LV Community Vegan/Vegetarian Potluck October

Last night was the sixth Community Vegan/Vegetarian potluck in Longview and I think it was one of the nicest.  We had about the same amount of people, thirty or so, made some new friends and ate some great vegan and vegetarian food.  We didn't have very many vegetarian dishes this time or the last. It seems the potluck is going in a vegan direction all by itself.  There were lots of gluten free dishes including cookies, pumpkin scones, and brownies.  I made two batches of the popular vegan mac & cheese one with brown rice noodles and the other with quinoa noodles. I omitted the bread crumbs for gluten free mac & cheese.

All the cooks put on an impressive buffet.  Among the wonderful dishes we had were:  Black eyed pea salad with a homemade dressing, steamed cauliflower with onions, fresh frozen peas, and a sauce made with veganaise and mustard, French green lentil stew, Turkish garbanzo bean salad, a harvest grain salad, a fresh fruit bowl, spinach salad, tofu adobo, a cactus and black bean salad, a pitcher of fresh berry smoothie, and lots more.  The desserts were plentiful, all vegan, and most were gluten free:  Pumpkin spice carrot cake with cream "cheese" frosting, raw cashew chocolate, coconut fudge, Gluten free pumpkin scones, gluten free chocolate brownies, and Gluten free vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  What fun it was trying all the different dishes.  I was thinking that it was such a joy that everyone made something wonderful themselves and it was obvious that they put care into it.  I remember hosting potlucks for another organization years ago and I was usually disappointed when the store deli fried chicken and pre-made macaroni and potato salads showed up. 
Many of our guests are new to plant based eating and it's such a treat to see the joy on someone's face when they discover the many things they "can" eat that they didn't think they could before.  The gluten free folks, for example.  I know many women who are gluten intolerant or avoid it for pain issues and didn't think they'd ever get to eat baked goods again.


Our guest speaker didn't appear, but that didn't hamper our fun at all.  It was a rainy night and there may have been bad traffic.  I was told by Jill from NW Veg when I was thinking about this potluck that sometimes that happens there is no speaker, so they've often just gone around the room and introduced themselves and talked about why they are there.  So, after a lively dinner filled with the conversations about the new and interesting foods we were eating, I talked a little bit about why I suggested we start this potluck and opened up the room for questions, comments, or success and/or failure stories. We had a great discussion.  There was some sharing from a couple people about how eating a plant based diet has changed their health for the better.  There were questions about diabetes and other diseases from people who's doctors have suggested they try a plant based diet to improve their health.  It was a warm, interesting, conversation between us all.  We all got to know each other a little bit better too.   As it turned out, no one missed our speaker at all.  I've had a couple emails and phone calls today from attendees who wanted to tell me what a good time it was and that the discussion was very good.  Each one of them told me they learned something last night.  YES!  That's why I started this potluck.  Smiles and JOY!  I am hoping we can all learn more together.

Thanks everyone for your culinary efforts and for showing up!  Our next potluck will be in January, probably around the third week on a Friday night again.  I'll let you know the date.  I think I am going to round up some equipment and show Forks Over Knives after dinner.

A Good Time Was Had by All ~ LV Potluck #2

Our second vegan/vegetarian potluck in Longview was again a success.  There were about 25 people and a great variety of wonderful food.  Mike McKee from Willow Grove Farms talked about organic farming and I learned quite a bit about how to improve my own garden this year.  I always learn something new talking to Mike.  I also found out that I shouldn't have my lettuce bowl under the lights downstairs.  Even before unpacking all the supplies from my car, I ran down and moved the lettuce to a cooler spot on the deck.  They're doing great, by the way.  I should be starting up some gardening blogging soon.  Peter Spendelow from NWVeg also came and spoke to us about the WA initiative 1130 to ban confinement cages for chickens.




Among the wonderful food we had:

A couple fresh fruit salads
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with vegan chocolate chips and shredded coconut
Roasted Yams and sweet potatoes with molasses
Veggie Ragout with mozzarella cheese
Garden Vegetable Soup
Curried Quinoa Salad
Polenta Casserole
Vegan Deli Cole Slaw
Sengalese peanut, spinach, yam stew
Spanish Rice
Zucchini Pie
Green Salads, herb salads, hummus, and much more.

Thanks to all the cooks, Mike McKee, Peter Spendelow, Jon for arranging the chairs, everyone who helped set up and clean up, and Christy and Lester for allowing us to transform your produce store into a dining room for the evening.  A good time was had by all.

The next one will be in May and I'm hoping to have a raw foods or vegan cooking demonstration.

Vive Bene

Art Crawl in Portland Saturday Night

Went to play in Portland Saturday night, one of our favorite playgrounds. After an unusually pleasant visit with our son in St. Helens, Oregon, Saturday afternoon, we wandered to Portland towards our final destination, The Alberta Rose Theater for an eight o'clock show.  We stopped at a cute little vegetarian grocery store called Cherry Sprout Produce. We've wanted to stop in many times, but hadn't found the time yet.  Since we were pretty early we stopped in and picked up some wonderful produce as well as a couple seedlings for the garden, a couple fava bean plants, jerusalem artichokes, and some spicy herb blends for herb hill. We found the theater, parked the car, and took a walk in search of food for our camera as well as our bellies.  We stopped in a a Thai restaurant and enjoyed a wonderful vegan meal. Then we wandered around enjoying the paintings, sculptures, and wonderful creations all around us. I do love this part of Portland, it's so full of art everywhere you look.  There was a life size piñata type sculpture of a mermaid on top of one of the coolers of the Cherry Sprout.  A creation of one of the nearby artists.

We met this lovely lady, Laura Stokes, on our Baja Beach Daze trip in 2009.   She was one of the people who got on in San Francisco,  we spent ten wonderful days traveling through California and most of Baja. We spent five days camping at a private beach on the Sea of Cortez, a little north of La Paz. She and her partner travel the world performing their art. We've been looking forward to seeing her performance for sometime.

Last night we finally had the pleasure of seeing this awesome show.  Not one person left that theater wishing they had done something else last night.  The theater was full and there was an enthusiastic standing ovation at the end. There were no words spoken during this performance,  but strong messages about ourselves in this busy, stressful world came through quite clear. Laura and her partner are absolutely impressive as they demonstrated the ability to control every muscle in their bodies.  This is an event I highly recommend if the The Ricochet Project comes to a city near you.  They've been in Seattle a couple times in the past two years, but we haven't been able to make it. Check out this trailer for a sample of some of her expressive art.

I added a little art to our house this weekend too.  My friend Melanie of Oregon Grape Stitch just finished a pair of brightly colored curtains I just couldn't leave hanging in her store.  They made a quick appearance as tablecloths at the potluck, then  we hung them where Kaylee sleeps, she's going to love them.  She also likes the rainbow colors like her grandma.  The room I hung them in is lit by the sunshine in the morning.  At at certain time, it's usually too bright.  The colors in these curtains filtered the sun and brought in the light in a different way. When I came in this morning, I was greeted by a bright, cheery room.

Moonshadow ~ Cat Stevens

Winter Weekend Fun at Grandma's

Our pacific northwest liquid sunshine is back and the snow is disappearing.  Soon the pretty white stuff will be a memory and we'll be hearing everyone's driving adventures as well as what they did with their time.  Many people I know were lucky enough to take advantage of vacation days and stay home out of the ice and cold.  It's been fun seeing the pictures show up on Facebook of my friend's yards and the beautiful snow shots they preserved with their cameras. I do have a good car and could get around, but on the short trip I took to get groceries Friday, my car slid a couple times. There was an instance when I realized it wasn't going to stop before the guy in front of me. I finally brought it to a stop, but I was sideways in the intersection waiting for the light. Definitely felt a little funny waiting for that light to change. I took it very slow and stayed on the main streets that had been traveled already. I am still a California girl inside, I haven't mastered the winter snow and ice driving even after being here over twenty years. Best I try to drive as little as possible when it's icy.

Last week I was catching up my spreadsheet I use to track my vacation days and couldn't remember what I had done in February last year as it looked like I took a few days off in February very close together.  It wasn't until after I noticed another friend's snow picture was dated Feb. 9, 2010 that I realized I was probably doing the same thing I've done for the past couple days, staying home out of the cold. I had some fun with Kaylee, got some things done around the house, made some wonderful meals for the week, but I am ready to get back to work.  I found myself thinking I missed work this morning.  I am ready to talk to some other adults and do something mentally challenging for a change.  Vacation is nice, but it's also nice to get home and back to the regular routine.

Kaylee has been with us since Friday morning and we'll be taking her to her other grandma's soon.  We've been spending a little more time with her as her little brother is very sick.  He has some seizure problems and it's been complicated by a terrible case of pneumonia.  He's been on an artificial breathing device for over a week.  They tried to remove it, but he is still not breathing on his own. Today he had another seizure.  I am worried about him.  The hospital is in Portland so Rachel is staying up there at the Ronald McDonald house.  I am glad they moved closer to grandma's so we can help where we can.

We made good use of our time together inside. We made some crispy vegan oatmeal cookies.  These came out a lot like the oatmeal cookies I grew up making.  I added some chocolate chips and unsweetened coconut shreds.

 

We did some crafts, Kalyee made a great scrapbook page. I got out some pictures for her to choose from, the fancy scissors, and all the scrap booking toys I've collected and she had a lot of fun.

We had a pizza party with lots of fresh vegan ingredients. WW Pita Bread, homemade sauce with whole tomatoes, garlic, and herbs, caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, vegan italian sausage, and daiya cheese, a vegan cheese made from tapioca.  We used a cheddar and a mozzarella flavor.Kaylee made her's and grandpa's pizzas so his hands could be free to take pictures.



She was with me on my produce rounds Friday and noticed some blueberries on the counter at Payton's. She said "I remember you made a blueberry cheesecake once, would you make one for me?"  Of Course!  Thanks for the idea, I made one of my favorite vegan cheesecake recipes from the Vegan World Fusion Cuisine Cookbook.

"I live in the moment more than I realize" ~ Star Lotus

Then and Now

I get to go back in time this weekend with some other 'children under 60'. Going to go see Al Stewart.

I saw this tour in the Bay Area in 1977, I think in San Fransisco. I probably thought the piano player was pretty hot. :0)



This is what we'll see this weekend, What FUN!



Love the acoustic version.

Bob Weir w Kingfish - San Gregorio 1989

While looking around for sites this morning for my blog I found a video from a benefit concert behind the San Gregorio store in may 1989.  We were there. I made about 50 gallons of my vegetarian chili and ran a booth selling tie dyed shirts.  Shirts my friends and I stayed up many nights dying ourselves. Scott was somewhere in this crowd as were many of our close friends. Our Marty was just two and Bob was eight at the time.  He was climbing the hills on the outer edge of the field with the other children. We gave him a bright red tie dyed shirt so we could spot him from a distance.  It was a fun day. This was in May 1989.  It was our last summer in California.  We moved to the northwest in October which has been home ever since.

Dairy Free Chocolate Layer Cake w/ Dark Chocolate Mint Frosting

I found that if I cruise the liquidation stores regularly there are many organic products marked down to very reasonable prices.  Recently I found coconut milk for .99 a can and low sodium vegetable broth, 10 for $1.   I am usually happy when they're $2 each.  I never know what I'm going to find.  Recently I bought some Bob's Red Mill whole grain cake mix for $1.49 a package.  That's one third the normal price.  I would normally make this all myself, but couldn't resist that price.  I do like Bob's Red Mill products. Of course, I made it my way, with egg replacer and homemade applesauce instead of oil and 1 cup of filtered water.

After the cake was baked and cooled, I poked holes in the bottom layer with a fork.   Then I poured some of the caramel I made last week for the ice creme over the top and spread it around so it would fall into the holes. 

The frosting:

1/2 cup vegan margarine
4 oz very dark chocolate — choc chips can be used, I used 4 oz of an organic very dark chocolate mint bar
1 cup sucanat
1/3 cup soy or coconut milk creamer
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
     I like to put some of the nuts in the frosting and some just sprinkled on top.

Put margarine, chocolate, sucanat, and creamer in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Stirring ingredients together, boil for 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and 1/2 cup nuts.  Pour over cake, sprinkle remaining nuts on top. chill for about 30 minutes to set frosting.

And we put it in a bowl with Morgaine's warm baked apple. 

OMG this was a pretty awesome dessert.  My granddaughter gave it two thumbs up.  I think everyone else in the room agreed with her.

Vegetarian Lasagña

When I first moved here one of my new friends thought it was very strange that I would get up and make dinner in the morning, normal for me.  After this, my granddaughter and I will make a vegan chocolate birthday cake for grandpa and while it cools I think we'll check out the Toy Soldier Bazaar.   We have all day to play together, dinner is ready to pop in the oven.

I made a sauce with onions, garlic, julienne carrots and zucchini, a quart of my homegrown tomatoes, chopped green pepper, a diced mild chili, a small can of organic tomato paste, dried herbs from the garden, oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. I added a little agave and some white balsamic vinegar, a dash of cooking sherry, and some sliced mushrooms.  Sliced large because my husband doesn't like them too much.  I still cook with them, but make them large enough for him to pick out.

I made the Ricotta by blending tofu, garlic, a dash of shoyu, oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, about 1/4 cup olive oil, and about half a large chopped red bell pepper.

I have come along some on the cheese.  I've made this recipe for many years. I used to use cottage cheese, eggs, and Parmesan cheese for a ricotta and about a pound of mozzarella cheese and more Parmesan cheese. This only has about 4 - 6 oz. of cheese for the whole recipe.  I blended grated mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano cheese.

There's also a layer of chopped greens from the garden, chard and beet greens, between the lasagna layers and the ricotta.

Bake this in the oven on 400° for about 45 - 50 minutes until the cheese melts and browns and the sauce is a bit bubbly.

Pumpkin Kind of Day

We were all happy to be out in the sunshine at the pumpkin patch.  The goat seemed especially pleased.

We wandered out to Willow Grove Gardens with Kaylee yesterday.  It was a beautiful fall afternoon, the sun was shining, and it was kind of warm.  We didn't need to wear a sweater out to the farm.  We just wandered around and looked at animals.  Kaylee got to pet and hold some.  There is a Dri out there, a female Yak, and her baby.  It was fun to hear the children react as they came out of the barn and noticed an animal they had not seen before.  I heard "there's a bull like animal out here mom" a couple of times.  Or, "there's a big hairy bull out here mom." A Yak is not an animal we saw much of growing up. 

There is a baby yak and a momma.  Apparently the momma is very protective of  her baby and it was about the time we showed up that the baby had escaped it's pen and was running all over the place.  We could tell this baby was happy to be out of the pen, it just ran and ran and ran.  The Dri was very agitated that her baby was out with all the strangers.  The farm was pretty busy with families out enjoying the day and looking for that perfect pumpkin.  She rammed the fence a couple times while we tried to take photos. We watched as Mike, Rhonda, and Ruth worked to get the baby Yak back in the pen. That baby was happy to be running about and wasn't coming easily. It was a bit exciting.

Friends in the Garden

As I was picking beans last Saturday morning, a man came up behind me because he wanted to meet the person gardening behind his house. He would also like the corn stalks when I'm done for his friend's cows. Apparently it's a great treat for them. I know this man, his name is Steve. I haven't seen him in over a year and a half. He didn't recognize me at first as he is getting a bit old, 85 I think. When I told him my name and gave him a big hug, he remembered right away. His wife died last year and she was one of my closest friends.

Last year I experienced some emotional growth. That's what I'm calling it now anyway. It seemed that devastating news came about every two weeks. It began with learning my very dear friend would be dying from cancer. I felt privileged to be able to help her through it, but it was sad nonetheless and I miss her. I missed her terribly when life seemed a bit hopeless last year. Cheryl is the first person I thought of calling when things got tense. She'd have been at every court date she could, sitting next to me and reminding me things always work out. She'd remind me that things don't always work out the way we'd like, but they do work out. The sun usually comes out, in theory anyway, we do live in the Northwest.

One of the reasons we began the big garden was to work out some of the stress and tension we were under last year. It sure works, we also didn't realize how much we love the gardening. That's turned out to be a huge blessing that will hopefully continue for a long time. It's a very large community garden, surrounded by houses on either side. Turns out since Cheryl died, her husband Steve's eyesight has gotten weak and he can't drive. He's moved into town. He has been living directly behind my garden since last year. He says he comes out and looks around it every night. He loves our garden.

I felt comforted that someone I love has been there when we weren't. Sometimes when I'm working out there, I've had some conversations with Cheryl. I felt a little more like she has really been there. After he left I had a good cry. It was a grateful cry, kind of a cleansing cry. I love ya Cheryl, glad you are part of my life.

Cheryl Harman

Michael Franti - Hey World Don't Give Up

I've been moving through life at a fast pace lately.  It's a busy time of year at work and at home.  I'm a little behind with my blog. I haven't felt much like sitting at a computer and blogging when I get home from work the last couple of weeks. There's also been quite a bit to get done in the evenings.  The garden still needs lots of love and time and I've also been preserving all the produce I can while it's in season.  The last two weeks we have canned rhubarb, peaches, homemade sauerkraut, and pears. We just received a large bag of apples.  Applesauce and maybe some apple butter to prepare soon.  Life should slow down a little soon, if I let it.

I guess it's officially fall and it will be colder soon.  I'm already reaching for the socks in the morning instead of sandals.  It's a lot of work, but joyful work, and I am happy with the fruits, vegetables, and herbs we have ready for the winter. I did remember I wanted to share this wonderful video.  I had the opportunity to dance, sweat, sing, and share some love with my sweetie enjoying this man's music last Saturday night.

Enjoy!

Beans, Greens, & Cornbread, Vegan Peach cake and Ice Creme

Beans, Greens, & Cornbread

Had lunch with my granddaughter this weekend.  We had some Cannellini beans  simmered with a little chopped onion, peppers, fresh carrots, and chopped summer squash over steamed beet greens.  I made some quick fried cornbread, dairy free, and some fresh cucumber and tomato salad.

She's a veggie luvin' kid and that makes me smile.  She's only six, but so far she likes what grandma serves her.

We also made some dairy free chocolate chip ice cream and a peach upside down cake together.  We used raw cashews and almonds, coconut, non-dairy milk, a little agave, seeds from a vanilla bean, and wheat sweetened chocolate chips.  I would have liked just the vanilla ice cream, but it was fun for her to add something to the mixture.

Early August in the Garden

Just a little peek at the garden. She's blooming everywhere. There are beautiful herbs, flowers, fruits, and vegetables popping up everywhere. It's a lovely place to be with or without the sun.  Isabelle has a few friends in the garden now too.  I've included a couple of them, another scarecrow-ess named Betsy and her owl. 






The very pretty shiny object in the garden is a hand made sunburst made out of polished steel by one of our local artists. It is a gift from my friend and sister, Rhonda. I had to stop by the garden and let it shine in the sun for a few moments on the way home.

Vacation "At Home" with Kaylee

I've been on vacation at home the last week enjoying the company of my six year old granddaughter.  We've made lots of good memories and I have lots of blogging material.  I just haven't had the time to sit down and do it.  I said aloud to my husband, that I was amazed at women who work and have small children to raise.  I even said "How do they do it?"  Oh yeah, I did that,duh!  Guess we just forget very quickly how much energy it takes.

I take a vacation 'at home' thinking I'll have some restful days of not getting up early and racing out of the house each morning.  I think I almost always work harder when I do this than go on a vacation adventure away from home.  I was actually looking forward to getting to work today to do some mind work and not move around so much.  Last week, besides learning how to live with a small child around, I canned and froze 27 lb of cherries, sweet red and Rainier, a flat of strawberries, a flat and a half of raspberries, a flat of blueberries, put away a pint of garlic cloves in olive oil, (the garlic is from the garden), and made some lavender oil for the first time.  All of these grown by local farmers and gardeners.  I picked the lavender myself in Port Angeles and Sequim.  I also put some herbs and onions to dry so I can use them during the cold weather when the garden is sleeping.

We started the vacation adventures on Friday with a few hours sleep, left at three a.m. driving three hours north to pick up our granddaughter.  We had an ETA of 6:00 a.m. so we could see her mom before she went to work.  We made it at 6:30 a.m., then on to the Edmonds Ferry to Kingston, and another hour or so drive to Sequim where we met up with Uncle Bill.  On the way to Sequim we stopped to take a short walk and stretch.  Kaylee was ready with her camera "let's go on a nature walk grandpa."  We were happy to oblige.  We weren't very far on our walk when we realized we were in an old private cemetery.  It was a very beautiful spot.  Very original, no two graves were alike.  This was a very special and beautiful spot. It was also at this place that it occurred to me that we had not been on a weekend trip together that didn't involve going to a penal institution since we were in Sequim in December. I was pointing out to Kaylee how a flower pod spreads it seeds with the help of the wind to plant more flowers in the forest when a sudden gush of love just rushed through me.  I almost lost my breath when I figured out where I was and what I was doing.  What a great way to start the weekend!

After a stop for a late breakfast and stroll through the farmer's market we were off to Port Angeles for a restful three days away from it all.  Our friend's up there have a very nice private spot on a hill overlooking the Straight of Juan de Fuca with plenty of room for Kaylee to run.  They've built a chicken coop and a pen for the rooster since we've been there last.  Kaylee had a great time running around with the chickens and she learned a thing or two about roosters.  He tends to chase children, she learned the word 'aggressive' rather quickly.  They got along well as long as he was in his pen.

Priscilla—"Queen" of Pristine Farms

Some of the younger girls

The older women have their own yard

I had free rein of the kitchen and the garden.  I so love just going up there and staying.  The guys go to the bay and fetch some fresh crab, I brought all the vegetables I had along with supplies I like to have when I cook.  I think the guys we visit, Ken, Allan, and Bill look forward to my strange and healthy way of preparing meals.  I always try to create something new for them to try.  After all, I get to go there and be comfortable in an atmosphere of love and beauty for nothing.  I don't mind cooking for everyone at all, in fact, I love it. I've been cooking with and for Bill and Scott for over 28 years now. We all used to be roommates in California.  Scott and Bill have been friends and brothers for over 45 years now. He is our family and I don't feel like 'company' up there. For those of us who share their love with food, at least I'm learning to do it in a healthy way.

Gotta have my favorite items to cook with

After the four hour drive home Monday, we were at the garden checking out the growth over the weekend.  Wednesday we went to a concert at the Zoo, a band from Africa.  That was something!  The music was good and very lively, but I think we came very close to group child abuse.  Just think, there were probably over 500 small children at the show and none of them got to go see animals.  It was a common question being asked by many short people, including the one we brought, as we left the zoo:  "Mommy, where were the animals, I wanted to see animals" Oops

Thursday night was music again at our local summer concert at the lake.  I was happy to hear Kaylee ask to just stay home this weekend.  We just about did that from Friday to Sunday except for our daily trips to the garden to weed and water. By the way, for those of you wondering what I feed her because we eat mostly vegan, I haven't changed anything because she is here.  She hasn't complained about anything we have offered her except one dish I made a little too spicy.  She has eaten the many raw or cooked fruit and veggies we eat daily and drank our nondairy milk and seems to like it as much as we do. I haven't turned on a television since she's been here either and she hasn't seemed to miss that either. I hope that doesn't change too soon.

Here she is  with a stewed cherry shortcake smile.

Rialto Beach, WA

I've been in Port Angeles, WA in the Olympic National Forest area for a few days.  We had some fun with our granddaughter and friends,  shared some great meals together, and explored some of the great countryside we call home.   We shared a warm family picnic with Allan's family at Rialto Beach. This is a very beautiful beach with natural driftwood sculptures everywhere.   I heard someone call it rugged, wild, and other-worldly.  I think that's a good description.  It was a literal hike through the massive logs.  I often think I should look around for pieces of driftwood to turn into art myself.  But, when I am in the presence of this beauty, I have an overwhelming feeling that it's wrong to disturb what's going on.  It would be like taking a wild animal out of the forest.  I can take pictures though and use them for future inspiration.  I saw so many animal shapes in these logs and I think I may have caught a glimpse of a fairy too.



Kaylee had a great time, climbing the logs and building her sandcastle on the beach with a little help from Allan, who raced the waves to get her bucket of sand just the right amount of sea water. It was a challenge, the tide was coming in pretty steadily. By the time her little sand castle was finished, the ocean took it.

Stephanie's Cooking with History

Stephanie playin' in the kitchen with Aunt Debbie

Remember my niece Stephanie?   She got a job with the colonial museums in Huntsville, Alabama since my visit in April.  She recently demonstrated how to make vegetable gumbo in an open kettle at a civil war reenactment. She sent me some pictures and the recipe.  She, like her aunt, made her own changes and used vegetables out of her garden. I was so excited about her adventures, I wanted to share them and the recipe with you.  She used zucchini from her garden instead of okra for the gumbo.  I wonder how that went over in the South. When I was in Alabama I noticed that okra and dandelion greens were as plentiful in the produce store as lettuce and apples are in Washington.

Hearty Vegetable Gumbo
Cook time 25 min. yields 4 servings

Ingredients
________________________________________
•    1/2 cup chopped onion 
•    1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 
•    1/4 cup chopped celery 
•    2 cloves garlic, minced 
•    2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) stewed tomatoes (you can use no-salt-added stewed tomatoes) 
•    2 cups tomato juice (you can use no-salt-added juice) 
•    1 can (15 oz) red beans, rinsed and drained 
•    1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 
•    1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves 
•    1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce or more if you like it spicier 
•    2 bay leaves 
•    1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking brown rice 
•    1 package (10oz) frozen chopped okra, thawed 

How to make it
________________________________________
•    Spray a 4-quart Dutch oven with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot.
•    Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook and stir 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.
•    Add stewed tomatoes, tomato juice, beans, parsley, oregano, pepper sauce and bay leaves.
•    Bring to a boil over high heat. Add rice. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 15 minutes or until    rice is tender.
•    Add okra; cook, covered, 5 minutes more or until okra is tender.
•    Remove and discard bay leaves.

Stephanie's Revisions

•    I added zucchini instead of okra. Carrots and some corn.
•    I also popped some grape tomatoes in the oven and added it to the mix.
•    For the stewed tomatoes, I added one can regular and one can Italian stewed tomatoes for extra flavor.
•    I also put in mixed bell peppers, not just green.

Holidays are a Good Thing

Friday off and I get to leisurely get ready for the day.  We have some nice plans for the weekend.  Nothing too stressful or far away. Tonight we will be enjoying music outdoors with friends at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland.  I am looking forward to it this year, as always, but this year is a little more speical as I couldn't go last year due to my broken ankle.  I friend of mine offered to carry me, I declined that offer.

They all have to work today, so I'll make sure to have something ready for dinner when they arrive.  I'm going to start some dough to rise and visit the local produce stand for some additions for a Vegetarian Pizza.  I picked up some of the best strawberries in the area yesterday from Crawford Berries 'n Cream. I am thinking of adding a fresh strawberry pie to tonight's menu.  That should be a nice summer surprise. 

Early tomorrow we might check out some of the fourth of July festivities at the local lake.  A cardboard boat rigatta was started last year and it looked like it was great fun.  I am hoping to check out some artistic seaworthy creations and get some photos.  As for the rest of the holiday, we might visit the Blues Festival once more time, but other than that, it's gardening and relaxing.

Speaking of the garden, Isabelle has a friend now.  I am encouraging more gardeners to put up a funny scarecrow.  We had so much rain, the garden isn't as tall as it usually is at this time of the year.  There are about 120 gardens in the community plot.  I think it would be fun to turn it into a little sculpture park.

Isabelle's Friends

Happy Birthday Isabelle

I think it's finally summer.  At least it feels like it today again.  It was lively out at the community garden today.  Lots of plants are reaching for the sun and growing.  There were many families and gardeners working together in the peaceful field.  I am so looking forward to the changes in the garden in the next few weeks.  It won't take long for the whole place to transform into a tall field of many colors.

I finished my garden surprise.  She's not your typical scarecrow.  I planted a garden princess.   Her name is Isabelle and she'll keep an eye on the garden, but unfortunately she'll probably make friends with the birds instead of scare them.  That's OK, she makes me smile.

Strawberry Moon in the Garden

My last post title was "What a Day, Glorious!" I've had one of those today.  We began our day in the garden in the last hour of darkness and the first hour of the full moon.  The Strawberry Moon as it is called in the Farmer's Almanac. In the wee hours of the morning there was a partial lunar eclipse during which the moon partly enters the Earth's shadow.

We have about completed the planting and got together with Rachel to give blessings for the garden under the moon.  We sat in quiet meditation on the herb hill in the moonlight with candles and herbs burning until the morning was bright.  It was a very calming experience.  I generally start my day with some form of prayer and meditation, but this morning was a little more special.

I went to the farmer's market this morning. There were fresh strawberries and raspberries today.  I put ten pounds of strawberries in the freezer and about 5 pounds of raspberries.  I just took a vegan chocolate beet cake out of the oven.  It's a vegan twist of the red velvet cake.  Some of those raspberries will become frosting for that cake.  I will post the recipe tomorrow with the photo just before I try the first piece.  I've got a pot of beans made for our meals in the upcoming week.  I made some quinoa, not sure what I will do with it yet, but it's ready for some veggies and herbs.  I spent some artistic time with a surprise for the garden.  I have an idea for a princess of sorts in the garden.  I'll introduce you when she's completed. 

I've been waiting since I planted these babies in February to post a slide show like this.  Here's some progressive artichoke pictures.  Enjoy!

"Let the beauty we love be what we do.  There are thousands of ways to kneel and kiss the Earth."

-Rumi