Chickpea dishes are traditionally served during Purim to show honor and respect to Queen Esther, who was a vegetarian. This version is from Linda’s Kitchen: Simple and Inspiring Recipes for Meat-Less Meals by Linda McCartney. Serve a steamed green vegetable and a salad on the side.
Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans or ce ce beans.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Curried Chickpeas with Onions Blue * Serves 6-8
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions thinly sliced
1 cloves minced garlic
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon curry powder or to taste
2 cans chickpeas (drained, reserve 1/2 cup liquid)
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
cooked brown rice
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion and garlic gently, covered, until soft and golden. Stir in the sesame seeds and curry powder. Season with salt and cook uncovered for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/2 cup liquid. Add the chickpeas to the pan with the reserved liquid and cook, stirring frequently, until the chickpeas are hot and almost all the liquid has evaporated
Stir in the lemon juice, tamari, and parsley. Serve hot over prepared brown rice.
If you need a fresh start, this is a good week for it.
The Chinese New Year started on Sunday – it’s the year of the tiger. While the traditional association is for people born during this year, there are a few Tiger characteristics that you may want to adopt.
Brave, courageous * try something new; be fearless; take risks
Hunter * pursue your goals; don’t let anything stand in the way of success
Competitive * challenge yourself
Leader * take control of your life
President’s Day was on Monday – celebrating both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both of these men managed to overcome a lot of failures before they were successful. Don’t let the past stand in the way of your future!
Lent starts today – six weeks of spiritual preparation for Easter. Take stock of where you are, and where you want to be. If you need to make changes, do it now – don’t put it off.
“Give up” something you enjoy * some Christians give up something they enjoy for Lent (chocolate, soda, wine, etc) as an act of sacrifice.
Add a daily habit * some Christians add a spiritual habit (prayer, spiritual reading, etc).
Is there a habit you need to drop or add to your life? This could be a good time to do that – it doesn’t have to be connected to religion. Give up sugar for 6 weeks, or exercise for 30 minutes a day for 6 weeks.
Oh, and there’s a budget bonus for people who eat fish – it’s probably on sale for the next 6 weeks because of Lent. If you buy fish to keep in the freezer, ask them to wrap it appropriately at the store – in the portions you want, in plastic and then in freezer paper.
Go for a new beginning this week – a fresh start. Your inTENtions are still within reach, if you’re willing to make a commitment to them.
So many songs about love – so which one to pick? Not the same one we used last year… that would be cheating.
Here’s one that gets us up and dancing. It’s fun, it appeals to all ages (seriously, if young people think it’s old music, it’s at least classic Motown, and they can always do that bouncy head-banging thing they’re so fond of), and it’s not too lovey-dovey. Whatever your relationship status, it’s good advice.
Ready to dance? This one will put you in a good mood. Enjoy!
This year Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year fall on the same day. So why not serve an excellent Chinese meal to your special valentine? Then let out your inner tiger (it’s the start of the year of the tiger, after all) – you won’t be weighed down by a heavy meal.
Both of these recipes are easy to make and don’t require too much advance preparation.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Gingered Snow Pea Stir-fry Blue * Serves 2
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 12.3 ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 cup vegetable broth
1-1/2 Tablespoons arrowroot
1 cup sliced organic carrots (about 2 carrots)
1 teaspoon peeled and minced ginger
1/2 pound organic snow peas, ends trimmed
soba noodles or brown rice noodles, prepared according to package directions
Heat the oil in a wok or large non-stick skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add the tofu and garlic and stir-fry 7 minutes, or until the garlic barely starts to brown. Add 1 Tablespoon of the soy sauce; stir-fry 2 minutes, or until the tofu is browned. Remove from the pan; set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, vegetable broth, and arrowroot. Stir until smooth and set aside.
Add the carrots and ginger to the pan and stir-fry 5 minutes. Add the broth mixture and snow peas and stir-fry 2 more minutes. Return the tofu mixture to the pan. Cook until heated through, stirring gently. Serve over prepared noodles.
Braised Baby Bok Choy Blue * Serves 2
1 cup vegetable broth
3 Tablespoons soy margarine (try Earth Balance)
3/4 pound organic baby bok choy, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
pepper to taste
Bring the broth and soy margarine to a simmer in a large, deep, heavy skillet. Arrange the bok choy evenly in the skillet and simmer, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bok choy with tongs to a serving dish, cover and keep warm. Boil the broth until reduced to about 1/4 cup, then stir in the sesame oil and pepper to taste. Pour the broth over the bok choy and serve.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we have a very important exercise and calorie chart. The first two entries are for reference. Although they’re good activities for Valentine’s Day, too – just not as thematic.
Activity * Calories Burned/Hour
Aerobic class * 422
Running * 363
Dancing * 320
Dirty dancing * 640
Sex * 258
Great sex * 516
Proposing * 302
Seeing an old boy/girlfriend while looking good * 192
Seeing an old boy/girlfriend while looking bad * 292
Waiting for a first date * 182
Waiting for a blind date * 232
Stolen kisses in a broom closet * 202
Stolen kisses in a broom closet while your date is knocking on the door * 404
Fighting with your soon-to-be ex * 346
Makeup sex * 516
Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
~ Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. helped us see the world in a whole new way. He encouraged us to treat each other as brothers and sisters, no matter our race, color, creed, economic background, or whatever else we like to think separates us.
So, yes, keep thinking about Haiti, and about the other times and places in which we can help each other out. Then have a little faith that you can make a difference, and take that first step. You don’t have to know where you’ll end up – the first step will lead to the second step. The second step will lead to the third step. Eventually, the top of the staircase will find you, and the world will be a better place.
In case you think we’re going to pass up this opportunity – the quotation works really well if you apply it to the changes you want – or need – to make in the way you eat, the way you exercise, the way you treat your body… just read it again. We promise – you don’t have to see the whole staircase – just take have a little faith and take that first step toward doing the right thing for yourself.
We have friends who make New Year’s Eve THE big family holiday.
They invite everyone from both sides of the extended family to spend 24 hours together bringing in the new year. With all the boyfriends and girlfriends, and the one friend that each teen is allowed to invite, they have 65-70 people gathered for the party.
Most people bring sleeping bags, pj’s, and a toothbrush. Each family brings a meal or snacks and some beverages.
They rent a bunch of family-friendly movies and video games, gather all the cards and board games, plan a few crafts and some games. They set up tournaments – Guitar Hero, Wii sports, bridge, Hearts, checkers, Scrabble – you name it.
There’s always one television with movies and one with video games. The young kids have a quiet(ish) place to sleep – everyone else throws down a sleeping bag as they get tired.
New Year’s hats, horns, sparklers, fireworks, etc. are all ready to go for the big moment at midnight.
Parties like this are good for all ages – there’s plenty to do and there is no drinking & driving (or even being on the road). Our friends have been hosting this party for over 20 years, and no one ever misses it – it’s just too much fun.
In the next few days, plan a big family outing – one that involves a lot of movement. Promote it as a big event, invite the whole extended family, and make it an annual holiday tradition.
Try…
Ice skating
Skiing
Sledding
Hockey
Swimming
Basketball
Roller skating
Tennis
Note * Indoors or outdoors is your choice. Just make sure it’s something active.
