Chickpea Salad

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Do you remember a time when women would make food for everything?  Funerals, showers, hospitalizations, births: You name it, there was always good food.  I started thinking about all of this when I was going through my greatgrandmothers' recipes.  There were so many for salads.  I remember them being one of my favorite parts of the meal besides dessert.  My mom even used to make this pistachio fluff for Thanksgiving that I looked forward to every year.  Where have those days gone?

Naturally, salads have been on my mind.  So last weekend when I had a family reunion to attend with a pot luck dinner it was the perfect opportunity to make a few salads.  The chickpea salad I made was a highlight and I can see it being a regular at the dinner table all summer long.  It's cold, refreshing, and filling.   

Chickpea Salad

15 oz drained chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 medium cucumber diced
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 medium tomato, diced

Note: The vegetables can change with what you have available from the farmers market or your garden.

Vinaigrette
1 tsp dijon mustard
3 TBS apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (any vinegar will work)
3 TBS olive oil
salt and fresh cracked pepper
fresh parsley or other herbs (optional)


Directions
Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together until the mixture turns from transparent to cloudy. If you have fresh herbs, toss everything in the food processor to blend well.
Add the diced cucumber, tomatoes, beans, and corn to the vinaigrette and mix.  Refrigerate.  It can be consumed immediately, but it's better when the vinaigrette has a chance to marinate. 

Never Give Up

After a very sleepless night, I needed to see this today.  It's very inspirational.  Take a minute to watch it.

May Day

May 1st was a holiday I celebrated as a kid growing up in Nebraska.  My mom kept the tradition after celebrating May Day every year in her one room country schoolhouse.  My favorite part of the day was passing out the baskets I had made to my unsuspecting friends.  Some years they were just dixie cups filled with goodies, and other years the baskets were a little more creative.  It didn't matter as long as it brought a smile.  Here is a little history on the day.  


History of May Day 

May Day has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries. May Day is most associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility and revelry with community gatherings. Seeding was usually completed by this date and it was convenient to give farm laborers a day off.

May baskets were typically made as part of the festivities. These are small baskets filled with flowers or treats that are left on someone's doorstep. The giver would ring the bell and run away. The person receiving the basket would try to catch the fleeing giver. If they caught the person, a kiss was to be exchanged.

When I got into high school I no longer celebrated the tradition. This year I decided to bring it back and make a few baskets for the little people in my neighborhood. I used what I had on hand to make them and filled them with goodies and other little trinkets.

I used scrap fabric, fruit baskets, an old t-shirt, a plastic food container that I glued tissue paper on to, and paper scraps.  The handles were leftover ribbon from various projects.  The only thing I purchased were the contents of the baskets.   

I drove around our neighborhood on my bike and left the baskets on the doorstep.  I didn't get caught, so no kisses for me, but I got lots of hugs later on.  I think I'll keep this tradition alive.  It brought me joy just to make them.   

May 4(for) Green Acres Challenge

These monthly challenges are your opportunity to cultivate your own acres. They are designed to challenge your creativity, test your will power, and pull your awareness to the footstep you are leaving behind.

By participating in these challenges and sharing them with others you are spreading the message. Over time, those around us will be making better choices as well. The goal is not to change how you live your life, but rather think about the implications of those choices and tweek them for the best outcome.

MAY CHALLENGE: BAN JUNK MAIL

I have noticed an increase of junk mail in my mailbox in the last several years.  Like solicitation calls, junk mail is a hassle to deal with and unnecessary.  An average person can receive 41 pounds of junk mail a year.  An average letter weighs about 1 ounce.  There are 16 ounces in a pound, so you would have to receive 656 letters to equal 41 pounds of junk mail.  That is a lot of junk.  For those that don't recycle it ends up in the landfill. 

This month's challenge is to put your name on the do not mail list.  Unfortunately it is going to take a lot of work.  There is not one magic place that will get you off every list, but you have the entire month to work on it. 

Below is a list of places to start.  Don't forget about catalogs.  I get a lot of catalogs from places I never shop from.  I'm going to be calling the customer service departments of those companies and have my name removed from their list. 

Click on the links below to manage your mailing preferences

National Do Not Mail List

Catalog Choice

Stop Valpak Coupon Packs

Red Plum Coupon Packs

Opt Out List for Credit Cards and Insurance Offers

Mange Your Mail Offers

If we all minimize our junk mail think of how many unnecessary pounds of paper we can prevent from ending up in the landfill.  There is no reason to cut a tree for a credit card application I will never use.  

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Excited about the challenge and want to spread the message? Grab a 4(for) green acres project badge for your blog by using this code to let others know you're growing your own greener acres. I've added the badge to the sidebar as well.

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