Sometimes it takes someone else’s drama to make you realize how good your life is.

Some days, I feel useful and sometimes, I feel used.

It’s my choices and my priorities that give my day meaning.  Therefore, at the end of the day, I think about what I learned today.  I am doomed to repeat what I fail to remember so it is a smart thing for me to write it down and allow my lesson to be fully swallowed and digested.

It is a relief to know I am loved and it is a blessing to be grateful.  For when I forget these things, I have no room for compassion or forgiveness.

I thank my lucky stars every day and sometimes several times a day for I am living a life beyond my wildest dreams because I am free.

Loving Detachment is just another word for Class and Dignity.

We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give happiness when they speak or act. Happiness follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.

-Buddha

Good quote to contemplate but even better to live it.

Dogs…do not ruin their sleep worrying about how to keep the objects they have, and to obtain the objects they have not. There is nothing of value they have to bequeath except their love and their faith.

Eugene O’Neill, from his Dalmatian, Blemie’s, last will and testamentMy friend J the dog rescuer’s dogs:  From left to right – Beau (a huge, lovable Old English Mastiff ), Lilah ( a gorgeous Corso/Italiano or Italian Mastiff whom she rescued recently ) and Rocky ( a Boxer ).  The picture of these completely pampered and well loved dogs was used with permission from their owner.

Do these calm, leisurely companion animals look like they have anything pressing on their agenda?  Granted, they are kept well with no responsibilities except to delight and are comfortably secure because they are in the great hands of a wonderful owner.  Don’t they look like they get along too?  My response to witnessing pure bliss and contentment is a smile and a happy feeling.

I have officially become a dog lover.  In fact, I am infused with LOVE for all sentient beings.

Cutie Night Light (a Tuxedo cat)

Want to invite a non vegan over for a quick lunch that takes about 20 minutes to prep?

Give them some fresh organic greens in a salad bowl and serve additions separately so they can customize.  Use whatever you have already prepared, chop up some produce (even fruit), open a can of beans or a jar of artichokes, whip up a fresh vegan salad dressing and you are in business.

We had mixed baby spring greens (my favorite) as our foundation.  From the far left bottom around clockwise: chopped Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts with a quick toss in a pan with garlic and onions, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, avocado dressing (1/4 avocado whipped up with lemon juice and salt- no oil), raw pistachios, chopped celery, chopped red cabbage, Parma brand vegan parmesan (garlicky green) and a vegan potato salad made with chopped peppers, capers, vegan mayo and white sweet potatoes.

You could add a soup or homemade bread and you are ready for a lunch date.

Usually, we just toss all this into a bowl but placing the ingredients into various small bowls and plates makes it more inviting for guests or a loved one.

Easy Dinner for one vegan – Cauliflower with ‘Cheez” sauce and Grilled Seitan

Using a non-stick wide heavy pan, I ‘sautéed’ @ 1/4 cup of diced onions in @ 1/2 cup veggie broth and after about one minute, added chopped cauliflower (one whole small head) and another 1/2 cup of broth.

I covered the pan and allowed it to steam, stirring and checking, adding broth as needed to keep it from sticking.

Meanwhile, I used a food processor but you could also use a blender to whir the meat of 4-5 roasted garlic cloves (always a good thing to have on hand in a glass reusable jar in the fridge), 3/4 cup of raw cashews, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp. (I used pink Himalayan) salt and 4 Tbsp. nutritional yeast ( I was up in the mountains and only had Brewer’s yeast but that worked).

Once blended, add as much water as you desire to make it more or less thick – anywhere from another 1/4 cup and as much as 1 more cup.

When the cauliflower was tender (prick the largest piece with a fork), I added half the sauce and stirred and heated it through. I used a grinder to sprinkle fresh pepper over my entire portion. I saved the other half of the sauce in the fridge for a future dish that may call for a creamy, cheesy taste with no dairy.

You may think that cashews are rich in fat but actually this recipe calls for no butter, no cream, no flour, no milk and especially -no cheese – so you are actually consuming ‘good’ fats found in nuts, in a sensible, non-harming way.

The seitan was prepared and purchased from Mother’s Market.  I just had to heat it up and add a few drops of lemon and a dash of salt.  With over 32 grams of protein, 225 calories and only 2.5 grams of fat, this portion more than satisfied.  Knowing no animals were harmed was just a bonus to this easy, one pot, 20-30 minute meal.

The three B’s – Baked Beans and Bread was an idea I came up with this past weekend.

I made ‘homemade’ bread from a box.  It was Fleishchmann’s Simply Homemade No Knead Bread Mix and all I ‘kneaded’ was water and one hour to combine, rise, rest and bake it.  I formed it into a round, using a serrated knife to decorate the top with three slits.

Meanwhile, during our heavy, rainy downpour, I was itching to make my own version of Boston Baked Beans.  I only had Kidney beans, not the usual navy or Great Northern beans which are much smaller, paler and softer coated.  Next time, I will use them as they are also less strong tasting than the big red ones.  I used no oil for this recipe.

I ate a hefty amount of the bread with the beans and then used the remaining loaf as pizza crust by halving it and crisping it up with some avocado/garlic oil back in the oven first and then adding homemade pizza sauce with shredded mozzarella on top and serving it as a snack to my husband.

Boston Baked Vegan Beans

Serves 3 – 1 cup = 220 calories

1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced

3/4 cup veggie broth

1 cup tomato sauce

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 1/2 cups beans

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1/2 tsp. mustard

1/4 tsp. liquid smoke

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vinegar (I used maple balsamic from my special stash but any vinegar, to add acid, will do)

Preheat oven to 400.  Heat the onions and broth covered till the onions are translucent.  Add the rest of the ingredients and combine and heat for another 5 minutes.  Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, stirring once.  Serve with Bread, cornbread or a veggie burger and bun on the side.

Sometimes don’t you just get a hankering for something tangy, healthy, maybe a tinge citrusy and creamy? Mango Pudding Topped with Toasted Coconut

6 oz. silken tofu (firm)

1 cup frozen mango pieces

1 Tbsp. ground flax seed

1 Tbsp. maca

3-4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (to taste)

enough water to blend

a few drops of Stevia (optional)

2 Tbsp. toasted coconut

Make sure every ingredient is organic.  Whir all ingredients minus the coconut in a blender or nutribullet.  Halve and Serve in a mug, dessert dish or bowl.  Top with 1 Tablespoon of coconut for each dish.  Only 180 calories and it is 100% vegan!

This private collection is only here until March 23.  It is owned by one family and what is displayed is only about one fifth of their estate.  Of course my favorite painting was the most expensive one, valued at over five million (see woman below).  The paintings exude a freedom of expression in response to strict adherence to rules in the great art academies.  As political revolutions sprung, the art flourished independent of the studios’ tight reins. Artists rejected the rigid demands of previous constraints and created for themselves, interpreting for the public. Fascinating stories as well as twists on historical classics unfolded and lubricated oils on canvas.  Art can be a sensual experience and we were not disappointed.

Contemplation – circa 1900 by Herbert Draper

In Jaques Louis-David’s series of five paintings called Napoleon Crossing the Alps, the diminutive leader is seen as a victorious conquering hero in full military regalia and splendor straddling a white stallion in a fierce hind legs stance, head held high.  This was the portrayal in 1801- 1805.

In robust contrast, Delaroche paints a series of five counter statements in 1848. His portrayal depicts an honest visual of the reality.  The artist awakened, not commissioned.

We were directed by a knowledgeable docent to notice how tired, how downtrodden the horse and man looked.  She continued to explain much of the artwork to us which deepend our experience in these rooms.

This was by far our favorite exhibit that day at the museum.  We eagerly filled out a critical survey for them and thanked our busy ‘private’ docent as she headed off to lead a group of art students with an appointment to tour Revolution to Romanticism: Freedom of Expression in 19th Century European Painting.  Our heads were filled by then.

On our self guided tour through the museum, we agreed on what was attractive to us and pointed out what the other may have missed.  There was plenty to appreciate in the Chinese wing dedicated to culture, history and art brought from the Shanghai Museum.  Some of the pieces went as far back as 5000 years ago.  There were textiles, ivory pieces carved expertly, ceramics, etc.

What especially drew my attention was a Scholar’s Study that was arranged and styled to demonstrate where and how a Chinese scholar would work during the Ming Dynasty.  The pieces smelled of actual ink and there was an air of musky paper as you might whiff amongst the stacks in old libraries.  Being drawn to any writing and reading, desk paraphernalia included, I was taken by this “room”.We ventured a little into the pre-Columbian (before 1492) and were both struck by a sculpture that resembled our very own little Cindi.

Banana Chocolate Shake – One serving – 145 calories – Try to get all the ingredients ORGANIC

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. cocoa

2-4 drops of stevia

1 Tbsp. Maca powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Blend together in a Nutribullet or other such device and serve yourself.

I know I feel better when I toss one tablespoon of Maca anywhere.  The supplements do not work for me (perhaps because of their quality) but somehow the powder translates well into my bloodstream.  I always feel a little more ‘up’ when I include Maca in my smoothies.  I use raw Maca from Sunfoods.  Their Maca is grown at high elevations above the pollution line.  It is sun dried and has a nutty almost indistinguishable taste that goes very well with raw organic cocoa powder.  I don’t usually cook with it but I have added it to  savory guacamole – anything cold so as to keep its raw enzymatic qualities.

Maca is a root vegetable grown in the Peruvian Andes, another ‘super food’ gift from the ancient Incas like Quinoa.