A friend-of-a-friend makes things like kale chips and his own oat milk.
I sneered.
I was wrong.
I made dinner for friends a couple nights ago for the SUPER-DUPER BLUE MOON of ME (Pisces). I was going to make Indian rice pudding (kheer) w/ cardamom and apples--dairy free, because a friend is allergic to dairy. I was going to use oat milk, which I like. Also, I feel better about the cows. Also, my cholesterol has gone up.
I decided to make my own oat milk for the first time. As I'd heard, it's easy, though a bit messy.
OAT MILK
soak oats in water, grind in blender, drain through a flimsy cloth.
Oats and water...
It's practically FREE.
It drives me crazy that it costs as much or more than cow milk, and at coffee shops, they even charge you extra for oat milk.
So that was good. I decided to try making kale chips too. The name had put me off--I'd have tried it earlier if someone had said,
"Did you know if you roast kale, it gets crispy?"
Old news to many, but, hey, it does.
KALE CHIPS
Toss a bunch of kale with 1-2 T olive oil,
sprinkle it with salt,
bake it at 300º for 20 min.
Easy. I could have eaten the whole batch out of the oven. So tasty! So fun to eat!
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Yesterday evening, I went to hear friends playing music at a little arts & crafts & farmer's market.
Below: Stefanie & Jim at Tiny Diner
Working at a thrift store, I hardly ever buy anything new, but at the market a couple were selling little Pokémon doohickeys they make on a 3D printer with some sort of biodegradable plastic. I loved them.
I don't know much about Pokemon but I like the fat and cheerful ones, like Bulbasaur, "a well-behaved Pokemon that shows a nurturing instinct"---and they'd made a little pink Bulbasaur planter.
I got it. It weighs as much as a marshmallow.
I'll plant some spider plant babies in it.
The Bulba was one of their more expensive figures at fifteen dollars.
I gave the makers a twenty and got a five back. A little nerdish boy, about ten, was looking at the figures too.
"Can you name them?" I said.
Of course he could name every one. (I can't.)
"You should win a prize," I said. "I have five dollars, do you want..." –– before I'd finished, he'd said, yes! I love how some kids don't pussyfoot around.
He bought a little... I forget who, and he zoomed off with it. I don't think he even said thank you, or just barely, but his eyes were glowing.
Penny Cooper was talking about sharing today.
"Everybody can share––everyone has something they can enjoy giving away."
what do you do with the oats then after getting the "milk" out of them? ; ) as long as it isn't almond milk -- my brother and i swore off of almonds (water intensive and currently the largest land mass in CA growing them is a giant corporation which doesn't give a fig about water use).
ReplyDeletelove the pink planter thingie!! sometimes it is fun to buy something new. baby spider plants will love their new home.
kirsten
Hi KIRSTEN!
DeleteThere weren’t too many oats left—they were largely liquified. I read you can add them to cooking foods, but I just put them in compost.
I heard that almonds too-/that almonds are no improvement over dairy farming.
It is fun to buy a new thing—especially handmade by the person in front of you. The couple that made the bulbasaur were so nice and happy about their Pokémon! 😊
PS I was wrong—almonds are somewhat better than cow farms—(and at least no cows are harmed)—
Deletebut as you say, almond milk is environmentally problematic-/
NOT the best choice for nondairy milk.
https://www.treehugger.com/almond-milk-vs-cow-milk-5215833
archived article about almonds and water in CA: https://archive.ph/GpYUb
ReplyDeletemy brother sent me dry-farmed sprouted walnuts from CA which are so wonderful but a little pricey. but with such flavor you don't eat a lot at a time!! https://mmorganics.com
kirsten
Erik and his pals went through Pokemon obsession- They still are somewhat involved with them at age 35! I love them too. You did get the cutest guy for a planter .
ReplyDeleteThe oat milk thing really should be called what it is , oat water moosh, Milk is milk. No nipples on oats and that has the orphans confused.Oats are a danger for diabetics, we stick to organic farm cow mild and cream, pretty sure the cows are handled lovingly , all of them are named Bessie and they all have their own rooms...that is a fact, so say the orphans.
LINDA SUE- well, you got me curious about “milk” so I looked up its etymology— its use to mean “milky plant juice” dates back to 1200.
ReplyDeleteAlso metaphors like “milk of human kindness”.
I like cow products too!
—but the fate of the baby cows (since dairy cows have to be perpetually having babies so they keep lactating, as of course you know) is … variable. Perhaps your good dairy takes good care of them. Some do.
I drink it anyway-/-and live with my contradictions.
Bon voyage!!!
Well, there we go then, Orphans are calling everything that liquefies "Milky Plant Juice" ,and that includes the pool in the bottom of the fridge veg drawer.
ReplyDeleteAnyway a plant based diet is superior for all sorts of reasons, no doubt!
LINDS SUE: eh, some vegans live on Oreos and Diet Coke—all plant-based 😆
ReplyDelete—eat what you like is a good guide, I reckon! (Refined carbs not so much though)
I can imagine the girlettes or Orphans writing a song (or forming a band!), Milky Plant Juice.
Or Fridge Sludge! 😃
Delete