I did it! An all-natural, all-vegan, simple DIY styling product. No more harsh chemicals!

So adding to our arsenal of deodorant, toothpaste, and shampoo/conditioner, we can now tame our fly-aways and fashion our mohawks in an ethical and eco-friendly manner. Trés faboo, non?





There’s 3 levels of ‘hold’ here:

Level 1, Smoothing Serum
“You want your hair to stay soft and silky, but dry air and static cling are seriously cramping your style.”

No problem! Just apply a small dollop of pure Vitamin E Oil to the center of your palm. Rub your hands together, and then run both palms over your hair, starting at the roots and moving down. A little goes a long way, and don’t use too much or it’ll end up looking oily. For split or dry ends, apply a bit more E directly to the tips.

Level 2, Light Hold
“You’re looking to keep that ponytail in place or set those bangs, despite the blustery wind waiting for you outside.”

For a little bit of action, Vitamin E isn’t enough. You’ll need to get your hands on some pure (99%) Aloe Vera Gelly. Apply it straight, just like you would with any store bought hair product. It’ll offer a gentle hold that won’t look gummy or gunked-up.

Level 3, Hard Helmet
“You like it spikey, pomped, or hawked. You require some serious hold in order to achieve your aesthetic of choice, perfect for the active lifestyle of an activist like you! If only it weren’t made from beeswax or gelatin . . .”

Never fear, my dears – Seaweed is here! The Bonzai Hair Hold is made from Aloe Vera Gel and Japanese Agar Agar. Derived from seaweed, agar is common in foods like jelly desserts, and is also the culture medium used in most bio labs (which is where I first encountered it). It is sold in thin sheets or flakes and is available at health food stores, ethnic markets, or online. Don’t be alarmed by the initial investment – a little goes a looooong way, and a bag will last you for years.





For a ‘normal hold’ hair gel, use the Agar Agar at the concentration listed on the package. For an even tougher product (perhaps to take on your liberty spikes?), you can mix up a batch at 150% or 200% concentration.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Agar Agar (concentration of choice)
1/4 cup Aloe Vera Gelly
10 (+/-) drops Essential Oil of choice (for aroma only)

Instructions:
Prepare 1/2 cup of Agar Agar as instructed on the package, usually by simmering and stirring. When all the agar flakes are dissolved, remove from heat and whisk in the Aloe Vera and Essential Oil. Transfer the solution to a container of your choice and refrigerate, at least 6 hours or overnight.





Once the agar is set, you’re good to go! Store the in bathroom as normal.








This stuff is awesome, I’ve been using it to set my mess for about a week, with absolutely no complaints. I love it, and I’m so glad to share it with you!

BONZAI!!!

Oi Oi! Hello out there! Once again it’s time to relax, kick back, and have a good time. And of course you know what the weekend means at Bonzai Aphrodite – it’s time for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.

So let’s have it! We’re well into cold-weather days her in the northern hemisphere, and that means I’m itchin’ to get into the kitchen. So, what are your favorite comfort foods? What recipes would you most want to see posted? What are YOU interested in?!

As usual, the Feedback Forum will remain here at the top of the page all weekend, so if you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, you can stop back by any time. This is your community, so get involved and have your say!

Also, I’ve added some more belly pics, for anyone who’s interested.

And finally, I created a Facebook page, so join! Join! join!

Okay, enough of all that. Have the most wonderful weekend!!!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, because it’s secular, it’s personal, and it’s all about family (and food!). But I know that for a lot of veg*ns, this is a very stressful time of year. It can be hard to hang with the omni relatives, nibbling on lettuce and cranberry sauce and feeling altogether left out. So this year, whether you’re bringing a dish to join in with the family, or creating a whole meal to share with your ‘family’ of friends, you can make sure it’s amazing with these ethical edibles.


Entrées

• If taking on a main course seems overwhelming, never fear – you have options! There’s the ever-prevalent Tofurkey, available at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and online. There’s also the amazing Celebration Roast from Field Roast, a soy-free ‘grain meat’ company. This one is a bit harder to find, but it’s often at Whole Foods, and online ordering is always an option.
• For the more adventurous, you can create your own, homemade Un-Turkey. Here’s an awesome seitan roast recipe, and here’s an amazing instructional video.
• I also love the idea of stuffed gourds for Thanksgiving! If you’re fond of traditional flavors, you’ll love this recipe, complete with video, from Compassionate Cooks. But, if you’re into something a bit more exotic, these Moroccan Couscous Stuffed Squashes sound amazing! (just replace the butter with margarine and the chicken broth with veggie stock).
• Finally, I’m super in love with the look of this Celebration Pot Pie With Pumpkin Biscuit Crust from Susan at the FatFree Vegan Kitchen.

Sides

• Stuffing! Mmm, I love stuffing. This Sausage Stuffing looks divine, as does this mouthwatering trio of options.
• Vegan mashed potatoes are really easy – just sub alt milk and Earthbalance™ for dairy milk and butter. But if you’d rather go a non-traditional route, why not trying these Crash Hot Potatoes or Bubble and Squeak Cakes from Vegan Yum Yum.
• And what are potatoes without gravy?! You can find a super simple gravy recipe over at VegWeb, and a slightly more complex mushroom gravy recipe from Isa over at the Post Punk Kitchen. Plus, here’s a gluten free gravy from Book Of Yum.
• Green beans are pretty integral, right? Here’s a few of my favorite dishes I’ve come across: This Green Bean Casserole from the FatFree Vegan Kitchen, and another Green Bean Casserole from Vegalicious.
• And finally, the candied yams (or other such sweet potato delicacy). Another one from Susan at the FatFree Vegan Kitchen, this Pecan Topped Sweet Potato Casserole looks great. And don’t forget, marshmallows aren’t vegan, but you can find incredible Dandies available online here.

Desserts

• The Vegetarian Times offers an easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe.
• Here’s another Pumpkin Pie Recipe, this one soy-free and gluten-free too, woo-hoo!

Whew! That should set you up pretty nicely. Happy Thanksgiving!

Continuing with our theme of seasonal eating, I offer another hot breakfast. This one is inspired by one of my favorite cuisines: Thai. Hearty with rice and sweet with coconut, it’s a real treat on a cold crisp morning. Not to mention the mango, which is just a delight these days (something about orange fruit is such a pick-me-up when it’s cold outside).

This is a great ‘leftovers’ dish, perfect for the morning after a curry feast. Last night’s brown rice, the tail end of the coconut milk, and bingo: you’re in business.





Ingredients:
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup ‘porridge-y’ cereal (cream of wheat, oat bran, etc)
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2 cups water
about 1/4 can (1/2 cup) coconut milk, or more to taste

1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

sliced mango (frozen is more appropriate this time of year)
maple syrup to taste
optional banana

Instructions:
Place the rice, cereal, flax meal, and water into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring, and reduce heat. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened up nicely. Add the coconut milk, vanilla, and spices. Continue to stir as it thickens again. Remove from heat.





Top with maple syrup and sliced mangoes. Add bananas if you’d like (I did!), or anything else you can imagine. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Itty Bitty Bonzai is a collection of tiny tips and tricks for living a life more mindful. Small actions, collectively and compounded, become a powerful force of change.

#15

Autumn is my favorite season for many reasons, not the least of which is the leaves. Yellowing, darkening into crimson tree-toppers, and then finally . . . falling.

If you’ve got these seasonal scallywags littering your lawn, please use a rake to tidy them up. Aside from being a terrible noise nuisance, those gas-powered leaf blowers spit out as many toxic emissions in an hour as a car would by driving for 350 miles! And all of it right into your airspace.

So once you’ve got your leaves all piled, what will you do with them? Burning them is a no-no, as it creates massive air pollution and poses the risk of igniting a wild fire. But throwing them in the trash will just contributes to a landfill. So what to do?

If you garden, you can use them! Leaves make a great mulch or winter cover. Just spread a thick layer over all your dormant beds. Or, go over them with a mulching mower to cut them up real tiny-like. Then sprinkle those clippings across the grass, as ‘lawn feed’.

Of course, you could always toss the leaves directly into your compost bin. Still not composting? Many cities will pick up yard waste along with trash and recycling, since they use it in parks and city projects (as well as resale). So give your local government a call to find out if there are programs available.

BONZAI!

Oi oi! Hello there! It’s weekend time!!! That means lazy mornings, friendly engagements, and of course, some comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.

So what do you think? Let me have it! I want to know what’s on your mind, what’s making you excited. What part of the site are you enjoying these days? What do you want to see more of? What are YOU most interested in?!

As usual, the Feedback Forum will remain here at the top of the page all weekend, so if you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, you can stop back by any time. This is your community, so get involved and have your say!

Let the good times begin! Happy weekend!!!

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you may recognize that photo up there from my month-long RAW trial back in March. I picked up that strange fruit, labeled as ‘Spiny Melon’ from New Zealand, when I was making some tropical fruit sushi. I just couldn’t resist the way it looked, and I figured it would be sweet inside, like other melons I love.

But cutting it open, this barbed little beast was nothing like what I expected. The inside was very seedy, with a watery flesh that was certainly not sugary. It reminded me of something but I just couldn’t place it, until Damian took one bite and said, “Oh, it’s a cucumber.” Yes! That’s exactly it! The spiny melon is an exotic, wild cucumber.

So just for fun, and because it was March and I was eager for planting season, I decided to take a gamble. I rinsed off a bunch of the seeds, and spread them out on a paper towel (this was back before I stopped using paper towels) to dry. A few weeks later I remembered about them, fashioned some newspaper seed pots, and plunked them into potting soil.

They actually sprouted! So I put them into the ground, right amongst my corn stalks, and they took off. They grew! And grew . . . and grew . . . and overtook the corn, and the butternuts I’d planted alongside, and anything else nearby. They were these creeping curly prickly vines that just covered everything!

But I never saw them flower – all I ever saw was leaves and vines and curly-q crawlers. So in early fall I finally gave up on them. It was winter prep-time anyways. I put on my gloves (the vines were so thorny!) and began pulling up the vines. I’d gotten maybe 3/4 of the way through the bed, when suddenly something caught my eye. This stalk I’d just cut . . . bore a teeny tiny yellow flower!

I dug a little deeper, and lo and behold, what did I find underneath? . . .





Spiny cucumber! I did it!!!

Excitedly, I dug into the remaining vines. To my delight and surprise, I uncovered an entire crop of those funny foreign fruits, imported from the land of the Tuatara and the Kiwi bird.








You can try this too, with anything you bring home from the grocery store! Some of them will be viable, some of them will be sterile. You’ll never know until you plant ‘em. But, you may just end up with your own peculiar little garden, too!

Check out the adorable wee baby spiny! BONZAI!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to Rhonda. Isn’t she just the purtiest, just the pinkest, just the baldest little birdy you ever did see?

Rhonda is my 2009 Thanksgiving Turkey, but unlike the nearly 45 million unlucky others, Rhonda will be alive and well the morning after T-day. Rhonda and her rescued companions will live out their days feeling the sun on their backs, enjoying the pleasure of a summer dust bath, and living a truly free-range existence.

But many other birds – literally hundreds of millions of birds – are not so lucky. If you want to learn more about the poultry industry in general and the turkey industry specifically, including ‘cage-free’ fallacies, here is a great place to start. Or if you’re just interested in becoming better acquainted with these affectionate animals, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau shares inspiring stories of her own experience working with rescued turkeys at Farm Sanctuary.

If you’d like to get involved and help, you can do like we did and sponsor a turkey too! A one-time donation of $25 goes to the turkey of your choice, and you’ll even receive an adoption certificate in the mail. What a wonderful way to celebrate a holiday centered on the principals of caring and sharing, no?

Compassion – now THAT is something to truly be thankful for!

“Save A Turkey – Eat Tofu”

Question: What does a vegan do with a wonderful set of egg cups?
Answer: Tomato display, of course!


Much to my surprise, my summer crops have lasted well into autumn, and continue to fill my kitchen even today. But things have certainly changed around the ol’ farm, as you can see below.





The grass is dying back and the ground is littered with plum tree leaves. The potato tires have been re-stacked and filled in, to serve as flower planters come spring. The left side bed has been cleared and mulched. The sunflowers are downed and the brush has been tidied. The right side bed hosts the small fall garden. All the clean-up and spring prep is complete, and MAN it feels good to head into winter with a clean slate.

Still, the harvest keeps trickling in! Why just today I plucked a bunch of tomatoes. In November! Granted, they’re not as flavorful as they were a few months back, but they’re homegrown and that alone is good enough for me.





This is what the tomato bed looks like these days, drying out and dying back – but still fighting:





I planted a bunch of pumpkins this year and they started off so strong. But then they just stalled, flowering and re-flowering and re-flowering again, but never producing any fruit. I’m still not quite sure what went wrong, but at least the flowers were pretty:





And then finally one little punkin’ popped out. Poor thing, it’ll never make it now. But look! It’s so cute!





I had all but forgotten about the peppers I started from seed, waaaaay back in early spring. But I was pulling up a beet the other day, and my hand grazed the small stunted bell pepper plant. I’d overlooked them because the green just blends right in with the foliage. But there were actual bells on there! Two baby bells in fact.





And these pretty peppers came in as well – I just picked them today. I’d scavenged the seedlings, half dead, out of the free pile at the nursery. Does anyone know what they are? They remind me of peperoncinis, so I’m thinking of pickling them!





And finally, the actual autumn crops. These have sort of been demolished by feisty chickens scratching for bugs, but I’m still holding out hope. At least you can get an idea of what they looked like a few weeks ago, of what the potential was. *sigh*

The lettuce (with beetlings in the background):





And the kale:





And that’s all I’ve got for now. Honestly, I never expected to be giving garden updates in November, and I’m just delighted its lasting this long.

So what about you dears? Are you still getting your green on?

Hello there, and happy weekend!!! It’s time to sit back and relax, and as always, it’s time for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.

So don’t hold back! Let me have it! I want to know what’s on your mind, what’s getting your goat, and what’s been tickling your noodle of late. What’s the next big change you’ll make in your life? What will you do to become the kind of person you want to be? And what are YOU most interested in?!

As usual, the Feedback Forum will remain here at the top of the page all weekend, so if you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, you can stop back by any time. This is your community, so get involved and have your say!

Now, please go forth and make the most magical weekend!!!