Rainbow Grocery Cooperative Stays True to Its Soul-Satisfying Mission

The Rainbow Grocery is on a street that members of our team often travel, going from San Francisco to other parts of the Bay Area and back. The happy rainbow graphic alone is a comforting sight for us, reminding that this worker-owned cooperative has always been supportive and even intertwined with our local LGBTQ community for decades. You can also find the San Francisco Bay Times there! The store is one of our longtime distribution points. We are proud to be in this Mission District landmark spot, now 41 years old. Rainbow Grocery supports fair labor practices, offers affordable vegetarian foods with minimal negative ecological impact, donates to local non-profits and schools, supports organic farmers and other small local businesses and much more.

At the center of it all are the co-op’s dedicated workers.

“Our Worker-Owners have been extremely busy keeping the business afloat,” Esteban Garcia of Rainbow says. “As Worker-Owners, we take pride in making sure the job gets done because we’re fully invested in keeping the business running. Work It! Own It! When we are not busy running the place, our collective members are busy with their lives. We have many Worker-Owners who are artists ranging from chefs, painters, musicians, creative designers. The list goes on.”

Their creative energy also carries over to the store, where there is always something very cool going on. For example, last month, Rainbow Grocery teamed up with other Bay Area co-ops and hosted movie nights at Sports Basement SF and had a pizza party that showed how to use essential oils topically and in foods. The store also recently hosted Vegan Iron Chef, B-Magic and AfroSolo events.

This year, Rainbow launched a customer appreciation program, providing easy access to sales, coupons and informative newsletters. The materials provide a welcome respite during this hectic post-election holiday period.

But you might be wondering why we’re featuring a veggie-centric store at a time when many are considering roasted turkey, holiday hams and other meaty fare. It’s because their food is delicious! There is such a difference in taste between a crisp and juicy farm-fresh apple, for example, versus some of the waxed up mush you find at the box stores. Rainbow is also stacked to its rafters with great seasonal items now. Below are a few holiday recipes featuring some of the store’s most popular products.

Vegan Stuffing with Almonds, Apples & Dried Cranberries

(Shared by Frontier Co-op)

Ingredients:

8–9 cups whole grain bread, cubed
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups shallots, peeled and chopped
2-1/2 cups tart apples, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tsp. Frontier Organic Marjoram
2 tsp. Frontier Vegetable Broth Powder
1/8 tsp. Frontier Organic Nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Frontier Organic Allspice
3/4 tsp. Frontier Organic Lemon Peel
1/2 tsp. Frontier Organic Black Pepper, or to taste
3/4 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 325 degrees F.
2. In two shallow baking pans, spread bread cubes. Bake on two racks in oven, switching halfway through, for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Cool, then transfer to large bowl.
3. In large, heavy dry skillet over medium heat, toast walnuts, stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown. Remove walnuts and add olive oil to pan. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned. Add apples, marjoram, salt, pepper, nutmeg and allspice. Cook 8 to 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to soften. Remove from heat.
4. In heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring orange juice and cranberries to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, until juice is absorbed.
5. Add cranberries and apple mixture to bread cubes and stir. Add walnuts and lemon peel and stir again.
6. Mix vegetable broth powder with water, stirring to dissolve. Add to the bread cube mixture and toss well.
7. In a well-oiled, 2-1/2 quart shallow baking dish, place stuffing mixture. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 minutes more, until browned.

Cooking tip: Stuffing can be assembled (but not baked) two days ahead, then kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Pumpkin Spice Old Fashioned

(Shared by Mt. Rose Herbs)

Ingredients:

1 tsp. Love Tea simple syrup (recipe below)
2 oz. bourbon
4 droppers of orange cardamom bitters (recipe below)
2–4 dashes of organic Pumpkin Pie Spice blend
1 organic navel orange
1 organic cinnamon stick

Directions:

Add simple syrup, bitters, bourbon, and pumpkin pie spice in the bottom of a double Old Fashioned glass. Stir until combined. Peel 1 large strip of orange zest using a vegetable peeler and twist the peel over the glass, releasing its oils. Wipe the pith-side of the peel around the rim of the glass and toss into the glass. Put desired amount of ice in glass and garnish with cinnamon stick and orange wedge.

Stuffing with Apple, Dried Cherries & Herb Brown Butter

(Shared by Field Roast)

Ingredients:

4 cups 1⁄2-inch cubes (vegan) cornbread4 cups 1⁄2-inch cubes (vegan) sourdough bread
6 Tbsp. vegan butter, divided
Scant 2 cups 1⁄4-inch-thick half-moons celery
Scant 1-1⁄2 cups thinly sliced leeks
1⁄2 cup finely chopped red onions
2-1⁄2 tsp. minced garlic
3 cups 1⁄2-inch cubes peeled and cored Granny Smith apples
4 Smoked Apple Sage Field Roast Sausages, crumbled
3 Tbsp. minced fresh sage leaves
1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
1⁄2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1⁄3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup egg substitute (equivalent to 2 eggs)
1 tsp. coarse salt
8 grinds black pepper

 

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375°F.
2. Pour the cornbread and sourdough cubes onto a baking sheet with sides. Once the oven is hot, toast until golden brown and dried out, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside (leave the oven on).
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons vegan butter in a 12-inch, heavy, nonstick sauté pan (with 2 to 3-inch-high sides) over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the celery, leeks, red onions, and garlic, and sauté until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the apples and crumbled sausage and simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon, until the apples are tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons vegan butter over medium heat in a small, heavy frying pan. Once it is melted, let it bubble for a minute, and then stir in the fresh sage and rosemary leaves. Let bubble for 1 minute, until the butter turns very light golden, and then remove from the heat and set aside. Meanwhile, place the cranberries in a small bowl, cover with very hot water, and let sit to soften, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain.
5. In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, bread cubes, vegetable-apple-sausage mixture, vegan butter (scrape it out of the pan), vegetable broth, parsley, egg substitute, salt, and pepper, using tongs to mix gently, but well. Spray the entire inside of a 9 x 13 x 2-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the stuffing mixture inside and spread evenly, flattening it down. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 20 minutes, until golden brown on top and tender and fluffy inside. Serve.

Serving Suggestions: Pair with braised winter greens. For dessert, serve pumpkin pie or a cranberry tart.

Try This: If you prefer your stuffing more savory than sweet, use all sourdough and no cornbread. Substitute sautéed mushrooms and Field Roast Italian Sausage for the dried cranberries.

For more information about Rainbow Grocery, including its holiday schedule, please visit: http://www.rainbow.coop/