When Junk Mail Attacks, You Fight Back

How big is your junk mail pile?
I am so glad that the Piedmont Environmental Alliance’s Green Guide addressed how to get rid of unwanted snail mail.  No matter how hard my husband and I try to keep the kitchen table clear, mail seems to sneak in from every corner of the house.  Saying that “I dislike mail” is an understatement. 
I know there is something to be said about a nice handwritten letter from a loved one, but I would gladly sacrifice that small benefit if I could just get rid of all the mail that comes to my house.  I do not send birthday, holiday or other cards anymore (my family is not convinced that this is because of my environmental convictions); I also hate buying stamps.  What is odd about my dislike of all things postal is that my mother worked for the post office for 30+ before retiring a year and a half ago.  It is nothing personal, I promise. I think it stems from the fact that I can’t seem to get a handle on organizing all that paper. I have cloth bags full of old mail, from old residences; I do not need to keep this mail, but there it is in the home office. 

I’m happy to say that I have been paying my bills online for years and have gone to paperless billing for every company that has the option.  The one thing I still hadn’t tackled was to opt-out of junk mail.  So I followed the link on the Green Guide for March and found myself at the DMAchoice.org website.  I was able to accomplish getting my name off the lists for magazines, catalogues, and other mail offers.  I did not, however, opt out of the credit offers, but not because I actually want them.  I was a little too apprehensive about submitting a bunch of personal information  (including my SS#) in order to stop my other information from being sold/shared. This seemed counter intuitive, especially since I would then still have to fill out a paper form and send it in the MAIL.  Has anyone else done this?  Did you feel odd submitting this type of information?  I might need a pep talk to take this last step.

I hope this improves the mail situation at house and if not at least those big blue rollout recycling bins go into action early next month!

Just another meatless Monday
I love this recipe.  The hubby is not as big of a fan, but he is a good guy and eats anything that I make.  This is a favorite; because even though I usually do not have everything on hand it turns out great everytime.  Feel free to substitute with things you think might work.  I use canned pineapple and frozen edamame instead of peas.  I serve this with grilled tofu “steaks” for a filling meal.  Let me know if you give it a try.

Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Stir-fry (from Veganomicon)

Ingredients:
For the Quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed and drained
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce (you can substitute gluten free tamari sauce)

For the Stir-fry:
4 ounces cashews, raw and unsalted
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 scallions, sliced thinly
1 hot red chile, sliced into very thin rounds
1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, rolled and sliced in thin shreds
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
10 ounces fresh pineapple, cut into bite sized chunks
3 tablespoons soy sauce (sub GF Tamari sauce)
3 tablespoons vegetable stock
1 tablespoon mirin
Lime wedges for garnish

Instructions:
For the quinoa: Combine the quinoa, juice, water and soy sauce in a medium sized pot. Cover, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Stir a few times, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 12 – 14 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa appears plumped and slightly translucent. Uncover, fluff and let cool.

For the stir-fry: Use a large frypan or wok. Have all your ingredients pre-chopped and in reach. Place the cashews in the dry pan and heat over low heat, stirring them, until lightly toasted (4 to 5 minutes).

Remove the cashews from the pan, raise the heat to medium and add the peanut oil, scallions and garlic, when the garlic starts to sizzle, add the sliced chili and ginger.  Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add the bell pepper and peas. Stir-fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the bell pepper is softened and the peas are bright green. Add the basil and mint, and stir for another minute before adding the pineapple and quinoa. Combine the soy sauce, vegetable stock and miri. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Stir until the mixture is coated. Continue to stir-fry for 10 minutes (it helps to use two spoons/spatulas to scoop the quinoa around). Serve with lime wedges.