Organic Creatures of the Earth

Big fluffy snow flakes are floating down on this day.  The first real snow here, and it is beautiful.  Picking up Samara from school, one parent said, “Of course it has to snow when we pick them up.”  I answered, “It is beautiful.”  She looked around, with a big smile, and started to wholeheartedly agree.  That was refreshing. From weather forecasts to small talk, folks in this area have such a habit of talking against the weather no matter what season or what day.  Finding something wrong with what is, is always in fashion it seems.

One common complaint in this part of the country is that when it gets cold, this is somehow proof that global warming isn’t true.  The truth is, the snow is beautiful.  Especially the first snow fall.  The children know that for sure.  And, global warming isn’t about how cold or warm it gets here on a particular day or week.  It is about the temperature of the oceans and the ice shelves that are melting which causes all sorts of different weather patterns to emerge across the globe.

When I see the snow I think of grace.  This is because grace is a free gift of beauty and peace.  Snow feels and looks like grace to me.  A time to slow down.  A time to feel the wonder of a snowflake landing on your nose, on your eye, on your tongue maybe, in beautiful alive silence.  I think of Masaru Emoto and his Messages from Water.  His findings that water responds to words through forming different crystal shapes when frozen, reveals a truth, that words create a reality.  Much like John spoke of in the Christian Bible’s New Testament about the Word existing before form and then becoming flesh.  Realizing that we are made mostly of water and that the earth also has a majority of water, these lessons are so important and far-reaching.

The snow has all but stopped now and a fine blanket of white fluffiness has covered the brown, tan and yellows of lingering fall.    Thanksgiving was good, though the whole family was not able to be together, so we made the most of things and took Thanksgiving to my 96-year-old grandmother at the nursing home.  It wasn’t the most appealing way to have a meal, but it was a good time.  Grandma appreciated that.  I couldn’t help but notice there was only one nurse assigned to a whole hallway.  I felt for her and I felt gratitude for all they do, mostly young people caring for all the many needs of the elderly there.  There are not a lot of people who can do this and do it well or happily.  There are some times of mild neglect because they are over worked and under staffed, yet it is a nice place.

The problem is that hospitals, nursing homes & schools are all based on models that seem to believe we are more like machines or factory projects than organic creatures of the earth.  We are so bound to time, hours, and too many other constructs that make it hard for folks to take care of themselves and each other in an authentic and peaceful way, let alone let magic and grace in….  Too much of life has become driven and manufactured.  I can’t wait for a time when we free ourselves of these military and factory models.

The stuffed pumpkin I made turned out well.  I wasn’t as crazy about it as the stuffed squash or the spaghetti squash I made that was vegan and without nightshade veggies.  It was good though.

I am going to be working on a children’s book and making a new website in the weeks to come, so I will not be writing here as much.  Find me on facebook or email me though, I won’t be too far away.

The time leading up to Christmas is a great time to contemplate, to slow down and empty self of anything that is not needed anymore…. making room for love, gratitude and new life.  I will be doing that also.  I hope for you the same.

May your holiday shopping be mindful, kind, fair, humane, charitable, less plastic-y and more organic

May the spaciousness we discover, this winter and Christmas, fill us up with love, courage, gratitude and new life overflowing in abundance, compassion and renewal for all life of this universe.

Namaste, Chandra

Like A Vegan, Thanksgiving

Since I already have enjoyed Thanksgiving as a vegetarian many a time, it is not such a big step to eat like a vegan for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Basically I am a vegetarian who has sensitivity/allergies to dairy and the nightshade family.  So close to being vegan, but not quite.  Am loving vegan meals though.

Thanksgiving is still one of my favorite holidays, even with saying goodbye to potatoes.  Sweet potatoes are perfect, especially now.    When I shop I am always striving to buy local and organic as much as possible, so you know.  Here are some of the highlights I see for Thanksgiving like a vegan, including links to recipes I like:

mashed sweet potatoes & yams with maple syrup and earth balance margarine (easy and way delicious!)

stuffing made with vegetable broth

a salad with mixed lettuce, spinach, shredded carrot, cabbage, sunflower seeds and raisins with basalmic dressing

vegan pumpkin pie

I looked into using Tofurky for a veggie-meat center piece, but for someone allergic to nightshades, that isn’t a possibility.  Tofurky was really great in offering the info to me upon request, as on the box they just list, “spices”.  Here is a portion of their response to me:

“Unfortunately the stuffing in our Tofurky roast does contain paprika. As
I’ve had this question before in relation to our products, I thought I’d
give you a complete break down of what is safe for those with nightshade
allergies and what is NOT safe:

The following list of items DO contain either tomatoes, peppers or paprika:

Italian Sausage
Italian Deli Slices
Kielbasa Sausage
Chipotle Franks
Tofurky Roast (stuffing has paprika)
Tofurky Franks
Spicy Veggie Tempeh
Coconut Curry Tempeh

And here’s the list of products that should be completely nightshade-free:

Tofurky Beer Brats
Oven Roasted Deli Slices
Hickory Smoked Deli Slices
Cranberry and Stuffing Deli Slices
Philly-style steak Deli Slices
Peppered Deli Slices
Five Grain Tempeh
Original Soy Tempeh
Lemon Pepper Tempeh
Sesame Garlic Tempeh”

So, that was helpful information.  Quorn offers a thanksgiving veggie-meat as well, but that is not a vegan option, as it contains egg.  It is not clear whether they use humane eggs or not.  So that is something to think about.  I may or may not go that route.

Lastly, I purchased a beautiful local and organic pumpkin and have been looking through many different recipes for a stuffed pumpkin.  I think it will be delicious.  I have never done it before, so I will need to report back after the fact.  The very basic instructions I have gleaned from many different recipes on the web are this:

Stuffed Pumpkin

Preheat oven at 350

Cut out a lid for the pumpkin or cut the pumpkin in half for bowl-like sides..

Clean out the seeds and strings, of course.

Add seasonings of your choice from margarine to sweets or salted

Bake for 40 minutes or until the pumpkin is softened.

While baking prepare an organic whole grain rice with a veggie mixture of your choice (I think mine will be garlic, mushrooms, broccoli & dried cranberries)

After the pumpkin has cooled a bit and the rice mixture has cooled a bit, stuff the pumpkin with the rice and

Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes

I am excited to try this.  I already did a stuffed acorn that I really enjoyed, so I think this will go well.  I am going to go with the cutting out a lid route.  I saw a picture of one like that and it looked so good!

 

I also have the family recipe for cranberry relish that is much beloved by us each year.  Not to give it all away, but it contains cranberries, natural sweetener and whole oranges.  For those who love cranberries, it is THE best magical part of the meal besides dessert.

Well, that’s all for now.  Wishing you many blessings, love and much gratitude to celebrate for Thanksgiving.

namaste,

Chandra

Like A Vegan, continued….

This meal was a great success for us.  We all liked it, it was filling, tasty, vegan and without any nightshade family foods in it.

The curly ramen type noodles are made from whole grain and have a high fiber content, which is great.  I prepared those, and then did a stir fry of organic local veggies:  mushrooms, purple cabbage, carrots (grated), kale, spinach, chopped tempeh, Bragg’s seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper.

Gus Michael, our new kitten, approves of this meal.

………………

Another recent meal that was not so vegan, was this:

Take away the veggie Hmong Golden Eggroll and the Quorn veggie-meat balls (they contain egg) and this meal would be vegan.  However, we love these eggrolls!  They are local and they are the best!   The veggie-meat balls are really good too, tho we don’t have them too often.

Along with the veggie eggroll is whole grain spaghetti mixed with grape seed oil and garlic; stir fry of (organic/local) cabbage, carrots; garlic, pepper, salt and Bragg’s liquid seasoning, and a side of Quorn brand veggie-meat balls.  This was also a successful meal for us.  Yummy fresh flavor.

Samara approves of this meal.  Two of her most favorite things: spaghetti and veggie Hmong Golden Eggrolls.

Next post will be about my Thanksgiving meal recipes. Stay tuned.

Like A Vegan

What with Thanksgiving coming up and my newly identified sensitivities to nightshade and dairy, I thought it would be good time to discuss the many facets linked to living like a vegan.

Like a vegan, because I have diet needs due to allergies/sensitivities and I have self-imposed diet restrictions, due to my compassion for the environment, treatment of animals and health consciousness, yet I still eat organic eggs at times and have a few possessions from animals: honey, silk, a little bit of leather.  Still, I buy cruelty free cosmetics, cleaning supplies and other products.  I live as compassionately as I am able to at this time.

Much of the time I eat complete vegan meals, still,  I am not living a strict religion of Veganism.  There are certain foods that my body doesn’t like anymore, that make my body feel bad:  nightshade veggies (i.e. potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cayenne, chili powder, paprika, eggplant, ground cherries), dairy and coffee.  I can’t say I am happy about that.  But I respect my body and I want to feel good and healthy.

I do choose not to eat any animals (tho fish have entered my diet rarely, here and there), I also eat once in a long while (mostly organic) yogurt and eggs.  So there it is, and I am thoroughly strict about few things in life.

Certainly, no one has asserted Veganism as a religion, but I find strict Vegans to be very much kin to religious orthodoxy.   I admire their desire to live as purely aligned with their beliefs and ideals as possible.  I share their active compassion and concern for animal rights, environmental health and human health.   Another aspect of Veganism in religion would be Buddhism.  Some people classify Buddhism as a religion, others don’t.  And there are many different kinds of Buddhism.  In general, I believe, Buddhists do live as Vegans, since there is the valuing of all life as sacred and the practice to not harm or kill other living beings.  I resonate thoroughly with this thinking/practice.  As you go farther with it, there are snares to be considered:

For the vegan it can be, “Do I take medicine when I need it, because it has been tested on animals, or it contains lactose?”

For the Buddhist it can be, “Is harming bacteria or other smaller life forms a violation of my beliefs?  Is eliminating an infestation that is harming people a violation of our valuing of all life.”

What happens at these points is that it becomes an individual choice, and the decision holds in the balance someone’s health.  I think in most cases we cannot afford to be totally strict, that it is, in fact, impossible to completely live out these beautiful and true ideals at some point, inevitably.  For example, if you are in danger of dying, you take the medicine that the pharmaceutical companies have tested cruelly on animals, even tho you do not want or agree with those actions taken by them.  And, if you are presented with an instance where parasites are infesting you or someone you care about, the choice to kill them with medicine of some kind creates the action of killing because you value your own or your friend’s life more than the life of parasites.

Another thing that is difficult, is that there are those who choose not to eat animals because of compassion and others, for whom such a choice is foreign, so they (strict omnivores) respond with anger and look for a way to criticize the compassionate action of the other.  With accusations like, “But, you are wearing leather!” in order to point the finger at inconsistency.

People who believe in animal rights and physically do not like or want to eat animals are seemingly pushed in the corner for being “hypocrites”.  Yet, the real dynamic going on is that others feel threatened by the difference inferred as judgmental.  Meals have brought people together for eons.  Meals have often symbolized peace making, the sacred and family bonding.  Yet there have also been the dynamics of religions, like Judaism, for example, whose rigorous beliefs regarding diet have often separated groups of people from each other.

In the world in general, so often meat-eating has been and is associated with class and wealth.  And of course, it is then taken to the extreme of, “We are so wealthy and successful that we eat meat 3 times a day and we get it fast, right now, whenever we want it.”  This thinking has objectified the lives of animals, our resources, blinding hearts from mindfulness and creating many serious health problems, because no animal (even humans) is designed to eat that much meat everyday.

I see eating vegan meals, organic meals and local meals as true wealth… to be able to eat with kindness, without pesticides, cruelty, genetic modification, without blindly following old norms of “-isms”, without judging others or inflicting pain on anyone.  This world needs new perspective on life, on compassionate action, without inflicting judgement or values on one another.  We need a revolution of kindness, diversity and wisdom living in unity for the common good, despite differences.  The horrors of factory farming needs to end.  We need to employ a deep wisdom amongst us, that is informed by direct connection to the Holy movements of all that is Sacred, all we are connected to.

So my adventure continues, in creating meals that please me and my little family and meet my requirements diet-wise.  I love living like a vegan, tho I am challenged in learning to create meals without nightshades in addition to what I already cook without.  It has been challenging and I have floundered a bit.

Cooking with gratitude, mindfulness, and love are what lead me to appreciate all that we have, and the many gifts that are revealed each time I prepare a kind meal, made lovingly for my family.

Eating vegan meals is a great thing for anyone to do, each day, once or twice a week or almost all the time, like me.  Why?

The environmental and health impacts are huge,  it is a soothing, creative way to contemplate/meditate on choices/actions with compassion and it is refreshing to discover new ways to eat and enjoy meals with each other.

Whether you are a strict vegan or someone with allergies to certain foods, a carnivore, omnivore, humane-itarian, vegetarian or some other version of any of these, vegan eating is some of the best eating that one can find.

My husband eats meat here and there, but he always notes how much he enjoys eating vegetarian and how he adores fruits, vegetables and grains more than eating animals.  Being brought up by a hunter, he never explored the possibilities of this till we met.  My daughter also eats meat once in while.  Neither of them eat meat more than once a day, and usually they eat meat only a couple times a week.

We are pretty lucky to be in an area where we can receive all sorts of humane/organic foods from local farmers.

Each day a little more about living like a vegan sans nightshade becomes enjoyable and exciting.  My recent recipes and my recipe plans for Thanksgiving?  Coming right up.

Kitten Has His Name

UPDATE:  as of December 5th 2009:

Jeff, Samara and I have realized finally the true name of our kitten. You may remember that we had trouble fitting a name to his being. We loved the idea of the name Gus, we loved Michael, we had even settled on Gus Michael as his name.

However, after his neuter surgery he returned to us doing jumping jacks right away…he seemed to thrive on healing again as quickly as possible. He lost his 5 month old canines shortly after returning and that served to only make him more bold and active. He is fearless, chasing and hopping onto Boris, Abigail and even Miss Honey’s nose! Those three are very accepting of him and tend to want to teach him and play with him now.

We suddenly realized who he is and what his name is. It fits him. He looks like it, acts like and we watched Princess Bride and we think he looks like him too. Yes. Our kitten’s true name is:

Wesley.

Just like Wesley in Princess Bride, Princess Buttercup’s farm boy and true love. hahahah

Wesley Michael Otto Sherin,
he totally likes his name now. And he is so fascinated by water. He is like a wild sailor…..hmmm aka dread pirate roberts???

:p

We felt obligated to let everyone know who he is. Little fun guy. Wesley.
Since he is not quite 6 months old, we feel it is ok to finally settle on a name that fits what he looks like. I really have never had such a time naming someone! His personality is emerging more and more, that is part of it, I think.

Abigail and Boris didn’t get their names till they were about a year old and they took to them right away. It is fascinating what is in a name.

Wesley’s first snow

Nov. 07 2009 Gus Michael

Gus Michael Otto Sherin, to be exact.    Gus Michael reminds us of George Michael from “Arrested Development”.  We love how this name sounds and it seems to fit him well.  What a sunny beautiful day today.  We let him outside for a moment (we have a fenced in yard) with the other animals.  He ate grass, climbed a tree and threw up.  He is officially a cat.  And that was quite enough.

We are going to go hike on the top of the bluffs today.  Hope your weekend is good and beautiful.  Thanks for all your help finding Gus Michael’s name.  That was fun! Thank you!!

A Kind Meal, Made Lovingly (Like A Vegan)

My new life of eating without lactose and nightshade because of sensitivity/allergy issues is an adventure.  My family has always been supportive of my choice to not eat animals (even tho they do once in a while) and have thoroughly enjoyed, even preferred vegetarian meals.  Jeff has always said faux meat/vegetable protein is way better tasting than animal meat.  I haven’t prepared meat in our home for many years. And we have loved the majority of meals I have prepared.

At the beginning of this week I found a recipe I was really excited about, as I am exploring as many new ways as possible to enjoy foods I can eat.

What I made was a stuffed squash recipe I found from the Moosewood Cookbook, 20 year edition.  I won’t post the recipe out of respect for copyright, but I will share what was in it.

I used 3 medium sized acorn squash and the stuffing consisted of organic brown rice, tart apples, oranges, garlic, cinnamon, honey, a little brown sugar and clove powder.

Unfortunately, my husband and daughter did not like it at all.  Jeff really couldn’t stomach the oranges in it particularly.  Oh well.  So it became lunch for me this week.  I loved it!  Yet, I really don’t want to eat solo at home all the time.  I really enjoy sharing a meal with our little family.

Try, try again, so last night I found another recipe from the Moosewood cookbook that we all enjoyed.  Hooray!

It was a version of pasta primavera.

I used lemon parsley pasta, some whole grain pasta, kale, string beans, garlic, pepper, salt, italian seasonings, fresh parsley, oil and crimini mushrooms.  Jeff and Samara topped theirs with parmesan cheese and I topped mine with faux parmesan cheese (a recipe I found in the 10th anniversary edition of How It All Vegan).

We all thought it was delicious. Samara didn’t like the parsley, but all else was success. Yes!

Here it is:

All organic, veggies local and organic apple juice…mmmmmm!

We are thankful for such goodness.

Eating like a Vegan and without nightshade vegetables.

Yum!

Gus or Mike???

Our new kitten, who we named Gus, does not know his name yet, and now we are considering naming him Mike (Michael).  He really looks like a Mike and seems to respond to this name more than Gus.  We really like the name Gus, perhaps it could be his middle name?  What do you think?

 

Every time I say Mike or Michael, he responds now.  With Gus, he acts like I am not even remotely talking to him.  Hmmmmmm…

Well, I just called him to me, saying, “Mike!  Michael…”  And he came running to me, the first time he has ever done so.  Curious.