Tree Spirits

Some of you may have heard about babies and small children who seem to "see" manifestations of the divine, spirit beings, something that we rational grounded adults can not see. I've read about this in more then one book. And then the other day I witnessed what seemed to be exactly this.

Sylvan and I were having one of our cherished afternoons together while Cliona was off at River Days, a nature emerson program held on the banks of the American River. We were paroling the sidewalk in front of our house, as we often do, when BOOM a skinned knee!! And this was the third time this particular knee has been hit, so the scab was busted open and blood was trailing down his little leg. It was hard to get over. A little first aid and a snack and we were still not quite right, so we headed for the back yard hammock. This is our new favorite spot (when it is not over 100 degrees). We snuggled up in the hammock for a nice cozy nurse. There was a gentle breeze washing over us and rustling the tree leaves overhead. The day was coming to a close and the sun was slanting in a magical afternoon way. It was really a lovely moment, the wind and the sun were dancing in the leaves. And then Sylvan lifted his arm and waved to the trees. He stopped nursing for a moment and pointed up to the trees. I looked, I saw beauty. There was an almost tangible sense of sunshine and energy. Then Sylvan waved again, he resumed nursing and waved another time. It was pure magic. He saw something, something he was compelled to acknowledge and befriend.

Pot-Holders!

A while back I found some really great "brand new" hand made pot holder's at the thrift store. We have loved and worn them out a bit. I have picture them here with a pot holder my sister made us maybe 5 years ago. These are my inspiration. The little round ones are carefully quilted and i have been appreciating their shape and size, just right for my hands.

We have been needing a few more, especially since the other 10 year old pot holder I have caught on fire on our camping trip to Big Sur last month.

I found myself home alone this weekend and made two new pot holders. Here they are in progress. I really love this cute animal print. Notice my pin angle? Well, she is a doll that has been in progress for a while now, but she works so well as a pin cushion.

Anyway, here are the new stiff pot-holders. The denim fabric we found at the Salinas beach! the inner layer is an old towel. The red bias tape was supposed to be for my apron project, more on that soon. I am actually not that happy with the way the bias tape worked out as you can see. But really, they will just be getting stained and maybe even burned. So I will just not worry about it and enjoy them. Oh and the heart is a scrap of a felted wool sweater. Yeah, they are kind of cutesy, but they make me smile in the kitchen. I'm having fun.

Banana Pancakes yum yum

This is my favorite breakfast right now. In fact I was just thinking this morning that if I were stranded on a desert island I would be perfectly happy eating eggs and bananas, and um probably coconut.




4 eggs

4 ripe bananas

2 T coconut flour

1/2 t vanilla

pinch slat



I start by mashing the bananas with a fork. I leave them a little lumpy because I think the texture helps hold the pancakes together and creates sweet fruit pockets.

Then add the eggs and beat them into the bananas. Then add every thing else and fry in coconut oil. Be patient, they will hold together. Sometimes when I flip them, they swish and accordion fold, but then once I turn them they flatten back out.

These are so sweet and yummy they don't need and toppings in my opinion. My husband leaves the house early for work, so we are often on our own for breakfast. I like to bring the pancakes to the table on a big wooden platter and then we just eat them with our hands (which is what the kids do half the time anyway). Is that gross? Saves on dishes. Try it.

Also - this was based on another GAPS recipie someone posted on line . . . not sure where - THANK YOU for the idea!!

Red Lentil Cakes

Here is a recipe that I developed based on an idea my friend Grady gave me. Grady has lived and cooked in India and shared a fermented rice and lentil cake recipe. Since our family is on a GAPS diet journey, he encouraged me to try it without the rice. And try it I have - many times now and with different types of lentils. It also took me a while to figure out what to serve them with, but when my MIL was in town I finally created a really yummy guacamole-chutney type dish. I am still searching for the perfect vegetable accompaniment, fresh ripe tomatoes are lovely and tomorrow I will be adding some sauteed greens to the table.

A note about this recipe - it takes two days! There is fermenting involved, and while some may find it too complicated I love it. I love knowing what is for dinner and it feels pretty easy to whip up. Another benefit is that my husband really likes to fry things, and he is good at it. This makes it an easy meal for us to tag team on during that busy hectic pre-dinner time.

2 cups red lentils
2 cups water

1 T cumin powder
1 T cumin seeds
small pinch asafoetida
1/2 bunch cilantro - washed and finely chopped
salt
coconut milk (optional) - if your batter seems dry you can thin it a bit with coconut milk
coconut oil - for frying

Day 1)Wash red lentils in several changes of water. Then soak them for about 24 hrs in 2 cups of fresh filtered water. Make sure they are covered. I usually do this at night. I tend to do alot of cooking after the little ones are asleep.


Day 2)The next night drain the water from the lentils, but be careful to reserve all the liquid. Then place lentils in a food processor and blend until they are creamy. Put the lentils back in a the soaking dish and pour the reserved liquid back on top of the lentils. Make sure there is some space in your soaking dish as the lentils will expand. Cover and let them ferment. ****Note about the fermenting process, if the weather is warm, you can ferment for shorter periods of time. Here is a picture of the lentils after I ground them up.

Day 3)Season and Fry!!!! Yummm. I consider the amounts of seasoning to be a guideline. We don't add anything too spicy because we have little kids, but someday I will try that option. Frying in coconut oil makes them delicious. We fry them in pretty small patties to make them easy to flip. As you may know red lentils turn yellow when they are cooked, so when your cakes are yellow - they are done!

Guacamole/Chutney
2 medium avocados
1/2 bunch cilantro - washed and finely chopped
4-6 sprigs fresh mint - washed and finely chopped
1/2 cup homemade coconut yogurt
1/2 juice of one lemon (make sense?)
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon honey - optional - and if you use commercial coconut yogurt it will be sweet, so you may want to omit the honey

Mix it all up, taste and tweak. I prefer to mix and mash by hand because I like the chunky quality of the avocado, but you could also use a food processor.