Porridge Weather

In Alpharetta, Georgia, it seldom snows. I know I'll not get much sympathy from those of you in more wintry climes, but as a kid from the hills of Virginia, I do miss a good blanket of white. This morning I woke to a blustery, cloudy 29 degrees F, which continued to plummet as the morning took shape. Soon, fluffy flurries were dancing in the air! With my husband back at work, my son back at university, and my daughter still all snug in her bed this teacher work day, I relished the icy quiet, and began craving porridge and tea as any Anglophile would.

My first impulse was to indulge in a nice bowl of Irish oats, but then I remembered the millet I had bought some time ago as I began dabbling in reduced gluten, and figured the quiet morning would be the perfect time for experimentation. The truth is, I've only tried millet once before, and I wasn't too crazy about it. As the chief ingredient in most birdseed blends it seemed to be, well, seedy. I decided I had last prepared it too al dente to my liking, and resolved to cook it longer, with more moisture. I toasted the grain first, then simmered it in unsweetened almond milk for half an hour. With these dates on top, it was better than the last batch of millet, but still not great. I should have had the Irish Oats instead, but I enjoyed the whole porridge-making and -eating process as the flurries whirled outside the window. I learned the millet continues to absorb whatever moisture you give it, so my one cup became so big that I had to invent another dish from what I couldn't finish. I am baking a rum-raisin pudding right now.

The flurries are over now and the sun is out. Bah humbug. Fact checking for this post, I just learned more things about millet which you should know. Millet is gluten-free, originates from Asia and is an excellent source of iron and protein, and is low in fat and cholesterol. Millet is also full of goitrogens. What are goitrogens, you ask? Goitrogens are compounds which interfere with the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, leading to hypothyroidism and goiter! Egads! What have I done? I'm turning off the pudding now, which was beginning to smell lovely. If you start to notice goiters on squirrels, birdseed may be the culprit. Just kidding.

Actually, this mention of birdseed and critters brings me full-circle to a true, albeit porridgey, story of rodents behaving as humans a la Peter Rabbit:

Years ago, when I used to step out my back door, the hills were covered in virgin forest as far as the eye could see. The back border of our yard is a natural rivulet called Snake Creek. In fact, our property is bisected diagonally by the creek at one corner, but since the land on the other side is only a handful of square feet, it's hardly worth claiming. We had built a little bridge over the creek in our early years here, and had arranged logs on the other side where we could sit quietly in the thick of nature, our house not even visible in the verdant summers. One day things changed, as they tend to. A rumbling engine signaled the end of our wilderness, which had never really been ours after all. With a crash, a towering pine took out our bridge and a couple sections of our wooden fence. The kindly equipment drivers were mortified and apologetic, and all was made good in the end.

Soon after the hills were denuded, my neighbors and I began noticing something curious. Bold little families of black rats began hanging out in our front yards! I say "bold" because they were seriously unfazed by our close proximity and our scrutiny of them. They had chosen the front yards because the dogs were in the back yards, of course. The rat families seemed to be lounging upon a manicured expanse of green, enjoying their tea. I'm as big a fan of adorable house vermin in waistcoats with good manners as the next girl, but in the real world roof rats are no fairy tale, so we proactively paid the big bucks to have the edges of our roof wrapped in galvanized steel (the rats chew the wooden sheathing to get inside). That's when we stopped feeding the birds, since we were also told rats are big fans of birdseed. Avoiding goiter must not be a top priority for them. When the construction of the new neighborhood was completed, and the heavy equipment gone, The little rat tea parties on the green ceased. Actually, since there is still quite an expanse of land between our home and the one behind, the tea parties are likely now taking place just across Snake Creek, where we used to sit on upended logs. With the rats' role as Beatrix Potter protagonists reestablished in my mind, I'm much more fond of them.

Porridgey anecdotes aside, my discovery today about millet underscores the importance of our taking charge of our health proactively as we make changes for the better. I've changed my lifestyle primarily for health reasons, so incorporating something harmful into my diet makes no sense. There are too many other alternatives. It obviously behooves each of us to thoroughly research ingredients which may be new to us. At the risk of wrecking the millet/birdseed industry, I'm urging you to do a little research yourself before you decide. As for me, I'm back on the Irish oats, which I liked better anyway!

Pretty Tacos!

Lovely, no?

Tacos are one of my favorite things to serve this vegan/vegetarian/carnivore/junk foodie family. I put it all out there and they can each pick and choose what they want. I made a purple cabbage slaw with the juice of a lime, a couple of tablespoons of veganaise and a couple of shakes of chipotle powder. It is as addictive as a slaw can be. I can't stop thinking about it! My pretty taco contained wild rice, black beans, avocado slices, slaw and a dab of salsa. The shell was so jammed with lusciousness that I had the peppers-n-onions on the side. These were a big hit and I'm still enjoying the leftovers.

Random recent fact: The UPS lady just informed me a big white swan was sitting on my roof just now and only flew away as she approached the front porch. What does this mean? Maybe the bird can sense I prefer avocados and purple slaw to poultry.

The Prodigal Gardener

My son has recently spent some time camping and hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina so we took a trip up to meet him, see some of the places he explored (albeit from the remote vantage point of the Parkway overlooks) and hear about his adventures. This photo is lovely, but doesn't adequately reflect the scope of the altitude, steepness and vastness of these mountains. Of course there are steeper mountains, but the Blue Ridge is way up there for this Georgia girl. My son told me geologists have determined that the Blue Ridge has been taller than the Alps three times in the known history of the earth. It is on a fault line and geologic events have thrust the mountains upward, only to be weathered and eroded to this relatively modest height over ages -- three separate times. Isn't that interesting? Standing atop this ridge, in the cool fresh air, closer to the sun and clouds, one would assume these rocks have always been here, from the beginning of time. Well, maybe they have been, but they are alive and changing like everything else, just in a slower time frame.

The next part of our North Carolina odyssey was to the Outer Banks to see my husband's parents. I was so busy visiting, I didn't even get a shot of the ocean this time, but as we were setting the table for dinner on the deck last Thursday this view of heaven got my attention. This is a cell phone photo. Less than 5 minutes later we were all scrambling to rush everything inside and turn the chairs and tables upside down so they wouldn't blow away. At that moment a front came in which brought powerful winds, driving rain and thunder and lightening. We actually saw a waterspout about 100 yards off the beach. This heavenly view quickly transformed into an eerie, deep pink-purple as the clouds roiled. Nature's fury is always so much more dramatic at the shore. It was quite a show. The deluge lasted all night, and my mother-in-law and I noticed the condo swayed with the winds.

Back home the weather that night was also violent, spawning a tornado, though there were no injuries that I know of. By the time we got back, ten days after we left, evidence of the storm we missed here was a downed tree in the woods, and the return of the water damage we just had fixed a couple of weeks prior. The wallboard under the fresh paint is bubbled anew, and the water stain on the ceiling is back. Ah, home ownership!

Yowza -- look at the garden! After ten days of neglect in this humid, moist, hot environment, the plot is a mess. Some type of opportunistic, ground-covering weed has had its way with the soil around all the plants I put in. I don't know what it is, but it kind of looks like a creeping thyme. At first I attempted to eradicate it, but quickly found that it would adapt any part of itself to form a new root and dig in -- in other words, if I left a piece I'd pulled, it would re-root itself instead of shrivelling. Also, the roots are deep and delicate, so when I thought I'd pulled the whole plant out, I'd left a tiny bit underground which would quickly make its way to the surface and be reborn. The weed doesn't really seem to bother the veggies, it just makes the whole garden confusing to me.

The onion arsenal is more unkempt than ever, long and tangled, but appears to be doing its job deterring pests. I've seen no nibbles, not even from this guy, who is just happy to live safely under the wooden frame, apparently in an allium-induced haze.

A recent harvest revealed the bush beans had matured before the Chinese long beans, and the radishes are all grown, very large and flavorful. I sliced this one thinly to savor with a nice glass of Pinot Gris as I prepared dinner. Then I ate it's spiny leaves, undressed so I could assess the flavor -- peppery! The beans were added whole to a veggie melange including yellow squash, zucchini, vidalia onion, mushrooms, tomatoes and several whole twigs of thyme. All the veggies were store bought except for the beans and thyme -- my nightshades aren't ready yet. Olive oil, salt and pepper and the whole bowlful was cooked in a grill pan by my husband. Delish!

I plan on surrendering to the garden's will at this point, and savoring it's un-nibbled bounty. Can't wait for the tomatoes!

A Ghostly Post

These photos would be more appropriate in October, but I just took them and I like 'em, so I'm sharing 'em.

Yesterday morning when I woke at 6:45 a.m. to get my daughter up for school, it was still pitch black in the house and outside, except for this full moon, that is. This is actually a shot of a moon-set. The moon is setting in the west, right out my backyard window. The sun in the east was still nowhere in sight. Unfortunately the photo doesn't do the phenomenon justice, since I didn't use the right setting in the dark and I didn't want to break the spooky spell of this fleeting scene by turning a light on, but I like the photo anyway. You should have seen it. The moon was huge and low, and so vividly lit the wispy clouds. The whole thing was over in five minutes. This morning, at the same time of day, the moon was small and ordinary, and in a completely different part of the western sky.  I guess this was an illustration of how variable the lunar orbit can be. I was glad to have caught the big spooky moon-set, if even for a moment.

The day of the moonset, I prepared forbidden rice. Have you tried it? It is really, really good. The texture is firm and pleasantly chewy,the flavor is mild and a bit nutty, and it just looks really cool:

I prepared it with water and the tiniest sprinkle of salt, and added a can of white beans at the end for contrast. I think it looks a little bit like my moon-set! This simple dish was surprisingly flavorful and satisfying. I'm eating the leftovers in wraps, on salads and on toast.  Boo!

Odds-n-Ends, Food I've Been Eating

In my typically random "odds-n-ends" fashion, here's a bit of what I've been enjoying. Above is carrot, daikon and winter squash (I know, it's out of season!) from Christina Pirello's This Crazy Vegan Life. This stew is actually very bright in flavor, like sunshine. It is finished with fresh lemon juice and Italian parsley. It's light, yet sustaining, good hot or cold.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, before . . .

 . . . and after. Olive oil, salt, pepper and a tangle of fresh thyme and oregano from my herb patch (Buster hasn't yet figured how to climb into that pot, which is up off the ground, so the herbs are living the good life, unmolested!) I loved the crunchy brown parts on these sprouts. The bowl is one of the few surviving pieces I have left from my grandma Eula's everyday collection. The blue-and-white inspired me to fill in with more of the same color scheme for my own everyday. I also have her full set of fine china, but we rarely use it since we are such a rough and tumble bunch.

Collard greens sauteed with a bit of red onion, chick peas and GOBS of garlic (at least 10 cloves!) I encourage all you vegans out there to try going overboard with garlic. You'll love it! This was a full meal on its own, and I munched it for days.

Here's a shot of the above two featured dishes, along with a baked sweet potato. We've recently added a roof to our patio, which allowed me to move some furniture around and unclutter the screened porch. I've set up a small dining table out there. This was our first alfresco meal. My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I had to save a lot of this plateful, but none of it got wasted.

Homemade miso soup with daikon, onion, cabbage and tofu. This was a big batch, and I enjoyed the leftovers for several breakfasts. Having miso soup in the morning sets the tone for the day. The soup imparts a grounded, centered energy. If you ever find yourself with leftover miso soup, remember not to bring it to a boil when reheating it. Boiling kills the beneficial enzymes.

Here's a plateful of polenta with broccoli rabe, roasted peppers, onion and garlic. I LOVE broccoli rabe, also known as broccoli rape (!) and rapini. The checkout clerk tried to charge me for broccolini, another veggie which is actually a genetically modified hybrid. Broccoli rabe is more bitter than broccolini. Personally, I prefer the bitter note of this delicious vegetable. It tastes as if I've gleaned it from a meadow in Tuscany. Not only is broccolini of a less pure origin than broccoli rabe, it is also more expensive! I enjoyed the polenta for the corn that it is, but the omnivores found it to be bland to their sugar-addled taste buds.

This says summer to me -- just a homegrown tomato, veganaise, salt and pepper on good, crusty bread. This will likely be the last tomato sandwich from my garden this year. Buster easily climbs the thick stems of the heirloom vines now, and he takes the tomatoes before they have a chance to ripen. At least I still get all the grape tomatoes I want. those stems are too flimsy to hold buster's weight. I'll be buying the occasional heirloom tomato at $4.99/lb. so that I can continue to savor this late summer treat.

Stay tuned for a feature on Buster's least favorite vegetable -- the aubergine (eggplant). Aubergine is a lot more fun to say than eggplant, porridge is better than oatmeal, and polenta is better than cornmeal mush. Do you have a favorite gastronomical delight that can be elevated with loftier nomenclature? If you do, play along and share. I love expanding my vocabulary!

Odds-n-Ends, Avocado Season

I love avocados. Packed with nutrition and healthy fat, these beautiful fruits afford a lovely, creamy "mouthfeel" which never fails to satisfy. I eat avocados in many ways. Here are some of my recent indulgences. Above, I topped warm, leftover rice pasta with raw kale, avocado and a sprinkle of mozzerella daiya. The warmth of the pasta wilted the kale ever so slightly and made the avocado all slippery. Topped with a sprinkle of kosher salt, this was delicious.

Here's one of my favorite smoothies -- I know, how many green smoothies do we have to see on vegan blogs? But seriously, this one is soooo good, and imparts a healthful, peaceful energy. You've got to try it! Here are the contents:

An avocado, a peeled cucumber, a frozen banana, a large handful of kale, about an inch of peeled ginger, and my secret ingredient:

Coconut water! There are so many beneficial enzymes and electrolytes in this, you will have an energy charge for hours. The smoothie is delicious to me with only these ingredients, but if you want it sweeter, just add a drizzle of agave nectar.

Here's a recent breakfast -- Eziekiel toast topped with tofutti cream cheese, avocado and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Look at how the salt has begun to draw beads of moisture from the luscious avocado. Mmmmm.

Here are recent tacos I made for my husband and myself. They really began as a vehicle for him to use up a rotisserie chicken. Here, on my vegan version, is leftover wild rice with lentils, garlicky black eyed peas (I used earth balance and about 5 cloves of garlic, chopped), an amazing avocado-lime coleslaw (half a cabbage, half a lime, a tablespoon of vegenaisse and half an avocado), and a delicious onion confit (half a red onion, three spring onions, sauteed in olive oil). This was a remarkable flavor combination. I ate two tacos and am still loving the rice and slaw leftovers. The black eyed peas went away very quickly, since I love garlic so much.

In my mind, when I am writing an "odds-n-ends" post, I take licence to veer wildly off topic. So here is my wild veering: this little baby bunny first came to my attention when my daughter noticed him about a month ago.

"Mom -- you've got to see this little guy -- he's microscopic!"

Well, while my daughter's assesment was a bit of an exaggeration, as he was actually visible to the human eye, I got the spirit of her enthusiasm. At the time, the bunny was only about three inches long, but perfectly proportionately formed except for his large innocent eyes, of course. The precious little thing only eats the weeds in the creeping juniper which must be his home. Now he has grown to about 7 inches long and he still chooses his food wisely.

The photo stinks since I had to be quick and zoom in before he noticed me. When I've tried to snap him before, the shy little thing has scurried away. So there you have it -- avocados and a baby bunny!  What could be better than that?

Odds-n-Ends, "Working With What Is" Edition

Long time no blogpost, friends! Sorry I have been AWOL, all I can say is that I've not been the captain of my own ship lately, and we continue to sail right along, nevertheless. That's just the way it goes in a family sometimes, particularly in chapters of transition. In any case, since life lately has not exactly fit any plan I have had for it, I thought a good theme for today is "working with what is".

The tofu scramble above was fabulous. I had no plan for it, just utilizing it as a vehicle for not wasting food in my larder. The celery was beginning to get limp, so I chopped it up and threw it in there. The carrots had seen better days, so in they went. Leftover roasted potatoes? Check. Certain herbs in my garden that have already begun to bolt in this 95 degree heat? They were lovely within this melange. This tofu scramble was nothing new, but it was amazing.

These are the happiest pots on my property, mainly because they get just enough sun, but not too much, and retain their moisture since part of their day is spent in the shade.  I love the "Creeping Jenny" that persists from years past. I just stuck some fronds of it into every pot in my yard, and struggled to make it work in most of them, and then finally gave up. The Creeping Jenny only loves these three pots, so I will quit trying so hard with the other ones. This year, I added begonias and lantana. I am also attempting begonias and lantana in the windowboxes in full sun which are adjacent to these happy pots. If it doesn't work out, I will shift gears and go another route, as I've already decided to do for some other window boxes up front, under a shallow eave which never gets any rain:

Everything I've ever planted in these forgotten window boxes dies mid-season, so I decided on a selection of succulents this year. Yay for plants that thrive on neglect! I don't know the genus or species, since I picked these up for a song at Walmart, but look at how pretty they are -- I love the bluish "bloom" on the surface of this palnt. It's almost more like a little creature than a plant!

"Working with what is" to me is simply the cessation of paddling upstream. I read somewhere that to turn one's boat around in a downstream direction, one need only lift the paddles out of the water. The boat easily rights itself with no effort from the rider. What an amazing, comforting concept that may be applied to many facets of life!

Since my "odds-n-ends" posts are of a random nature, I'll shift gears now only enough to share some things that feel like blessings to me.

I finally found some Kombucha! I won't share where I found it, lest I "out" the store, subjecting it to some kind of government agency regulation. This bottle was not labelled differently as I understand  it was supposed to be. I am grateful for this contraband, this elixir of health, life, peace and energy. I think the whole hullabaloo about alcohol content is ridiciulous, by the way, From all the bottles of Kombucha I've consumed, I've gotten nary a buzz.

Happy Memorial Day! We remembered members of our Armed Forces and their families on this day, especially my grandfather, Lloyd Charles McKenzie, who perished when he was only 28 years old. I wish I had known him.

My gorgeous gardenia bush decided to bloom right on time to honor the flag. This bush was almost a goner last year and I nursed it back to health. I love the gorgeous, healthy blooms. Their sweet, heady fragrance blasts me right back to the time I spent all over Greece as a college student. Smelling these blossoms, my Greek holiday feels like yesterday!

Grape tomatoes are already on the vine in May!

This Chinese Long Bean has found the trellis with no help from me! These beans were free this year -- I just grabbed a couple of the beans I missed in their thicket last year, all dried out and white, saved them in a brown paper bag all winter, then pulled the pods apart and planted the beans within.

Look what I found this morning! This shell is the size of a thimble. This egg was not of the incredible edible variety, but rather was the former home of a precious baby bird!

Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that paddling upstream is futile. I'm getting better at remembering this fact with practice. "Working with what is" feels good, wastes less and uses a lot less energy. Give it a try!

An Alfresco Lunch

I know, if you've seen one salad you've seen 'em all, but I know that, as a frequent salad eater, I've often enjoyed a fresh idea from a fellow blogger's page. So, in that spirit, here's what I ate for lunch today on my lovely patio. On a bed of romaine, I piled about a quarter of a cabbage, thinly sliced, a carrot, slivered, half a cucumber, half an avocado, a big handful of slivered almonds, a few ume radish pickles and some really very delicious dressing that evolved by accident. I will try to remember what's in it.

Let's see -- the dressing all started in the midst of my son's gluten- dairy- sugar-free cleanse diet. I wanted him to eat a little salad with his can of tuna fish (basically tuna and gluten free breakfast bars were all he was eating). He used to sometimes enjoy salad plain, with just ranch dressing. I attempted a dairy-free replacement for the ranch -- Organicville Herb Vinaigrette and a couple of tablespoons of Vegenaise. To my tastebuds it tasted exactly like ranch, but what do I know? Hans wouldn't have it. So I had a jar of rejected faux-ranch. That's where today's dressing started. I was craving lots of healthy fats today, hence the avocado and almonds on the salad. So I also added a heapin' helping of hummus to my faux ranch, and then a honkin' tablespoonful of tahini as well, and then shook it all up. YUM. YUM. What a delicious salad!  I feel like pouring that dressing into a bowl and eating it as a cold soup. JUST KIDDING! But seriously, the thought did cross my mind . . .

Here were my dining companions for my alfresco lunch today:

Here's Emma -- Isn't she pretty? She's just regal, patient, kind, pure love.

And here's the jelly-bean, Ellie. Smart as a whip, her intelligence and her self-control are at odds. She frequently spends long moments staring through our eye sockets into our souls, especially those of us who need it. Lately Hans has been the target of Ellie's psychic healing sessions. I actually think it helps, as a matter of fact.

I love these two girls! What great lunchtime company on this lovely day!

Old Friends

As much as I enjoy carefully tending my veggie garden, perhaps my biggest horticultural thrills come from plants which seem to thrive on neglect. Check out this sturdy little flowering shrub I planted in a pot a couple of years ago. I don't water it, I leave it outside in the dead of winter and it doesn't get fertilized. I don't even know the name of this specimen. Still, inexplicably, this sweet little plant bursts back to life in the spring. Aren't the blossoms lovely?

As I drove home from my workout today I was greeted with these old friends -- Japanese iris! Many folks carefully cultivate these specimens, thinning and splitting the rhizomes annually. I just let them be, since that portion of my front yard is a happy place for them beside the stones of the dry river bed and under the corkscrew willows, and I don't mind if they spread and wander a bit. They seem to love the slack I'm giving them. Looking at these bright yellow blooms feels like breathing sunshine.

Finally, look at these gorgeous fat peony buds just ready to burst forth. If you were a "Midlife Vegan" reader last spring you may recall my folly as I overzealously tried to save my peony buds from little ants which were crawling all over them. You see, I planted this peony bush about eight years ago, and it has never bloomed until last year, so I was all jazzed up for the big blooming event and dismayed at the ant invasion. I chose an "eco-friendly" pest control, and nearly finished off my prized plant. Later, a neighbor explained that it is important to "leave the ants on the peony -- peonies need ants" She did not know why or in what way the ants are important, but there you have it. Peonies need ants. So I am purposefully neglecting this peony bush and its attendant ants, even going so far as to look askance as I walk by, though I did sneak in quickly with a zoom lens for this photo. This year the peony seems to be very pleased with my lack of supervision. It is as healthy as I've ever seen it. There'll be quite a show any day now.

As I think of my lovely garden and yard, I do tend to ascribe personalities to the plants. It is easy to think of them as high- or low-maintenence friends. I am grateful for all of them, but these old friends who show up whether or not they get any love from me are much appreciated. They feel like gifts --- like grace.

A Tale of Two Turkeys

No, you're right, those aren't turkeys. Bear with me . . . Before I was thinking of turkeys at all today, I was ruminating on how my tastebuds seem to be "off" lately. I've not enjoyed arugula or radicchio very much recently, which is disappointing, as they are normally "eye-rolling delicious" to me. As I was engaged in this rumination, and wishing for a spare loaf of Eziekiel bread to fill my confused belly, I reached into the garage freezer for something else and found . . . Eziekiel! You know how it feels when you find a $20 in the pocket of a jacket you haven't worn in 6 months? Yeah, that's what it felt like! Score! I moved Eziekiel to the fridge and went out on my errands.

I'm currently doing my son's cat-sitting job for him since his doctor determined the cat dander exacerbates his migraines, so I did that first. Then I drove into town to make a deposit and pick up my compounded medicine. As I was driving on North Main Street, right here in downtown Alpharetta Georgia, on the sidewalk across from the church where Wynne went to preschool was a turkey. Yes -- a turkey. Not a Butterball, not even the fat white lucky one who is pardoned by the President. This was a very out-of-context, wild Tom Turkey, lovely and brown with a bit of blue iridescence around the neck and a handsome red gobbly-thing (I'm fairly certain this is not the technical term for this part of a turkey's anatomy, but you get the picture). I'm guestimating he was about 15-20 lbs. Tom was busying himself chowing down on something that was on the sidewalk (seeds?). He looked proud and unfazed by the incredulous drivers passing by. I said a small prayer that he wouldn't venture off the sidewalk, and then I was swept along with the other traffic to complete my errands.  Driving back home, I realized I had forgotten all about the turkey when I saw him again, thankfully still in one piece, thankfully still happily munching whatever he was munching.

Why am I telling you this? I don't know! I'm sure I'd have forgotten about him altogether if not for one of my stream-of-consciuosness sessions that followed as I was attempting to find something that would satisfy my unfamiliar tastes lately. I'm not sure what is up with my tastebuds, but suspect the Spring pollen. I am, for the second Spring in a row (both vegan Springs) undaunted by seasonal allergies. By undaunted, I mean I am not flattened by a Spring sinus infection, which was my prior pattern. But that doesn't mean I am necessarily totally unaffected. Maybe the pollen is changing the way things taste to me. It's fine -- I'll take that any day over an infection!

So back to lunch -- I lazily microwaved an Amy's Black Bean Burrito, with some Spinach and Daiya on the side, and it was great, but I was still hungy for sweets!  This is WEIRD for me. I never want sweets. So I toasted some Eziekiel bread and spread it with Almond butter, fresh pear slices and slices of dried figs. So delicious, and just what I wanted! Here comes the other turkey:  as I was slicing the dried figs, I remembered the year I had overzealously (without reading the tag on the plants about space requirements) bought a couple of fig trees to fill some spaces in a flower bed up at the curb in our front yard. I was actually thinking of the potted fiddle-leaf fig trees I have indoors (the leaves do look like "fiddles" or violins) My indoor figs are ornamental and do not bear fruit and take up no horizontal space,  growing vertically.

The figs by the street were so happy with the sunny spot I chose that they quickly bullied all the other plants and spread across the bed with large scary leaves (shaped not like a fiddle, but like the one Adam wore). The effect was swamp creature-like. The bushes were flat on the ground and creeping with large luscious fruit that was most often found first by the wildlife so the intoxicating fragrance of the bitten and crushed figs drew swarms of wasps. I could often be found on my way to the bus stop to meet the kids, squatting, flailing and screaming as I tried to find a few unmolested fruits without being stung. The figs were luscious. I had inadvertently chosen two different monster fig breeds: Black Mission and Brown Turkey (there's the other turkey!) I loved both, but preferred the Black Mission. I was a bit of a laughing stock of the cul-de-sac for a while as I tried to find a way to live with my plant/beasts. I pruned severely and repeatedly, only to find the figs had otherwordly regenerative powers akin to Harry Potter's hair. Eventually I had to admit my folly and submit to the winch on my husband's jeep to pull the plants out. But I sure ate high on the Black Mission and Brown Turkey that year (I was the only one brave enough to eat the fruit of the plant/beasts).

As I savored the storebought dried figs, I enjoyed remembering this Brown Turkey Fig chapter, and sent some more good vibes to Tom Turkey of North Main Street, for his well-being.

Odds -n- Ends

Lest I lose track of some of the deliciousness that has been happening around here, I thought I'd better document some of it. This is a lovely, easy salad of mixed greens and herbs, topped with my aforementioned Israeli Couscous Salad, avocado and raw skinless almonds in olive oil and sea salt. I just drizzled a little blood orange olive oil over the salad for a dressing. Yum. The couscous salad had lost its lovin' feeling to me on the fourth day, which was the day after this salad ( the raw broccoli's flavor had soured from the moisture) so I gave it to the pups. They LOVED it!

A simple sandwich -- sourdough toast with vegenaise, roasted red pepper, cucumber and arugula, salt and pepper. Crazy delicious and decadent, if you can believe it! I want another one right now!

A recent lunch out highlights two approaches for a vegan-unfriendly menu:  If you will recall, my plan was to come to the lunch toting a baggy of oil-massaged kale and almonds. So here is my house salad before:

And here it is after my alteration:

I plopped this pile of yum upon the restaurant salad when nobody was looking. I got a kick out of the server's quizzical expression each time he walked by thereafter. He knew something was different. This approach did work for me, but the bottom half of the salad was not very fresh, obscured as it was by such a lovely tangle of fresh carrots.

Finally, to continue in my random selection of photos, I was driving home the other day and saw heaven opening up above, so I hopped out of my car in the middle of the road and snapped it:

I was struck by the unfolding sky and acted impetuously. I wouldn't recommend such behavior unless you live on a cul-de-sac like I do and there's no other traffic around. I did put my car in park before hopping out. While this photo captures the most stunning portion of the sky, I wish you could have seen it in full context. The rest of the sky was dark grey with roiling storm clouds. Very humbling and awe-inspiring!  Thanks for indulging my odds and ends today.

My Winter Garden

Garden Fairy with Cabbage and Pansies

The winter garden is not the prolific jungle it was in the heat of the summer. Its energy is more quiet, almost meditative, but softly humming with life nonetheless. The winter varieties are of a subtler energy too, less showy and slower-growing than their summer brethren. But these plants, noble dark green leafies all, are teeming with nutrition. It was a lovely day in Georgia, so I decided to take a few photos.

Sunshine in a Mexican Pot

Cabbage with Pansies

Young Broccoli

Young Cauliflower

Young Collards

Salad