Easy Plant Based Filipino Pinakbet

I follow my cravings and that was what I was doing when I cooked this plant based version of another iconic dish from the Philippines, Pinakbet. It is a vegetable dish to begin with using the ones you might have on hand but there are some that are customarily used like okra and bitter melon. I luckily found okra in the grocery store which I used with the eggplant.  I added the cabbage for more bulk and nutrition but I would have preferred to have used green beans which I did not have at hand.

As much as possible I wanted the dish that I was preparing to match what I was craving. The vegetables I used were close to that criteria but I have the challenge to approximate the taste of bagoong, which is the heart of the dish.  It is made of either fish anchovies or shrimps that had been highly salted.  The shrimp variety are even sauteed in pork. Definitely not plant based.

I decided to use the combination of soy sauce, almond butter and miso paste to mimic the characteristic saltiness that the bagoong imparts on ones palate.  I am happy to say it worked.

We Filipinos like to undersalt our dish and use a condiment like fish sauce or more bagoong while eating the dish. That is what I did with this pinakbet but this time I used miso paste. I am happy to say my cravings for pinakbet have been satisfied with this plant version as I use this Filipino custom.

 Easy Plant Based Filipino Pinakbet

• 1 eggplant, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cups loosely packed okra
• 1/2 head of cabbage, cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp miso paste (need more as condiment when eating)
• 1/2 cup water

Place all the ingredients in a pot and allow the mixture to boil with the pot cover on.  Allow to boil gently till the vegetables are all cooked. Serve with rice or quinoa with a side of more miso paste to incorporate as little dabs with every bite of pinakbet with rice. This mixture is blissful.

Welcome A New Day

Welcome A New Day

A new day what do you have in store for me

I wonder what they will be

Along the way I know there will be surprises 

I just hope some will be nice

If some are not

And even if they are a lot

That is OK

What can I say

I got a gift of another day.

Are You Listening?

These two pictures were shared by three young persons who I met while dining at a restaurant.  They were on their way back to Boston from Baltimore where they joined the demonstration.  

Are You Listening?

Are you listening?

Is it with your mind

Which can be blind

Is it open or is it shut

Where is your heart

That can make us feel the hurt

That creates between us so much space

And so much menace

Can you feel the pain intertwined

In the message between the lines

Is your call for justice and the law

Tempered by mercy for the hearts to thaw

Are you longing 

In your listening

To hear their side with your mind and heart

Are you willing to feel their hurt

The message between the lines

That did not exist in our minds

That we did not hear and see 

You and me

Our hearts were so deaf and blind

We did not care to mind.

Chia Banana Coffee Smoothie

I wanted dessert after my lunch today.  I gave up chocolate for lent and I wanted something close to it.  I played around with the recipe of Chia Coffee Cardamon Bliss I posted in the past.  I decided to add cinnamon and frozen banana and made the brewed coffee as much as the nondairy milk.  The coffee is now taking a main role thus it is darker than the original recipe.  For me this is good.  My eye is tricking me I am having chocolate.  But really you will not miss the chocolate at all.  The result was so amazing I had to share it with you.  Go make this.  It will make your day especially if you are chocolate deprived.  

Chia Banana Coffee Smoothie

2 servings

• 1 cup brewed coffee (Note 1)
• 1 cup unsweetened cashew milk
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/8 tsp cardamon
• 1 frozen ripe banana (Note 2)

Place all the ingredients in the blender and pulse till the frozen banana is cut into pieces and then switch to the blend mode till the mixture turns thick in consistency.  You can eat this immediately or you can refrigerate for later.  Believe would be just slurp this right away.  Enjoy!

Notes:
1.  I used a cup of single serve coffee decaffeinated.

2.  If your banana is not that sweet you can add maple syrup to sweeten the smoothie.  

Tomato Pesto Avocado Toast

If you have a good loaf of whole wheat bread, anything will taste good on it. Actually even air.  It can go naked.  I buy my whole wheat bread from Aldis where they sometimes cost less than a dollar but even if not on special they only cost less than a dollar fifty.  If you are running out of ideas of what plant based sandwich you can have for lunch then you have come to the right place.  This is easy and delicious.

If you spread a homemade tomato pesto on it using the recipe I have in a past blogpost or one you can purchase at Aldis the whole wheat bread can be easily your lunch with a good cup of vegetable soup.  Since I discovered how good Daiya non dairy cheese, this time I used cheddar, I like to splurge and use a sprinkling. I just saw Daiya cheese being sold at Giant Eagle Grocery Store less than what I paid at a specialty food store.  Check it out.  For a special treat, I topped my toast with sliced avocados which I have plenty of since my adorable Aldis was selling them for less than 70 cents a piece a week ago.  If you have cilantro do use it. It gives a special refreshing flavor to the whole package.

I had this toast with Plant Based Corn Potato Chowder the recipe of which I posted in this blog or you can always pair it with any favorite soup of yours.

Tomato Pesto Avocado Toast

2 servings                                                              

• 2 pieces of whole wheat bread
• 4 tbsp tomato pesto (here is a home made recipe)
• 2 tbsp Daiya non dairy cheddar cheese
• 1 whole avocado sliced
• 1 handful cilantro leaves.

Spread the tomato pesto on the whole wheat bread. Top with Daiya cheddar cheese and toast till the cheese melts. Top with avocado slices and cilantro. Enjoy with your favorite cup of soup.

Our Wounds Can Be Our Teacher

I was given my first great blow in life when I lost a dream job in a company that was considered one of the best to work for nationally in the eighties. Of course I resorted to playing the blame game.  First focusing on other people then myself. I was losing confidence I will ever recover from what I consider a great defeat.

Wisdom culled from two books helped me get through this utterly disappointing time in my life. Nothing can be more different from where I got these two sources. One was actually bought from the Goodwill Store. It was a paperback entitled Go For It by Dr. Irene C. Kassorla.  I referred to this book and its message on strength in vulnerability in a past blogpost when I was struggling with how strong or not I should be in fighting my small cancer.

The other book that helped me tremendously to recover and find clarity over the loss of a job that I worked so hard to get and keep was entitled When Smart People Fail written by two women who suffered the same fate I did, Carol Hyatt and Linda Gotlieb.  My eye caught the book cover with its catchy title on its spine while I was at the Grandview Public Library in Missouri.

This book contained many reflections and stories by other persons who have experienced failure and defeat. Some gave accounts of what they did during those times.  One that stuck in my mind was the story told by Billy Jean King one of the greatest tennis players in the world. Even though she had one of the best winning records among the women tennis players she had her share of defeat in her career. When she used to lose a game she would go back to her locker room and instead of beating herself for her mistakes she would recall the stroke she missed and actually practice how it should have been done. For her to fret would not help her. But learning from her mistake would.

I recently read what another player said when asked in an interview what the best advice she had received, she just gave these two words "Next Game".  And that was what I did.  I had two more major jobs and one actually did not work out, again.  It took a third chance for me for things learned to finally sink in.  I am grateful that I never gave up but rather found strength from these two experiences of defeat and grew from them.

Note:  The thoughts in the poster was adapted from the Daily Meditation provided by Richard Rohr and in turn he adapted his meditation entitled The Positive from the Negative from the book Richard Rohr, Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi, pages 101-106, 111-112.

Whatever I Eat Turns Into Me

Whatever I Eat Turns Into Me

If whatever I eat turns to me

Will I now be looking like a tree?

For 5 months I have been plant based* 

No meat, no fish, no dairy, and no eggs

Was it the end of merry me

Or is it more the beginning of me so healthy

Would you believe with 80% complex carbohydrates

Just 10 % protein and 10 % fat, my A1C** was the best yet

For a long time diabetic to get 5.8 is a feat so great

So happy this is working
Though it takes a lot of chopping and planning 

I eat whole wheat and grains

Plenty of vegetables and leafy greens

Not to worry for my protein

I get from tofu, quinoa, beans and also from the greens
And for my sources of good fat
I get mine from seeds, avocado, coconut oil and nuts
Fruits and plant based dessert to eat I am able
And yes even chocolate since it is a vegetable!
Of course in moderation all of these food goodies
It is more than this and that which you skip
It is what you put in, the antioxidants among them diseases they can lick
And if you follow the 80 20 20 rule
No need for counting calories for us fools
Just do not mix other diets with this one
I do cheat once in a while cuz I am human
But no surprise there is a price to pay
So keep it once in a while and not everyday
I learned to concoct recipes that are flavorful and tasty
While making me glowing and healthy
What the heck
If I do not eat steak
If I eat do turns to me
Oh gee, tee hee
I would rather turn to a plant
Than an animal like an elephant.


*If you want to know more about the plant based approach to eating and living, check this book out, The Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living by Lindsay S. Nixon.

**Here is a link explaining what A1C and its number means.

What Is God Like To You

I found out that how I pictured God made a lot of difference in my life. I summarized its impact on me in the poem below.

How Is Your God Like

I always had a hard time being happy

Always forlorn and guilty

Until I found out my image of God

Was making me sick and sad

I used to picture him as a Santa Claus

Rewarding me with a bike

If my actions he liked

Dumping me on the side

If my actions began to slide

Through the years I found

The God I pictured should not be that of that guy who is jolly and round

But more like a good mother or a best friend

Who loves me unconditionally to the end

Whether I am good or bad

Whether I make her proud or sad

This God will be at my side

Happy to rejoice or help me if I need a guide

I no longer wake up scared
Of the day ahead 

That I will displease and get punished

Or go to bed feeling admonished

I now start the day not blue

But confident my loving God will help me through

Not abandon me when I fail and fall 

But patiently pick me up and guide me to again stand tall

At night I no longer feel rueful

But feeling hopeful and grateful

Because I change my God

To one who loves me good or bad

Who is at my side

Come high or low tide.

The Essence of Joy

The Essence of Joy

The half time show is what we care to see
Aside from the cheesy commercials we watched with glee
During the Super Bowl every year that is held
To see the two champion teams go head to head
But 2016 to me is the year
I will hold to my heart so dear
It is whence I with my granddaughter Maddie
And even my daughter so preggie
Jumped and danced with joy as Bruno Mars 
Beyonce and Coldplay sang under the stars
With all the energy they could give
With such abandon and so alive
That made two year old Maddie point to the TV screen and say "I want to be there"
On the same stage in the great football field where they were
In those happy moments dancing together I truly felt
The essence of joy we all have met
It was such a feeling so great
That made the people in the world forget all their woes
And that some of them were even foes.

Will I Still Believe

Will I Still Believe

Will I still believe

If Jesus did not die on the cross

And free us from sin or we're forever lost?

Will I still believe

If Jesus did not rise from the dead

To show us even death can be conquered?

I know the crucifixion and resurrection are both essential

For us to obtain life eternal

But in Him I have become to believe more

As His life as you and me I explore

How human he was as he walked on the same ground with dirt

Just like everyone on this earth.

That He was born in swaddling clothes in a lowly manger

Grew up and played like you and me as a toddler

Even got His mother Mary upset and worried as a pre-teenager

When at twelve years old he wandered

In a Jerusalem temple and with older learned priests He bantered.

I find it more impressive

By the examples He was to give

That he was like you and me 

At the same time He was God almighty

Who did miracles and taught things some did not understand

Who to the poor, the sick and the sinners He was always at hand
And to those astray gave mercy and forgiveness
Not heartless judgement and meanness

Who also got really mad at those in the temple selling

Disappointed when His own disciples were doubting

Who by the devil was tempted
Whose commands He rejected 

Oh was so sad at Gethsemane praying in the garden
Of what He knew would be done

Even more broken hearted while on the cross almost in vain 

He pleaded to God the father to pass the pain.

All the humanness he showed humanity

Proved more to me His divinity.

What is the use of a God that is so almighty

If He had no wisdom and humility

To show us all how to live

By the examples as a man He could give?

Oh King David

Oh King David

Oh King David
With all you did
You taught us poor mortals how to live
Songs of praise to God you loved to give
You wrote the 150 Psalms
Even after you could have been damned
For what you shamefully had done.

You had trust
And we also must
In God's forgiving heart
That we sometimes hurt
With our misdeeds
And our pride and greed.

Whenever we fall and fail as you did
You showed Oh King David
We need to overcome the shame and guilt
And to not ever be hopeless and quit
But from God to ask for His mercy and forgiveness
And not to stop to sing Him beautiful rhymes and phrases.

Dreidel from Homemade Edible Playdough

I am not really a crafty person.  When you teach kindergarten CCD (religion) you almost have to take a leap of faith that you can be one.  In teaching children at this age level, you think of activities that will not only teach them the lesson but also engage them.  Hands on activities wherein they color or make something are appropriate for children this age who could not read or write yet.

Last week, we were covering Jesus as a toddler and up to when he was 12 years old when he got lost in Jerusalem.  I wanted the students to realize Jesus was once a child like them who liked to play games. He grew up a Jew and I remember how dreidels are popularly played by Jewish children during Hannukah.  It is a game of chance.  The dreidel has four sides with a pointed end like a top. Instead of being circular in shape it has a square shape.  It has also a handle for the children to use to spin the dreidel.

I had made edible homemade play dough for another planned activity so I decided to use it in making a dreidel.  I shaped the play dough like the dreidel  that I saw in the internet but instead of writing the usual Jewish symbols on the four sides I just wrote the numbers 0,1,2 and 3.   I wrote 0 on one side, 1 on the other, 2 on third side and 3 on the last side.  If the dreidel upon spinning shows zero (0), they get none of the three goodies that I brought.  If  number 1 shows, they get to choose one of the prize goodies, if  it is 2 they get 2 kinds and if they get 3 they get all 3 of them

This way of playing the game that I have described is not the usual way the dreidel game is played which appeared to me more like gambling. In the traditional dreidel game, a pot of coins or candies are for play.  One symbol indicates you do not get the pot, another symbol you get the whole pot.  One other symbol indicates you put back what you just won and the last symbol you get half of it.

When we played the dreidel I made at home in class, Rylie loved it.  So we made one in class using the microwave in the teacher's room.  I used Q tip for the handle.  It actually worked!  I asked her mom, Adrienne, how it went with the two dreidels (the one I made and the one Rylie made) that Rylie took home.  She said one has to spin it real fast so it will not fall on one side too soon.  Other than that it worked.

Below is the recipe of the play dough and how I used it to make the dreidel.

Dreidel from Homemade Edible Playdough

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/2 cup or more water

Mix the flour and salt in a small bowl.  Add the cooking oil and water.  You can add more water to your preferred consistency.

Take a small amount of the play dough and shape it to the dreidel shown below with four flat sides like a block but with a pointed end at the bottom.  

Insert a Qtip into the flat top side of the dreidel.  You can remove the cotton on the Qtip if you like.

Microwave the dreidel for 1 minute.  You will find that the dreidel might still be soft.  It will harden after a while so let it set.

Using a marker write the numbers or symbols you like on the four sides.

To use the dreidel,  which is heavier than the store bought one, you need to spin it real fast using the Qtip handle. 

Taking a Different Worldview

I wrote a poem illustrating the difference between being and having and doing.  I am hoping this perspective of emphasizing being will help the unrest and greed that permeates society today and also within ourself. Here is the poem.

The Importance of Being

When my life goes off tracked

And I am out of whack

There is something I am forgetting

That in life what matters most is being

Not having

Not even doing.

Having and doing leave one never satisfied

You want more and more till you're tired
Burned out and totally fried.

Being is pacifying

Satisfying

Gratifying
Strengthening

Joy giving.

I have to remind myself when the rat race
Is too fast paced
To slow down and even stop
To breathe and reflect
We are not just mere objects.

Awareness of the spirit within

Is life giving

Not the things 

Or what success brings.

Cauliflower with General Tso's Sauce

If one goes to the Chinese buffets, one of the most popular dishes is General Tso's Chicken.  You can see this irresistible dish in almost all the overfilled plates. I have posted a Slow Cooker Healthier General Tso's Chicken recipe in this blog in the past.  I love its sweet and spicy taste and with that unmistakable kick in it that sets it apart from other sweet-spicy Chinese food.  Now that I am plant based I am still alive with all my cravings intact.  I decided to satisfy this yearning for this iconic Chinese dish by using cauliflower.  It is a hardy vegetable that I envisioned to be able to withstand being cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce and still retain its crunch.  I could have used tofu as this online website, the Minimalist Baker, has done but I just tofu-ed out for the week.  If this is eaten with quinoa instead of brown rice the protein requirement for the day can be met.

I used a tangy sweet spicy sauce in my Slow Cooker Healthier General Tso's Chicken with orange marmalade and juice in it.  It was really good but I wanted to try another recipe.  In this recipe, I based it on the one in the Minimalist Baker.  I did tweak it including adding chili garlic sauce.

Daphne Oz from the TV show The Chew has a recipe for General Tso's Cauliflower where she dredges first the cauliflower in rice flour cornstarch mixture with egg whites.  I did not have the motivation to go through that dredging step plus I want to stick to the plant based approach that refrains from using eggs.  So I decided to just cook the cauliflower florets with the sauce in the pan.  It is an easier procedure that even a burned out cook with no energy at the end of the day will be motivated to do.

I was really impressed that the cauliflower held its crunch as I envisioned and the sauce went really well with the florets.  The consistency of the sauce is left for the cook to decide.  I prefer mine thinner so I can scoop it with the florets and pour it in my rice or quinoa.  If it is to be served as an appetizer a thicker consistency will be the preferred so the florets are coated with the sauce as people pick them up.  It is a flexible and very easy recipe as you can see and so like the real thing, baby.  You can use it as a main dish, side dish or even as an appetizer.  Yes, yes.  I had it for breakfast today, the indicator it is addictive and haunting.

Cauliflower with General Tso's Sauce

Adapted from the Minimalist Baker  

                    

4 Servings

• 1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 -1 tsp chili garlic sauce 
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water

Mix all the ingredients except the cauliflower florets right in the saute pan.  Let it boil and then add the cauliflower florets.  Continue to boil gently the cauliflower in the sauce until it is cooked but still has that crunch.  You can boil off as much of the liquid as you want until you get the consistency of the sauce you want.  Do not overcook the cauliflower, however.  Serve topped with sliced green onions and over rice or quinoa.  Enjoy.  So good.

The Importance of Being

The Importance of Being

When my life goes off tracked

And I am out of whack

There is something I am forgetting

That in life what matters most is being

Not having

Not even doing.

Having and doing leave one never satisfied

You want more and more till you're tired
Burned out and totally fried.

Being is pacifying

Satisfying

Gratifying
Strengthening

Joy giving.

I have to remind myself when the rat race
Is too fast paced
To slow down and even stop
To breathe and reflect
We are not just mere objects.

Awareness of the spirit within

Is life giving

Not the things 

Or what success brings.

My Plant Based Pizza with Stringy Mozzarrela, No Kidding

I am happy to announce I am eating pizza again even though I am plant based.  I just could not eat one without cheese so I avoided pizza.  If not for the dairy free Daiya brand mozzarella cheese I would have just given up on eating pizza on this plant based approach of eating.  In the past on this diet I have sneaked in a small piece of the regular non plant based pizza with dairy cheese but I was not happy about it.  I wanted my own substantial serving of pizza I would not be guilty of.

   

Dairy free Daiya mozzarella as the package claims is cheesy and stringy.  The taste is delicious and not the pasty kind you get from other brands.  I got mine at Mc Ginnis Specialty Food Store in Monroeville PA. It is a bit pricier than the regular mozzarella but definitely worth every penny for me.  They are so rich I just use less than what some would use of the regular version.

I decided to make my pizza using ciabatta bread I got from Aldis Grocery Store.  I placed the store bought marinara sauce on top and just placed the Daiya mozzarella cheese, mushroom slices and sliced yellow pepper on top.  I then sprinkled garlic powder, dry oregano, basil and parsley on top.  The garlic powder gives the taste to me of the Parmesan cheese that one sprinkles on most pizza.

This pizza works.  I am in pizza heaven.  As one T shirt I saw said, Life is Pizza and I got mine back. Thanks to Daiya cheese.

My Plant Based Pizza with Stringy Mozzarrela, No Kidding

1 serving

• 1 Cibatta bread, split into two pieces
• 2 tbsp Marinara sauce
• 2 tbsp or more dairy free Daiya Mozzarella cheese
• 1 small yellow pepper, sliced into four pieces
• 2 large button mushrooms, sliced into 6 pieces
• garlic powder to taste
• dry oregano, basil and parsley to taste

Spread the Cibatta bread with the marinara sauce.  Top with the cheese, yellow pepper and mushroom pieces.  Toast or bake in the toaster oven till the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted but not burnt (like mine).  Sprinkle garlic powder, and the dry spices to taste.  Enjoy!

Lenten Fish Fry

Lenten Fish Fry

You have heard of how for lent for Catholics

We have to give up things we like

Be it chocolate or dessert 

Favorite snacks we eat at night

But people would never lie

That they ever gave up the Friday fish fry

They rather forget 

The tons of cholesterol they will get

As they eat the batter fried fish

With their favorite side dish
Be it deep fried spuds prepared by Fr. Tony

The church ladies' butter sauteed haluski

Cabbage slaw, mac and cheese so creamy
Or the ubiquitous, delicious pirogies

So on Lenten Fridays they could hardly wait

With family and friends it is a date

To eat at their Church's fish fry

Or they will cry, and cry and just die.

What If I Get To Be 70, 80 or Even 90

What If I Get To Be 70, 80 Or 90

I am in my sixties
And I do wonder what it will be
When I am in my seventies, eighties or nineties
Will I be like seventy-ish Kay
Who averages 14000 steps a day
Or will I be at home to stay
Or be out to the gym like Kay to play.
When I am in my eighties
Will I learn new crafts like Dorothy
Making pop up cards and folded cut out trees
Will I be like Win painting travel memories
Or be like Rose who with her computer skills
Do facebook, skype and send out emails
Will I still be doing Zumba steps with pizzass
Like Helen in my class
Or will I be home like I inhaled ether and just be still
Complaining that life has no more thrills.
Will I be like the late dear Elma in her nineties
Doing the exercise circuit at Curves while telling us stories
Or will I just sit on my behind
Bored out of my mind
And what if I reach the hundreds
Will I be like Val busy with the Garden Club she heads
Who chooses at 101 "to live while she is alive
And die only when she is dead"
Or will I just dread
My obituary that will be read.
Whatever life brings at any age
As I speak like Patricia the ageless sage
It will be good and even better somehow
If I emulate the attitude of these inspiring ladies to whom I bow.

Wheat Free Lemon Sponge Cake

I wanted to bake a cake for my friend Rose that I could bring to our prayer meeting that is held at Dorothy's house. It is Rose's birthday in a few days.  I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate it after our prayer meeting with Sr. Paula.   After all prayer groups are top in the list of Rose's favorite things in life and they are in mine too.  I actually wrote an ode to groups, like my prayer groups, today that can be found in this blogpost.  

It has to be gluten free in deference to our host's food preference.  I googled for the best and easiest recipe I could find. I found the recipe for Wheat Free Sponge Cake in a delightful website Ancoo Journal.  I could not believe the list of ingredients.  Not only is it short with no use of butter or baking powder;  it does not use any of the usual gluten free flour that are so expensive to buy like almond or flax or soy flour. Instead it uses good old corn flour aka cornstarch!  

The delightful website, Ancoo Journal, gives helpful pictures that demonstrate the proper techniques.  If one follows the steps shown in this website it actually works and results in a sponge cake with a great texture that is delicious as well. I tweaked the recipe by adding lemon extract aside from the vanilla in the original recipe. Did I say it is pretty too with powdered sugar and fruit of your choice on top?  A fruit jam can be also used. Lemon curd if you happen to have it would be perfect.  

Here are pictures of Rose celebrating her birthday in advance with the prayer group facilitated by our dear Sr. Paula Drass. We are grateful to Dorothy for generously hosting this group in her beautiful house this year. By the way the group members gave this cake the two thumbs up. Advance Happy Birthday Rose!

Wheat Free Lemon Sponge Cake

(Adapted from the Ancoo Journal website)

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup caster sugar (I prepared this by blending granulated sugar in the blender till powdery in texture but not as fine as confectioner's sugar)
• 3/4 cup corn flour or cornstarch (sifted twice)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease an 8-inch round pan and line it with wax paper that fits the bottom of the pan.  Set aside.
2. Beat the eggs, the vanilla and lemon extracts at medium speed for 10 minutes till it turns pale yellow and creamy.  (I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer for this step).
3. Add the sugar gradually to the beaten eggs at medium speed till the sugar dissolves.
4. Add the sifted corn flour or cornstarch through a sifter and into the sugar egg mixture.  Gently fold the flour with a spatula till fully incorporated with the sugar egg mixture.
5. Transfer to the prepared round pan.
6. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Transfer the cake in a cooling rack.
8. Drizzle the cooled cake with powdered sugar and top with any fruit or jam of your choice.  I used blackberries I happened to have in the fridge.  Lemon curd will also be good to use.  Enjoy this pretty and delicious cake.

A Group Is Like Good Soup

A Group Is Like Good Soup

I belong to groups
They are like good soups
Our ideas and thoughts blend
Like spices that never end
They nourish
At times I thought I'll perish
They are comforting like minestrone
I always feel at home
I get filled up
When empty is the cup
The discussion can be hot like a bowl of chili
Or unique like a cold soup of strawberry
Always unpredictable
Delightfully delectable.
I always leave feeling stronger at the end
After being with this group of friends
Just what a good soup does
For all of us.

The Gift of Self Acceptance

The Gift of Self Acceptance

Accepting myself is no longer that bad
It used to be I felt so sad
During painful years
When I was in tears
For feeling like a freak
Especially when I did speak
I now know it is okay
That what I think and say
Is like day and night
From the other people's insight.
How I look at things is unique
And a bit oblique
At times too irreverent
Not straight but bent
Round when it is a square
That make others stop and stare
Some laugh so hard they get belly ache
While others sigh and their head shake.
I am created this way
And how it is to stay
So I might as well be comfy
With good old weird me.
As long as I cause no trouble
Am nice and humble
When I speak
And stand out like a freak.

Easy Sloppy Joe

Busy night.  Lots of picky mouths to feed.  You are tired but do not want to order take out.  This is the recipe you need.  Short list of ingredients are needed.  Very flexible.  You can control what you want in the sauce unlike the bottled commercial Sloppy Joe sauce you can buy.

The most essential ingredients in the list are of course ground beef (preferably low fat to skip draining of the fat step), catsup and Worcestershire sauce.  You can embellish the flavor with the onions, green pepper and garlic powder.  Yes you can add Sriracha sauce for extra oomph and depending who you are feeding. Children tend to find it too spicy.

My family loves this and so do my friends.  I gave this to an ailing friend and her husband, Joe, wrote me an email gushing that it is the best he had had or something like that.  Superlatives no less.

Easy Sloppy Joe

• 2.5 lb ground beef (preferably low fat)      
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups catsup
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce (optional)

Saute the onion and green pepper in a the oil in a saute pan.  Add the ground beef, salt, black pepper and garlic powder to the vegetable mixture and continue to saute till the beef is browned.  If you are using beef that are high in fat, you can skim off the fat at this point.  Add the catsup, Worcestershire sauce and Sriracha sauce if using and continue to simmer the meat mixture till the flavors are blended.  Spoon over your favorite bun and enjoy pure bliss.  Do not forget to serve some veggies on the side like carrots and celery.  

Dealing with Being Overwhelmed

Lesson from A Pile of Laundry

When I used to teach Chem 101
And students had too much studying to be done
I used to illustrate using their pile of laundry
How to deal with the stress with imagery
I reminded them how overwhelmed at first they were
As they looked at the pile and just stared
How they decided not to freeze and did the wash
Since they did not want to smell like trash
I reminded them how they felt so much better
When it was all done later
Their tension headache all gone
As the laundry got all done.
So to my students so overwhelmed
This I used to tell them
So it would be with their chemistry
If they want to be happy
To not just stare at the homework and quit
But just do it. Do it. Do it.

Kale Salad with Thai Sweet Chili Peanut Dressing

Simple. Easy. Refreshing. Delicious.  Sweet.  Tangy. Nutty. Crunchy. Healthy.

I can go on and on enumerating more adjectives.  I really like this salad because it is easy to prepare. Just four ingredients are needed for the dressing plus water.  It is a flexible recipe also. You can use any combination of vegetables you might have on hand for the salad part. You can use any nut butter for the dressing like almond butter instead of the peanut butter.  For the topping you can use any nuts and even seeds instead of the peanuts. Almond, cashew, sesame seeds, pepita seeds.

I would like to point out that this is also plant based.  I skipped using any oil to thin out the consistency of the dressing and opted for water.  I used sweet kale which I bought at Aldis Grocery Store.  The Thai Sweet Chili Sauce is readily available in any grocery chain and I even saw it sold in the Dollar Store.  I have posted a similar dressing in a past blog if you do not want to buy the Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.

Here is the recipe.  Have it for your super bowl party.  Have a nice weekend.

Kale Salad with Thai Sweet Chili Peanut Dressing 

2 servings (Note 1)

Ingredients

Dressing

• 1 tbsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• water

Salad

• 2 cups kale, stem removed and cut into bite pieces (Note 2)
• 1 cup napa cabbage, cut into one inch thin strips
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup crushed peanuts

Instructions

1.  To prepare the dressing.  Place all ingredients except the water in a bowl and mix with a fork or whisk.  Add the water gradually until the consistency that you desire is reached.

2. To prepare the salad.  Layer the kale, cabbage and carrots in a bowl.  Top with crushed peanuts.  You can serve the dressing on the side or drizzled on top of the salad.

Note

1.  You can double, triple etc this recipe.

2. You can massage the kale with your hands to tenderize it.  To massage the kale, you knead it like you would bread dough till it wilts.  

A Tender Movie Scene for a Tired Spirit

I woke up really tired today, perhaps because it is Friday.  I actually was tired last night and I do not know why.  I went to a meeting not in very good form.  My eyes were droopy even when the speaker was well prepared and smoothly gave his talk.  The members in my discussion group were congenial and ready to share their thoughts. I did share mine because, ugh ugh ugh, I was tired. When that happens I am particularly a little bit too excited and edgy.  I woke up this morning wishing I did not say what I said the way I did it.  It was spoken rather impatiently in my judgement.

I needed something to "tenderize" my hardened tired spirit this morning. To accomplish this task I decided to view the YouTube video of the most memorable part of Casper a movie which features the friendship between the friendly ghost of the same name with a young girl named Kat, played by Christina Ricci.   I remember sleeping through this movie when I viewed it twenty years ago and waking up in time to hear Casper whisper to Christina Ricci the famous phrase "Can I keep you" in the most unforgettable scene in the movie. It was so tenderly said it melted my heart then and still do now. So this morning I used this video as my chill pill.  If you do not have time you can go to the last minute to view this sweet moment.  I highly recommend, however, to view the earlier parts that will make you feel this heartwarming point more poignantly.  It might even be Kleenex time.  

Maddie, Maddie, Maddie

Maddie, Maddie, Maddie

Maddie, Maddie, Maddie
You are driving me crazy
With your antics so zany
Makes a dreary day seemed sunny.
Your smile and pout
Leaves my heart inside out
What you say
Always so cute makes me sway
To give you chocolate
Instead of veggies on your plate
Your jump with glee
when you see me
Lifts my heart
which breaks when we need to part.
You are exhilarating
And exhausting
Incredible
Double trouble
I love you even when you poop and pee
And even when you spill your drink on me
I thank God above
For this gift of a grandchild I so love
With whom I am making happy memories today
To savor when she is all grown up someday.
So with her forever I stay.

Tofu Steak Salad with Easy Vegan Caesar Dressing

A wonderful Easy Vegan Caesar Dressing enhances the taste of this beautiful and healthy salad.  This was inspired by the salad I found in Bloglovin which used beef steak and a lemon yogurt dressing.  I wanted a vegan version so instead of beef steak, I used an equally flavorful Tofu steak prepared easily in a pan with only three ingredients, soy sauce, garlic and black pepper. The resulting tofu is so delicious you would not miss the beef.  Instead of putting everything in my pantry and fridge in the salad, which they did in the one featured in Bloglovin, I observed restraint and stuck to cucumber, tomatoes, avocado and croutons.  

The dressing uses no cheese and anchovies and yet it can compete with the very best Caesar dressing.  The secret is the Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard added plus the lemon and garlic to give the saltiness and tang one obtains from the traditional Parmesan cheese and anchovies.  This is irresistible.  .  

Tofu Steak Salad with Easy Vegan Caesar Dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Tofu Steak

• 1 block firm tofu (previously pressed off its liquid and cut into 2 inch x 1/4 inch strips)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper

The Easy Vegan Caesar Dressing

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp vegan mayo, low fat
• 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Salad

• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce or the greens of your choice
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 avocado, pitted and diced
• 1/2 cup bread croutons

1.  To prepare the Tofu Steak:  Mix the soy sauce, garlic powder and black pepper in the saute pan.  Place the tofu strips in the mixture. Allow the liquid to gradually evaporate using medium heat while stirring the tofu until the strips are browned but not burnt. You can adjust the seasoning by adding more garlic powder or soy sauce if you like.

2.  To prepare the dressing: Mix all the ingredients in a small food processor or blender and blend till mixture is homogeneous.

3.  To assemble the salad:  Place a bed of greens on the bottom of a large shallow bowl.  Place the Tofu steak in the middle of the greens.  Arrange the tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and bread croutons around the tofu steak. Serve the salad with the dressing on the side.

Plant Based Corn Potato Chowder

This is the plant based version of the Corn Potato Ham Chowder I posted last month.  In keeping with the plant based approach I skipped the ham.  

I still wanted to have to bite into a smoked something while eating this delicious hearty soup.  I could have used meatless sausage or pan fried tofu to inject this smoky something.  I opted instead for the Easy Slow Cooker Smoky Gooey Carrots which I prepared and posted in another post to fulfill this role.  

This chowder by itself is very satisfying even without these smoky gooey carrots.  In fact my picky taster, my husband Bob, ate this plant based version without them and savored it with all his heart and soul.   He was speechless to find out it was the meatless version.  I like it with them for myself when I am in the mood for added smokiness and something crunchy in my soup.  I love it as is too.

The use of creamy sweet corn aside from the whole kernel one helped in the creaminess of the soup as well as the addition of a good non dairy milk.  I recommend cashew milk which I find is thicker than most non dairy milk.  In fact I also suggested in the notes to use instead of the 2 cups water in the recipe below more milk to increase the creamy consistency of the soup.  It is your choice.  Life is all about choices and this soup gives you that.  With or without the smoky gooey carrots or more milk or not.  Wow, hurrah for freedom! Enjoy this soup and exercise your freedom of choice. 

Plant Based Corn Potato Chowder

• 1 - 15 oz can creamy sweet corn               
• 1 - 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups diced celery including leaves if any
• 1 cup diced peeled carrots
• 1 cup, diced sweet yellow pepper
• 2 cups water (Note 1)
• 1 cup non dairy milk (I used almond milk)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 - 1 cup Easy Slow Cooker Smoky Gooey Carrots (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in the crock pot except the Easy Slow Cooker Smoky Gooey Carrots.  Slow cook for 6 hours at low setting or 3 hours at high setting.  Add the heated Easy Slow Cooker Smoky Gooey Carrots when you are ready to serve.

Note

Substitute 2 more cups of non dairy milk for a thicker soup.  

The Small C Part IX . What Not to Say to a Person with Cancer or Somebody Mourning

(This blog post is Part IX of “The Small C”, a series of posts on my experience with cancer and insights I gained from it). 

"Everything happens for a reason."  So most people think and what most people say to a person who is grieving over a loss of a loved one (through death or divorce) or a job or dealing with an incurable disease. Tim Laurence, a journalist and psychotherapist, forcefully thinks otherwise in his insightful article. Unfortunate events in life to him, do not have to be explained or rationalized.

He suggests that we refrain from saying this magic phrase "Everything happens for a reason." to console somebody who is hurting.  I have talked about in a past blog post during one point in my life when I was dealing with cancer how a well meaning friend actually made me feel guilty rather than comforted when he said that perhaps I was dealt with this disease to be closer to God.  I misconstrued what he said that I was too ambitious and the disease would make me get down on my knees and reform.

When my father was dying of liver cancer I  remember my late mother being upset when she was told by my father's doctor in an attempt to console her, "He (my dying father) is pretty old and has lived a long life."  I have heard this sentence being uttered by well meaning people to persons mourning the death of a loved one while visiting them in the funeral home.

Laurence suggests that sometimes a touch or just being there is enough. and how it is best to allow the person mourning to contend with his fragility and limitations of his being human. To offer the person space to mourn and to accept "somethings cannot be fixed  and should only be carried."

In life letting it be is sometimes best.  Perhaps that is what should be our attitude too for those in mourning as we helplessly watch them in pain.

Here are links to the past posts on The Small C.

The Small C Part 1.

The Small C Part II.

The Small C Part III.

The Small C Part IV.

The Small C Part V.

The Small C Part VI.
The Small C Part VII
The Small C Part VIII

Like a Long Lost Sock

Like a Long Lost Sock

What you value
May one day lose its hue
No more luster
Like peeling wall plaster.
You go panic
It makes you sick
No longer are you thrilled
By something for which with glee you squealed
Then one day like a lost sock
You find it back
In unexpected places and cranny
At surprising times that are uncanny.
Not to worry when something you lose
Leaves you sad and confused
In time it will be back
Like a long lost sock.