Mom's Simple Pea Soup

This is one of the foods I always ask my mom to make. It's a simple, budget recipe that tastes great the day you make it and beyond. It's the kind of soup you could make on the weekend and then divide into containers for quick, healthy lunches and dinners for the week. You can even reinvent this soup by putting it on a baked potato, over rice, or spreading it between a couple of pieces of toast and making a delicious sandwich. Who said you need to eat frozen food at work?

Ingredients:
1 lb green split peas
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
8 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Rinse your peas.
2. Bring peas and water to a boil.
3. Skim off froth from the top.
4. Add everything else!
5. Let it simmer for 45 mins - 1 hour until peas are tender.

Chawlichi Aamti (Black-eyed pea curry)

My husband is from the Indian state of Maharashtra. If you are familiar with India, you may know that a lot of things are regional, like language, food, festivals, customs, clothing, etc. Friends or relatives will often come up to my husband or me and say something like 'I saw a program about India on TV and _________ happened' and my husband will have no idea what they're talking about. I often try to clarify by explaining to people unfamiliar with India that it is like many different countries in one. You can travel from one state to another and have no idea what the people around you are saying because the language can be THAT different - not a different dialect, a different language! You can also travel to a neighboring state and have completely different food.

When I found this out, I was so excited! Do you mean that there is a much larger variety of Indian dishes than the ones on the menu at the Indian restaurants in the United States??? That's it, I must find out more! So I started researching different regional cuisines of India. I was especially excited when I found a couple of bloggers from the same state as my husband because, let's be honest here, he was really not much help at all. He is good at tasting the food and telling me if that's how it's supposed to be, but when it comes to making the food, he is completely clueless.

One day, I found this recipe for chawlichi aamti (a maharashtrian-style black-eyed pea curry) and decided to surprise my husband by making it. It's good I didn't ask him first if he liked it because he later told me that when he was growing up, he didn't usually like aamtis because they were too sweet (some subgroups of maharashtrians add something jaggery, which is like sugar, to aamtis). This recipe does not include sugar or jaggery so maybe that's how I lucked out. At any rate, he loved it! Success! But I loved it more! I think this is now my favorite food. I could not stop eating it - to the point where we ran out of chapatis (indian flatbread) and rice so I ravenously ransacked the kitchen until I spotted the tortilla chips. Best. Idea. Ever. This aamti tastes even better with the tortilla chips than the chapatis or rice (my opinion, of course)! And, like a chili, it tastes even better the next day.

Originally I posted this with just a link to the recipe I adapted, but then I realized that I should give an adapted version for the American cook. The link to the recipe from Aarti's corner is below.

Ingredients:
2 cans black eyed peas
1 can diced tomatoes (or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped)
1 large onion, chopped
10 curry leaves (available at an Indian grocery store)
1 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of hing (asafoetida)
1.5 tsp coriander powder
1.5 tsp cumin powder
3/4 tsp turmeric
cayenne powder, optional (this is only if you like really spicy food)
4 tsp garam masala (or to taste - start with less!!)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp oil
2 cups water (start with two cups and add more if you like - an aamti is supposed to be watery, but you may prefer it less watery so this is just a starting point)
Optional Garnish: fresh cilantro, more chopped onion, lemon wedges

Method:
1. Drain and rinse your black eyed peas to remove excess sodium.
2. Heat the oil on medium-high.
3. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing.
4. When the mustard seeds start to sputter or pop, add the onion.
5. When the onion is translucent, add coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, cayenne powder and half the garam masala.
6. Stir it and let it cook for a minute.
7. Add black eyed peas, tomatoes, water, and salt, and mix.
8. Bring it to a boil, then simmer until the flavors combine.
9. Mash a couple of the beans to get the bean flavor more infused in the gravy, if you wish.
10. Add more garam masala or salt if desired.
11. Drizzle with a little oil (optional) and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve hot with tortilla chips, chapatis, rice, or bread.
Optional: I like to serve with chopped onion and lemon.


I adapted this from Aarti's recipe here:
http://aartiscorner.blogspot.com/2007/06/chawlichi-aamti.html

Goodbye Buddy Jr.

We had a lot of great times with Buddy Jr. He was so confused when we got him. He didn't know where he was, what was going on, or maybe even if he'd take another long drive to a far-away destination (with much different weather) at any moment. The snow perplexed him. The other dogs scared him. The songs of the birds enchanted him. He was in a new and different world and often sought the comfort of his crate, the one thing connecting his new world with his old.

We watched him get comfortable with receiving affection. I loved the way he would bury his skinny head into my stomach face-down when I would kneel down to pet him. He loved when we gave him a massage. He wasn't one for sitting down, so he'd stand the whole time blinking his eyes because he was so tired and relaxed, until he just couldn't stand it anymore and he had to go lay on his bed before he fell over. By the end, he went from the dog who was scared of the neighbors to the dog who couldn't wait to meet a new person!

We watched him learn to give affection. It was shocking, but very cute the first time he stuck that long nose under our comforter and sniffed our faces trying to show his affection. My husband loved the way Buddy Jr would wag his tail and attempt to jump (just lifting his front paws about an inch at a time) in the air when he'd come home from work. And the way he'd cry in a soft, gentle voice when my husband and I came home together. Buddy Jr. even licked me a couple of times.

We had a lot of silly times too. Like the first time I turned on the TV (after he'd already been here for a week and a half). He could not figure out what was going on. He just kept staring at the TV, looking at it from different angles, and moving his ears around. I don't think he had ever been around a TV before. And, who could forget the time (before Buddy Jr was fully house trained) when he was pooping on our wood floor in the office. When he was almost done, my husband saw him and said a stern 'NO' making poor Buddy Jr try to pull the last piece of poop back into his butt. It went in and out as he tried to stop it while he watched Al with an ashamed look. Finally he got it all the way back in, my husband took him out and he just couldn't get the poop back out of him when he was outside. Poor guy.

The good times were good. Our time with Buddy Jr. was definitely rewarding, but it was also challenging. And, as I've learned all to well lately, everything must come to an end. Sometimes you just know when a relationship needs to end. The parties involved just aren't serving each other's higher good anymore. It can be painful (very painful sometimes), but you know it's for the best. This is what happened with Buddy Jr. He did not get adopted; he was moved to another foster home.

It's funny how these things work sometimes. Buddy Jr. was presenting us with some issues we hadn't dealt with before and, given that he was our first foster greyhound and we knew that they have unique needs (especially the ones right off the track like Buddy Jr.), we were constantly seeking advice on how to handle these situations. So the foster home coordinator was well aware of the struggles we faced (trying to eat off the kitchen table and counters, wanting to go outside all the time, extreme diarrhea, etc.) and she decided that this was a dog for a pro. Our little Buddy Jr. was kind of like the Marley of the greyhound community.

So, unbeknownst to us, the foster home coordinator was looking for more experienced foster homes to take in our pup, while we were simultaneously realizing that we were in over our heads with this dog. The last couple of days he was here, I realized that he was scaring me by his barking (abnormal for him) and that I was proceeding to do exactly what he wanted me to do (he had these big, sharp teeth and was basically bigger than me - no excuse, I know). I knew this was very bad for Buddy Jr. Our #1 job as foster parents was to mold Buddy Jr. into the ideal dog for his future home. Giving in to bad behavior is most definitely not the way to get any dog to be the perfect companion. Although we knew that it would be difficult, we knew that he had to move on. And when we told the foster coordinator and heard that she was already working on it, I knew that it was the right thing to do.

Buddy Jr. now resides at the home for sassy greyhounds (an unusual trait for the breed). Or maybe it's more like greyhound rehab. He lives with four other greyhounds and some humans who work miracles on turning the challenging dogs into adoptable best friends.

Buddy Jr. watching TV for the first time

Green Smoothie

In my last post, I shared that Buddy Jr. is making a lot of progress on the housetraining front. Well, Buddy Jr. is making progress on another front as well. He is getting more used to my Vitamix. (For those of you who don't know, this is like a loud, super powerful, high-speed blender, food processor and so much more) This is really important because the only time he pooped in the house was after I used the Vitamix the first time after his arrival and I wondered if the loud noise literally 'scared the crap out of him.' I kind of think he just had to go, but I was still very cautious the next time I used the Vitamix and he seemed just fine. Now he doesn't even lift his head when I run it. He just keeps on snoozing. This is really good because after a stressful night of squirrels grinding walnut shells in the attic and Buddy Jr. waking me up to go outside (all this adds up to little sleep), I needed a naturally healthy, energizing, and detoxifying breakfast in a hurry. I just used what I had on hand, but it had such a light, refreshing taste that I fell in love with it. I will definitely be making this again.

Ingredients:
1 sprig mint
1 heaping handfull of baby kale
1/2 cucumber (peeled if not organic)
1/2 large avocado or 1 small avocado
1/4 pineapple (with it's juice)
1 orange
1 cup coconut milk (or other nondairy milk)
1/2 cup tart cherry juice (or your favorite juice)

Method:
Blend away! Enjoy! Garnish with fresh mint leaves if so desired.

Housetraining Progress

I think we are making major progress on the housetraining front. Last night Buddy Jr. passed out in his crate and would not get out of there to come into the bedroom with us. After lying in bed for about an hour or two, I finally fell asleep. It took this long to drown out the sound of the squirrel in the attic gnawing on his nightly meal of walnuts, right above our bed. (We're working on this. We had somebody come out with humane live traps, but we haven't had any luck yet. This could be because the dog keeps trying to sniff the peanut butter sandwich used as bait and tripping the trap.)

At any rate, after much annoyance, I finally fell asleep when suddenly Buddy Jr. comes running in our bedroom, sticking his long nose under our blankets and sniffing around, followed by barking and crying. Do you know that feeling when someone startles you in your sleep and you can feel the adrenaline and the blood pumping all through your body? That's how it felt. Barking is really out of character for Buddy Jr. and he doesn't do much crying either, though he did cry once before when he had to go outside to pee. So, on top of being in a startled, adrenaline-filled daze, I was now freaking out that the dog wouldn't be able to hold it if I didn't hurry my butt out of bed and into the arctic February air. I jumped up out of bed, put my socks on and ran to the door to take the dog out. These dogs can only be let out in a fenced yard or taken out on a leash, and since we do not have a fence, I had to be Buddy's night time potty companion.

Greyhounds have a strong instinct to wander and chase, which is only further reinforced by their racetrack training. If we let him out on a long rope like we have done with other dogs, he could see something, run after it and brake a leg or snap his neck when he got to the end of the rope. (They can reach 45 mph in 3-4 strides) An electric fence doesn't work for much the same reason. He could run and be through the electric fence before even feeling the shock and be scared just enough to not want to come back to the house.

From my little nighttime disruption story, you may think I'm bitter, but I'm actually very grateful. I'm grateful he's learning that he has to go outside to go potty and that he has to let us know when he needs to go. I'm also grateful we didn't wake up by stepping in a puddle of urine only to find a giant smelly pile of dog poop just beyond it. I can't even imagine how lovely it would be to have those two things marinating and cooking on our heated floors all night long, the aroma wafting through the house.

My original intent was to give a little snippet about Buddy Jr's progress and give a recipe for a green smoothie, but it just doesn't feel right putting these two things in the same post after the last mental picture I painted for you. I put the smoothie recipe in another post.

Here's a shot of Buddy Jr. hiding his face in his toy, refusing to get out of the crate and make the *long* (not really) trek to the bedroom to go to sleep.

Announcing the arrival of Buddy Jr.

Well, we took in a foster dog over the weekend. It's our first time fostering and this dog has been through a lot so we're feeling a little like new parents who suddenly take a baby home and feel they are ill-prepared and inadequate. Okay, maybe that's just how I feel. I think my husband is feeling just fine about the whole thing, but we are both totally helicopter dog parents right now. We hover over every move of a dog who's received little, if any, positive attention throughout his life so far. I really blame this on the special circumstances and the fact that the dog is not completely housebroken.

Our foster dog is a just-retired greyhound racing dog. He made the long trek from Alabama to Michigan just a few days ago. He's never lived in a home before and everything is new to him. Yes, everything. Sometimes I wonder if he's even been outside before. When we take him out he carefully observes every sight, sound, movement. If the birds are chirping loudly, he has to stop in place and listen. When a car drives by, we have to stop and watch it. He was quite confused when the snow started falling. He jumped up from his pillow and watched it through the window, then ran to the doorwall to get a better view. It only snowed for a few minutes and when it was over, he decided to lay down again. Maybe he thought the house was under attack by tiny white bullets.

He follows us around all the time. He tries to go in the bathroom with us. He walked in our shower (when noone was in there, of course!) That was a sure sign of a dog who's never lived in a home. Every other dog I've known has been petrified by the shower, but not this one. He likes to walk in there and sniff around whenever he gets the chance, just as calm as can be. He has no idea of the terror that lurks inside that shower. It's now been a few days and he is finally following us a little less and napping a little more. Thank goodness because his eyes have been super bloodshot and they're finally starting to look normal!

He is really tall and his head is well above the height of our kitchen table, which has proved to be quite a problem in the first few days. Remember, he's never been in a home before and he doesn't know how to act yet. Also, he's used to a sort of communal eating where the (really disgusting 4D) dog food is thrown into a thing for all the dogs to eat from and they all have to get their share before it's gone or they're out of luck. So it's been a little difficult to cook and eat these first few days. I forgot to mention that he can reach the counter too. So I've been a little less than creative in the kitchen. I'm trying to stick with what requires the least preparation or preparation which I can do on the windowsill! To his credit, he is getting much better at not putting his nose on everything within his reach.

Check out Buddy Jr. trying to recover from his jet lag! ;-)

 

Blueberry Banana Avocado Smoothie

Throughout my life, there have been many times I eliminated or tried to minimize my processed sugar intake and I've been mostly successful. I find that it makes my body feel better and my mind feel like I am doing something good. However, last fall was a different story.

In late 2012, my dad died unexpectedly and I was deep in grief in a way I never imagined I could be. It seemed to me like an adult shouldn't be so devastated by her dad dying, even if he was young and it was unexpected (though not from unnatural causes). I hardly felt like eating. All I wanted to do was sleep and cry. It's weird that I am willing to admit this because I always try to hide my crying from people and act as if I am fine. I guess admitting it is different than actually breaking down in front of someone. After the initial shock wore off, the whole thing really debilitated me. If I ate something - anything, I considered that a success. And I felt strangely drawn back to my sometimes friend, sometimes foe - sugar. I was craving sugar all the time. I tell people that I was on a vegan ice cream and french fries diet for a while.

So, it's been a few months now. . . They say that grief gets better in time and I honestly did not see how that was possible a few months ago. I wanted to believe it, but I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can tell you that it HAS gotten better. It is still difficult. I still cry almost every day. I still miss my dad. I still think of him all the time. I still think of how things could have been different. But things are getting better. I am awake for more than 8 hours a day! Yay! Little by little, I am starting to enjoy things again. I see a little glimmer of hope on the horizon.

But the nasty sugar addiction I picked up along the way is still hanging on. And I can remember how good it feels to be free from that addiction! I'm not eliminating sugar right now, but I am trying to reduce my dependence on it. As I found myself jonesing for cookies the other day (after indulging myself several days in a row), I decided it was time to try out a healthy alternative. So, working with what I had in the house, I came up with something that combined the sweetness (fruit) I was looking for with a rich taste (from the avocado & coconut milk). Now I know it's not hot out of the oven, but it did help me boost my willpower and I was able to skip the cookies that night!


Ingredients:
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 ripe banana
1/2 large avocado or 1 small avocado
3/4 cup coconut, almond or other non-dairy milk
1/2 cup tart cherry juice - actual juice, not the concentrated kind (or any juice you like)

Method:
Put it all together and blend, adding more juice or non-dairy milk if required for your blender. Enjoy!