Green-Some

The juice wave has hit us!

In our local social sphere everyone and their cousin (quite literally) seem to be experiencing, or contemplating, the benefits of juicing. I was willingly swept into the current. As a result, I have tried more fruit and vegetable juice blends in the last 2 months than ever before in my life.

One fresh juice, in particular, has captured my palate. In fact, I can daydream about its winning flavor as I write. Something about its clean sweetness and tartness, balanced with a mellow hint of pear and parsley, make it my green swirl of choice. 

Try out my “green-some” blend below. For a look at what inspired many of us to get out our juicers, watch the DVD entitled Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.

GREEN-SOME SWIRL

5 green apples

3 pears (Bosc give a unique taste)

2 lemons (peeled)

1 large bunch of parsley

Notes: Experiment and modify to your heart´s content until the balance of flavor is right for you. If you´re low on parsley, throw in some cilantro to get the herbaceous undertone. For a smaller amount, use 3 apples, 2 pears, 1 lemon, and a little less parsley. Be sure to serve it right away in a transparent glass, if at all possible. Drink slowly and deliciously! 

She Qualifies!

Part of being a Brinckhaus in our definition involves being there for your family and friends. Kari and I might be miles apart, but she supports my sometimes strange ideas and I cheer her on in her noble endeavors. When I feel lost, my mom´s prayers and understanding are usually the first things I turn to.  

Being Brinckhaus also includes having at least one small creative streak somewhere inside of you. Whether it be with words, with food, with a camera, with piano chords; we have a desire, almost a need, to create something of worth. Of course not everything we attempt to create turns out well, but our spirit continues to seek expression.

In our immediate family circle we share interests in healthy living, in nature, in God, in transgenerational bonds, and in character development, among other points described on our About Us page. Obviously, we also share our Germanic last name that continues to surprise people who are not expecting to see a Latino face with the last name Brinckhaus.

My point with all this? Well, I would like to proudly introduce our new guest contributor who, interestingly enough, qualifies as a Being Brinckhaus blog writer--Emilia Goodrich-Brinckhaus! She will grace us with occasional insights into cooking, motherhood, and more. The sisterly support,  family values, creativity, and last name which qualify her were clearly evident to Karina and me. Check out her first guest contribution below or by CLICKING HERE!

THE LOVES of MY LIFE

Written some time ago, but the realization that my children are only lent to me for a little while is always poignant. What a privilege to get to spend some time with them!

 

 

To my babies, the loves of my life...

 

Every time I see you,

I am breath-taken at your beauty

 

Every time I hear your laughter,

I want to make it go on forever

 

Every time I glimpse your smile,

My heart almost bursts for love of you

 

Every time I hear you call me,

I run to find you wherever you are

 

Every time I look in your eyes

I wish I could protect your innocence always

 

Every time I hear you speak,

I wonder at your wisdom

 

Every time I see your tears,

I long to take them all from you

 

Every time I hear your sadness,

My own heart is crushed at the thought

that someone may one day break your heart

 

Every time I think of you

I realize anew that you are the very breath

Sustaining my being

 

It is incomprehensible how I ever lived

Without your sweetness

How I ever achieved anything

Without your inspiration.

 

You are the promise I held for months

Without ever seeing your face

Starting to love you

Before ever meeting in the flesh.

 

I think I have always known you,

I know I have always loved you,

Before you even came to be in this world,

Before you ever existed in this realm

 

You were always there,

The star guiding me from afar

And now the sunshine lighting my life

And warming my heart every day

 

Though I will never be able in this life

To show or tell you as I wish I could

The depth of what you mean to me,

I will say it as best I can

 

With all that is good in me

And all the strength that I have,

I love you more than anything else

And I always will.

The Vegan Pizookie

It begins with an everyday foodie conversation with a friend or a comment from an acquaintance; it sparks something in me beckoning me to wander off into the world of culinary experimentation and invention. Wherever the inspiration comes from, it always seems to have the same underlying taunt, "I bet that can't be made vegan!" Well, I always did love a challenge! :) Thus, was born a take on a SoCal favorite: the Pizookie. And don't worry my NorCal folk, I had never heard of one of these either until I moved to San Bernardino County in September 2011. The recipe is really simple but has delicious results...Hope you enjoy and please let me know if you give it a try or have any suggestions! Feel free to mix it up and instead of using chocolate chips throw in some macadamia nuts or peanut butter chips...MMmmm!! :D

 

CHOCOLATE VEGAN PIZOOKIE

•2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 cup earth balance (also works with almost any other margarine), room temperature
•3/4 cup granulated sugar
•3/4 cup packed brown sugar
•2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•2 eggs worth of E-Ner-G egg replacer* (4 tbsp warm water whisked with 3 tsp E-Ner-G powder)
•1.5 to 2 cups vegan chocolate chips (found at your local Health or Whole Foods store)


*Ener-G Egg replacer is a potato starch and tapioca based binding agent that works really well in most baked goods. It comes in white powder form and is mixed as follows: one egg equivalent =  1 1/2 full teaspoons of egg-replacer with 2 Tablespoons of warm water and beat together till combined. It can usually be found at a local Health or Whole Foods store near you or can also be ordered online.

1. PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

2. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.

3. BEAT earth balance, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl on medium until well combined. Depending on whether your margarine is cold or not, the mixture may be creamy or look somewhat separated or curdled (below left). To make sure it incorporates well, do yourself a favor and take your margarine out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you are going to use it so it is at room temp and doesn't stay separated as mine did (below, left picture).  Now a word about the egg replacer. I like to use warm water to mix it because it seems to combine a lot better that way and it will also help to bind the sugar/margarine/vanilla mixture as well. Beat the egg replacer until well combined (only about 15 seconds) and add to the sugar/margarine mixture. At this point, I would beat the mixture on high for about 1 minute till it is creamy (below right).   

4. Gradually beat in flour mixture. The consistency of the dough should be soft and mushy, not too firm or dry. Stir in chocolate chips. Now I didn't own a cute little pizookie pan like those found at BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse so I used a regular pie pan tin for my pizookie and it worked just fine. Go ahead and spread the mixture about 1/4 inch thick (or less if you like it thinner) into the pan till it covers the whole bottom of the pan. 

5. Lastly, BAKE for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown if using a pie pan. If using something smaller, you will need to decrease the baking time (possibly by 1/2 however I have not tried with anything smaller so you will need to do some experimenting yourself). The pizzookie should be just ever so slightly undercooked in the middle so that it comes out soft in the middle, and crunchy on the edges. Serve warm with a generous scoop of Toffuti Vanilla icecream (or any other non-dairy icecream) for an amazing culinary experience! I would definitely recommend reclining on your couch and eating this pizookie painfully slow so as to enjoy every delectable bite. I did...:D 

That Uninhibited Smile

 

The emotion is fresh every time. Almost dizzying. It starts small, a barely noticeable change in heart rate. Then the peaceful rush of joy that explodes into uninhibited, careless smiles.

 

These moments are random. I don´t have to be at a certain place. Time of day is not a factor. It helps to be quiet, like when you´re driving home from work without the radio on. Sometimes it helps to be outdoors, in direct contact with the sunlight, wind, or rain. It helps to be still, as you lie in bed or pause in the midst of a day´s activity. But no matter where you are or what you´re doing, it´s beautiful!

You look around and realize there´s nothing else that accounts for this happiness swelling your soul. It must be…yes…it has to be, the recognition that you are thinking of Him and He is thinking of you at the exact same moment in time. The reaction takes milliseconds; it´s always the same—that meaningful skyward glance, the uninhibited smile of glee on your face. You can´t see His face, but your heart knows that God is smiling too, unabashedly.

“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable…”  I Peter 1:8 KJV

It is true that I believe that God is present always. But there is something special about when our thoughts and smiles—mine and His—spontaneously coincide.