Recipe from Blissful Bites: Spring Kale Salad w/ Sweet Mustard Dressing

In April, the VegCookBook Club will be cooking together from Christy Morgan's cookbook, Blissful Bites. I hope you'll join us!

All you have to do is buy, or borrow a copy of the book, try some recipes, and share your tips, questions and experiences in the comments of the VegCookBook Club blog, in a post on your own blog, or on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #vegcookbookclub. You can also share your photos and thoughts on Christy's Blissful Chef Facebook page.

To get us started, Christy sent over a recipe for us to try.  Enjoy!

Spring Kale Salad w/ Sweet Mustard Dressing

2 bunches of kale, washed 

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced 

2 avocados, cubed 

2 tablespoons dulse, for garnish

Sweet Mustard Miso Dressing:

1 lemon, zested and juiced 

2 tablespoons miso 

2 tablespoons stone ground mustard 

2 tablespoons brown rice syrup or maple syrup

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 

Black pepper, to taste 

Sea salt, to taste 

Filtered water, as necessary

Directions

Pull leaves from stalk of kale and tear into small pieces. Thinly slice the stalk. Place in a medium bowl. Blend dressing ingredients together in blender until smooth. Massage the kale with dressing for about 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of salad ingredients and allow to sit for 30 minutes while the flavors meld. Enjoy!

 

Full disclosure: The link to Amazon from Blissful Bites is connected to my Amazon Associates account.  If you buy something after clicking on the link, I get a percentage of the sale.

Your Free March/April 2012 Big Vision Worksheet

 

Hello Have Fun, Do Gooders!

The hubs has been super busy with work, so this month's worksheet is coming out a few days after the new moon.  Isn't it pretty (: ?

You can download a PDF for free from Dropbox by clicking here.

Enjoy!

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Love to Hear Your Reflections on a Have Fun, Do Good Book or E-Book

Are there any parts of Have Fun, Do Good that you wish you could either hold in your hands as a real book, or have compiled into an e-book?

A handful of people have suggested that I create a book, with something like CreateSpace, or an e-book, with something like BookBrewer, based on 6.5 years of Have Fun, Do Good's blog posts.

I haven't been able to think of a way to organize, or frame the posts into a book, or e-book that would be valuable for readers (I guess I'm too close to the content).

I'd love to hear your ideas (:

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Mapping Your Path One Image at a Time

Have you ever had one of those, When Things Fall Apart, times in your life? I think I'm in one right now.  A blank page can be both exciting, and terrifying, so I'm filling mine with images.

Inspired by things I learned in Lisa Sonora Beam's visual journaling workshop a couple years ago, and by my recent interview with Christine Mason Miller for the Arts and Healing Podcast, I've been pasting at least one image a day in a big 'ole journal.  I choose the images intuitively, whatever stands out and "sparkles" that day.

As I flip through my pages of images, I can see repeating images and themes that give me a glimpse into possible new directions.  Stepping stones on a new path.

What tools have you used to help you find your way during times of transition?



Images are from my visual journal.


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Nonprofits and Blogging: I'm on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's Social Good Podcast

My chat with host, Allison Fine, about nonprofits and blogging is up on The Chronicle of Philanthropy's Social Good Podcast today. You can listen to the 18-minute interview on the little audio player embedded in the CoP's post, Building Better Nonprofit Blogs, or on iTunes.

Feel free to ask me questions about nonprofit blogging in the comments of this post, or on The Chronicle of Philanthropy's post.

Enjoy!

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Unplug and Eat Together March 23-24: National Day of Unplugging 2012

Do you need a break from technology?  Has the thrill of "You've got mail!"  (and a text, and a voice mail, and a Facebook update, and a tweet, and a LinkedIn request) faded?

Here's a great excuse to turn off your phone and computer: The National Day of Unplugging is next week from sundown Friday, March 23 to sundown Saturday, March 24. 

I participated last year, and it was awesome!  I never realized how draining it is to have so many things pulling at my attention. I felt surprisingly relaxed and clear-headed after the 24-hour tech break.

I love that this year The National Day of Unplugging is also sponsoring an Unplug and Eat Together campaign in conjunction with Slow Food USA and Hazon. They're encouraging folks to use some of their unplugged time to eat with friends and family.  Fun! Any excuse to cook and eat sounds good to me! (If you're looking for ideas, check out what we're cooking over at VegCookbook Club).

Will you be taking part in the National Day of Unplugging this year?

How often do you unplug?

Image: Cell Phone Sleeping Bag designed by Jessica Tully. You can buy one here.

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5 Blogging Workshops for Writers, Nonprofits, Entrepreneurs and Artists

This month's issue of the Juicy Blogging eNews features an article about taking a blogging break, and announces five blogging workshops I'll be teaching this spring. You can view the workshop schedule (and article) through the Juicy Blogging eNews, or scroll through them below:

Wednesdays, May 16-June 6, 2012
Juicy Blogging Circle:
Grow Your Blogging Habit
Online (private blog) and conference calls
$99 when you join by May 9
$125 after May 9


   
 May 5, 2012
Blogging for Writers
The Writing Salon, San Francisco
10 AM-4 PM
$95 for members/$110 for non-members

 
April 18-May 9, 2012
Juicy Blogging E-Course:
The Art and Play of Blogging
Online (private blog)
$99 when you join by April 11
$125 after April 11



April 5, 2012
How to Creating a Blogging Plan for Your Nonprofit
Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC)
Union Square Hilton, San Francisco
3:30-5 PM (Connect Track Breakout Session)

April 4, 2012
Changebloggers: Changing the World in More Than 140 Characters
Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC)
Union Square Hilton, San Francisco
1:30-3 PM (Connect Track Breakout Session)


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Free Recipe from The Inspired Vegan: Molasses, Miso, and Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes

In March, the VegCookBook Club will be cooking from Bryant Terry's newest cookbook, The Inspired Vegan.  Come on over and cook with us!  All you have to do is get a copy of the book, try some recipes, and share your tips, questions and experiences in the comments of the VegCookBook Club blog, in a post on your own blog, or on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #vegcookbookclub.

To get you started, the nice folks at Da Capo sent over a recipe from The Inspired Vegan: Molasses, Miso, and Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes. You can see another free recipe for Savory Grits with Sautéed Broad Beans, Roasted Fennel and Thyme on VegCookBook Club. Enjoy!

Molasses, Miso, and Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Soundtrack: “Revolution” by Nina Simone from Protest Anthology

Book: Conversations in Maine: Exploring our Nation’s Future by James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes or garnet yams, peeled and cut into 1/2–inch rounds

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon tamari or shoyu

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 heaping tablespoon white or yellow miso

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

6 tablespoons filtered water

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil.

Spread the sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined or well-greased baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 50 minutes, turning over with a fork after 25 minutes.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and lower the heat to 375°F.

Place the cinnamon stick at the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish, and add the sweet potatoes in layers. Set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the molasses, tamari, maple syrup, miso, orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, water, and the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil. Pour over the sweet potatoes.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, thoroughly basting the sweet potatoes

Credits: From the book The Inspired Vegan by Bryant Terry. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2012. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com

Recipe photo is  by Jennifer Martine.

Full disclosure: I received a review copy of The Inspired Vegan.  Also, the link from The Inspired Vegan is connected to my Amazon Associates account.  If you buy something after clicking on the link, I get a small portion of the sale.