Miso soup

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Here is a basic miso soup recipe that can be eaten daily at breakfast to set your body in a proper state for the day.

Ingredients:

3 cups water

2” wakame-soaked and cut into small pieces

2 dried shiitake mushrooms-soaked and slice thinly

½ cup daikon-cut into thin half moons

1 ½ tsp – 1 Tblsp 2yr. barley miso

1 Tblsp minced fresh parsley or thinly sliced scallion for garnish

Add the wakame, shiitake and the soaking water to 3 cups water and slowly bring to a boil. Add the daikon, cover the pot, reduce flame to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Dilute miso in a little broth before adding to soup stock. Add to pot and continue to simmer for 3-5 minutes on low flame. Once miso is added do not boil just let it simmer.

Serve in bowls with either parsley or scallion garnish.

Before indulging in your miso soup, take a moment to sit quietly and set your intention for the day. It does not need to be earth shattering. Merely offer gratitude and at be at peace.

Millet and sweet vegetables

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1 cup organic millet, washed and soaked overnight

½ – 1 cup organic corn, finely chopped carrots and squash

3 ½ cup water (spring or well water is best).

Small pinch of sea salt per cup of grain

Place millet first in heavy pot, place vegetables on top. Add water and salt.

  • Cover and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce flame to medium low and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes.
  • When all water is cooked out the millet dish is ready. Place is bowls and add a garnish of parsley, thinly sliced scallions, roasted sunflower seeds.

This is a very warming breakfast to sustain you through the morning. Adding steamed kale and miso soup makes it even better.

The Beauty of Chocolate

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Chocolate makes me smile! It’s just that simple. And when I am smiling the world is a better place. I am reminded of a quote from one of my favorite poets and Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh:

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

One reason to smile is this delightful Pistachio Chocolate Mousse. The recipe below comes from Eric Lechasseur and Sanae Suzuki’s vegan macrobiotic cookbook Love, Eric & Sanae. When I prepare this mousse people think I’ve spent hours fussing to create it and that also brings a smile to my face. Both because they enjoy it and because it is truly a simple dessert to make.

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Pistachio Chocolate Mousse

Love,Eric  Sanae

Here’s the recipe:

24 ounces of silken firm tofu, well drained.

½ cup maple sugar

1 pinch sea salt

½ cup soy milk (unsweetened)

9 ounces grain-sweetened chocolate chips – semi sweet also works

½ cup ground pistachios

Combine maple sugar, tofu and sea salt in a food processor and process for approximately 5 minutes until creamy.

Combine soy milk and chocolate chips in a saucepan, heat at medium. Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted than transfer to the food processor.

Add vanilla extract and continue to blend for a few minutes.

Add ½ cup pistachios and process until well combined.

Transfer mixture to glass or ceramic container and chill for a few hours.

Serve in individual serving bowls topped with crushed pistachios.

YUMMY!

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As you go along your path remember….

“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Health, Peace and Brightest Blessing

Everything I think I’m Missing

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My dear friend shared the poem below with me today and I am so moved by it that I am now sharing it with you! I’m not sure who wrote it so if any of you know please do tell.

Tonight, I am grateful that in this life I am blessed with the love of family and friends, good health, the joyful laughter of children, the playfulness of my dogs, the beauty that is abundant all around me and the hope of more to come.

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Sunset’s Silver Sidewalk (it is more golden tonight) on Pontoosac lake a stone’s throw from my front door.

The Poem:

I am struggling. There’s who I believe I ought to be, and who I really am.

It’s humbling, isn’t it? This being, this mystery, this me sits here radiating energy, yet I’m gripped by a nameless fear that I’m missing exactly what I came here to experience.

I am suffering, telling myself stories of what life should look like. And then I get the message like a meteor, like the power coming back on after hours in a storm.

This life, this extraordinary imperfection, this moment just as it is, this is all I’m here to receive. This infuriating, limitless simplicity of day-to-day living holds everything I think I’m missing.

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BLESSED BE

Orange Pan Glazed Tempeh

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Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Mahatma Gandhi

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This dish has become one of my favorite tempeh recipes and it can be made in only 30 minutes…how’s that for fitting into a busy life? I added roasted kabocha squash, steamed kale and good old short grain brown rice. The pickle is “Crimson Kraut” a mild Kimchi made by Hosta Hill.  Hosta Hill also made the tempeh I used for this recipe. Learn more about them at this link

http://hostahill.com/tempeh/

So here is the recipe for Orange Pan Glazed Tempeh:

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger

2 Teaspoons tamari (or shoyu)

1 ½ Tablespoon mirin

2 Teaspoons maple syrup

½ Teaspoon ground coriander

2 small cloves garlic, crushed

10 ounces tempeh (or extra firm tofu)

2 Tablespoons olive oil (use light as extra virgin will smoke)

½ lime

Optional – cilantro

1)      Squeeze juice and place it in a small bowl.

2)      Grate the ginger over the bowl making sure to add the juice.

3)      Mix together the tamari, mirin, maple syrup, ground coriander and garlic. Set aside this mixture.

4)      Cut the tempeh (or tofu) into bite size pieces (if working with tofu, pat dry and then cut up)

5)      Heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking.

6)      Add the tempeh and sautee for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

7)      Pout the orange juice over the tempeh and continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes until the sauce has reduced to a nice glaze.

8)      Make sure to turn the tempeh while the sauce reduces to prevent sticking.

9)      Serve the tempeh with grain side dish. Drizzle the remaining tamari sauce mixture over the top.

10)  Add lime juice and cilantro if desired.

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Kira and Poohger send sloppy kisses from Kira’sKitchen

Eat healthy and be well!

Becoming

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First you need only look:

Notice and honor the radiance of everything about you…

Play in this universe.

Tend all these shinning things around you:

The smallest plant, the creatures and objects in your care.

Be gentle and nurture…..LISTEN…

As we experience and accept all that we really are…we grow in care

Anne Hillman

Now try these applesauce corn muffins…they are sure to put a smile on you face!

1 cup organic corm meal

1 cup brown rice (for gluten free) or whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup soy, almond or rice milk

1/4 maple syrup

4 Tbls Safflower oil

Mix dry ingredients together then add applesauce, milk of choice and oil. Mix well and then divide into 12-14 muffin cups. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean.

ENJOY!

 

 

 

 

Day Lilies and The Language of Flowers

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In The Victoria Era The Language of Flowers was used to subtly tell people what was on your mind. Lilies represented “Majesty” which makes perfect sense to me when I am admiring my day lilies that return each year with prolific blossoms and bountiful beauty.

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Day lilies are also edible. I had the life changing experience in my early 20s to work with two wise herbalists in an herb shop in Branford, Connecticut called Bittersweet Farm Herb Gardens. These women taught me about herb lore and craft and how to properly dry herbs for use in potpourri. I learned how to grow and care for all types of herbs and edible flowers and how to make both edible and fragrant products from the herbs we grew in our traditional English herb garden. Day lilies were part of this education.

Day lilies have many edible parts including the buds, flowers, tubers and stalks. I am most fond of the flowers as they are only available for one day and then they drop away. The flowers are mostly used for their bright color and they can thicken soups and sauces in the same way okra does. The stalks remind me of wheat grass and they are high in vitamin C and fiber. The buds which are plentiful on many varieties are delicious when prepared in a simple butter saute or if you’d like a healthier version try toasted sesame oil. The butter allows for more of the natural flavor to come through so for this plant I break my own zero to very little dairy rule and go for butter. And last but certainly not least are the tubers. In New England we have an abundance of wild growing Tiger Lilies. Freshly dug the tubers are very tasty when added to butter for a simple saute. The whiter tubers are sweetest and remind me of early sweet potatoes.

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I caution everyone to approach eating wild plants and flowers with care. For some there may be allergic reactions to introducing unfamiliar foods. Try a little and see how it goes before digging up the whole bank of day lilies you find in your backyard.

For more information on edible plants try one of the following reference books:

The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America by Francois Couplan

Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide by Thomas Sam Elias

AND because I grew up in Northern California

The Encyclopedia of Useful and Edible Plants of California by Charlotte Bringle Clark.

Good eating and please remember to stop and kiss a lily they only show their pretty faces for one day!

 

Cold breakfast recipes for kids

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We have very busy lives and for those of us with children it can be challenging to get everyone out of the house in the morning with a good breakfast. I have come across some delightful cold breakfast recipes that most children will eat!This one was posted on http://www.mrbreakfast.com and came from newjerseygal.

Banana Burritos – best to use all organic foods whenever possible
1 medium banana
1 flour tortilla – you can find rice tortillas for children with gluten sensitivity/allergies
2 tablespoons nut butter – I make my own almond butter which is the favorite at my house
1 teaspoon mixture of pure maple sugar and cinnamon
1 tablespoon raisins
1 teaspoon chopped nuts

Spread the nut butter all over the tortilla. Place the banana on one edge of the tortilla. Sprinkle the maple sugar/cinnamon mixture and chopped nuts over tortilla and roll up. Some of you may also want to top this off with some tofu whip or whipped cream! Trust me they will love making these and eating them….AND they could grow up to be as silly as my children did (see photo of Patrick’s graduation party above)