Rainy Days And Catching Up...

It is raining and dreary here today. After the glorious weather of the last couple of weeks, it's rather a let down although I suspect Mother Nature always knows what she is doing. I was invited for Thanksgiving festivities at the home of a friend and his partner at which four generations were present, from age 92 down to three weeks. It was a wonderful time, and everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there. Friday, my generous hosts came by the flat and took me to lunch. Over the weekend, I completed holiday shopping and had the flat cleaned by a neighbour, all without breaking my budget.

Sunday as I was foraging in the fridge and pantry, it occurred to me that the ingredients for a potentially tasty vegetarian stew were to hand. The recipe, which was more of a happy accident than any planning, is listed here. I must stress that my cooking is very basic. I strive for taste and nutrition. This recipe can be easily altered should your taste be different than mine.

Ingredients

1 pound dried Red Lentils, washed and sorted
2 Large Red Potatoes, washed and cubed
2 Cups Turnip Greens, Fresh or Frozen, chopped
6 Organic Carrots, washed and chopped
2 Cups Organic Vegetable Broth
2-4 Cups Water, depending upon desired consistency
3 Tablespoons Light Olive Oil
Generous portion of Ground Coriander, to taste

Method

Cube potatoes and cut carrots
Add Olive Oil to Slow Cooker and gradually add in and cook carrots and potatoes until slightly softened. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low setting for about two hours. I used frozen Turnip Greens, but spinach or another veg of your choosing could be used.
Add the coriander and stir through in the final hour of cooking.

Do not substitute fresh celantro for the ground coriander. Both have distinctly different flavours. Coriander is the seeds of the celantro plant roasted and ground, from what I read.

This was actually better the second day. My neighbour, who was not raised eating lots of veg, tasted this and then wanted some to take home. He loved it. That made my day.

I also have a wonderful recipe from Shaheen, a blogger in Scotland. Her blog, allotment2kitchen, is always a fun and interesting read for me as I like vegan recipes that are nutritious and fun to make. She is  lovely about answering any cooking-related concern. Thanks, Shaheen!

Until Next Time...

So, What Are You Reading?

I get asked this question a lot, along with, "Why don't you post your reading selections?"

Basically, it boils down to three things:

Hap hazard reading as I await the bus or while in line for one thing and another. The books for such occasions range from popular fiction or thrillers to books telling me why my cat does as he likes. The more serious reading materials reside in a stack on my bedside table. There are two such items at the moment:

The Elephant's Journey, a novel by the unfortunately late, Jose Saramago, a Nobel Prize recipient.
The New Frugality by Chris Farrell. Farrell is the resident economic/finance guru for American Public Media's programme, Marketplace Money, which I sometimes catch on NPR.

I've just finished the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, about which you can read at the Virtual Book Club blog. There is a link to the VBC on my profile page.

Additionally, I make no claim to endorse a book or author simply because I read. Your tastes may rest with a genre or author I don't especially care for. Reading is a lot like eating. Sometimes a quick burger does the trick while other occasions are reserved for fine dining. I do not enjoy feeling like people expect me to tell them what to read simply because I happen to be a librarian.

Finally, I enjoy the freedom to try new books and authors without the pressure of critiquing every word or nuance. As someone who knows personally the agony of facing an empty page when one is expected to produce for others, I try to look at any book as a writer might. Good writers take risks, and they don't always have the expected results as far as reader reaction is concerned.

I'll leave you with this: I am currently searching for a well loved collection of Jane Austen novels since mine, which dates from the Dark Ages otherwise known as university, is no longer available.

Happy reading.

Unti Next Time...