Our growing circle

I've been gone for a few weeks but haven't forgotten you. In fact my travels have brought a new cook into our circle, my longtime friend Brenda Steeves in Gorham, Maine. She served us several delicious dinners while we were visiting there, and I hope she will be sharing her recipes with us!

Maybe you remember that we added a new state to our list a month ago -- Illinois --- thanks to Ashwani Garg. Now we can thank him for bringing a second Illinoisan into our circle, Vicki Seglin, who facilitates the Fierce Compassion Sangha and leads the Chicago Dharma Voices for Animals group.

Speaking of new states, Sue Rempel is joining us in Santa Fe, New Mexico, our 31st state. Sue is a member of the Earth Holder Sangha and an enthusiastic vegan looking for ways to inspire relatives and others to try this path.

Welcome, Brenda, Vicki and Sue!

Cathy here in Portland has kindly added three new recipes to our website since I've been gone. First is Jennifer and Mark's Creamy Avocado Potato Salad, made with roasted potatoes and asparagus: Creamy Avocado Potato Salad

Next we have the tasty cookies Ruth brought to our last potluck, her Best Ever Cookies .

Last but not least, we have some unusual energy balls, called Shock-o-laht. I suspect the shock is finding red pepper flakes mixed in with the sweet stuff... They were going fast at our recent sangha meeting but Cathy was able to take a few home and get this eye-catching photo: Shock-o-laht-Energy-Balls

Betsy in California sent a note about vegan leather. Maybe you remember she once let us know about mushrooms being turned into a leather substitute. Now we learn that another version is being made with pineapple leaves! Whatever the source, these substitutes are catching on as explained in this quote from Plant Based News: Fashion hit the headlines, with reports that the vegan leather industry is set to be worth a staggering $85 billion globally within the next decade.

Betsy also told me of a film called What the Health which describes itself as “a surprising and at times hilarious investigative documentary that will be an eye-opener for anyone concerned about our nation's health and how big business influences it.” It's made by the team that made Cowspiracy. I got to hear one of the producers of Cowspiracy in Portland awhile back and was impressed with him, so I'm looking forward to seeing this new film. http://www.whatthehealthfilm.com/

There are 211 of us now --- do keep sending your thoughts, your book and movie suggestions, and your plant-based recipes for the good of all!

Happy cooking,

Eve