Potstickers

I made potstickers for the first last night. It was a little work, but not so much that I wouldn't do it again. They were healthy, delicious, and inexpensive!  I did steam them a bit too long and they ended up "re-sticking" to the pan- I think next time I will know the technique better and avoid burning them.

I followed the sauce recipe on this page to a T, but used different filling for the dumplings themselves.

1 (8 oz) package organic mushrooms
1 small head of cabbage (it was a very small one I had from the Farmer's Market)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Soy Sauce
Sherry (I used leftover port from this recipe)
1 Gardenburger chipoltle black bean burger (chopped into pieces)
2 1/2 TBSP olive oil, divided
1 tbsp cornstarch
Wonton Wrappers (I used the thin kind- they are low in calories and high in fiber. This recipe only made about 20-25 wontons. Next time I will make much more filling)


Take the mushrooms and cabbage and either grate them or use the grater option on a food processor so that they are chopped into little bits. Slice the garlic very finely.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat until it is just hot. Add the garlic. Before the garlic burns, add the mushroom/cabbage mixture and the chopped garden burger.

Let this fry until most of the water is removed. In the meantime, mix 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 1/2 tbsp port. This is also a good time to lay out your wonton wrappers.

Once most of the moisture is gone from the cabbage mixture, add the soy sauce/port mixture to the pan and mixed it in well. Once the desired taste is achieved, sprinkle corn starch over the mixture and combine. (I used much less than a tablespoon).

Move this mixture to a bowl. Make your wontons (see the links above for directions).

I served these with dipping sauce (link above) and 1/2 cup of brown rice made with vegetable base and dehydrated veggies- *yum*.

As these are a bit of work, Next time I will make them in bulk and freeze them.

Deconstructing Dinner - Permaculture at The Blue Raven Farm 07/30/09

I got out of bed at 5:30 this morning, and was at the YMCA by 6:00 to exercise before work.

Best workout I've had in a long time! I had lots of energy, was able to get to work on time, watched the sunrise out the windows, and even conquered my fear of the group shower.

The best thing about it though, was listening to my favorite podcast, Deconstructing Dinner. The episode I listened to today was Permaculture at The Blue Raven Farm.

I have this dream of someday buying some land where we can build a green home and create a small permaculture environment, truly living in harmony with nature.

To start though, I must continue on my journey towards weight loss and vegetarianism. Along the way, I plan on learning all I can about the different methods employed by permaculture societies, and trying as best I can to incorporate them into my life. I hope to share the things I learn with others, as I will continue to learn from those who have so much more experience to me.

True beauty is within our capability and grasp! I long for the day that more people to understand that life is so much deeper when you look past material things and money. The earth does nourish and sustain us.

At one point in this episode, the woman from Deconstructing Dinner that was visiting Blue Raven Farm asked a difficult question, one that many skeptics of organic farming bring up. She asked about the application of Permaculture to cities, and mentioned that obviously, lots of people who don't live in rural areas do not have the expanses of land that Blue Raven Farm or other similar permaculture locations have.

The man from the farm's response proved that it truly is feasible. He talked about suburban streets using up all the available grass in the back yards, taking out the fences between yards, and filling up these areas with food producing trees and plants. He also talked about having areas for children to play safely near home, and actually (omg) talking to your neighbors.

I'm afraid that people may be not be interested in giving up their yards or their privacy. However, really, if your yard gave you free food, you were able to have meaningful relationship to those around you, and a safe place for your children to play, would that not bring a little utopia to our suburban landscapes? After all, "It takes a village".

Vegan Posole!

Adopted from my wonderful M-I-L's recipe, and web searches:

4 quarts boiling water
3 Vegan Bouillon cubes (I used "Rapunzel" brand, regular with sea salt)
1 Onion, chopped
4 whole roasted chilies, skin and seeds removed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (14.5 oz) cans hominy
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans
Oregano (to taste, I used about 1 tbsp)
Cumin (to taste, used about 2 tsp)
Salt
Pepper

Add the bouillon cubes and let them dissolve in the boiling water, then add the rest of your ingredients. Let it cook at medium high (a low boil) for about 20 minutes.

Delicious, fast, and really really easy.
I used Rapunzel Vegan Bouillon cubes. Yum!

Camera Needed!

So... I asked my husband to take pictures of our bathroom before finishing the painting and cabinet makeovers. I really thought I had it all covered so I could post some lovely before and after pictures. I don't think I realized quite how much his camera sucks. So all I have are MORE blurry awful pictures. Next time, World. Next time I will have lovely before and afters for you.

So, since I'm not quite willing to post the atrocious 'before' pictures, I'll just give you an update.

Our bathroom was plain white, with outdated fixtures, decent lighting, and a giant mirror. The mirror needs to be framed, the cabinets were an ugly honey oak, and the walls were just... blah.

Last night we finished using an oil based primer to cover the wood. Tonight we are on to sanding and painting the rest of the surfaces. Some already have a coat or two of paint. We choose "Beige Chiffon" as the color. It's very white, not very beige- I really think it will brighten up the room and make it look more modern. We used a slate blue color called "Missoula Blue" for all the walls, and are going to paint the ceiling "beige chiffon" as well.

Here's the shower curtain that I love that is our inspiration for the room- we got it as a wedding present:

Here's the color of the walls:

"Missoula Blue"

And a picture of it going on the walls (you can see the ugly color of oak here too.. doesn't work at all with the blue):

Reading List

Finally finished "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, and "Chainfire" by Terry Goodkind. Current Reading List: "The Omnivore's Dilemma" By Michael Pollan (finally got it from the library!) and "Phantom" by Terry Goodkind.

Tonight: Finish bathroom cabinets!

Pictures!

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures before we started ripping the wall between our kitchen and livingroom down. Here are some "during" pictures though.. This was a hard time. Everything in the kitchen (the worst place!) was COVERED in dust. I would clean, and then the next day more work, more dust.

We were fortunate to be able to take some time off of work during these days to help with the demo of the wall and all the cleanup that included.

My uncle was up to visit from Florida, so my dad asked him to come help us. He is a contractor and has lots of experience. I was very nervous taking out the wall as it was load bearing, so I am so glad he was there!

Our first project on our new home

We bought our new home in June. It is a lovely old 1 1/2 story farmhouse just outside of a small town in Minnesota.

I'll be posting pictures of our first major project as soon as I get some time. The house is typical of older midwestern rural homes in that it is split up into many small, square rooms. The kitchen and "living room" area were split in half by a wall with a small door. Not wanting to have so much wasted space, we decided we'd like to knock the wall out.

2 months, lots of destruction and construction later, and we have a wonderfully open main floor. Shortly afterwords, we installed some hardwood flooring in a deep brazillian cherry color.

It has been such a blessing to be able to make such improvements right away, and it's finally starting to feel like home.

More later :)