Guest fest

My Passover dinner plate

I am so tired. We've had company all week with no time to blog or even read blogs. But that's not the source of my fatigue ... no, I've got some sort of stomach bug that's getting me down. At least it hit at the end of the week. Though with more company coming tonight, I hope it doesn't linger too much longer.

We've been busy entertaining my husband's mother and sister, who traveled here from the East Coast to spend a week with us in the Pacific Northwest. We've done a bit of sightseeing and hanging out.

Monday was the first night of Passover, and we celebrated with a family Seder. There were 11 of us around the table, and after the service, we enjoyed a festive meal prepared by two of my sons and me. We had matzoh ball soup, roasted asparagus, potato stuffing, chickpea croquettes, cranberry-apple sauce, salad, and carrot-coconut macaroons.



This was the ceremonial Seder plate with a couple of vegan substitutions. There was an avocado instead of an egg, and a roasted beet subbing for the lamb bone.



Here we are reading from our Haggadot, or Passover prayer books. Mr. Easy Vegan conducted the service and we all took turns reading. Lest you think we are very religious, we're not. But I love maintaining some of the rituals I grew up with, and which tie us to our history.



Here is my youngest son and his girlfriend, attending her first Passover Seder.



One of the things we did during our family's visit was to take a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island, and you can see the Seattle waterfront and skyline as we pulled away from the dock. It was kind of sunny and pleasant, and I was really hoping we would have a clear view of the mountains as we headed towards our destination, but it wasn't quite clear enough. We spent a pleasant afternoon wandering around the Bainbridge Island downtown, poking into stores and having tea.

Tuesday evening we went to a vegan Chinese restaurant, and there were so many of us that they put us into a private room with a huge round table. I really enjoyed the dinner, and all was well until I went to bed, and started to experience stomach distress that kept me awake most of the night. The next morning I had tea instead of breakfast, and at the point where everyone headed out for a walk at the lake, I headed up to bed. Later, as our guests enjoyed a tour of the Theo chocolate factory, I alternated between hurling, the big D, and sleeping. I made a brief appearance before dinner, but once they began to eat, I headed back to bed. I managed to consume a banana and drink water, but that was it. I feel a lot better today but my stomach is still not happy.


Miss E prepares for a "sun break," should one occur.

So with all the sightseeing and pleasant outings, what was the most entertaining aspect of the visit? I think our guests would agree that the always cheerful and ebullient Miss E wins hands down.

Except for the stomach bug, it was a pleasant week. My brother arrives this evening for round two of guest fest. I hope I feel better soon!

For all those celebrating Easter, I wish you a happy holiday!

Chewy or fluffy? And does size really matter?

It's almost Passover, and this will be the first time in many years (maybe 25 years!) we aren't sharing a Seder with two vegetarian families in Wisconsin. We've been getting together for such a long time, I don't even know how to do it without them. When we first started this tradition, there were 14 of us, including small kids, plus extra people who invariably got invited. And as the kids got older and went to college, they sometimes brought friends. We used to put tables together that extended from the dining room into the living room to accommodate all the guests. Over the years as our kids moved away, the group grew smaller, but still we always got together. Now we've moved away, and things will be different this year.

This year we'll have all the members of our immediate family plus my husband's mother and sister. I'm starting to think about the menu, and how to divide the cooking. And I'm trying to get a handle on vegan matzoh balls, since matzoh balls are traditionally dependent on eggs. Not all the members of our long-time Seder family were vegan, and the person who always made the soup made traditional egg-based matzoh balls. At home for my family, I made a vegan version with varying degrees of success.



The first time I made vegan matzoh balls, I used the recipe from the PPK and it worked beautifully. They disintegrated a little but I still managed to have some very tasty dumplings in the soup. But for some mysterious reason, the next two times I made them, they completely fell apart, and I had nothing. I swear, I followed the recipe exactly. (Yes, I know you have to refrigerate the dough.) Yesterday I tried a recipe from "The Vegan Table" that depends on ground flax seeds to replace the egg. The balls didn't fall apart, and they tasted OK but were small, slightly gummy and weird when they first came out of the pot. I put them into the freshly made, hot soup, and left them for a couple of hours. When we ate the soup for dinner, both my husband and I thought the matzoh balls tasted delicious. The taste and texture had improved dramatically, though large and fluffy they were not. I loved their chewy texture, but wonder what the non-vegans and non-vegetarians will think. (Note: The matzoh ball dough is rather stiff and dry, and that's the way it must be for a successful result.)



The soup stock was based on a simple dashi (using 6 cups water, 8 dried mushrooms, 1 piece kombu, soaked four hours) to which embellishments were added with abandon — a splash of this and a little of that. Mirin, brown rice vinegar, tamari, granulated onion, granulated garlic, two large cloves of minced fresh garlic, salt and pepper, dried dill, a pinch of turmeric and four large carrots went into the soup. It looked like chicken soup, and tasted fantastic. I just hope I can create something similar for our family gathering.

I intend to try Isa's recipe again to see if I can get it to work, and then decide which matzoh balls to use for the Seder. Any suggestions?

For vegan Passover macaroons, click here.

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Day-glo bread insides revealed



Get out your sun glasses. Several people wanted to see the inside of the too-yellow bread from my last post, so here it is in all it's mustard-colored glory.

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52nd Street Tofu House



This is a plate of take-out Korean food from 52nd Street Tofu House. They have a vegan menu (as well as the regular menu) but just because a place has vegan food doesn't mean you should go there. The food was OK but not great. We had two combo plates — tofu and veggies and gyoza with broccoli. I actually prefer the frozen gyoza that my son buys at the Asian market near his house. The tofu dish was decent but the potato dish that came with it was sickeningly sweet, and neither my husband or myself chose to eat it. We may give this place another chance and actually eat there, since take-out isn't always the best way to judge a restaurant.

An evening with friends

My dinner plate.

Yesterday was the most gorgeous day - sunny and warm. I spent a lot of time in the late morning cooking food to take to our friends Claire and Alan's house in the country for a belated Seder. I made potato stuffing, cranberry-apple sauce, mock chopped liver (recipe coming soon), salad, golden macaroons and chocolate-covered matzo (recipe below). Because one of the guests avoids gluten, the stuffing, macaroons, cranberries and salad were all gf. (I made the macaroons with rice flour and coconut flour and the stuffing contained potatoes, onions and buckwheat.)

The hosts and other guests made sweet potato casserole, soup, fruit salad, roasted asparagus, amazing apple crisp and who knows what else. We had a Seder, then a feast of food and friendship.

Although when we left our house at 4:30 it was warm enough to wear only a sweater, by the time we left our hosts' home in the valley, the outdoor thermometer was registering 31˚ F. It's hard to believe how fickle Wisconsin weather can be.


Just look at these gorgeous organic roasted asparagus.


GF macaroons.


Potato stuffing


Chocolate covered matzo
Spread 4 sheets of whole wheat matzo with Earth Balance margarine and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of evaporated cane juice. Place on a cookie sheet and place in a 325˚ F oven for 1 minute. (The margarine and sugar are optional. You really only need the chocolate in the next step.) Remove from the oven and cover the matzo with about 1-1/2 cups dark chocolate chips. Place back into the oven for a minute or until the chocolate chips are soft. (They won't lose their shape so poke one with a knife to see if they're soft.) Remove from the oven and use a knife to spread the softened chips to the edges of the matzo. Carefully place the matzo in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens. This takes 5 to 10 minutes. Break the matzo into pieces.

Macaroons and movies

I usually prepare recipes and posts on the weekend, but we didn't do much cooking around here this past weekend because we were attending movies at the Wisconsin Film Festival, and anything beyond utilitarian cooking just didn't fit into the schedule. The festival lasted from last Thursday through Sunday, and this year I got tickets for 6 films, which is about as many as I can stand to see in 4 days, considering that two of the days include a full day of work. My goal this year was to try to pick films that didn't leave me feeling depressed and hopeless, in other words, uplifting films. This can be hard with independent films, but not impossible. The first night we saw "Anvil: The Story of Anvil," which was about a Canadian heavy-metal band that has been trying to find mainstream success for 30 years. The band members are now in their 50s and still hoping to make it big. I loved this film — it was funny and touching, and left me hoping the band really does find stardom with their new album. And I didn't fall asleep even though it started at 9 p.m.

The next night we saw 2 films. The first at 5 and the second at 9:30. The first one was "In a Dream" which was about an outsider artist in South Philly who creates amazing mosaic walls. Actually, he covers entire buildings, inside and out, including the floors, with gorgeous mosaics. One of his sons, a film writer, made the documentary, and there's quite a bit of mental anguish, but the film ends on a positive note. I grew up in Philadelphia and was amazed that I didn't know about this artist. Next time I visit, I'm making a beeline for South St. The second film on Friday night was "A Wink and a Smile" about the burlesque scene in Seattle. It profiled the progress of a diverse group of women learning to perform burlesque for reasons of personal growth. I didn't come away with new insights or fondness for the genre, but at least the film met my goal of not being depressing. Sorry to say I dozed off briefly and missed what my husband claims was the best part.



On Saturday we saw two films and they were both fascinating, but my run of "not depressing" took a high speed nose dive. We saw "Silent Light" and "Treeless Mountain." Both films were photographically beautiful and mesmerizing, and both were so slow if they were any slower they would have stopped. This is more of a warning to those who prefer lots of action, than a criticism. For my husband and me, both films were riveting. (But make no mistake, they were slow.) The first had an astonishing ending that I'm still trying to understand, and the second ended with a glimmer (a small glimmer) of happiness, (maybe) but was pretty heartbreaking for most of the film.

On Sunday we saw "Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight." The documentary showcases Milton Glaser's rich life as an iconic graphic designer, illustrator and humanitarian. He's elegant and eloquent.

In spite of the busy schedule, I did have time to make a little something for those celebrating Passover - vegan macaroons. They are made mostly from carrots and coconut (seems to be a theme lately) and are made acceptable for Passover by subbing matzoh meal and coconut flour for the regular flours. The recipe is an adaption of "golden macaroons" from the "Country Life Cookbook." These are fairly delicate but become sturdier as they cool. You have to really like coconut to like these chewy cookies. (non-Passover and gluten-free versions below)



Vegan Passover macaroons (3 dozen small macaroons)

• 1 packed cup finely grated carrots (2 medium to large carrots)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup agave syrup or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon almond (or vanilla) extract
• 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup matzoh meal (not whole wheat)
  
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In a bowl, mix together well, the carrots, water, agave, oil, extract and salt.
2. Add the coconut, matzoh meal, coconut flour. Mix well and let sit at least 10 minutes. After sitting, if the mixture seems too wet, add another tablespoon of coconut flour or matzoh meal.
3. Form the mixture into walnut sized balls and shape with your fingers. (The original recipe says to drop from a spoon but I always find it easier to make the balls.)
   
4. Bake at 325˚F on a lightly oiled baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until nicely browned.

I usually grind the carrots in the food processor so they will be finely grated because my hand grater is too coarse.

By the way, these age really well. The coconut texture is very pronounced at first but as they age, the coconut softens and the cookies get very chewy. I left them out in the open (in the kitchen, of course) on the cooling rack, and they tasted even better and chewier 2 days later. So make a lot!

To make the non-Passover version use 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour for the matzoh meal, 1/4 cup garbanzo flour for the coconut flour and only 1/4 cup water.

To make gluten-free, use 1/4 cup rice flour for the wheat and 1/4 cup coconut flour. Use 1/2 cup water. Let sit at least 30 minutes before forming cookies.

Mel's Masterpiece

On February 25th, 2004, Ash Wednesday, actor/director Mel Gibson released what would prove to be one of the greatest and most popular motion pictures of all-time. "The Passion of the Christ" depicts the final twelve hours in the life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in a story based on a compilation of the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

Gibson's telling of this story was made even more interesting and relevant with his decision to have all of the actors speak their parts in the genuine language of the times, with the Jews, including Christ, speaking their lines in Aramaic, while the Romans speak 'street' Latin. Sub-titles allow viewers to follow along with the content of the lines, but the fact is that they are not necessary, especially for anyone who is already familiar with the details of the story.

Language was not the only spark of genius exhibited by Gibson, who according to the film's official website shot 40% of the scenes either at night or indoors under wraps in order to get an effect of light fighting its way out of darkness. Caleb Deschanel, who also did tremendous work previously on Gibson's film 'The Patriot' as well as 'The Right Stuff', was chosen as the cinematographer because Gibson felt his work was "violent, it's dark, it's spiritual".

These are some of the defining features of the film: violence, darkness, and spirituality. This is no touchy-feely effort that waters down the events involved in Christ's betrayal by one of his own closest chosen disciples, Judas Iscariot, his sham of a trial, and his persecution and death on the cross.

A brilliant cast of international actors was selected for the crucial roles. Jesus himself is played in a legendary performance by American actor James Caviezel, who had to endure 7-hour makeup days while filming the scenes of that persecution and death. This was the easiest of Caviezel's personal and professional sacrifices in making the film.

He was selected specifically because he was willing to make these sacrifices which included the difficult process of learning Aramaic, his hanging on the cross in freezing temperatures for hours over numerous days, and pre-filming months of other physical, emotional, and spiritual preparations. Caviezel said that he felt someone had been 'watching over' him during the filming, and this was tested when he was struck by lightening while filming the crucifixion scene. He got up and walked away unscathed.

Jesus' mother Mary is portrayed in an emotional performance by Romanian actress Maia Morgenstern, while the stunningly beautiful Italian actress Monica Bellucci brings the perfect combination of sensuality transformed by spiritual salvation as Mary Magdalene.

Italian actress Rosalinda Celentano brings an asexual quality in her haunting performance as Satan. These three are representative of the Italian and Bulgarian actors who turn in brilliant performances that help lend an old world authenticity to the film, as does the location which was shot in Italy.

The story opens with Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane at night after having participated in the 'Last Supper' with his apostles on the Jewish holiday of Passover. While Christ prays, knowing his final hours are drawing near, his followers fall asleep, and the group is set upon by Roman soldiers led to them by the traitor Judas.

The next twelve hours that include Jesus' imprisonment, trial, mocking, scourging, torture, crucifixion, and death are depicted like no other film in history. These are defining moments in the history of mankind, with Christ suffering and dying on our behalf, paying the penalty for our sins, enabling us to be forgiven for those earthly transgressions.

Thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, all we have to do is believe in him, fully accept his sacrifice, and both learn and try to live by his words and example in order to gain eternal salvation in heaven following our own earthly death.

This is quite simply the single most inspirational movie every made, and I set aside my own time every Good Friday, the day on which Christ was crucified, to watch it at some point. This coming Friday will be no different. On Friday evening you can find me at home with the DVD popped in and myself settled into my family room with the lights out.

If you have never seen "The Passion of the Christ", you simply must set aside time specifically to watch. If you are a believer, you will have one of the most emotional experiences of your life. If you are not, the film itself may not transform you, but it will get you thinking about this true historical event in a new way, and you should at least appreciate it for its high artistic qualities.

The film ends with a brief but powerful depiction of Christ's rise from the grave in victory over death itself. "Passion" is a true masterpiece from its director, Mel Gibson, and is an annual tradition for me personally. I hope that you all take the time during this upcoming holy week, especially as the weekend comes on us, to watch this film, and to reflect on the importance of the events depicted.

Jesus Christ died for your sins, sacrificed his life for you personally and individually. I pray that you all accept and embrace this fact, and give it the attention that it deserves in the coming days. NOTE: As always the title of this article is a link to more information, in this case to a nice music video titled "Why?" featuring scenes from the film.

Conquering Fear

Just one week until Palm Sunday, and just two until the glory of Easter Sunday. For those Christians who go to church next weekend and receive their palm branches, do you know what it is that they are supposed to help you recall and what they represent? The palm branches are representative of those waved by the adoring crowds at Jesus Christ during his triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem in the days prior to his arrest, persecution, sacrificial death, and His rising from the tomb. Before any of these events had taken place, there was a true sense of excitement and urgency among many of the people as the sacred occassion of the Passover approached. The Passover itself is the perhaps the single most important event on the Jewish calendar. It is a rememberance of the night that God struck down the first-born of Egypt in a show of power that led directly to the deliverance of the Jewish people out of the bondage of centuries of slavery. As the angel of death moved about the nation taking the lives of those Egyptian first-born, it passed over those houses whose doors were marked with blood, a sign that God had told Moses to pass along among his chosen people so that they might be distinguished and saved. It became a great custom among the Jews to travel to the great city of Jerusalem in order to celebrate this day, and in fact an entire great festival had been set up around the feast. As the time came, many wondered whether Christ would even show up in Jerusalem at all. It was well known among the people that the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, that person should inform them, so that they could place Jesus under arrest. Jesus had been involved in his public ministry for a couple of years at this point, and his teachings and reputation had grown so strong among the people that the traditional Jewish leaders felt severely threatened. There was talk that Jesus was going to become a king, and was going to establish a new kingdom, something directly threatening to the power of the Jewish leaders, but which would also possibly bring the wrath of the Roman empire down on them should these events leak out. The Jewish leaders wanted greatly to eliminate the threat which they believed Jesus was becoming, either by debunking him or, if necessary, killing him. The final straw came when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, a feat that overwhelmed even those who had already seen Christ perform any number of miracles in the previous months. The scribes and Pharisees saw the swelling numbers and the passion of his following, and plotted to eliminate him as a threat. This word reached Jesus and his disciples, and they went 'underground', no longer moving about in public. So as the Passover feast arrived, the people wondered whether Jesus and his followers would indeed challenge the authorities and come out in public. They got their answer in a big way. Not only did Jesus arrive at Jerusalem, but he arrived in the manner that had been foretold for centuries by the prophets, entering the city while riding on an ass and through the city gate that had also been prophesied. The great crowd which had already begun gathering for the Passover celebrations heard that Jesus was arriving, and they rushed out to meet him, waving palm branches as he passed them. The palm branch was the traditional item used to hail the arrival of a conquering hero from a triumphant battle, and this was how many of the people were beginning to view Jesus. His message of love and peace was taking root. His message of conquering fear and even death itself was spreading like wildfire. The Bible says that one of the Pharisees on seeing this outbreak of affection said to the others "You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him." This is how large and emotional and affectionate the crowds were as they jubilantly waved their palm branches at him and shouted among one another "Hosanna!" which meant "Oh Lord, grant salvation!", a true sign of how they viewed Jesus. Just after Christ entered into the city a group of Greeks came wishing an audience with him, and to them he spoke plainly: "Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." The message was clear to all. Jesus was a wanted man in the eyes of the authorities, a threat to their rule, and perhaps a threat to the entire Jewish nation if the Romans found out about his coming 'new kingdom'. But he entered into the great city not through a back door, but through the front gates in a manner indicating that he was the Messiah, the promised Savior, the coming new king. He entered publicly, and on entering he proclaimed that the current ruler would be driven out. He showed no fear. He had conquered fear, he had raised a man from the dead, and in just a matter of days he would rise and conquer death itself. Many among even the ranks of the authorities began to believe in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not acknowledge it openly for fear of being expelled from the synagogue. They preferred human praise to the glory of God. It is the overcoming of this worldly fear that Jesus Christ showed in his triumphant entry in Jerusalem. It is the overcoming of this fear to which he calls us all. You should not fear shame in publicly declaring your Christianity, in publicly celebrating your belief, and in publicly calling others to salvation in Christ. Conquer your fear as Christ conquered it, directly and loudly and openly, and envision the palms waving around you in triumph as you receive them next weekend.

Conspiracy, Betrayal, Denial

We are now just three weeks away from Easter Sunday, which along with Christmas Day is the celebration of one of the two greatest events in the history of mankind. On that day of Easter we will celebrate the great victory of Jesus Christ over death, his rising from the grave into which he entered as a repentance for the sins of man. But besides that sin for which his death was payment, there was a human process of actual conspiracy and betrayal that served as the mechanization leading to his crucifixion. And near that end there were a series of denials from his most beloved and respected friend and follower. As the Bible tells it in the New Testament gospel of Luke, with the Passover festival about to begin the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put him to death. They feared Jesus' popularity among the people, and that many of his teachings were outside the bounds, some directly in conflict with, the tenets of the Jewish faith. The Gospel of Matthew tells that they assembled in the palace of the high priest, Caiaphas, and consulted on how best to effect his arrest and eventual execution. Their initial plan was to have this plot carried out after the festival was over, because as both Matthew and Mark tell us, they feared "a riot among the people", such was Jesus' popularity. Their plots against him came together more suddenly than they wanted because the fact is they were not in charge of things. As Luke tells it, Satan "entered into" one of Jesus' twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, who approached the temple guards and the chief priests with an offer to betray Jesus and turn him over to them in exchange for money. When the chief priests agreed to pay him 30 pieces of silver, the conspiracy was in place, and Judas began to seek an opportunity to lead them to Jesus when there would be no crowds around to cause a disturbance. When the time came to celebrate the Passover meal, Jesus gathered with his disciples in the large upper room at the home of a Jerusalem man who was a supporter of their group. During the meal, Jesus instituted the Sacramental expression of the sharing of His body and blood. In breaking bread and passing it among his friends he said "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." After they ate, the Lord then took the cup of wine and said to them "This cup is the new covenant of my blood, which will be shed for you." As they further celebrated the meal, an argument broke out among them as to who was the greatest of Jesus' followers. Rather than select anyone of them, Jesus instead told them that true greatness comes not from lording it over others, but through service, saying "I am among you as the one who serves." When his closest follower and dearest friend, Simon Peter, told Jesus that he was prepared to go to prison and die for him, Jesus replied that "Before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me." He also told the twelve friends that one of them sitting among their group would betray him saying "It would be better for that man if he had never been born." As we know through history, late that very night while his followers slept in the garden at Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, Judas saw the opportunity to turn him over. He led a group of soldiers to that location, approached Jesus, and identified him to the soldiers by kissing Jesus on the cheek. Jesus was taken into custody and brought before the Sanhedrin, the council of elders, chief priests and scribes who would begin the process of a sham legal proceeding leading to his death. While Jesus was in custody, three different times that day his friend Peter was approached and accused of being one of Jesus' followers, and all three times Peter denied that it was so, just as Jesus had foretold. As the celebrations of Easter approach we should all be reminded of these moments when the very Savior of mankind was conspired against, betrayed, and denied by his very closest friends and followers. We need to remember that while our friends and family are important, no one is beyond Satan's grasp, and no one is beyond doing the exact same thing to each of us. In the end, we hope to count on the people in our lives at the most important moments. But the fact is that in the end the only one whom we can really count on is Jesus Christ himself. He was the one who stayed faithful to us. He is the one who went to the cross so that your sins would be forgiven. He was the one who suffered and died for each of you reading this. Do not turn your back on him as his followers did. Use the approach of this holy and blessed season to set your lives on a path that draws you closer to Jesus Christ.