Saturday's Recipe: Miso Soup

Although I haven't posted my last two Saturday creations, I have made them. I promise.

Life has been a whirlwind with my brother in laws wedding one weekend and then my husband gone all last week. But, I made them. Took pictures. Ate them. And finally, I'm sending one out to share.

I love Miso Soup. Especially when I am under the weather. While my husband is out of town, the trend has always been that a stomach bug travels through the house. (Please pray for us, he's going to be out of town a lot this month.) So I made Miso soup. From scratch. Vegan style.

Here it is. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Vegan Miso Soup
10 cups water
2 Sheets of Kombu Seaweed (I cut each sheet into 3 pieces )
8 whole shiitake mushrooms
4 big pinches of Wakame Seaweed (or to liking)
5 Tablespoons Sake
5 Tablespoons Mirin
6 Tablespoons Tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos,  or Coconut Aminos
5 to 6 Tablespoons Miso paste
6 oz firm tofu cubed (I like mine cubed small)
Sliced green onions to garnish



1. Put water, Kombu, and shiitake in big stock pot and let them just sit and ponder life for 30-minutes to an hour.
2. Bring pot to boil. When it reaches boiling point, let it boil for about 5 minutes.
3. Pull Kombu and mushrooms out.
4. Slice mushrooms when cool enough and throw back in pot. I composted the Kombu but you can toss it in trash if you don't compost. Just don't put back in pot.
5. Add Sake, Mirin and Tamari.
6. Add Wakame and let it boil for a couple of minutes.
7. Turn down to low heat.
8. Add Miso paste and tofu.
9. Heat until warmed through.
10. Serve in bowls with green onions as garnish on top.

It went really well with the Hand Rolls we made for the Happy Herbivore Abroad Recipe-a-Day Challenge.

And I found out that the Kitchen Shadow has an amazing talent for rolling Sushi. He is now our Resident Sushi Artist!

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Little bites of my week remembered

We have a new family member! We couldn't be happier. I have a new sister and my kids have a new aunt. She is a gem! Isn't she gorgeous? (Yes, my boys are dressed as the 10th and 11th Doctors)

Aren't they precious? This is a picture of the first few steps together as a married couple.

The Spy created a new Doctor. I guess we will call him the 12th Doctor. Do you like his Sonic Screwdriver. I like how the Doctor toned it down and made his screwdriver unsuspicious. Very Spy like indeed.

    

He delights me. And his father does as well. How could you not love those faces?

Yep. The Garden Shadow. Beautiful. This tiny moment of her sitting  so sweetly. I never want to forget it.

My oldest. I call her The Artist. She is breathtaking. And very difficult to capture on film. I got her!

Bubble Wars. The best part of the night. People got fierce with their bubbles.

The morning of their wedding, my orchid bloomed. A kiss from God. And that is what I consider the wedding and celebration of our growing family. A kiss from God. So beautiful. And these little moments... I am so glad I have a place to document it. I never want to forget. The looks on their faces. All of our faces as we embrace each other. Our family. Our beautiful, wacky, fun-loving family.

That was the highlight of my week. How about you? What are you wanting to never forget and embrace from this past week? 

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Blueberry Birthday Pie

On February 22, 2000, he made his much anticipated entrance into this world. He was beautiful, round, robust. Our little "chunky monkey."

The birth. Terrifying. Unbeknownst to us, he had a true knot in his cord. What I had planned as the perfect natural birth ended up being one of the most intense moments of my life. I thought he was going to die. And when I looked at his father, his face ghostly white, I knew he thought the same.

But he survived, and thrived, and has become an amazing young man.  He turned 13 last Friday. THIRTEEN! I just vomited a little.

For my kids birthdays they get their favorite foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And this sweet precious boy's love language is food. Food.

I speak food.

As I was prepping and cooking his special requests, he came into the kitchen and said, "Oh this kitchen, it always smells so good. They need to make a candle and call the scent, 'Jana's Kitchen'."

My sweet boy. Anything is yours. Name it.

And he did. Blueberry Birthday Pie. Two of them. His request.

Done. Happily.

This was my new recipe for Saturday, my weekly challenge. And this week it was created for the love of a sweet boy who is now my "man-boy."

This recipe makes two pies. Trust me you will want two. And if that is too much for you, divide the recipe or go ahead and make two. Give one to your neighbor. Watch them smile!

Gluten Free Pie Crust

3 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 cup applesauce

4 Tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
2. In a small bowl, combine applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla.
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry.
4. Pat dough into two 9 inch pie pan.
5. Bake at 325° for 10 to 15 minutes.

Pie Filling

8 cups frozen blueberries
2 pints fresh blueberries
2 teaspoons lemon juice
6 Tablespoons of Arrowroot dissolved in 4 Tablespoons of water
2  9 inch fully cooked pie crusts

Directions:

1. Combine 8 cups frozen berries with maple syrup, lemon, and arrowroot mixture in a stainless steel saucepan. 


1. Heat over medium until the mixture is bubbling, and the berries start to burst. 


2. Stir for about 5 minutes, until filling has thickened. (It will continue to thicken as it cools).
3. Pour filling into pie-shells. 
4. Top with remaining pint of berries. Press them in a little so they won't roll around.
5. Let cool thoroughly, or chill, as desired.
6. Eat up.

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Listening is Key

Hot yoga is a challenge. In so many ways.

First, it's hot. Obviously. That implies many things. You will sweat, more than you think. But since I grew up hot and humid in Houston, thats the least of my worries.

Second, you are really close to people. I can touch the people next to me at all times. Some would find that fact ooogy. But since I like people and I'm a touchy person, I'm cool there too.

Third, you're practically naked. That sounds weird. But when class starts, your focus switches to survival, and you can't possibly focus on your clothes - let alone anyone else's.

But after a few classes, the heat and the closeness and the lack of clothing all fade into the background, leaving me with one final challenge:

Listening.

Listening is key. You are in a room with close to 40 other people, moving at the same time, as the instructor talks through twenty-six postures in ninety minutes. For me, that is a really long time to stay focused.

When I let my mind wander for a moment, I hear things like, "Put your Artist Ghetto Hands palm down." What?!  My Artist Ghetto Palms? What is she trying to say?!? We're almost finished with the posture before I can even understand what the instructor is trying to tell me.

But that makes me think... How often have I failed to really hear what a friend is telling me? How many messages have I misread from loved ones, or strangers? How many times have I been too wrapped up in something as mundane and unimportant as my grocery list, and failed to hear an urgent message?

"Artist, ghetto palms of hands." It may sound weird to you, but it means so much to me. When I listen and truly hear, I'm blown away by how the simplest things mean so much.

Savasana. Corpse Pose.

Heart pounding, recovering from a posture that raises my pulse. My mind moves to my Beautiful Creator. He who put that pounding heart where it pulsates. Beats at such a rate that my mind is boggled, once again. This body, the body he created, is amazing. My body. His Temple. He is in me and I worship. I worship my pounding heart. Miraculous it is. Simple. But so miraculous.

But in my busyness and noise, how often have I failed to hear Him? Failed to even listen? How much have I missed from Him?

From my husband?

From my children?

But the moment is also exciting. I get excited as I realize that I have had my ears turned down too low, and resolve that it wont happen any more! I'm am taking in all I can. All the silly stories from the boys. All the joyful, supersonic squeals from my littlest ones.  All the high-speed daily downloads from my oldest girl. The sweet whispers of love from my husband's lips. The voice of my precious Jesus. I want to hear it all.

And when I'm listening...I'm amazed. Stunned at the beauty. The beauty of hearing.

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A Challenge

Challenge.

I love to challenge myself. Especially when I find an area in my life where I need growth. I do better if I find a way to challenge growth rather than leave it at an ambiguous, "I need to work on that." If I have a plan, a goal, I actually gain some ground.

Some of you may have read about my Happy Herbivore Abroad Challenge. I have been making a recipe from the cookbook Happy Herbivore Abroad every day for the past 80 days and will continue until I work through all the recipes. Why? Because I wanted to liven things up at our dinner table.  It has been a blessing to the entire family. I have seen such growth in my kids. For example, I called home the day we were making pizza and asked my kids what they wanted on their pizza, my 13 year old boy said, "Can I have asparagus and broccoli on mine?" I smiled a big ole proud mama smile. That is growth! And in such a short time.

Lindsay Nixon over at Happy Herbivore made a post a few days ago about a great New Recipe Saturday Challenge. I loved the idea: create or try a new recipe every Saturday. I can do that. A way to have some fun playing with my food, which I highly encourage for everyone.  Wanna join me? Play with your food.

Yesterday, I made a Curry Chik'n Salad that was beautiful. Flavorful and much cheaper than the cost of our deli's version. And so I share with you my first "New Recipe Saturday." Enjoy!

Curry Chik'n Salad
1 pound of Beyond Meat or Seitan (I actually weighed it)
4 Teaspoons curry
1 1/4 cup of vegan mayo
3 green onions chopped
1/2 cup currants
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1 celery stalk diced
1 cup raw cashews
Salt and pepper to taste

Slightly warm your Beyond Meat or Seitan. I used my small convection oven at 175 degrees so I wouldn't burn it. Put in medium mixing bowl. In blender, Vitamix or with whisk, mix curry into mayo. Add to your mixing bowl along with all your veg (diced little itty bitty). Add your currants  and cashews. Stir until it is mixed thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over greens of your choice.

My husband likes it in a wrap. Or in a sandwich. It's all good. Play with your food. That's what we do.

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Dreaming the unimaginable

I remember my dreams almost every night. They're always strange, usually interesting, and a lot of times I actually learn something from them.

So... I had this dream a few months ago. It was one of those dreams that, upon awakening, leaves you wondering..."What was that about?"

I should start by noting that the past year and a half has been a hard walk for me. At times I have felt like Jacob wrestling with God in the desert. Dramatic, I know. But I studied acting in graduate school, so being dramatic is impossible for me to avoid.

The struggle has been in me, not Him. He is perfect, and has been perfectly patient with me. I have built up this armor from childhood - and I'll tell you, it ain't the armor of God. Let's call it baggage armor. And as He lovingly carried me through this past year and a half, He has been helping me remove it. Mostly, He has been working to open my arms to release the baggage. Essentially, He's been nudging me towards the freedom of forgiveness and to ask for forgiveness.

Then, I had this dream.

I was in some desperate, ailing area, and a news team had come to do a story on the work I was doing there.  I was taking them on a tour, showing them exactly what I did throughout the day, and the newscaster was floored. He asked me,"How on earth can you do these things?" And in the dream I began weeping, because I suddenly saw things through their eyes. I saw that my life's work appeared to be dangerous, hard, terrifying, gross... even impossible. And then I looked at Him and very clearly said, "When you love Jesus, you can do things you thought were unimaginable. In all areas of your life."

I awoke, weeping in my bed, my husband comforting me as he does when I wake from a startling dream. Eventually I was able to go back to sleep. It took a while because honestly, it was almost as if when I spoke those last words of the dream, I was staring straight into my eyes. My very own eyes.

Hours later when I woke. I had forgotten about the dream.

Until...

An event occurred. The what doesn't matter. I reacted so horribly. Angry words, bitter thoughts, you name it. Wounded and hurt, I screamed, hollered, stewed. But thankfully, in the midst of my hurricane, the eye came through. And in that stillness, He spoke.

He reminded me of the year He had taken me through. He reminded me that this human reaction was not what he had prepared me to do.  He had spent months tightly holding my hand so that, in this moment of testing, I would be so in love with Him that I would be able to do the unimaginable. Forgive.

I remembered the dream, and was silenced.

It is true. When you love Jesus - really love and adore and allow Him to carry you - you can do things you never thought you could.

Do you know how freeing and beautiful that is?

But here's the hard part: Its a daily walk. Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23 NIV

When I don't pick it up and follow Him, I am living in my own little selfish world, and it is not a pretty place. When I let Him in, it is Eden. A glorious lovely place for all. Just ask my family and those who deal with me every day!

When Jesus is invited to walk every step with me, He shows me things beyond what I can see. Compassion. Joy. Delight. Forgiveness. Grace. In EVERYTHING. When He isn't invited, everything is about ME. I am ashamed to admit that, but there it is.

And all of you, anybody out there, have full permission to remind me of this. Remind me to invite Him in daily. And I encourage you to do the same.

Because when you love Jesus, really love and embrace him, you can do things you never thought you could do.

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When Life gives you Lemons (or Limes)...

We don't drink soda in our home. Well, if we have some sort of stomach bug we do get our Ginger Beer, so to say we never drink soda would be wrong. In addition, my kids rarely get juice unless it comes from the fresh fruit and vegetables we process through our juicer. The littles are actually addicted to that stuff.

But it wasn't always this way.

My older kids did get their watered down apple juice daily. I didn't know any better and they were thrilled with it. And as a mommy I wanted them to be thrilled. Then I began to look at ingredients - the chemicals and high fructose corn syrup. And guess what folks... the foods that target our babies and children with advertisements are the worst products on the supermarket shelves. Its as if companies believe that if their "food" products don't resemble toys with colors not found in nature, our kids won't want them. And we've bought into that.

So, in a family where all we drink is water (with the exception of rice milk for the baby and wine for mom and dad!) we had to find a healthy alternative for sweet refreshment. Our solution: lemonade.  It has absolutely no sugar, yet my kids love it!! We go through a couple of pitchers a day - there are eight of us - and the kids are trained to make a new pitcher if they pour the last glass. Of course, that means it can get pretty funny to see how little they will leave in the pitcher to save themselves from having to make a new batch.

If you are wanting to move soda and junk drinks out of the house, try this. It is really marvelous!

Lemonade-One gallon

Juice from 8 lemons (may vary depending on size of lemons)

Fill pitcher with water

5 droppers full of stevia (we use SweetLeaf SteviaClear)

Stir and serve over ice.

You can also make Limeade the same way, but I only use 5 limes. 

A little advice: If you or your kids aren't accustomed to the taste of stevia, it may take a bit to get used to. You can use your regular sweetener of choice and gradually replace with stevia so you can slowly fall in love with the taste of stevia. 

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