Spicy Sweet Potato and Corn Soup

Friday is my day off but I normally pack more into it then on a work day. Today has been no different. I have an outing tonight so I made dinner for Pete and Jayne. They already fend for themselves on Tuesday and Thursday nights when I work, which is obviously fine since they are quite capable, but what they end up making is bean burritos, frozen meals, canned soup....not the healthiest fare. So I often leave something ready to warm up, bonus: I get to eat it when I get home as well. So tonight I scoured through my fridge and came up with all the fixings I needed to make this soup. I first ran into this recipe in a cookbook from Moosewood Restaurant many years ago and come back to it each fall.

1/2 cup chopped onion            2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 small can of green chiles or 1 whole jalapeño, seeded (the jalapeño is much hotter)
salt to taste
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tsp cumin
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/ 2 bell pepper or 1 green zucchini, cubed. Sometimes I use both.
1 can yellow corn

Top hot soup with fresh cilantro and sour cream or plain yogurt.

In a covered pot, simmer the onion, garlic, chile, and salt in one cup of broth for 10 minutes. In a small bowl mix one tablespoon of the leftover broth with the cumin to make a paste, then mix into pot with veggies. Add the sweet potato and remaining stock and cook for 10 minutes, then add zucchini and/or bell pepper, and corn. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until all veggies are soft. Take out one cup of broth and veggies and puree. Stir back in then serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro on top.
Makes 4 large servings with about 200 calories a serving

Trusting In My Own Ability to Balance Life

No one imagines that a symphony is supposed to improve in quality as it goes along, or that the whole object of playing it is to reach the finale. The point of music is discovered in every moment of playing and listening to it. It is the same, I feel, with the greater part of our lives, and if we are unduly absorbed in improving them we may forget altogether to live them.

Alan Watts

     I miss the days of mindlessly going about my life. Of driving through McDonald's with no guilt. Arguing with Pete and being certain I was the agrieved party. Buying cheap clothes without any thought to where they came from or, more importantly, what child might have been exploited to make it. Wondering about everything I pick up at the grocery store: Is it organic? Is it made with GMO's? Is it 100% recycled paper? Is it free range/cage free meat? Does the company use animal testing? And on and on and on. I've been feeling so much pressure to do the right thing each day that I think I've been forgetting to enjoy my life. I realize I've been doing this, to some extent, for many years and I'm grateful that Pete and Jayne have been such good sports. I have a vivid memory from eleven years ago when I was hiking around Aurora Reservoir in Colorado with our friend Neil, Pete's oldest and dearest friend. Neil visits us every year and this particular year the task of taking him to the airport fell to me. I decided we should go for a hike before going to the airport. As we hiked, as usual, I talked. At some point Neil said to me, “You sure talk about psychology stuff a lot these days. Don't you get tired of working all the time?” Neil has a way of pointing out the everyday absurd that can become a part of our lives when we aren't looking. He normally gets it spot on too.

     I have felt broken for so long, desperately searching for the right thing to fix me. Perhaps if I ate healthier, went to school just a little longer, meditated for just one more hour, achieved that next challenging yoga pose.....I kept thinking that around the next corner I might find the perfect panacea. This past Thursday I sat through yet another fifty minutes of therapy (which I'm also tired of) and I realized I'm burned out on self-help. I resent my meditation, I'm craving food that isn't good for me, I'm surly and not sleeping, it's hard to practice yoga (which is like breathing to me); it's as though my life has become a chore. I talked with Connie, my therapist, about this and her response was so simple: “Do what you want. Stop worrying and just be.” I've been working this path to a healthier me for twenty years, and I think Connie's right, it's time I trust in myself to do the right thing and stop worrying. If I don't do the right thing, oh well. It's not the end of the world if I have a Coke or eat a frozen pizza or act like an ass when I argue with Pete. Life will go on and the next time I'll return to my green tea or choose a salad instead of pizza or realize Pete might just be right. For years I've been espousing that once you find the balance in asana it will lead to finding balance in other areas of your life. I need to trust in myself that I too can find the balance off my mat without always worrying about it. I have a feeling I'm going to surprise myself at how often I actually do the right thing; after all, I have twenty years of experience and, even when I do screw up, I know my intention was good. So I will silently hum my new mantra, an oldie but a goodie, “Don't worry about a thing,'cause every little thing gonna' be all right.” Thank you Bob Marley for these words of wisdom.

Jerk Chicken and Veggies with Rice

     Living in Southern California I have learned that the weather is hard to predict. Even though it's getting close to Thanksgiving we had a high of 90 degrees today. Thankfully it will drop thirty to forty degrees tonight so the house stays cool. I try to grill when it gets like this to keep from cranking the air back on. Here is one of our family favorites. I had some cherry tomatoes laying around so I added them as a side dish. Pete likes tomatoes on the grill so I added some to his skewer, I like mine cold, and Jayne skips them all together unless in ketchup or pasta sauce. My guess is this could be made vegetarian by using portobello mushrooms.

Spicy Caribbean Jerked Chicken with Rice

Ingredients

 

Make spicy marinade by combining:

4 medium green onions

2 jalapenos

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp dried thyme

2 Tbl vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

Directions:

I use my braun handblender to whip the marinade together. Then pour over one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast and marinate for at least two hours. I cut the chicken into cubes and add onion and bell peppers to make kabobs with this, I have never used whole breast but whole is what the recipe calls for. I make a side dish of rice in the rice cooker with a 1 Tbl of chicken broth and 1 Tbl jerk seasoning and serve the chicken over the rice.

Roasted Root Vegetable with Quinoa

      My friend Beth just gave me a butternut squash and, as luck would have it, we're having a bit of a cold snap (at least it's cold by Southern California standards). There's nothing like roasted root vegetables when the weather turns chilly. I had some other veggies I mixed in, added some quinoa, and dinner is served. Next time I'm going to mix in a can of garbanzo beans for a little bit more substance, but I thought it was really tasty. I adapted this recipe from a couple of different sources, it serves four with 390 calories per serving. 

     1 tsp. ground cumin                        1 tsp. coriander

     1 tsp. ginger                                    1 tsp. salt

     1 tsp. cayenne pepper                     1 tsp. cinnamon

     2 Tbl. honey                                   3 Tbl. olive oil

     1 medium onion, cubed                  2 carrots, peeled and cubed

     1 potato, cubed

     2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed                             

     1 red bell pepper

     1 butternut or acorn squash, cubed 

     1 tsp. thyme leaves

     

 Quinoa:

      1 cup quinoa, rinsed

      2 cups water

      1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar        

      1 tsp. olive oil

Mix all spices except thyme with olive oil and honey in a large bowl, then add the cubed vegetables and mix. Pour in roaster and bake on 375 for 30 minutes. Then add thyme, mix, and return to oven for 20 more minutes or until veggies are soft. 

Follow quinoa cooking directions. When done add vinegar and olive oil. Place a serving of quinoa in a bowl and spoon veggie mixture over it. Serve while hot. 

      

This Is Me Not Talking Politics

   If you live in America, unless you've been holed up in a cave, you're probably aware it's an election year. I'm not going to talk politics here, but I'm going to use this as an opportunity to explore my own humaness. I call myself a liberal, probably not a suprise to most of you. I believe women should have the right to choose what they do with their own bodies, I believe everyone should be able to marry whomever they want (love is love, and we certainly could use more of it in this world), and I believe everyone should have access to food and healthcare. I, like the rest of the country, sometimes have a hard time with people who don't share my veiws. My guess is many of you get caught up in the “us versus them” mentality, as do I, and I don't like it; it's certainly not beneficial for our country. I've been grateful for this election because it has afforded me the opportunity to practice non-judgement. I have some friends who are a bit more pragmatic then myself who believe judgement is part of our human nature, and I would agree, but there is also a time for diplomacy. Diplomacy will lead to peace much more quickly then pointing fingers and criticizing one another.

     For years I have tried to practice a mindful existence and this election brings up the fact that I'm still a work in progress. Case in point: Pete and I sat at a restaurant this past Saturday night and a woman was speaking loudly about her political veiws. I found her tone and volume obnoxious and I was irritated, probably in part because she did not agree with my position on many important issues. When I got up to go to the restroom, I noticed the woman who was speaking was someone I know. She is a current yoga student of mine, and I stopped to speak. As we continued with our dinner it occurred to me that as I judged this person for having a different view then me I was not “living my yoga”. The heart of a mindfullness practice is kindness, compassion, and to move away from the divisive practice of judgement. I'm striving to be the change I want to see in the world, and to do that I must open my mind and heart to those who see things differently than me. Our thoughts are powerful and if we can begin to be more respectful in thought and action to those that differ from us I believe we will begin to see a shift in America. I will try this election to choose my words carefully when stating my opinion about the issues and to treat each person with kindness and respect even when I don't agree with their opinion. So.....go vote! And be kind to one another, whether Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Dog, or Cat.

Mom's Vegetable and Beef Soup

     When I was a girl my mom made this vegetable and beef soup a lot. I've made some changes to make it a bit healthier and often I leave out the meat, but still it feels like comfort food to me.  It taste best after sitting in the refrigerator over night. My theory is the tomato base has time to soak into the vegetables. I use organic, fresh produce, but canned vegetables are better than no vegetables. This is easy to make and easily feeds six. Always looking to spice it up, Pete loves this with fresh parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

If using meat choose one pound of a good cut of beef           

  2 carrots, chopped                                                               2 celery stalks,chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced                                                      1 cup green beans

1/2 medium onion, chopped                                                  1 cup of corn

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed                                                1/2 cabbage, chopped

1 14 oz can tomatoes, rotel works well                                 Trader Joe's Tomato Juice(1/2 bottle)

1 Tbl oregano                        

(You can use whatever veggies you like, I sometimes add lima beans, peas, zucchini, whatever I have on hand)

Heat olive oil in dutch oven add meat, onion, and garlic, cook for ten minutes on medium heat. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the cabbage. Cook on medium/low for three hours, adding tomato juice to suit your taste as it cooks. Add cabbage for thirty minutes or so. I love this recipes because you really can't over cook it, the longer it cooks the softer the meat and the more the tomato flavor mingles with the vegetables. 

Bon Apetit!
Calories: 330 in three cup serving, Total of 5 BIG servings!

What To Do With Regrets From The Past?

      I've been having a rough few weeks. Truth be told it's been a rough three months, but isn't that how life is? Filled with ebbs and flows? You would think after all these years (I'm firmly in the middle age bracket now), that I wouldn't be surprised when it ebbs. But here I am, bummed out for the last two weeks and I'm sick of being sad; quite honestly I'm sick of myself. This month is the anniversary of my brother Jack's death. It's been twelve years since he died and I've gotten used to the fact that he's no longer here. Sadly, my family now finds itself saying good-bye to another loved one. I went to Austin last weekend to say good-bye to a man who has been in my life since the day I was born. Billy is not biologically related to me, yet, I struggled with a deep need to go and see him before he died. It certainly wasn't convenient to go right now, but his doctor said two to six weeks is all he has left. Pete was out of town backpacking (which meant I couldn't even consult with him before I made a decision). As a senior in high school, Jayne had her last homecoming on Saturday. The classes I teach at the college would have to be cancelled. But who says life is convenient?

     Billy and his wife Peggy live just down the road from where my brother's headstone rests, and visiting them, saying good-bye to someone else I love, well...I'm just emotionally raw, and what has come up is regret. I have no regrets in regards to Billy, and going to Austin proved to be a powerful life experience. I was able to tell him how important he has been to me, to wish him a safe journey, and to tell him I love him. I didn't have that opportunity with Jack. A few years before his death I found yoga, and I was a bit of a zealot about the lifestyle changes I'd been making. Alright, if you ask my sister or my husband they would say I was downright overbearring about my new lifestyle and judgemental of everyone who wasn't interested in changing. I had decided that yoga and the dietary changes I was making were beneficial to all, and if they would just listen to me they too could reap the benefits. I was so self-righteous in my new-found knowledge that it never occurred to me that maybe they were happy living just the way they were living. My brother was struggling with life when he died and wasn't in a healthy space at all, so I think I was even more obnoxious with him. Being in Austin has brought to the surface this long burried regret. So, what to do with it? I can't change past behaviors, I'm human and I make mistakes, so how do I find compassion for myself? I loved my brother and I have to believe he knows my intention at the time was only to help him find health, I just went about it in the wrong way. I believe that the universe gives us what we need, we just have to keep our eyes open, and just when I needed a little inspiration to get myself out of this black hole of self-pity I got an email from the Dalai Lama. No, I'm not personal friends with the Dalai Lama, it's a mass mailing that comes if you sign up for it, and in this one he is discussing compassion. He said that to neglect compassion is a mistake because it is the source of our own well-being. Bingo! When I'm soft with myself I'm able to be soft with others, especially those I love the most who also happen to be easy targets when I'm not in a good space. By putting this out into the universe my hope is that I will be able to find a little more compassion for myself -and the people I love- and to forgive myself for past mistakes.