Congratulations to the winners of the free CD giveaway:
James from Toronto, Ontario
Arnaud from Montpellier, France
Gordon from Scarborough, Ontario
Candice from Utica, New York
Erin from Des Moines, Iowa
Your signed copies of Boys & Eros are on their merry way!
When I announced the CD giveaway to my mailing list last night my inbox was instantly flooded with responses (the first three arrived within a minute of the newsletter delivery! Apparently I’m not the only night bird). It means a lot to know that there are so many of you out there listening and reading. Thank you. It has been such a gift to receive emails from people I met on tour this past year. To all of you who didn’t win, there will be many more giveaways in 2009! Thank you for your sweet notes. This has been such fun. And to those of you who would like to be eligible for future giveaways, including a free song each month, please visit www.laurameyer.net to join the mailing list.
While I’m still wearing my Santa suit, here are some homemade gift ideas that are good for the body and spirit – as well as gentle on the planet (and wallet).
This first recipe is my version of the sublime cocoa-date-nut combination. As with any recipe, the variations are endless, so feel free to experiment with various nuts, seeds, fruits, etc. I usually make things up as I go along, but I think I’ve perfected this one. I always keep a batch on-hand.
Ingredients:
18 organic* medjool dates
2 TBL warm water
3 TBL organic pepitas
3 TBL organic sunflower seeds
6 TBL organic flax seeds
6 TBL organic hemp seeds
6 TBL organic sesame seeds
6 TBL organic 100% cocoa powder
6 TBL organic maple syrup
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
dash of salt
3/4 cup organic coconut
Heat iron skillet and toast pepitas and sunflower seeds with a dash of salt until they are slightly golden. Meanwhile, chop dates and then mash with the warm water. Remove seeds from heat, set aside, and then repeat with flax seeds, toasting until golden. Finally, toast hemp and sesame seeds. When cooled, grind the seeds in a coffee grinder (or food processor) in batches (because the seeds are different sizes, it’s best to work with them separately). Add maple syrup and vanilla extract to the date mixture. Then add cocoa powder and ground seeds, mixing well.
Place in refrigerator or freezer to chill briefly. Reheat iron skillet and toast coconut until golden. Remove from heat and cool. Then get your chilled mixture and set yourself up for forming into balls and rolling in coconut with clean hands. I like to use a teaspoon to measure out portions because I’m a big fan of coconut – form into whatever size you like, depending on your preferred coconut ratio.
Use one hand for rolling and the other for dusting (keeping one hand dry makes the process a lot less messy). Set balls onto a plate as you go, and then store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to give them away!
I like to place them in mason jars with a swatch of fabric on top, secured by a ribbon – very pretty and reusable/recyclable. You might want to add a tag listing the ingredients, too. (I call these treats “Reindeer Poop,” but depending on your sense of humor and, more importantly, the humor of the recipient, you might want to call them something else, like “Cocoa Date Balls” – how boring).
Another recipe which requires very little ingredients are chocolate-covered nuts, fruits, and anything else you can think of. I just made some chocolate-covered tamari almonds. Just melt some organic fair trade vegan chocolate in a double boiler (or just use a bowl over a pan of hot water on the stove, like I do). Dip your nuts and/or fruits in the chocolate and then place on a baking sheet to cool and set. I use chopsticks for dipping. Once you’re finished dipping, place in refrigerator to chill, and then package them in little jars. I’ve also had great results with chocolate bark – so easy! Walnut-dried blueberry-crystalized ginger is my favorite combination. Add all of the above to your melted dark chocolate and then pour onto a cookie sheet, chill, and break into pieces. Almond-cranberry-ginger is good, too. Hazelnuts, pecans, dried cherries, peppermint stick… there are so many possibilities.
I’m putting together little gift baskets with jams and sauces I made at the end of the summer – now I have to go find some ribbon and things to make these pretty. Happy Holidays!
* Why organic? Organic foods may seem more costly at first, but buying organic means less poison for your loved ones, including this beautiful planet we live on and with. You can buy most if not all of these ingredients in bulk form, which is significantly less expensive and also environmentally preferable, as this avoids unnecessary packaging. If you live in Manhattan, I like the 4th Street Co-op, though if you do a Google search you’ll find a lot of options. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s carry many organic varieties, too.
