food + wellness + lifestyle
HEALTHY IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT
Whole Roasted Cauliflower – The Method What happens when you have a head of cauliflower in your produce drawer, but you’re not quite sure what to do with it? Sure, you can add buffalo sauce, fry it, or even turn it into rice. Those are…
Say hello to the Date Lady. She’s here for you in your time of need when it comes to baking, cooking, and general eating. She’s here to add depth, deliciousness, and a naturally sweet element to your Sticky Date Sriracha Tofu. This Sticky Date Sriracha…
Ever wonder where your cup of coffee comes from? When it comes to your cup of joe, the supply chain behind the coffee matters.
The coffee industry faces high demand, with a number of challenges like climate change, socioeconomic issues and community considerations. The Sustainable Coffee Challenge is a collaborative effort that works to guide the coffee industry towards complete sustainability.
Your choices as a coffee drinker, also matters. Let’s hear about how one coffeeshop on the outskirts of Boston makes it easier to make a choice that is ethically, environmentally, and socially sound.
At Recreo, you can be sure your cup of coffee has been sourced with sustainability in mind. You can also feel good about ordering coffee here, because Recreo donates a portion of its proceeds to the community that harvests the coffee beans themselves in rural Nicaragua.
Miriam Morales, owner and founder, says that the “coffee never leaves our hands until it gets to our customer”. This approach ensures that there are sustainable farming practices, community education, and fair pay for workers.
Miriam opened the café in West Roxbury with her husband Hector in 2015 with one mission: to serve delicious coffee that empowers communities by employing the local workforce. The reality is that there are a number of issues some farms can face such as poverty, environmental footprint and reduced biodiversity. Miriam works to change that.
Recreo is part of the movement that works to provide fair wages, and practice environmental stewardship.
It’s called the “Farm to Cup Process”: it’s a holistic approach that involves harvesting the soil, planting, growing in just the right conditions, processing the cherry, drying the beans, milling and shipping, taste testing the coffee, roasting the coffee, and serving it to customers. It’s a process that requires social, environmental, and technical acumen for it to run smoothly.
At Recreo, that sustainable model is at the heart of the business.
The coffee beans come from her Father’s farm in Nicaragua. To support the families that work on the farm, Miriam’s family runs a school, a clinic, and a technical training school in the community. There are 40 families living on the farm. Miriam’s mother works with students to help them secure scholarships to attend school.
Morales believes in giving back to the communities that are an essential part of the production process, that’s why 30% of every cup of coffee goes back to the community that harvests the coffee. “Coffee with social responsibility”, Morales likes to say. In the Roxbury coffeeshop, Miriam’s husband Hector roasts the coffee. Miriam works in the coffeeshop, too, directly serving customers alongside 12 baristas.
The coffeeshop is lots of hard work, and the Morales family are very hands on and involved. It’s clear that Recreo has built a community with their coffeeshop. Miriam says that “people feel like they are coming into a home”. The customers are loyal, loving followers who feel good about buying their coffee from Recreo.
Be sure to give them some love if you’re in the Boston area. Next time you drink a cup of coffee, make sure it’s as sustainable, ethic, and environmentally friendly as Recreo’s.
The family-owned Recreo Coffeeshop and Roasterie offers customers premium coffee, with coffee beans sourced from Miriam’s family farm in Jinotega, Nicaragua. Recreo serves coffee that is top-notch, sustainable and single-origin. They are Rainforest Alliance Certified, with direct trade importation and environmental sustainability. Their values don’t just stop there: the workers who harvest the coffee are treated fairly, with access to education, medical care, housing, and food.
Visit Recreo’s online shop to purchase whole bean and ground coffee. You can be sure you’re getting a great product, from a great company. Currently, Recreo is offering home deliveries within a two-mile radius.
Tostadas: The Inspiration I’ll admit, I can’t take full credit for this idea. My Chickpea Tostada recipe has been a result of various successes with chickpea taco recipes, and mostly by observing friends and family in the kitchen. There’s something about watching people create recipes,…
Remember the sad, tired looking vegetable tray at your last summer barbecue? There was a little ramekin of bland hummus in the middle, and instead of reaching for the raw veggies, your guests ate the store bought chips. Sad times. You see, hummus doesn’t have…
Ah, weekends…
You’re at your local coffeeshop. You order a latte, extra foam, with oat milk. You’re ready to pay, but then you peek behind the glass with the baked goods. You see a tower of chocolate squares with beautiful layers of nut butter, oats, and sweetened chocolate. You ask the barista if they’re vegan. The barista replies telling you no, they are not vegan.
You settle for the latte and some seeded muffin. But what you really wanted was the chocolate square. You gaze out the window wondering when the world will convert to fully vegan cafes. A bit dramatic? Maybe.
I’m with ya, foodie lover. I’m here to tell you – you can have your (vegan) cake and eat it too.
Do you have chocolate? Nut butter? Coconut oil? A few dates? Sweetener? Cashews? If the answer is yes, I’ve got news for you. These Dreamy No-Bake Vegan Choc Squares slices are kind of like the ones in the bakery, but… even better.
When dates combine with nuts and agave, something magical happens. When chocolate melts and gets poured over a layer of peanut butter, it’s bliss. These bars are a dream for the vegan, the nonvegan, or the chocolate lover.
Just ask my dad, the chocolate aficionado. “These are vegan?”, he asked, suspicious. Let’s just say they passed the test, and he loved them!
These are an amazing treat. Decadent, delicious, peanut buttery, chocolately.. everything you need with that extra foamy latte, a good book, and a sunny window in your apartment.
Let me know if you try these, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Hello foodie lovers! I hope you are healthy, well, and thriving! When it comes to cooking as a busy Vegan.. it should be easy! You may want to fuel your body with delicious, healthy foods, but you don’t have the energy to constantly create new…
Pascal Bernardon How are you, foodie lovers? I hope you are healthy, well, and happy. With the stay-at-home advisory in effect in Boston, the restaurant industry is suffering. Some restaurants are temporarily shutting down. Others are offering delivery and takeout. The situation is changing everyday.…
Well, I learned the art of cooking bolognese growing up, from my mother. Hint: she never used a recipe! She used whatever meat she had in the fridge, sometimes sausage, other times beef. Then, she sifted through the vegetables at the bottom of the refrigerator, using the ingredients that needed to be used. A few carrots? She’d use them. Some leftover ends of bell pepper from yesterday’s salad? Those would be incorporated, too. The base, however, was always the same: onions, garlic, and olive oil.
You know that can of lentils that have been at the back of your shelf for several months now? Yes, me too.
One day I was craving a hearty pasta dish, but I had few ingredients. I was moving apartments and I was surviving solely off pantry foods, and scraps of vegetables. So, it didn’t make sense to buy fresh groceries. I decided to do what my mother would do. First, I rummaged around in my vegetable drawer and found a half of an onion. Then, I found a half bag of spinach. Lastly, I had some mushrooms.
Having flirted with veganism for a few months, I knew lentil bolognese was a thing. I didn’t have a recipe, so I winged it. The result? Delicious, nutritious, and hearty. Mom would be proud.
Read more about reasons to go vegan here.
Lentils are wonderful in soups and stews, but what if we just recreate one of our favorite comfort foods in 20 minutes? This recipe is all about resourcefulness, comfort, and simplicity.
If you’ve got a can of lentils, some pasta, vegetables, and herbs, this recipe is for you.
What’s your personal take on bolognese? I would love to hear from you in the comments!
