My World and Welcome to It......

ב"ה

Today was one of those days. I basically devoted most of the day to cooking for שבת (Shabbat -- the Sabbath). I started this morning by readying the beans for soup and cholent. I took out 6 kinds of beans -- garbanzos, adzuki (little red beans), soy, kidney, pinto and black (I needed to go to the local health food store to pick these up -- I had run out) -- and barley (unhulled, not pearl). I put 1/8 cup of each (2 tablespoons or a coffee measure) in a pot for soup and the cholent pot (I put 2/8 or 1/4 cup of barley in the cholent pot and also 1/8 cup almonds). I quick soaked the soup beans (that's boil up the beans, turn off the flame, cover and let sit for an hour). I left the cholent beans for tomorrow (I'll soak them from early morning for 6 hours and then set up the cholent pot -- aka my slow cooker -- by draining the beans, putting them and the veggies I left for them -- I'll explain that later -- 1/8 cup each of wild rice and black lentils and spices and a pitcher full of filtered water on "high" on the slow-cooker until it boils, then put it on "keep warm" (the lowest setting) -- and then Friday morning, I'll make kugel for the cholent -- I take 1/8 cup of mixed chopped nuts -- I chop them up once a week and usually use cashews, almonds, walnuts and pecans -- 1/8 cup whole spelt flour and 1/8 cup whole rye flour, some filtered water (enough for the consistency you like -- I like very stiff kugel, so I often add more flour after the water) -- form into balls (or spoon in if it's very loose and that's how you like it) and put into the cholent and turn it to high until it boils and then turn it down to "keep warm".)

Anyway, back to the soup. Once the beans were "quick soaked", I drained the beans, added 1/8 cup each of wild rice and black lentils, filled with filtered water, and added a package of frozen winter pureed winter squash. I also added 1 teaspoon each of turmeric, coriander, paprika and garam masala, and about 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin and chili powder.

In the meantime, I cut up (julienne) 4 medium to large onions and sauteed them in a large frying pan with olive oil. When they got soft, I added frozen shiitake mushrooms. I also added some dried crimini mushrooms (after breaking them up between paper towels with a hammer) -- the liquid from the other veggies helps rehydrate them. I cut up two small, skinny eggplants and one nice size zucchini and added them next. I also added some frozen chopped kale (I get fresh organic kale and chop it in the food processor, then I put it in small snack bags and into the freezer -- it stays very well and this makes it easy to add to all sorts of things) and I hand chopped one branch (lots of leaves) of broccoli rabe.

When all the veggies were done, I took about 1/4 of what was there and put it into a container to put in the refrigerator for tomorrow to use in the cholent, took another 1/4 of the veggies and put in the soup (still cooking). Into the rest of the veggies, I put one package of tempeh, cut into small pieces.

I also wanted to put some beans into the tempeh/veggie dish. I took 1/4 cup of adzuki beans and "quick soaked" them. Then I drained them, added 1/4 cup wild rice and the same spices I added to the soup. Tomorrow, I'll add the same spices to the cholent. When the beans and wild rice were done (about 30-40 minutes simmering on a low flame in a covered pot), I added them to the tempeh/veggie dish and stirred the whole thing together and simmered until all the ingredients melded together.

After the soup finished cooking, I made some compote in the same pot as the soup and earlier I had made some cookies.

So now, for Shabbat, I have soup and a main course, cholent for Shabbat afternoon, and compote and cookies for dessert.

Check out my other blogs:

Israel and it's Place in the World
Jewish Singles
Strong Jewish Women

Check out some of my squidoo lenses (articles):

Strong Biblical Women
Strong Biblical Women 2
Why Be Vegetarian
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 1
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 2
Why be Vegetarian?
Rosh Hashana
Quick Vegan Cooking
Creating new recipes from old
Hanuka
About the Jewish Calendar
Witches and Morality
Math Hints 1 -- Adding Fractions
Presidents1: George Washington