Quinoa - The Super Food!

Quinoa(Keen-Wah) is coming to be known as a Super Food. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations compares the nutritional quality to dried whole milk. It’s not really a grain like we think of, that grows on grassy plants, but a broadleaf non-legume somewhat like buckwheat and amaranth. Quinoa is native to the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, Chile and Peru and is somewhat temperamental outside of those areas. Growers have worked with it in Canada and Colorado with some success, but there is not enough market demand yet for them to devote large areas to this crop. There is work being done on developing varieties that are more tolerant of conditions outside of its native growing location in South America.

Quinoa, as a whole grain, can be substituted for rice or pilaf in recipes. Ground into a flour, it can be combined with other flours and used in baked goods. My favorite form of Quinoa is as a ‘rolled’ grain. It looks like miniature rolled oats and I add it to my morning oatmeal every morning. In this form, it can also be used as an addition where oatmeal is used. Because of its tiny size, I wouldn’t eliminate the oatmeal in recipes, but substitute some of the oatmeal with rolled Quinoa. This will keep the texture of the product similar to the original intention of the recipe. Locally, the only place that I’ve been able to find rolled Quinoa is at Oliver’s Market in Cotati, and it is organic. Our local Whole Foods Market does not carry it at this time.

Here is an excerpt from the Quinoa Corporation on the nutritional aspects of Quinoa:

Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain; an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein.

Quinoa's protein is of an unusually high quality. It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal ... similar to milk!

Quinoa's protein is high in lysine, methionine and cystine. This makes it an excellent food to combine with, and boost the protein value of, other grains (which are low in lysine), or soy (which is low in methionine and cystine).
Quinoa Corporation

Here’s another link to the nutrition facts on Quinoa:
Quinoa Nutrition Facts

July North Bay Vegan Potluck

Come join us for a lovely summer potluck with good food and great company!
When: Friday, July24th
Time: 6:30 pm
Where: 825 Middlefield Drive, Petaluma (United Church of Christ) (No affiliation)

June North Bay Vegan Potluck

It's almost potluck time again. Join us for friends, food and fun. Be sure to check out the new link to our potluck recipes, and potluckers, don't forget to send in your recipes for posting!
When: Friday, June 26th
Time: 6:30 pm
Where: 825 Middlefield Drive, Petaluma (United Church of Christ)

The Circus Is Coming To Town! – Excited? Think again.

The Carson and Barnes Circus is coming to Sonoma County next month. What I’m learning about this circus, and others that employ animal acts, is nothing short of shocking. These circuses attempt to entertain us with dogs, apes, birds, ponies and horses, hippos, tigers, and of course, elephants.

Elephants are highly social, intelligent animals with a complex system of communication. In their natural environment, they roam over large areas and cover considerable distances of up to 50 miles every day. The elephant family is led by the oldest female, the matriarch, and is bonded by kinship, affiliation, experience, great loyalty and affection.

The elephants that you see in circuses are bought and sold like commodities. They are transported long distances in small compartments on trucks or trains. They are separated from their friends and family, confined and chained. To control the elephant’s behavior in this restricted environment, the ‘handlers’ need to establish and maintain dominance. This is done through the use of violence and cruelty, using electric prods, whips and large bull-hooks. When attacked with these weapons, the elephants scream in pain. Understandably, these creatures eventually go mad, and end up endangering human lives in the process.



This treatment is appalling and unethical. I would rather watch a nature show on PBS about these amazing creatures than see a live elephant being forced to stand in line with her feet on the back of another.

What can you do?
1. Don’t go to circuses that use wild animal acts. Non-animal circuses include Cirque du Soleil and the local Pickle Family Circus.
2. Tell your friends, write to your local newspaper, contact your local schools, and ask your City Council to ban circuses with animal acts. Literature is available to download from various sites. Click here for a good brochure.
3. Ask business to drop their sponsorships of circuses with wild animal acts.
4. Report animal abuse to local authorities and the USDA.
5. Suggest and animal-free circus for your community.
6. Participate in or start your own anti-circus demonstration. There may be a local animal rights group in your area that holds these events.

Bay Area demonstration dates and times:
DALY CITY (Cow Palace Parking Lot, 2600 Geneva Ave, Daly City):
May 29 (Fri) @ 3:30p and 6:30p
May 30 (Sat) @ 6p
May 31 (Sun) @ 3p
June 1 (Mon) @ 6p
June 2 (Tue) @ 6p

DUBLIN (Martinelli Way and Hacienda, Dublin):
June 5 (Fri) @ 6:30p
June 6 (Sat) @ 3p and 6:30p
June 7 (Sun) @ 3p

SANTA ROSA (Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa):
June 8 (Mon) @ 3:30p and 6:30p
June 9 (Tue) @ 3:30p and 6:30p

PETALUMA (Sonoma-Marin Fair, 175 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma):
June 10 (Wed) @ 3:30p and 6:30p
June 11 (Thu) @ 3:30p and 6:30p

More links:
Circus Issues

Peta Literature

Compassionate Consumer Literature

Information for Educators

May North Bay Vegan Potluck

Here it is again! Already another month has gone by! Looking forward to another evening of wonderful company and luscious food. I am now posting the potluck recipes on the blog. Either email or give me a copy of your recipe and I'll post it for all to share. There are two links - one in the welcome message to the right, and another in the 'links' section further down on the right. See you Friday the 22nd and feel free to bring a friend!

I’m thinking that many of us involved in any kind of activism wonder at times if all of our efforts have any effect on those we are trying to reach. Promoting what you believe in can be a thankless and daunting task, but my experience this weekend helped to encourage, rather than discourage me. I worked a table at the Wellness Expo in the town of Sonoma, in the heart of the wine country. Many of the visitors were there because they had an interest in their health. Many of them ate only some animal products, maybe just fish, or just turkey, or just dairy. Some just wanted to know what we were ‘selling’, and who was funding us. We told them that we were just volunteering on our own, representing the animals, the earth and our health. The reactions ranged from bafflement to amazement to gratitude. We had spirited and intelligent conversations and handed out literature. We showed them cookbooks, animal rights books, articles, charts and graphs, and collected signatures on PCRM’s Healthy School Lunch Program petition. At the weekend’s end, I was the grateful one. I am thankful that people take the time to listen. I am thankful for those who just glance our way. That one glance may be the seed for a future vegan – one less person involved in the cycle of violence and death of innocent non-human animals.

Rate of Slaughter of Chickens, Pigs, and Cows in the United States, 2008