My Summer patio

Ode to the full moon

A couple of days ago as we drove out to get some dinner, it was difficult to not notice the moonlit sky. The full moon in the summer sky called out for sometime to spend just cherishing its sight. I decided to take a walk after dinner and take in some moonlight. I almost had the park to myself , which was great. Solitude and a great scene somehow work great to turn on the poetic mind. This is what followed :

Ode to The Full Moon.

You've come around
To the same place
Going around in circles
Do we mirror you?
The dark of the night
Not so today
For you shine bright
With resplendent light
In all your glory.
Tomorrow, you'll start to turn
Little by little
Till you disappear
Lacking will be cheer
From this sky we see
Dancing in delight
Beholding your sight
It will wait for you.

Vegan chocolate cookies

I may have caught the baking bug. I find myself searching for easy baking recipes and before I know I am  in the kitchen trying to carefully measure out ingredients. As the vegan idea slowly settles in, I am getting more curious about how to veganise foods that  traditionally cannot be imagined without butter , milk or cream. Cookies always fell into that category for me. I couldn't imagine a cookie without butter. And when I found this easy cookie recipe on this website     http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6391.0 ,     I knew I had to try it. After all, it demanded only about 15 min of my time. The only changes I made to the recipe were that I used whole wheat flour as I did not have any of the white variety , 1/2 cup cocoa powder instead of chocolate chips and an additional tablespoon of soymilk for to accomodate the whole wheat flour.

A Happy ending for me !

Vegan Whole Wheat bread.

I always thought that most bread was dairy-free. It’s only recently when I started transitioning to being vegan, I realized most are not. I then remembered that I had baked bread a couple of times earlier and I was almost sure that the basic whole wheat bread recipe I had used was dairy- free. I found the recipe card, only to find both milk and butter on the list. The thing with going dairy-free is that only when you begin avoiding it, you realize it's everywhere. Then began the search for an easy vegan bread recipe! A recipe without a long ingredient list, which uses stuff that can be easily found in most kitchens. When I couldn't find one that didn't send me off to the grocery store shopping, I decided to tighten my chef belt and risk modifying my previously tried recipe to suit my newly found vegan taste.

I just cut out the first piece of bread off my vegan loaf and I must say nothing can beat the flavor and taste of freshly baked bread. The entire process took about three hours of which I worked just 30 min. The yeast and the oven did the rest. I am very happy with my experiment and this is one recipe that goes into my recipe box for sure.

Whole wheat flour (for baking) 2 – 2 ½ cups
All purpose flour    1 cup
Turbinado sugar   5 tsp
Salt  1 tsp
Active yeast  1 package
Apple cider vinegar  1 tsp
Soy milk   ¼ cup
Oil (I used grape seed)  2 ½ tbsp
Flax seeds (optional)    2 tbsp
Water   1 cup

1. Prepare the yeast mixture by mixing sugar with water (110 F). I microwaved the bowl with the mixture for about 15sec to warm it. Then add the yeast and leave it rest for 10 min. After 10 min the mixture will be somewhat frothy on the top.

2. Meanwhile mix soymilk, salt, oil and vinegar and leave to rest for about 5 min.

3. Combine the yeast and the milk mixture in a large bowl and add flour and flax seeds and mix thoroughly. Adjust flour till the dough is not sticky yet soft .Then knead the dough for about 10 min.

4. Cover with damp cloth and leave it in a warm area for 1 hr. Let it rise.

5. Knead the dough to release the air. Shape into a loaf and put it into a standard loaf pan. Cover with damp cloth and leave again for 1 hr.

6. Bake at 400F for 30 min.

7. Take out of oven and cover with aluminum foil for 5 min. Take out from pan and let the loaf rest on a rack for about 30 min.

Aster

I like to solve my morning crossword every morning. For me,it is an eye-opener and brings my mind to life for the day. Many days , a word will catch my fancy and I will try to find all about it. "Flower that blooms in fall" - this was the clue today that had me turning the page to take a peek at the solution. 'ASTER'. My recent interest in learning more about plants had me googling for this flower that blooms when most other colors are fading away from flower gardens at the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The name 'aster' is derived from the Greek word for "star" maybe for its star-like shape. Mostly purple and blue but also pink, red and white. They are also considered a symbol of patience . I think maybe because they wait till fall to bloom while most of the flowers are losing color.

Reading about this seasonal flower, I also thought of the book I was reading yesterday. 'Relax, You're already Home' by Raymond Barnett. This is a simple book about using ancient universal principle of Tao in our everyday life. There was this one principle that I really found interesting. The author says, "Living in the seasons and celebrating benchmarks as our planet moves around the sun is one of the Taoist habits we can all enjoy." Every season has its own characteristic qualities that are meant to be lived in be it spring, summer, fall or winter. Living with the seasons brings us closer to the rhythm of the universe. I am still on this book and savoring every bit of it.

Good things come in small packages

Good things come in small packages. Quadratinis.These wafer cookies that taste heavenly sure come in a small size. I picked up these Tiramisu flavored ones as I browsed through World Market today. I could barely wait till I got to the car to taste one . They are a dessert in themselves and even one is enough to delight my taste buds.

Yellow Roses and Chilis

Of late, I have had this desire of something alive growing in our home instead of the fake greens that dot our home. Up on the 3rd floor with a 50 sq ft outdoor balcony there is not exactly tmuch space to grow a garden but a few containers are definitely a possibility. So I started my search on craigslist for a few grown plants. I really have not ever tried my hands at gardening , so I was a little skeptical about growing plants from seeds or saplings. I found this nice couple who were moving and had a dozen plants they needed to sell rather than abandon them. That evening, the plants found a new home ...ours. Now they are lined out nicely along the balcony wall bringing life to the entire space. Now I mostly keep the curtains drawn open to get a view of our little new garden. I have put a terracota dish full of water on the sill and it is slowly becoming a popular watering hole frequented by the little winged friends of our community.

Today, the first yellow rose bloomed on the rose plant. The concrete space has found its life.