Curried Tofu Salad

Curried Tofu Salad

     Taken from the conscientious omnivore web site, this is my "meat-etarian" husband's very favorite vegan dish.  He makes it for me all the time and eats it for dinner right along side me.  This is my all time favorite dish and packs a punch for healthy living.   

2 packages tofu, extra firm, pressed and diced

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch green onions

1 carrot, peeled and shredded

chopped cilantro, in whatever amount you like (we use about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup raisins

2 oz slivered almonds

1 small "toe" of fresh ginger, minced

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise

juice of 1/2 large lemon

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 + tsp curry powder

1 tsp sugar or agave nectar or honey

1 dash of cayenne

a dash of white pepper

several cranks of black pepper

     In a large saucepan over medium to medium high heat, sauté the tofu ( in a bit of olive oil) until browned and firmed.  Ensure that this cooks for a long period of time to allow much of the liquid to evaporate.  Add soy sauce, toss,  and set aside to cool.  In a separate bowl, blend all of the dressing ingredients.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Add the tofu and the rest of the ingredients.  Enjoy the family secret!

Time Enough

by Dennis O'Driscoll

The tally of years
added up so rapidly
it appeared I had
been short-changed,
tricked by sleight
of hand, fallen victim
to false bookkeeping.

Yet when I checked
my records, each
and every year had
been accounted for,
down to the last day,
and could be audited
against old diary entries
(client briefings,
dental check-ups,
parent-teacher meetings,
wedding anniversaries),
verified with credit
card statements
(multi-trip insurance,
antibiotics, concert bookings,
mobile top-ups).

And, although
nagging doubts
remained—an
inkling that I had
been ripped off
in some way,
given short shrift,
made to live at an
accelerated pace,
rushed through
my routines with
unseemly haste—
nothing could be proved,
no hard and fast
statistics adduced.

I had, it seems,
unknown to me,
been living my
life to the full.

"Don't lose the meaning behind the trappings of the looks on the outside."
               -taken from "The Nightmare before Christmas" movie

Pear Clafoutis with Quinoa

Pear Clafoutis 

     This is a light dessert and best eaten warm.  It is vegetarian, not vegan, but packs a boost of protein and amino acids.  Serve with coffee, ice cream or cream.  

3-4 large ripe pears

2 oz butter, melted

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

3/4 cup quinoa (ground or whole)

2 cups full fat milk

1/2 tsp nutmeg

powdered sugar for dusting

     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.    Peel and core the pears, then thinly slice.

     Use a little of the melted butter to grease a tart dish, then pour the remaining butter in a bowl with the pears and lightly toss to coat each slice.  Arrange the pear slices decoratively in the tart dish.  You may overlap if you have extra slices.

     Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and creamy, then stir in the vanilla.  Slowly add the flour and milk and mix until combined.  

     Pour the mixture over the pears, sprinkle with nutmeg and bake for about 1-11/4 hours, until set and firm to the touch in the centre.  Rest for 10 minutes and dust with powdered sugar for serving.

  

    Lately, I have been thinking about all of the hurt and sadness in this world.   Disease, abuse, power, selfishness, and anger are what drive much of the sorrow of this world.   I do not want to be one of the people that cause pain in this world.  I want to realize the parts of me that are not good, claim them, and then endow myself with the capacity to create, to forgive, to redeem and love freely.
     One question that I am asking myself daily is this:  "Is this how I want to live?"  I pray for continual transformation.  Remember that God sees who we are becoming.  We have to accept the potential that who we are now and who we are becoming are a series of choices; sometimes little, continual choices.

     "The entire human experiment is one of lavish grace and divine favor."
                                               - Laura Traux

Moroccan Quinoa Spaghetti Squash

Moroccan Quinoa Spaghetti Squash

1 whole spaghetti squash
3 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
1.5 oz pine nuts, or almonds
2 leaks, cleaned and finely sliced
3 large cloves garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chili flakes
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 zucchini, or tomatoes, or both cubed
salt and freshly ground pepper.
1 and 3/4 cups water
1 cup quinoa grain, rinsed and drained
2-3 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped

     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise and place in a dish with one inch of water.  Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour.  Remove the seeds with a spoon and then, using a fork, gently pull away the stringy flesh and place in a bowl, leaving 2 halves of squash that are bowled.  Brush the insides of the squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, dry roast the pine nuts.
     Heat the 3 TBSP olive oil in a large pain and sauté the leeks until soft, add the garlic and ginger and cook for one minute.  Stir in the cumin, paprika, turmeric and chili, and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, salt and pepper and 1 cup of water.  Stir and simmer, covered, for 10  minutes.
    Add the quinoa to the pan with 3/4 cup of water.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in the cilantro and toasted nuts.  Spoon the mixture into the squash halves and return to the oven, baking for 15 minutes, or until golden.
    This is very fragrant and tastes wonderful!  Remember that quinoa is a complete food: high in protein, full of vitamins and gluten and wheat free.  It is also delicious. Enjoy!




             Ring the bells that still can ring
          Forget your perfect offering
          There is a crack - a crack in everything
          That's how the light gets in.
                - Leonard Cohen

          "I am more powerful than I can imagine
            and more fragile than I think."
                - Laurea Truax

Italian Greens

Italian Greens

1 pound washed Spinach (leaves and stems), or collard greens or Kale

2 tsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced OR 2 tsp pesto

2 TBSP lemon juice

2 TBSP white wine

     Heat the oil in a large sauté pan.  Add the stems and cook until bright green.  Add the leaves, along with the garlic, lemon juice and white wine.  Bring to a rapid boil and cook just until the leaves are wilted and the juices have reduced in half.  Italian greens are delicious with crusty French bread, pasta, or any other Italian dish.  

     While reading the Serenity Prayer today, I realized that there are many circumstances in this life that I cannot change.  Those things just need to be prayed for.  In the situations where I can make a change, I need to ask for help and be honest about my shortcomings, my downfalls, and my sins.  We need to know there is potential for change. Change cannot happen without stopping what you have been doing and then do something DIFFERENT.   Change can only happen when people ask for help and have a vision of hope.   What can you do differently?  

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things

I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; 


and wisdom to know the difference.



Living one day at a time; 
enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it; 
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will; 
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next. 


Amen.