Goodness is….: art with leaves

31st January 2015

My winter garden is looking quite neglected at the moment. Soon I will spend the day in there, planting broad beans, sweet peas, more cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and preparing the soil for spring. I also aim to turn over the compost and dig in the horse manure I just purchased, then cover the soil with cardboard and newspapers, ready for planting in a month or two.

I still have a pumpkin or two leftover from last year’s harvest. They came out quite small, but bright and tasty.

We seem to be having this a few times a week as an accompaniment to any meal I make. Last night it was this dal with a bean and broccoli palya. Or my favourite, this mung bean dish with roasted tomatoes added to the pumpkin. It is also lovely with a salad of kale or spinach. The golden colour is right up there with the freshly picked, squeezed orange juice we have been having most mornings.

roasted kabocha pumpkin

Serves 4 as a side dish

The kabocha pumpkin is much sweeter than other pumpkins and the texture is smooth and creamy – very much like a cross between a sweet potato and a pumpkin. It’s packed with fibre, beta-carotene, iron, Vitamin C and B vitamins.

The outer skin becomes soft and sweet when it’s roasted, so no peeling is necessary. It is packed with great nourishment.

ingredients

1 whole/2 small kabocha pumpkins (or any pumpkin will work fine)

1 Tbsp ghee, melted

1 tsp coarse rock salt

freshly ground black pepper

red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

preparation

1. Heat the oven to 400F/200C.

2. Scrub the pumpkin, cut in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Take one of the halves, lay down on its flat side, and cut the kabocha into 1-inch slices.

3. In a large bowl, gently toss the pumpkin with melted ghee, salt, a couple of grinds of freshly ground black pepper, a good pinch of red pepper flakes, and the thyme. Mix everything together with your hands.

4. Arrange the squash on a baking sheet, and bake for 35 – 45 minutes, until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife and charred along the edges.

Goodness shared by Stacey

vegetable barley ginger soup with lemon thyme

7th December 2014

A soup to warm your hands and to strengthen your courage…

We can do anything if we sit with intention, just holding it in our thoughts, our hearts and lifting it up with LOVE, LIGHT, JOY, PEACE and COURAGE.

There are no limits to what we can do…..try it!

vegetable barley ginger soup with lemon thyme

Serves 4 – 6

Inspired by Noa.

If I am out of home-made vegetable stock, I add the rind end of a wedge of parmesan – it adds a savoury, salty flavour to the soup. This recipe also called for 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced – I tend not to eat mushrooms, so I left them out. But if you like the deep earthy flavour of mushrooms, add them to the soup with the vegetables.

ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 stalks/150g celery

3 Tbsp/30g fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 stick of kombu

1 fresh bay leaf

1 medium/300g sweet potato or pumpkin

2 medium/170g carrots

a large wedge cabbage (200g)

⅓ cup/70g whole barley

10 cups/2½ L vegetable stock or water

1 bunch/15g lemon thyme

1 bunch/30g each fresh parsley and dill

Extra parsley, dill and chard/kale

2 tsp rock salt

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

preparation

1. Finely chop the celery, wash and peel the remaining vegetables, then cut into generous chunks so that they do not break up in the cooking.

2. In a heavy-based saucepan, heat the olive oil, then add the celery, ginger, turmeric, kombu and bay leaf – saute until all are coated.

3. Add the remaining vegetables, barley and pour in the water so that the vegetables are covered.

4. Tie up tightly the lemon thyme, parsley and dill and place on top, bring to the boil and turn down the heat – simmer covered for 1 hour.

5. Remove the bunch of lemon thyme, parsley and dill and discard.

6. Add the salt and freshly ground pepper, roughly chop a handful of fresh parsley, dill and chard/kale and stir this into the soup.

7. Using a potato masher, press down a few times to break up the vegetables – allow to sit for 5 minutes before tasting – adding extra seasoning where needed.

Serve with a drizzling of olive oil and extra cracked pepper.

Goodness shared from Stacey

Recent Posts

art with leaves

winter roasted kabocha pumpkin

31st January 2015

roasted kabocha pumpkin

vegetable barley ginger soup with lemon thyme

7th December 2014

vegetable barley ginger soup with lemon thyme