new moon yantra

There's a new moon in Aries and it can super-charge creativity, according to dear ones who are in tune with  these energies.  Last night, Laura Plumb provided glue sticks, colored paper and intention to a circle of women who were invited to create their own Yantra for this season of Spring renewal.

I have to admit, I had never before heard the word "Yantra" but after a little enlightenment on the subject, I like the concept very much.  It's kind of a personal mandala and focus for your meditation.  I gathered the clippings I had in a box for a vision board that never took shape - taken from a letterpress project, a special card, tiny Tibetan prayer flags, magazines.  I resurrected words and images, played fast and loose with the petals and triangles of the Yantra and made a little collage that pleases me.  My muse says to shine.  Just shine, and to keep seeking honesty in any of the infinite ways to express my soul in this life.

Each Yantra was deeply personal and quite beautiful.  The diversity was exciting to see.  I'm feeling alive!

mission fig watercolor

Sitting in the garden and drawing what I see is very meditative.  Unpacking my new paint set and mixing the colors is where the challenge lies.  Finding the right shades of green and mixing just the right size "puddle" of paint so that the greens will be consistent takes patience.

Next time I'll take a shot at the bright blue pot the Mission fig grows in.

eucalyptus watercolor

My pen and ink watercolor class is a total delight.  The group is small, the teacher inspires me, and (bonus) it's an easy bike ride to the Park Blvd studio.  I tried a Eucalyptus branch first. Next week we're going to sit in a University Heights coffee shop to sketch what we see.

I hear there's an urban "Sketch Crawl" that meets up every week here in San Diego, based on the work of Danny Gregory - I'm putting it on my list of new things to try this Spring.

natural christmas

Since I work from home, virtually never go to the mall and rarely watch television, I depend on nature to tell me when December has arrived and it's time to bring a little greenery inside to celebrate the Christmas holiday.  For the most part, I left my flower gardening self back in the Pacific Northwest.  The return of this small cluster of Paperwhites gives me a real sense of renewal, and makes me nostalgic for Sharron and the garden plot we shared at Luscher Farm and for the wonderful people of the Hardy Plant Society.  Sign number one: Narcissus.

When I went to a pruning workshop at Mission Hills Nursery and the talk was all about roses, I almost excused myself, until I learned that a citrus tree wants to be pruned just like a rose bush.  Create a vase shape, let some air circulate in the center, and for citrus, be sure that no branches make contact with the ground, because the last thing you want is to build an insect highway leading up into the tree.  It works!  The hard pruning I did last Spring has tripled the output of this Satsuma.  Sign number two: Tangerines.

And so it is time.  The Black Pine is getting a trim and joining us inside to be decked out in white lights.

The Rosemary gave up a bundle of branches to make a wreath for the front door.  It needed this - looks much more shapely after being pruned.

Today is Winter Solstice 2012 and the beginning of a New Age of compassion some say.  It's no secret that the holiday season has become a frenzied, commercial affair.  I'm ready for more restful times.  Bringing a bit of nature inside, lighting a candle and building a fire get me into the right spirit.  My body wants to retreat into the long nights of Winter, to emerge with fresh eyes and an open heart.  Wishing you peace ~

vietnamese vegan noodle soup

Thich Nhat Hanh has been a spiritual guide for me since the late 1990's when his book Teachings on Love was just the right medicine for my depleted soul.  I've had many opportunities to study with my teacher since then and even met my husband while on retreat at Deer Park Monastery, the ultimate teaching on love!

In 2008 I went on a pilgrimage to Vietnam with 450 people from 41 countries, invited by my dear friend Jane and accompanied by lovely Holiday from Portland.  We were honorary delegates to the United Nations in Hanoi and visited orphanages and temples all over Northern Vietnam as a Sangha (community) celebrating Thich Nhat Hanh's return to his home country after 40 years of exile.

Most of my time in Vietnam was centered in Hanoi, where Pho (pronounced "Fuh") noodle soup was on the menu every day for both breakfast and lunch.  I learned a process for making the fragrant broth and cooking the rice noodles just enough.

Vegan Broth

8 cups water
3 T soy sauce
8 medium garlic cloves, crushed
1 small onion, diced
1-inch piece ginger, charred and sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
2 pods star anise
2 large bay leaves


 I've never been asked to char my ginger before, but for this recipe, I gladly skewer a thumb of ginger and blacken it over an open gas flame, like roasting a marshmallow.  First, sweat down the garlic and onion in a large stockpot.  Add soy sauce and water and bring to boil over medium heat.  Char ginger, slice into pieces, and add to stock.  Break cinnamon sticks and add, along with star anise and bay leaves.  Reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for 20-25 minutes.  Strain out solids.  Return clear broth to pot and keep hot until ready to use.

Veg Pho Bo

8 cups Vietnamese style broth (above)
1 pound rice noodles
1/2 cup Asian cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup tender greens, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn into pieces
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
3 scallions, sliced thin
3 T unsalted peanuts, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges
chili-garlic sauce

Nice options to add:  tempeh/tofu cubes - bean sprouts -mushrooms

When the broth has been simmering for about 10 minutes, soak the noodles as follows.  Bring 4 cups of water to boil.  Remove from heat, add noodles and let soak around 15 minutes, stirring now and then so noodles are pliable and separate easily.  Drain noodles and divide among six bowls.  Simmer mushrooms and tofu or tempeh in broth until heated through, then remove with slotted spoon and add to noodles.

Place fresh greens on top of noodles and ladle in the hot broth.  With this technique, the greens will retain their freshness, and the rice noodles will not be overcooked.  Serve with lime wedges, chili sauce, basil and cilantro, plus maybe some salt and pepper on the side.

The greens can be whatever is available from your garden and the quantity of greens to noodles is purely subjective.  Once you have a broth that you like, and your rice noodles are soaked rather than cooked, everything else is open to artistic interpretation.

This recipe is for my sister and brother, Kim and Tom.  Happy Holidays!

Adapted from Sally Bernstein, Vegetarian Journal 2000

source of happiness

pickles and pancakes

On this glorious summer morning, I'm back in the kitchen after weeks of steady music rehearsal and a weekend of performing.  My first batch of pickles is in the crock, with crispy cucumbers from Suzie's Farm (plus one from our garden) and under the tutelage of the master fermenter Sandor Katz.

Nov 2012 - recipe added for Tom:

Sour Pickles (adapted from Wild Fermentation) 

Brine ratio 2 T sea salt per quart water
3-4 pounds cucumbers
3-4 T dill seed
2-3 heads garlic, peeled
1-3 fresh grape leaves
1 pinch black peppercorns

1) Rinse cukes.  Scrape off any remains at the blossom end.  Soaking in cold water will freshen them.
2) Dissolve sea salt in water to make brine.
3) Clean crock or jar and place at the bottom >> dill, garlic, fresh grape leaves, peppercorns
4) Place cucumbers in crock/jar.
5) Pour brine over cucumbers, place a clean plate/weight over them, making sure that they're all under water.
6) Cover with cloth to keep out dust and flies, or lower crock lid into moat, if you have a fancy set-up.
7) Check every day.  Skim any mold from surface.  Taste pickles after a few days.
8) After one to four weeks, the pickles will be fully sour.  Move to fridge to slow fermentation.

Fresh out of buckwheat pancake mix, this gluten-free experiment worked!  The basic recipe is one cup of flour plus one tablespoon of baking powder.  I used one-third cup each of barley, rice and garbanzo flours and added a tablespoon of ground flax.  Mixed with a light coconut milk and into the cast iron skillet they went.  They come close to classic pancakes in taste and texture.  I might add some lemon or vinegar next time for a hint of sourdough.  Add my husband's tempeh bacon and breakfast is on!