Meatless Monday: Avocado Mac and Cheese

Happy Monday! Start off the week with a healthy choice for you and environment with this recipe!

Meat intake doesn’t just affect out bodies; there are environmental consequences. According to Youth and Environment Europe, tropical forests are cleared in order to expand acreage for livestock use. “The burning of the forests contributes 20% of all greenhouse gases, which is more than from transportation. Roughly 1,000 species a year become extinct because of the destruction of the rainforests.

Avocado Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

10 ounces dry elbow macaroni
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh avocado chunks, for garnish, if desired

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and add in macaroni. Stir and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. While the pasta is cooking, make the avocado sauce by placing the garlic, avocados, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

3. To make the cheese sauce, place butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to create a paste. Whisk in milk until smooth. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in Pepper Jack cheese and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.

4. Place macaroni in a large bowl. Pour the avocado sauce over the macaroni and stir until well coated. Add the cheese sauce and stir until macaroni is coated and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh avocado chunks, if desired.

Note-the lime juice keeps the avocado from browning. The mac and cheese is best eaten the first day, but it is still good the second day. The pasta may turn slightly brown, but not bad. If you want a milder flavor, you can use Monterey Jack or White Cheddar Cheese.

Recipe originally posted on two peas and their pod

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out! 

Meatless Mondays: Jeweled Brown Rice with Orange Zest and Mint

It’s time to begin the week with our Meatless Monday recipe and statistic!

It takes about 12,000 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat while it only takes 565 gallons of water to produce a pound of potatoes, wheat, corn, and rice. Why not try reducing your water consumption by consuming this delicious recipe?

Jeweled Brown Rice with Orange Zest and Mint

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown basmati rice, rinsed (if you can, soak the rice for up to 8 hours)
• Pinch saffron
• 2 small yellow onions or shallots
• 2 medium carrots
• Zest of 1 organic orange
• Ghee or coconut oil
• ½ Tbsp. cumin seeds
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ cup mixed dried fruit (dates, apricots, raisins)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• ½ cup packed mint leaves
• ½ cup packed chives
• 1 small pomegranate
• ½ cup nuts (almonds, pistachios)
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

 Preparation:

1. In a small glass of hot water (3-4 Tbsp.), add a pinch of saffron and let steep into a “tea” while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Dice onion. Grate carrots. Slice off the outer edge of the orange rind, removing as little white pith as possible. Then slice into matchstick-sized strips. Set aside.
3. Heat a knob of ghee or coconut oil in a pot. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant, 1 minute, then add turmeric, bay leaves, and the cinnamon stick, stir to coat with oil and fry for another minute until fragrant. Next add onion, carrots, orange rind, and dried fruit. Cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
4. Drain rice and add it to the pot with 4 cups of water, the saffron “tea,” and salt. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 45 minutes, or until the water has evaporated.
5. While the rice is cooking, wash and chop the herbs. Remove the seeds from the pomegranate. Gently roast the nuts in a dry skillet until fragrant and golden.
6. When the rice is finished cooking, remove form heat. Scoop rice out onto a baking sheet to cool slightly and to prevent the grains from sticking together. After a few minutes, sprinkle with herbs, nuts, and pomegranate seeds. Fold to incorporate. Season to taste (you will likely need to add more salt at this stage).
7. Serve rice with a drizzle of good olive oil and lemon wedge. Although the lemon may seem like an afterthought, it is an essential element of the dish, rounding out the flavours and adding a zesty kick. Enjoy!

Recipe originally posted on Whole Living Daily.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story

There are so many leaders that truly embody living peace with the passion they bring to their causes. We see this passion in the way they speak and seek to inform audiences about how to make the world a better, more peaceful place. They take action, educate, and inspire. In an effort to spread inspiration from compelling people all around the world, we will be sharing videos to show how living peace can take different forms.

Take the time to ponder how this video’s message can help to reach a peaceful state in your life, your community, and the world.

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”

-Chimamanda Adichie

Chimamanda Adichie, author of The Thing around Your Neck (2009), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), and Purple Hibiscus (2003), speaks to her experience with stereotypes and cultural misunderstandings in her powerful TED talk. Chimamanda lives in Nigeria, her birthplace, and the United States, teaching writing workshops to help fight the phenomenon of the “single story.”

For more information on her work visit her website.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Boxed Water is Better for You and Me!

30 billion plastic water bottles are thrown away every year. Plastic can take up to a thousand years to disintegrate and make up a big deposit of plastic toxic waste in the Pacific Ocean.

What can you do to help?

Boxed Water is Better is committed to providing an environmentally friendly alternative to bottled water. Founder Benjamin Gott believes that it’s sustainability, efficiency and goal to give back sets the product apart from the rest.

Here are some facts about Boxed Water is Better’s manufacturing and environmental consciousness.

1. About 76% of the box is from a renewable 
resource, trees.
2. Trees used to make the box come from certified, well managed forests. These forests remain healthy and stable through ongoing replanting.
3. Their boxes are recyclable. The Carton Council is continuously adding new carton recycling facilities throughout the US.
4. Boxes are shipped flat to a filler which is significantly more efficient compared to shipping empty plastic or glass bottles to
be filled.
5. 10% of Boxed Water is Better’s profit is donated to world water relief foundations.
6. Another 10% of Boxed Water is Better’s profit is donated to reforestation foundations.

To find a retailer that carries Boxed Water is Better near you, visit their website.

To support more water relief efforts and forest conservation efforts, check out Water.org and Conservation International.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Meatless Monday: Carmelized Onion and White Bean Flat Bread

Happy Monday!

Did you know that the EPA estimates that nearly 95 percent of the pesticide residue comes primarily from meat, fish and some dairy products? Meat can also be laced with hormones and steroids, which cannot be good for anyone. By lessening our meat intake just one day a week, we can reduce the amount of toxic chemicals we take in from eating meat and lead a healthier life.

Here is another meat-free dish that will be sure to satisfy!

Carmelized Onion and White Bean Flat Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 20 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, thawed if frozen
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
• 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup finely shredded smoked Gouda, or Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons pepitas, optional

Directions:

1. Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large noninsulated baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine oil, onion and salt in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, 5 to 8 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir oregano and pepper into the onion. Transfer half the onion to a small bowl. Add beans to the remaining onion; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the bean mixture to a food processor, add water and vinegar and pulse until a coarse paste forms.
5. Spread the bean paste over the pizza crust. Top with the reserved onion, tomatoes, cheese and pepitas, if using. Bake on the bottom rack until the crust is crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 11 to 13 minutes. Slice and serve.

Recipe originally posted on Eating Well.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Algalita Marine Research Institute Makes Good Happen!

Here at the Center for Living Peace, we are always on the lookout for people and organizations trying to embody peace in their communities. One of our partners, The Algalita Marine Research Institute, has been doing just that and we wanted to share some of their efforts with you.

The Algalita Research Institute is a non-profit research and education organization that aims to protect the marine environment. Members of this organization conduct research on plastic found in oceans, and how this type of pollution affects the world and human health.

Take a look at their video below to learn more about their research and what they are doing to help preserve our precious marine life.

Find out more about Algalita here.

What can you do to reduce your plastic footprint? Share your thoughts with us- we are always looking for new ideas and perspectives on sustainability!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Center for Living Peace Turned 2!!!

Can you believe it’s been two years since we first opened our doors? We can’t! What an amazing two years it has been– here are some highlights from over the years…

Taiko drums at our grand opening in May of 2010!

Our peace tree from the grand opening… So strange seeing it so bare!

Chuck Jones Center for Creativity hold a workshop at our grand opening in 2010

Have you seen chalk mandala mural by artist Melanie Stimmell? It’s hard to believe it’s been 2 years since she created it for us.

Read for the Record in 2010

Buzz Lightyear visited us on Halloween in 2010!

Artful Eating with OCMA

Artful Eating with OCMA!

Team Kids Youth Council Servathon!

Good Happens Veggie Grill vegan carrot cake from our 1st birthday celebration!

Rocking out at New Earth Drumming to celebrate our 1st birthday!

Storytime with Cynthia Callard!

Human peace sign at 2011 International Day Peace!

Insights from Africa with Eugene Cooke!

Homemade Cleaning Products with The Ecology Center!

C-Jam with Anibue from UCI!

Peace in Motion Café movie nights!

Here are some highlights from our 2nd Birthday! So hard to believe that it’s been 2 years since we first opened our doors!

New Earth Drumming!

Sneaky Sea Snacks with Algalita!

Can you believe the things found in birds tummies? Thanks for sharing this with us, Algalita!

Abstract drawing with OCMA!

Smiling Monkey Yoga!

Smiling Monkey Yoga!

Kids made cards for a Card Quilt for people in need

Card Quilts!

Fun with the Chuck Jones Center

A visit from Teddy the tortoise, courtesy of Inside the Outdoors!

Buckwheat the Bunny, courtesy of Inside the Outdoors!

Seedlings with The Ecology Center!

Kids’ Qigong with Ryan Lee!

Fun in Kids’ Qigong!

Miniotics Dance Crew!

Kelly kickin’ it with Miniotics Dance Crew

Enjoying a birthday cupcake!

Look at our Peace Tree now!!! 2 years of wishes for peace!

A special thanks to our photographers, Ashley Strong & Megan Hartley. Thanks for celebrating with us! It’s been a wonderful 2 years!  Can’t wait to see what the future brings!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

Living Peace Series Speaking Event with Queen Noor

What a whirlwind couple of weeks it’s been here at Center for Living Peace! We were so lucky to have Her Majesty come and spend time with us– we had so much fun! The weeks just flew by. We hope you’ve enjoyed seeing photos from the VIP fundraiser and the Living Peace Projects service day. We wanted to share some photos with you from the speaking event on May 2nd, 2012.

Here is a behind-the-scenes photo from the green room at UCI! UCI’s Chancellor Michael Drake, Her Majesty Queen Noor, CLP’s Kelly Thornton Smith and UCI’s 2011-2012 XIV Dalai Lama Scholar Armaan Ahmed Rowther gathered together before the speaking event for a few quick photos.

Isn’t the Queen stunning?! And check out her bracelet! It’s from our very own Live Peace store!

The speaking event was moderated by Armaan Ahmed Rowther. He is the current Dalai Lama scholar at UCI.The Queen spoke about how she feels education is fundamental to the process of interfaith, and how she believes reaching out to one another is an incredibly grand gesture of peace, that is sometimes over looked. She explained that instead of branding people of other faiths with the idea of “other,” we need to make them a part of us. So inspiring!

Before leaving the stage, Her Majesty gave Kelly a hug…

Such a great image. What an amazing event it was! If you missed the speaking event, you can watch it in it’s entirety here. An edited, and better quality version of the video will also be on our site in the next few days!

 

A giant, special shout out to our lovely photographers: Alex Abercrombie, Ashely Strong Photography and Jason Niedle. We also wanted to thank UCI, all the students, staff and faculty that came out to the speaking event, helped set eveerything up to make the event possible, Apples & Oranges for filming the speaking event and Orange County Films for streaming the event for us! We are so grateful to have such an amazing team of individuals helping us make peace real!

 

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

Living Peace Projects: Leap of Faith Day of Service

On Saturday, April 28th, Center for Living Peace hosted its fifth Living Peace Projects day! This time, we partnered with Leap of Faith at UCI, a student-led movement promoting interfaith engagement and community service based on a project from the 2011-2012 UCI Dalai Lama Scholar, Armaan Ahmed Rowther.

The day started off with CLP’s very own, Lauren Quijano, who was the Day of Service student chair welcoming the crowd.

Then UCI’s Vice Chancellor, Thomas Parham thanking the students for their commitment and passion to serve those in need.

Then Armaan said a quick hello and introduced the Queen!

Her Majesty took questions from the audience…

Then the students split up and took buses to Share Our Selves:

And the Islamic Center of Irvine for Uplift Charity…

Some students stayed at CLP to make sandwiches to be donated to the homeless through Vineyard Church in Anaheim.

As well as OC Catholic Worker, Isaiah House (no photography was allowed at this site due to the privacy of the individuals who live there).

All in all– it was a fantastic day!

You can also watch a video from the Living Peace Projects with Leap of Faith at UCI! Thank you to all who participated and made this event a huge success!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

2012 Human Security Award: Jessica Jackley

The Center for Unconventional Security Affairs will honor social entrepreneur Jessica Jackley with the 2012 Human Security Award on Thursday, May 10 at the Arnold and Mable Beckman Center in Irvine at 7 p.m.

Jessica is focused on empowering other entrepreneurs  by creating new ways and resources for them to succeed. She is the Founder and CEO of ProFounder, a Venture Founder with Collaborative Fund and the co-founder of Kiva.

Learn more about Jackley’s innovative and inspiring work by attending this great event! More details and information on how to RSVP can be found here.

We hope to see you there!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!