As some of you already know, I am a certified Therapy Dog Handler. Beans, my Therapy Dog, and I spend a lot of our time visiting schools, daycare centers, and nursing homes. Our goal is always to put a smile on the faces of the people we visit, and to provide calm reassurance to those who need it.
I have a story to tell from my most recent visit to the nursing home that Beans and I have adopted. There is a patient-resident that lives there, I'll call him Marv, but that's not his real name. I don't know what Marv's history is, all I know is that he is in a wheelchair, is at least partially paralyzed along one side of his body, and he can't speak. Despite all his physical issues, I know that Marv's sprit and mind are fully intact. I can tell this by the animation that he display through his facial expressions, hand gestures, and the grunting sounds that he makes in response to me when I talk to him. I also know that Marv loves being outside in the sunshine, but, because the staff members at the nursing home are busy taking care of the many other residents, he doesn't get taken outside very often. When Beans and I visited earlier this week, I asked Marv if he had been outside lately, and he responded with a very sad shake of his head. I then asked him if he wanted to go outside with me for a while. I was not prepared for the excitement that exploded across his face when I asked him that question. I told him that I had several other people to visit, but I would take him outside before I left.
Those of you that know me know that I can talk and talk and talk. Beans has even figured this out. When we visit the nursing home, he will stand beside me for a few minutes, but he eventually figures out that we will be in a particular room for quite some time because his mom is chatty. At this point, he slumps to the floor to enjoy the coolness of the linoleum floor. That day, I spent an hour and a half talking to the bed-ridden residents. I can honestly say that I completely forgot about what I had promised Marv, but that promise came rushing back to me when I entered the hallway to find him waiting for me with an excited expression on his face. I said to him "Are you ready to go?" , to which he responded with enthusiastic nods, and we were off.
Marv has a battery powered wheelchair, and he gets around in it very well, but it is a very slow mode of transportation. In the thirty minutes or so that Marv, Beans and I were outside together, we probably didn't cover much more than a quarter of a mile, but the distance was not important. What was important to Marv was that he was outside for the first time in weeks, feeling the sun and wind on his face. The almost rapture on his face as he slowly made his way down the sidewalk in front of the nursing home was a joy to behold. When we headed back into the building, and I told him that Beans and I had to go, he tried his best to communicate with me through hand gestures, smiles and grunts. I don't know exactly what he was trying to say, I'm still learning how to read him, but I'm sure that he was saying thank you. I walked out of the nursing home that day feeling better than I had in a long time, because Beans and I had made a difference in someone's life.
I ran for office of Vice President in my Therapy Dog group last July, and was elected. I have been working ever since to try to make the group better. In the meantime, other members of the group that could not accept the fact that they lost the election, have taken the group away from it's true mission in life by introducing drama and conflict into everything we try to do. I have come to realize that these people are truly unhappy people, and that they believe that if they're not happy, then nobody else should be happy. I am not proud to admit that these people have dragged me down with them at times, causing me to doubt myself and my good intentions. I am done letting the negative people affect me. My experience in the nursing home with Marv, and with several other residents has taught me that the interaction that Beans and I have with them is valuable, and the negative people can't take that away from me. So, starting today, I'm going to shrug off any attempts by the unhappy people to bring me down, and keep my eye on what's really important here. If I ever seem to be down about the political stuff that is going on in my organization, and you see it, please remind me of why I'm doing what I'm doing. It's hard to be down and out when you think about the difference Beans and I are making in people's lives, and that's what's really important.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Our Children's childhood is slipping away.
I'm afraid that our children are, in an attempt to be older faster, forsaking their childhoods in favor of what they consider to be more appealing and adult behaviors. In the age of facebook, cellphones, texting and dating, children are no longer pursuing the activities that are age appropriate. Instead of playing outside, doing craft projects, reading books and playing sports, many children have settled into a routine consisting mostly of Facebook posts, hundreds of texts, and endless mind-rotting reality tv shows that were never meant for their age group. As a result, they are adopting behaviors that were never meant to be adopted by children their age.
At a recent evening activity at my daughter's school, I was astounded at the number of ten and eleven year old kids that sat in the corners of the room, not actually communicating with the kids around them, but with their noses stuck in their cell phones. Instead of relishing the opportunity to physically hang out with friends, play games, and have a great time, they decided that it was more important to text people that weren't there, or surf the web for more brainless stimulation. Sadly, many of my daughter's friends or former ones can no longer carry out a real conversation unless it is conducted via facebook or cell phone text. At a recent activity, another child told my daughter "I feel sorry for you because you don't have a cell phone". My daughter handled it beautifully, simply replying "Don't feel sorry for me, I don't need or want a cell phone". Good for her. I don't dislike cell phones. What I do dislike is the flood of bad behavior that having one has seemed to cause in our culture.
Boys and girls my daughter's age are now "dating". I would be perfectly willing to write this off as innocent behavior, except for the bad behavior that has sprung up out of it. While still in the minority, the fifth grade students that are "dating", are now trying to make the kids that are not dating feel like there is something wrong with them. Along with dating has come gossiping about who is dating whom, inappropriate physical contact, and suggestive comments being passed between students. My daughter was recently called a "Fag" at school by another student that had heard thru the grapevine that my daughter had been gossiping about her. This same student called another female student a "whore" for a similar perceived offense. I refuse to believe that these two slurs are a normal part of a fifth grader's vocabulary. In their attempts to be more grown up, some of our children are hanging out with kids older than they are, and adopting their language and behaviors, good or bad, in order to appear cool in the eyes of the older kids. What starts today as merely bad language can quite possibly lead to alcohol and drug consumption, sexual activity at a young age, and a host of other bad behaviors.
As a parent, it is my responsibility to monitor my children and their activities and behaviors. It is also my responsibility to teach them good values, and to teach them to become individuals with their own thoughts and opinions, in the hope that they will form their own opinions instead of just following those of the currently popular crowd. Sadly, there are parents out there that aren't as vigilant with their children.
I am constantly telling my children that they should cherish their childhood years, because they don't last forever. They have plenty of time to grow up and take on more adult behavior when they are actually older and more adult. I hope that they are listening.
At a recent evening activity at my daughter's school, I was astounded at the number of ten and eleven year old kids that sat in the corners of the room, not actually communicating with the kids around them, but with their noses stuck in their cell phones. Instead of relishing the opportunity to physically hang out with friends, play games, and have a great time, they decided that it was more important to text people that weren't there, or surf the web for more brainless stimulation. Sadly, many of my daughter's friends or former ones can no longer carry out a real conversation unless it is conducted via facebook or cell phone text. At a recent activity, another child told my daughter "I feel sorry for you because you don't have a cell phone". My daughter handled it beautifully, simply replying "Don't feel sorry for me, I don't need or want a cell phone". Good for her. I don't dislike cell phones. What I do dislike is the flood of bad behavior that having one has seemed to cause in our culture.
Boys and girls my daughter's age are now "dating". I would be perfectly willing to write this off as innocent behavior, except for the bad behavior that has sprung up out of it. While still in the minority, the fifth grade students that are "dating", are now trying to make the kids that are not dating feel like there is something wrong with them. Along with dating has come gossiping about who is dating whom, inappropriate physical contact, and suggestive comments being passed between students. My daughter was recently called a "Fag" at school by another student that had heard thru the grapevine that my daughter had been gossiping about her. This same student called another female student a "whore" for a similar perceived offense. I refuse to believe that these two slurs are a normal part of a fifth grader's vocabulary. In their attempts to be more grown up, some of our children are hanging out with kids older than they are, and adopting their language and behaviors, good or bad, in order to appear cool in the eyes of the older kids. What starts today as merely bad language can quite possibly lead to alcohol and drug consumption, sexual activity at a young age, and a host of other bad behaviors.
As a parent, it is my responsibility to monitor my children and their activities and behaviors. It is also my responsibility to teach them good values, and to teach them to become individuals with their own thoughts and opinions, in the hope that they will form their own opinions instead of just following those of the currently popular crowd. Sadly, there are parents out there that aren't as vigilant with their children.
I am constantly telling my children that they should cherish their childhood years, because they don't last forever. They have plenty of time to grow up and take on more adult behavior when they are actually older and more adult. I hope that they are listening.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Bidding my garden goodbye for the winter
As I sit here, drinking my coffee and surveying the frost covering my grass and garden, I come to the realization that my vegetable gardening season has come to an end. I'll miss the daily trips out to the garden to pick whatever was ripe. My dog Beans will miss eating grape tomatoes fresh off the vine. But the one thing I will miss the most are homegrown tomatoes. We joyfully consumed them all summer, and I canned many quarts of them for enjoyment over the long winter. But, soon I will be forced to buy......gasp......tomatoes from the grocery store. They are a sad substitute for the homegrowns, but they will have to do until summer next year.
Here are some of the things I learned from my garden this year:
1. Growing broccoli is a waste of time and precious garden space. It takes up a lot of room, and yields very little. I will be content to buy broccoli from the grocery store, and use the space in my garden for better things.
2. Kohlrabi rocks! Strange looking little cabbage-like globes that are wonderful sliced then eaten raw, or even roasted in the oven or grilled. I will plant more of these next year, we ate them up too quickly.
3. Yellow tomatoes are pretty, and that's about all they are. I planted a regular sized yellow tomato plant, and a yellow mini pear tomato plant this year just out of curiosity. I learned that, while the bright and sunny yellow color is pleasing to the eyes, their flavor is nothing special. So, next year, I will eliminate them from my garden, and seek out a new heirloom variety or two to take their places.
4. Pole style green beans are easy to grow, taste great, and don't require bending over to pick. Many beans were left on the vines, hidden between the dense foliage of the plants, often resulting in beans over 6 inches long, and containing 10-12 bean pods inside. I will plant at least two rows of green pole beans, but I will also try the purple variety, hoping they will be much more visible!
5. Two grape tomato plants will yield more tomatoes than a family of four can eat. I will plant two plants again next year, but I will cage them with two cages each, one stacked on top of the other, to a height of 8 feet. this will prevent them from invading the rest of my tomato patch. I often found grape tomato vines and their fruit winding their way through other tomato plants as far as 4 feet away. Containment will be the key next year.
6. Plant more eggplants. I planted one regular plant, and one of the japanese variety this year, and once I tasted them, I immediately wished that I had planted more plants. The japanese variety yield cucumber sized and shaped eggplants, which were wonderful sliced and roasted in the oven until golden brown. The regular sized eggplants were used in eggplant parmesan, and often cut up and put into vegetable soups. I will plant at least two plants of each variety, and perhaps an additional two of the japanese variety.
7. While the Rutgers variety of tomato produced a lot of lovely tomatoes for me this year, they didn't produce what I call the "BLT Tomato" that my family loves. By this I mean softball sized tomatoes that yield slices that will cover an entire slice of bread. I'll reduce the number of Rutgers, and re-introduce the wonderful Porterhouse variety.
In January, when the mayhem of the holidays is past us, I will begin my annual obsession with seed catalogs. In March, I'll start my tomato plants, basil, and cilantro from seed. My dining room and living room will be taken over by grow lights, and seed starting trays through mid-May, when I'll plant the precious plants in the garden. I'll plant kohlrabi, beets and swiss chard seeds directly into the soil. Then, once again comes the hard part, waiting for all of the wonderful bounty.
So, to my garden, you were good to my family and me this year. I wish you a peaceful slumber over the cold winter months, and can't wait to work with you again in the spring.
Here are some of the things I learned from my garden this year:
1. Growing broccoli is a waste of time and precious garden space. It takes up a lot of room, and yields very little. I will be content to buy broccoli from the grocery store, and use the space in my garden for better things.
2. Kohlrabi rocks! Strange looking little cabbage-like globes that are wonderful sliced then eaten raw, or even roasted in the oven or grilled. I will plant more of these next year, we ate them up too quickly.
3. Yellow tomatoes are pretty, and that's about all they are. I planted a regular sized yellow tomato plant, and a yellow mini pear tomato plant this year just out of curiosity. I learned that, while the bright and sunny yellow color is pleasing to the eyes, their flavor is nothing special. So, next year, I will eliminate them from my garden, and seek out a new heirloom variety or two to take their places.
4. Pole style green beans are easy to grow, taste great, and don't require bending over to pick. Many beans were left on the vines, hidden between the dense foliage of the plants, often resulting in beans over 6 inches long, and containing 10-12 bean pods inside. I will plant at least two rows of green pole beans, but I will also try the purple variety, hoping they will be much more visible!
5. Two grape tomato plants will yield more tomatoes than a family of four can eat. I will plant two plants again next year, but I will cage them with two cages each, one stacked on top of the other, to a height of 8 feet. this will prevent them from invading the rest of my tomato patch. I often found grape tomato vines and their fruit winding their way through other tomato plants as far as 4 feet away. Containment will be the key next year.
6. Plant more eggplants. I planted one regular plant, and one of the japanese variety this year, and once I tasted them, I immediately wished that I had planted more plants. The japanese variety yield cucumber sized and shaped eggplants, which were wonderful sliced and roasted in the oven until golden brown. The regular sized eggplants were used in eggplant parmesan, and often cut up and put into vegetable soups. I will plant at least two plants of each variety, and perhaps an additional two of the japanese variety.
7. While the Rutgers variety of tomato produced a lot of lovely tomatoes for me this year, they didn't produce what I call the "BLT Tomato" that my family loves. By this I mean softball sized tomatoes that yield slices that will cover an entire slice of bread. I'll reduce the number of Rutgers, and re-introduce the wonderful Porterhouse variety.
In January, when the mayhem of the holidays is past us, I will begin my annual obsession with seed catalogs. In March, I'll start my tomato plants, basil, and cilantro from seed. My dining room and living room will be taken over by grow lights, and seed starting trays through mid-May, when I'll plant the precious plants in the garden. I'll plant kohlrabi, beets and swiss chard seeds directly into the soil. Then, once again comes the hard part, waiting for all of the wonderful bounty.
So, to my garden, you were good to my family and me this year. I wish you a peaceful slumber over the cold winter months, and can't wait to work with you again in the spring.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Miscellaneous Musings
Well, the summer has flown by. In about a week, my son will become a Sophomore, and my daughter a 5th grader. We survived our summer together with no tears, only a few arguments, and a lot of laughs and good times.
My kids both broadened their horizons this summer, trying out new things, and meeting new people. I admire both of them for their courage.
My daughter played in her first softball league, and absolutely loved it. I admired her for accepting her assignment to a team of complete strangers with a sense of excitement. She made new friends and learned a lot about being part of a team.
My son played golf all summer with Flint Junior Golf, and improved every week. Again, I admire him for joining the group, despite not knowing anyone there. In the end, he missed making the playoff rounds by only two strokes, shooting his best round of the year in the final week.
We grew a garden together, and my children got a better sense of where our food comes from. Many BLT sandwiches were enjoyed thanks to our tomato patch. We often marveled at the giant zucchinis we found in the mornings that were only small ones the day before. We laughed heartily when we discovered that our big dog Beans had an affection for raw green beans just picked from the vine, leaving my daughter to ask, "mom, if Beans eats beans, is it cannibalism?"
Fall raspberry season starts next week, and the thought of having to pick berries has my son moaning and groaning as if I were making him haul rocks. My daughter, on the other hand, takes the opportunity for what it truly is, an opportunity to stand in a patch full of sweet, juicy berries, picking the wonderful fruit, and eating at least as many as she puts in the bucket! Raspberry jam will be made and put away for consumption during the cold winter months.
As my kids return to school this fall, I hope they will tell their friends that they had a great summer. A summer not filled with countless hours in front of the TV, WII and computer, but with small adventures in the outdoors, baking cookies, trips to the library, craft projects, watching movies at home, sleeping in, and staying up late. Life can be simple if we make it a priority. Our children are only children for a short time, and we owe it to them to teach them to appreciate the simple things in life. My daughter will be one of the few kids in her class without a facebook account, and my son will not have a cell phone. Neither of them feel deprived, and I again am in admiration of them for realizing that these things are not necessities, just merely distractions.
As for me, I am looking forward to the fall, and the challenges that it will present.
I hope that everyone had a summer as good or better than the one we in the Taylor house shared!
LT
My kids both broadened their horizons this summer, trying out new things, and meeting new people. I admire both of them for their courage.
My daughter played in her first softball league, and absolutely loved it. I admired her for accepting her assignment to a team of complete strangers with a sense of excitement. She made new friends and learned a lot about being part of a team.
My son played golf all summer with Flint Junior Golf, and improved every week. Again, I admire him for joining the group, despite not knowing anyone there. In the end, he missed making the playoff rounds by only two strokes, shooting his best round of the year in the final week.
We grew a garden together, and my children got a better sense of where our food comes from. Many BLT sandwiches were enjoyed thanks to our tomato patch. We often marveled at the giant zucchinis we found in the mornings that were only small ones the day before. We laughed heartily when we discovered that our big dog Beans had an affection for raw green beans just picked from the vine, leaving my daughter to ask, "mom, if Beans eats beans, is it cannibalism?"
Fall raspberry season starts next week, and the thought of having to pick berries has my son moaning and groaning as if I were making him haul rocks. My daughter, on the other hand, takes the opportunity for what it truly is, an opportunity to stand in a patch full of sweet, juicy berries, picking the wonderful fruit, and eating at least as many as she puts in the bucket! Raspberry jam will be made and put away for consumption during the cold winter months.
As my kids return to school this fall, I hope they will tell their friends that they had a great summer. A summer not filled with countless hours in front of the TV, WII and computer, but with small adventures in the outdoors, baking cookies, trips to the library, craft projects, watching movies at home, sleeping in, and staying up late. Life can be simple if we make it a priority. Our children are only children for a short time, and we owe it to them to teach them to appreciate the simple things in life. My daughter will be one of the few kids in her class without a facebook account, and my son will not have a cell phone. Neither of them feel deprived, and I again am in admiration of them for realizing that these things are not necessities, just merely distractions.
As for me, I am looking forward to the fall, and the challenges that it will present.
I hope that everyone had a summer as good or better than the one we in the Taylor house shared!
LT
Friday, August 20, 2010
Meatless day three, still going strong
The eggplant parmigiana was awesome. Lots of leftovers for lunch over the next few days.
Last night was a clean-out-the-refrigerator kind of night, and it was still rather hot at dinner time, so I made a very quick pasta dish consisting of a bunch of roasted veggies, eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, red pepper, some little balls of fresh mozzarella, and a generous helping of homemade pesto over spelt pasta. For a completely improvised meal, it turned out great, and once again, it yielded leftovers for lunch!
The boys are playing golf tonight after Tim gets out of work, and won't be home until 8pm or so, so it'll probably be leftovers tonight!
Have a great weekend everyone!
LT
Last night was a clean-out-the-refrigerator kind of night, and it was still rather hot at dinner time, so I made a very quick pasta dish consisting of a bunch of roasted veggies, eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, red pepper, some little balls of fresh mozzarella, and a generous helping of homemade pesto over spelt pasta. For a completely improvised meal, it turned out great, and once again, it yielded leftovers for lunch!
The boys are playing golf tonight after Tim gets out of work, and won't be home until 8pm or so, so it'll probably be leftovers tonight!
Have a great weekend everyone!
LT
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
No meat for 7 days, day two and still going strong.....
Hi Everyone -
had a slight delay on starting our week long journey into meatless meals. I was overtaken with some kind of stomach bug on Monday that put me on the couch with a fever of 101 degrees, so the hubby and kids were on their own for dinner, and I could only stomach a can of chicken noodle soup. But I'm feeling much better now, so on with the journey.
The spinach and cheese burritos were good, but I made some modifications. I used soy cheddar jack cheese because of my lactose intolerance, and I added some cooked portobello mushrooms to the spinach-cheese-cream cheese mixture because it just didn't seem substantial enough for me. It was a very nice addition, and added some meaty texture to the burritos. Everyone but my daughter liked them, but she is frequently picky. I highly recommend topping them with your favorite salsa.
Now, for day two, we're having Eggplant Parmigiana. Tonight is my hubby's golf night, and he doesn't like eggplant, so tonight seemed like the perfect night. Here's the recipe I'm using, courtesy of Weight Watchers:
Happy Eating!
LT
had a slight delay on starting our week long journey into meatless meals. I was overtaken with some kind of stomach bug on Monday that put me on the couch with a fever of 101 degrees, so the hubby and kids were on their own for dinner, and I could only stomach a can of chicken noodle soup. But I'm feeling much better now, so on with the journey.
The spinach and cheese burritos were good, but I made some modifications. I used soy cheddar jack cheese because of my lactose intolerance, and I added some cooked portobello mushrooms to the spinach-cheese-cream cheese mixture because it just didn't seem substantial enough for me. It was a very nice addition, and added some meaty texture to the burritos. Everyone but my daughter liked them, but she is frequently picky. I highly recommend topping them with your favorite salsa.
Now, for day two, we're having Eggplant Parmigiana. Tonight is my hubby's golf night, and he doesn't like eggplant, so tonight seemed like the perfect night. Here's the recipe I'm using, courtesy of Weight Watchers:
| 1/3 cup(s) seasoned bread crumbs, Italian-style | |
| 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese | |
| 1 tsp Italian seasoning | |
| 1/4 tsp garlic powder | |
 | 1 medium raw eggplant |
| | 2 large egg white(s), lightly beaten |
| | 1 1/2 cup(s) canned tomato sauce |
| 1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded |
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in a medium-size bowl; set aside. Remove skin from eggplant and trim off ends; slice eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
- Dip eggplant first into egg whites and then into bread crumb mixture. Bake eggplant on a nonstick cookie sheet until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping once.
- Place a layer of eggplant on bottom of prepared baking dish, then add 1/3 of tomato sauce and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 2 more layers in same order. Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, about 10 minutes more. Slice into 4 pieces and serve.
Happy Eating!
LT
Monday, August 16, 2010
Seven days without meat, can we do it?
Okay, it should be obvious by now that I love food, and almost all kinds of food. When I started to feel "not so great", I started taking a look at what I'm eating, and what I should be eating, which are not necessarily one in the same thing. My naturopath doctor recommended the book Eat Right for Your Blood Type as a good resource. The premise of this book is that, based on our blood type, we all have different nutritional requirements, and that following these requirements can lead to better health. I got a copy of the book from our local library and started reading that same day.
I'm a type A blood type, and according to the book, I should be eating a more vegetarian diet, with little or no red meat or pork. Chicken, turkey and fish are okay occasionally, but the main characters are cheese, eggs, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, and of course, lots of fruits and veggies. Being that I already discovered that I'm somewhat lactose intolerant, I will stay away from milk, and focus only on yogurt and ricotta, feta, sheep's milk cheeses, and goat cheeses.
So, starting today, I'm putting the theories put forth in the book to the test. For the next seven days, I will eat within the guidelines of the type A diet. I'm hoping to lose some weight along the way too. I'll try to post what's on the menu every day, and how the recipes tasted. Oh, and I didn't tell my family that we'll be eating vegetarian for the next week, so we'll see if anyone notices or complains!
For today, here's what we'll be having:
Breakfast:
Fruit smoothie made with frozen blackberries, peaches, pineapple and strawberries, thinned out with some almond milk and with a little peanut butter added for protein
Lunch
Vegetarian chili that I made last night. Loaded with beans, onions, tomatoes, corn, and this soy based crumbled meat substitute that tasted just like ground beef.
Dinner
Spinach and Cheese Burritos - From the Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers Cookbook
For the burritos: In a large skillet on medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the scallions, garlic and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the coriander, nutmeg, if desired, grated cheese and cream cheese. Remove from the heat.
To keep the tortillas from cracking, place them on a baking sheet (overlapping is fine) and heat them in the oven for a minute or two.
Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling on the lower half of a warm tortilla, fold the bottom up and the sides in to encase the filling, roll it up and place it seam-side down in the baking dish. When all the tortillas are ready, brush the tops with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until hot, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the blender tomato hot sauce: In a heavy saucepan or skillet over high heat, heat the oil until it is almost smoking. Add the onion, bell pepper and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the bell pepper is blistered and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, stirring to combine, and remove from the heat.
Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the tomatoes and puree.
Return the sauce to the pan and add the cilantro, if desired, and salt to taste. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, partially covering the pan to avoid splatters.
Serve the burritos topped with the blender tomato hot sauce.
Happy Eating Everyone
LT
I'm a type A blood type, and according to the book, I should be eating a more vegetarian diet, with little or no red meat or pork. Chicken, turkey and fish are okay occasionally, but the main characters are cheese, eggs, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, and of course, lots of fruits and veggies. Being that I already discovered that I'm somewhat lactose intolerant, I will stay away from milk, and focus only on yogurt and ricotta, feta, sheep's milk cheeses, and goat cheeses.
So, starting today, I'm putting the theories put forth in the book to the test. For the next seven days, I will eat within the guidelines of the type A diet. I'm hoping to lose some weight along the way too. I'll try to post what's on the menu every day, and how the recipes tasted. Oh, and I didn't tell my family that we'll be eating vegetarian for the next week, so we'll see if anyone notices or complains!
For today, here's what we'll be having:
Breakfast:
Fruit smoothie made with frozen blackberries, peaches, pineapple and strawberries, thinned out with some almond milk and with a little peanut butter added for protein
Lunch
Vegetarian chili that I made last night. Loaded with beans, onions, tomatoes, corn, and this soy based crumbled meat substitute that tasted just like ground beef.
Dinner
Spinach and Cheese Burritos - From the Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers Cookbook
Ingredients:
For the burritos- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 bunch scallions, white and light-green parts, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 10 cups (about 10 ounces) loosely packed fresh baby spinach, stemmed
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Pinch nutmeg (optional)
- 3 cups (about 10 ounces) lightly packed Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/3 cup cream cheese
- 8 to 10 7- or 8-inch flour tortillas
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 can (15 ounces) whole tomatoes, with juice
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick oil spray.For the burritos: In a large skillet on medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the scallions, garlic and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the coriander, nutmeg, if desired, grated cheese and cream cheese. Remove from the heat.
To keep the tortillas from cracking, place them on a baking sheet (overlapping is fine) and heat them in the oven for a minute or two.
Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling on the lower half of a warm tortilla, fold the bottom up and the sides in to encase the filling, roll it up and place it seam-side down in the baking dish. When all the tortillas are ready, brush the tops with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until hot, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the blender tomato hot sauce: In a heavy saucepan or skillet over high heat, heat the oil until it is almost smoking. Add the onion, bell pepper and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the bell pepper is blistered and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, stirring to combine, and remove from the heat.
Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the tomatoes and puree.
Return the sauce to the pan and add the cilantro, if desired, and salt to taste. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, partially covering the pan to avoid splatters.
Serve the burritos topped with the blender tomato hot sauce.
Happy Eating Everyone
LT
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