The Natives... part two

The Natives: American Robin
6" x 6"
Watercolor on Arches Cotton Rag

(A continuation of "The Natives" series, original painting in the shop now) 

I love working in a series.  There is something about pushing an idea, keeping it rolling around, that allows a full exploration of thought.  I also love robins.  I've watched the robins here fatten up like thanksgiving turkeys on the bounty of winter worms.  They scoot about on the muddy hillside, half a wriggler hanging from their beak, chests puffed and bright as if to say "I don't need your silly seed.  I can take care of myself, thank you very much!  But please, do keep the rains coming, ok?"

Truly it's a wonder I get anything done at all, what with the wildlife entertainment here!

Sharesies

In the last month, since beginning this food sensitivity exploration diet, I've had a number of bloggy friends write with questions about what I am eating.  When I gave out the initial list of what I was not eating at first - gluten, dairy, sugar, eggs, meat, nightshade plants, corn, soy, tree nuts, citrus, and a few others - the remaining list of acceptable foods seemed dismal.  I've since added loads of foods back into my diet, but THIS is the meal that got me through.

More than got me through, it's been so good that BC and I make a huge pot nearly every week, tweeked to whatever happens to be in the fridge, and eat it for days.

You ready?

~ Buddha Bowl ~
The basic formula is this: start with a cooked grain, add a bean, add a raw veggie, add a cooked veggie, top with avocado.  It is endlessly adjustable, so feel free to experiment, but this is one of our favorites.  I know it seems like a lot of ingredients and plenty of steps, but you just put on some great music, start with the longest cooking time (the beans) and prep from there.

You will need:
1 1/2 Cups Adzuki Beans (pre-soaked, OR just switch 'em up for canned black beans, liquid reserved)
2 Large Yams
1 1/2 Cups Brown Rice
Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion
3-4 Cloves Garlic
6-9 Collard Green Leaves
2 Large Carrots
1/2 Cup Cilantro
Avocados (I like 1/2 an avocado per serving)
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Paprika (smoked if you have it)
Salt to taste

How To:
1.  If you are using adzuki beans (or any other dried, pre-soaked bean), cook until just tender.  The basic formula I use is 1 cup soaked beans to 3 cups water in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, cover but leave the lid just barely cracked open, and simmer on low for one hour.  If you are using canned beans, skip this step.
2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cube yams, toss in olive oil (just enough to give a light coating), set to roast for 40 minutes (tossing once).
3.  Cook brown rice according to directions.
4.  Dice onions and garlic.  Wash and chop collard greens into bite size pieces.  Grate raw carrots.  Roughly chop cilantro.  I prep all these things while the beans, yams and rice cook.
5.  Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and garlic and sautée until translucent.  Add cumin, chili powder, paprika, then add beans plus 2 cups of the liquid they cooked in (If you are using canned beans, just pour the whole business in).  Cover and set to simmer for 10 minutes.
6.  Blanch collard greens.  If you're like me, this means bringing a cup of water to boil, tossing in the greens, and letting them boil until bright and tender, then pouring off the excess water.
7.  Now take the largest bowl you own, add in ALL the above and mix well.  Taste, add salt as needed.  Serve in large bowls with half an avocado, diced, on top.

YUMMERS!
Plus it's gluten-free, vegan, low-fat, high-fiber, but you don't have to tell your family all that!
Eat.
It.
Up!

In Progress

... but aren't we all?
* * *
I'm off to good old Lodi for a spontaneous visit with the family, see you next week!
~ Umber ~

Breakfasting

I love the rare luxury of starting the morning slow.

A few notes (because I've been on a serious bullet point kick):
*
Since beginning this food elimination diet at the first of the year, I've eaten some version of a fruit bowl for breakfast nearly every morning.  Today's bounty included pears, bananas, blueberries, tangerines, avocado, cacao nibs, hemp seeds and toasted pine nuts.  It's delish!
*
BC just recently returned from a trip up to Seattle wherein that good, good man brought me no less than fourty dollars in the best coffee money can buy.   In this family we call that a "zoo-zoo" - a thing brought back from some other locale as a gift.  Different than a souvenir, a zoo-zoo doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the place, but everything to do with what the giftee loves.  Also, it wasn't until I was in my late teens that I learned "zoo-zoo" was not part of standard american language but just a familial term.  I spent high school using the term, assuming that people who did not know it's meaning were simply not well-read.
Oops.
(sorry high school friends)
*
My hand really is that veiny!  While in the thick of chemo, I had multiple nurses tell me with admiration that I had "garden hoses" for veins.  When I was younger I disliked my hands intensely, crumpling them up under folded arms and pulling sweaters well past the knuckles, like so many tall girls hiding their gangly limbs.  But somewhere along the lines, something shifted and one day I saw them as strong.  Capable.  Worn.  So much more interesting than the smooth and waxy hands of youth, graceful and beat-up like a well used piece of victorian furniture.
*

Well I do hope your morning has been full of birdsong and biscuits, or at least a strong cup of joe!
~ Umber ~

P.S.

"Is that what you think?  Haha!  I'm a lover not a fighter!"
- Michael Jackson

(thank you MJ!)