Delicious……….mmmm. Can you taste the yumminess of grilled plums? Summer is almost here, so get the grill fired up and enjoy your easy midweek nourishment for body and soul.

BBQ Udon Noodles with Plum
This recipe comes to us from Danica of Soundly Vegan.

Serves 6

Asian-style Barbecue Sauce:

Ingredients

• 1 cup hoisin sauce
• ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth
• ¼ cup white miso
• ¼ cup sake
• ¼ cup double-concentrated tomato paste
• ¼ cup ponzu sauce
• 2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise

To complete this dish:

• 1 10 ounce package udon noodles
• 6 plums, cut into six wedges each
• 3 broccoli stalks, peeled of outer layer and cut into planks
• a little canola oil, to coat the pan
• 4 carrots, cut into oblong slices
• 1 celery stalk, cut into oblong slices
• 1 large bunch kale, stems removed and cut into shreds
• sesame seeds, for garnish

In a medium pot combine hoisin sauce, vegetable broth, white miso, sake, tomato paste, ponzu sauce, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, cinnamon stick and star anise. Place over medium heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

To complete the BBQ Udon Noodles with Plum:

Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. If you have dry udon noodles then cook them according to package directions. If you are using pre-cooked, use the water to warm them. Drain and set aside.

Heat a grill pan or grill over medium high heat and place the plum wedges and broccoli planks in the pan. Cook on each side until the plums and broccoli have caramelized grill marks. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Drizzle some canola oil in a large wok-style pan over on medium high heat. Place the carrots and celery to the pan and stir fry for about 2-4 minutes, or until vegetables begin to become tender. Add the kale to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until wilted but still vibrantly green.

Add barbecue sauce to the cooked and drained noodles and mix well. Toss the noodles with the sautéed carrots, celery and kale. Serve topped with the grilled plums and broccoli stalks and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Serve on hamburger buns topped with avocado slices and whatever other burger condiments you like.

Please feel free to share your comments and recipes for healthy eating!!!

My friends and I often share pot luck meals that always seem to turn out fantastic! Most of the vegetables we use are grown from local organic farms, or right from my friends’ gardens. Recently, we had one of these fun evenings, and my friend Judy brought over a yam stew. No doubt we helped ourselves to a second serving..here is her recipe. Enjoy!

Yam and Coconut Stew

This recipe makes approximately 8 servings.

Ingredients

3 onions sliced in thin rounds and then in quarters
2 lbs yams (or sweet potatoes), cut in 1″ pieces
1 large cabbage cut into long slices
1lb of red potatoes, cut in 1″ pieces
2 cans of lite coconut milk
2 Tbsp olive oil
1″ piece of fresh ginger peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp. of red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro

Method:

In a soup pot on medium heat: saute the onions in the olive oil until they caramelize.  This should take about 20 minutes.   When the onions are soft and browned and slightly sticky add the minced garlic and ginger.  Cook for a couple of minutes with the onions, stirring frequently, then add salt, red pepper flakes, the sliced cabbage, potatoes, and yams. Add the coconut milk, and a little water if need be. You don’t want to put too much liquid into the pot. Turn the heat up until it comes to a slight boil, then turn down to medium/high  and cover the pot.  Let the yams and potaotes cook until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir every once in awhile, trying not to break up the pieces of yam and potato. When done, add fresh cilantro and you will love it!

Don’t you just love comfort food.  Close your eyes, and savor the richness of this vegetarian pot pie.  After a long day, this meal will soothe the Soul and warm the heart. I love it because it is so quick and easy to prepare. Feel free to substitute with your choice of veggies and low fat milk and omit the butter.  Enjoy!

Vegetarian Pot Pie (serves8)

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 small heads fennel, finely chopped (about 3 cups)
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots , peeled and finely chopped (about 2/3 cup)
• 12 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced (about 5 cups)
• 1 small russet potato, peeled and diced small (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-sodium mushroom broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup frozen baby green peas
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 7 ounces store-bought puff pastry or pie dough, defrosted if frozen (or you can use frozen pie crusts)

PREPARATION

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Melt butter over medium heat in a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan. When it foams, add fennel, onions, and carrots, and cook until just soft and onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and potato, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring rarely, until mushrooms have let off water and are shrunken, about 6 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables, stir to coat, and cook until raw flavor is gone, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully add broth and milk, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, add peas, herbs, and vinegar, and stir to coat. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn filling into an 8 by 8-inch baking dish.

Whisk egg together with 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt until evenly mixed. Set aside.

With kitchen shears, cut dough to fit over the baking dish. Place dough over filling and tuck into the edges of the dish. Brush dough with egg wash and cut slits in the top to vent. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and mixture is bubbling, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.

This week’s nourishment for the body and soul is a delicious and quick to prepare recipe.  Usually by mid week, I want something to eat that is delicious, and easy to make. Enjoy, and delight in nourishing your body and soul

BROCCOLI RABE AND ORZO Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup orzo, preferably whole-wheat
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe (about 1 pound), trimmed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled  light feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

“Real calmness, authentic calmness, arises out of meditation — not out of cultivating a character but out of awareness. Meditation means awareness. Becoming aware of your anger dissolves it and dissolves it from your very depths; it even disappears from your unconscious. Then you are really calm, calm from the center to the circumference. Your whole being is calm. Then nothing can disturb you, neither life nor death. Nothing can disturb you.
Only when nothing can disturb you, when it becomes impossible to be disturbed, when even if you want to be disturbed you become incapable of it, then something really valuable has happened. It can happen only through awareness. It is not a question of practicing a certain character, it is not a question of pretending. It is a question of inner mutation, a radical change, a change at the very core of your being. Then it radiates to your circumference too, it transforms the circumference automatically.

It is as when you bring light in a dark room: darkness will disappear but the painting on the wall, the beautiful furniture in the room — they will not disappear. In fact in darkness they were not there at all because you could not see them. It made no difference whether there was a beautiful Van Gogh painting on the wall or not, it was all dark. In darkness it was almost as if absent. As you bring in light, even a small candle, the beauty of the painting suddenly explodes. Darkness disappears because darkness is false, but the painting cannot disappear; it is a reality.”

Osho,
Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Chapter #13

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