Nexus

Canadians VS Americans

I read this interesting article in MacLeans Magazine this weekend ... I subscribe to MacLeans and read it more or less cover to cover every week. I like the magazine a lot.

I took the magazine with me this weekend to the Yoga Retreat - not because of the article. But it was interesting because one of our friends - an American from Seattle - joined us for the weekend. It was interesting to get a discussion going about the article.

Weekend

I am back after a great weekend away ... the July long weekend at Saha Yoga has become a tradition for myself and a few of my friends. Saha is a yoga retreat that I have been going to for several years - this was my fourth July 1 weekend there. The July 1 weekend is a bit unusual in that it has become a friends and family weekend at Saha. We had a small but perfect group of - friends and family!

We had a wonderful weekend of eating lots of great food and touring Prince Edward County. We did the gourmet loop that is so well known in that area, including a - cheese shop, winery, cider shop, raw foods place, organic veg market, jam shop and finally a new goat cheese manufacturer. The goat cheese shop is a green building and operation that had just opened and were giving tours of the premises and operation.

One focus of the weekend was discussions on sustainable housing and intentional communities. We are interested in pursuing ideas for some type of development for ourselves when the time is right. We are just at the idea stage. There is so much to talk about and toss around in this area. Some folks are already doing this and I see it really growing.

Of course the topics of food and nuitrition were also widely talked about as well. We tried some raw food desserts which were unusual and delicious. We all love food and love exploring ideas about food. I acquired a new cookbook - "Enlightened Eating - Nourishment for the Body and Soul". I am sure I will be posting some recipes over the next while.

Oh yes - and a few of decided to get tattoos. I am in the process of designing mine now. Will post details and maybe even a photo once I've gotten further with that.

Clive

After taking many unsatisfactory snaps of Clive I finally discovered the trick to getting a good photo of him ... take it against a white background. He finally shows up!

Braised Asparagus

This is the absolute best way (IMHO) to cook asparagus ..... wash & cut of the tough ends. Next, get a pot (dutch oven is perfect) and add a few tablespoons of olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of water to the pot. I let it get fairly hot and then add the asparagus. Cover. Let is simmer until the asparagus is tender - I test it several times along the way. By then most of the water will have evaporated, leaving a nice olive oil based sauce. I add sea salt, some pepper and lemon and it is fantastic.

I find with asparagus it needs to be finished or it is too bland. This recipe originally came from a book on cooking vegetables the French way by Patricia Wells and was re-interpreted by Lucy Waverman. I've cooked it so many times I don't have the actual recipe any longer. The French really do have a knack for making vegetables special and lovely.

Giving Up Coffee

I've given up a few things over the years - meat (20 some odd years ago) and smoking (almost 12 years ago) and now it seems coffee. Well almost given up - I still drink the odd cup of coffee when I go out for dinner or drop into a nice cafe. These cups of coffee are usually special - comsumed in good company and usually very good quality. I always make sure to have cream in these cups to make them really rich and wonderful.

The funny thing with giving up coffee is it was not really intentional. I started out doing a naturpathic detox three months ago. Of course - no caffeine for the duration which was three weeks. At first, I found this really difficult. My substitute - which was only supposed to be for the first few days - was green tea. I had one cup of green tea per day - in the morning. The green tea I chose was blended with honey and ginger - really wonderful. So the three weeks passed ... on the first day I was allowed coffee again I didn't have one until the afternoon. I went to the Tim Horton's in the lobby of my office. I savoured and enjoyed that coffee. The next morning and every morning since then, I've continued to have my green tea. I walk past the Tim Horton's several times a day and don't bother.

All in all, I am happy that I have broken my dependence on coffee. It is nice not to feel compelled to have any particular type of substance. I felt that way when I quit smoking as well. I like enjoying a coffee when I really feel like it and not because of a habit or craving.

African Banjo

 Did you know that the banjo originated in Africa? That was news to me today when I listened to Jayme Stone being interviewed on CBC radio. The history of music is so fascinating - lucky for us that some people care deeply about the roots of music and devote their time to exploring and bringing this to us.

Check out this website for "Rock Paper Scissors"to learn more.  The website is actually a great resource for anyone who is interested in world music. I plan to explore in detail when time permits. There are music samples to listen to as well. It is well worth a look.

Catching Up

I wish I could be more disciplined about posting .... I posted the Quinoa Chile Recipe below because I *had* to make sure I didn't lose it. That one is a keeper.

So much news ..... I'm following (or trying to) very healthy eating lately. I did a detox cleanse a couple of months ago and saw a naturopathic doctor a few times. She got me started on testing for ph and trying to follow an acid/alkaline balancing diet. The more I learn about this, the more sense it makes. I find among my friends - a few have made dietary changes and without realizing it as such, they are following this type of diet - and with great results. I looked up the recipe for quinoa chili for one of my friends who is looking for recipes to support this type of regime. It is quite daunting at first as the list of 'no no' foods includes things contained in large quantities in a typical diet - grains, sugar and dairy. It does take a lot of organization to eat this way.

I've been obsessing about music lately ... have rediscovered The Beatles and Bob Dylan and play both of them constantly. This has been a bit expensive as well. I've always been familiar with the music of both of course - I grew up with both. Somewhere along the line, I went off The Beatles big time - actually I think it was the direction that Paul McCartney took - I found it so off putting that I stopped listening to The Beatles altogether. But now somehow, it all founds very fresh to me. Bob Dylan ... well I didn't really 'discover him' until recently. I marvel at thier brilliance now. Perhaps I had not really been ready for them until now. Which speaks volumes about their genius - really they were no more than kids when they wrote their early songs. How on earth did they write those lyrics that are so brilliant and perceptive?

I was downtown today and while driving home, happened to catch a show on CBC radio about healing drum music. They played the song 'Weighty Ghost' which was beautiful. The song is by a band from Halifax called Wintersleep. I found their My Space page and listened to a few of their songs. After which I bought a couple of the songs on iTunes.

I'm interested in healing music. I saw David Hickey in concert a couple of months ago - David plays Tibetan crystal bowls. It was quite amazing. The frequencies of the bowls align to the chakras - when he played the note that corresponds to the throat chakra, everyone starting coughing - he was clearing out that chakra. It helped that I attended the concert with several yoginis (one of whom is a nurse) to explain all of this to me - a novice. I love the idea of all of this and I do think there is a lot to it. A lot more than my analytical mind can take in and process.

Vegan quinoa Chili

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chili powder, such as ancho or chipotle
1 tbsp pureed chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce
28-oz(796-ml) can diced tomatoes with juices
2 cups vegetable stock
salt & freshly ground pepper
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
14 oz (398 ml) can pinto beans
1 cup corn kernels

Directions

In large, deep saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion, celery, carrots, bell pepper & garlic. Cook stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Add chili powder & chipotles. Cook stirring, 1 minute.
Add tomatoes with juices & stock. Bring to boil. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Add quinoa, beans and corn. cook stirring until mixture returns to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until quinoa is tender about 25 minutes.

Bittersweet Chocolate Brownies

8 oz (250g) 70% bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 tbsp (90mL) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 eggs
1 cup (250mL) sugar
1/4 tsp (1mL) salt
1 tsp (5mL) pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (75mL) plus 1 tbsp (15mL) all-purpose flour

1. Melt chocolate and butter in bowl set in a wide skillet of almost simmering water. Set aside.
2. With a hand mixer beat eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla on high speed until eggs are thick and pale about 2 minutes. Whisk in warm chocolate. Fold in flour.

3. Spread batter evenly in an 8" (1.5L) square baking dish that has been lined with aluminum foil.
Bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pan on a rack.
4. Invert brownies on a rack and peel off foil. Turn right side up and on a cutting board cut into sixteen 2" (5cm) squares. (I found they cut perfectly when cold.)

makes 16 squares

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Goat Cheese Mash

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 oz (110 g) dried black-eyed beans, pre-soaked and drained
3 oz (75 g) green split peas (no need to soak), rinsed
3 oz (75 g) green lentils (no need to soak), rinsed
2 oz (50 g) peeled carrots
2 oz (50 g) peeled swede
2 oz (50 g) peeled celeriac
1 large onion, peeled
1 small green pepper, deseeded
2 oz (50 g) butter, plus a little extra for greasing
8 oz (225 g) tomatoes
1 heaped tablespoon chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley
¼ level teaspoon ground mace
¼ level teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the topping:

4 oz (110 g) soft goats’ 1 lb 8 oz (700 g) potatoes, peeled
2 oz (50 g) butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 oz (25 g) Pecorino cheese, grated
salt and freshly milled black pepper

You will also need a steamer; and a round baking dish with a diameter of 9 inches (23 cm), 2 inches (5 cm) deep, buttered.

You will need to soak and drain the black-eyed beans. To do this, wash them under cold, running water and discard any broken ones. If it is convenient, soak them overnight in 2 pints (1.2 litres) cold water. If you need them today and haven’t got time to do this, simply bring them up to the boil (using the same quantity of water), boil for 10 minutes and leave them to soak for two hours before draining.

Now put the drained beans into a saucepan with the split peas and lentils. Add 1¼ pints (725 ml) boiling water and some salt, cover and simmer gently for 50-60 minutes, or until the pulses have absorbed the water and are soft. Then remove them from the heat and mash them just a little with a large fork.

Now pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5, 375°F (190°C), and put the potatoes on to steam. Next, roughly chop all the vegetables, pile the whole lot into a food processor and process until chopped small. Next, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the vegetables and cook gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring now and then until they’re softened and tinged gold at the edges.

Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes. Place them in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water on to them. After exactly a minute (or 15-30 seconds, if they are small), remove them (protecting your hands with a cloth if the tomatoes are hot), slip off their skins and slice them.

After that, add the vegetables to the pulses mixture, along with the herbs, spices and salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste. Then spoon the mixture into the baking dish and arrange the tomatoes in overlapping slices on the top.

As soon as the potatoes are cooked, place them in a bowl, add the butter, milk and goats’ cheese, whisk to a smooth purée, season with salt and freshly milled black pepper and spread the potato over the rest of the ingredients in the dish. Finally, sprinkle over the Pecorino and bake the pie on the top shelf of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. If you want to prepare this in advance, it will need about 40 minutes in the oven.

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Three and Delia's Vegetarian Collection.