You've got questions, I've got answers!
1. What kind of sweetener do you use for cereal and tea?
I don't eat cereal -- they're a little too processed to me (I mean, just exactly happened to the grains for them to take on those weird “cereal” shapes?), but no judgement here for cereal lovers, I used to be one, too!
I can't remember ever adding sweetener to my cereals, even when I ate plain, puffed brown rice. Maybe add in sliced bananas? I also like my tea unsweetened. Stevia and agave seem like the most common drink sweeteners.
2. You have beautiful hair and I was wondering what you use to wash and condition it.
I use a natural tea-tree oil shampoo and conditioner. It's similar to what they sell at Trader Joes. I've heard great things about washing your hair with water + baking soda, then rinsing with water + vinegar, but have not tried it yet. I find diet plays a huge role in the healthiness of my hair -- and I don’t eat added fats, so any article claiming you need nuts and avo for good hair is wrong.
3. I made your mayo (pg, 271, HHC), and I am wondering how long it will last in the refrigerator?
Depending on the freshness of the tofu when you made it and your fridge and environment, it should make it at least a week. When tofu goes bad it smells horribly!
4. I prefer to cook dried beans to avoid buying canned beans with bpa. The problem is no matter what I do, the skins turn out tough. I soak overnight, changing the water 4 or 5 times and then cook in water without salt to soften. They still turn out tough. Do you have any suggestions?
You can get BPA free canned beans; but if you prefer to cook them yourself I suggest getting a pressure cooker. It's the only way I've had luck cooking them, and it takes 8 minutes. For more information on BPA, you can see my post What is BPA?
5. Are your recipes easy to double? For example, can I just double all the ingredients in the Red Lentil Dal to make a serving of 8?
Most of my recipes should double okay, but be mindful of potent spices like cayenne and ginger, you may not want to double those. The single serving baked goods cannot be doubled.
