Seasonal food

The bursting forth of the local growing season has inspired a lot of activity in the kitchen.

I am pooped.

This morning I had the pleasure of farmer's market-ing and then Whole Foods-ing with Kelly.

The rest of the day:

I searched for a strawberry cake recipe. (We don't do any baking with gluten in our kitchen.) I don't know why I got it in my head that I wanted to make a strawberry cake, but I did.

I "processed" the still good amount of strawberries we had left. My cake, Gem's strawberry lemonade, Sag's "snack" stash...the rest were hulled and put in the freezer.

If the cake comes out well, I will post a pic and the recipe I used. The batter smelled amazing and, in a rare move, I licked some of it. 'Twas yummy.

The recipe calls for refrigerating the cake (apparently it is very moist...it was very soft when I transferred it, cooled, to a plate) and eating it the next day. The kids and I were invited to a cook out tomorrow evening so, fingers crossed, I'll bring the cake for dessert.

What am I worried about? The frosting. Making the frosting (a different recipe) was frustrating. I can't get the hang of arrowroot flour and so I rarely use it, so then when I do try using it again, I have forgotten that I don't get it...

The frosting is supposed to sit in the fridge for an hour or two to solidify. I have been afraid to peek...it's at the 90-minute mark as I type.

Making a commitment to use/eat all that the CSA has to offer takes some work. I would have been so happy to sit my sleep-deprived butt down and watch a movie or something, but every time I opened the fridge door for something, my eye kept being drawn to the glass container with what I thought was the spinach I cooked up earlier this week (which had remained untouched since bring placed in said container).

So once all the cake- and frosting-making accoutrement was washed and tidied...and Gem was fed (Sag is subsisting mostly on a diet of videos/video games today)...and I enjoyed toast with ricotta cheese (from Anthony's pastured cows) and homemade jam...

I pulled out the container and a carton of eggs and looked up frittatas in Nom Nom Paleo's iPad cooking app. The container contained, not spinach, but the mixed sautéed greens!

The frittata was beyond easy to make and quick because I was using an already cooked/prepped filling.

I was in an herby mood so I loaded the frittata with dried dill and thyme. Yum.

Off to sample the frittata and gaze at some frosting. If the frosting worked, I may frost the cake tonight...

Peace and love.

A little ragged

An unfortunate second night in a row of not falling asleep till after 3 a.m.

At one point this morning, before any caffeine, my hands started shaking...which apart from being a little freaky, was a nuisance because I was in the midst of a kitchen-heavy day.

I dosed myself with a single cup of coffee...and have decided to heed the advice of three different friends and manage my caffeine consumption with intention the next few days.

I began tackling the motherlode of strawberries. Made jam and scones. Both with cane sugar, the scones gluten- free and vegan.

I had a magnificent brunch-for-one. Poached farm eggs, baby spinach with shallots/pine nuts/raisins (so delicious), and pickled radishes (very tart, great crunch).

I ran out to the supermarket early this morning for lemons (Gem wants to make strawberry lemonade) and baking provisions. I remembered Sag has been asking for Rogan Josh for weeks now (our meat guy has not had the cut of lamb though) and had the shop butcher make me up a package of stew meat.

It smells all sorts of amazing in here. I am looking forward to tucking into a bowl of Indian lamb stew for dinner.

Off to research freezing strawberries...and maybe gluten-free strawberry cake recipes.

Peace and love.

Why yes, yes you are chopped liver

Yipee!  The chopped liver is delicious.  It is flavorful, tender and packed with goodness.  The alchemy is stunning.

After I made it yesterday, I was resigned to having made some rookie mistakes and determined that the next batch would be better.  It was too salty, tasted more of ghee than liver, and my preparation of the livers themselves had not been pristine.  I almost followed the instructions in the recipe to a "T" but at the last second decided to follow my instinct and finish mashing with a potato masher rather than just a fork.

Early this morning a thought flickered: perhaps the chopped liver would not be awful.  The ghee would have solidified some, saving the texture which was plain weird yesterday.  Maybe the saltiness would be remedied by "rest".  Magic can happen with a night of refrigeration, this I know.

Wow.  So glad I gave it space and that I didn't spend a night fretting about what I perceived as a "fail".

Happy and grateful today for a local farmer who sells fresh livers from his truly free ranging chickens, for my cultural roots within Jewish foods, and for having a life where I can nourish my body with healthful and tasty sustenance.

Peace and love and warm fuzzies.

Portal

I call this one "portal".  I was walking up the driveway lugging frozen meat and fresh eggs from the farmer's market.  It was quiet at 8:30 on a winter weekend morning.  I glanced and was riveted by the mass of thin branches vaguely green trafficking in what felt deeply like possibility.

In other news, the hot fudge sauce I was making for Ellie's family birthday party tonight "seized".  Sucks.

Oh, and this gem tumbled into my lap this morning.  Not for everyone, like everything else in the world, but to give you a hint, it's a tumblr called My Uterus Is Here, and He Is Pissed.

Peace.

Lull

Things are pretty calm here.  It seems we were exposed to a stomach bug which we are absorbing as a fairly minor bump.  Hopefully, we'll be back to normal tomorrow.

The tuna salad was scheduled for earlier in the week.  Would have foregone it except the avocados were past their prime (had to toss one).  I love how savory this dish is: the mustard, avocado, paprika and fresh and dried herbs combine so deliciously...and the toasted, chopped walnut adds texture and depth of flavor.  The lemon brightens, the scallion adds a touch of crunch.  Yum.

I decided to go ahead and cook up the proteins I'd planned for common meal tonight, which I canceled.  Lady and the Tramp turkey meatballs for the boys (GF bread crumbs the ingredient I am not partaking of right now) and Greek Meatballs for me.  The ground beef was still pretty frozen so I will make those tonight or tomorrow.

Roasted two bunches of broccoli with garlic and macadamia nut oil.  The broc was also meant for common meal.

There are some very ripe bananas hanging about, but my elbow is acting up and my immune system is working out, which is leaving me feeling tired.  Maybe I will bake some banana-coconut cookies...or banana muffins, later.

Wow, I feel like I could take a nap.  Very unusual.  Like maybe I'm pregnant unusual.  (Which I am most definitely not!)

Peace.

Sleepy snowy day

Mister Pond was on Fallon last night early this morning and I stayed up to watch so I am tired.

The day was spent going back and forth from the kitchen to bake/make something and the living room to chill for bits.

I opted to stay in from the snow today and made a kickass hot chocolate for the kids to warm themselves by when they came in.  I also made: Brussels sprouts (I wanted pine nuts but didn't have any so tossed in some sunflower seeds...would not recommend), roasted plum tomatoes, banana muffins, pretty perfect oatmeal, and, for the first time ever, Beef Stroganoff (wow, so good).

(I left out the cream and used 1 can of full fat coconut milk.  Used ghee rather than butter.)

Last night's pork chops.  Pretty, no?

Nothin' like warm 'nana  muffins on a winter morning.

Beef Stroganoff, where have you been all my life?  This was so yummy!

Gonna go let my eyes glaze in front of the boob tube.

Peace.

Nom nom

I am learning.  I am figuring out that when I slow cook meat, it does not take as long as the recipes say for the meat to be done.  Tonight's pork was supposed to cook on low between 8-10 hours.  Around the seven hours-plus mark I popped the cooker open and stuck a thermometer in the roast.  It zipped right up to 180º (which was 10º to 20º higher than what I was looking for) so I shut it off.

The meat is tender and succulent.  It may be too spicy for Gem, but I think Sag will like it (seasoned with Chili Powder and Arizona Dreaming).  Since Cap doesn't eat red meat, I am putting half of it in the freezer.

Peace and pork.

Cook cook cook

A quickie because I have been in the kitchen all day and want to read for an hour before things start back up for dinner.

Bone broth with ginger and garlic.  Sag has a cold but he didn't like this.  Too oily, he said.  Crap.  Plying him with other fluids.

The flu is knocking down our friends left and right.  I'm making three pot roasts in three days...recovery from these particular strains is slow and appetites are returning before the strength to cook.  Tucking desserts into the care packages, too.  Today, banana-coconut cookies.

I am trying to eat more fish...I made Sally's tuna salad again.  This is such a great recipe.  Yum.

There's a pork roast coming out of the slow cooker in a couple of hours.  I can't remember if the kids like this iteration or not.  Trying to get better about writing notes on recipes...though I cannot rely on my brain to remember to read the notes.

(On the tuna salad recipe I made a note that I used 1/2 a lemon rather than the 1 called for.  Totally missed it today, used the whole lemon and it's edible, but it really was too much lemon for me.)

Off to my book, UnWholly.

Peace.

Quickie

I am about to my feet up after nearly six hours in the kitchen.  I nibbled on party leftovers (yum) while I cooked and washed and cooked and washed...and am now stuffed.

I made a double batch of zucchini noodles with garlic and oil, carrot tofu scramble, rogan josh with beef (lamb eluded us at both the farmer's market and the supermarket)...and a new recipe, Date Walnut Bars.

It's a keeper.  These tasted remarkably like chocolate chip cookies.  I subbed maple syrup for the agave and next time I think I will decrease the amount because these bars were very sweet.  Loved the nubby texture, it was quite satisfying.

Peace.

Lesson learned

Of course, sometimes, things go way wrong in the kitchen.  As much as I appreciate the science behind cooking and baking, I am not naturally drawn to it and, therefore, know little about it.  This is why I generally stick close to recipes, especially when I am making something for the first time.

But, I am a free spirit and optimist at heart and every now and again I am tickled by an idea and leap.  Without pause, without looking, without minding anything.

Which is how I made an Apple Date Cake that looked like this:

Where to start...I will make this again.  My mother used to bake an apple cake.  I loved it.  Kelly made an apple cake for Kate's birthday last Fall that brought it all back for me...and now I am semi-haunted.  Though this cake did not hold together, the apple cake-ness of it has grabbed my heart.

While making this cake, I was happy to pull out a Japanese grater that I don't often use, but love.  It's handy for grating things like daikon (that's what I remember my mom using it for, most).  I thought it would be good for the grated apple called for in this recipe since a bit of mush/wetness wouldn't hurt to moisten a cake.

Okay.  The recipe.  Here it is.  (This blogger's photos and aesthetic are pretty drool-worthy in my opinion.  I would not blame you for getting lost and maybe never finding your way back here.)

This is not a Paleo recipe and calls for 1 cup of garbanzo flour, in addition to 1 cup of almond meal and some potato starch (the almond meal is Paleo, the potato starch may or may not be Paleo, there's some division on white potatoes, but I have been consuming white potato in very small amounts).  My first thought was to replace the garbanzo flour (which is definitely not Paleo, I am avoiding legumes) with another cup of almond meal.

But, then, I thought a "balance" with another Paleo flour would work better and decided to sub in 1 cup of coconut flour.  And, that was my mistake.  Apparently, coconut flour sucks up a ton of liquid when used in baking.

I could kind of tell, as I was scooping the dough into the pan, that this cake was going to be dry.  It was very sandy in texture.  The thought to add an egg or two tickled the outer edges of my mind, but I decided to see what would happen...trust in the process thus far.

It looked nice (albeit dry) coming out of the oven...

After it cooled, I cut the first slice out (sorry for the very golden photo)...

Though the flavors were there, and the bits baked around the dates, in particular, held together and were moist, it was a dry, crumbly mess (and so unlike the cake photographed in Scandi Home's post).

I will try this recipe again.  Next time I will use 2 cups of almond meal.  And if that doesn't work well, I may try using some coconut flour and add eggs.  Stay tuned.

Peace and love in learning.

Brussels sprouts and banana bread

Mise-en-place makes me happy.  A morning Americano makes me happy, too.

I ditched my plans to go to Trader Joe's this morning.  I want to conserve money and realized that we don't need anything from there for the week.

Instead, I gave my attention to making Brussels sprouts with bacon and kimchi (I did not follow the recipe exactly).  And was rewarded mightily.  It was satisfying to the senses and soul every step of the way.  Yum.

I also decided to bake the kids a loaf of banana bread.  This is a favorite of theirs that, more often than not, strikes me as having just a few too many steps to make it "go to".  But, we had ripe bananas and I am focusing on using what we have/spending less/wasting less...it was a happy convergence.

The apartment smells lovely, that sweet and warm banana bread aroma hanging in the air.  Off to make some lunches, then an appointment with Vinny.  Then, back to the kitchen for some dinner prep and, perhaps, a Paleo loaf of fruit bread.

Peace.

From the kitchen

Between meal planning, making the week's shopping list (note to self: consider making a master list/template on the laptop), taking stock of what's in the fridge and pantry and then making some stuff, it feels like my whole day was about food.  Not good, not bad, just...what it was.

Ratatouille had been on the agenda last weekend, but I was in no shape to tackle all that chopping and standing at the stove.  So today I deconstructed that plan and made zucchini noodles aglio et olio and baba ganoush.

Both recipes (as well as the one for mayo) came from Melissa ("Melicious") Joulwan's lovely cookbook, Well Fed.

Zucchini noodles.  I'm not gonna lie.  I first heard about making zucchini "pasta" years ago and summarily dismissed it.  Partly because the concept of "Paleo" was still way down the pike, partly because I wasn't a huge fan of zucchini.  (Except for Evie's chocolate zucchini bread...I was definitely a fan of that.)

Zucchini noodles.  I'm not gonna lie.  You're going to need this (or something a lot like it) in order to make them even remotely noodle-y.  It took me months and months to finally decide to buy one.  It's a pretty amazing gadget.  I recommend.

Well Fed's Zucchini Noodles Aglio Et Olio?  I'm not gonna lie.  Really, really good.  The dish is packed with flavor and it is spot on.  The melded savory heat of the garlic and red pepper flakes as the olive oil-ed noodles slide into your mouth.  Yum.  (Interestingly, you really don't taste the zucchini.)

I heart baba ganoush big time.  It is one of my favorite things to eat, but I don't often make it because the recipes I have encountered were too cumbersome/complicated.  Until now (squeee!)  Right place, right time...the technique used to cook the eggplant in this recipe was super simple and easy because, in part, I am no longer afraid to use the broiler and, in part, because we have this cast iron grill pan.  (Great for apartment dwellers who cannot easily grill outdoors.)

I am very happy.  This is, again, an incredibly flavorful rendition of a dish (I am finding that Well Fed recipes are serious about layers and depth of flavor).  No more desperate purchases of one dimensional pre-packaged baba from the supermarket or paying nearly $10 for a single portion of good stuff from the local Turkish restaurant.

Paleo mayo.  Five ingredients, time/patience, and a blender is all you need.  (Turned out I also needed a helping hand.  The act of holding the spouted Pyrex above shoulder-level for more than a few seconds seriously annoyed my back.  If Cap hadn't been able to help, I would have climbed atop a step ladder.)

If you have never made mayo, it's a trip.  The ingredients are liquid, liquid, liquid whirling in the blender...and somewhere between two and three minutes alchemy kicks in...suddenly the liquid emulsifies and you have a thick, creamy solid (the texture is wonderful...pillowy...or if redolent was a sensation...unlike any mayo from a store-bought jar).  You have homemade mayonnaise.

This mayo is called Olive Oil Mayo and since Melicious has the recipe with a video tutorial on her website I will happily link to it.  Even with the non-extra virgin olive oil, I found it to taste like "olive" (not overpowering, but not exactly subtle, either).  I think Nom Nom Paleo makes mayo with avocado and macadamia nut oils.  I will try that in the future though I am guessing that olive oil is the most economical choice.

I am planning one dish this week, Tuna Stuffed Eggs, that calls for mayo.  Cue Mr. Burns...excellent!  Looking forward to making other yummies with mayo in the coming weeks.

Peace and adventures in cooking...

Roasted tomatoes

In a way, this plate of food looks so off balance as to make me dizzy.  My apologies.

Gem, who will be thirteen in less than six months, has been very focused on spending time with friends.  I was very much like this at his age and it did not let up until...in a way, it has never let up.  (My college friends became my social family and then Cap became my family and then the kids came...and spending time with/being connected with friends is still very important to me.)

Yesterday one friend of theirs came over after lunch and then two other friends came over later in the afternoon.  They played Minecraft for hours.  I am still in this holding pattern of balancing getting back into my routines while trying not to overdo it.  Hormonal emo-ness continues in fits and starts but seems to be abating.

I found myself craving space away from the teen and tween throng and escaped to the kitchen.  I toasted cashew nuts (now a go to snack for Gem along with clementines), made some kale chips and roasted a pound of grape tomatoes.

Thank Shiva for roasted tomatoes (Sag coined that phrase, I love it) because today's egg scramble was fabulous.  Baby spinach, two pastured eggs from this morning's farmer's market run (thanks to Cap), Spanish olive oil and the roasted toms.  Yummers.  (I have been using the toaster oven to roast many of my veg lately...a revelation.)

Peace and good weekending to you.

P.S.  Shout out to Lana whose mention of roasting tomatoes last weekend planted the seed in my mind.

One eye open

OMGawd.  What a morning.  My spasming back insisted I wake the eff up and get out of bed RIGHT NOW at 6am.

I am still trying to take it easy.  The back stopped spasming once I was upright for awhile.  I am upping my kitchen activity, wary of winces.

My breakfast was a big plate of comfort.  Leftover potatoes from Lil's Chicken (spuds, chicken fat and bits, onion, coconut oil) with a pastured egg that poached in the gentle reheating.

Off to get lunch for the kids...especially the one who has gymnastics this afternoon.

Peace.

Birthday dinner

 scallops for him.

 leftover pot roast smothered in pea shoots for me.

dessert was Chocolate Almond Joy Bars.

It was a simple birthday dinner because I've been out of commission.  But he said it was good.

The sea scallops were purchased at the farmer's market on Saturday (our terrific source for local fresh catch) and then placed in the freezer.  They were thawed today and baked tonight with Kerrygold butter and homemade GF breadcrumbs (sounds fancy, but it ain't: an Udi's end piece blitzed in the mini-food processor), a dash of sea salt sprinkled on top.  This recipe, from Cap's mom, is a classic.  Tonight's bonus was that all the scallops were for Cap because I am eating Paleo and the kids do not like scallops.

I was deeeelighted to find pea shoots at Trader Joe's today.  I first had them with Barbra and Audrey, a simple pea shoots stir fry from their favorite Chinese restaurant.  For the past few years, I've thought of pea shoots as something I could have only with them when I visited Oakland.  But, no more.  Tonight I took a handful of lovely green, rinsed them, shook off the excess water, and tossed them atop the leftover pot roast as it reheated gently in a pan.  (We never replaced our microwave when it went kaput.)  My dinner was heaven.  So, so good.

The Almond Joy bars were...good.  After watching the faces of my three guys as they sampled/ate this new-to-us baked sweet (Gem did not care for it, Sag asked for a second piece, Cap liked it, but made suggestions for tweaking), I could not resist...I had a tiny bite that had no chocolate in it (the dark chocolate was the only element of the dessert that had sugar in it)...I was desperately curious.  I honestly don't have an opinion.  Without the taste/texture of chocolate or coconut, my bite was pretty almond cake-y rather than "almond joy" bar-like.  When I make this again, I am going to mix some shredded coconut into the batter.  Also, may look for coconut with a bigger "shred".  The stuff I used today was so fine that it burned.  (It didn't help that I used the toaster oven which is relatively new and I am still learning the ropes of.)

The kids ate dinner first tonight.  Cap whipped up a batch of his tuna pasta salad for them.  They were happy.

Peace.

Grateful

During this time of personal duress (lifting, by the way), dips in appetite, bouts of belly distention, and general non-excitement about food descended like a heavy blanket.  Thanks to the meal planning, leftovers, a Paleo-friendly stocked fridge/pantry (thanks to the well timed Trader Joe's run last week), and an able and willing chef in Cap, I have been able to eat Paleo throughout.

I was feeling pretty down and out for a few days there and if I'd had to let go of eating Paleo, it would have driven me even lower.

Here is my breakfast: two pastured eggs scrambled with pre-washed organic baby spinach (TJ's) and the last of the pre-sliced white button mushrooms (TJ's) in Spanish olive oil (TJ's)...drizzled with basil salad dressing.  The tea is Master Lu's Magic Ginger, a flu prevention brew the kids and I have been sipping for about a month.

The basil salad dressing is fab.  So simple, so tasty.  If you like pesto, you will love it.  (I picked up the basil at TJ's last week.)

Other TJ's items which have been sustaining me: dried apricots and roasted/salted macadamia nuts.

I went to TJ's again today with Tiina chauffeuring me and some of what I picked up today: raw cashews (discovered last week that Gem likes them toasted and salted), GF English muffins (Sag and Cap really liked them last week), and a slew of produce including more clementines (I'm surprised Gem hasn't turned into one he is eating so many), guacamole, and pre-washed and cut organic broccoli and pre-trimmed leeks for a soup I have planned for tomorrow.

(The broccoli and leek I would not normally buy pre-anything, but as I am re-entering my routines and tasks slowly, I realized it was a perfect convenience to buy these today and minimize my physical activity tomorrow.)

Yesterday Cap made Sesame Kelp Noodles and Primal Pot Roast (not a free recipe) in my stead.  The kelp noodles were interesting...they were crunchy!  They tasted like the sauce, which was yummy.  The pot roast was satisfying, as usual.  Over the weekend, Cap made Lil's Chicken.  A simple and delicious recipe that was passed down to me from a dear college friend many, many moons ago (Lil was her mom).  Sag, in particular, loved it.

The ratatouille is the only thing that didn't get made this weekend.  I am a bit leery because it will require a lot of standing while washing and chopping and cooking.  Yet, I dream of nibbling on the gorgeous chunks of Mediterranean-flavored goodness...

Tonight I am going to make Cap his birthday dinner: scallops and a surprise dessert.  The dessert is new-to-me and I am already planning a substitution.  Hope it comes out, I think the chemistry of the recipe will be forgiving.

happy birthday, my love.

Peace.

Why we suffer

"When we look deeply at the nature of things, we see that in fact everything is impermanent.  Nothing exists as a permanent entity; everything changes.  It is said that we cannot step into the same river twice.  If we look for a single, permanent entity in a river, we will not find it.  The same is true of our physical body.  There is no such thing as a self, no absolute, permanent entity to be found in the element we call "body".  In our ignorance we believe that there is a permanent entity in us, and our pain and suffering manifest on the basis of that ignorance.  If we touch deeply the nonself nature in us, we can get out of that suffering."  ~Thich Nhat Hanh

No comment.

Other than to say that in my mind, human "pain" and "suffering" are very political.  The chasm between the nitty gritty realities of life on our earth and the power of spirituality to "get out of" the suffering manifested by atrocity and disaster...I won't say it cannot be bridged.  But making smooth sense of a whole that integrates these two ideas would require a level of concentration and study that I do not have right now.

So I resist.  A bit.

Let's look at some pretty pictures of food.

I love a breakfast plate like this.  A selection of leftovers plus scrambled eggs.  Yesterday's kale with the Miracle Sauce, rutabaga oven "fries" from the other night (no one else cares for them, I love them!), and a single pastured egg scrambled with pre-cleaned pre-sliced shrooms from Trader Joe's in Spanish olive oil (also from Trader Joe's) with Penzey's Sunny Paris seasoning sprinkled in.

Lunch made me happy, too.  So many meals during the Fall devolved into hotdogs and tater tots, endless beef baloney sandwiches and quesadillas.  I did not let myself get down, at the time.  I knew I was doing my best, what I needed to to get through those weeks...and that life is impermanent and change was to come.

Leftover Carrot-Tofu Scramble, leftover Hungarian Goulash, over piping hot rice with side salads of Romaine lettuce and Persian cukes.  Strawberry lemonade for Gem, pineapple juice for Sag.  I had my salad with a dollop of leftover tuna salad.  Yum.

(I offered up beef baloney as a lunch choice but they didn't want it.  Not with what else was available.)

Peace and love.

Concentration

"When you contemplate the big, full sunrise, the more mindful and concentrated you are, the more the beauty of the sunrise is revealed to you.  Suppose you are offered a cup of tea, very fragrant, very good tea.  If your mind is distracted, you cannot really enjoy the tea.  You have to be mindful of the tea, you have to be concentrated on it, so the tea can reveal its fragrance and wonder to you.  That is why mindfulness and concentration are such sources of happiness.  That's why a good practitioner knows how to create a moment of joy, a feeling of happiness, at any time of the day."  ~Thich Nhat Hanh

An interesting thing about these meditations...when I start to read them, I sometimes think it is not relevant to where I am...but by the time I am finished and give it a moment, something unfolds in my mind and a connection is discovered.

I set intentions to create four new daily "habits" with the new year: practicing Qigong, eating Paleo, taking a gentle walk, and playing piano.  The eating Paleo has maintained through the first week of 2013.  The other three have been spotty, no habits formed yet.

Reading this meditation made me realize that the four "habits" are actually all expressions of the same thing.  A striving towards mindfulness...requiring a formidable amount of concentration.

I have not been beating myself up, but I have not been thinking clearly about it, either.  If I were a monkette in a mountaintop retreat hut, I'd more easily incorporate new daily intentions to my life.  Since I am not, I am making adjustments.

This week, maybe next week, once eating Paleo no longer requires the full on concentration it has the first week (the physical/chemical adjustment---today's the first day I felt pretty great; the organizational demands of meal planning, food shopping, trying new recipes/preparing Paleo meals plus just-in-case meals for other tastebuds in the family), I will shift the bulk of my concentration to the next intention: practicing Qigong.

The Paleo eating is going very well.  I learn best through experience/doing and because this isn't my first foray into dropping sugar/grains/legumes/dairy/most oils, everything has come together well.  The fridge is packed with food and ingredients (ever present gluten-free flours need to be refrigerated; veggies take up more space than meat/dairy; nuts need to be refrigerated).

Today's lunch was leftover turkey stuffed butternut squash with a side of kale dressed with Leon's Miracle Sauce (with capers and anchovy). Yum.  (I love love love Trader Joe's pre-washed pre-cut organic kale in a bag...for $2.49!!!)

After a session with Vinny (my first of the new year), I was relaxed and energized.  If I was a monkette, I totally would have hopped into bed for a nap.  But, the rest of the day beckoned, specifically thoughts of the evening meal.  I checked the avocados which had been too hard yesterday and they were ripe (putting them in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana works every time...yay chemistry!)  So I made a recipe I've had since 2008, unearthed in my recipe cache reorg, and it was sooooooo tasty.

This Creamy Tuna Salad With No Mayo, Eggs, Soy or Dairy is the shizz.  It was so savory, textural, rich and satisfying that I completely forgot to put it on something other than my fork.  It is, truly, a meal unto itself.  Also shocking, it was so satiating that I did not finish my bowl.  If you know me, you know that's pretty dang unheard of...me, eating something I find delicious, and stopping because I have simply had my fill and am completely satisfied.

It's a thoughtful, lovely recipe.  I rarely eat canned tuna because I find the tang that remains in the can, the sink, and sometimes in the tuna itself, overpowering and fairly unbearable.  I don't gag, but come pretty close to it.

Well, this tuna salad annihilates any and all fishy odor.  If it weren't for the distinct canned tuna texture, which does remain, you could forget that you were eating tuna.  So, if you are an omnivore, give this recipe serious consideration.  It is really incredible.

I have put together a second binder of recipes for the kids.  Gem, especially, has a selection of go-to meals that he loves.  This evening, factors coalesced in such a way that I made him one of his faves, Carrot Tofu Scramble.  My plan is facilitate the serving of food that makes the kids happy...beyond the hot dogs and sliders which I tend to rely on when my concentration lapses.

This recipe is easy and quick if you have a food processor.  And, look at those colors.  It makes me happy every time I make it.  Mostly because I know Gem will be thrilled and nourished, but it gives me some personal thrills, too.  (I will be forever grateful to my sister for passing the recipe along to us so many, many moons ago.)

Peace and love.

Walking meditation

"We have to awaken ourselves to the truth that we are here, alive.  We are making steps on this beautiful planet.  This is already performing a miracle.  But we have to be here in order for the miracle to be possible.  We have to bring ourselves back to the here and the now.  Therefore, each step we take becomes a miracle.  If you are able to walk like that, each step will be very nourishing and healing.  You walk as if you kiss the earth with your feet, as if you massage the earth with your feet.  There is a lot of love in that practice of walking meditation."  ~Thich Nhat Hanh

This meditation comes at a good time.  Today I voiced out loud the dipping of my happy chemicals.  I have an intuition that it is tied to lack of dairy.  But, I have not been taking my gentle walks, nor have I been practicing.  Or playing the piano.  Any and all of those could give me a boost.

I've been waking bone tired.  And I've been preoccupied with cooking.  There are three stacks of cookbooks needing attention for organizing/decluttering...since Saturday evening.  But, the day's duties call to me, too.  Playing Risk for the first time.  Feeding kids.  Getting back to Math.  Folding laundry.

Tomorrow, I walk.

Now, some photos...

Gem is my salad spinner spinner.  Hoping to gain the habit, in 2013, of washing and drying lettuce on the weekend to have on hand for the week.

A friend gave me a set of four little ceramic bowls for Christmas.  Perfect for mise-en-place, of which I am a strong supporter.  I wish I had figured this out for myself sooner.  Seems exactly the sort of thing my mom likely tried to teach me and I did not get.

Nom Nom Paleo's take on Leon's Caper and Anchovy Miracle Sauce.  This was easy and quick to put together.  It has two of my new best food friends (anchovies and capers) and I like it.  I've had it so far with chicken and with raw red bell pepper.  Definitely better with the chicken.

I love a hot breakfast.  A bowl of Melissa Joulwan's Moroccan Meatballs with bonus pastured egg poached while reheating the meatballs.  Next time I make this dish, I will reduce or eliminate the parsley in the meatballs.  I am finding it overpowering.  I know, overpowering lamb.  This should never happen.  The meatballs are not tender.  I am certain this had to be due to my lack of finesse.  We shall see.  The tomato sauce is lovely.  Truly.  The egg added all sorts of wonderful.  Gem did not like this dish.  Sag thought it was okay.  (He likes the Hungarian Goulash, they both love the Rogan Josh.)

Risk has been on Gem's radar ever since he played it once at a homeschool library gathering.  We finally got it together and had Cap's mom give this to Gem for Christmas this year.  We started playing last night and finished this morning.  It's an interesting game.

About once a season, we make a trip to the big Japanese supermarket on the Hudson River.  We stock up on key staples like rice and Pokemon gum.  Gem fell in love with these grilled rice crackers when we went to Japan a couple of years ago.  We buy bags and bags of them on our Mitsuwa runs.

Peace and tasty tidbits.