Meals Made Easy #4 - Carrot Ginger Soup

Being it is autumn, and I love food, I am consistently thinking of soup. Carrot Ginger Soup keeps popping up so I figured - let's do it. Perusing a few different recipes everything called for oranges but being fresh out I improvised (my favorite!) with frozen pineapple.

Inspiration: Autumn!

Food Obtained From: Tremont Farmers Market, West Side Market

List of Ingredients:
1 lb. carrots
1-2 inches fresh ginger
2 medium onion
2 tblsp butter
4 cups of broth or water with spices
1 cup pineapple
2 handfuls of spinach
1 oz goat cheese
salt and pepper.

Prep: Chop carrots, onion and ginger. In a pan over medium-high heat melt the butter and sautee the carrots, onion and ginger until soft. About 7 minutes. Add two cups of broth/water and simmer covered until tender. Roughly another 10 minutes. Combine the sauteed mixture with the spinach, pineapple and goat cheese either in a blender or using an immersion blender (I use a Vitamix). Combine until pureed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

All in all this takes under 30 minutes to make, the majority of the time being spent sauteing the veggie mixture. To make it vegan take out the goat cheese.

While the soup is a dull yellow and not the most pretty thing to look at it tastes fantastic.

Meals Made Easy #3 - Butternut Squash with Toasted Walnuts & Goat Cheese

While admittedly I did not make up this recipe, the ease of preparation and the delicious results, I had to post.

I wasn't sure what the nutritional value of butternut squash was, but a quick Google search proved it is fantastic for you!

Inspiration: Recipe from The Splendid Table Newsletter

Food Obtained From: Westside Market and Trader Joes

List of Ingredients: See below

From Sunday Roasts: A Year's Worth of Mouthwatering Roasts, from Old-Fashioned Pot Roasts to Glorious Turkeys and Legs of Lamb by Betty Rosbottom (Chronicle Books, 2011). Copyright © 2011 by Betty Rosbottom. Photographs copyright © 2011 by Susie Cushner. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the publisher.
Serves 4 (depending on size of squash)
Prep Time: 20 minutes if you purchase peeled butternut squash; 40 minutes if you peel and cube it yourself.
Start-to-Finish Time: 55 minutes to 1-1/4 hours
Although this dish calls for only a few ingredients, it delivers big, robust flavors and can be prepared almost completely in advance. The diced squash can be roasted several hours ahead so that at serving time all that is necessary is to arrange the cubes on a platter and sprinkle them with crumbled goat cheese, chopped walnuts, and minced parsley. My local supermarkets sell butternut squash that is already peeled and halved, and if you can find it in this convenient form, it will shave a good amount of time off the prep.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds/1.4 kg butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-in/2.5 cm dice to make 8 cups (see Market Note)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup/55 g walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (see Cooking Tip)
• 1/2 cup/115 g goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

1. Arrange a rack at center position and preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/gas 5.
2. Brush a heavy, rimmed baking sheet/tray with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Spread the cubed squash in a single layer on the baking sheet/tray. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over the squash, and toss to coat well. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper.
3. Roast the squash, stirring every 10 minutes, until it is tender when pierced with a knife and browned around the edges, for about 35 minutes or longer. Remove and set aside. (The squash can be roasted 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, reheat in a 350°F/180°C/gas 4 oven until warm, for about 15 minutes.)
4. Place the roasted squash cubes on a serving platter and sprinkle with walnuts, goat cheese, and parsley.
Market Note: Look for peeled butternut squash in the produce section of the supermarket. About 40 ounces/1.2 kg of this peeled squash should yield 8 cups. If you buy a whole squash, look for one that weighs 2-1/2 to 3 pounds/1.2 to 1.4 kg before peeling.
Cooking Tip: To toast the walnuts, spread them on a rimmed baking sheet/tray and place in a preheated 350°F/180°C/gas 4 oven until lightly browned and fragrant, 5 to 6 minutes. Watch carefully so that they do not burn. Remove and cool.

Butternut Squash with Toasted Walnuts & Goat Cheese

Meals Made Easy #2 – Soba noodles with Veggies and Tahini Sauce

Meals Made Easy #2 – Soba noodles with veggies and tahini sauce

Inspiration: a remembered meal and a lost recipe

Food obtained from: Basketeria at the Westside Market and Blue Pike Farm

Location: Cleveland, OH

List of Ingredients (all sizes approx): srvg. soba noodles, 5 baby bella mushrooms, .5 red pepper, .5 head broccoli, 3 clove garlic, 2 tblsp tahini, .5 hot pepper, 2 tsp mustard, 1 tblsp flax seed oil, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp marmalade, 1 tblsp rice vinegar, 1 tblsp butter, salt & pepper

Prep: cut mushrooms, red pepper and broccoli. Bring water to a boil for soba noodles.

In a small bowl add about 2 tblsps of tahini, one clove of garlic, half a hot pepper, 2 tsp of mustard, 1 tblsp flax seed oil, a tsp or two of both honey and marmalade, half a tblsp of rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk together and set aside.

Melt 1 tblsp of butter over medium heat, add garlic. Add veggies and sautee. Meanwhile, cook soba noodles. Both should cook for 4-5 minutes.

Drain noodles; add to plate, top with veggies and sauce. Mix together and enjoy.

Result: Takes about 10 minutes max to cook, is nutrient dense, easy to prep, light and delicious.

Meals made Easy #1 - Tofu with fingerling potatoes, heirloom tomatoes and hummus

Meal #1 – Tofu with fingerling potatoes, heirloom tomatoes and hummus

August 25, 2011

Inspiration: No menu in mind, seek and find mission

Food obtained from: Farmstand – Downtown Chicago

Location: Downtown Chicago; small kitchen

List of ingredients: fresh tofu, fingerling potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, corn, pita, artichoke spread, hummus, mushrooms, goat cheese, Franks Red Hot

Prep: heat grill. Put fingerlings in tinfoil with oil, salt and petter. Cook for 20 minutes or so. Add corn to grill, cook for 15 minutes. In the meantime, dice tofu, season to taste and sautee for 10-12 minutes in oil on the stove over medium-high heat.

Slice tomato and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill pita bread for five minutes, cut into eight pieces.

Plate presentation: dollop of both hummus and artichoke dip. 

Crumble goat cheese on top of the hummus, add Franks Red Hot (if desired). 

Add a serving of tofu, potatoes, tomato, ½ ear of corn and you’re all set.

The result is a light, fresh and filling meal.

Dream Log: Looking deeper

Last night part of my dream entailed acquiring some random possessions from a woman I did not know. As I looked through the things I was interested and a bit confused by what I had - eye drops, a purse, various junk a purse holds and most interestingly, a book. I paged through the book, taking note of a few foreign objects, random scraps of paper and the distinct markings of U.S. currency. Assuming someone used these as placeholders I did not think too much of it initially but was certainly intrigued. Who was this person? What is this book? As I delved a little deeper I discovered each page had its own pocket near the spine of the odd numbered pages. Tucked within these pockets were bills of various denominations and other items. I was elated - what an interesting book with such a pleasant surprise! Not knowing where these new found possessions came from in the first place this magical gift was all for me.

This morning as I lay reflecting on this portion of my nightly dream sequences/sagas it seemed to tell me: Don't just take things at face value. Often there is more than meets the eye, more than just surface explanations if we  are open to the experience. If we don't allow ourselves the time to truly explore and experience the wonderment of life we are doing ourselves a disservice and never know what we may have missed along the way.

wisdom often coincides with reality

I have gotten into the practice of almost daily forwarding on the Tiny Buddha and Daily Motivator emails I receive to a couple friends, usually without much fanfare attached but today I took it a step deeper, analyzing it a bit and really challenging myself to deepen my perspective, outlook and how I can be a value-add to a forward. As I realized today how much wisdom coincides with my reality I imparted that upon my email recipients as outlined below...

OK, so it creeps me out how much these daily pieces of wisdom I get coincide with each other. I like to take a minute or two each day and read them and then reflect a little on what wisdom it imparts for me that moment, that day and going forward.

As you all know, I get very frustrated in my current job (I won't call it my career) but yet, I am still here because despite my negativity towards it there are still many positives I can also draw upon to get me through the worst of times, times that mostly come from my own head and my own sense of self-worth or value-add.
In times of frustration, as both the Daily Motivator and Tiny Buddha outline, look for the positives, no matter how small. Ask yourself, as I do each morning, what is one thought or action that I can change/adjust today. Remember: Change only occurs when the pain of changing becomes less than the pain of staying the same.

So today, challenge yourself to change one thing, one outlook, one experience.

Namaste.

From: http://greatday.com


Thursday, January 27, 2011
You'll get through

You'll get through this day, and you'll have more strength, richness and wisdom as a result. You'll get through this month, this year, this life, all while adding to the already-great value that is your existence.
You have what it takes to find your way through, and indeed you will. Though it won't always be easy or comfortable or convenient, you will surely and steadily move forward.
You can choose to let the fears hold you back for a while. Or you can choose to let those fears inform and prepare you, and then move on through them to where you are meant to be.
You can come up with all sorts of creative excuses to avoid making progress. Eventually, though, you'll realize what you're missing and will decide to leave those excuses behind.

Whatever comes along, you'll get through it. At some point you'll learn to stop fighting, to stop struggling, to stop complaining, and allow yourself to successfully handle whatever comes your way.
The worries, the fears, the anxieties and moments of hesitation will all be proven wrong. Because one way or another, you will get through.
-- Ralph Marston
Read more: http://greatday.com/#ixzz1CG0u5QYK

From http://tinybuddha.com

Tiny Wisdom: On Embracing Pain
Jan 27, 2011 01:07 am | Lori Deschene
“We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” -Kenji Miyazawa
On days when I’m feeling overwhelmed by thoughts, feelings, or situations that seem hurtful, I ask myself: what can I take from this moment that will be useful for the ones ahead? What can I learn, address, challenge, change, improve, or simply accept to cause myself less pain going forward?
It doesn’t change that things might feel difficult. It doesn’t bring back someone whose gone. It doesn’t reverse disappointments or frustrations. But it reminds me that every challenging moment eventually passes when we accept it, sit with it, and then find a reason to move on empowered.
In making that choice, we wade through the pain without allowing ourselves to drown in suffering.
The human spirit is amazingly resilient. If you look back on your life, you can probably identify countless moments when everything felt hopeless–maybe even times when you weren’t sure you could go on. But you did. And despite the pain you felt before, you eventually smiled again. You felt happy, peaceful, and free again.
Today if you feel pain that feels unbearable, ask yourself: what’s the worst that would happen if I accepted this moment, and what’s the best that could happen if I learned from it?

Being Present When Life Falls Apart
Jan 27, 2011 01:06 am | Sonya Derian
by Sonya Derian

“We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” ~ Pema Chodron from When Things Fall Apart

Don’t run away from your fear, Pema says. Lean into it. This is her message.
It’s not the most popular or good feeling practice. Our natural tendency is to fight, flee, or freeze. We want to move away from what is uncomfortable. Get rid of it.
But she says quite the contrary. Move toward the places that scare you, that are most uncomfortable for you, and allow them to dissolve, to break apart, to open your heart.
This advice is almost opposite to what is popular in the new age arena. Get happy. Choose a different thought. Practice positive affirmations.
It is difficult.
But what do you do when you got laid off, or you lost a child, or you’re battling a terminal illness, or you don’t know how you’re going to pay your rent? How do you get through those times when you are in the thick of it with fear, dread, or worry?
Choose a different thought? Get happy? Practice positive affirmations?
Pema says no—you don’t do any of this. You lean into it. Let it inform you. Stay present. Experience your humanity. Find compassion in the midst of it.
A friend of mine was going through some challenging times and I recommended one of Pema’s books called When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times.
A while after she got the book and read it, she called me and asked, “Why did you recommend that book? I found it the most depressing read. I couldn’t finish it”.
The teachings can be interpreted that way. Pema talks about embracing impermanence, about abandoning hope.
You can easily say, “Then what’s the point?”
Her point is to experience the present. To be with the now. To let yourself be affected. To grow your capacity to be human. To experience life in all of its expression.
While I found myself wanting to protest, the truth is, what choice did we have? Wherever we go, there we are.
And while we can tell a different story, choose a different thought, or hope for a better future, it doesn’t take away from the moment now, here, where we might be experiencing discomfort with ourselves, our lives or the world around us.
The practice she says is instead of letting it harden us and build walls around our heart to protect against it, let it break you, let it soften, and then let it melt the resistance. See what happens.
Our fear comes from knowing what will happen. We will die. We will not be able to handle the pain or loneliness or loss or uncertainty or the despair. It will kill us.
Or, she says it will open our heart so that we can experience what it is to be genuine. What it is to be human, what it is to experience life truthfully in all its pain, with all its beauty.
Pema calls it the path of the spiritual warrior. It takes courage to be fully awake, she says, because a lot of suffering comes from wanting things to be different. From expecting the “ideal” to overcome the “actual,” or needing people, places, or things to be different for us to be happy.
But what if things don’t change? What if this is all there is? Can we be okay with that?
Don’t let your circumstances or your hope for things to be different rob you of your true present. That’s what I suspect Pema is saying.
Drop down into the still small place. Cultivate bravery. Develop an unconditional friendship with yourself, even when it feels too embarrassing, painful, unpleasant, or hateful.
Don’t let life harden you. There is tenderness, beauty, and grace in being alive.

sustenance

Food. Such a simple thing but has so many implications. Jack LaLanne passed away yesterday at 96, the champion and inventor of modern day fitness talked a lot about food...particularly how it can affect your life. NPR outlined one of his challenges yesterday, asking his listeners to give up sugars for just five days. Stop drinking soda, stop adding sugar to your coffee, stop will all the candy, processed food and added sugar.

This challenge sounds simple but for many is so hard. Many people survive on those additives. They eat processed bars for breakfast, lunch out of a microwavable cardboard box, dinner from a box, never stopping to think about or understand what they are truly consuming.

Of course I go out to eat, it gives me pleasure and joy. Outside of that, however, I cook for myself. I start with staples and cook. Some of it is extremely time consuming, others are done in 20 minutes or less. It isn't difficult, but you have to be willing to want to change. To understand that only when you control what you consume can you control how you feel.

The following dish was quick and easy. I gathered the idea from a food network recipe and then went off on my own based on items I had in my house. It is low-cal and body healthy.

Israeli Couscous with Cranberries and Mushrooms over Mixed Greens

1 c. of Israeli couscous
1 tbsp vegan butter
2 c. vegetable broth
dash of white wine
0.5 c. dried cranberries
1 c. sliced mushrooms
0.5 c. chopped carrots
1 tbsp. champagne dill mustard
0.5 c. mixed greens
dried herbs - basil & lemon balm
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat melt the butter. Add the dry couscous and toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid burning the grain. Add the broth, bringing to a boil and simmering for 10-15 minutes until all the broth is absorbed.
Put the couscous into a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, add the mushrooms and simmer in white wine and a bit of salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the mustard, herbs, cranberries, mushrooms and carrots to to the couscous and mix well.

Place a half cup of couscous over the mixed greens and enjoy.

For every action there's a reaction

“When life gives you lemons, paint that shit gold.” – Atmosphere

Life happens. It is not always fair, it certainly may appear not to make sense, leaving one to wonder, “What just happened?” But dwelling is a fool’s game, the only result being a focus on the negative. Instead, when life presents us with a less than ideal situation, we must figure out what good is to be had and expound on that. Upward and onward.

My house was broken into while I was out of town over the holidays. I received the phone call today, on New Years Day, and immediately drove five hours home to evaluate the damage. It is strange feeling uncomfortable in my own home; knowing someone was in there, rifling through my things, my life, and taking what they believe to be theirs.

Some electronics were stolen, but they’re just possessions. Money is gone, but just a lot of change in my piggy. Some inexpensive jewelry is gone, but my favorite ring, my Claddagh ring from Ireland, was left behind. One of my favorite possessions, antique binoculars, were swiped. They stole my US and Ireland passports along with my social security card. No charges on the couple of pilfered credit cards. My cat is safe at my friend’s house, having stayed there over the holidays. My computer, bike and skis are all there. While these scummy people broke into my home, they took the care not to break any doors or windows, locked the door behind them and only left the window open a crack. They didn’t break or destroy anything inside.

Is this an unfortunate way to begin my new year? Yes, of course. However, it could be far worse. I am more than my material possessions and I won’t let a person with bad karma and desperation wear too heavily on my mind or soul. I got a strange feeling the other day that my home had been or was about to be violated. I gave it thought but ultimately cast the thoughts aside, though it remained in the back of my mind. Seems there was something to the premonition, maybe a way of preparing myself for the violation.

Either way, c’est la vie. It sucks but it happens; I can be a victim, waxing a morose tale or I embrace the positives and continue on…I’ll take the latter any day. Welcome, 2011. Here’s to a year of learning, growing and exploring.