Strawberries n' Cream

This week at the Hollywood Farmer's Market the price of strawberries was $8.00 for a 3-pack! I bought  2 - 3 packs of sweet, lush looking berries!  The prices determine my menu design.  What I'll do is build my menu around the less expensive ingredients, and create awesome dishes from the best price selection.

For breakfast we enjoyed strawberries, bananas and cream (cashew) (above) and as you can see, my appetite isn't quite as big as my husband's appetite.

Also below, is this Strawberry-Banana Cheesecake included in the menu.  I'll also be making some Strawberry Ice Cream.  Blend your berries, cashews, agave & coconut oil and freeze the mixture.

Playing in the Kitchen

                                                              Barley Potato Soup

Today I wanted to feel productive, but I didn’t feel like making it a work day.  I decided to go “play” in the kitchen and create some recipes.  I went shopping in Santa Monica this past Wednesday, since they had their 10% discount day at the Co-op.  First I went to Farmer’s Market and bought some organic lush vegetables and fruits, and then off shopping at the Co-op.

I find that if I don’t circulate the food in my frige after shopping days, it can be wasteful, so I thought it would be a good idea to get the food moving into some dishes that I could freeze for during the week.  Spirit doesn't always move me in the direction of the kitchen and cooking and there are days I just don't feel like being in the kitchen, where I would rather go to the beach or shop at my favorite clothing stores!

I made up a few dishes.  I prepared a week's amount of Salad (ziplock bag) a pot of Barley-Potato Soup, Babaganoush, (Mediterranean dish) and an Eggplant Minestrone Stew.  I also made a raw Banana Lemon Creme Pie and Tangerine Ice Cream. 

Especially on weekends, most times my husband will do the dishes when I'm on a cooking spree, when he feels that I would appreciate his help.

Does it take time for me to be in the kitchen like this? YES!  The good news is that I hardly have to be in the kitchen during the week because I have a bunch of pre-prepped dishes that I can either pull from the refrigerator or the freezer. In this way I don't have to give it a bunch of thought about meals and "what's for dinner?" 

MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD!

In India the cow is honored and revered.  Many teachings of the Indian cultures reflect the cow as the second highest in consciousness to human life. Human beings are the highest in consciousness as they have the elements of fire, earth, water, air and ether.  The cow has similar elements, lacking ether (discrimination). Besides this, the cow is an amazingly sensitive and intelligent sentient being, bonding with their calves and other cows, just like humans bond. The law of karma is the same law that Jesus taught, “As you sow, so shall you reap”. Taking life of any living being results in the boomerang of suffering. We see this in the degenerative diseases caused by the Standard American Diet.

I came across this picture of a cow in the pasture.  

This is a reminder of the natural contentment and beauty of cows grazing on grass, their natural nutrient source for their species. This looks nothing like the pictures of factory farmed cows and how they are raised.  

This conditioned idyllic image that the meat and dairy industry would like for us to believe, does not exist!  Whether a cow is raised on a grass fed farm or an industrial farm, humane slaughter is not possible.  Slaughter is slaughter and it incurs a karmic debt, which must be paid.  As much as the meat and diary industry would like us to think of “Old McDonald’s Farm”, this image is not realistic with animal farming, known as CAFO. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) are referred to as “The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories.”  They are also known as Cow Concentration Camps and Poultry Prisons, etc.

Besides the farm animal’s inhumane treatment, what really concerns me is the feeding of these animals.  It is thoroughly documented that these cows are fed insecticides, pesticides, synthetic hormones, protein supplements (food pellets made up from rendered and diseased animals), antibiotics, manure, gravel, euthanized pets and road kill.  For seasoning add in the horrific, heart-wrenching physical animal abuse. Now, added to this grueling mess called “feed” is GMO corn and GMO soy, a diet NEVER intended for a cow, and is foreign to its digestive system. How can a sick cow produce healthy protein? The diet today for a cow is a formula for DISEASE.  Is there any question about why meat and dairy is linked with so many degenerative health conditions?

Check out John Robbins new book  No Happy Cows: Dispatches from the Frontlines of The Food Revolution “There are no happy cows in modern industrialized agriculture.”  --John Robbins

If your computer mail inbox looks anything like mine, please take the time to sign these petitions to stop the cruelty of animals. We must protest and block Monsanto’s continued pressure on our lawmakers, congressmen, etc. to monopolize the seed industry and penalize farmers as well as degrade our health. We must continue to demand labeling for ‘our right to know’ what is in our food! 

Lettuce support our organic farmers and growers, as well as organizations like Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT). These groups are continually in the front lines and trenches, providing ammunition, fighting for our health rights. This violation of nature and lack of compassion needs to be addressed and fought by all of us. All organizations, including environmental, animal rights and health groups need to bond strongly in this fight to MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD!