Face the Wrath of My High-Powered Wand, Mango!

Cooking Adventure: Spicy Mango Soup

Source: No idea. Um... the soup faeries.
The Bellydance Soundtrack: Emerald Alley by Up, Bustle and Out

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 25 min

My husband just ran off with the car for a day of roller derbying in Milwaukee, and suddenly I want the car. He'll always ask me if he can use it the day before & I'll say, "Sure. No problem. I can't think of anything I need it for." At it never fails that five minutes before he's about to take off, I think of ten different places I need to go. And right now I could really use the car for a trip out to the grocery store to get me some mangoes.

Lately I have been revelling in the awesome electronic power that is my new kitchen wand: the immersion blender. I've been looking for every excuse I can to blend shit. One day I'm sure my husband will come home to find me sitting on the floor surrounded by various liquids singing, "Hey, honey! Guess which one has the cabbage in it!" The immersion blender is not only sweet because I can take it apart and have it clean in ten seconds, but because... wait... no, that's why it's sweet. But it also makes me realize that the level of power hungry I've become with this thing should never be transferred to an actual magickal wand. It makes me happy that that wand has a cute little crystal on it and is usually used  for drawing circles. Goddess forbid it could actually blend things it was pointed at. I don't think I would be allowed in the grocery store anymore. Pet stores would set up security guards just to watch out for the crazy Wiccan with a magickal blending wand.

For now and forever that power is confined to the kitchen - not to mention the length of the extension cord. This is good because it means I can blend things and only slightly be swayed by evil. I can innocently peel and cut the mangoes, cook them up and fill the kitchen with a sweet aroma, and then proceed to maul them while yelling, "Die mangoes! That's right, who's laughing now? You'll crack soon. And then you will be like pudding in my... um... mouth! Ha ha!"

I'm wondering if this weirdness can be explained by something going a little screwy during my reincarnation process. 

Ingredients

My magick wand can destroy a human hand!

- 1/3cp. creamed coconut

- 2 medium white onions

- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

- 1 Tbsp. olive oil

- 2 ripe mangoes, peeled & chopped into 1 inch cubes

- 3 cups chicken broth

- 1 tsp. salt (*I use chicken bouillon in my soup, which has plenty of salt already. If you use bouillon, skip the extra salt.)

- 1/2 tsp. black pepper

- 1 tsp. tamarind paste (*Found in Asian food section of grocery store)

- 1/4 or 1/2 Habanero pepper (Optional)

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan saute the onions and butter in oil over medium heat until translucent. About 3-5 minutes.

2. Add the chopped mango and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes. You'll know it's done when the mangoes are a little softer and a little darker in color.

3. Add the chicken stock, salt (if needed), pepper & tamarind paste.

4. Stir a few times. When it comes to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low & cover and cook for 15 minutes.

5. Uncover and remove from the heat.

6. If you are using a blender here, make sure the soup has a chance to cool a bit! Hot soup covered and blended will cause a build-up of steam and pressure that can explode out the top and give you a very painful lesson in physics. If you are using an immersion blender, just blend the soup up in the pot and feel powerful.

7. Once blended, stir in the creamed coconut.

Optional 8. Here's where you can blend in a habanero pepper too. If you have never worked with them before, know that they're one of the hottest commonly available peppers at grocery stores. If you touch it with your hand and then rub your eye, you will be in serious amounts of pain. Putting a whole habanero in this soup will make it almost inedible or a perfect April Fool's trick. A half is for the mildly brave. A quarter should do the trick for just the right amount of kick.

Sweet Jumpin' Chili Beans! And A Revelation.

Cooking Adventure: Black Bean & Chocolate Chili

Source: Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates*
The Bellydance Soundtrack: Lela by James Brown & Featuring Hakim

Prep Time: 20 min.

Cook Time:25-30min.

*A thank you to Carolyn over at Eat Well. Live Well. Be Well. for posting the recipe as well. I went and returned the library book before remembering to copy down the recipe. Not only that, but I had a vegetarian friend coming for dinner last weekend and was really needing the chili directions quick. Thanks, Carolyn for saving my butt twice. :)

"I am not required to write about magick."

This was my mantra this morning for a good while. For a long time now I think I've falsely led myself to believe that just because I'm Wiccan and I run a blog, I need to be jumping into magickal writing. You know. Sharing spells. Exploring the deeper meaning of tarot cards. Dream interpretation. Psychically communing with the spirits of the dinosaurs. Well, not that last one...yet. I suppose that was what Chocolate Month was an attempt to do - an attempt to find the spiritual blogger in myself. Yet, while I appreciate and admire the bloggers who do have the dedication and insight to do this, I just can't keep it up.

My spirituality has been and always will be in the things that I do. I may not bless my ingredients before I cook, or consecrate my crochet hooks. And I may not come up with spells that often. And I may have a really bad habit of forgetting the full moon every single time until one or two nights after. But damn it, I don't really care. Pagans all have their own way of worshiping (Hence why public rituals seem to run on hippie drum circle time: "You know, man. It will all just come together when people show up."). My way of worship is in my cooking, my dancing and my crafting. I don't need rhyming or correspondences to do them, I just go with my instincts. And with this recipe, my instincts told me that if chocolate tastes good, and chili tastes good, then together they must be magickally delicious! ...Okay, I'm groaning with all of you on that one.

I will finish chocolate month because my mom never let me quit anything and that behavior has been drilled into my skull for good("But Mom, I don't want to go to Jessica's party! I didn't know it would be a Mary Kay party & they're going to make me do glamor shots! I'll have to wear a dress and I'll be covered in gobs of hair spray!" Three days later I was the prettiest, most flammable 10 year-old on the block.). So for those of you who enjoy keeping up with the insanity: expect much more to come. And for those of you who do have magickal blogs: know that I love you and that I steal your ideas all the time for personal use. :)

Meanwhile, enjoy the food for the day! This is extremely easy to make and has been husband approved for your convenience. Wo0t for the power of chocolate and love apples!

Ingredients

2 T. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 small fresh chile, minced
1 T. ground cumin
2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
1 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. chopped bell peppers
3 c. cooked or canned black beans
2 c. undrained crushed canned tomatoes
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. soy sauce
1 1/2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
chopped scallions

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, warm the oil on medium heat. Add the onions ad garlic and saute until the onions become translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery and chil, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes.e
2. Reduce the heat and stir in the spices and bell peppers. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the bell peppers begin to soften. Stir occasionally to keep the spices from burning. If needed, add a little juice from the canned tomatoes.
3. Add the black beans, tomatoes, lemon juice and soy sauce. Bring the chili to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the chocolate. When it is melted, adjust the salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste.
4. Garnish with chopped scallions.

Truffles You Can Make Without a Pig

Cooking Adventure: Chocolate Oreo Truffles
Source: All Recipes
The Bellydance Soundtrack: Istanbul by REG Project

Prep Time:10-15min.

Freezing Time: 4-6hrs.

Oddly enough, I'm typing this at home right now in faux lunch break. There was no school today because over 65% of the teachers in the Madison school district called in sick in protest. If you're a Wisconsinite, know a Wisconsinite, or are just really good with politics, then you know it's all due to our wonderful new governor, Scott Walker. Normally, I'm not one to get into political squabbles. I'm that annoying one who sits along the sidelines and waits for things to pan out before yelling, "Hooray! It's in the past now! Whatever opinion I have can be viewed as one based on history!" However, when your governor up and declares that he's going to just get rid of collective bargaining rights for public workers' unions and that there's nothing they can do or say because he's passing the bill in a few days whether they like it or not so hah, then I get a little ornery.

In addition, today was supposed to be Literacy Day at the school. I wait all year for Literacy Day. It's the one time when kids get to wear their pj's to class, sit around on pillows and read all day. And the best part is that the staff gets to read selections of whatever book they want to the kids. I was all ready and excited to read a bit of Bill Bryson's, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, but was shocked to hear my NPR alarm telling me Madison schools were cancelled. I kid you not, the first thing I yelled this morning was, "No! I HAVE to go to work today! It's Literacy Day!" My husband suspected I was a weirdo before, but now it's officially confirmed.

This brings us back to me typing at the computer giving myself a lunch break and being glad that I will have more time to make truffles today before dance practice. The photo above is a bit misleading, as those were the truffles I bought up in Door County. Size-wise, though, the Oreo ones will turn out about the same, are cheap, really fun and easy to make, and are great for little kids to help out with (My niece helped make these when  she was 2 by sprinkling/throwing in handfuls the Oreo crumbs on top.).

Magickal Bit (involving cheese!): The Greeks seemed to have the idea of the importance of every voice being represented down. Aristaeus was a minor Greek god of bee keeping and cheese making. He was worshipped by farmers who appealed to him for his practical knowledge. Hmm... maybe I should ask him to help me find a good muffler shop this week... :)
 

Ingredients

- 1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
- 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
- 2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter. Put them in the freezer and let sit for 4-6 hours or until frozen.

 2. Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs. 

 3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.(I've found that they have to sit a little longer than 1hour. I'd give them about 2-3 hours so they don't melt upon touching them.)

Post Workout Chocolate

Cooking Adventure: Chocolate Avocado Milkshake
Source: The Skinny Chef
The Bellydance Soundtrack: Touch the Buka by Harem IV

Prep Time: 3 min.

There I was, ellipticalling away on the elliptical (What exactly do you do on an elliptical? Step? Jog? Swing? Whatever it is you do on those things, I was doing it.). For the first time I had actually chosen a program other than "Manual". I broke from routine and was attempting the "Cross Training" option, which apparently makes you taller and shorter at random intervals by changing the ramp. It also orders you to pedal (Ooh! There! You pedal on an elliptical.G.I. JOE! Knowing is half the battle.) backwards and forwards.

I was concentrating so hard that when "Touch the Buka" jumped into action on my iPod I hardly noticed until the lyrics started. I finished up my workout trying not to spit with laughter at the chanting of, "Come feel my buka. Come touch my buka. Come play my buka." For those getting the wrong idea right now, a buka is a drum. For those still getting the wrong idea, I believe you're meant to. I swear that Harem IV must have found the guy from the "I'm Too Sexy for my Shirt". When I still had buka man in my head half an hour later, I thought to heck with it, and gave into the beat. So the above chocolate shake was made courtesy of Harem IV, and immersion blending to their creepy drum beat.

I said before that chocolate can be healthy when take in strides, and this recipe definitely fits that category. And if you're looking at this recipe and thinking, "Ew. Chocolate and avocados? In a drink? That's almost as crazy as a cop and a dog trying to pawn off cookies for breakfast!", don't. If you make sure to get fresh avocados, and you blend them up good, you'll really enjoy this. 

Magickal Bit: Avocados are a symbol of beauty and represent the feminine in nature. Mixed with the chocolate, it's an excellent way to honor your body's natural beauty and power.

Science Bit: Avocados contain high levels of potassium, which helps lower blood pressure, and  oleic acid, which lowers cholesterol. Avocados are also high in Vitamin K, which allows your blood to clot. 

Ingredients

1/2 ripe Hass avocado
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup skim milk

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend on high until smooth and serve over ice.

*It really doesn't matter what kind of cocoa mix you use for this, and it's really fun to experiment. :)

Making Mud and Magick

Cooking Adventure: Red Lentils & Rice
Source: Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates by The Moosewood Collective
The Bellydance Soundtrack: Habibi Ya Eini by Bellydance Superstars
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cook Time: 25 min.

Last weekend I did a major overhaul of the kitchen cabinets to find that I have quite the monopoly on non-perishable food items. In addition, I also shopped at what my husband and I have deemed, "The Fancy Grocery Store" last week and am now determined to cut down on food costs so I can spend more on food... Yeah, it all makes sense in some twisted culinary way.

I've come to realize that a large part of practical cooking is making food last. Taste can be an amazing thing but it can get, as the Minnesotans say, spendy don't ya know? And when there are no leftovers to take to work for lunch, I tend to spend way more money and imbue my body with many more calories than are necessary. So a trip to the library, a handful of books, a bag of carrots, a red bell pepper, and one day later I found myself mixing up a good batch of dahl for the coming busy days.

In addition to all of this, I've recently picked up the book The Golden Bough by James George Frazer. Apparently this 1922 study in comparative religions had quite the profound affect on Aleister Crowley's & Scott Cunningham's ritual writings - not to mention some bit of influence on Terry Pratchet's creation of Disc World. I haven't gotten to far in, but I have reached his attempt to categorize various types of magic. According to Frazer, Sympathetic Magic is any type of spell/ritual/superstition in which an object represents the need of the magician (his example is of an Indian doctor using the sun's yellow color to draw out jaundice from a patient). 

I thought about this for a while and decided that lentils must be used for fertility, because, like good soil, they soak up water and retain it. After rinsing a cup & a half of lentils, you actually end up getting 2 cups of lentils. Alas, the dahl, once cooked, comes out resembling a very tasty mud. Hmm... mud-looking, retains water... Yup. Beans are for earth and fertility. They could also represent impending gas... I'm sticking with the earth/fertility representation.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onions
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 Tbsp. peeled, grated fresh ginger root
1 Tbsp. freshly grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper or 1 small seeded and minced jalapeno
1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
6 lemon wedges
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, more to taste


Directions
1. In a large heavy soup pot, saute the onions in the oil for about 10 minutes over medium heat, until soft and translucent. (*I really don't know why it says ten minutes. It only takes about 3-5 minutes to saute onions. Use your best judgement. If they look cooked, they're cooked.)
2. Add the garlic, ginger root, lemon peel, cinnamon, and cayenne or jalapeno. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, and adding a little water if needed to prevent sticking.
3. Add the carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes, until tender.
4. Stir in the peppers and cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the lentils, water, and salt; cover and bring to a boil - this will happen quickly so stay close to the pot. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
6. Serve the lentils over the saffron rice with lemon wedges & cilantro.

*I just made the lentils so I could have the supply in the fridge. For a quick addition and dinner, put 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice, 2 3/4 cups of water, a pinch of saffron & 1/2 tsp. salt in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil, cover, remove from the heat & let it sit until the water has been absorbed. Ta da! Easy dinner!