This time of year, us salad-lovers are in heaven. The fresh, crisp and colorful bounty beckons the creation of all kinds of fresh veggie meals.

I’ve become an unofficial expert on making meals out of salads. I can be extremely happy with a large bowl filled with lettuce and a variety of other food groups that make up a healthy combination all mixed up. In fact, I have a special hand-crafted wooden bowl that was given to me when I attended ‘farm camp’ in Vermont last year, that I love to make these salad meals in.

While there are several million ways to create a core group of salad meals, I’m going to pick just two that I’m currently rotating through the menu these days.

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Wild Vegetarian Cookbook

Late summer brings many treats, but my favorite is ripe wild blackberries. Blackberries are an abundant and delicious “wild” food in many parts of the world. There are many varieties within this large family, from the Japanese wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) to the Arctic raspberry (Rubus arcticus). Take advantage of the season while you can and sample some of nature’s offerings by picking these tasty berries wherever you find them. The next time you walk through a woody area or park, take a look around and see if you can spot the woody, thorned vines and generally white, rose-like flowers characteristic of blackberry plants.

The recipe, which serves 6 to 8, calls for a number of other ingredients that you can find growing locally, either wild or cultivated: apples for apple juice, oranges for orange rind, salt from the sea, and berries from the common spicebush. Depending on how many ingredients you can find around you and where they come from, your blackberry cobbler can be both inexpensive and organic.

Before we start, rest easy knowing that for this recipe there is an excellent backup plan. If you’ve gathered a basketful of berries only to realize that baking is not really your forte, sit back, relax, and enjoy a bowl of fresh, raw, local blackberries!

Now, on with the show. You’ll want:

• 5 cups wild blackberries
• 2 tablespoons tapioca pearls, ground into powder
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon apple juice
• 1 teaspoon dried orange rind or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 teaspoon dried mint, finely crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom seeds
• 1 1/2 cups sweet brown rice flour or 7 ounces any whole grain flour
• 2 tablespoons apricot kernel oil, walnut oil, almond oil, or corn oil
• 1/4 cup corn oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 teaspoon common spicebush berries, finely chopped, or ground allspice [if available, freshly ground from berries]
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons soy milk, almond milk, or unsweetened fruit juice, or as needed.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix the blackberries, ground tapioca, 1/2 cup of the apple juice, the orange juice, the orange rind, mint, and cardamom together in a large bowl. Transfer the mixture to a 14 x 9 x 2-inch oiled baking dish.

3. Sprinkle the fruit mixture with 3 tablespoons of the flour and dot with the apricot kernel oil.

4. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the remaining flour, the cream of tartat, baking soda, cinnamon, spice-bush berries, nutmeg, and salt. Mix in the corn oil, and then stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon apple juice and enough soy milk to make a dough that’s neither sticky nor crumbly.

5. Using a rolling pin [or, in a pinch, a wine bottle] covered with a floured sleeve and working on a floured pastry sheet, roll the dough out 1/4 inch thick in the shape of your baking dish. Transfer the rolled out pastry onto the berry layer, cut slits for steam to escape, and sprinkle on more cinnamon for color, if desired. Bake the cobbler until bubbly, about 40 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

In all instances I know of, blackberries and raspberries are such hardy plants that you can eat your fill from a plant, and still there will be more to pick for tomorrow’s cobbler or pie. In North America, blackberries have done so well by cultivation and cross-pollination with non-native strains that in many places certain varieties are now considered a “weed” that out compete other, native plants. Preparing this scrumptious cobbler is therefore also a good way to make some a small but rewarding impact in protecting native plant populations.

For a wild vegan blackberry cobbler that also combats climate change, try cooking your cobbler during the day in a solar oven, then serving it in the evening for a truly green gourmet treat! This may require a longer cook time, but it turns your cooking into a fun, green adventure.

Bon apétit!

References and Resources:

Learn more about wild foods with “Wildman” Steve Brill.

Buy Wild Vegetarian Cookbook.

This recipe was reproduced with permission from The Harvard Common Press.

Identifying blackberry bushes:

Photo Sources:

Wild Blackberry Cobbler: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38229873@N00/940551013/

Blackberries: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44987917@N00/1223686687/

Himilayan Blackberries: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maximillian_millipede/370352385/

Blossoming Blackberry Bushes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035720546@N01/743028652/

The average American diet is not only unhealthy, but completely unsustainable due to its reliance on meat for almost every meal. Animal products take more resources to produce, the intensive farming methods used today are very polluting, and, as the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization recently found, raising livestock for food releases more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined.

Going vegetarian (and later vegan) was the best choice I have ever made. And anyone who knows me well knows I could write a novel about the virtues of a vegan lifestyle, although I'll try not to do that here. There are many reasons to reduce your use of animal products. Ethical, environmental, and health reasons top my very long list. As I see it, if you consider yourself an environmentalist, it's difficult to justify eating meat.

My green living journey began with going vegetarian and later vegan, and now my partner and I have been exploring going even further with a vegan diet by experimenting with raw and living vegan foods. Raw foods are in a more natural state and contain beneficial enzymes that are normally killed by high temperatures. The main benefits of a raw diet are health ones, but there are environmental benefits as well. Since there is no cooking involved, less energy is used.

So, if you're interested in exploring the exciting path to more sustainable and healthy eating, read on. My favorite recipes for guacamole and raw burritos follow, so prepare for a fiesta of flavor! Ideally, the ingredients for these recipes should be all organic and locally grown. It may be difficult to get local avocados if you're up North like I am, but fresh, local, organic produce is available at farmer's markets, co-ops, or if you're lucky enough to have a garden, your own backyard!

The Best Guacamole Ever
2 - 3 avocados (about 2 cups)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 - 2 cloves minced garlic
1 - 2 diced green onions
1 tsp. minced jalapeño
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 a tomato
lime juice to taste
dashes of salt, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne to taste

Scoop out the avocados into a medium bowl. Add the olive oil and mash avocados with a fork or potato masher. Whip until light and smooth. Fold in remaining ingredients and stir well. Adjust to your tastes. This makes a great chip dip, but be sure to save some for the burritos!

Rawsome Burritos
1 cup chopped mushrooms (I like crimini and shiitake mushrooms, or whatever is locally available)
1 diced red or yellow bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/2 a jalapeño, diced finely
1 small diced tomato
1/2 a small diced onion
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
2 Tbsp. black olives
1/3 cup shoyu soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 - 2 Tbsp. each of chopped fresh herbs: cilantro, basil, rosemary, and oregano are good choices
a few dashes of lime or lemon juice
dashes of cumin or chili powder, if desired
zucchini, cut in a spiral cutter or with a vegetable peeler into thin strips
10 - 12 large cabbage or lettuce leaves (whatever is locally available)
several dallops of guacamole
sprouts and hemp seeds to top (I like sunflower or clover sprouts the best)

Chop all vegetables (except cabbage) and mix all ingredients together except the zucchini, guacamole, sprouts and cabbage (just set these aside). Add more shoyu or lemon juice if more marinade is needed. Let vegetables marinate for at least 15 minutes. When you're ready to eat, use large cabbage or lettuce leaves as the tortilla and wrap them around the marinated vegetables and zucchini. Top with guacamole and sprouts, or even salsa, if desired, and enjoy!

Sprouted grain tortillas may be used in place of the cabbage leaves, and they tend to allow for larger burritos. You could also add sprouted beans and/or grains for added protein. You can sprout beans and grains by buying them whole, in bulk preferably, soaking them overnight, and then leaving them in a strainer or sprout bag over a bowl for several days (be sure to rinse them each day). They should start to sprout little tails, use them when the tails are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. No need for cooking!

I hope you enjoy your journey into living foods, or as I like to think of it, the next level of veganism. Eating even a few raw or vegan meals a week can have a significant effect on your environmental impact, and you may just notice some health benefits as well. Eat well, be well, and enjoy nature's bounty!