How to ReUSE Glass Bottles and Plastic Bags by Shopping in Bulk

Shopping in bulk is not always 'easy', but like Kermit the Frog said, "It's not easy being green". I keep my empty plastic/glass containers, bags, and herb bottles and reuse them at Rainbow Grocery, a worker owned coop.

Rainbow Grocery's has been in San Francisco’s Mission District since 1975 and some of it's employees have been working there for over 25 years - some history in this beautiful City.

Updated 2019 - Rainbow only uses compostable bag. These plastic bags I'm using in the above photo are from my house and I re-use them.


I keep all my grains and nuts in glass mason jars. Once they are empty, I keep them in a canvas bag ready for my next shopping adventure. Shopping in bulk allows me to purchase the exact amount of a product I need for my week or for a specific recipe. I can purchase 1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 3 tablespoons of curry, 1/4 cup of brown mustard seeds, 1/2 cup of bath salts, small amount of detergent, body lotions or nut butters. The point is you do not have to purchase a full bottle of an ingredient or product when only a small amount is needed for your recipe. Shopping in bulk allows you this freedom.

In this case, I was able to purchase my quinoa plastic free by reusing my own glass mason jar. I've got the tare weight and the product number listed on the jar.


I used my empty mustard seed container to purchase whole black pepper. Cover the label and the barcode on the back of the container.

TARE weight is the weight of an empty container. By subtracting it from the gross weight, the weight of the goods carried may be determined. Read more about it here: Tare weight


I've got my empty plastic bottles washed and ready to go!


Once at the store, weigh your empty bottles on the scale. The weight of my empty reusable bottles is different for each container, so weigh them all and label them with a sticker.  The TARE weight for this bottle is 0.13 - on a sticker, write "TARE 0.13".


Find a product that best fits your budget and fill your container. You'll notice a number associated with each product. With a sticker provided, write the product number on the bottle next to the TARE weight. In this case, it's 9009. It's that easy!



I had an empty olive jar and I needed more olives. Clean out the jar and lid, get the TARE weight and post the sticker over the barcode.



After weighing the jar, find the olives you wish to buy and fill the jar.




After filling the jar, I add a sticker just above the TARE weight with the product number. This makes it easy for the checkout person to find all the information in one area.

I don't have to worry about the olive juice spilling in my bag or on my bike ride home like it would when I used the containers provided by the grocery store.




This looks much nicer in the fridge as well...

I'm going to make a soup that requires 1 cup of cannellini beans. I measure out one cup, use my own bag, tag the product number and done! In some cases when I'm purchasing herbs, I will write what's in the bag or jar. This will help with herbs that look alike.

When I run out of hand soap, I keep the plastic container and refill it with more hand soap. Seems simple, but it takes some effort. This bottle leaks when I travel with it, so I found a container that holds the same amount of liquid with a strong lid.


Get the TARE weight and cover the barcode with the sticker. Find a hand soap you enjoy and fill the bottle.



Once home, fill the 'nicer' container with the hand soap.


Here's the kicker. This soap is just as nice as any, but much more affordable at $4.01 compared to the other brand at $12.95



Being green and saving money... it's worth the effort.



Looks nice and it smells just as good as the $12.95 hand soap.



In a reusable glass jar, fill up on coconut butter or oil. I use this on my skin, in the fry pan, to brush teeth, etc.


Why do all this? Well, besides being a little kind to the environment, shopping in bulk is a great way to save money. For every bag I bring from home, I get 0.10 back at check-out. Also, knowing that I'm shopping at a local coop is a big plus.


Little Vine on Grant Street has the BEST bulk Bozzano Ranch virgin olive oil and it's a local producer out of Stockton, California. In 2006 I purchased beautiful bottle of olive oil while traveling around northern Italy. I love that I can continue to use this bottle.

Bozzano Olive Ranch offers Bulk Purchases, as well as Custom Milling and Bottling at competitive rates.



If you need more information, please watch this video on 'Rainbow Grocery's How to Shop in Bulk'. It's a little old. Currently, you get .10 cents for plastic bag you reuse.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (with Kale, Sweet Potato and Mozzarella)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Topped with Kale, Sweet Potatoes and Mozzarella - It tastes amazing and it's non-GMO and gluten-free.



5 Health Benefits of Cauliflower:
1. A cup of boiled cauliflower delivers about 3.35 g of dietary fiber, which helps clean your digestive system and gets rid of unnecessary substances.
2. A diet high in cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower has been been linked to a significant reduction in the risk of cancer
3. Cauliflower provides a lot of nutrition for very few calories. A 1/2 cup of cooked cauliflower contains only 15 calories.
4. High vitamin K content, cauliflower helps to reduce inflammation. It also has omega-3 fatty acids!
5. Decrease chronic ailments such as atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart attack and stroke. Cauliflower can help keep your blood flowing to essential organs of the body!
Reference below




Ingredients for cauliflower crust:

- 1 large cauliflower 'riced' - Remove leaves and steams first
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dry parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dry basil
- 1 egg (depending on how much cauliflower you 'rice'. I had 2 cups riced cauliflower so I used 2 eggs
- 1 cup grated cheese - I used monterey jack cheese in my crust, but you can use parmesan, mozzarella, monterey jack, manchego, ect.
- salt and pepper to taste

Rectangular Pizza Stone, 13" x 15" (Google Affiliate Ad)

Ingredients for topping:

- 1/2 cup saute kale
- 1 yam - sliced and bake for 20 minutes (yams are sweeter than most sweet potato)
- red onion to taste, thinly sliced
- mozzarella di bufala, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper

Microplane Better Box Grater (Google Affiliate Ad)

Tools:

- Pizza stone or large cookie sheet
- grater or food processor







After removing the green leaves and stems, use a grater to 'rice' the cauliflower. You can use a food processor, but I found that it didn't rice evenly. Once the cauliflower is grated, cook for 5 to 7 minutes in a pan or if you have one, a microwave. Place the simi-cooked cauliflower in a tea towel and sqeeze as much moisture out as possible.



Mix all ingredients for cauliflower crust in a bowl.



Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Once everything is mixed well, place the cauliflower dough on a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone sprinkled with cornmeal. The shape is not as important as the thickness of the pizza dough: 1/4 inch or so. No need to measure it, but be sure not to press it too thin.

Cook the cauliflower crust at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Once the crust looks cooked, set it aside and let it cool for about 15 minutes.



While waiting for the pizza crust to cool, start cooking your toppings. Bake the yams or sweet potatoes for 20 minutes and saute your kale. Don't forget to remove the stems from the kale. You can cook the red onions as well or leave them raw. Up to you.



Once cauliflower pizza crust has cooled and all toppings are pre-cooked, assemble your pizza! I didn't use a sauce, but you can use pesto or tomato sauce as your base layer.

- First layer of pizza - mozzarella di bufala. I didn't want to use too much mozzarella because there is cheese in the crust.
- Next layer of pizza - thinly sliced cooked yams / sweet potato
- Last layer of pizza - saute kale and red onions







Broil the pizza for 4 to 8 minutes or until the cheese is melted. This is risky. I sometimes burn toast in the broiler. It's hit or miss. If you do not trust your broiler, bake on 450 for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Keep an eye on it!



Let it cool for about 5 minutes or more. Cut and enjoy with a fork. You will be surprised at how good the crust tastes! The crust was so good, I want to make it again and eat it plain or with a dipping sauce.


Let me know what you think? I'd love to hear your feedback.


Websites:

- fullcircle.com

- 3fatchicks.com

- healthdiaries.com

- livestrong.com

Chard & Crimini Mushroom Ravioli in Butter Walnut Sage Sauce Homemade Pasta

I've always wanted to make my own ravioli and my own filling, however always heard it was a labor intensive process and required lots of pasta making tools. I have to be honest, it was a lot of work. This is not a 'fast' food and it will take a few hours from start to finish. The most time consuming part of making ravioli is the assembly. Yikes! Make sure you have wine! The good news is ravioli making wasn't as difficult as I always imagined. Give it a try on a rainy afternoon. Call over some friends and open a bottle of wine!



Tools?! I have a wood chopping board, a really nice rolling pin, fork and a glass. That's about all you really need to make ravioli. William-Sanoma has a lot of amazing tools for pasta making, but I'm a fan of my 'free' tools.



Ingredients for the ravioli:

2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms, minced
1/2 small onion, minced
8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems
8 large leaves swiss chard, trimmed from stems
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated




Ingredients for the pasta:

1 1/2 cups Farina di Semolina flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
6 large free range eggs
1 tablespoon Salt




Ingredients for the Sage Walnut Sauce:

Handful Walnuts - chopped
Tablespoon or more minced sage
Butter



Start with the dough.
In a big bowl mix the dry flour first. Make a volcano or a well in the flour for the eggs.

Ravioli Maker (Google Affiliate Ad)



Add all six eggs and knead with your hands until you have proper dough. The mix will stick to your hands at first, but keep kneading.



Once completely kneaded, make a ball

Eppicotispai Ravioli Triangle Stamp (Google Affiliate Ad)



Cut dough into fours and cover with a damp cloth or kitchen towel. Let it sit for one hour.



While the dough is resting, start on your filling. Chop everything and measure out all the ingredients.



In a 12 inch fry pan add olive oil, onions, garlic, and thyme. Cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes.

All-Clad Stainless Steel Skillet with Lid, 12" (Google Affiliate Ad) 



Next add the mushrooms and continue to stir. If needed, add more olive oil and cook for about 4 to 5 more minutes.



Your kitchen is now smelling really good!



Add the minced rainbow chard and continue to stir for another 5 minutes.



Turn the heat off and add the 1/2 cup mascarpone and 1/2 cup Parmesan. The fry pan should still be very warm and will melt the cheese without burning it. Let it sit for 10 minutes or more to cool.

All-Clad Stainless Steel Skillet with Lid, 12" (Google Affiliate Ad)




Time to roll it out! Use a bunch of flour on your chopping board so the dough will not stick. With the rolling pin, roll it out!



I used a glass to cut my ravioli and I believe it worked very well. After I cut the circles, I re-knead and rolled out the leftover dough to cut more circles.



Take a circle and fill it with the chard, mushroom, thyme stuffing. With water wet the edge of this circle.



Cover with a second circle and pinch edges together.



With a fork, press the edges together. This extra step is not necessary, but it looks pretty.



Place finished ravioli on parchment paper and let rest for an hour or less.



Bring water, salt and olive oil to a hard boil and add ravioli. I had one or two stick to the bottom of the pot. To avoid this, stir for the first 20 seconds.

Cook for 2.5 minutes for al dente or 3.5 for well done pasta. I like al dente so I cook 2.5 minutes.

Staub Marin Miniature Round Cocotte (Google Affiliate Ad)




On low to med heat saute butter, sage and chopped walnuts for 2 minutes. BAM!



Eat!



I did use this for a batch of ravioli. It's a ravioli press.



Layer of pasta, filling and another layer of pasta dough.



With a rolling pin, roll over the press until you see the metal design.



Here are the pressed ravioli. I like them, but it was very difficult to get the ravioli away from the press. I ended up breaking a few. Next time I'll just use the glass!



I love these mushrooms! Crimini are the best!

Sur La Table Marble Rolling Pin with Handles (Google Affiliate Ad)



Fresh Thyme!





YUM



Last! Freezing fresh, uncooked ravioli. YES! Please do. Do not let the ravioli touch. They keep for a very long time. If cooking a frozen ravioli, cook for 5 minutes.

Pomegranate Dark Chocolate Clusters

Are you looking for something healthy and sweet for Valentine’s Day? Dark Chocolate and Pomegranates make the perfect pair for a heart-healthy month!



Pomegranate seeds are full of B vitamins, potassium, and folic acid. They’re also a great vegan source of iron. Read more: Superfood: 10 Delicious Pomegranate Recipes



The above photo shows Lindt 85% cocoa bar as well as the TCHO.  However, the two chocolate company I prefer are TCHO and Guittard. Both located in the San Francisco Bay area.

TCHO is located in San Francisco at Pier 17 in San Francisco, on the Embarcadero. They have public tours that run twice daily, 7 days a week. The tour is free and accommodate up to 29 people.

Guittard is located in Burlingame, California (about 10 minutes outside of San Francisco proper). It has a start to finish chocolate making process on their site.

Adding small amounts of this dark chocolate to your diet can lead to appetite control, reduced stress, heart health and liver protection. Read more: 75% Dark Chocolate Health Benefits



Start one or two hours before you want to actually eat the Pomegranate Dark Chocolate Clusters. You'll need to let the pomegranates dry for at least an hour after you soak them. Do not use wet or damp pomegranates.




The best way to break away arils from the membrane is in a bowl with cold water. Keep the pomegranate submerged in water while breaking them apart. It will save you on the clean-up time. Side note: Do not wear anything white while making this recipe.



I don't have a double boiler, so I use a cast iron pot on low heat and stir continuously until chocolate is smooth. I use a mini silicone spoon spatulas or a spoonulas. I purchased a set of four at William-Sonoma for about 20 dollars. A must have in ones arsenal of cooking weapons.




After an hour, see if the pomegranates are dry.




1. In a candy size cup or mini cupcake liners, drop a spoon full of dark melted chocolate
2. Layer with pomegranate
3. Repeat one more time



I added a little coconut as a topper



Ingredients:
- 1 pomegranate cut into quarters
- 1 or 2 bars of dark chocolate
- Handfull coconut

Gluten Free Option for Chocolate: Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Gluten, Dairy, and Soy Free, Mini Chips, 10-Ounce Bags

Cool information from the Guittard Chocolate Company in Burlingame, CA 94010
Cacao, pronounced 'ka-KOW', is the raw, agricultural ingredient used to make chocolate. It is grown in various parts of the world along the Equator, where humid temperatures and jungle-like surroundings provide ideal conditions for growing this colorful fruit. In shades of red, orange, yellow and green, cacao pods sprout from the trunks of cacao trees, and cacao beans (seeds actually) are found inside the pods where a delicate, sweet, fruity pulp surrounds the cacao bean cotyledons (which later become nibs). Cacao pods are harvested throughout the year as they reach optimal ripeness, mainly from October though May.




Blogging about food requires several photo sessions - after a couple of different tries I was able to get a few good photos. It's fun to eat the mistakes!



What is Valentine's Day?