In the spirit of Mardi Gras, Seward Co-op’s sausage department is offering Cajun Boudin, a classic Louisiana sausage.

Seward-made Cajun Boudin is deliciously spicy and loaded with peppers, onions, liver and pork from Peterson Craftsman Meats in Osceola, Wisconsin, a local Community Foods producer.

To eat like an Acadiana local, skip the casing on this one by squeezing out the mixture as you eat it or cutting it open and forming a boudin ball that you roll in corn meal and fry. It’s a great choice for snacking on with beers while the gumbo or étouffée simmer.

Pairs well with grits, collard greens or black-eyed peas. Try eggs benedict with boudin balls instead of ham.

Find the Cajun Boudin and other Seward-made sausages now in our Meat and Seafood department!

All Seward-made sausage is made in Seward Co-op’s production kitchen.

WIC began transitioning from paper vouchers to an electronic payment card on Jan. 24. We’re excited that the new system provides a more consistent checkout experience for all customers, as well as some added flexibility for customers as to how and when to use WIC benefits. Seward Co-op shoppers may notice some changes around the stores as part of the federally required switch to eWIC.

Our Commitment to WIC
WIC (Women Infants and Children) is a program that provides resources to eligible families with young children. Seward Co-op became an authorized WIC retailer in the 1980s. We share WIC’s goal of ensuring young children receive good nutrition, and Seward Co-op’s mission is to sustain a healthy community.

New WIC Product Requirements
While Seward Co-op continues to negotiate alternatives, we now stock items required by WIC such as prepacked cheese, non-organic whole wheat pasta, and white eggs “with no attributes.” WIC determined “attributes” include cage-free, organic, brown and nutritionally enhanced.

Seward Co-op remains committed to the WIC program. We are proud to support access to healthy food for children and families. To participate in WIC, stores are required to carry all products specified in the program. At this time, we can’t opt out of certain items or provide alternatives as we have in the past.

For years, Seward Co-op subsidized key products to ensure access to cage-free eggs and certain organic products, such as baby food. Now that eWIC has launched, we must adhere to the new approved product list.

We worked with our distributors to bring in WIC-eligible cheese. Seward Co-op continues to look for distribution options to help expand our offerings while complying with the approved product list.

Contact WIC Office
Seward Co-op prioritizes products from humanely raised animals. We are working with the MN WIC office to advocate for quality food we believe should be available to everyone.

Your feedback may help create change. Seward Co-op staff encourages you to share your thoughts and concerns with the MN WIC office at 651-201-4444.

The next Seward Co-op Board of Directors meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 12, 6:15 p.m. at the Creamery administrative building, 2601 Franklin Ave. (This meeting was rescheduled from Jan. 29, after being postponed due to severe weather.) Co-op owners are welcome to attend and a RSVP is politely requested. The agenda is available here. Please RSVP by emailing board@seward.coop.

United Natural Foods (UNFI) is expanding a recent voluntary recall to include several varieties of RXBAR protein bars with best-by dates ranging from March 2019 to October 2019, due to the possible presence of undeclared peanut.

Seward Co-op has removed all affected product from shelves. The products being recalled are listed below.

RXBAR Pumpkin Spice Protein Bar
Best-by dates between May 9, 2019, and July 11, 2019
Size: 1.83 oz.

RXBAR Chocolate Sea Salt Protein bar
Best-by dates between March 4, 2019, and Sept. 11, 2019; Oct. 11, 2019
Size: 1.83 oz.

RXBAR Coconut Cacao Protein Bar
Best-by dates between March 1, 2019, and Oct. 13, 2019
Size: 1.83 oz.

RXBAR Blueberry Protein Bar
Best-by dates between March 21, 2019, and May 21, 2019; July 7, 2019, and Sept. 29, 2019
Size: 1.83 oz.

RXBAR Berry Blast Kids Protein Bar
Best-by dates between March 14, 2019, and April 26, 2019; June 6, 2019, and Aug. 5, 2019
Size: 1.16 oz.

RXBAR Chocolate Chip Kids Protein Bar
Best-by dates between March 15, 2019 and April 14, 2019; July 17, 2019, and Sept. 21, 2019
Size: 1.16 oz.

RXBAR Apple Cinnamon Kids Protein Bar
Best-by dates between March 3, 2019, and April 16, 2019; July 12, 2019
Size: 1.16 oz.

If you purchased any of these products at Seward Co-op between Oct. 19, 2018, and Jan. 17, 2019, you will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desks.

We’re looking ahead to 2019, which will feature our first year of Community Choice SEED grant recipients. Our selection process for our 12 yearly SEED recipients is entirely staff-led, with the majority of cashiers serving on the committee. Show your support to our front-end staff by rounding up at the register throughout the year!

Here are our 2019 SEED grant recipients and the months during which they’ll receive funds. There will be one Community Choice recipient each quarter.

January: Mental Health Resources (Community Choice)
Mental Health Resources’ Seward Community Support Program (“CSP”) drop-in center on Minnehaha Avenue provides healthy snacks, meals, and health mentoring for 400 neighbors who are recovering from serious mental illness so they can thrive physically and mentally.

February: Cultural Wellness Center
The Dreamland Co-Café, a project of the Cultural Wellness Center, will create a blend of Culinary Heritage, self-love, and business incubation for African American food entrepreneurs in a cooperative and supportive environment that will allow us to reconnect, rediscover and reinvent the culinary traditions of our past.

Come sit around the “farm table” at the Seward Co-op Creamery Café and learn more about the Cultural Wellness Center 6-8 p.m. Feb. 19. Enjoy a meal designed by Creamery Café staff and inspired by this work, with ingredients sourced from Community Foods producers. Tickets are limited and may be purchased via Eventbrite.

March: Soup for You Café
Soup for You provides free, healthy, organic meals to all members of our community, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. We build community one bowl at a time.

April: Sexual Violence Center (Community Choice)
Sexual Violence Center, a nonprofit rape crisis center in Minneapolis, provides free support services to individuals impacted by sexual violence in Hennepin, Scott, and Carver counties. Funds from this program will help us build a gender-neutral bathroom in our office.

May: Appetite For Change
Appetite For Change advocates for food justice and economic development in North Minneapolis, with SEED funds supporting our Youth Training and Opportunity Program and our policy and advocacy work through Northside Fresh Coalition.

June: Urban Strategies, Inc./Green Garden Bakery (Community Choice)
Green Garden Bakery youth, supported by the nonprofit Urban Strategies, Inc., grow vegetables in their urban garden, bake them into healthy vegetable-based desserts (vegan and gluten-free), and market them using sustainable practices. We sell the desserts for “pay-what-you-want” and donate our
proceeds back into our community.

July: Isuroon
Isuroon is dedicated to building support for Somali women and girls social connectedness and self-sufficiency so that they can lead healthier, more productive lives in Minnesota and globally. SEED funding will be used in support of a culturally-specific food shelf that provides support for social connectedness, dignified service and healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, to any person in need.

August: Southside Services, Inc.
Southside Services supports adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities to become increasingly active, contributing members of their community.

September: Dream of Wild Health
Dream of Wild Health is a Native American-led nonprofit farm that provides leadership programs for Native youth. Dream of Wild Health grows indigenous seeds and foods and supports Native youth in advocating for a healthy community.

October: Village Financial Cooperative
Village is establishing a loan fund to disrupt the predatory financial market; establishing a Black-led credit union, filling the void of accessible and affordable banking; and providing cooperative development for emerging co-ops in North Minneapolis.

November: Sabathani Community Center
Sabathani provides food, clothing and housing to 26,000 neighborhood residents each year in South Minneapolis. We feed the chronically poor, those on disability or chemical dependent individuals and families. Sabathani Community Center has been providing basic
needs services for nearly fifty years.

December: Open Arms of Minnesota (Community Choice)
Open Arms cooks and delivers free meals tailored to meet the nutritional needs of individuals living with life-threatening illnesses. They also serve the children and caretakers of those living with illness, free of charge.

Busy and on a budget? Our Nourish program is a great resource for meal planning or feeding a family of four in a snap. Reach for our list of Nourish staples (food and wellness items offered at a low price every day) and Nourish recipes, available at Customer Service. Nourish also includes needs-based discounts and classes.

Seward-made rotisserie chicken and ready-to-eat beans and brown rice serve as building blocks for easy, budget-friendly meals.

Try this simple recipe using ingredients from Community Foods producers that are also part of our Nourish program. Our rotisserie chicken is sourced from Kadejan in Glenwood, Minnesota. Salsa Lisa is a small, local, woman-owned business in St. Paul.

Easy Weeknight Chicken Burrito Bowl

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
•2 cups shredded Seward-made
rotisserie chicken
•1/2 lb. each Seward-made rice
and beans from the Deli
•1 cup Salsa Lisa salsa
•1/2 cup sour cream
•2 cups shredded green lettuce
•1 cup shredded Monterey Jack
cheese

Directions
Grab your ingredients at Seward Co-op. Assemble at home. Enjoy! Vegetarian? Use avocado instead of chicken. Vegan? Make a simple guacamole instead of using sour cream and cheese. Or try our selection of vegan cheeses. We love Punk Rawk Labs, a small, local, woman-owned Community Foods producer that makes nut milk cheeses right here in
Minneapolis.

For a super easy meal, top the burrito bowl with ingredients from our salad bar that have already been washed and prepped. .

“Staples” signs on the shelves highlight great everyday deals and some of the co-op’s most affordable foods and wellness products. All Seward-made products are part of the Community Foods program

Pro tip: Save the chicken bones and make stock that could be used to repurpose the leftovers from this recipe or add flavor and nutrients to another dish.

Features:
•Kadejan Rotisserie Chicken (salt & pepper, herb, or Cajun) $9.99 whole | $5.99 half
•Beans and Brown Rice | Available fresh daily and served hot at the deli counter | $1.99/lb.

Come sit around the “farm table” at the Seward Co-op Creamery Café and learn more about the Cultural Wellness Center, our February SEED recipient.

The Cultural Wellness Center is working on a new project that will create a blend of culinary heritage, self-love, and business incubation for African American food entrepreneurs.

Their new café space will be a cooperative and supportive environment focused on reconnecting, rediscovering and reinventing the culinary traditions of our past.

Enjoy a meal designed by Creamery Café staff and inspired by this work, with ingredients sourced from Community Foods producers.

Three-course dinner: $40

Non-alcoholic beverage pairing: additional $7

Beer, wine and other beverages will be available for purchase.

Click here to purchase tickets now.

Save on guacamole, pico de gallo, avocados and more—just in time for game day.

Here are a few deals to score Friday, Feb. 1, through Sunday, Feb. 3.

•Equal Exchange Small Avocados 99¢ each (regular: $1.29) — Fair Trade
•Organic Large Avocados $1.49 each (regular: $1.79)
•Pico de Gallo $5.99 per pound (regular: $6.99) — Find it in the deli!
•Guacamole $12.99 per pound (regular: $13.99) — Find it in the deli!

Check out our Store Specials, Owner Specials and Co+op Deals for more ways to save.