Happy Veterans Day!

Happy Veterans Day! We would like to thank all who are currently serving or have served, and to thank those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We would like to offer a coupon for in our online store, use code VETERANS11 and save 11% on your total order (excludes frozen). This offer is good for today only (November 11, 2015 12 am to 11:59 pm).

We hope everyone enjoys today!

April Events For SVO

We sometimes do events in our local area. This month we will be attending two events that we are very excited to share with you, and invite you to come out and see us! 

April 22, 2015

Earth Day Vendor Fair Hosted by First Alternative Natural Foods Co-Op

This event is going on at both of First Alternatives locations (South & North). We will be at the South Store location (1007 SE 3rd St.) from 12pm to 1:30pm. Then we will move over to the North Store Location (2855 NW Grant Ave.) and will be there from 2pm to 3:30pm. 

We will have our products with us and have sample available! YUM!

Check Out Our Facebook Event for the South Store Location

Check Out Our Facebook Event for the North Store Location

April 25, 2015

Step Into My Parlor Tyee Open House Hosted by Tyee Wine Cellers

You are cordially invited to join Tyee Wine Cellars (26335 Greenberry Rd) on the Buchanan Family Century Farm. Celebrating Tyee's 30th Annual ReOpening, the Buchanan Family will be hosting a "meet and greet" in Tyee's historic Milking Parlor turned Wine Parlor. Come see how we've aged! 

In addition to tasting new release 2012 Tyee Estate Barrel Select Pinot Noir, 2013 Tyee Estate Pinot Gris, 2013 Tyee Gewurztamier and 2011 Tyee Estate Barrel Select Pinot Noir, we will be featuring Winemaker's choice Tyee Library Wines and Tyee New Releases for tasting and purchase. 

Featuring: Marshall Adams on flamenco & classical guitar

Product Demos & Sales from:
Sunset Valley Organics (We will be there from 3:30 to 6pm)
Willamette Valley Cheese Company

Admission: $10 {waived for Tyee Wine Club Members + 1 guest}

Check Out Our Facebook Event For Tyee's Open House

Happy New Years!!

We at Sunset Valley Organics want to wish everyone a very Happy New Years! We hope everyone has a happy & healthy year! 

Healthy Thanksgiving Alternatives

Every thanks giving we all basically throw out whatever good eating habits we have been trying to stick with because of all of the delicious food that happens around the holidays, especially thanksgiving. This year we would like to offer some healthy alternatives so you can still enjoy all those delicious dishes and not feel bad about it! Best of both worlds! We hope you enjoy!

Gluten Free Stuffing inspired from Yammie's Gluten Freedom

For the Bread:
1 cup warm water 
1 1/2 tablespoons instant dry yeast
3 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup Tapioca Flour 
1/2 cup Potato Starch 
1 cup White Rice Flour 
2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum 
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Combine the water and yeast. Let it sit for a couple minutes. Add the eggs, brown sugar, tapioca flour, potato starch, 1/2 cup of the white rice flour, the xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Stir until smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of rice flour and stir to combine (I just add it later so it's not as hard to stir).
Plop it on a greased baking sheet and allow to rise for about 30 minutes. Bake at 350ºF for about 45 minutes. 

For the Stuffing:
6 cup dry bread cubes (cook at 200ºF until dry or chop into cubes and set out for a day or two until dry)
A few tablespoons olive oil or butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic 
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery 
 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or any combination of sage, thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary)
3 cups chicken stock
1 egg, slightly beaten

Saute the garlic, onion, and celery. Add the bread and seasoning. Add the chicken stock and egg and mix just until combined (don't over mix). Dump into a greased baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350ºF or until the top is toasty.

Southwest Style Baked Sweet Potatoes (paleo friendly!) 
inspired from savory lotus

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 large garnet or jewel sweet potatoes
• 1 TBS butter, ghee, or coconut oil
• 1/4  onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 LB ground beef, bison, or turkey (preferably grass fed/pastured)
• 1/2 tsp  celtic sea salt (like this)
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp chili powder (I use this one)
• 2 TBS filtered water
• 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
• FOR SPICY AVOCADO SAUCE:
• 1 ripe avocado, mashed
• 1 TBS olive oikl
• juice from 1 lime or lemon
• a pinch of celtic sea salt
• a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce (my favorite)
• FOR GARNISH:
• green onions
• cilantro
• 1 tomato, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Pierce each sweet potato several times with the tines of a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until tender and completely soft, about 45-60 minutes.
3. Prepare avocado sauce by combining all avocado sauce ingredients and mixing until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
4. About 30 minutes into baking the sweet potatoes, melt fat of choice in skillet and saute onion for 7-9 minutes until beginning to brown.  Add ground meat and continue to cook until meat is completely browned.
5. Add salt, cumin, chili powder and water to skillet.  Mix to combine and cook another 5 minutes on low-medium, until water is all cooked off, stirring occasionally.
6. Add chopped spinach and cook another couple of minutes until spinach is wilted. Cover and remove from heat.
7. When sweet potatoes are done, make a slit in the top of each sweet potato and squeeze the ends to create a little well inside. Gently loosen up some of the inside of each sweet potato with a fork.  Then top with big mound of spiced ground meat.  Drizzle with spicy avocado, and garnish with green onions, cilantro, and tomato.
8. Serve with fresh green salad or steamed greens.  Enjoy!

For more Healthy Thanksgiving ideas and recipes please check out our Pinterest board for this month! 

Something Sweet for Your Sweet Heart

Strawberries have become a romantic an iconic treat for Valentines day, so if you want a treat for yourself or for your sweetie here are some delicious recipes to lend some inspiration.

Strawberry Shortcake with lemon cream sauce

For the strawberry filling:

1 quart strawberries, sliced

½ cup sugar

For the shortcakes:

⅓ cup shortening

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

¾ cup milk

Additional sugar, for topping (if desired)

For the lemon cream:

½ cup lemon curd

½ cup heavy whipping cream

Mix strawberries and with the ½ cup of sugar. Let stand for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 450°F. 

In a medium bowl, cut the shortening into the flour, 2 tbsp. sugar, baking powder and salt until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in milk just until blended.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead 20-25 times. Roll out into ½-in. thickness. Cut with a 3-in. floured biscuit cutter. Place shortcakes about 1-inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with additional sugar, if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Place the lemon curd and heavy whipping cream in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Split shortcakes horizontally. Place shortcake bottoms on serving plates. Top with lemon cream sauce and strawberries. Replace tops. Serve immediately.

From Love Bakes Good Cakes

Strawberry Cannoli Parfaits with Pistachios

Ingredients

           1 pound of strawberries, hulled and sliced

• 3 Satsuma Oranges, freshly squeezed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup confectioners sugar
• 1 cup ricotta
• ? cup pistachios, chopped roughly
• 1 package Amaretto D’Italia cookies (200g/7.05oz Matilde Vicenzi), crushed

Instructions

• Cut up your strawberries. Slice oranges in half and squeeze the juice over the berries. If your oranges are large you could cut this down to 2.
• Place the berries in a glass container and stick in the fridge for about 2 to 4 hours. Give it a shake every hour if you can.
• Now in a mixer combine your heavy cream and confectioners sugar. Whip until peaks form.
• Place your ricotta in a large bowl. Stir in ½ the whipped cream and mix a bit. Then add other ½ and fold it in.
• Place a layer of crushed cookies in the bottom of your glasses.
• Add a layer of strawberries.
• Add a light layer of pistachios.
• Add a layer of cannoli cream.
• Repeat steps for a second layer.
• Top with chopped pistachios.
• Add a strawberry garnish on top.
• Refrigerate for about an hour or more.
• Serve with a big old strawberry, cannoli-y, pistachio smile

from Cravings of A Lunatic 

STRAWBERRY LEMON CHEESECAKE PARFAITS

PREP TIME: 10 
Buy these simple ingredients, mix together in a large bowl, fill parfait glasses, refrigerate, and serve! You can buy a pre-made angel food cake, too!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. container mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup lemon curd
1 lb. or more of strawberries
1 whole angel food cake

DIRECTIONS:

Whip the heavy cream on high, adding in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the mascarpone cheese and lightly mix.

Fold in the lemon curd.

Cut the angel food cake into pieces.

Slice the strawberries (I use an egg slicer.)

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Top with more berries.

Serve cold.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Years Everyone! 

2013 was a great year and we had a lot of fun during it, but its time to move on to a brand new year and see what it hold for us! 

We would like to also announce that we will be changing our website to make it more user friendly and updating parts of the site. So if you are having troubles with it we kindly ask for your patients. You can call us with any questions or concerns. We have just started the process, and aren't quite sure when the changes will start taking effect. For the latest check out our Facebook page.

Ever thought about adding berries to your New Years Champaign? We think it's a great and delicious addition!

Tell us what you think and leave us a comment!

Christmas Recipes We Love

While the holidays are of course a time to splurge and indulge, its also nice to have some healthy alternatives mixed in there. Here are some of what we love to eat during the holidays: 

Blueberry, Oatmeal, & Yougurt Muffins

makes 12 regular muffins (depending how full you pack your muffin tin)

What you'll need:

• no-stick cooking spray
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup oats–quick or regular oats, plain
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces honey nonfat greek yogurt or 1 1/2 cups (Chobani)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

How To Do It: 

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. Coat muffin tin with cooking spray or liners.
3. Combine flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
4. Combine yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla in a second bowl.
5. Fold yogurt mixture into dry mixture; stir to combine completely.
6. Gently fold in blueberries.
7. Spoon into muffin tins.
8. Bake until top is golden and springs back when you gently touch it, 20-25 minutes.

EASY CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST STICKS

with strawberries and blueberries

yield: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

 

prep time: 20 MIN

 

cook time: 10 MIN

INGREDIENTS:

8 slices thick-cut Texas toast (See Kelly's Notes)
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Unsalted butter, for cooking
Maple syrup, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Cut each slice of Texas toast into four sticks. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture, turning to coat it on all sides so that it's well-saturated with the custard.

Shake off any excess and place the coated bread on a large plate or baking dish. Repeat the dipping process with the remaining pieces of bread.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, place several of the coated sticks in a single layer in the pan. (Do not overcrowd the pan.) Cook until golden brown on one side then flip and continue cooking until the sticks are golden brown and slightly crisped on all edges.

Serve immediately with maple syrup for dipping.

Notes:
Day-old bread that's slightly dried out works best for French toast since it will soak up the most custard.

Thick-cut bread with sturdy crusts is essential for this recipe, as the crusts help the sticks hold their shape. If you prefer regular French toast, skip slicing the Texas toast into sticks or use a crusty French baguette sliced into 1-inch-thick rounds.

(Original Source)

Raspberry-Walnut Crumble Bars

Makes 24 bars| Hands-On Time: 30m| Total Time: 2hr 35m

Ingredients

• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup raspberry jam
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with the cooking spray. Line the pan with a piece of parchment, leaving an over-hang on two sides; spray the parchment with the cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined (do not overmix).
4. Transfer two-thirds of the dough to the prepared pan and press in evenly; spread the jam on top. Crumble the remaining dough over the jam and sprinkle with the walnuts. Bake until golden, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan.
5. Holding both sides of the paper overhang, lift the cake out of the pan, transfer to a cutting board, and cut into 24 rectangles (6 rows by 4 rows). Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Heathy Twist on Thanksgiving

In need of some healthy alternatives for this Thanksgiving? We have been stumbling across what we thing could really be some delicious stuff!

1. 7 Healthy Twists on Your Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes- This seven slideshow shows some great alternatives to the traditional dishes and also gives you the recipe right there! Now thats convient!

2. 9 'Recipes' for a healthy Thanksgiving- This slideshow gives recipes as well as tips on staying healthy during thanksgiving this year. 

3. Pumpkin Souffle- Serves 8: Nutritional value per serving:  Cal 109/Fat 2 grams/Carbs 19 grams/Fiber 3 grams/Protein 5 grams

  Ingredients: 

• 2 tbsp. demerara sugar
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 (15 oz.)can pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup 2% fat milk
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. fresh minced rosemary
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• 4 egg whites, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ½ tsp. cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tbsp. demerara sugar and ½ tsp. ground cinnamon.
3. Coat  8 (6oz.) ramekins or a 1 ½ quart soufflé dish with cooking spray.  Then sprinkle cinnamon sugar and set aside.
4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add flour then gradually add the milk, whisking until blended.
5. Cook for about 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.
6. Take off the heat and stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, nutmeg and salt.
7. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg yolks on high-speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes.
8. Slowly add milk mixture to egg yolks, stirring constantly.
9. In another large bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high-speed until soft peaks form.  Slowly pour in sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff peaks.
10. Gently stir in ¼ of the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture.
11. Then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites being careful not to deflate the egg whites.
12. Pour mixture into ramekins.  Place ramekins on a baking sheet.  Bake individual soufflés for 18 to 20 minutes, one large soufflé for 1 hour until soufflé has puffed and is golden brown.

A Healthy Halloween

Here are some yummy recipes to inspire a happy & healthy halloween!

Happy Halloween Snacks!
Cut bananas in half.  Press in mini chocolate chips for eyes and a regular chocolate chip for the mouth.Peel tangerines.  Add sliced celery for the stems.




Funky Frankenstein

Spread some mayo, bread spread or flavored cheese spread on a slice of bread. Lay some cucumber ribbons and top with slices of carrot , 

olive, pea , and red bell  pepper ( for mouth). Use cheese and nachos to

 make teeth , scar and hair respectively. Draw some funky features 

on a hard boiled egg andf let the fun begin.

Juicy Jack- o - Lantern 

Spread some mayo, bread spread or flavored cheese spread on a slice

 of bread. Lay some carrot ribbons and top with some beet and cilantro.

Draw a scary eyeball and veins  on a hard boiled egg and let the fun begin. 

 Yummy Mummy 

Spread some hummus, pesto  or flavored cheese spread on a slice

 of bread. Lay carrot & olive eyes & top with radish  ribbons . Draw 

some zombie features on a hard boiled egg n get ready to cast a spell. 

Halloweggs 

Some unshelled hard boiled eggs & colorful food markers &  is 

all that you need to make this lil Halloween edible craft. 

Source: Little Food Junction