Pay it forward giveaway | Nori roll-ups | Scallion flatbread | Cappuccino muffins

I recently flirted with the random fairy, and my wish to achieve random selection was happily fulfilled. I won the pay it forward drawing hosted by Mary on her blog, Mitten Machen. This means I received a lovely box of Maine products from Mary, and the obligation to send a box of Washington state goodies to a randomly selected reader of this blog. From my perspective this was a double treat; I received a gift, and now I get to seek out and choose special, locally made items to share with one of you. I've already got a few things picked out, and I'm learning about other local products that would be fun to receive. If you would like to take part in this pay it forward giveaway, mention your intention in a comment on this post. I'll randomly select a winner on May 11 and announce it in a post. (Remember, by entering this contest you're agreeing to hold a giveaway of your own, and award a box of local treats to someone else.)

My box contained a beautiful card with a Maine photo, A soy candle with the scent of the Maine woods, a leaf made of solid maple sugar, a handmade wooden bookmark, and a refrigerator magnet based on a painting by a Maine artist. Thank you so much, Mary!

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Bits and crumbs



I've mentioned many times on this blog that I prefer simple foods. The stuff I often eat doesn't really warrant a blog post, and here is proof of that. I'd been munching practically all day, and wanted a light supper. Above you see wok-grilled local asparagus and canned chickpeas, topped with roasted red pepper spread, and served with a green salad. See what I mean?



Nori makes a convenient and tasty wrap for more than just rice. One of my favorite fast snacks is to cut two thin slices of cold, baked tofu into narrow strips, and lay them along one end of a toasted nori sheet, generously pile baby salad mix on top, and roll up. You can't cut this into pieces — you have to hold it and munch. It tastes so great I usually have to make a second one as soon as I've finished the first.



I saw a post by Zoa on The Airy Way about the scallion pancakes she made with a yeasted dough. It reminded me of the more traditional version of scallion pancakes we learned to make in a Chinese cooking class. Zoa made hers with dough she had stored in her refrigerator, and when I saw her pancake I was immediately attacked by a powerful craving. I've been using my stored bread dough (based on Healthy Bread in Five minutes a Day) to make English muffins and assorted flatbreads, why not scallion pancakes? I flattened a piece of dough, coated it with toasted sesame oil and chopped scallions, and rolled the pancake in the traditional way. I baked it in my wok and enjoyed it with supper. Great idea, Zoa!

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More recipe testing



These are cappuccino muffins from Celene Steen and Joni Marie Newman. What more can I say?

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Giveaway
Hey. Don't leave without entering the pay it forward giveaway! I'm serious. I've got some fun and tasty items planned for my pay it forward box, and you don't want to be left out. Just mention in your comment that you'd like to be included. (There are some GF products in the box so don't be afraid to enter if you need a GF assortment. You can always share anything that might not be OK.)

Winner of the juicer giveaway

The juicer giveaway has ended and the random number generator chose Caragonza as the winner. I've sent her an e-mail asking her to claim the prize and send me a mailing address by Tuesday. I hope I hear from her, but if I don't, I'll notify the next person on the random number list and so on until I find a winner. Congratulations, Caragonza, and thanks to everyone who left a comment!

note: The winner has claimed her prize! The contest has officially ended.

Juicer giveaway

I'm delighted to be offering you a chance to own a Lexen manual wheatgrass and leafy greens juicer absolutely free. Andrea's easy vegan cooking will be holding a contest for a FREE Healthy Juicer from Lexen Products. The press materials state that the Lexen Healthy Juicer is an amazing, easy and effective wheatgrass and leafy green juicer, making it the most popular on the market.

877MyJuicer.com will be supplying and shipping the juicer at no cost to the lucky winner.

More detailed information about the juicer can be found here: Healthy Juicer.

Here are the guidelines for the giveaway:

1. Just leave a brief comment about why you would like to have this juicer or simply a statement that you would like to have it.
2. Each comment will get a number in the order in which it is received.
3. The numbers will go into a random number generator and a winning number will be selected.
4. The winner will be notified on this blog. Once I receive a mailing address from the winner, the juicer will be mailed to you.
5. The event is open from Jan. 11 to midnight, Jan. 24 and, sorry to say, is open only to residents of the U.S. That is, the juicer can only be shipped to a U.S. address. Again, my apologies.
   
6. The odds of winning will depend on how many entries there are.
7. The winner will be announced on this blog on Jan. 25. The winner will have two days to claim the prize. If no one claims it, a second winner will be selected, and so forth, until a winner claims the juicer.
   

Here is what the distributor has to say about this (manual) juicer:

There are two types of juicers on the market today. Centrifugal and masticating (meaning to crush and squeeze). The main benefit of a masticating juicer is that it crushes the fruits and vegetables as opposed to shredding them as your average centrifugal juicer does.

This process of crushing and squeezing extracts more juice and also has less heat build up than from the high speed at which centrifugal juicers work, which destroys the enzymes and other vital nutrients. The Healthy Juicer produces a healthier juice!

Designed to handle leafy greens

Have you ever tried to juice leafy vegetables such as parsley, spinach or even cabbage in a centrifugal juicer? A good portion of it is wasted and just passes through as these juicers do not have any crushing ability. Vegetables are expensive today, especially organic ones. Why throw your money away by not extracting as much juice and nutrients as possible from them?

I haven't personally used this product, but 877MyJuicer.com has offered to give one away to one of my readers, and I'm excited to be passing that offer along to you. I know the lucky winner will enjoy using it! Please note that it is a manual wheat grass juicer meant for wheat grass and leafy greens. It is NOT an electric juicer for hard fruits and veggies.