Today's Menu: Stress-free Soup

With all the progress I have made since the start of the year, I thought my health would be at its peak when spring came along. The birds started singing and the weather began to warm (as far as strange Virginia weather is concerned), and I thought it meant that I had it all together.

But health isn’t like that. It isn’t some commodity you need to only focus on once and you’re good for life. It’s a lifetime responsibility, and one you should never take lightly. So when school resumed from Spring Break, I found it harder and harder to do my daily responsibilities. I slept whenever I could, and all my plans for my mornings were left undone as I nestled further underneath my warm quilts and blankets.

It was heartbreaking to see that weeks had passed without a single recipe written down and plans with friends cancelled because I was so tired. Frustration seeped in to my otherwise bubbly demeanor when I saw my winter troubles reappear. I admonished myself for not having the capacity to handle nine credit hours of school, plus work, plus climbing, plus a social life of some description. The stress was getting to be too much.

This likely started with an old acquaintance of mine dying in February, and I spent the majority of March padding along in morose reflection. Death and dying, school and career possibilities, old relationships and new loves… this was my mindset. Perhaps that was why I chose to either push myself beyond exhaustion with sixteen- (sometimes eighteen) hour days with less than six hours of sleep or nap when I had the free time. I didn’t want to think about the building emotions whose intensity I couldn’t discern. I didn’t want to think about anything other than my obligations to other people; and as I result I forgot who I was and why I do what I do. Among other things, Meals with Morri was terribly neglected.

I didn’t think J’s death would affect me as much as it did. At most we were friendly acquaintances a couple summers ago who shared amazing conversations about identity, gender, and love. When I learned he had died, I felt a part of my Universe shift. Everyone who has ever passed through your life matters, no matter the time or the impact. Everyone matters, and I frantically tried to make everything equally important. A month later, I officially crashed and was so burnt out from the self-inflicted stress I carried. I spent all of yesterday in bed, leaving work after an hour, with school and social plans discarded. I slept and I dreamed and I recharged, three things I hope to never take advantage of ever again.

This soup is the kind of food everyone should have when life seems too real and you need a mental health day. It isn't the prettiest of soups, true, but it is perfect to sip on in bed while you catch up on your reading or on the couch as you watch uplifting comedies. Better yet, have it with the people you love at the dinner table, reflecting upon one of  life’s greatest lessons: 

“Be mindful. Be grateful. Be alive.” (Mama Dazz)

Creamy Celery Soup

24 Celery stalks, coarsely chopped
450 g Sliced leeks
4 (536 g) Red potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 Garlic cloves
2 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Cracked pepper
Pinch of rosemary powder
Dash of nutmeg

In a large pot or pressure cooker, combine all of the ingredients and pour water just an inch below the line of vegetables (more or less, depending on your preference of soup thickness).
Cover the pot and place on medium heat to cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until all of the vegetables have softened.
Turn off the heat and use an emulsion blender to puree the ingredients smooth. (Should it be too thick for your taste, add a little water at a time and place on medium heat until at the desired consistency.)
Pour into bowls/mugs and serve hot.

Makes 6 – 8 servings.

Keeping it Simple

The year 2013 has had a rocky start. We’ve survived the 2012 “End of the World”, not to mention healing from natural disasters, human tragedies, and individual paradigm shifts. Everyone seems to have removed themselves from their normal routines, lives spinning sporadically away from old patterns. 

The GFRR has been around since the start of 2011. The movement brought together a group of innovative bloggers to show how working with the ratio of a recipe makes being gluten-free a whole lot easier. Every first Wednesday of the month I was inspired by the recipes they came up with: the flours they used, additional ingredients and flavors they incorporated, and the stories they told with their recipes. The participants are found all over the world, and their posts are viewed all over the world. For the first time, I felt camaraderie and acceptance in my trials for a healthier life, and I learned so much from the bloggers who have been part of the healthy eating movement years before Meals with Morri was created.

But life happens and people happily or grudgingly move on wherever life takes them. Be it school, work, children, a crisis, or all of the above, many people within the GFRR have been dealing with a lot lately. Less and less of us have been able to post our recipes, simply because other things have taken priority. I know, because school and my health have been of utmost importance to me since graduate school started. Meals with Morri is still a passion of mine, but at the moment it sits on the back burner, simmering and waiting for its time to shine.

I admit that I don’t post as much as I like, because I’ve started monitoring the relevance of my posting. I’d really like to talk more about health (not just concerning the thyroid), how rock climbing is bringing positive change to my outlooks on life, on food security/justice and how it drives my ultimate goal in becoming a conflict resolution practitioner, and traveling around to show the world the newest innovations of sustainable development and environmental change. It has nothing to do with the gluten free movement as such, but it has everything to do with a healthier outlook for the world and healing.

There are days I’ll look back at old posts and shake my head, asking myself “why in the world did I post this recipe?” The photos were crap. The concept of the recipe was complicated and overtly complex. I didn’t know much about healing, and changed on a dime to new possibilities of wellness. In short, the majority of my blogging has been one huge trial and error phenomenon. And I have loved every minute of it.

I’m not the only one, though. The food bloggers I’ve come to know on my adventures have lives to lead and are dealing with the exact same things I am. We’re transforming how we perceive wellness and our place in the movement, and it usually means being away from the computer to do other things and be with the people who matter most to us. We’ve started picking and choosing what to focus on right now, and what can be dropped or worked on later. Sadly, and although I completely understand and have done the same thing, it appears the GFRR has currently been put on hold.

People are simplifying their lives, blogging less or going another direction entirely in their blogging. And I’ve noticed that, since starting my new healing regimen, I want to simplify my life… starting with the recipes I post.

February’s challenge was all about waffles, and I was the host. I had a late start to getting the challenge out there, but in the end, my recipe and the other participant (Heather of Discovering the Extraordinary) have two recipes for your enjoyment.

Whenever the GFRR rolled around, I thought how I could make my recipe stand out and be different, mostly before I even grasped the concept of the basic ratio. I desired to be creative and different, to use ingredients not commonly used. But I started to think about how some people may not have access to certain ingredients, or becoming overwhelmed with all the different components I used. I want Meals with Morri recipes to be more user-friendly, and I felt waffles would be the perfect place to start.

For one, I’ve noticed there are numerous ways to make a waffle. There are different recipes and waffle irons from all around the globe. In the U.S. the most prevalent waffle types are:

The American Waffle: recipes “vary significantly, but are often made from a batter leavened with baking powder and may be round, square, or rectangular in shape. They are usually served as a sweet breakfast food, topped with butter and maple syrup, bacon, and other fruit syrups, honey, or powdered sugar.” (source)

The Belgian Waffle: “a type of waffle popular in North America identified by its larger size, lighter batter and higher grid pattern which forms deep pockets and has larger squares than the standard American waffle… It is somewhat similar to the Brussels waffle, but Brussels waffles are hard and crispy on the outside. As opposed to a traditional North American waffle, the Belgian waffle traditionally uses yeast instead of baking powder, although contemporary Belgian waffles are often made with baking powder. In North America, they are often eaten as a breakfast food; toppings vary from whipped cream, confectioners sugar, soft fruit, chocolate spread, to syrup and butter or margarine. Alternatively, they are served with vanilla ice cream and fresh fruit (such as strawberries) as a dessert.” (source)

As a kid, I didn’t have waffles or pancakes on a regular basis. I just wasn’t a fan of some breaded thing drowning in syrup as this huge soggy mass of sweetness. So I ate what other kids did when they wanted waffles: the frozen, toastable kind.

The waffle iron wasn’t used often, mostly because I felt it wasn’t my iron of choice. It didn’t have a crunchy exterior to pocket the toppings in the little squares. It was simply a pancake in waffle form. But then I was gifted with a Belgian waffle iron; and with this new-found desire to keep things simple and uncomplicated, I haven’t looked back since.

Blueberry Waffles

96 g Buckwheat flour
84 g Quinoa flour
60 g Brown rice flour
420 ml Whole milk
14 g Unsweetened applesauce
2 Large eggs, separated
60 ml Melted butter (unsalted)
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp. Sea salt
300 g Fresh blueberries*

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, milk, and applesauce to sit on the counter overnight.
Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Add the egg yolks, leavening agents, sea salt, and blueberries to the batter and set aside.
Either with a hand mixer or by hand, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and fold them into the batter.
When the waffle iron is hot pour enough batter for one waffle (roughly 1 U.S. cup for mine) evenly over the grid, easing it toward, but not into, the corners and edges with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
Close the waffle iron and cook until it opens easily (or as the manufacturer’s instructions suggests), which is usually about four minutes or until the waffles are a golden brown color.
Keep warm (a preheated oven on 200°F will do nicely) while you repeat with the remaining batter, greasing the iron as needed.
When all the waffles are cooked, serve warm.

Makes 6 waffles.

*Fresh blueberries in a Belgian waffle iron may not be the best idea (it tended to stick), so I'd recommend using dried fruit if desired. They were still delicious, though...