Chocolat and Lent

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent. The period in the liturgical year leading up to Easter which is characterised by self-denial in all its forms.

Self-denial is not really my style of late. Sure, I've gone through periods of radical abstinence before: two years as a raw food vegan; a 10-day water fast; a 5-day water fast; a multitude of 3-day water fasts. But this year, none of that seemed to fit right.

So this afternoon, I broke out my copy of Chocolat; as well as the remnants of a slab of Woolworths Organic 70% Dark Chocolate I had stashed in the cupboard; sat down on the couch and indulged.
But isn't this the exact opposite of the spirit of the season of Lent, you say?

Indeed.

Does this make me a sinful heathen?

Not at all. My spirituality remains intact, if not reaffirmed in a new, special way.

However, this year, I'm trying life Vianne Rocher style...Enjoying the sound of the church bells without getting caught up in the doctrine of actually going to church. Seeing chocolate as a perfectly suitable substitute for food on occasion. Setting up shrines to the voluptuous goodness of life and the last of the Summer garden greenery. Relishing the way the Autumn sun lulls rather than scorches, encouraging naps in an unabashed Ode to Autumn a la John Keats.

As the movie ends, so is my stance on this season of Lent...a new awakening and a lightness of spirit...helped along with gorgeous lashings of deep, dark chocolate!

P.S. Both the movie and the book are delicious in their own rights, and cover the topic of decadence versus abstinence during the time of Lent. Sink your teeth into both if you have the chance...you wont regret it!

P.P.S. Here are a few chocolate recipes for you to enjoy, should you be feeling similarly inclined:

• Chocolate cupcakes (gf) @ There can be only Juan

• Chocolate ice-cream (gf) @ Baker's Corner
• Darjeeling + Rose + Honey + Cardamom + Chocolate Tart @ Darjeeling Dreams
• Cream cheese chocolate truffles (gf) @ Dinner & Dreams

The Sushi House

My path to sushi-loving was not straightforward and lined with chopsticks.
When sushi bars with their revolving, treadmill-like belts first came on the scene in South Africa in the late 90s, my brother and his wife tried to indoctrinate me in the ways of raw fish and seaweed, but ultimately failed.

A decade passed, and with it my teens and early twenties. As I grew up, my taste buds did as well.
Asparagus, olives, avocado and many, many types of vegetables once avoided suddenly became delicious to me.
Included in this list: sushi.

Handy tip for picking a "safe" place to eat raw fish? Look at the queues!
Are the locals flocking? Is turn-over good? Then you've got a winner.
(I recall an ex-colleague who phoned into work sick with the trots because she had eaten a quick meal of sushi from her local all-night petrol garage fridge. 'Nuff said!)

Enter The Sushi House in Hamilton, New Zealand.
The variety of sushi to behold there is truly breathtaking. The prices are supremely reasonable. Crumbed items are on their own trays, so zero cross-contamination. The pickled ginger (a favourite of mine) can be loaded up on your plate to your liking. The atmosphere is calm. The decor is soothing and simple. The green tea is free.
Lovely!

Snapshot of life #17

I threw the ball for her to catch.
She looked at me as if I must be joking.

Space Shuttle Docking

The space shuttle docked with the International Space Station

at 21:14 SAST.
You can watch the hatch opening, space station boarding
and other general live goings-on at the
same links as on Thursday, 24 Feb (post below).


If you missed blast-off,
(and you're a bit of a space geek like my hubby and I)
there are some super cool pics available:
here
and
here.

Enjoy!

Space Shuttle Discovery's Final Flight

Thursday, 24 Feb 2011
16:50 EST
23:50 SAST (that's for you, South Africans)

Check out all the action LIVE at
Spaceflight Now
or just press play below :-)

Watch live streaming video from spaceflightnow at livestream.com

Vegetable Minestrone

Before the recipe, a lesson in etymology:
The word minestrone originates from the Latin word minestrare meaning: "That which is served."

You're likely to be familiar with the popular version of minestrone soup, which includes vegetables, beans, meat (and sometimes also noodles). But minestrones range from thick soups with heavily cooked-down vegetables, to lighter broths with vegetable pieces (sometimes with a meat and/or bean base).

Regardless of its modern day ingredients, the style of soup (or zuppa) is reported to have come from Italy, and belongs to the style of cooking called cucina povera (poor kitchen); meaning dishes which have rural or rustic roots. It's a make-do-with-whatever-ingredients-you-have-on-hand kinda soup, and I love it for that!

As a German proverb says:
"It's better to have no spoon than to have no soup."


Ingredients:

• 1 small onion
• 2 large potatoes
• 2 large carrots
• 450g butternut
  
• 10 green beans
• 1/8 tsp garlic flakes
• 2 tsp salt crystals
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (whole)
  
• 8 fresh basil leaves (whole)
  
• 2 small, very mild green chillies (chopped with seeds)
  
• Garnish: fresh basil and chives
• Optional: raw cashew nuts and olive oil
  

Method:

1. Chop all vegetables into small pieces and toss into a medium sized pot.
   
2. Add the salt, garlic flakes and very mild chillies. Also add the fresh rosemary sprigs and 8 basil leaves (whole).
   
3. Pour over just enough boiling water to cover the vegetables and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the two rosemary sprigs, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh basil and chives.
5. If you'd like to enrich the soup, you can drizzle it with olive oil and toss in a palmful of raw cashew nuts.
6. This recipe makes enough for four people.

Buon Appetito!

Love Week, Day 5: Yoga Love

Today is February 18...full moon!

(photo taken at night on long exposure using a tripod)

It never really occurred to me before today that the moon is one of those strange cosmic forces which links the entire planet in such a way that we ALL experience the full moon on the same date.

I haven't been sleeping well at all the past few days, and when one of my yoga teachers suggested yesterday that we practise Chandra Namaskara or the moon salutation, I suddenly understood why.

No, I don't go so far as to believe that I am somehow linked to the moon's feminine energy, or some such thing. Instead, quite practically, I realised that I like to sleep in a dark room, and that the moon has just been so darn bright that I haven't been able to get to sleep with it shining through the white curtains! And when I finally have fallen asleep out of sheer exhaustion, my sleep has been so light that I wake up feeling really tired.

Ah, that strange and wonderful moon...tricky lady. :-)

Regardless, it felt good to honour the lunar cycle in flowing asanas...invigorating even (which was preferable, since four nights of sleep deprivation would probably have necessitated someone having to wake me up from today's Savasana!)

(a meditative corner in the garden of the yoga centre)

So here's a written salute to the bright lady - may she always smile her cheesy grin down upon us!

P.S. If you'd like to try Chandra Namaskara for yourself, Yoga Flavored Life has a nifty little set of stick drawings to help you through. Have a great weekend!

Love Week, Day 4: Music Video Love

Love Week, Day 3: Food Love

Oven-roasted sweet potato wedges,
garnished with pecorino cheese and fresh chives,
served with homemade tomato sauce.

xoxox

*hugs*

"You can't wrap love in a box,
but you can wrap a person in a hug."
~ Author Unknown ~

(Love Week, Day 2: Art & Garden Love.)
(Sculpture on display in the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens,
Cape Town, South Africa.)

xoxox