Vegan Potato Salad

The humble spud! Is there a less expensive, more versatile food product out there? This version of potato salad is absolutely delicious. My 14-year-old son who cannot stand traditional mayonnaise based potato salad gave this one a try when I was testing the recipe for a cooking class. It earned two enthusiastic thumbs up from the pickiest eater in the house. What more encouragement do you need to give this one a whirl?

1/2 cup Cashews
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Tablespoon Honey
1/8 cup Lemon Juice
1/2 + 1/8 cup Boiling Water

Blend the above ingredients until smooth. This will seem a little thin compared to real mayonnaise. Upon refrigeration it will slightly thicken, so chill it while you prepare the ingredients listed below.

4 cups Potatoes, diced, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup Onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup Celery, finely chopped
1/2 Green Olives, diced

Combine above ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon Dill Weed to the mayonnaise, and mix all ingredients together. Cover and chill before serving to allow flavors to meld.

Making ME a Priority

There seems to always come a time, or two, when we get ourselves a little mixed up. Maybe we take on one too many projects, over commit ourselves, stay up too late one too many days, or just push our limits a little too far. The results are not usually positive. Maybe we become a little grumpy, or the bags under our eyes may require a luggage rack to be carted around. If food is your weakness, the choices you make may start leaving a little to be desired. Maintaining a balance in our lives requires dedication and being conscious. Paying attention to what our bodies are telling us is a great start.

According to Focal Point Yoga, "Unhealthy eating patterns are often caused by tension and stress. When you experience stress or negative emotions, you lose energy. Unconsciously, you want to eat to replace that lost energy."

In my research and struggles with weight I learned that I am an emotional eater. This was news to me. Honestly, I didn't have a clue about the emotions that can drive our choices in relationship to food. Last year my husband and I took a weight loss class through our church. It was eye opening. There were many references to Steven Arterburn's book, Lose it for Life. I decided to pick it up from my local library. It was profound and so intense that I had to put it down. It made my relationship with food raw, no pun intended. It touched me in places that I didn't know were sore.

From that point forward I made a personal commitment to work on me. What can I do to heal? How can I become a more grounded person? What do I need to do to more fully connect with God? How can I be aware of God's calling on my life? My priorities shifted once I became conscious in my life. It was both painful and freeing at the same time. Dealing with past issues that hurt can be just as real and just as painful now as they were then. The freedom comes in letting them go and accepting God's freely given grace.

Things I do that keep me whole, move me forward, and connect me to God:

• Spend time reading the Bible every day...even five minutes makes a difference. The reward seems to multiply if my day is started this way.
• Spend time faithfully communicating with God. We talk like friends now. It wasn't always that way for me.
• Connect myself to community through volunteering my time in what ever capacity I am needed and able to give freely.
• Connect myself through the church family. I have stepped outside of my comfort zone on more than one occasion, and I never regret it. The rewards are huge.
• Take time to consider my options before making decisions. This keeps me focused on what is important.
• Knowing that it is okay to say, "No", and actually saying it!
• Rediscovering my passions and exploring things that I enjoy.
• Spend time journaling at least a few times per week.

The above list is just a few things that are positive and consciously sought in my daily living. Surely you list will look different than mine. I encourage you to take the time to start a journal. Make a list of things that you can do to become a more conscious you. What do you enjoy doing? Seriously, take the time to think about it. You won't regret it.

If you seriously want to make the commitment to healing and becoming whole explore the book, Healing is a Choice, by Stephen Arterburn. Consider starting a group study with members of your church or a close circle of friends. You have nothing to lose...but your baggage.

Magazine Review: Backwoods Home Magazine

Self-Reliant Features with a Rural and Wilderness Slant

by Nick Howes

When you consider Backwoods Home Magazine, think of the old information-packed Mother Earth News before it got slick. It also has a political slant to the right, rather than left.

I've enjoyed the self-reliance articles this magazine is crammed with ever since I first came across it. Maybe some readers are put off by the occasional history-oriented articles, but those happen to appeal to me a lot.

Description

Backwoods Home Magazine: Practical Ideas for Self-Reliant Living is a bi-monthly, 8x10" size, with around 100 pages, numerous features and columns, well illustrated and very readable. I am going to focus here on my latest issue.

Issue #108

The latest issue in-hand is #108, Nov/Dec 2007. Cover blurbs promote articles on Preparedness Lessons, Perfect Holiday Meal, Talking with Horses, Dreams to Reality, Simple Composting, Build a Barrel Stove, and Questions about Global Warming. The last is actually a one-page editorial questioning the "givens" about global warming (is it real, is it man-made, is global warming bad?). I mentioned it does have a political slant to the right, but that's usually the most obvious in the one-page editorial.

The table of contents breaks down the list of features into Building and Tools (one article), self-reliance 9 articles (including Carbon Monoxide-the Silent Killer, Encounters with a Black Bear, Avoiding Deer on the Roadways, and These Rustic Easy to Make Candle holders Are a Great Gift Idea). There's one article under the Energy category (Solar Power Trailer, Part 1), one under Gardening (the cover-blurbed composting article), two under Recipes, and one under Country Characters (Talking with Horses, an Interview with Paul Brousseau).

The articles are easy to understand, illustrated with photos or, if called for, diagrams. There's an Irreverent Joke Page with items submitted by readers for no payment. Other regular features include Ayoob on Firearms (Thoughts on Ammunition) and Ask Jackie who answers questions about rural life (canning kraut, natural bug repellent, woodpeckers, alternative water system, canning lobster, squash recipes, dehydrating blueberries, and much more, even in this single issue).

Cost

The magazine runs $4.95 US each at the newsstand, $6.50 Canadian. I found it at Borders and have seen it at one or two other places. However, some time back the editors did indicate they were cutting back on newsstand distribution due to the expense, so they are urging subscription to make sure you get every copy at the best price, $23.95 a year, $44.95 for two years. The subscription address for check or money order is Backwoods Home Magazine, PO Box 712, Gold Beach, OR 97444. Credit card orders may call (800) 835-2418.

Website

Backwoods Home has a website which includes information on the current issue, subscription information, and the like. Of especial interest is the lengthy list of articles archived on the website. This extensive sampling covers a marvelous sampling of what they are all about with hundreds (no exaggeration) of listings under the categories History/Americana, Animals, Building/Tools, Commentary, Country Living, Crafts, Energy, Farm and Garden, Firearms/Hunting/Self Defense, Food./Recipes, Health, Home Schooling, Just for Kids, Making/Saving Money (always a topic of interest to me), People, Self-reliance, Smalltown America. If nothing else, check out the archives. A printable index of all articles Backwoods Home has run is available in PDF and EXCEL formats.

Final Comment

You can ignore the politics easily enough, if you want, but if you have any interested at all in the subject matter, you simply cannot pass up this magazine.

Creative Funding

Well, our daughter that just graduated this year was just denied any federal aid for college. Now it is time to get creative. I didn't rest too well last night in light of this realization. You see, we were counting on her getting financial aid. It never dawned on us that she wouldn't qualify for assistance. We have had three other children that have gone to school either all or in part through pell grants. Right now we are waiting to hear from the college on where to go from here. It sure would have been nice to know this bit of information before we budgeted our income tax refund!

Currently, we are actively trying to pay off debt. My husband was taken to the tune of about $7,000.00 through an Online "opportunity" gone awry. This really put us out of our comfort zone and makes the idea of paying out of pocket for college daunting. We are by no means rich. We are barely middle class. Biting it for college expenses is going to hurt us financially. It will be challenging to say the least. I actually found myself reading Living Well on a Shoestring by Yankee Magazine last night. To me most things like this seem common sense, but it is helpful to be reminded of conscious living strategies.

With a big move on the horizon, and simple living a priority, my husband and I have made it a priority to eliminate all debt minus our mortgage, eliminate any and all possessions that are not necessary for our existence, increase our savings, and continue to tithe no matter what. I don't know if you are a person that tithes regularly, but let me tell you. The minute we mess up and don't keep tithing a priority our finances go in the toilet. My experience has been that tithing makes the difference of whether or not we make it financially. Here are my suggestions for keeping your finances comfortable:

1. Tithe a minimum of 10% of your GROSS income.
2. Save a minimum of 10% of your GROSS income after tithing.
3. Pay your monthly obligations.
4. Any remaining money should be applied to your choice of the interest bearing debt with either the smallest balance or the highest interest rate. (Pick one, and pay on it until there is no remaining balance, then target a new account.)

This is by no means easy, and it may mean eating simply and living with no frills for a time, but your future is well worth the "sacrifice". We have chosen to change a few things this year in order to enable us to make financial progress. Some changes we made are:

1. Eliminate annual family vacation for summer of 2008.
2. Substantially reduce Christmas spending by making gifts ahead of time.
3. Stop eating out.
4. Eliminate or reduce the purchase of convenience foods and animal products eating mostly fresh produce, grains, and legumes.
5. Carpool whenever possible to save on gas use and expense.
6. Take on side work as much as possible and apply directly to debt.
7. Make all clothing purchases at resale stores or yard sales.
8. Wait longer to turn on air conditioning or heating using fans or blankets and slippers as necessary to reduce energy costs.
9. Have a yard sale and apply all earnings directly to debt.

This is by no means rocket science, but it does take commitment. By evaluating your income and expenses you can quickly find areas in which to cut back thereby freeing up money for what is needed; in our case paying for college unexpectedly. With a little dedication and perseverance your financial perspective can be altered for the better. If you desire more direction, Debt Free the Bible Way is a great resource.

BBQ Tofu

I recently assisted in the cooking portion of a talk given on hypertension at our church. Part of the purpose was to educate people on healthier food options. This is a delicious entree' that we served the participants.

BBQ Tofu

14 ounces Extra Firm Tofu (Firm may be used if Extra Firm is not available.)
Cut into 16 pieces, approximately 1/2" thick slices, and FREEZE.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Thaw tofu. Grease an 8x8 glass baking dish with 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil. Place thawed tofu in an even layer in glass baking dish.

Mix together the following:

1/4 cup Water
2 Tablespoons McKay's Beef Seasoning
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Granules
1/8 teaspoon Onion Powder

Pour over over tofu and bake for 30 minutes.

Prepare BBQ Sauce with the following ingredients while tofu is baking:

1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Water
1/2 Medium Onion (about 3/4 cup)
1 Clove Garlic, minced

Saute' above ingredients together until onions are transparent. (do not burn)

Add the following ingredients:

8 ounces Tomato Sauce
1/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup Mustard Spread (see recipe)
1/4 cup Water
1/2 teaspoon Molasses
1/2 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
1/4 teaspoon Allspice
1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1-2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Stir into onion saute', bring to boil, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add to tofu, and bake 15 minutes more.

Mustard Spread

Add ingredients to blender in order below. Blend until very smooth; about 2 minutes.

1/4 cup Cashews
1/2 Tablespoon Cornstarch
2 teaspoons Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Granules
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 cup Boiling Water

Place in saucepan, and bring to boil stirring constantly. Chill before serving.