COVID Chronicles, 7-29-20

As we all keep figuring things out during this slow-moving car crash known as the pandemic, I find myself of two minds (maybe more?). On one hand I will admit that the slower pace of these last few months has been beneficial... I am sleeping more consistently, eating better, reading more books of substance, and learning a great deal about how to listen more attentively to my head, heart and body.

All good things, right?? Absolutely. Ho-o-w-e-v-v-e-r-r-r-r... There is also a gnawing dread that lurks just out of range of my consciousness that pops up at inopportune times (often at 3am when I get up to go to the bathroom). It causes my chest to tighten and my mind to spin out various catastrophic scenarios that include delightful things like Social Security disappearing and the world economy collapsing. Melatonin can't kick in fast enough during those anxious moments.

So in the midst of just trying to make a living (thankfully, that part seems to be working... for now), and managing daily life in ever-changing and increasingly bizarre ways, I am also trying to keep my head tentatively above the fray and not stay immersed in a bunker mentality. What do I mean by "above the fray"? Naive as it sounds, I might be trying to make lemons out of lemonade. Or just looking for some ways to remain creative and hopeful amidst daunting unknowns.

Thus I am gently launching at least a few posts to share what that looks like for me week to week. Content will include recipes I am trying out, books I am reading, quotes I am pondering, podcasts or shows or movies I am taking in, and once in awhile, perhaps some BIG THOUGHTS. Tell me what you think.

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FOOD
Like most people (I think?), I am eating at home every day. And as quarantine really got my attention in early April, I discovered something rather jarring when I got my first credit card bill under quarantine: I ate out a lot. A LOT more than I thought. Like, credit-card-balance-nearly-cut-in-half a lot! Sure, some of those meals were work-related meals, and there was a bit of work-related travel, but there was still a fair amount of coffee here, coffee there, quick tacos during errands, meeting friends for lunch, etc. I'm not saying it was horribly wrong; it was just more than was necessary.

So quarantine has got me digging deeper back into patterns I first established during the "Great" Recession of 2009 ("Great" seems pretty minor compared to now... sheesh). I first wrote about it all here in this link. All that to say, I have been recommitting to local produce, eating seasonally and organically as much as I can.

The best place to start is with a membership with a local Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. My hometown favorite is Local Harvest Delivery, which is I LOVE because 1) it gets delivered; 2) I can decline a week if I go out of town or still am trying to eat this week's produce; and 3) I can opt out of the stuff I know I won't eat.

Even then, I still have to push myself to get creative with vegetables I may not have chosen at the grocery store, but are part of what's in season. It's caused me to fall in love with many new vegetables. I'm definitely suffering!

These past two weeks I have made these side dishes, all with CSA veggies:

• Caprese Salad 
• Grilled Cauliflower "steaks" 
• Cucumber Salad
• And yes, Zoodles, with which I covered in a vegan cheese sauce that I found to be quite tasty.

Don't get bored with your cooking ~ get creative.

PODCASTS

I wish I wish I wish I could figure out a way to make a living listening to podcasts. It is hands-down my favorite form of entertainment. I listen to podcasts on bike rides and walks, when I vacuum, when I make my morning coffee, when I brush my teeth at night... you get the picture.

I won't list the MANY podcasts I like and listen to. But here are my three newest favorites:

1. Make Me Smart. A quick 15-minute summary of trends in technology, culture and the economy five days a week. The repartee between the two hosts is natural and enjoyable and, I'm not gonna lie, they make me smart. At least a little bit more.
2. Future Perfect. I'm just digging into this one, but the first one I listened to had me dialed in every. single. minute. It was a fascinating discussion between a rabbi and an agnostic on how to make sense of suffering. It aired July 7. Tune in.
3. Evolving Faith. I'm an unabashed fan of Sarah Bessey and Jeff Chu, the hosts, who co-created the Evolving Faith conference with one of my heroes, Rachel Held Evans. These episodes are from past conferences.

HABITS

I have developed two new habits during quarantine:

• reading poetry and contemplative quotes before going to bed;
• using a writing prompt generator during mental health breaks while working.

HUH? Tell me more, you say?

The poetry and quote reading kicked in sometime in May when anxiety was slowly building and I having a bit of a hard time falling asleep. Regular reading habits weren't cutting it. I needed something to slow me down more. And bring in... Mary Oliver. I truly believe her poetry could quite possibly solve everything wrong in the world. I somehow landed on her compilation Devotions on Kindle for $1.99 and off I went. Now I'm on to Thomas Merton quotes and they are also so good, in an entirely different way. Both access my heart and soul in ways that quiet the little Gnawing Dread Demons that like to taunt me at night, and I am sleeping better.

The writing prompt generator idea came from an article I read on how to fight the struggle to focus and maintain productivity while working from home. So periodically, when I am zoomed-out or SICK of email or who knows what, I will pop open a new tab and plug in this link from self-publishing.com. Try it ~ you might like it.

Final reflection.

I read this this morning as I prayed about my day, not wanting to get so mad at those I do not agree with. It punched me in the gut. In a good way.

“When you understand, you cannot help but love. . . . To develop understanding, you have to practice looking at all living beings with the eyes of compassion. When you understand, you love. And when you love, you naturally act in a way that can relieve the suffering of people.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Thanks for reading. If you're at all interested in my work-related stuff, go to www.ksleadershipdevelop.me. Make it a good week!

Totes Tomatoes

Well, this summer has provided a BUMPER crop of tomatoes, thanks to my housemate's dad roto-tilling the beds before we planted. We feasted all summer on cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, fat and sassy Heirloom tomatoes and last but not least, some Gilberti tomatoes (which look very much like big ol' chili peppers on the outside, but are meaty and tasty tomatoes on the inside).

From Caprese salad to omelettes to pizza to tacos to a quick thrown together rice-and-vegetables something-or-other, these little red balloons of deliciousness have delivered every time.

I am sad to see them go, so I wanted to go out with a bang. My latest issue of Vegetarian Times gave me just the recipe to do so. This recipe, even for a half batch, required a whole mixing bowl of the season's end of tomatoes. It was crazy to cut up so many and see them get pulverized into a glistening and mouth-watering sauce.

If you want a flavorful dish with lots of color and texture, this does the trick. Enjoy! (And farewell, sweet tomato friends... see you next summer.)

Tomato Curry with Tofu and Vegetables
serves 6 (remember, I made a half-batch)

Curry Sauce
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 medium white onion, diced
5 large tomatoes, chopped (6 cups)
⅓ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup raw cashews
½ tsp. ground turmeric
¼ tsp. garam masala, optional

Tofu and Vegetables
2 Tbs. vegetable oil, divided
1 16-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into ½-inch cubes
8 oz. white button mushrooms, quartered (3 cups)
½ cup frozen peas, thawed

1. To make Curry Sauce: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté 30 seconds. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes more. Add tomatoes, and cook, stirring frequently, 10 minutes. Transfer to blender (I used my immersion blender directly into my soup pot), add yogurt and cashews, and purée until smooth. Return sauce to saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat. Add turmeric and garam masala (if using), and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, and cook 20 to 30 minutes, or until thickened. (I made this sauce in the afternoon, then threw everything else together that night before din din.)

2. Meanwhile, to make Tofu and Vegetables: Heat 1 Tbs. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and sauté 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden-brown. Transfer to plate, and set aside. Heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil in same skillet, add mushrooms, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Stir tofu, mushrooms, and peas into Curry Sauce; season with salt, if desired. Cook over low heat 5 minutes, or until heated through.


September 2014, Vegetarian Times p.10

Funky and Fabulous Fritters

Thumbing through my latest issue of Vegetarian Times, I came upon a recipe for which I had a few, but not all ingredients. I felt brave enough to do some substitutions because of what I had on hand, and the results were quite tasty. The original recipe is not online yet, but here's what I did.

Zucchini and Sweet Potato Fritters
serves 2

1/4 lb. zucchini, shredded (substitute for okra from the original recipe)
1/2 sweet potato, shredded (about 1/2 c total)
1/4 sweet onion, diced (substitute for shallot)
2 tsp agave (substitute for honey)
2 tsp tamari
1/4 c egg white (you can use a whole egg if you want)
1/4 c masa flour (substitute for yellow cornmeal)
1/4 c toasted walnuts, minced
2 tb coconut oil, divided

Directions:

1. Combine zucchini, sweet potato, onion, agave, tamari, egg, walnuts and masa flour in large bowl. Refrigerate for 15-30 mins.
2. Heat 1 tb oil in pan over medium-high heat.
3. Scoop mixture into large golf-ball size spheres and flatten slightly in pan. Cook for 8 minutes, flipping once.
4. Repeat with remaining oil and fritters. 
5. Serve with a bit of tamari sauce, if desired.

I ate this with some scrambled eggs for additional protein. It would be a nice side dish too. Yum it up!

Sublime Summer

As I slowly shape a syllabus for the fall, finish up with my summer interns, and start fleshing out the bones of my calendar for the year, I panic a little. I am not ready for summer to end. The produce in season, the weather, the slightly more open schedule... all of it is so delightful!

I don't want to waste any lingering opportunities, so this week I tried to cram in as much as I could. I grabbed all the little grape tomatoes left on the vine in my teeny garden. Each one is a shiny and impossibly red orb of goodness. I am putting them in omelettes and tuna salads and veggie sandwiches. Tonight I roasted an eggplant into unbelievable creaminess for dinner. Yesterday I bought an extra half-pint of berries at the store, already mourning their absence.

Today I jumped on my bike and rode feverishly to the beach, not wanting to miss any chance of being outside. At night I am reading as much as I want because my mornings can start just a little bit slower. And finally, I'm trying my best to get a little writing done. As you probably know already, being creative is not something you can just turn on like a faucet. But I do not have time to really "get in the mood" or "find my muse." There are some things I want to write down or at least lay out for future chipping away.

So I have thinned out my schedule for the month, taking a break from some of the consulting I do week to week. I am reading a whole bunch of different things, then scratching down various thoughts and quotes and nuggets.

I'm also trying to figure out how to better integrate writing into my life on a more consistent basis. So as I mentioned in my previous post, I'm trying to learn from far better authors who have gone before me. Here are some of their wise words... though I haven't come to any conclusions yet as to writing looks like for me, their words are moving and motivating.


The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. Anais Nin

Something that irritates you and won’t let you go. That’s the anguish of it. Do this book, or die. You have to go through that... Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but, most of all, endurance... When you're writing, you're trying to find out something which you don't know. James Baldwin

Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. William Faulkner

I can't imagine not writing. Writing simply is a way of life for me. William Goyen

The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof shit detector. This is the writer's radar and all great writers have had it. Hemingway

As a writer, I do more listening than talking. W. H. Auden called the first act of writing “noticing.” He meant the vision—not so much what we make up but what we witness. John Irving

If you persist in doing something, sooner or later  you will achieve it. It's just a matter of persistence -- and a certain amount of talent. Wm. Kennedy

I am compulsive about writing, I need to do it the way I need sleep and exercise and food and sex; I can go without it for awhile, but then I need it. John Irving

One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph. I have spent many months on a first paragraph, and once I get it, the rest just comes out very easily. In the first paragraph you solve most of the problems with your book. The theme is defined, the style, the tone. At least in my case, the first paragraph is a kind of sample of what the rest of the book is going to be. That’s why writing a book of short stories is much more difficult than writing a novel. Every time you write a short story, you have to begin all over again. Gabriel Garcia Marquez

You are always concentrated on the inner thing. The moment one becomes aware of the crowd -- performs for the crowd -- it is spectacle. It is fichu (done for). Jean Cocteau

At the time of writing, I don't write for my friends or myself, either; I write for it, for the pleasure of it. Eudora Welty

We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master. Hemingway

I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. Hemingway

What's Cookin'? (Arroz Negrito Otra Vez)

I posted this recipe last year around this time, but made it again tonight, with two unique changes.

I got the idea for the changes from the Here & Now podcast on NPR. The cook they interviewed talked about (I kid you not) milking the corn when you cut off the kernels. After I got over how crazy it sounded, I realized I had to try it.

Additionally, I took her advice and chopped the leftover cob into 4 big chunks and threw them into the mix as it cooked to suck every tasty flavor out of it before I threw it out.

I'm happy to say a hearty yesssssss! to these changes. The sweetness of the "corn milk" was apparent, yet the kernels still popped with good summer flavor.

Arroz Negrito makes me happy in so many ways... it reminds of my beloved trips to Guatemala with students, it tastes FANTASTIC on homemade corn tortillas, and it leaves you with leftovers that might just taste even better than the first round.


ARROZ NEGRITO / GALLO PINTO / FAT TUMMY
Serves 4

1 cup of white or brown rice
1 tbsp of oil
1 onion, chopped
minced garlic - the more the merrier
1 can black beans - drain the liquid into a measuring cup
1 small can diced green chiles - drain off fluid and add to black bean liquid
1 chopped green pepper (leave in chunky pieces)
1 chopped zucchini
1 tsp of chicken or vegetable bouillon
1 tbsp diced cilantro
1 tsp dried oregano
1 corn on the cob (follow the instructions for "milking the corn" from the link above - it's easy)
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Sauté the garlic and onion directly in the rice cooker by turning it to "cook." Continue till onion is slightly translucent.

Add rice, the bouillon, spices, and the rest of vegetables.

Mix together until it all starts to clump together. At this point add the beans. Stir together.

Add enough water into measuring cup of bean, tomato & chile water until it makes 2 cups of water. Put this water into rice cooker. Stir well.

Cover and cook!

Serve warm and garnish with pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream, sliced avocado... use either as a filling for burritos or soft tacos, or just piping hot in a bowl! And here's the recipe for my homemade corn tortillas.

Other possible vegetables to include:

1 can of diced tomatoes - use fluid from that to add to black bean water (I did that tonight - ¡perfecto!)

diced cabbage
mushrooms
chard

What's Cookin'? Part Three

As I said in my first "What's Cookin'?" post, the vegetables are just TOO GOOD right now, so I'm having fun every night making dinner.

Tonight I combined a couple of past recipes (Oven Fried Chicken and the pesto from my Polenta Pizza) and came up with something new.

OVEN FRIED EGGPLANT with Pesto Pasta
Serves 2


INGREDIENTS

1 large eggplant

1 large egg
1/4 c non-fat or almond milk
1/3 c finely chopped pecans
1/4 c cornmeal (I used polenta)
1/4 c whole wheat, oat or gluten-free flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion or garlic powder... or both
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tb butter, slivered into thin slices
Favorite pasta
(see ingredients and directions below for pesto)

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 425 with the rack in the center. Spray a 9 x 13 inch deep baking dish with Pam cooking spray.

Start the water boiling for the pasta.

Slice the eggplant into half-inch thick slices.

In a wide bowl whisk the eggs and milk. In another shallow bowl or pie tin, stir together the pecans, cornmeal, flour, and spices.

Dip the eggplant slices one at a time into the egg wash, then dredge each one in the pecan mixture.

Place the coated eggplant slices in the baking dish. Dot each coated piece with a little butter. Bake until golden brown -- approximately 20-25 minutes. Cook the pasta according to directions.

FRESH PESTO ~ a winner!

2 cups basil packed (can use 1 cup arugula or chard instead -- take some risks. Trust me it tastes great)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tb walnuts or pine nuts
1/4 c grated parmesan
3 cloves minced garlic

Put ingredients in a small food processor, 1/3 of ingredients at a time. Pulse until smooth, add more ingredients.

Pull the eggplant slices out of the oven when done, drain the pasta, stir in some pesto, and put it on your plate for a very satisfying meal.

Pan-Roasted Corn & Tomato Salsa - Say No to the Death of Summer!

I can take absolutely no credit for this recipe, but it is REMARKABLE. It is full of texture and individual flavors that somehow stand out on their own but also blend together into a party in your mouth.

Live in denial -- summer is not over yet as long as you can make this recipe. I got it from Jen Corey and her Fairview Gardens weekly email.

Pan-Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad

(from Mark Bittman's column in The New York Times August 19, 2009)

1/4 pound bacon, chopped (aka 4 slices of bacon)

1 small red onion or shallot, chopped

4 to 6 ears corn, stripped of their kernels (2 to 3 cups)

Juice of 1 lime, or more to taste

2 cups cored and chopped tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes - glorious)

1 medium ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

2 fresh small chilies, like Thai, seeded and minced (optional)

Salt and black pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, more or less.

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to render fat; add onion and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes, then add corn. Continue cooking, stirring or shaking pan occasionally, until corn begins to brown a bit, about 5 more minutes; remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Drain fat if you wish. It will be difficult to hold back from eating it at this point -- be strong and patient ☺
   
2. Put lime juice in a large bowl and add bacon-corn mixture; then toss with remaining ingredients. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings.

P.S. I served this on warm corn tortillas.... eat slowly and savor every bite.

Sign up NOW for Fairview Gardens Summer Season!

Now is the time, my friends. If you've been wondering if you want to buy a share of Fairview Gardens, wonder no longer. Just try it out for the next 4 months. There will be no going back, I warn you!

If you go for it (summer is THE BEST season), make sure you mention me 'cause I get a $25 gift certificate for every new recruit. Love that discount, I gotta admit. Consider it a contribution to my well-being :) and um, YOURS!

Summers are full of strawberries, tomatoes, apples, figs, cucumbers, nectarines, artichokes, avocados, cilantro, basil, onions, peppers, to name a few.... need I say more??

Here are the "deets" from Jen herself:

Tomorrow is the last pick up day for the CSA Spring Share. I wanted to say thanks for a great season, and I look forward to seeing/meeting you next season.

Since the summer season starts next week, please let people know that they should since up as soon as possible: online, by calling the office, or by paying at the stand. If unable to sign up before next week, continue to spread the word and let prospective members know that they will be reimbursed for the week(s) missed

The farm stand is open 7 days a week from 10am to 6pm.
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Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens
598 North Fairview Avenue
Goleta, CA 93117
P: 805.967.7369 F: 805.967.0188
http://www.fairviewgardens.org