Like it has for so much of my life, food is causing me a little bit of anxiety. So much so, in fact, I cannot sleep. Lying in bed my mind is washed in food-related thoughts ranging from - why can't I think of a better snack that raisins and dark choclate chips (is it because a better snack does not exist...possibly)? What if I'm not meant to be a 'chef'? What should I cook this weekend, and what if I fuck it up? Why can't I come up with beautiful recipes like I'm seeing all over the Internet? Why am I so predictable in my desire to start a food blog? Why would I think that anyone would want to read yet another food blog, when I so obviously have nothing to offer that is new? How can one person have so much to learn when it comes to cooking? What the hell does it mean to zest a lemon - or anything for that matter? And, to be honest, I could go on for hours. I probabl have, at this point, seeing as I've been trying to fall asleep for a while now.
There were a few brief moments when I thought I had found peace with food. Peace with eating. Peace with my body. They were nice moments. But tonight, I feel like I'm back where I started. But along with the body image issues, there is this new sense of being overwhelmed. I've stumbled onto something that excites me - I'm looking at food in a whole new way - but I don't quite know what to do with this new part of myself. Perhaps I need to become a little Michael Pollan, and come up with my own Food Rules. But, rules that suit myself - my history, my worries, my hopes, my interests. What would these rules look like? To be honest, I don't know. One word that keeps rising above all the clammering thoughts in my head is "peace." I want first of all, for my eating to be done in a way that supports peace at large - for other living beings, for the planet, for other people. But I always want my eating to bring a sense of inner peace for myself - and I'm not quite sure how to do this....
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Vegetables Korma
I spent last Saturday night cuddles on my couch with my new favourite magazine, Vegetarian Times. I got particularly stuck on page 30, which featured recipes for Vegetables Korma, Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Leaves over Quinoa, and Artichoke Heart Rosti. I knew that I wanted to save the Artichoke Heart Rosti for Valentines’ Day (maybe because it has the word ‘heart’ in it, or maybe because I potatoes have so far proven to be The Love of My Life). So Vegetables Korma was slated for Saturday.
Shopping for ingredients was more stressful than usual, because my mom was with me and I was terrified for her to see how much money I’m currently spending on food. To her credit, the most she did was blink when the $75 price was totaled, and I assured her that the brown rice and various spices would last a long time, and that organic vegetables and fruit are really worth it.
I only made two substitutions in the recipe, coconut milk for cream, and fresh veggies (carrots, cauliflower) mixed in with the frozen peas. Things moved along smoothly in the kitchen: the veggies were chopped easily; my Magic Bullet blender rose to the occasion of mixing tomatoes, onion, and ginger; and I was even managing to clean up as I went! There were a couple of moments that caused mild confusion – the coconut milk was solid (I still haven’t figured this out), and the raisons I had seemed a lot bigger than the ones in the magazine picture (I began to fix this by biting the raisins in half, but it struck me that this wasn’t a very chef-like technique, so I just threw the raisins in as is). And before I knew it my kitchen reeked of onion and ginger and my dinner was ready.
I used a measuring cup to pile the rice on my place in a professional looking mountain, but then I mashed it all down because it looked kind of silly. I topped the rice with the vegetables. I grabbed a glass of water. I pressed play on the DVD player. On the couch, I grabbed my usually ‘table’ – a throw pillow that I usually use to steady my meal as close to my mouth as possible to limit spilling. But tonight I learned a hard lesson.
A pillow is not a table. It is not sturdy like a table. It is especially not sturdy like a table when it is resting on my restless legs. So when I reached down to adjust my pant legs, my pillow table rocked and my plate slid slowly off the couch. In hindsight, I probably could have caught it. But I didn’t. The plate smashed, and an entire serving (or, two servings if we’re being honest) of Vegetables Korma found its place on my floor amongst cat hair and more cat hair.
Luckily, the meal was actually delicious, so after I cleaned up the mess and sat back down with a new plate of food, I was able to enjoy my standard Saturday night. Food, movie, and a vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from the Big Carrot.
Shopping for ingredients was more stressful than usual, because my mom was with me and I was terrified for her to see how much money I’m currently spending on food. To her credit, the most she did was blink when the $75 price was totaled, and I assured her that the brown rice and various spices would last a long time, and that organic vegetables and fruit are really worth it.
I only made two substitutions in the recipe, coconut milk for cream, and fresh veggies (carrots, cauliflower) mixed in with the frozen peas. Things moved along smoothly in the kitchen: the veggies were chopped easily; my Magic Bullet blender rose to the occasion of mixing tomatoes, onion, and ginger; and I was even managing to clean up as I went! There were a couple of moments that caused mild confusion – the coconut milk was solid (I still haven’t figured this out), and the raisons I had seemed a lot bigger than the ones in the magazine picture (I began to fix this by biting the raisins in half, but it struck me that this wasn’t a very chef-like technique, so I just threw the raisins in as is). And before I knew it my kitchen reeked of onion and ginger and my dinner was ready.
I used a measuring cup to pile the rice on my place in a professional looking mountain, but then I mashed it all down because it looked kind of silly. I topped the rice with the vegetables. I grabbed a glass of water. I pressed play on the DVD player. On the couch, I grabbed my usually ‘table’ – a throw pillow that I usually use to steady my meal as close to my mouth as possible to limit spilling. But tonight I learned a hard lesson.
A pillow is not a table. It is not sturdy like a table. It is especially not sturdy like a table when it is resting on my restless legs. So when I reached down to adjust my pant legs, my pillow table rocked and my plate slid slowly off the couch. In hindsight, I probably could have caught it. But I didn’t. The plate smashed, and an entire serving (or, two servings if we’re being honest) of Vegetables Korma found its place on my floor amongst cat hair and more cat hair.
Luckily, the meal was actually delicious, so after I cleaned up the mess and sat back down with a new plate of food, I was able to enjoy my standard Saturday night. Food, movie, and a vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from the Big Carrot.
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