Treatment for a cold

Or should I say a TREAT for my cold. I'm feeling sniffly, sore-throaty and general miserable so my lovely daughter made me the perfect treat - Orange Sorbet - full of vitamin C and soothing on my throat.

The recipe, of course, she found in Lick It!

Organic Soy Brands Importing soy beans from China

The Organic Consumers Association just reported on a study done by the Cornucopia Institute. It seems like many organic soy brands when bought up by bigger corporations are switching from soybeans grown by American farmers to cheaper beans from China. Not only does this discourage our US farmers from growing their soy organically, but when the USDA sent auditors to inspect Chinese sites, they found multiple noncompliances and found that certifying agents did not always even have a translated copy of the US organic certification standards. 

Even worse, some companies that have been know to be organic are now dropping switching to nonorganic beans. Why is this a problem? Well besides the fact that soy is often genetically engineered and grown with toxic herbicides, it is also usually processed with the chemical solvent 'hexane' which is a neurotoxic chemical. Despite the fact that hexane residue can end up in the soy product, according to the OCA the government does not require testing before selling food to consumers -- even for soy-based infant formula.

Dean Foods who now owns the Silk soymilk line, has quit using organic soybeans and switched to cheaper conventionally grown varieties in most of the Silk products--without changing the UPC codes or LOWERING PRICES. I just went and checked my carton of Silk creamer -- it still says 'organic soybeans' in the ingredients, but do I want to continue to support this company?

According to the article, Eden Foods, Small Planet Tofu, and Vermont Soy work directly with North American organic farmers. Here's the OCA article. Here's the full Cornucopia study.

 

Central Coast Vegetarian Meetup Group

Several Members form the Central Coast Vegetarian Meetup Group came to my book launch. Here are some more pictures that one of the members took. And thanks to all of them for coming. I'm looking forward to attending the meetup events.

Book Launch Recap

The official book launch for my new book Lick It! Creamy Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love was last Saturday at the Arroyo Grande Library. What I didn't realize when we set the date, that it was Memorial Day weekend and also the Strawberry Festival--Arroyo Grande's biggest festival of the year. Almost every friend, relative, neighbor, writing buddy, etc. I asked to come said they had other plans for the weekend and sorry, they wouldn't be able to make it. I had visions of making ice cream in the big empty library for just myself and my family and the library staff.

But . . . . . people just kept on coming! The official head count according to library personnel was 95 people. It was great. 

We had a four different types of ice cream -- Lavender, Chocolate, Blueberry Ice Creams and Strawberry Frozen Yogurt. When I asked people what there favorite flavor was -- the answer was usually the last one that they tasted!

Thanks to everyone that came out -- and if you missed the launch, you can still get a copy of Lick It! from your favorite bookstore, natural foods store, or online vendor so you can enjoy fresh, healthy, and yummy ice cream all summer long!

School Libraries

California and my school district in particular is facing severe budget cuts for next year -- including the potential loss (or serious reduction of) school libraries. I was interviewed by The Santa Maria Times about the situation. Read the article here.

Richmond Vegetarian Festival

If you live in Virginia or will be there in June, check out The Richmond Vegetarian Festival on Saturday June 20, 2009 from Noon to 6 pm at the Azalea Gardens at Bryan Park.

Lick It! is one of the raffle prizes along with other great books by some of my favorite authors like Nava Atlas and Jo Stepaniak.

Radio Appearance and Ice Cream Making Demo

The Dave Congalton Show
Cathe Olson, author of the new nondairy cookbook Lick It! Creamy Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love talks with Dave about her new book and her upcoming ice cream making workshop. If you're not in the San Luis Obispo area, you can stream live or listen to the podcoast from http://www.920kvec.com.

Location: The Dave Congalton Show, KVEC 920 AM—SLO, CA

Date and Time: Wednesday, May 20th at 4 p.m.

Information: http://www.920kvec.com

Ice Cream Making Workshop and BOOK LAUNCH!
Everybody loves ice cream but wait until you taste it fresh out of the ice-cream machine. Cathe will show you how easy it is to make healthy delicious ice cream, using natural ingredients. From traditional to gourmet flavors—Cathe will demonstrate both dairy and dairy-free ice creams that will make you want to lick your bowl clean. Also—be the first to get a copy of Cathe’s new book LICK IT! hot off the press.

Location: Arroyo Grande Library, 800 W. Branch, Arroyo Grande, CA
Date and Time: Sat., May 23rd, 2009 at 2 pm
Information: 805-473-7161

I just came from the farmers market with some red, juicy strawberries and the first peaches of the season which I'll use to make some yummy ice creams and frozen yogurt -- think I'll make some Chocolate and Lavender flavors as well .  . .