Akron Adventist

The Ohio ABC in Mt. Vernon will be closed for remodeling April 14 -29. During this time you can still place orders for non-frozen/non-refrigerated food, books, or other products to be shipped to your home. Contact the ABC at 740-397-4675 or mtvernon.abc@pacificpress.com with any questions. Find the ABC online at www.adventistbookcenter.com and www.vegefoods.com

The Happy Cow Food Store at the Akron First SDA Church will continue to carry a selection of canned and frozen vegetarian food products as normal during this closure. Additionally, at any time throughout the year, you can place special orders through The Happy Cow for any canned or frozen food items that the Ohio ABC carries. These orders are delivered to the Akron First SDA Church with no cost for shipping. Contact Tamara Franke (330-899-0431), visit us online at akronadventist.com/thehappycow, or email us at thcveggie@gmail.com for details. All proceeds from the The Happy Cow Food Store benefit Mayfair Christian School.

On February 21 the Akron Church welcomed Melody Prettyman as she hosted a vegetarian cooking class. Not only did participants learn more about changing their eating habits, they sampled great tasting food cooked by Melody. Last week Melody appeared on 3ABN today and shared South of the Border inspired vegetarian cuisine. If you’re interested in trying some of these South of the Border dishes, the recipes are posted online here courtesy of 3ABN. Enjoy!

Celebrate the beginning of Spring by spicing up your Sabbath dinner! For a great alternative to everyone’s favorite cheese lasagna try this recipe for Mexican Lasagna. Worthington® Diced Chik is available for purchase from The Happy Cow.

Ingredients
• 2 packages (9 oz. each) Worthington® Diced Chik
• 1 can (16 oz.) fat-free refried beans
• 2 teaspoons ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 2 1/2 cups hot water
• 2 1/2 cups chunky picante sauce
• 2 cups fat-free sour cream
• 3/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 can (2 oz.) sliced black olives
• 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup fat-free Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions
1. Chop or crumble Worthington® Diced Chik into small bits. Combine chopped patties, beans, spices and 1/2 cup water.

2. Spray 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place 4 uncooked lasagna noodles in bottom of baking dish. Spread 1/2 of prepared mixture from above over noodles. Repeat ending with noodles on top.

3. Pour hot water and picante sauce over noodles and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350° F for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Combine sour cream and green onions. Spread over top of casserole. Sprinkle with cheeses and top with olives. Return uncovered to oven until cheese is melted (5-10 minutes).

This recipe is being shared from Worthington Foods. Visit them online for product information or for more vegetarian recipe ideas.

You can learn to prepare healthy, great tasting vegetarian dishes at the Vegetarian Cooking class hosted by Melody Prettyman. This class is being offered for free on Sunday, February 21, 2010 at our church from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Some of the things that are being offered include:

• A live cooking demonstration
• Get vegetarian recipe ideas
• Try great tasting, healthy food
• Learn tips on modifying recipes for vegan cooking
• Take home literature on healthy lifestyles
• Enjoy a free, light meal

Please sign up to attend this great event. You can sign up in the church lobby or send an email to akronadventist @ gmail.com. We hope you will join use and do not forget to invite a friend.

Come enjoy Frichik® & Potato Casserole at potluck Sabbath, August 1.
Worthington FriChik can be purchased from The Happy Cow.

Ingredients
1 bag (1 lb. 14 oz.) frozen, hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup sour cream
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 can (12.5 oz.) Worthington® FriChik® chicken substitute (drained and diced)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups Kellogg’s Corn Flakes® cereal (crushed to 2 cups)

Directions
1. Spread thawed potatoes evenly in bottom of 17 x 11 x 2-inch baking pan.
Set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, stir together margarine, soup, sour cream, cheese,
onions, Worthington FriChik, salt and pepper. Spread over potatoes
and sprinkle with crushed Kellogg’s Corn Flakes cereal. Cover.
3. Bake at 350° F about 1 hour or until thoroughly heated. Serve hot.
Servings: 12

This and other recipes can be found at www.worthingtonfoods.com .

The Happy Cow Food Store now carries Vibrant Life Vegetarian Bologna, Chicken, and Turkey Slices. These slices are a perfect replacement for your favorite discontinued Worthington Slices in subs, appetizers, wraps, and other favorite recipes. Try a taste of these new slices as appetizers at potluck July 4.

Summer has arrived and it’s to enjoy the sun & outdoors. If you’re planning a picnic or party, or even just looking for a Sunday snack, here are two quick and easy recipes for sandwich spreads. If you recently attended a baby shower at the church, you may have enjoyed these delicious sandwiches courtesy of Lela Brown.

Veja-Link Sandwich Spread
Ingredients:
1 can Worthington Veja-Links (available from the Happy Cow)
1 Medium onion
¾ of 1 16oz. can Pa’s Pickle Smack (Relish) (available for order from the Happy Cow)
-You could substitute another brand of relish, but according to Lela Brown it just won’t taste the same!!
Mayonnaise

Directions:
Chop onion by hand. Drain liquid from relish. Mix together. Add Mayonnaise until you reach desired consistency to spread.

Serve with bread and enjoy!

Pineapple Sandwich Spread
Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese
20 oz. crushed pineapple
Mayonnaise

Directions:
Soften cream cheese. Mash cream cheese with fork to spread it out on a plate. Drain the pineapple to squeeze the extra juice out. Mix together. Add Mayonnaise until you reach desired consistency to spread.

Serve with bread and enjoy!

If you’d love to plant a garden, but don’t have the space at home and want more vegetables than a container garden can provide, think about reserving a plot in a community garden. We’ve listed three local community garden programs available in the Akron area. If your hometown is not listed, be sure to check with local officials on gardening opportunities available in your town or city.

Lake Township—Hartville Hardware
Hartville Hardware is hosting a Hartville Community Garden on land east of Kaufman Avenue and west of the Hartville Kitchen & Marketplace on 619. The land has been split into 300 10 x 10, plots and water will be made available at the site. Lake Township residents can sign up at the Hartville Hardware Store to reserve up to 2 plots.

City of Akron
The city of Akron is beginning Akron Grows, a community gardening program to promote and encourage urban gardening for Akron residents. In 2009, eight vacant city-owned lots will be converted into community gardens. The cost is $20 for a 20’ by 10’ plot and $30 for a 20’ by 20’ plot. The city will provide water and assist in soil preparation. Seeds,
educational materials, and classes will be provided. For more information, a complete list of garden sites or to download an application, visit www.ci.akron.oh.us or call Larry Parker of the Akron Cooperative at (234) 525-0543.

Stow Community Garden
Garden plots are available for Stow residents at the Stow Community Gardens on Stow Road, across from Silver Springs Lodge. The plots are 10’ x 20’ for youth at $5.00, 20’ x 20’ plots for adults at $15.00 and 20’ x 20’ plots free to seniors 62 years and older. Registration will occur Saturday, May 9th, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the Stow Parks and Recreation Department, 5070 Stow Road. For more information call 330-689-2756 or visit their website.

If you’d like to participate in a community garden plot in Akron, but want to share the experience with others in our church family, please contact Tamara Franke (thcveggie@gmail.com or 330-899-0431). If more than 1 person or family expresses interest, we can try to match up people to share a garden site.

Recipe courtesy of Penny Mixon, a former Akron First SDA church member
Fellowship with the church and try a bite of this casserole at potluck on Sabbath May 2.

Ingredients
o 1 package Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles
o 6 slices whole wheat bread, cut in
cubes
o 1 tsp. garlic
o 1/3 cup chopped onion o ½ cup brown sugar
o 4 eggs o ½ cup ketchup
o 1 tsp. sage (or Italian Seasoning) o ½ cup water

Directions:
Mix Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers™ Recipe Crumbles™, onion, eggs, sage and garlic
in a large mixing bowl. Stir in bread cubes. Press into medium size casserole dish.Combine brown
sugar, ketchup and water, then pour over loaf mixture in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

It’s officially spring and time to start planning your vegetable garden. If you have not considered growing a garden in the past, it’s the perfect time to do so! Gardens can be big or small, filled will green beans, tomatoes, or asparagus, but they all have one thing in common—the great tasting food that goes straight from your garden to your dinner table. Growing your own food provides not only better-tasting food, but also higher quality food that will help save money on food bills. It’s also fun and rewarding to see your plants grow throughout the summer and produce an edible harvest.

To help first time gardeners, or more experienced gardeners looking for new ideas, we’ve found a great guide to vegetable gardening and posted it here. This fantastic guide, created by Joe Lamp’l, talks about everything you’ll need to know to start your first garden, from how to choose the best location to what to plant and when to plant. Additionally, many of our church members are expert gardeners who produce bumper crops each year and can provide great gardening tips for those of us who are novice gardeners. We’ll share some of these gardening tips and tricks in the newsletter throughout the summer.

If you have limited yard space or aren’t ready to commit to a full-sized garden, consider starting a container garden! A window sill, patio, balcony, or doorstep that gets at least 5 hours of sunlight a day is all you need to get started. Most herbs and vegetables grow great in containers—even green beans can be trained to grow up a support if you purchase a pole variety. Many vegetables come in smaller, compact varieties perfect for container gardening. All it takes is finding the right containers, adding soil, planting seeds or small plants, watering regularly, and fertilizing as needed. Links to a few different sites that provide good information on container gardening are posted under Vegetable Gardening Links at The Happy Cow to help you get started.

Start planning, buying seeds, and dreaming of your perfect garden now. You can’t beat the taste of a homegrown tomato fresh from your own Vegetable Patch!