I love creating dishes. I am obsessed with it. Real and alive food that turns into a masterpiece is so life-giving to me. It is my form of catharsis at the end of a tiring and sometimes, boring day. Ever since I can remember, I have loved being in the kitchen. Standing over the stove, cutting something up on the counter or sifting through the fridge to make up something grand, I adore creating. I remember when I was little, I would help my mom make the pancakes every Saturday morning. I attribute my fancy flipping skills today to those early Saturday mornings. More than likely, it helped that my aunt is French and fed us the craziest, most delicious foods I could ever imagine. Salmon with a blueberry glaze with a side of red wine marinated Brussels sprouts. Yum? Yum. I grew up celebrating around food.
I guess you could call me a “foodie”, whatever that means. I know what it means, I just think it is a funny word. When people first get to know me, the quickly realize food is a passion of mine. Sometimes I get the underhanded dig/joke, and other times people want to know the deeper reason of why. Most people prefer the former. The truth is, I love two things about cooking, number one: the process, number two: fellowship with loved ones over the meal.
In loving the process and pausing aspect of cooking, you would think it would transcend into the other facets of my life. It has not. Since my move back to California (and before you skim ahead, because it is all I talk about. I am sorry. TRULY) I have neither enjoyed the process of Los Angeles, nor have I allowed it to set into my being. In complete opposite of relinquishing and allowing the process to do its work in the kitchen, I have been scrambling to find my way. I have no patience and sitting in the refinement is hard.
If I sit and let myself reflect on these past four months, I can see the most painful change happening, but the most beautiful I have ever experienced. At church, we are going through a series in Matthew on the Sermon on the Mount. The series is called “The New Society”. New because Jesus brings revival and newness, society because everything Jesus says in his sermon is counter-cultural. A few weeks ago, I asked the Lord to strip away all my bandages. All the wounds that I had forgotten were there. I asked him to reveal things to me that I had blocked out of my memory. I asked this of him so that I could see him more fully. In order for me to live out His mission, I wanted to give him every hurt and burden I had been hiding because it was “easier” to leave it at the bottom of my heart. Jesus wants to heal us.
My world is being rocked. I am seeing the kingdom more fully than I ever have. I am experiencing the functional love of Christ with each instance of events. I am learning to appreciate this growing season. I choose to appreciate the process and I ask for patience as I understand the fruit of this season.
AND, since I love food, I couldn’t keep you all hanging. Last night I made Vegan Pad Thai.
Vegan Pad Thai
Ingredients
¼ cup lite coconut milk ( plus a little extra to make creamy)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T coconut oil (alternatively, grass-fed butter)
1 Package Sprouted Organic Tofu
1 tea curry powder
¼ cup green onion
1 tea cayenne pepper
1 T Peanut Butter
S&P to taste
A loose bundle of kale leaves
½ package brown rice noodles
Unsweetened coconut flakes to garnish
Instructions
1. Boil the water to get ready for the pasta to use. I use brown rice, but any pasta would work.
2. Heat up coconut oil with garlic until fragrant
3. Cut tofu into ¼ in. slices and let sear on the pan until brownish.
4. Throw pasta in the boiling water and let cook until al dente
5. Once tofu is browned, add in coconut milk, curry powder and cayenne pepper. You can add in salt and pepper here, too.
6. As the coconut milk mixture begins to simmer, add in peanut butter, green onion and unsweetened coconut flakes.
7. After the pasta cooks, drain and add into the tofu pan. Toss with a few sprigs of kale and garnish with favorite crumbled nut.
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