#soul expression

gentle comfort, nourish the body, ground your energy

the higgledy-piggledy casserole

So this past week was an unusual, ongoing adventure in the kitchen ~ less concentrated on one or two days than usual. Well, I spent pretty much all my time at the Book Fair, the only time to cook was Sunday evening. Also my only time to relax that week ~ Book Fair is long hours, halls full of people, especially on the weekend aka public days. So there was little time to cook.

Thus, I took it step by step, dish by dish, day by day.

Five steps/dishes/days to a full fridge. (And it is full!)

Let's start!

Step 1 - oven baked curry with pumpkin (and other goodness)(Sunday)

This time it is actually a curry, too! Though I cheated and used pre-made (organic) curry sauce. Still, the recipe is simple:

1/2 pumpkin

2 yellow potatoes

2 sweet potatoes

1 red potato

3 small onions

150g rend lentil pasta

4 generous handfulls of frozen peas

1 jar of curry sauce (350ml + water from rinsing the jar)

juice from one small(ish) lemon

And then, when it turned out that was not enough liquid:

approx. 200ml water

2 teaspoons curry powder

In the oven for about 35 - 40 minutes ~ this depends, obviously, on how big your veggie chunks are, and how much liquid is in your casserole: the smaller the chunks and the more liquid, the shorter the cooking time.

If you are looking for an autumny, healthy, nutritious, and easy to make dish? This is it.

... the most difficult and time-consuming aspect is the veggie chopping. Though I have probably mentioned it before, I enjoy that part. I find it immensely grounding, and centering. It is something that keeps the hands busy, while allowing the mind to slow down and relax, with just enough attention required that I don't accidentally cut myself.

Which I didn't. Even sleep deprived. Just for the record.

Step 2 - all the beans (and comfort food)(Tuesday)

There had been a lot of green beans in my box the previous week. So, on Tuesday afternoon this week, I decided to make the batch the way I had originally planned the previous week (which then turned into something else. as my creative dishes often do. but not this time!)

... Of course, then I had a lot of green beans, even more ideas, and the need for comfort food. So:

Pictured on the left is Beans version 1: as a salad/side to home-made cheesy fries (with mayo and chili-sauce). Pictured on the right is Beans version 2: as veggies in a pasta dish.

Yes, it's totally a pasta dish, the sauce tickened when first prepared (from a bag, yes, I am still cheating this week), then became liquid again when cooling down, and refused to thicken again when re-heated.

Didn't really matter, though. Was still nice.

Pasta, by the way, is gluten-free/rice pasta. The sauce is a vegan "carbonara" sauce, with mushrooms instead of bacon. Check it out here: Biovegan Carbonara sauce.

Step 3 ~ One Pot Deluxe (cooked two pots, because I didn't have one pot big enough, oops) (Friday)

A continuation, if you will of the Hot One Pot I made .... um ... last week? Two weeks ago? Some time ago!

Well, it is basically a one pot: veggies, green lentils, and buckwheat, cooked together. All right, kind of. But mixed together! And it grew out of the Hot One Pot, because I really liked the combination of veggies-greenlentils-buckwheat, and also I had So Many Veggies in my fridge.

(Not time to cook last weekend. So annoying. Also, the vggies pile up.)

This contains: pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoe, zucchini, carrot, onion, green lentils, buckwheat, tamari, rice vinegar, ginger juice, salt & pepper, and if you'd like the whole recipe -> go to my blog and read it here

Uh, it's getting full in the fridge, what to do, I cannot squish the Samwise Gamgee Pan in there anyway ...

Step 4 - falafel bake (Friday)

An attempt to prevent myself from drowning in potatoes and zucchini - there was another one in this week's delivery, while I still had the one from last week in the fridge - I experimented. And mixed

3 small, finely grated potatoes

1 small finely grated zucchini

with a chestnut falafel mix (from the German drugstore dm: check it out here.)

Also added: two generous table spoons of protein powder, for extra protein-kick. (I like this protein powder, it's basically finely ground pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Great to add into anything savoury. For extra protein kick.)

Then popped the whole thing in the oven for 30 minutes, and this is the result:

As you can see, I couldn't resist a taste-test before the whole thing had even cooled down.

As you can probably also tell, the first taste test was successfull, and followed by a second. And third. Yes, it's good. 😃

And, finally, last but not least:

Step 5 - banana bread (Sunday again)

With chocy chips. Vegan. Gluten free. Nommy.

... as you can tell by the fact that it smelled so delicious, I had to try it before it had cooled down, despite what the recipe said. 😃 😃

And this brings us to the end of the journey, the last step taken. My fridge is very full.

And not just with all the dishes I made, but also with the many veggies from this week's box I haven't yet been able to use up: a red pepper, a cabbage, loads of small parsnips, carrots, more potatoes ...

But that is something for future-me to contemplate. Present me has come to the end of the journey, and shall now go and tetris her fridge.

Beginning with Friday, 08-08 ~ the Lion's Gate.

My weekly delivery of fruit & veggies only got in today. Actually, they tried to deliver it yesterday, Thursday, the usual delivery day. However, since there was a delay in the delivery chain, the delivery guy came four hours later than usual, and by that time I was in a session with a client.

You can't very well jump up in the middle of doing deep inner work and going to your client, "'scuse me, it's the doorbell!"

... or, at least, I won't do that.

So I had to go to the post office this morning to pick up my parcel. Then just about floated home, I was so excited. Made a video. Went foraging. Made another video.

(What is going on here??)

And then I finally got around to setting out on an adventure:

Lentil salad, that used not a single thing from my box. 😃

Instead, it's a whole lot of leftovers from other dishes ~ and a delicious salad of brown lentils, tomatoes, red onion (lightly sautéd), kalamata olives, and non-dairy feta cheese.

Initially, the idea was to add fresh baby spinach, but neither of the two places I went to had fresh baby spinach. Fair enough, if it's not in season, then there won't be fresh baby spinach (what's the season for baby spinach, anyway?). So I bought frozen and defrosted some, to add to this salad, so that there would be some leafy greens in there.

Dressing? It doesn't have one. I added some of the brine the olives were swimming in and the Cheery Seasoning Blend (that's it's name, yes), and called it done.

After all, the non-dairy feta is mostly coconut oil, so that's the oil covered.

One of those salads that gets better every day.

Speaking of, it was better on Saturday, 9th of August, and I also made this:

I'm calling it oodles of noodles. 😃 It's one zucchini, turned into zoodles; one carrot, turned into ... coodles? And then black bean noodles, though these I didn't make myself, they came from a box.

Sautéd some onions, dropped zoodles and coodles in together. Yes, I know, the coodles should have gone firstfor a couple of minutes, because this way, the zoodles turn mushy before the coodles are done. But I'm fine with that! I only needed the zoodles to be cooked, the coodles can have some crunch.

The black bean noodles also came with a seasoning blend, so I basically simply threw everything together. Then added sesame seeds, because the noodles looked naked.

Very nice both hot and cold.

... and that's it for the day, because we were getting into karma at the Summit, and ancient group karma at that. Then we finished the day with a most amazing Soul Dance session by Aspasia (Amate Anima), and I was wiped afterwards.

It wasn't until the next day, Sunday, Agust 10, that the Adventures really started ...

This is The Adventure this week. I'm calling it: what is this?!??

Because I am not sure what it is, except extremely crispy at the bottom (because it burned), and also nothing like what I had expected to make. But okay! It was a fun exploration!

It also basically confirmed that the pan I have is NOT suited for frying. Sautéing onions, yes. Stir-frys, also yes. But making crispy tofu? Nope, that shit burns. Roast potatoes are also a no in that pan, as you can see above. These potatoes are not roasted.

Mildly inconvenienced, maybe.

Which greatly inconvenienced me, because I wanted crispy tofu and roast potatoes. Grrrr.

... no, seriously, what the heck, pan? Why are you like that? Is the stove too hot? Are you not suited for an induction stove after all?? Or are you simply Not That Type of Pan?

It's annoying. I haven't tried to make pancakes in that pan yet. Given it likes to burn things to a crisp in the middle and leave the rest, well, mildly inconvenienced.

The dish is nice, though! Sautéd onions, shredded tofu, cooked potatoes, some green peas for colour. And a good, solid seasoning blend. (Leos Liptauer-Gewürz, wem das hilft.) Makes for some hearty nomminess. 😃

And because I still had time before Day 3 of the Summit, I went on to make this:

Not Pretty Pasta

Well, actually I was making these two things concurrently: Cooking the potatoes for the "what is this?!??", while the cabbage, carrot, and onions for the pasta dish were in the oven.

Yeah, I figured out last week that cabbage from the oven is Very Nice, so used that again.

Also tried my hand at turning the sweet potatoes from my box into wedges, at the same time.

If you are getting mildly confused about what all I was making at the same time? Here's what I actually did:

Started the day feeling oof after yesterday/Day 2 of the Summmit, and in need of some self care. Decided I would have Kitchen Adventures, and this time, just me, no camera, no other Adventures. Just cooking.

Chopped up cabbage into small pieces and put that on an oven tray. Added some coconut oil, salt, pepper.

Copped up one large carrot and put that on another tray. Also sliced four onions (onto the tray), and three sweet potatoes (onto the tray).

Put all in the oven, for about 30 minutes, changing trays half-way through, so all veggies got the benefit of the grill.

While that was underway, I turned to the potatoes. Washed them - because I never peel them; I'm too lazy, and also, there are loads of nutrients in the peel. Skin? Whatever. Eat your potatoes whole.

Then prevaricated about how to cut them for cooking. Because the bunch of them were meant to go into three different dishes. So I stood there, contemplating the potatoes on the cutting board, the knife ... and couldn't wrap my head around the requirements for three different dishes. So I did what any ascending soul does - I turned inwards for guidance.

Yes, I am being entirely serious. That is what I did. And in this case - the Arcturians.

Okay, let's back up here for a bit and start at the beginning. The Arcturians?

If you are entirely new to spiritual work of any kind, you might not be familiar with the different Star Being Nations that are around in the ether at this time. This is not the place to go too deeply into these. Let us simply say that the Arcturians - beings originating from Arcturus (or thereabouts, maybe? Feels a little like that ...) - are one of the Star Being Nations. They are tech-savvy, as far as I know, can support you while you travel in the 3D, and also have their very own way of creating (as do all Star Being Nations).

Now, the way the different Star Being Nations create reality had been touched upon during Day 2 of the Summit. And when the Arcturians' way was presented ~ a little lightbulb wnet off over my head. Because that sounded familiar. Because that is the way I had been creating dishes for Kitchen Adventures basically from the beginning!

Wow. It's so fascinating how, sometimes, you can hear something over and over again, and then, one day: boom. It lands differently.

Because the way Star Being Nations create was not a new topic for me. Even how Arcturians create, I'd heard before. It simply hadn't clicked. (Hah!)

Or rather: I had never before created that way.

Or been away that I am creating that way?

To explain: The way Arcturians Create was described as working with a Rubik's cube - they see and work with and through a multitude of different options, aspects, possbilites, until things CLICK together: This is Rightness.

And that is how I have been creating dishes: Holding all the veggies from my weekly delivery in my mind, holding different ways to add protein and grains, and then simply moving them around in my consciousness, until CLICK ~ the dish I am making lands.

And the reason I hadn't realised I was doing this the Arcturian way is that I've been only half- aware of what, exactly, is going on in my mind, or consciousness, at these times.

It's always kind of happening in my periphery; I am not looking straight at How To Make A Dish. That would lead to strategising, planning, limiting myself in my creativity. Also a headache. So, before, I'd have described this process as me holding everything lightly and letting it percolate. Which isn't entirely wrong. It's just also not entirely right.

I'm playing with a rubik's cube of ingredients until all aspects line up Just Right. CLICK.

And so, with that realisation:

When I ran into the challenge of How To Cut The Potatoes, I turned inwards and felt into this faster-than-the-speed-of-light sensation at the edges of my consciousness and asked: How?

And because I'd had the realisation, this time, I watched. And boy, howdy, was it FASCINATING to observe - too fast for the mind to keep track of, but clear to the consciousness, the incredible speed of flicking through options, click-click-click-CLICK.

Cut in half and then into slices, was the answer.

Really?, I questioned. Because I'd never cut my potatoes that way before, and did that make sense?

So I tuned into my feeling sense, and the answer was clear: Yes, feels right.

So I cut the potatoes in half, and then into slices.

And it felt RIGHT.

Now, you might say I was just cutting potatoes and what's all the fuss about that?

But I wasn't cutting potatoes. I was consciously creating Reality.

And it was amazing.

But more than that: This teaches me something about myself. This shows me a new way of approaching situations in life where a decision is required.

It's like: I won't have to wrack my brains and make a decision: Instead, I will turn inwards, ask a question, and watch what lands.

For an ascending soul, this is an astounding, profound realisation to have. Well, it certainly is to me!

And more, it shows how every little thing in our lives, the most mundane act of cutting potatoes, can reveal Reality. Can reveal Truth of Soul. It shows that every single moment, and every single action we take, has the capacity for breakthrough.

And even leaving all of that aside: The feeling of depth, inside of me; the sensation of a resonance, deeper than I've felt before - I don't care what anybody says about what I have just shared: This, right there, is what Life is about, to me. It just feels so bloody good.

And this is how you can have Mutidimensional Adventures in your Kitchen. 😃

And also how you can apply Star Being Nations frequencies in your daily life.

But wait, what about those three dishes the potatoes were meant for? Because there is so far only one!

Actually, there are potatoe bits in the Not Pretty Pasta as well: Half of the oven-cooked cabbage, the carrot, onions, and some potatoes were mixed together with chickpea pasta and a (vegan) red pesto. Not Pretty But Nice. 😃

The last of the potatoes got mashed and will, together with the other half of the cooked cabbage, get turned into bubble and squeak. No pics of that, because so far, they're just chilling in the fridge, waiting for their turn.

Which will probably come on Wednesday.

Or maybe they will become part of next week's Kitchen Adventures. We'll see!

So, um, yeah. I think that is is for this week?

What a journey that was! Are you all back in this reality, or are you still drifting between the stars? 'Cause I think I might need to do some grounding after sharing that experience.

Like, for example, have some food.

Number One:

This is not the viral cucumber salad you are looking for.

It is, however, slightly-maybe based on those cucumber salad recipes floating around the internet. Joyous style. Featuring cucumber, kohlrabi, and a dressing made from the ingredients hiding behind the salad. Verra nice!

Number Two:

... comes in several steps, actually ...

Here's the first step - in itself actually a combination. It's sauted onions and aubergine (in the pan), mixed with green lentils (cooked in a separate pot).

While these were chilling out, I reused the pot to cook potatoes to make a cheezy potato mash. Remember that recipe from a couple of weeks ago? Yep. Use less pantbased milk, and the whole thing becomes mash instead of sauce.

What for, you ask?

This:

Vegan shepherd's pie, but make it Kitchen adventures style. Here pictured before going in the oven.

And this is after.

Not really pictured: The onion-aubergine-lentil mix went in the bottom of the dish, the cheezy potato mash on top. 33 minutes at 200°C (or about 395°F), or until the top is gently golden brown.

...

And because since starting this post, the promised thunderstorm hit and temperatures dropped:

Beetroot falafel, in progress.

It's not really going well, so far, because the mixture was a bit too runny, and so now the falafel patties aren't really setting. They've been in the oven now for twice as long as the recipe said, and - I've just checked because the timer went off - they are firming sliiightly. But not really.

Doesnt't help that the original recipe is a bit vague oven temperature.

Eh. This is why we're having kitchen adventures. We'll see how the falafel thingies want to turn out.

And finally, once they're out of the oven, this will go in:

Mystery!

Totally an experiment, combining a new recipe with kitchen-adventure-vibes, so we'll see how this turns out. Spoilers: contains quinoa and zucchini. Is also gluten free. Fingers crossed, I might randomly post an update later on that.

Concluding this week's adventures: dessert!

blackberry yoghurt clusters, with (leftover) lemon zest.

Where did the blackberries come from? I hear you ask. They weren't in the box, were they? Did she go and buy more fruit after all??

You are right, they weren't in the box, and no, I didn't buy them: Nature gave them to me!

Yep, I went out to forage! Went for wild mirabelle plums - and came home with some mirabelle plums, some more plum-looking plums, randomly two tiny apples, and a heap of blackberries. Made dessert.

The learning from this one is, that if you use unsweetened yoghurt, you need to add more sweetener than the one tablespoon the recipe recommended. Okay, they also used raspberries, which tend to be sweeter than blackberries anyway. So, if you use blackberries? And would like dessert to be just a bit sweeter than blackberry-sweet? Add some more sweetener of your choice than one tablespoon.

Yeah, it's a bit sour. On the other hand, lemony-icy-sour-fresh? In summer? Not such a bad thing at all ...

Right, and that's it for this week's adventures!

Hope you enjoyed this kitchen-creativity journey with me.