How To Host a Fair Trade Oneg
Image by courtesy of 12aproductions.com
World Fair Trade Day is May 11, and thousands of people around the world will be celebrating the positive impact that Fair Trade has made on the lives of farmers and artisans. Fair Trade principles embody key Jewish values – Osek – prohibition about oppressing workers, B’Tzelem Elohim – honoring the humanity of each person, Bal Tashchit – do not waste or destroy natural resources, and Tzedek – creating a life of justice for everyone.
We often treat ourselves to special foods as we celebrate our Shabbat. Here are some recipes for special Shabbat treats using Fair Trade ingredients, so we know that the people who grew our food were treated with Jewish values. Here is a list of Fair Trade and Kosher chocolate, coffee and tea.
Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate
Fresh fruits taste fabulous dipped into melted chocolate to make a delightful springtime treat to serve with coffee. Created for Divine Chocolate by renowned food writer Sue Ashworth.
Ingredients
• 8 oz strawberries, with stalks
• 100g bar Fair Trade 70% Dark Chocolate Bar
Directions
Melt the dark chocolate in a small bowl placed over pans of gently simmering water. Take care that the chocolate does not get too hot. Remove from the heat.
Carefully wash the strawberries and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Dip them into the melted chocolate.
Place onto sheets of greaseproof paper to cool and set.
Keep the chocolates in a cool place until ready to serve.
Delightful Date Cookies
The recipe for these scrumptious cookies is provided by Equal Exchange
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup (one stick) of butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed Fair Trade brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Fair Trade white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon brewed Fair Trade coffee, any variety
• 1/2 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract or vanilla flavor, optional
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 Fair Trade 65-71% dark chocolate bar, chopped into chunks
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup dried dates, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter two baking sheets.
Cream together the butter and both sugars in a large bowl until smooth and light. Add the eggs, coffee, and vanilla, if using.
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Then, stir in oats, chocolate chunks, pecans, dates, and cranberries.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough, 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each one slightly with the back of a spoon. 6. Bake the cookies until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Super Fruit Ancient Grain & Organic Chocolate Biscotti
Made with delicious dried cranberries and blueberries, organic pistachios and sunflower seeds, and Fair Trade chocolate, these light and crunchy biscotti are as nutritious as they are tasty. Recipe from SunSpire.
Ingredients
• 1 2/3 cups unbleached white flour (or 1 cup unbleached and 2/3 cup whole wheat)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup Fair Trade turbinado sugar
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2 large organic eggs
• 1 large organic egg yolk
• 2 tsp. organic pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp. organic cardamom powder
• 1 tsp. grated orange peel
• 4 oz Fair Trade 65%-71% Cacao Semi-Sweet Baking Bar, broken into small pieces
• ¼ cup crystallized ginger, roughly chopped
• ½ cup organic pistachios, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup organic dried cranberries, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup organic dried wild blueberries
• ¼ cup organic sunflower seeds
Directions
Toast all nuts and seeds and cool before using. Preheat oven to 350 °F, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla and set aside. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and combine gently using a wooden spoon. Using your hands, add in ginger, nuts and dried fruit combining just until all is incorporated. With floured hands, lift half the dough onto one side of prepared sheet pan, and pat into two chubby 12-13 inch long logs, spaced at least 3 inches apart.
Place pan on center of oven rack and bake for 35 minutes. Remove logs from oven, and transfer them onto a rack or another cookie sheet to cool. Let cool for 10 minutes – no longer or they will become too hard to slice. Lower oven temperature to 300˚F. Cut logs into thin slices, lay cookies on their sides, and bake again, this time for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before storing.
Yield: 2+ dozen biscotti
Spiced Coffee Cooler
A refreshing Kiddush beverage as the weather warms up. Recipe is from Equal Exchange.
Ingredients
• 4 cups of double- strength Fair Trade Coffee
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 3 whole allspice
Directions
Combine brewed coffee with spices in a large glass pitcher or teapot. Steep for 30 minutes. Strain and pour over ice. Add cream, milk, sugar to your taste (powdered or superfine sugar melts fastest and best.)
Ilana Schatz is the founding director of Fair Trade Judaica(http://www.fairtradejudaica.org). She lives in El Cerrito, CA and loves to hike, restore their backyard to its original oak tree habitat, and make wine and liqueur from the eight plum trees in their garden.
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