Broccoli Spaghetti (Improved). The electricity is off. They told us! Note on the door and everything. Between 9am-5pm to do repairs. Forgot. Suddenly my screen is black. Black not the blue screen of death I’m used to. Now what? Eight hours without the computer. Sort of realigns priorities and views of life. If I can’t write, what will I do? Started out by cleaning the apartment. Put off way too long. That was 20 minutes. And that’s not because it’s clean already. It still isn’t. Absentmindedly sat down at the ‘,machine’ and tapped the keyboard, and the mouse, just in case. Nothing. Had forgotten. Didn’t know what time it was. My clocks are all connected to power lines. Not knowing what time it was, decided to fix lunch – and since I had all this time on my hands, why not do it right? I had already made the decision last night to make the bowl look eatable (original below). The guys downstairs (stomach monitors) don’t care, (for them, its all the same), but the gatekeeper cares.
Everything was boiled together. That’s the same.
Now, the differences:
Ran boiling hot water over the spaghetti to get the starch off.
Put it into a bowl and mixed with a small amount of olive oil to keep it pliable.
Cut and fried the soy burger in butter until browned.
Cooked sliced red bell pepper and garlic in a corner of the pan.
Cut off and ate the stems of the broccoli.
When ready, put the mixed burger/pepper/garlic into an indentation in the spaghetti.
Created the sauce in the same way as last night, with milk, butter, powdered mushrooms for cooking, salt.
Placed the broccoli around and put the sauce on top, instead of mixing in.
Added three slices of the bell pepper, which I had saved, as emphasis.
Most importantly, did not put all of the material I had onto the plate.
This works in all areas of life. Presentation IS important. I actually enjoyed the dish this time. The original:

CAT

During all this time, and even while eating, Cat did not come in. It meant I was way too early for lunch. Although… she has become sort of unreliable as a time piece. I think she’s found someone out there she likes. Just not enough to bring him home. Although knowing her sense of territory, I doubt if it would ever even cross her mind.
This going without electricity. You should try it some time. Just flip the switch. It’s a whole new world. Makes you stop and think what you are really doing – not that it’s going to change anything much, but who knows. I even had to write this on paper. Haven’t done that in years. Had to use a book to write on because there’s no space on my table. Book – that’s a novel idea. And I hate punning. Actually opened the book. It’s my Spanish dictionary sent to me two years ago. Never used it. A whole new way of learning! Speaking of languages. Cat comes in or, before she even comes in, on the threshold, she is meowing “Here I am, I hope you have the food out”. All of that in one meow. Very tight syntax. I bring her a can of cat food and start putting it into the dish. She butts my hand sending it all onto the floor which she promptly starts eating. She’s like the guys downstairs. Doesn’t matter to her. The bowl is only for us. Then, when she’s finished and is heading for the outside, she actually stops, looks back, and meows before continuing. I feel thanked.
 

 Mesa Verde. The vegetables you need (spinach, carrots, red bell pepper, onions, garlic) on natural rice inundated with a yellow cheese, mushroom powder sauce. The rice should stand on its own with cumin, rosemary, thyme, salt, butter. Only one precaution. If the rice is not quite fully cooked, be sure to eat only half the amount you want, and drink a lot of water. In about half an hour, you’ll thank me.

Comment: I took the cap off of the sweet chili sauce, and at the end of the meal, the bottle was sitting there uncapped. I looked for the cover. Said to myself, it’s got to be here. Would not have put it anywhere else, but just to check, looked everywhere else. Could not find it. Finally left the room figuring I would come back with new eyes later. Was in the kitchen about an hour later when I looked down and saw the cap. It was right where I had looked for it on top of one of the other jars. Right there. Must have looked directly at it at least 7 times. Interestingly, it did not look exactly like the picture I had in my mind. And that is so often the case. Things are right there and because they do not match, we do not see them. The cure? Stop looking. Start doing something entirely different. And with an empty mind, you’ll see things you have never seen before.

 Easy Apple. An apple may do wonders for you, but lacks something in the whole fruit form which never encouraged me to eat one a day. Solved it. Not that I’m going to do this every day.  A faster way to dice an apple: You want to make concentric circles with a knife down to the core, around and around the apple. Then cut about 20 top to bottom wedges down to the core. You can do this holding the apple the whole time. But, if you prize your fingers, do not chop. Missing the apple, or having a softer than expected core could mean disaster. On second thought better to use a board. Then, just slice the apple top to bottom around the core and the pieces will just fall off. Fast? Never do anything fast with a sharp knife, but yes faster than any other way. Dump into sauce pan with water, brown sugar or honey, and cinnamon. Start cooking, add instant or almost instant whole oats, raisins, (optional as it was here, trailmix), and walnuts for omega-3. Under 5 minutes tops.
 

Plants For A Future. An excellent resource on the edible, medicinal, gardening, vegan organics, and other qualities of plants worldwide from Cornwall, England – Plants For A Future. 7000 plant database. Very easy to use, and can download it. It’s nonprofit (charitable trust). If you like it, consider giving a contribution through the paypal button. He/She should definitely be kept in business. http://www.pfaf.org/index.php
 

Walnut
Diuretic, stimulant and antilithic (tending to prevent the formation of urinary calculi, or to destroy them when formed). “They are used internally in the treatment of low back pain, frequent urination, weakness of both legs, chronic cough, asthma, constipation due to dryness or anaemia and stones in the urinary tract[176]. Externally, they are made into a paste and applied as a poultice to areas of dermatitis and eczema. The oil from the seed is anthelmintic (acting to expel or destroy parasitic intestinal worms). It is also used in the treatment of menstrual problems and dry skin conditions[238]. The cotyledons are used in the treatment of cancer. Walnut has a long history of folk use in the treatment of cancer, some extracts from the plant have shown anticancer activity.” http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Juglans+regia As indicated elsewhere, aside from flax it has the highest per serving of Omega-3 out there. But flax tends to lose its potency in this regard very quickly, and should be ground just before using. The leaves, bark and root bark of the walnut tree are also medicinally significant.
 

 Stacked Pasta. You should see the rest of the kitchen. On second thought, give me half an hour. I had found this one, last cherry tomato in the bottom of something and was going to use it as color emphasis (the spotlight finally!). There it was, sitting on the empty plate waiting for the entree, and waiting there while the configuration was built, and then I moved it to clean the plate before the shoot. And forgot it. We’ve all been there – in both positions. This dish is a testament to my having learned from all the mistakes previously made.  Two important notes. It must ‘float’ on a sea, in this case puddle, of mushroom powder sauce, milk, butter, and cheese. Secondly, put some oil in the water when the noodles are cooking. Otherwise there will be no in-between – they are all stuck together. Ingredients: Soy burger, red bell pepper, onion, mushrooms (optional). You need to handle this preparation, and if anyone objects, stick it in the oven before serving. I didn’t – on either. Spices are critical here. This plate is medicinal. Turmeric, black pepper, oregano, dill, cayenne pepper powder, brewer’s yeast for Bs, sweet paprika. Alternate view.

 Sweet Hot Apple Slaw. Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, caraway seeds, fruit chutney (or a tbsp of brown sugar – but it’s not the same). This will not only spice up your meal, it will cure whatever ails you. I’m running out of ideas for an apple a day. Think I’m going to change it to ‘An apple a week….’ Come to think of it, I have gone an entire year without seeing the inside of an apple, or the other way around. Of course, the ‘reap what’s sown’ comes into play.

 Breakfasthenge. Honey and Cinnamon Toast On Mushroom/Avocado Egg. The spices tell the tale – coriander, thyme, cassia (Chinese cinnamon), oregano, cumin. Today I clean out my refrigerator which has been closed for over half a year.

 This needs a note. Most cookbooks and people who are really into cooking for a living, or as a hobby for that matter, would never come up with this. And therein lies its strength. Picture the person living alone, desperate about what to eat, and get all of the minerals, vitamins, protein, and whatnot (for most of us, it’s whatnot), who is constantly asking ‘who wants to spend all that time cooking for myself’, and for whom the “peanut butter sandwich, if it gave everything needed, would make them happy” sort of approach to eating. Are you still picturing, or have you just come to the conclusion it’s you and have stopped listening? Either way, this is the dish. And did it taste great. That’s a statement not a question. The crown for this assemblage is hummus with Middle Eastern style topping (store-bought). The spices are tumeric, crushed black pepper, coriander, thyme, and salt. Everything (potatoes, cherry tomatoes, peas), except the hummus, is dumped into the pan with some oil and/or butter (side note: The hummus can go in too, but only at the end), put on low flame, covered, and checked until the potatoes are soft. The thinner they are, the faster that happens. Throwing in an onion wouldn’t hurt. And if anyone says ‘Are you eating well?’ Just tell them they can rest assured.