9 Vegan & Vegetarian Fall Dishes That Aren’t Salad

Vegans and vegetarians rejoice. We've compiled a list of some of our favorite vegan and vegetarian dishes to serve during the holidays. 

Cranberry Pecan Skillet Stuffing

This delightful stuffing is delicious for any Thanksgiving meal. Serve it with tofu steak and mushroom gravy for vegans. Add a pan-fried tofu steak and mushroom gravy to this vegan stuffing for your favorite vegetarian Thanksgiving guest.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These easy sweet potatoes are sure to bring compliments as a holiday side dish. The coconut milk makes them extra flavorful – and dairy-free.

Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

Celebrate fall with a savory mix of sautéed apples, garlic and sausage stuffed in pie pumpkin.

Sweet Potato and Parsnip Latkes

This tasty latke variation can be enjoyed with applesauce, chipotle sour cream, and horseradish sauce.

Parsnip Apple Soup

The tangy and sweet qualities of both parsnips and apples combine in this delicious and hearty fall soup.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chard & White Beans

Acorn squash is perfect for stuffing. This filling has Mediterranean flair: olives, white beans and Parmesan cheese.

Mushroom & Wild Rice Frittata

Packed with a flavorful medley of chewy wild rice and three kinds of mushrooms, this frittata is great any time of day.

Sweet Potato and Greens Gratin

This savory, vitamin-rich casserole makes a hearty accompaniment to roasted poultry or ham, or atop baked polenta.

Sweet Potato, Red Onion & Fontina Tart

Try this roasted-vegetable free-form tart as an appetizer or side for a special dinner or as a vegetarian main dish.

Meet our producers: Crust Vegan Bakery

Women-owned and operated, Crust is a vegan bakery and Mariposa favorite! Bakers Shannon and Meagan - the vegan baking queens of Philly - have been baking out of a local commissary kitchen since August 2015. Crust baked goods are free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Everything is hand-made with all natural ingredients and 100% vegan.

Pre-order local Crust Vegan Bakery pies by November 19th. Remember, set your pickup location as Mariposa Food Co-op. Learn more about our holiday offerings. 

Products we love: Riojana Olive Oil

When you purchase Riojana olive oil you are not just purchasing a delicious ingredient to enjoy, you are casting a vote in favor of cooperative, fair trade businesses—and helping more than 422 cooperative members continue to invest in a brighter future.

Reinvesting profits for health and education

Certified fair trade by Fairtrade International in 2006, the members of the cooperative have invested more than $11 million Argentinian pesos (~ $730,000 US) in projects including a new drinking water supply for the village of Tilimuqui, where many of La Riojana’s workers and their families live. The fair trade premium has also been invested in production improvements, new community centers and medical equipment, but the most visible result of the cooperative’s reinvestment in its farmer members and their families can be seen in their commitment to education.

A new secondary school specializing in agriculture opened in Tilimuqui in 2010. Offering free education to children age 13-18, the school has had a profound impact on its community, providing a catalyst for local development, increasing employment by the creation of more than 50 new jobs at the school, and providing training in technical agronomy to help slow the migration of young people to larger cities. Since 2010, enrollment in the school has grown from 33 pupils to more than 300. With plans to build new classrooms, the cooperative hopes to expand the school’s capacity to 600 students in the next few years. The cooperative also provides kits of school supplies to children of its members, as well as free computer courses to adult community members.

Focusing on environment to ensure a bright future

Besides supporting health and education, the cooperative is invested in green initiatives and sustainability, so transitioning more of its growers to become equivalency USDA Certified Organic is another important goal. With a focus on becoming carbon neutral, La Riojana Cooperative is introducing improved water management techniques, the use of solar and bio energy and a reforestation project.

Products we love: Four Elements skin care

Four Elements combines their knowledge of natural healing with certified organic herbs to create medicinal wellness products, including skin care, tinctures, and tea. 

Moisture Creams

Calendula Neroli

• Soothing Calendula mix with moisture balancing Neroli and Organic Shea in this healing and luxurious cream.
• Best for mature and sensitive skin.
• Our Wellness Manager, Tyneisha uses this cream everyday!

Lemon Balm Moisture Cream

• This potent herbal cream features refreshing and calming Lemon Balm, St. John's Wart and thyme to promote skin comfort in even the most delicate areas.
• Great for acute skin outbreaks.

Unscented Comfrey Moisture Cream

• Pure enough for those who have the most sensitive skin, but effective enough for hard-working skin.
• With comfrey root, a traditional topical skin herb, just a bit of this cream is all you’ll need to relieve dry skin.

Look No X-Ma Moisture Cream

• Originally created for babies this gentle and mild cream can be used for all skin types and is effective enough for use on more chronic skin issues.

Herbal First Aid Salve

This vibrantly green salve contains ten active botanicals to help maintain topical skin health. Great for bug bites and other acute skin irritations.

Arnica Capsicum Botanical Liniment

Warming and toning herbs are infused into witch-hazel and blended with bracing essential oils to maintain joint and muscle comfort. This astringent rub is perfect for the medicine cabinet or the gym bag.

Jewelweed Chickweed Soap

An herb-infused soap inspired by bumping into the wrong plants and bugs in the forest. Great for foragers, campers and nature lovers.

Tinctures

Certified organic and hand-harvested at their peak potency and processed in small batches to maintain the optimal quality of the plant.

Spicy Pumpkin Jalapeño Soup

Creamy pumpkin soup is spiced up with jalapeño and a refreshing dollop of chipotle sour cream.

Ingredients

Soup

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced jalapeño, seeds removed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 cups pumpkin purée (canned or fresh cooked)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk (or vegan substitute such as coconut milk)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chipotle Sour Cream

• 8 tablespoons sour cream or vegan substitute 
• 1 teaspoon finely minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (see note)
• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, celery, carrots and jalapeño peppers, stirring frequently, for about 10-15 minutes. Add the cumin, garlic powder, pumpkin purée, broth and milk. Bring to a simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. While the soup is cooking, blend the sour cream ingredients together in a small bowl. Place a dollop of the sour cream on each soup serving.

Serving Suggestion

Served with mulled apple cider and hearty bread, this soup goes equally well with roast pork or a spinach salad.

Tips & Notes

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are smoked jalapeño in a tangy, slightly sweet sauce. Look for them in a small can with other Mexican condiments. They can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months.

Reprinted with permission by strongertogether.coop

Products we love: Sparoom Diffuser

You asked, we listened. We're happy to introduce Sparoom diffusers to our shelves. 

Essential oil diffusers are a safer alternative to candles and have added aromatherapy benefits to aid sleep, pain, repel insects, improve cognitive function and more. 

Fill the diffuser with water and a few drops of essential oil. Create blends such as a autumnal season blend using:

• 3 drops peppermint
• 3 drops fir
• 1 drop eucalyptus
• 1 drop tea tree
• 2 drops rosemary

Friday Finds: October 6, 2017

Take a look at what's new at Mariposa Food Co-op.

Waterhill Naturals Grass Fed Hot Dogs

Organic and all natural varieties available starting at $3.99. 

La Riojana Extra Virgin Olive Oil

La Riojana is a cooperative of over 500 certified organic and fair trade Argentinian farmers. This is a blend of Arauco and Manzanilla organic olive varieties, which are free from pesticides. This olive oil has an aroma of green and ripe olives, with notes of dried fruits and a combination of spicy and sweet flavours.

Andalou 1000 Roses Face Lotion

Soothing and lightweight, this face lotion is great for sensitive skin. Gluten-free, vegan, and non GMO.

Juliannah + Art Zodiac Harmony Cards

West Philly made greeting cards. Zodiac cards will change as the signs change. 

Heidelberg Breads

Heidelberg Breads' vision is to bring old world goodness to breads in America’s modern fast paced culture. Find French peasant, hearty flaxseed, rye, cracked wheat, and oat bran in our bakery department.

New season, new look

Just as the changing seasons are reflected in our produce department, we felt the need to make a change to reflect the growth of our food co-op.

Over the last 45 years, we’ve grown from a tiny storefront open only a few days a week to a space that is triple in size with over 2,700 owners. Over the last five years, we’ve seen our organization grow to over 45 employees, expand our sales programs, and most recently, expand upon our food access programs and employee benefits.

But, with this growth, we’ve seen our fair share of growing pains. Our limited brand elements made it difficult to connect to the community and create a meaningful impact. Mariposa was often mistaken as a CSA (community supported agriculture) program, produce market, or exclusive buying club. Sometimes a combination of the three.

Over the past year, we’ve worked with a local branding consultant to update our brand guidelines to reflect our values, specifically creating and fostering a welcoming community space and providing access to healthy and sustainably-grown foods.

Over the next few months, you will see updated elements in our store and online. In the meantime, explore some of our new branding elements below.  

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