Spicy low-fat vegetable soup

No way to get around chopping all those veggies.

Carrots, garlic, onions, asparagus stalks, mushrooms...

Then crumbing the 8 oz of tofu (after drying it) then marinating it in soy sauce with cilantro.

Each ingredient was oil-free saute'd in my non-stick skillet. Then added to the crock pot.

I had to add more onion flakes because half my sweet onion had gone bad.

Since I didn't have celery, I found cutting small discs of the aparagus stems gave me just the right crunch.

I used 3 cups of vegetable stock and 3 cups of water, then a cup or more of Rice Dream after all the veggies were cooked (about 3 hours in the crock pot).

I added frozen peas and corn just long enough to cook them.

I may have added more Cayenne (maybe 1/2 Teaspoon) and Cumin (just 1/4 Teaspoon) than I usually would...but I wanted a "hot" spicy soup. I threw in a half can of white beans, a bit of baking soda, and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and a tablespoon of molasses.

And as I served it I added a big scoop of non-dairy sour cream on top of my bowl. I ate it with crackers too, since it was still pretty darn spicy! My first serving was 2 cups. I had 3 quarts remaining to refrigerate for later!

Today's quote:

The Buddhist tradition is neither a path of denial or affirmation.
It shows us the paradox of the universe, within and beyond
the opposites.  It teaches us to be in the world, but not of the
world.  This realization is called the middle way.

The middle way describes the middle ground between
attachment and aversion, between being and non-being, between
form and emptiness, between free will and determinism.  The
more we delve into the middle way the more deeply we come to
rest between the play of opposites. 

Learning to rest in the middle way requires trust in life itself.

Trusting in the middle way, there is an ease and grace, a
cellular knowing that we, too, can float in the ever-changing
ocean of life which has always held us.

We come to rest in the reality of the present, where all the
opposites exist. T.S. Eliot calls this the "still point of the 

turning world, neither from nor towards, neither arrest or 
movement, neither flesh or fleshless."

The middle path describes the presence of eternity.  In this 
reality, life is clear, vivid, awake, empty and filled with
 possibility.  When we  discover the middle path.....we can
 be with all our experience in its complexity, with our own
 thoughts and feeling and drama as it is.  We learn to embrace
 tension, paradox, change. Instead of seeking resolution, waiting
 for the chord at the end of the song, we let ourselves open and
 relax in the middle. In the middle we discover that
 the world is workable...

Jack Kornfield
From: The Wise Heart

And because I'm about to change the header photo...

I want to keep this one for the memory

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀.
"Santas" of Northern Russia: on very left, Yamal Iri, the "White Elder" of the Yamal Peninsula, belonging to the indigenous Nentsi people; Second from the left is Russian Ded Moroz himself; Third from the left Chyskhaan, the "Bull Man" of the Sakha people of Yakutia, in Northern Siberia; next one, the lady, is Tugeni Eneken, "Mother Winter", of the Evenki and other tundra nomads; after her is the visiting official Santa Claus of Finland; and then Pokkaine, the youngish "Santa" of the ethnic Karelian people.
Photo: Vladimir Sevrinovsk

Vegan pear spice cake

This fat-free one layer spice cake is an altered version of the one I found on the web. I kind of changed a few things!

 

Barbara's version

2 organic pears, peeled and cut into small pieces

1-3/4 c whole wheat flour

3/4-1 c regular white flour (set aside half of this flour to add only if the batter seems too runny when all is mixed together...I added all of it to mine. This is about a half again what was called for in my original recipe, but I found my batter at pancake consistency, so added enough flour to get a thicker cake batter consistency)

1 Tbs. cornstarch (No idea why this is in recipe...you might leave it out.)

1-1.2 teasp. baking soda

1 teasp. ground ginger (I couldn't find mine, so used grated fresh, but I think the ground would be best)

1/2 teasp. sea salt

1/2 teasp. ground cinnamon

1/4 teasp. ground cloves

1/4 c. applesauce (I cut this down from original recipe which called for a whole cup...and with the consistency problem I think a smaller amount is preferable)

1/2 c. molasses (I used dark, it could work with light also, and because it's such a dominating flavor, if I make this cake again, I think I'll cut the molasses down to 1/4 c.)

1/2 c. pure maple syrup

1 teasp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 c. chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) optional

powdered sugar (optional)

-------------

preheat oven to 350 degrees, cut pears into small pieces and set aside

in a large bowl stir together the first 7 ingredients (through cloves) In a medium bowl stir together the next four ingredients (through vanilla). 

Add applesauce mixture to flour mixture and combine 

Stir in chopped pear and nuts (if you use them)

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan on a wire rack. You might sprinkle cake lightly with powdered sugar for extra sweetness (I didn't do this).

Serve warm or cooled.

Other note: I used 1/2 c. of almond flour instead of total whole wheat. I wouldn't do that again, since there were noticeable flakes of the almond flour in my first bite!

Enjoy...and let me know your experience with this recipe, should you try it or a variation thereof!

Today's quote:

For years, every morning, I drank
from Blackwater Pond.
It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt,
the feet of ducks.

And always it assuaged me
from the dry bowl of the very far past.

What I want to say is
that the past is the past,
and the present is what your life is,
and you are capable
of choosing what that will be,
darling citizen.

So come to the pond,
or the river of your imagination,
or the harbor of your longing,

and put your lips to the world.
And live
your life.

Mary Oliver

Country Ranch Green Beans and Potatoes (reposted)

This is a repost, because Thurs. night when I tried to date it, all my Google programs froze up.

...And here's a lovely lunch that I fixed the first day I felt like being back in the kitchen...after 2 days on antibiotics and a small dose of a steroid. I admit I only made half a recipe. It was pretty darn good. It comes from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. The link is in the title below.

Country Ranch Green Beans and Potatoes 

What You'll Need

---

SPICE/HERB INGREDIENTS

1 ½ tsp garlic powder 

1 tsp onion powder 

2 Tbsp dried minced onions 

½ tsp ground mustard powder

1 tsp dried parsley

¼ tsp dried dill 

1 tsp dried chives or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped chives 

¼ tsp smoked paprika 

COUNTRY RANCH GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES

1 cup yellow onions, finely diced

2 Tbsp garlic, minced 

1 cup vegetable broth 

1 cup water (or more broth) 

2 tsp nutritional yeast 

¼ tsp baking soda 

1 lb baby red-skinned potatoes, halved 

1 lb fresh green beans 

¾ tsp sea salt or to taste

¼ tsp black pepper or to taste 

2 tsp apple cider vinegar 

2 to 3 tsp Dijon mustard 

1 15.5oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 

Freshly chopped parsley (optional)

---

How to Make It

---

1 Place all the spice/herb ingredients (except sea salt and pepper) into a bowl, mix to combine, and set aside. 

2 In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the finely diced onions and sauté over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes until the onions are tender. Splash vegetable broth or water as needed to prevent sticking. 

3 Add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute. 

4 Add the remaining vegetable broth, water, nutritional yeast, and the spice/herb mix. Stir well to incorporate, bring to a boil, and then immediately lower to a simmer. Add the baking soda and stir to combine.

5 Stir in the baby potatoes, then layer the green beans on top of the potatoes. It is important that the baby potatoes are on the bottom, submerged or nearly submerged in the liquids. The green beans should sit on top and will steam/cook while the potatoes cook in the liquid. 

6 Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15 minutes. 

7 Remove the lid and add the sea salt, black pepper, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and cannellini beans. 

8 Stir well to combine, then continue to simmer uncovered for approximately 5 to 10 minutes, or until the baby potatoes are perfectly tender.

9 Remove from the stove and allow to sit for 7 to 10 minutes to allow the flavors to further develop. 

10 Serve with freshly chopped parsley.

New Year dinner

One pan dinner in 420 degree oven...roasted asparagus, oven fried potatoes, dijon crusty salmon.  See below for recipes.

Roasted asparagus is standard...wash and cut the bottoms of thin asparagus.  Lay on shallow pan, drizzle 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over it, and toss to cover completely.  Sprinkle 1-2 Tablespoons of  parmesean cheese over, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and garlic over the asparagus.
Oven cook frozen french fries.

Dijon Salmon.
2 filets of salmon (1/2 pound)
2 tablespoons dijon (wet) mustard
1 tablespoon basalmic vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce

mix the wet ingredients with 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

mix 2 tablespoons chopped pecans with 4 crumbled crackers or 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

pour 1/2 of the wet sauce over the salmon, turn the filets and coat the other side also
sprinkle the nut crumb mixture over completely.

I used a foil mini-pan under the salmon to keep it's juices separate on the bigger baking sheet.  This also kept the olive oil from mixing with the salmon.

Cook everything for 10 minutes, checking the asparagus for tenderness and the salmon for flakiness in center.  Mine were all done in 12 min at 420 degrees.