THE TRIUMPH OF THE VEGAN AT THE BBQ!

By John, CN Grocery Buyer

It can sometimes be a lonely affair to be the vegan at a summer barbeque. Perhaps you’ve brought enough portabellas to share, but they end up cast aside in favor of cheeseburgers. Maybe you’ve even given up on bringing along food to share altogether, and succumbed to the urge to just graze on chips, underwhelming salad, and corn on the cob. Well fret not, gentle herbivores, for I’m here with a trio of plant-based recipes you can put together here at Cambridge Naturals that will be the star of the show, even among confirmed meat lovers like myself!

Chips and dip are a perennial favorite for those pre-meal munchies, while you sip your first beer and warm up the coals. Try pairing a bag or two of our incredible Jackson’s Honest Potato Chips (I like Purple Heirloom, but they’re all good) with this simple VEGAN “PARMESAN” YOGURT DIP! Just stir together 1.5 cups of Forager Unsweetened Cashew Yogurt with 3 tablespoons of the Herb and Spice variety Rawmesan, one clove of minced garlic, and half a teaspoon of Curio Spice Co. Kampot & Sea Salt. Easy, huh?

For your meat replacement, rehydrate some of our bulk dried shiitakes and then marinate them ( I recommend using our Coconut Secret Garlic Sauce and a squeeze or two of Kitchen Garden Sriracha). Impale a handful of the mushrooms each on some of our Bambu skewers, grill ‘em up, and then sprinkle with sesame seeds from our bulk section if you’re feeling extra fancy. There you have it, delicious YAKITORI STYLE SHIITAKE MUSHROOM SKEWERS!

As for a side dish, let’s talk pasta salad. It’s a staple at picnics and barbecues, and this variation is sure to please. For a VEGAN MEDITERRANEAN PASTA SALAD that will knock your socks off, start by boiling a 16oz bag of our Semolina Organic Fusilli (made in LA!). De-pit and chop some of our Alive & Well Probiotic Kalamata Olives, and stir in a 6.5oz jar of our Matiz All-i-oli garlic spread (Fiery Garlic if you’re feeling extra bold). It’s that simple. Heck, maybe try chopping up and tossing in some of our Matiz Artichoke Hearts, while you’re at it!

If you’re in a hurry, and even these remarkably simple recipes seem to require too much time or effort, come in for some high quality pre-prepared options: Hope Thai coconut curry hummus, Magic Bites Lentil Fingers, and Karine & Jeff’s Moroccan Style Chickpeas (they’re as good cold as heated!) are all excellent suggestions for the vegan on the go.

And while you’re at it, keep the cooler stocked with plenty of Maine Root Ginger Brews alongside the brewskis. They’re great on their own, and they also pair extremely well with dark rum for a magnificent Dark and Stormy!

Hope that helps to get your imagination going with regards to the myriad creative ways in which Cambridge Naturals can help make you a backyard hangout hero this summer. Come on in and chat with our knowledgeable grocery team for even more suggestions.

The Buttery Goodness of Full Moon Ghee

By Vicki, Local Grocery Brands Coordinator

You may have been hearing the words “clarified butter” or ghee a lot recently. Since there has been an interest in more alternative medicine approaches other than our western way, people have started to look at Ayurveda for a way to feel better in life. Ayurveda is one of the most ancient healing systems in the world, developed by the sages of India thousands of years ago. Ayur means life, and veda means science or knowledge. So Ayurveda means the science or knowledge of life… who wouldn’t want to study the science of life?

Ghee is used in Ayurveda for balancing all constitutions in a person’s body. It is made from cooking butter at a very low heat for about 20 minutes or so, which removes the water in butter, and separates the milk solids and the fat from each other. Since the milk solids are removed, ghee is also safe for lactose intolerant individuals! YAY GHEE! There are numerous benefits to using ghee; improved digestion, better immune system, support for healthy levels of inflammation and just feeling like you are an awesome human being!

We'd like to introduce you to one of our favorite Ghee's in town -  Full Moon Ghee. We want to emphasize how important sourcing is, and how mindfulness is important when you are a creator AND a consumer. Full Moon Ghee is made as “an act of service to our community, our ancestors, and ourselves.” The butter comes from extremely happy cows in Lee, Massachusetts, and the ghee is made ONLY on the Full Moon (hence, the name!). Why? Read the interview to find out!

Introducing Hannah Jacobson, one of the founders of Full Moon Ghee - sharing her knowledge of life with us below.

When and how did you get the idea for Full Moon Ghee? What caused you to start making ghee? Were there any major events that led to the creation?

While studying yoga and Ayurveda at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, MA, I began using lots of ghee in my meals. For my 28th birthday, a dear friend gave me a home made jar of ghee and I devoured it with the awareness that it was pure medicine for the body, mind, and spirit. It wasn't until a couple of years later, when Daniel Rainwater moved to the area that we began making ghee for our friends. I attended a farmer's market for my herbal company, Sweet Birch Herbals, and had a feeling customers would eat it up! The dozen or so jars were gone within the first few hours and we knew people were hungry for healthy, local, delicious ghee. Full Moon Ghee was brought into the world in 2015 with the intention of producing the highest quality ghee made from local butter on the full moon. We infuse each batch of ghee with prayers for health, vitality, expansion, creativity, and peace.

What are your favorite health benefits of ghee? Why do you use ghee?

I use ghee because there are countless health benefits including aiding the digestive tract, increasing assimilation of nutrients, therefore boosting energy levels, lubricating the joints internally, cleansing the colon, cooling irritated mucous membranes, strengthening to the hair, skin, eyes, and it contributes to a healthy immune system. Ghee contains omega-3 and omega-9 essential fatty acids, along with vitamins A, D, E and K. Ghee made from the butter of pastured cows is one of the highest natural sources of CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid. It also has 9 phenolic antioxidants, as well as numerous other minerals. When I eat ghee daily, I generally feel more sustained energy throughout the day.

Why is it important to you to buy locally sourced organic products? Is organic important to you?

It is important to support the local food economy not only as a consumer, but also as a producer. The core value of Full Moon Ghee is to support local dairy farms by sourcing butter from them. I try to purchase mostly local and organic products as a consumer, however organic dairy can be challenging for small farms in New England when prices of feed are more than double for organic. The organic certification process can be cost prohibitive for small dairy farms, even if they are already following organic practices. That is why we source all of our butter from High Lawn Farm in Lee, MA, a farm we trust after visiting and speaking with the farmers. High Lawn Farm grows the hay and silage for their well cared for cows. The feeling I get when I'm at the farm is pure delight. We want that uplifting energy in our ghee.

How did you have the idea to only make the ghee on the Full Moon?

Ghee is traditionally made on the waxing moon according to ancient Ayurvedic texts. While traveling in India, I asked ghee producers, grandmothers, and farmers what the significance of the moon is on the ghee. They explained that when the moon is waxing, the grass is reaching upward toward the sky. The cows eat the grass full of minerals and waters of the Earth pulled by the moon, which inevitably transfers into the milk. This theory is similar the biodynamic methods of organic agriculture drawn from the ideas of Rudolf Steiner in 1924. To make ghee from the butter of the cow on the waxing moon is special because it infuses that expansive energy into the holy oil, which we then consume, becoming part of our bodies. When I asked, "What if it's made on the full moon?" I always got the same answer: "Making ghee on the full moon is very auspicious."

Since you are making a product that is “energetic” in nature, what do you do when the energy in you, or around you, isn’t positive at the moment?

This is a great question because it raises even another question: "What is positive vs. negative?" In my attempts to raise the vibrations around me, I try to let go of the limiting dichotomies of "good" and bad." Instead, I welcome all the sensations, no part left out. As I learned in India, before making ghee, it is important to bathe and offering gratitude to the cows, the moon, the sun, the water, the fields, the farmers, and all the elements in nature which sustain us on Earth. The time around the Full Moon can often be emotionally challenging and we wonder why we chose this time to make ghee. However, I believe the moon chose us. She is our teacher. Every time we make ghee, even when we begin from a place of suffering, our moods shift because we are remembering that the transformation that takes place while making ghee is sacred. Rituals deepen our acceptance of ourselves. Our commitment to making ghee on the full moon is an act of service to our community, our ancestors, and ourselves.

In what other ways is the moon important to us? 

The Moon mirrors how the cycles of nature are within and around us all the time. We are not separate from nature. Healing takes root when we remember our innate connection to the source of all the elements: fire, water, earth, air, and wood.

Who has influenced you the most in your life?

My Mother and Father, for their steadfast commitment to unity, equality, and justice.

In what ways do you want to influence the world?

I want to reflect how deeply lovable each person is by simply being here on Earth. My offering is nourishing medicine made with intentions of healing, harmony, and peace.

Thank you Hannah for sharing your story and passion for mindfully made ghee with us! You can find Full Moon Ghee on our shelves in our healthy fats section. Just ask someone on staff to point you in the right direction!

This blog post — The Buttery Goodness of Full Moon Ghee — is for general health information only. This Web site is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Users of this Web site should not rely on information provided on this Web site for their own health problems. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your own physician or other healthcare provider.

Elevate your Tuna

By John, Grocery Buyer & The Naturalist Contributor

Ah yes, the humble tuna salad... a staple of brown-bagged lunches for countless American childhoods. But what happens when those children grow up? Often the simple joy of the tuna sandwich is cast aside in favor of other, supposedly more sophisticated tastes. It's easy to see why. It's a recipe which is simple to make, but surprisingly difficult to master. Thankfully, we here at Cambridge Naturals are ready to show you several ways in which you can recapture the childhood comfort of the tuna salad experience in several delicious and unique styles.

Let's start with our take on a classic tuna melt! First, prepare the tuna salad. Mix 2 cans of our Wild Planet Albacore Tuna with one Real Pickles Dill Pickle spear (diced), one teaspoon Mustard & Co Classic Grain Mustard, one tablespoon Matiz Garlic Aioli, a pinch of Curio Spice Co Aegean Salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Slice some Neighborly Farms Monterey Jack Cheese and layer it on a slice of Dan's Brick Oven Rye + Whole Wheat Bread. Add a healthy layer of the tuna salad and top with more bread. Fry it up, flipping every few minutes, in a skillet with some of our Organic Valley Cultured Pasture Butter. It's ready when the cheese is gooey and melty. Feel free to add some bacon or tomato slices to up your deliciousness factor a little.

One of tuna's most delicious applications outside of sandwich form is of course in sushi. But can you make a sushi-inspired tuna salad hors douvre? You bet you can! For the salad itself, mix 2 cans of our Wild Planet Albacore Tuna with 2 tablespoons Real Pickles Ginger Carrots, 1 tablespoon Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo, and half a teaspoon Flora Sesame Oil (be very careful with that sesame oil, a little goes a long, long way!) Spoon the mixture onto Edward & Sons Tamari Seaweed Brown Rice Snaps. The bolder among you might even consider finely crushing some of our Seasnax Wasabi Stix, and sprinkling it on top. These little bites are great at parties so make sure to make a lot. They'll go fast!

Another way to be adventurous with the tuna salad concept would be to replace the tuna altogether. Why not a twist on some classic deli salmon? Mix 2 cans of our Wild Planet Wild Pink Salmon, 2 teaspoons Canaan Wild Caper Tomato Tapenade, and 1 tablespoon Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo. Spread a generous layer of our Kite Hill Almond Cream Cheese onto a Sunfood Raw Coconut Wrap along with a heaping helping of the salmon salad. Top with greens, tomato slices, a little red onion, or whatever your little heart desires. Wrap it on up and go to town! A delicious, dairy and gluten free sandwich that really hits the spot.

These three variations are simply a few of many possibilities where tuna (and salmon) salad are concerned, so come in and talk with our helpful grocery staff. We'll share our secret recipes if you share yours. Bon Appetit!