARY.  BRUSH “BIRD” WITH BASTING LIQUID.  PLACE A FEW TOOTHPICKS IN SURFACE AND COVER WITH TIN FOIL.

BAKE 1 HOUR.  REMOVE FOIL AND TOOTHPICKS AND RETURN TO OVEN FOR ANOTHER HOUR.  TRANSFER USING A LARGE, FLAT SPATULA.

GARNISH WITH PARSLEY, GRAPES OR WHATEVER YOUR IMAGINATION ALLOWS TO MAKE IT LOOK COLORFUL.  REMEMBER, YOU “TASTE” IT FIRST WITH YOUR EYES!

1 CONTAINER MEDIUM TOFU
¼ CUP FRESH LEMON JUICE
¼ CUP SOY SAUCE
2 TABLESPOONS RED WINE VINEGAR
3 TABLESPOONS SOY PARMESAN CHEESE
2 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED
1 TABLESPOON DIJON MUSTARD
FRESH GROUND PEPPER TO TASTE
1 TABLESPOON DRAINED CAPERS
PUT ALL THE INGREDIENTS, EXCEPT THE CAPERS, IN THE BLENDER AND PROCESS UNTIL SMOOTH.  ADD THE CAPERS AND REFRIGERATE UNTIL READY TO USE. WILL KEEP FOR 1 WEEK
photo credit: shawncampbell

What the world needs now is …………. sustainability!

My business partner and friend, Hans Looman, and I have come to a point in our lives where we want more than a job to pay the bills and be part of the status quo.  We want to have significance in our lives.  This idea didn’t really come as part of a well thought out plan or goal to begin with but rather a series of events.  It’s funny how life goes sometimes…………

I have always been horrified by the fact that we butcher harmless animals for food.  As a matter of fact, before I could logically think about that I was chasing the chickens out of the coop at my great uncles farm.  I was only 2!  Later, on the same farm I fed the calves, in the yard next to the house, their pail of milk every morning for a week and grieved for them when one morning the yard was empty and my astonishment was answered with the agonizing fact that they had gone to the slaughter house.  I never really liked meat although I ate it almost everyday of my life until I was 39 years old.  I was conditioned to do so and didn’t know how to cook without it. Every meal centered around the meat.  Chicken with fried potatoes and beans,
roast beef with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables, pork chops with potatoes, carrots and applesauce…………..does it sound familiar?

(Photo by OakleyOriginals)

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A good idea and intention is great, but even better if it gets out to the world to take note of it.
If a tree fell in the forest with no one to hear it fall, did it make a sound?

A PC and the internet are tools for me that assist me in my job and out of sheer necessity I gathered quite some knowledge in this field over the years. To use this knowledge for “a greater purpose” is a combination of 2 good things to me: 1) I love fuzzing around with internet applications and 2) It helps people

Alice would not have been able to start this project without technical help, and all my technical knowledge alone means nothing without a goal. In that way it’s a perfect match, a mutualistic symbiotic relationship.

Being a Libra as astrological sign, I tend to bring balance in situations. Here we go: I am not a vegetarian. I am concerned with what I eat though, and I realize that there is a lot to learn here. Which is great, I have an engineering background and life long learning comes naturally as a lifestyle. And it’s great to think of the difference it makes if everyone tries to make their contribution, even if it is just a small one. Millions of small changes makes a big change!

On to the challenge, we are interviewing fantastic people with fascinating stories. I can’t wait!

We are working on a podcast series with celebrities and experts that have this precious planet at heart. You can follow our progress on twitter by following @preciousplanet

The purpose of this site is to propagate the sound of a fallen tree. (But in a positive way)

photo credit: Cayusa

Hans Looman