Pisto with Potatoes

Spanish pisto is somewhat like ratatouille, but this one is made using potatoes and isn't nearly as much work!

Pisto with Potatoes

One onion, chopped into chunks
1/4 c. vegetable broth
Two large potatoes, cut into cubes
One green bell pepper, cut into pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. oregano
One eggplant, peeled and cubed
One yellow squash, cut into cubes
4 tomatoes, diced
1 T. paprika
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper

Saute the onion in oil or water until softened. Add the broth, potatoes, bell pepper, garlic, and oregano and saute until the bell pepper is softened. Stir in the eggplant, squash, tomatoes, paprika, and about 1/2 c. water and cook until the potatoes are tender. Season with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve. Enjoy!

Parmesan Style Eggplant

The eggplant (or aubergine, as my British friends call it!) is a plant of the family Solanaceae (also known as the nightshades). As a nightshade, it is closely related to the tomato and potato, but I don't know as many people who eat eggplant as much as they do tomatoes and potatoes!

I do, however, know a lot of vegans who love it!

Parmesan Style Eggplant

This delicious dish I discovered in another Robin Robertson cookbook, Vegan Planet. It is a HUGE cookbook, loaded with all kinds of enticing dishes. This particular recipe features eggplant (duh!), crushed tomatoes and herbs. I crumbled up some Boca Vegan Burgers for the sauce. Even my non-vegan hubby had two helpings!

It was really pretty quick and easy to make. These eggplant cutlets are not breaded, but are baked, and I think that makes a world of difference.

Let the Days of Grilling Begin!

You know the weather is warming up when the familiar smell of charcoal permeates the air. You decide you want to throw something on the grill but before you even start you can tell your neighbors have the same idea. Nothing really says it's the weekend like that smell.

We actually have two grills - one charcoal, one gas. Hubby likes the charcoal grill, but I'm seriously considering designating the gas grill as mine and vegan only. I should probably learn how to use it first.

Hubby is really good about it, though - he scrubs the grill before he cooks our stuff, and always cooks the vegan stuff first. He announces his desire to grill and follows it with a directive to me to find something for the vegans in the house to grill, so we can join in on the grilling goodness.

I am particularly fond of The New Vegetarian Grill, and adapted the following recipe from it:

Grilled Veggie Salad

One eggplant, sliced thickly
One zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
One yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise
Two large tomatoes, sliced thickly
One red bell pepper, cut in half lengthwise
One large sweet onion, cut in quarters and skewered
1 T. balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil, chopped

Over a medium hot grill, place the veggies. Brush liberally with olive oil and grill until nicely done. When cool enough to handle, cut the veggies up in bite sized pieces and place in a large enough bowl. Add balsamic vinegar, basil and salt and pepper. Mix well and let set for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Enjoy!

To accompany our salad, I marinated some tempeh strips in some bourbon laced barbecue sauce. After hubby grilled the tempeh, I chopped it up fine with some onion and had myself a delectable sandwich. It was a great Sunday afternoon meal for a beautiful day.

Renewal and Ratatouille

Isn't this season just fantastic? We are so loving the cooler temps here. Renewal seems to be the word of the day for me, so with that in mind I have been vigorously and furiously cleaning and scrubbing and reorganizing my kitchen. Not wanting to have to stop this frenzy early for meal preparation, I decided this week to make all of the meals in the crockpot. One, it is just so simple and convenient, and two, it permeates the house with the most mouth-watering and delicious smells! My first recipe for the week is ratatouille.

Ratatouille Crockpot

•1 eggplant, peeled and 1 inch dice
•2 medium onion, chopped
•1 green bell pepper, 1/2 inch dice
•1 red bell pepper, 1/2 inch dice
•1 yellow bell pepper, 1/2 inch dice
•3 zucchini squash, sliced
•3 tbsp olive oil
•3 tbsp dried basil
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•1/2 tsp ground black pepper
•6 oz tomato paste
•1/2 tsp salt
•2 cups fresh tomatoes

Sprinkle eggplant with salt and let it drain in a colander about 1 hour. Press out excess moisture. Rinse with water and pat dry using paper towels. Place in crockpot then add onion, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, olive oil, basil, garlic, and salt then mix well. Cover and cook on low 7 hours, or on high for 3 hours. Serve over hot cooked rice.

The sprinkling with salt and draining was probably unnecessary, but I did it anyway. I substituted the green bell pepper with an orange one, just for fun and additional color. It went very well with bread buttered with Earth Balance and iced green tea. This one is definitely a keeper!

A little bit of fascinating history about ratatouille:

The word Ratatouille actually comes from the french term "touiller," which means to toss food or to stir up.

Ratatouille originated in the area around present day Nice and is now eaten throughout Languedoc and Provence. It was originally a meal made by poor farmer's (in essence it started out life as a peasant dish), and was prepared in the summer with fresh summer vegetables. The first appearance of the word in English was found in Cassell's Dictionary of Cookery, 1877.

The original and simplest form of Ratatouille used only zucchini, tomatoes, green and red peppers (bell peppers), onions, and garlic.

Today eggplant is usually added to the list of ingredients.

It can be served warm or cold. My son actually ate some at room temperature and still thought it was delicious.

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.
Lao Tzu

Whew! Pretty intense yoga workout today. I use these cards I bought, The Yoga Deck and The Yoga Deck 2. You design your own workout, so I start with the warmup, the workout and end each with a breathing exercise and a meditation. Each day is different, so I never get bored. This particular meditation, though, I found enlightening.

Spirit Meditation

Sit quietly with your eyes closed. Let your breath be slow and relaxed.
Visualize the lower half of your body as warm, moist, vital soil.
Picture a beautiful white lotus flower blossoming in the upper half of your body.
Breathe into its essence and repeat several times:
I am willing to embody my spirit
Gaze deeply into the lotus blossom that is the embodiment of your spirit. What truths do you see? What message does your spirit have for you today?

Inside the lotus blossom I saw a swirling fire, like magma. I watched the beautiful colors, red, yellow, orange, wondering what this meant. Then white shapes, misty, ghostlike, began swooping upward, graceful. I watched them in amazement, again wondering what they were. As I lifted my eyes upward to watch their ascent, I glimpsed a night sky brimming with bright stars. I watched in awe at the beauty of it all, realizing only then what my spirit was trying to tell me: that I am much, much more than this body, that I am a part of something grander. I am a part of the universe. I found this quote and it summed up my experience nicely:
I Am One With Spirit and All Creation - I give thanks for the unity of all creation and for everything that has brought me to this moment. I release my entire being to the gentle nurture of Spirit.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

In keeping with my practice of NEAT, I am honoring the Goddess of the day by wiping down my counters and mopping my kitchen floor with an infusion of sage, then traveling room to room ringing a bell to keep sickness away. This brought a giggle because my cats all stared at me like I was crazy, yet followed me to each room to see if I would do anything different.

NINA
Pan-American Health Day (United States)

Themes: Health; Cooperation; Dreams; Magick; Meditation.
Symbols: Lions; Fish; Serpent (her sacred animals)

About Nina: A very ancient Mother Goddess figure in Mesopotamia, Nina has many powers, including healing, herb magick, meditation, dream interpretation, and helping civilization along when needed. Today we will be focusing on her healthful attributes and knowledge of herbs to improve well-being for the winter months.

To Do Today: Pan-American Health Day focuses on worldwide cooperation in the public heath field. On the home front, do everything possible to make your home and body healthy and strong. Beginning in your living space, wash the floors using sage water, and burn a sage smudge stick. This herb decreases germ infestation and is magickally aligned with Nina's energy. As you go through your home, carry a small bell and add this incantation:

Nina, come and make us well;
banish sickness with the ringing of this bell.

Ring the bell in each room at the end of the incantation. In many religious traditions, bells are considered to scare away the evil influences that cause sickness.

To overcome a troublesome malady, put a picture of one of Nina's sacred animals under your pillow to invoke a healing dream. This tradition is very old and sometimes results in healthful energy being conveyed through your dream, or in a dream that shows you what to do for a cure.
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By Patricia Telesco ~ From "365 Goddess"

I find it interesting that today's theme includes cooperation. My daily tarot card pull for today is Two of Cups, which also suggests cooperation. Add to all of this that tonight is a Full Moon in Gemini! Being a Gemini, this is particularly auspicious for me. This Full Moon is in Gemini, the sign of communication, changeability, short trips, and anything of a mercurial nature, and Mercury, the planet of communication and the mind that is the ruler of Gemini, is very active in the chart of this Full Moon.

A good dish to serve tonight is:

Eggplant Pomodoro

1 eggplant (sliced into 1/2 inch rounds)
3 roma tomatoes, diced
10-15 chopped basil leaves, fresh
1 cup vegan/soy mayonnaise (must have some fat in it)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (regular mustard may be substituted)
1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs (no parmesan cheese)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine mayonnaise and mustard in a bowl until well blended. Coat each slice of eggplant with the mayo/mustard mixture and second-coat each slice with breadcrumbs. Arrange coated eggplant slices on foil covered cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
While eggplant is baking, saute diced tomatoes and basil in olive oil until well-heated, and set aside.
Serve baked eggplant with a generous portion of tomato mixture. Enjoy!
Serves: 4

Walked for 30 minutes with hubby, did five weight lifting exercises with dumbbells, 2 yoga sessions, 60 crunches.

Two slices cinnamon toast for breakfast, rice and beans and peach slices for lunch. Would have made eggplant for supper, but son made supper, instead! Spaghetti and quorn meatballs and slices of French bread.

Later tonight I will draw down the moon, then watch a movie with hubby and gnosh on unsalted pretzels.

Drawing Down the Moon

Lady moon, Lady moon, where are you roving?
a children's song

The act of drawing down the moon is a powerful psychic and magical experience.
By focusing on the light of the full moon, you are actually drawing its energy into your own body. Realize that lunar energy is intuitive, magnetic and receptive. This is a force of nature, and tapping into this power is a transformative experience. This type of empowerment needs to be felt, and it’s going to be different for each individual.

I have heard this process explained and intellectualized to death, but the truth is this is a silent ritual. it requires no tools or props other than yourself and the full moon. Learning to draw down the moon is an intuitive and personal experience that marks a significant step of a witch’s journey, for you learn to make your magic both intuitive and personal.

No words are needed while you drawn down the moon. If you’d like to say a few words in greeting before you get started, go right ahead. Seems to me that a simple and heartfelt greeting is much more eloquent than fumbling around trying desperately to remember some lengthy, dramatic memorized poem. This does not require melodrama. Just be yourself, and follow your own insights. The following steps of the process are straightforward ones, and simple is usually the best.

. Step outside and stand under the light of the full moon. You do have to go outside for this one, folks.

. Imagine your feet are like roots of a tree, and sink them down into the earth. Visualize that any stress or anger you may be carrying is draining away to be absorbed back harmlessly into the earth. Now see that the earth is in turn sending you revitalizing energy. Raise up your arms, and stretch your fingers. Take a nice deep cleansing breath and blow it out slowly.

. Next, you may stand with your hands loosely at your sides, holding your hands palms up. I have seen people dramatically throw their arms out wide and embrace the sky. Go with whatever position feels more natural to you. If you are concerned that someone, maybe a curious neighbor maybe be watching, then just keep your arms down and stand in a relaxed pose.

. Then open yourself up to that energy, lighting up those seven chakras.

. Tip up your face to the light of the moon, and envision pulling some of that luminosity and power down and inside yourself. Give yourself a few moments and feel the difference it makes. For example, if you feel down and self conscious, you will likely stan taller and be more confident after drawing down the moon. If you feel overwhelmed and stressed out, you’ll notice that your shouders will relax and you will feel more at peace when you are finished. You may feel a shivery and tingling connection with other witches from all over the world. or you may feel a comforting warmth surrounding you, like an astral hug, telling you are not alone. Enjoy the sensation for a while.

. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now zip your chakras closed with a quick arm motion from your mid tight area to over the top of your head. Relax.

. Whisper a “thank you”, feel grateful and return indoors

Write down in your journal what you experienced. Try it with different full moons or even different lunar phases, at different hours. Then compare your notes.