Increase your luck and maintain your figure with this vegan Hoppin’ John recipe, which is full of smoky flavor, vegetables, and fiber and protein-packed black-eyed peas.

Hoppin’ John is a classic southern staple, a smoky black-eyed peas, and rice dish. Eating Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day is believed to bring luck in the coming year. The peas in the dish represent coins, and Hoppin’ John is traditionally eaten aside collard greens (representing money) and cornbread (representing gold). If you’re superstitious like me, you’re probably halfway to the grocery store all ready to pick up the ingredients. But before you tag onto any old Hoppin’ John recipe, keep in mind that while it is indeed based in peas and rice, it often involves bacon, ham hock, fatback, or sausage. The following version nixes the saturated animal-sourced fat and sticks to the plant-based basics: black-eyed peas, rice, onion, and spices. Your luck just got oh-so-much better!

This recipe not only transforms a traditional, pork-laden Hoppin’ John recipe into a vegan masterpiece but also invites more complex flavors in the form of okra, brown and wild rice, an assortment vegetables, and liquid smoke. The result is a dish you’ll feel lucky to have at your disposal not just on New Year’s day, but all year long. Enjoy!

Vegan Hoppin’ John Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients

• ½ cup brown rice
• ½ cup wild rice
• 2 cups vegetable stock (no-salt added)
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
• 4 tablespoons cup olive oil
• 2 cups fresh okra, trimmed and chopped
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cups cooked black-eyed peas

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the brown rice, wild rice, vegetable stock, and liquid smoke. Stir the mixture and put a lid on the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the rice is tender – about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil, okra, and spices. Cook until the okra is tender and dry. Set aside.

In a separate large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, mushrooms, onion, and celery. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms tender throughout – about 10-15 minutes. Stir in cooked rice mixture and peas. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in okra until well combined and stir until all ingredients are well heated.

Serve immediately.

Related on EcoSalon

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Hoppin’ John image via Shutterstock

The post Veganized Hoppin’ John Recipe: Hop on the Lucky Train (and Don’t Gain Weight!) this New Year’s Day appeared first on EcoSalon.

Make New Year’s resolutions that matter because you only live once.

With the new year approaching, you may be tempted to give into making lame New Year’s resolutions. Don’t do it. Losing weight, becoming more organized, and saving more money are just overrated. These are the kind of resolutions that we all are doomed to fail at because they are super boring and just don’t capture the imagination. Instead, choose alternative resolutions that are outside your comfort zone and inspire you to try something new. While there is value in saving money and getting healthier, the start of a new year is time for bigger stuff.

7 Alternative New Year’s Resolutions

1. Become an expert. Commit to beginning the journey of becoming an expert this year. It’s said it takes 10 years of practice and study to become an expert. Whether it’s gardening, playing chess, or beekeeping, take up something with the goal of making it to expert status in 10 years.
2. Literary travel. Follow the protagonist of your favorite book and make a pilgrimage to the setting featured in the book. Whether it’s Northern California from “Sideways” or Savannah, GA from “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” travel to the place from your favorite book.
   
3. Learn to say “yes” more often. As a person who used to say no to plans and opportunities, I started saying yes more, and it’s changed my life. Learning to say yes can take lead you down unexpected paths. Give it a try this year and see if it works for you.
4. Reskill. Reskilling is about becoming a more resilient and self-reliant person, helping to create a more sustainable future and learning to appreciate “lost” skills, like home canning, gardening, beekeeping, home brewing, and more. Give it a try this year.
5. Give into your desire to become a crazy cat lady, within reason of course. If you have a living situation that allows you to have cats, why not add 1 or 2 more, as long you can afford to care for them. Be proud of your cat lady status. Own it.
6. Get involved. Whether you decide to fight City Hall or Congress, stop being an armchair activist, take up a cause, and get actively engaged in making a difference in your community or the world.
7. Try something new–every week. Whether it’s trying a new food, finally taking up yoga, reading a new genre, or volunteering at the local food bank, commit to giving something new a try each week in the new year.

Related on EcoSalon

5 New Year’s Resolutions for Travel in 2015

8 New Year’s Resolutions That Are Actually Reasonable and Realistic

10 New Year’s Resolutions All About Food: Foodie Underground

Image: Silhoutte 2016 via Shutterstock

The post 7 Alternative New Year’s Resolutions Because YOLO! appeared first on EcoSalon.

Are your New Year’s resolutions realistic?

As 2013 comes to an end there’s one question at hand: are you going to make a list of resolutions?

While New Year’s resolutions are admirable – making an effort to make positive changes in our lives is certainly a good thing – often we make ones we can’t keep. “Eat better” or “be healthier” aren’t realistic resolutions as they don’t have any parameters. How do you measure your success? Set up a resolution that you can’t keep and you won’t get the benefit of succeeding.

About 45 percent of Americans make resolutions, but only about 8 percent actually keep them. Looking to make some resolutions for the new year? Here are some that are good for you, the environment and the community, and that you can adapt according to your own needs to ensure that you are successful in the new year.

1. I will take one evening a week to unplug

I mean no iPhone, no iPad, no social media, not TV. Nothing. Read a book. Write a letter. Draw a picture. Sit and think.

2. I will go one month without buying anything new

Try to not buy anything new during the month of January. Groceries don’t count of course! If you succeed in January, try again in February. The goal is to reconnect to your consumption habits; we all could do with buying less, and when we do feel the need to buy something, why not buy something second hand? It’s more economical and environmentally friendly.

3. I will eat one, two, three or even more, additional vegetarian meals a week

We all know that we should be eating less meat, so in 2014 if you’re not a strict vegetarian, commit to it! Choose a number of meals per week that you can realistically go 100 percent meatless and to make things easier, plan out those meals in advance.

4. I will look at hangtags and have that guide my shopping decisions

Want to do something to change the world of fast fashion? Look at your hangtags and think about the purchases you are making. If it helps, make a list of places you don’t want to be buying from.

5. I will not eat at fast food restaurants

It’s 2014, people, you should have stopped doing this a long time ago anyway.

6. I will incorporate a daily morning routine of meditation/breathing/yoga/stretching

No one is asking you to run a marathon (although if you want to do that this year, that’s a great goal), just plan out a short morning routine to get you going. After a few weeks of a daily practice, you’ll be surprised at how much your body craves it.

7. I will explore one new place a month

You don’t have to travel across the world to have an adventure. Commit to exploring in your own neighborhood, be it a new park, restaurant or even just a street you have never walked down.

8. I will smile more

It is proven to make you happier after all. Try one smile at a stranger per day and just see how much better you feel.

Related on EcoSalon

Resolutions You Should Never Make
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The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Simplifying, Saying No and Saving Money

Image: olivierbxl

The post 8 New Year’s Resolutions That Are Actually Reasonable and Realistic appeared first on EcoSalon.

Everything you need to eat and cook consciously in the new year.

Our exclusive EcoSalon shopping must-have, the curated eco product assortment known as The Box, is back. We’re offering $500 worth of holiday eco-goodies for just $99 and these won’t last. That’s a guarantee.

It’s one month into 2012; how are those healthy resolutions going? Hopefully well, but if you need an extra boost of support in eating better this year, look no further than our Conscious Food Box. It’s packed with goodies that are good for you and the planet. From gluten-free cake mix and a cookbook to reusable produce bags and coffee mugs, we hope this Conscious Eating themed box inspires you to live by our Food section motto, “good food, from good places with good people.”

(If you do miss out this time around, our friends at Foodily are hosting a giveaway for the last remaining Entertainment Box standing. Head on over to their site and register to win!)

Cooke Ceramics handmade heart shot glass

An EcoSalon Exclusive shot glass (or espresso cup) handmade by Laura Cooke of Cooke Ceramics will hold the winter libation of your choice. With our heart logo on the front and a red interior, it will warm you up no matter what you put in it.

(Retail value of $15)

Flip & Tumble produce bags

This set of 5 reusable produce bags from Flip & Tumble has everything you need to keep track of your organic produce, without having to get one of those pesky plastic bags every time you go grocery shopping.

(Retail value of $11)

100 Gluten Free Recipes for Your Vegan Kitchen

If 2012 has you thinking about making a serious change in your diet, 100 Gluten Free Recipes for Your Kitchen could easily become your Bible. The cookbook has a diverse selection of completely vegan and gluten free goods, with everything from Pad Thai Salad to Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies.

(Retail value of $14.95)

KeepCup reusable coffee cup

500 billion disposable cups are manufactured globally every year. That’s why your morning americano tastes so much better when it’s served in something reusable. Welcome the KeepCup, the size and shape of regular disposable coffee cups so they fit under espresso machines. BPA-free, dishwasher safe and splash proof, you’ll wonder what you ever were doing with the paper and disposable plastic lid situation.

(Retail value of $12.20)

Home Made by Yvette van Boven

“This year I will make more of my own food.” You may have made the resolution, but are you living up to it? Home Made gives you step-by-step insructions for a plethora of foods that you really can make at home. Your own cheese? Ice cream without a machine? It can all be done with the help of this book.

(Retail value of $40.00)

Upcycled Green Glass tumbler

A used Perrier bottle never looked so good. This tumbler is made from the classic sparkling water bottle, and keeps the used bottles out of landfills. Bright and fun, you’ll want to make this your daily water glass.

(Retail value of $9.00)

Kishr drink

Kishr is like a cup of chai on steroids. It’s a tea-like infusion made from the dried coffee cherry and a blend of Saigon cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. The beverage is actually an ancient wellness beverage that has more antioxidants and less caffeine than green tea, so just add hot water and drink up.

(Retail value of $13.99)

Assorted Luna Bars

Made with organic ingredients, Luna Bars are the perfect way to fuel up. This bundle of 3 assorted bars, will let you try a few flavors and figure you your favorite one.

(Retail value of $4.17)

Lunchbots reusable container

This reusable container does it all. Salads, sandwiches, lunches to go, leftovers… the list goes on. Made with stainless steel, the Lunchbots container is BPA-free and easy to clean. Virtually indestructible, take it with you wherever you go and you’ll cut disposable food containers out in no time.

(Retail value of $19.99)

ECOBAGS® Organic Cotton Lunch Tote
Simple and straight to the point, this is a no frills organic cotton lunch tote. With a velcro closure and completely machine washable, you’ll soon find that it’s an everyday essential for the working girl that’s making sure she’s packing her own healthy lunch.

(Retail value of $5.99)

Mum’s Original Slow Roasted Hemp Hearts and Culinary Coconut Sugar

Mum’s Original produces a variety of nut-free, gluten-free super foods, and here is your chance to check out two of them. The Slow Roasted Hemp Hearts have are exclusive to Mum’s, have a superior taste and are perfect for stocking up on your daily protein and essential fatty acids. With a taste similar to brown sugar but with twice the iron, four times the magnesium and over 10 times the amount of zinc,  this low-glycemic Coconut Sugar is an excellent sweet alternative. You’ll get a bag of each, and we’re sure you’ll put more on your shopping list.

(Total retail value of $15.98)

Strawesome Glass Straw

Cut the plastic and use one of these striking Lifetime Guaranteed Strawesome Glass Straws as a drink accessory. Handmade in Michigan, these straws are just as much works of art as they are functional drinking essentials. We have an assorted selection of straws that vary in decoration and color, so be excited to be surprised!

(Retail value of $10.99)

Fresh Wave Crystal Gel Deodorizer

If it’s time to freshen up the kitchen, this crystal gel from Fresh Wave should be your first step. A natural odor eliminator, it gives you with the all natural solution for getting rid odors by using a blend of plant oils and water; no harsh chemicals or masking fragrances. Overpowering compost? Gone. Smelly kitchen trash bag? No more. Simply place it where odors abound and let it works its magic.

(Retail value of $14.99)

San-J Organic Tamari Travel pack

If you’re gluten intolerant, you know how hard it is when it comes to eating soy sauce. Now you can stop carrying around that big, bulky bottle of gluten-free soy sauce with you when you’re on-the-go! These travel packs of organic tamari sauce are the solution. You’ll get 20 travel-sized sachets in one box, ready to be stashed in your bag or purse for your next eating adventure out.

(Retail value of $4.19)

Betty Lou’s Just Great Stuff Bar

An organic bar that’s perfect for chocolate lovers and high in antioxidants. Made with carrot juice, spinach, kale, broccoli sprouts, raisins, dates, and dried bananas you’ll know you’re eating something good for you before the first bite.

(Retail value of $2.19)

Laundress Kitchen Soap Bar

Kitchen and hand friendly, The Laundress Kitchen Soap Bar will do a number on your dishes but not on your skin.  A 100% vegetable soap, it’s made with saponified coconut and palm oils, vegetable glycerin, olive oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, wheat bran, oatmeal, almond flour, apricot seed, coconut husk, ground coffee, white tea leaves and buttermilk.

(Retail value of $8)

Core Bamboo Salad Servers

Take it up a notch at your next dinner party with these bamboo salad servers from Core Bamboo. They’re big enough to not be overwhelmed by a huge bowl of leafy greens, so whip together all your favorite produce and serve in style.

(Retail value of $18)

33 Cups of Coffee Book

If your coffee drinking ventures are a blur, it’s time to jot them down. Just like a good wine journal to keep track of your favorite vineyards and vintages, this pocket sized coffee journal lets you remember all the important parts of your coffee drinking experiences, from the roaster to the taste. Just make sure your java is organic and fair trade, so it matches the ethos of this journal, made with 100% recycled papers sourced in the Pacific Northwest and printed using US-grown soy-based inks.

(Retail value of $4)

Matiz Organic Chestnuts from Gilt Taste

Gilt Taste is a purveyor of pretty much all good things when it comes to food, and these organic chestnuts are no exception. The chestnuts are sourced from small farms across Galicia, Spain and already peeled and cook, which makes your job easy.  From salads to soups to dessert, they’re the perfect addition to many dishes.

(Retail value of $12.50)

Assorted Remakes placemats

Keep your kitchen table clean! Made with reclaimed billboards and movie posters, Remakes placemats give your table an edgy and urban look and protects it all at the same time.

(Retail value of $15.99)

Wholesome Chow Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix

Having a hard time with gluten free baking? Maybe it’s time for a mix. Wholesome Chow’s Organic Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix is easily prepared in less than 40 minutes. It’s moist, fluffy, delicious and perfect for every occasion.

(Retail value of $4.99)

Mrs. Meyer’s Basil Liquid Soap

Pots and pans have nothing against this stuff. Made with naturally cleaning Soap Bark extract, it’s a powerful cleanser and degreaser with plenty of essential oils. Your sink dishes will thank you.

(Retail value of $3.99)

eSutras Organics Cocoa Vanilla Sugar

Putting regular sugar to shame, this organic cane sugar with vanilla and cocoa is perfect for sprinkling on brownies, ice cream, cake, or anything else you want to sweeten up a little.

(Retail value of $5.00)

Nature’s Path Love Crunch Granola

This bag of Dark Chocolate and Red Berries granola will sweeten any mood. Beyond the organic Italian chocolate, it also has flax seeds for essential fatty acids, so kick off your day with a bowl of love.

(Retail value of $4.49)

Sorry: this box is now sold out!

The post January Food Box: The ‘I Will Eat More Consciously’ Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

To help you ring in the New Year, here are some EcoSalon treasures to get you thinking about your past, present and future – because ultimately, isn’t that what this day is all about?

Happy New Year!

• Top 10 Trends We Loved (And Hated) From 2010
• Top 10 Environmental Stories of 2010
• Top 11 Hottest Topics of 2010 from EcoSalon
• A Letter to My 20 Year Old Self
• 10 Best Reasons to Turn 30
• 10 Best Reasons to Turn 40

Image: 1suisse

The post Oh Hai 2011 appeared first on EcoSalon.