This gluten-free, vegan dish is a snap to prepare and packed with healthy protein and veggies. You’ll find many of the ingredients in our weekly sale from April 25th – May 1st and in 30 minutes or less, you’ll find yourself diving into a satisfying plant-based meal!
We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Amy’s Kitchen this week to shed some light on a family-owned company that was organic before organic was cool. Member-owners can enjoy 20% off the full line of Amy’s Kitchen products from April 5th – 11th! Read on to learn more about this pioneering company that set out over 30 years ago to offer convenient, time-saving foods that didn’t sacrifice health or quality:
Amy’s didn’t set out to become the nation’s leading frozen food brand; they simply hoped to create a successful business that would provide convenient and tasty vegetarian meals for people who appreciated good food but were often too busy to cook healthy, organic meals from scratch.
Andy & Rachel Berliner launched the business 1987, the year their daughter Amy was born, using their own house and barn as headquarters. The founding meetings were held in the same room where the couple married and where Amy was born. They began with a humble vegetarian pot pie, followed soon after by pizzas and soups. The business continued to evolve and expand, realizing a need to include gluten-free and dairy-free items for those living with food allergies. Amy has since grown up and started a family of her own. She and her husband, Jace, both play active roles within the company.
Amy’s was serving up organic food before there was a national certification program. In fact, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture decided to create standards for organic, they looked to Amy’s for guidance. Together with other industry leaders, they helped pioneer the organic food industry and, more importantly, helped make organic food available to more people. Their commitment to organic ensures that neither farmers nor consumers are exposed to harmful chemicals and pesticides. A proud supporter of GMO labeling initiatives, all of Amy’s dishes are non-GMO. They were also the first to market canned items with non-BPA-lined cans, and they’re happy to see many other food companies following their lead.
Amy’s Kitchen has grown beyond the Berliner’s wildest dreams, going from several family members pitching in anywhere they can, to a wonderful group of employees, farmers, and suppliers. But no matter how big the company grows, one thing will always remain the same—the family spirit that permeates every decision made inside of Amy’s Kitchen. Although they have considerably expanded their production facilities and the number of people they employ, Amy’s remains family-owned and fiercely independent. They choose what’s best for their customers, their farmers, their employees, and the planet. It’s a tall order, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Muhjadarrah is an Arabic dish, made with a few, very basic ingredients: rice, lentils, onion and oil. That’s it! It’s vegetarian (vegan, even), very inexpensive, delicious and easy to make. Plus, you’ll find the green lentils featured in our weekly sale from June 22nd – 28th!
This recipe is beautifully simple as it is, but, like most classic dishes, there are dozens of different variations. You could introduce middle eastern spices such as cumin or cinnamon, roasted red peppers, cubed feta cheese, or a swirl of thick yogurt, but we recommend trying this first just as it is. It’s revolutionary to taste something so delicious and satisfying that comes from using the simplest and most humble ingredients imaginable.
A few bits of advice – be sure to caramelize the onion very deeply and to use plenty of salt and pepper. These are your only seasonings, so they’re very important. Also, be sure to use brown or green lentils, not the orange ones which will just dissolve to a mush.
Westbrae Natural Foods is basking in the Member Deals Spotlight this week and all of their products are 20% off for member-owners from February 23rd – March 1st. Read on to learn more about their history of offering healthy foods for nearly 40 years!
Westbrae’s original co-founder Kristen Brun launched the business with partner Bob Gerner based on a simple idea – she wanted to do something for the planet, and something good for the people on both sides of the counter. That was way back in 1970 and though the company has evolved significantly over the years, they remain true to this original philosophy.
Bob Gerner and Kristin Brun initially offered their customers homemade granola, organic vegetables from Bob’s garden, organic fruits from local farmers and whole grain baked goods using Kristin’s recipes. In the late 1980s, the business was sold to a group of food-savvy investors, relocated to southern California, and continued to grow. The Research and Development Department expanded the Westbrae Natural line and achieved leadership in the natural products industry
In 1997, Westbrae was acquired by The Hain Food Group (now known as Hain Celestial), which is headquartered in Melville, New York. Available in natural food stores as well as mainstream supermarkets, Westbrae Natural’s array of vegetarian foods includes beans, soymilk, miso, mustard, and more.
Be sure to check out their website for great recipes!
We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Amy’s Kitchen this week to shed some light on a family-owned company that was organic before organic was cool. Member Owners can enjoy 20% off the full line of Amy’s Kitchen products this week! Read on to learn more about this pioneering company that set out nearly 30 years ago to offer convenient, time-saving foods that didn’t sacrifice health or quality:
We didn’t set out to become the nation’s leading frozen food brand. All we wanted to do was create a business that would allow us to earn a living by providing convenient and tasty vegetarian meals for people like ourselves, who appreciated good food, but were often too busy to cook “from scratch.”
We started in 1987, the year Amy was born, using our own house and barn as headquarters. The founding meetings were held in the same room where we were married and where our daughter Amy was born. This was before the idea of “organic” food had become well known, and when there were very few frozen meals available for vegetarians to eat, either in health food stores or supermarkets. We were, however, very fortunate in being in the right place at the right time. The number of vegetarians had increased dramatically, as had consumer awareness of the harmful effects on their health and the environment of chemicals in the food supply.
Amy’s Kitchen uses organic vegetables, grains and beans whenever they are commercially available. At this time, over 99% or our vegetables, grains and beans are organic. All of Amy’s products comply with the NOP (National Organic Program) requirements that ingredients and products not be irradiated and not contain GMOs. We are active participants in the Non-GMO Project and we rely on testing and other procedures to assure the ingredients in our products are not contaminated with GMOs.
Although we have considerably expanded our production facilities and the number of people we employ, we have remained a family owned and operated business, sensitive to the needs of our customers. Our total commitment to quality has made the difference.
