Easter this year was so much more successful than last year!! And still, it can be even better next, now that we are settled and know how to get what we need and desire from this culture.
We colored brown eggs, and they came out just fine, we used deep reds and blues and purples and it worked. We went crazy for Cadbury's and that was nice too. They have been bought by Nestle, so no more Cadbury's come next year as I cannot in any ethical frame of mind support Nestle in any of its guises. Caramel eggs, creme eggs, caramel bunnies, truffle eggs, on and on.
We went to the Cambridge Botanical Gardens, and wow everything is in bloom! Daffodils, hycainth, tulips, violets, dogwoods, forsythia, pink blossoms on bushes, white blossoms on trees that smell like heaven, magnolias in pink and fushica and white! It was a gray day and still a sea of softly blowing colors that inspired. We will go again next week on a Sunny Day and take pictures to share.
The children have 2.5 weeks off school, so we have been swimming at the pool everyday and cooking and cooking and cooking. Perhaps I will do a few recipe posts soon, there are some nice new concoctions being created =)
Tonight I will make my first vision board since coming here, and I am excited to see what intuition pulls up as truth for my coming future. We love you Oestara, goddess of new life and hope and soft gentle days. We are resurrected in our spirits, even as the sting of winters breaking is still with us. Shalom~
2 comments:
Hi Hannah!
We had our Spring House concert last night. The theme was Haiti. Here's a recipe that I made for last night that was fabulous! It's a vegan variation of a beef/lamb stew. The key flavoring is a mixture of star anise pods, cinnamon, and bay leave (I used about a palm-full of this herb combination for 1 standard crock pot). Simmer and cook beans in this mixture. Then saute lots of onion, some garlic, a bell pepper, spicy pepper if desired. Then thicken with tomato paste and/or diced tomatoes. Pour in with the cooked beans and simmer a while longer, the longer the better. Serve over rice.
Thanks Lilan! Below is everybody's favorite: Vegan Chili. Enjoy :)
Hannahs Tofu Chili
Spices: whole cumin seeds, whole coriander, red chili peppers, peppercorns, oregano, chili powder, and garam masala
Several Tablespoons canola oil
One large can (28oz.) tomato puree
Two cans kidney or pinto beans
One package (12oz.) frozen firm tofu
Onions, Garlic, Carrots
Soy Sauce and Red Wine
Take your tofu out of the freezer in the morning so it thaws. This is actually the hardest part. I have often been caught simmering the whole package, plastic and all, in a saucepan to get my tofu thawed because I forgot about it.
Heat the oil in your large soup pan with small handfuls of cumin, coriander, oregano, and chili powder. Add to this slightly smaller amounts of peppercorns and garam masala.
When you smell the spices and they pop and bubble in the oil add the tomato and let simmer for about a minute. Fill the tomato can with water and add to make your base.
As the base simmers add your beans, drained of course, one or two chopped onions, two diced carrots, seven to eight whole cloves of garlic, peeled, and one or two whole chili peppers.
Take the tofu out of the package and pour out the water. Crumble the tofu over the pan, it will come off in little chunks like ground meat.
Add to this several tablespoons soy sauce, and if you have it around, about half a cup of red wine.
Simmer an hour to an hour and a half, adding water mid way through if necessary.
Serve with cornbread and salad, or over rice. Delice!
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