Archive for the ‘How Tos’ Category

• Ecover Offers Tasty Recipes For Cinco de Mayo Fun

  Date: 2012.05.04 | Category: How Tos | Response: 0

  

  It’s almost Cinco de Mayo, and Ecover knows you deserve a little celebration for all your hard work! And what fun to celebrate world’s traditions with food and drink! Cinco de Mayo is this coming Saturday, so it’s a perfect time for a hard-earned fiesta! So, gather some friends and try a few of these delicious Mexican-inspired recipes!

  The first order of business is of course the margarita, and an organic version is a must! Here’s all you need to make a tasty one:

  1.5 oz organic tequila
  ½ oz pure organic acai
  ¾ oz organic agave nectar
  ½ oz organic egg whites
  1 organic lime, squeezed

  Preparation: Pour all ingredients into metal shaker and shake until shaker is frosted. Strain into a chilled glass, rimmed with salt. Enjoy!

  And no Mexican celebration would be complete without some organic guacamole. Here’s a delicious version:

  3-4 ripe organic avocados
  2-3 T organic light sour cream
  3-4 T organic salsa
  1 organic lime, squeezed
  Sea salt and black pepper to taste

  Preparation: Cut avocados in half and smash in bowl with a potato masher until smooth, add sour cream and salsa and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Taste for salt and pepper. Squeeze lime into dip and stir again. Serve with chips or vegetables.

  Another tasty appetizer is goat cheese quesadillas, which we included in a blog entry last summer. These zesty treats are all sure to please your guests!

  Armed with these easy and delectable recipes we know you’ll have a safe, delicious and sustainably savvy Cinco de Mayo!

  Image via public-domain-image.com

   

• Ecover Loves Carrots!

  Date: 2012.03.30 | Category: How Tos | Response: 0

  

  Carrots! Whether raw, roasted or sliced into a stir-fry – carrots are tasty, healthy and versatile! They’re great in a lunch bag and just as much at home on an elegant dinner plate. Moreover, they contain Vitamins A, E, C, K, and B6 along with potassium, niacin, and folate; these vitamins and minerals all help regulate blood sugar and improve the appearance of skin, hair, and nails. Carrots even promote colon health with their fiber count, and have a negligible amount of fat, and no cholesterol. Wow! So, today Ecover offers two recipes for making this already fabulous veggie even better!

  Enjoy!

  Glazed Carrots

  Ingredients

  1 pound carrots, approximately 7 medium, peeled and cut on the bias 1/4-inch thick
  1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  Heavy pinch kosher salt
  1 cup good-quality ginger ale
  1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

  Directions

  In a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat, combine the carrots, butter, salt and ginger ale. Cover and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, remove the lid, stir, and reduce the heat to low. Cover again and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add the chili powder and increase the heat to high. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the ginger ale is reduced to a glaze, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.

  Carrot & Parsnip Puree

  Ingredients

  4 lbs organic carrots, or from a local farm
  2 lbs organic parsnips, or from a local farm
  8 shallots, organic or locally raised
  1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  1 tablespoon local honey
  1/2 pint organic heavy cream
  1/2 glass (4 oz) water
  1 stick plus 2 Tbs sustainble butter
  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  1 teaspoon salt
  wax paper

  Directions

  Peel and cut up carrots, parsnips, shallots. In 8 quart pot, melt one stick organic butter. Sautee shallots in butter and add carrots, parsnips, 1/2 glass water.
  Cover pot with buttered wax paper, butter-side down, with an x slit in paper to allow steam to escape. Cook vegetables for 20 to 30 minutes on low flame until soft and mushy. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.
  Add all ingredients in blender or food processor and puree. (If you use a blender, do it in batches.)

  Image by Leeks ‘N’ Bounds via Flickr.com

   

• Tell Ecover How Does Your Garden Grow?

  Date: 2012.03.23 | Category: How Tos | Response: 0

  

  For those of us who like to work with our hands—and to enjoy the fruit of our labor—growing vegetables is a satisfying and worthwhile endeavor. It’s so satisfying to grow your own fresh veggies for your family’s dinner table.  With that in mind, Ecover would love to hear about your vegetable garden!

  

  Growing vegetables at home is one of the best ways to eat locally and to maintain control over the produce you consume. Whether you choose to grow your veggies organically or not, planting and growing food has so many benefits. It’s inexpensive, it reduces your carbon footprint, and it teaches children where fruits and vegetables really come from. It may even encourage them to eat more!

  

  Moreover, vegetables can be grown on any size plot and even in containers. So, whether you have acres upon acres or a rooftop patio, there’s room for a vegetable garden! And if you’re a beginner, don’t fret; books, websites and neighbors are full of helpful information. Bottom line: all it takes is some soil, a few seeds, water and sunshine!

  So, tell us, what’s growing in your garden? Stop by our Facebook page and share a few photos or give us an update. We’d love to hear how your growing is going!

  Image 1. by Amy C. Evans, Southern Foodways Alliance oral historian via Flickr.com
  Image 2. by canarsiebk via Flickr.com
  Image 3.  by sscornelius via Flickr.com

   

• Save Paper With An Ecover-Style Paperrazzia

  Date: 2012.03.09 | Category: How Tos | Response: 0

  

  Reducing the family paper trail is a constant challenge. It’s like that here at Ecover – we’re always looking for ways to use less paper – a major source of waste in homes and offices alike. In 2011 we encouraged our staff at Ecover to engage in a series of “paperrazzia” workshops. Paperrazzia is a sort of a paper confab to pinpoint wasteful printinghabits. By working together to change habits to reduce waste, we saw a 30 percent reduction in Ecover’s use of paper!

  We’re continuing paperrazzia in 2012 with some additional paper saving inventiveness. With each department coming up with ideas to forego paper use, we can commit to new policies and procedures (like E-invoicing, automated administration procedures, and even new initiatives in the warehouse)! The same principles can be applied at home you know…why not try a family “pizza paperrazzia? Gather for dinner and challenge family members to make paper-saving suggestions! Of course, every family’s habits and needs are different, but here are some ideas to get you started:

  1. Opt for Hemp – Paper products made with hemp are a good alternative because hemp needs no pesticides, grows quickly and preserves the soil it’s in better than most commercially grown plants.
  2. Pitch the Paper Towels – while paper towels are handy for wiping up quick spills, consider how many jobs could be tackled just as easily with a rag or dish cloth. Or even reuse paper towels!
  3. Recycle Christmas Cards and Paper Bags into Crafts – especially great with small children!
  4. Manage Catalogs and Junk Mail – This website helps you get your name off mailing lists.

  One incentive for making the ideas stick is the money your family will save, along with all those trees! So go ahead – join us on the paperrazzia bandwagon!

   

• Ecover Shares A Taco Recipe The Whole Family Will Enjoy!

  Date: 2012.03.02 | Category: How Tos | Response: 0

  
  

  Mexican food is one of those perpetual family pleasers – everyone seems to pop up when they smell the seasonings and see the crisp fresh colors. Ecover knows that the fresh and flavorful delights of spicy salsas, hot jalapenos and cool refreshing guacamole make for a great meal, so here is a vegetarian recipe for the all-time favorite dish, tacos which blends the tangy Mexican culinary influence with a veggie lover’s colorful cuisine. These Avocado Tacos will be sure to please the whole family!

  Avocado Tacos

  Ingredients

  • 3 avocados – peeled, pitted, and mashed
  • 1/4 cup onions, diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
  • jalapeno pepper sauce, to taste

  Directions

  1.      Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  2.      In a medium bowl, mix avocados, onions, and garlic salt.
  3.      Arrange corn tortillas in a single layer on a large baking sheet, and place in the preheated oven 2 to 5 minutes, until heated through.
  4.      Spread tortillas with the avocado mixture. Garnish with cilantro and sprinkle with jalapeno pepper sauce.

  Image by hurryjodie, via allrecipes.com

• Ecover Promotes A Sustainable Love of Chocolate!

  Date: 2012.02.24 | Category: How Tos | Response: 0

  
  

  We admit it … we love our chocolate here at Ecover! It’s sooo delicious, it can be good for you when eaten in moderation, and it has even been shown to make people happy! What’s not to love?! Chocolate has been around for thousands of years – perhaps even four millennia, says Smithsonian Magazine. Well, whenever chocolate was discovered, today we salute it with what may be the greatest chocolate chip cookie recipe ever …and don’t worry, if you accidently end up with a chocolaty smudge on your shirt, you know Ecover’s here to get rid of any stains!

  Enjoy!

  Fantastic Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Ingredients: 

  2 cups + 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  3/4 teaspoon salt
  3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature*
  1 Tablespoon milk
  1 cup packed light brown sugar
  1/2 cup white sugar
  1 large egg
  1 large egg yolk
  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips**

  *melt the butter if you prefer chewier textured cookies

  **increase to 2 cups (12 ounces) if you like a lot of chips in each cookie (this will also increase the overall sweetness of the cookies)

  Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda, set aside.
  3. Using a mixer; cream together the butter, milk, brown sugar, and white sugar until thoroughly blended.
  4. Add in the egg, the egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until well blended and smooth (about 1 minute).
  5. Slowly blend in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat.
  6. Add the chocolate chips, and mix until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter (about 30 seconds).
  7. Drop by rounded 2 Tablespoons (use a cookie scoop or combine 2 Tablespoons of dough into a rounded drop) onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Repeat until all dough is used.
  8. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven. The cookies should have golden brown edges and soft centers.
  9. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

  Image and Recipe via Moms Who Think.com

   

• Ecover Suggests Cooking With The Grandkids!

  Date: 2012.02.15 | Category: How Tos | Response: 0

  

  Today’s grandparents are more active and involved in childrearing than ever! Ecover knows that seniors are often looking for something fun to do with their grandchildren, and cooking is a perfect activity. Spending time in the kitchen with the little ones is a fabulous way to create memories and to create some tasty food along the way!

  A new initiative, Kids Cook Monday, encourages parents and grandparents to cook with their children on Monday nights. Allowing youngsters to cook has many benefits: it encourages them to talk and think about nutrition; it expands their palate; and by taking active part, it gives them confidence. It even fosters learning in science, math, fine motor skills and reading! Plus, “cooking with children when they are young offers an opportunity to communicate with them on a regular basis.”

  

  Here are four great recipes to get you started. We think the whole family will enjoy these simple and healthy treats, such as Pineapple Carrot Muffins. Packed with produce, these are a super breakfast food and a delicious (but good-for-you) snack!

  Have fun cooking with the grandkids … and don’t forget to have them help clean up the counters afterwards!

  Image 1 via Grandparents.com 
  Image 2 by marufish, via Flickr.com

• Ecover Wants To Share A Little Eco-Love!

  Date: 2012.02.13 | Category: How Tos | Response: 0

  

  Love is in the air with Valentine’s Day tomorrow. Ecover believes (as they sing in the Broadway musical Carnival) that love makes the world go ‘round … and while it would be pretty great if people took the time every day to tell others how important they are, there’s certainly nothing wrong with that extra-special effort on Valentine’s Day!

  Because Valentine’s Day usually involves sweet and some wonderful gifts, we thought we’d share some suggestions for some sweet and sustainable options (for today or any day). Since chocolate is perhaps the number one choice for February 14^th (with over one billion dollars being spent on chocolate in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day!) we suggest you try fair trade or organic chocolate versions. And what about a bottle of organic wine for a great option…and if your loved one prefers a non-alcoholic or non-caloric token of affection, consider a massage or other holistic treatment. And even a donation to an environmental organization is a symbol of love that will have meaningful and lasting effects!

  If you’re a parent of a young child, you may be asked to provide cards or treats for your son’s or daughter’s class. One way to keep it green is to make cookie Valentines. Everyone loves cookies, they travel well to school (as opposed to, say, cupcakes) and they involve very little paper waste. A win all around!  Or make your own Valentines using recycled materials; cut out words from cards you received over the holidays or even use some old flashcards or playing cards—get creative!

  Ecover hopes you have a love-filled Valentine’s Day and are able to share your affection with friends, family or that special someone. And, if you keep it sustainable this year, you’ll feel pretty good about yourself too!

  Photo by Amydeanne via Flickr.com

   

• Ecover Finds That Beets Are Beautiful With Red Velvet Soup

  Date: 2012.02.03 | Category: How Tos | Response: 0

  

  When it comes to beets, many of us just don’t know how versatile and delicious they can be! The often under-appreciated beet packs a major nutritional punch: they’re rich in fiber, folate, iron, magnesium and a slew of vitamins. The foodies at Ecover suggest a recipe that will impress you with a creamy texture and stunning color – Kay Bushnell’s Red Velvet Soup. It makes for an irresistible combination and a great way to sneak more veggies into your diet. Seriously, this isn’t your grandfather’s borscht! So go ahead and try ‘em – you just might like ‘em!

  Ingredients:

  1 pound red beet (about 3 2-1/2″ beets)
  3 medium russet potatoes or 2 large potatoes
  2 cups beet cooking liquid
  1 cup soymilk OR rice beverage
  1 tablespoons cider vinegar
  1 tablespoon brown rice syrup OR sugar
  3 tablespoons lemon juice (or to taste)
  2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
  1/2 teaspoon pepper

  Directions:

  Scrub the beets and cut off most of the stalks, leaving 1 inch of stalks attached. Do not remove beet skins or thin root tails. Scrub the potatoes and place beets and potatoes in a large cooking pot. Cover the potatoes and beets with water, and boil them until they are tender, about 40 minutes. With a slotted spoon remove beets and potatoes from the pot, and set the red cooking water aside. Cool and peel the potatoes and beets, removing the thin beet root tails. Reserve 3/4 of one beet and slice it into julienne strips (matchstick-size strips). Place the remaining beets and all the potatoes in a blender or food processor along with about 2 cups of red cooking water. Blend until very smooth.

  Return the blended beets and potatoes to the cooking pot. Add the soymilk or rice beverage, vinegar, rice syrup or sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and julienned beets. Taste and adjust lemon juice and salt. Add more red cooking water if a thinner soup is desired. Heat gently and serve. Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of thinly sliced chives or green onion.

  Yield: Makes 6-7 cups of soup.

  Recipe by Kay Bushnell © Copyright via Sierra Club.org
  Image by FotoDawg via Flickr.com

• Ecover Reminds Us That A Clean House Is A Safer House For Children With Allergies

  Date: 2012.01.27 | Category: How Tos | Response: 0

  

  At Ecover we know that allergies of all kinds are difficult and even dangerous to live with. Dealing with allergies can be particularly daunting for parents of young children who are faced on a daily basis with an allergen-filled world. The good news is that one of the best ways to keep children safe from allergens is to keep a clean home.

  Whether you’re trying to keep a bedroom free of dust mites or avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen, cleaning regularly and thoroughly can make a huge difference. For example, dusting and vacuuming routinely will help eliminate dust mites. In addition, using special covers for pillows and mattresses—and washing them frequently —helps keep dust mites at bay.

  When it comes to food allergies, families cannot be too careful. While some parents keep potentially dangerous foods out of the home completely, others follow strict protocols to make sure that an allergic child is not exposed to the offending food. Keeping a clean kitchen is a must. In addition to keeping foods with the allergen in a specific (and out-of-reach) place, precautions such as washing dishes thoroughly and cleaning counters often are just two ways to help ensure that work surfaces and serving items are safe for children with allergies.

  Of course, using ecological products like Ecover is a good choice too, our products have mild or unscented varieties. In fact, many of our laundry products have been dermatologically tested to be safe for sensitive skin. A clean house is a safer house for kids with allergies … and Ecover is happy to be here to help make that happen!

  

  Image by needoptic via Flickr.com